Feels good.  Quite refreshing.  After years of publicly and privately questioning many of the coaching decisions at CU we finally get some relief.  Dan Hawkins tenure will end at CU today.

Now the program can once again be surrounded by optimism and opportunity.  Who will it be? What kind of offense? Who will the assistants be? How will they recruit? How will the recruits react? How will we fare in the Pac12?  How much will we win?  When will go to the Rose Bowl?  Everything focused on the possibility of what this program can become.

It is a huge relief.   Thank you.

Bieniemy, Embree, McCartney, Hagan, Leach, Venables, Logan…   or maybe Troy Calhoun.

Hawk –  Thanks for all your hard work and time that you have given the University of Colorado.  We are all disappointed you couldn’t have been more successful.

In Gary Barnett’s final year he took the team to the Big XII championship.  In that game the Buffs were humiliated 70-3 by Texas.  Barnett was fired as head coach of the Colorado Buffaloes in large part due to this disaster.

Hawkins has at least five disasters under his belt.

• L 52-7 Cal
• L 54-38 Toledo
• L 58-0 Mizzou
• L 55-10 Mizzou
• L 19-10 Montana St

It is time to say enough is enough.  Colorado cannot accept these results.

For the past 3 seasons I was a supporter of Hawkins and his staff, believing that they were heading in the right direction and building this team up from the terrible state it was previously in. They’ve been able to sign some good players, not many, but a few here and there, and have shown glimpses of improvement year after year. I was sold, and convinced each season that things could only get better. I was a firm believer of “Hawk Love”.

Not anymore.

I am now at a loss for words. I find myself wondering what this coaching staff is doing with the program? They are constantly playing a crop of walk-ons and mediocre recruits over more talented players who may have less experience/knowledge of the offense but could give us more of a chance to score, run down the ball carrier, or cover a man from time to time. It just doesn’t make sense to me anymore.

Some may be skeptical of playing the newer guys, but here is my thinking: we have to TRY something else. I don’t care if it doesn’t work, what we’re doing now isn’t working either. So why not try a new player every so often. How many times do we have to watch our defense be picked apart, play after play? And when we do make a defensive stop, how many times do we have to watch Espinoza trip, fumble, backtrack on a punt before we try someone else back there? I won’t even touch on Aric Goodman, you all know the problem there. And then comes the offense. Every single drive is a struggle to move the ball. For once, take Cody out and try someone else, give D. Scott the opportunity to get some momentum going in a game, put in Simas and Simmons for more than a few snaps a game. Don’t get me wrong, McNight is a solid player but we can’t throw to him every single time. (Against WVU, Scotty was the only receiver with a reception until the clock had 6:30 left….. In the 4th!) Obviously nobody else can get open, so lets try putting some other guys in there. Coaches are supposed to make changes to improve the team, and so far there hasn’t even been an attempt to do that. For some reason, each game we see our slow, short receivers line up while opportunity watches from the sideline with the rest of the team.

The program has now achieved a level of pure embarrassment. How long must this go on before someone decides to change it? Coach Hawk, it’s time you stop talking about good effort from the team each game and provide some real answers as to what is going on. I want to hear some truth, be honest and explain what is wrong with this team. If you can’t do that, leave. Step down. Do something. Anything. You’re losing fans, boosters, recruits and respect for the program. And you’re losing them fast. I am not one to give up on teams, but this season has really been disappointing. I never thought that it would be this bad, but it is. Great job Hawk, so far in 4 years you’ve taken this team from bad to worse. Hang on everyone; unless we start to see some change, this is going to be one long, painful season….

Let’s start here.  We cannot fire Dan Hawkins.  The CU Athletic Department does not have the money to do this.  So no matter how much you feel he is the root of the problem, he is not going anywhere.  Unless you have an extra $3 million to address this situation, than you should not be calling for Dan Hawkins head.  Adding an extra $3 million in debt to an already cash strapped athletic department will hamstring us for years into the future.

So working with that assumption what can we do to move forward?

College football is a very interesting beast. We are dealing with young student athletes here. Very few of us are heartless enough to call out players individually and put the weight of shoulders directly on their shoulders.  This is as it should be and part of the beauty of college football. The only problem is it leaves only one outlet when you want change in your program.  Fire the coach.  Not exactly the most mature solution.

I will write more about how we need to fortify our defenses later this week, but I want to focus on one issue right now.  Transparency.

Right now the relationship between the fans and the coaches is tenuous at best and I think it all started to go south when we lost transparency.  There are a number of questions I have about our program that would be a lot less pressing if we were winning, but since we clearly are not, I would like to get them answered to help restore some trust in the coaching staff?

1. What really happened with Josh Smith? He wanted to major in music?  Give me a break.
2. Darrell Scott: why the hell can we not work him into the offense consistently? Why are the coaches not telling the same story about him.  Hawkins says he is dinged and Hagan says he is good to go.
3. Matt Ballenger.  Since every other quarterback on our team is red shirting why didn’t we keep him around as the heir apparent.  What happened here?
4. Marques Simas – Violating unspecified team rules.  Could we get a little more detail here.  We clearly missed him the first 2 games.  Was it truly justified?
5. Andre Simmons:  3 weeks to clear admissions? WTF?
6. Closed practices?  Clearly we are not hiding our play calling
7. Not deciding on a QB until the start of the game?  That was just childish.
8. Tyler Hansen and Clark Evans both red shirting.  Whoa.  This seems to be just plainly ridiculous.
9. Where was Andre Simmons versus Toledo?
10. an more…….

This is just off the top of my head.  Let me understand what is going on with the program and why you are making the decisions you have.  It will help me be ever so slightly more patient with this situation.

What other outstanding questions do you have?

Although it is late on the very first day of the 2009 college football season, there is already some good news for the Buffs in an odd sort of way. Where did this news come from? The Oregon vs. Boise State game tonight.

While the entire game wasn’t the most graceful football to watch, it was interesting to see Oregon struggle so much on offense. Then I realized why, and the answer is part of the reason why we should have a more productive offense this season. Mark Helfrich is now at Oregon. I saw the same type of play calling we struggled through while he was here at CU. It was very similar to how our offense has failed over the time Helfrich was here. That is why I’m excited to see what our new offensive coordinator, Eric Kiesau, will bring to our offense this year. But I’m sure it will be good change after watching Oregon struggle so much tonight.

2 Days…. GO BUFFS!

The DailyCamera is reporting that the University of Colorado has extended the contract of Dan Hawkins through the 2012 season.
I think this will help the Buffs continue to recruit more top players knowing that this coaching staff will be here for a few more years. Hawkins has shown that he is closing the gap between the Buffs and the top of the league. With a two deep consisting of a lot of 1st and 2nd year players the future looks bright and the future recruiting classes will get to be brought up slower and not expected to make huge contributions immediately.

Brian Cabral is back again as CU’s assistant head coach. Hell ya. He will still coach linebackers. He was also named one of the top 25 recruiters of the year by Rivals.
As an aside, apparently the recruiting luncheon was a huge success, with the program bringing in 2000 people and roughly $200,000 in donations within 15 minutes by some estimates (warning, forum link, so content could be very, umm…. liberal). Coach Mac also had a presentation in which he urged everyone to go to the spring game, citing the Alabama example of 92,000 people showing up and Bama getting the #1 class in the Nation.
92k ? Not to sure on that. I am pretty sure 29k would blow the CU spring game record of the water in a big big big way.
Anybody who lives with 500 miles of the game, try and make it ok? I wish I could!!!
A final Note: CU’s class is now ranked #15 by rivals.
I am looking forward to this next season. If things go right I might actually be in Colorado to enjoy it!

A certain local Boulder Columnist ran out of things to say and decided to just stir the pot by declaring that after looking at the hell that is the modern coach search process, CU should jump the gun and extend Hawk (probably with a HUGE early release clause) now to make sure no one comes calling if Hawk leads the team to an impressive record next year.

Synopsis: 2 and 10 to 6 and 6. Likely top 20 and Potential top 10 recruiting class on the way. See: Michigan and Arkansas recruiting searches.

Frankly, I think the situation of West Virginia is where nobody wants to be. No Head Coach, No Head Coach Search, and even when it starts, its way late in the game. There are few viable candidates to think of off the top of your head, and a BCS game to prepare for. Yikes!
The counterargument is by another local guy, Kyle Ringo. Basically, ITS TO EARLY FOOL. That and that even Mac had to wait 3 years to get an extension (after a 1 and 10 record! Guts like that are rare). Ringo’s counterargument is that with the schedule we have next year, it is very likely CU could struggle to match this year’s schedule. Most people still agree that CU is on the right track, but it is just a bit early to do that. Ringo really liked one part of Neill’s proposal (which I second) is:

The one area where I am in total agreement with Neill here is the need for CU to increase the pay of Hawkins’ assistant coaches. This is a talented staff and most of these coaches can easily leave for higher paying jobs whenever they want to. I continue to be dumbfounded every year that someone hasn’t been wise enough to hire Brian Cabral as a head coach.

Consistency is key. I like our staff. Helfrich may not be a great Offensive Coordinator, but I want to give him a chance to mature. I was going to say something about our WR coach, but to my shock we don’t have one! I guess it shouldn’t be shocking considering the fact that our WR’s have not been spectacular (or even good) since Hawk showed up.
Anyways, what are your guy’s thoughts? I say give Cabral a big raise!

Anyone care to comment on this story?

The ex-CSU QB and assistant coach Steve Fairchild. He has never been a Head Coach at any level. He is currently the NFL Buffalo Bills offensive coordinator. The Bills offense has been nothing special with two young QBs, but they are contending for a playoff spot. Interesting hire. I don’t see this as an exciting one, but I see no reason why the guy can’t be competent. I am interested to see what he does in the recruiting area, since he will not take over until after the NFL season…

To build on Skye’s post (because it’s too big as a comment)…we’re 3 games into the season and the calls for the heads of all the Hawkins’ involved with CU football have already started. But is that really the answer? Is it our QB? Our running game (or lack thereof)? Our receivers? Here’s what the buffs.tv editors are seeing…
Football is a team sport and therefore there is no true single point of failure. However, there is one spot that seems to be a bigger problem than all the others: play selection/coaching. When you can’t run the ball you become one dimensional. One dimensional teams are easy to defend. It takes a perfect storm of total lack of talent to not be able to find at least one running play your team can execute for a gain at least half the time they run it. I don’t believe we have that perfect storm; we have enough talent to run the ball. Maybe not super effectively, maybe not even as well as we did last season (22nd nationally), but at least well enough to pick up tough first downs, to make defenses respect the run and to help open up the passing game. I consider it a coaching issue that we cannot devise at least one running play that we can run effectively 50% of the time we call it with our given personnel. Our running plays need to be quick to develop and our backs need to point themselves up field and run. We’ve had a single running play go for more than 20 yards and it was a gimmicky Patrick Williams end around against CSU good for 24 yards. We need at least one bread and butter play where we give the ball to our back (not a receiver), he turns up field, hits the hole and runs downhill.
I believe the issue with our running, and subsequently our passing, game is in our blocking schemes. We run a lot of off-tackle and off-guard plays which are exactly the kind of fast developing plays I’m talking about. But if you watch our line it doesn’t look like we’re stepping left or right to open the gaps. Our guys are standing straight up and moving straight ahead. Blocking straight ahead not only makes it easier for quicker DTs to get past you but it also doesn’t create a hole for your back. If your guard doesn’t step to a side and seal the A gap behind him a defense can put their guys into heads up double gap schemes and still clog the gaps. Heads up schemes require fewer down linemen to stop the run and get pressure on the QB which frees up linebackers to take away the middle or come hot on a blitz. It’s a 2-for-1 situation that we’re offering opposing defenses by blocking straight ahead. There’s nothing fancy or complicated about our blocking and there doesn’t have to be. My 7 year old son’s team understands how to step red or blue and seal a gap for a back to run through. I’m not talking about stunting or anything complex, let’s just start with simple step-and-block techniques and go from there. Maybe we need to burn some red shirts and bring in some more of our new recruits to get this done…maybe not; that remains to be determined. First we need to at least try a decent blocking scheme with the players we have active already.
To further simplify life for opposing defenses we’re not even trying to open the field up with the oft mentioned “Hawkins Vertical Passing” game. We have a quarterback that can throw a great spiral a long ways down the field and hit a moving target. With Josh Smith back in the lineup we now have more than one deep pass threat. And I believe we have an offensive line that can give Hawkins enough time (allowing only 1 sack so far this season) to get the ball down the field a bit. We have the ability to get 15-20 yard gains in the air. But, and here’s the secret: we will have to throw the ball over the middle. We have had 7 passing plays that have gone for 20 or more yards and every one of them was over the middle. Not all of this is play calling of course; a big part of the problem is in (and out) of the receivers’ hands. As Katfish pointed out during a recent office discussion, “you don’t have to defend receivers that can’t catch.” True enough. Our receivers need to catch the ball. They also need to get stronger off the line and get through bump coverage faster so they get separation quicker. Obviously getting the running game going will open the defense up for more passing yards and vice-versa but our receivers have to be able to get out there, get away from their coverage and make the catch.
That’s what we’re seeing, hopefully this jumpstarts a *constructive* (key word) conversation about where we stand and what other fans are seeing out there. Have at it.

It is a wonderful thing to see the offense lead by a competent quarterback and to see the O-line respond to adversity. Sure the defense could have done better….and they will. Middle of the third quarter they began to put up the stops.
Ultimately, this game was about the Hawk out coaching Sonny. If you recall Sonny could have taken a field goal in the second quarter, but decided to go for 4th and short and the Buffs defense stopped them. Now consider the two-point conversion that the Buffs succeeded in the third. Hawk knew what he had to do to win, coaching responded correctly and boldly as Pzo points out. We are entering a new era of competent coaching that can respond to adversity as well as the team.
My hope is that the coaches can can expose Arizona’s weaknesses. They looked good this past weekend, but the Spartans barely put up a fight. Buffs will bring the game..GO BUFFS!!

Homecoming would have been the perfect time to finally spread some “Hawk Love” around Folsom Field. Instead, it was just another spirit-sapping loss for Colorado and its new coach, Dan Hawkins.
The Buffs matched the longest losing streak in their 117-year history. The Buffs have now lost 10 straight. The last six of those are under Hawkins, who was hired to restore a program that plummeted under the weight of its turmoil during Gary Barnett’s years at the helm (who was hired to repair the program that Rick Neuheisel derailed.)
The Buffs (0-6, 0-2) remain winless on what was widely viewed as their best chance to get that elusive `W’ — on homecoming, with the players still believing in their new coach, against a traditional conference doormat. Now, the Buffs need a win next week against Texas Tech to avoid eclipsing the program’s longest losing streak, first set in 1963-64.
“Sometimes life keeps serving it up and doesn’t serve it up the way we want it,” the ever-optimistic Hawkins said. “But we can predetermine our response to that. We can say, `Hey you’ll never knock me out,’ and keep getting back up.”
After Texas Tech, the Buffs have Oklahoma, Kansas, Kansas State, Iowa State and Nebraska on the schedule. Baylor was supposedly a soft spot. Then again, so was Montana State.
“I’ve been in this long enough that I never assume this is a game we’re going to win, or this is a game we’re going to lose,” Hawkins said. “You just keep grinding.”
When will the BUFFS get their first win and stop the bleeding???

The Hawk finally has everything together as he hits the final weeks of recruiting for the Colorado Buffaloes. Here is how eveything shapes out.
Mark Helfrich – Offensive Corrdinator (ASU)
Eric Keisau – Wide Receivers (Cal)
Chris Strausser – Offensive Asst (Boise State)
Kent Riddle – Offensive Asst (Boise State)
Darian Hagan – Running Backs (CU)
Ron Collins – Defensive Cordinator (Boise State)
Romeo Bandison – Defensive Line (Boise State)
Brian Cabral – Linebackers (CU)
Greg Brown – Secondary (New Orleans Saints)
These are the details I’ve got so far. There are few names missing here and there. No word on whether Eric McCready or Donnell Leomiti will still be with the team as assistants either.
Best news of the day – Shawn Watson is no longer with the Buffs! He has been hired as the Tight Ends coach for the Nebraska Cornhuskers. Also Bill Inge was hired by San Diego State

Mike Hankwitz was named the interim head coach for the Colorado Buffaloes. He will coach the Buffs in the Champs Sports Bowl. This is not his first experience with interim coaching. He was interim head coach at Arizona a few years back. Many thought Brian Cabral would get the call again as he did during the Barnett suspension. A factor in the selction process may have been his recent application for the Northern Colorado head coaching position.
First order of business for Hankwitz, please suspend Clint O’Neil pending investigation into his conduct. His actions are an unacceptable part of the University of Colorado. Period.
Speculation is rampant around the web about who will replace Barnett. I’m not here to speculate although you can bet I am curious. I am confident that Mike Bohn and the rest of the University selection committe will find the right man for this job.
UPDATE: O’Neil has been suspended from team activities indefinitely

The University will hold a press conference at 6:30 this evening to announce the dismissal of Coach Gary Barnett as head coach of the Colorado Buffaloes football team. It has not been announced who will lead the team at the Champs Sports Bowl.
UPDATE:Atlhetic Director Mike Bohn has decided to change coaches at the University Colorado. Gary Barnett’s heart will always be in Colorado. He is disappointecd to no longer be the head coach for the Buffaloes. Gary will accept a $3 million settlement from the University. He hopes to be remembered and appreciated for the balance he has brought to the program on and off the field.
Coach Barnett has been given an opportunity to coach the bowl, he has yet to make a decision, but is doubtful that he will guide the Buffs to the Champs Sports Bowl Game. Barnett plans to coach again but he has no idea when or where. The State of Colorado pays assistant coaches on a month to month basis. All assistant coaches are guaranteed tenure though the end of December.
Gary Barnett finished with this “The University of Colorado is a gold mine. The opportunites for the program in Colorado as good as anywhere in the country.” Gary Barnett was eloquent, emotional, and a true class act throughout the entire press conference.
Mike Bohn apologized to all Colorado players, fans, and boosters for the way this transpired in the media. Bohn is committed to bring a great coach to inspire players at the University of Colorado. The search process has already begun and they will try to move as quickly as possible. “No single factor or incident led to this decision.” “On many many fronts it was time to make a change.” Bohn talked of the loss of swagger and confidence throughout the program.
I’m pleased with the way this was handled professionally on both sides and I am excited for the future at the University of Colorado.

The Denver Post has printed an article claiming to have inside information from a source close to the CU/Barnett contract negotiations that has said CU will dump Barnett at the conclusion of this season. No official announcement has been made nor is there one planned at this time. Barnett claims he has heard nothing about this from anyone at the school but does admit after the ISU loss and the subsequent shellackings the climate had changed in his contract extension negotiations.
And so it would seem that CU will play Santa Claus and deliver a very special present to many of the talking heads, pundits and fans out there in the form of Barnett’s head. It’s hard to argue that a change is needed in the coaching staff. However, it seems important to note that this program has long since passed the “easy fix” situation. A 70-3 loss is not an indication of poor play calling or a lack of locker room motivation, it’s an indication of a team that doesn’t have the talent, skill nor the preparation to compete.
College football boils down to recruiting. Coaches only have 4 years to mold these kids into big time players. It greatly behooves a college football coach to recruit players that already possess a set of useable skills. Players that can make an impact by the time they’re sophomores or juniors. It also behooves a coach to recruit players that can fit into the university’s pre-established system. Barnett failed to do any of those things in his years of recruiting as CU head coach. But more importantly, the University itself has failed Barnett. Our facilities and stadium size cannot compare to any of the top 25 schools. Our program is being suffocated by scandals, restrictions and apathy from the student body to the administration on through to the alumni. We lack money and now we’re going to need to dump another $1.8 million on Barnett and then begin the search process. A new coach, one with half a brain, will cost us money up front no doubt. Money that needs to be spent, but money that has to be taken away from expanding the stadium and practice facilities to attract better recruits.
A step in the right direction? Probably if it’s really true. Especially if the rest of his coaching staff goes with him. But this is not the NFL. In NCAA football, changing coaches in the off season does not instantly fix a problem. In fact, this ship may still need to sink a bit farther before we hit rock bottom and can start looking for the light again. If indeed, CU decides to fire Barnett as the rumors indicate, the fate of the program will rest squarely in the hands of AD Mike Bohn and the University. The decisions they make on a new coach and the level of commitment they’re willing to show the program will determine if this is really the start of a new era or just the continuation of a very dark time for the CU football program.

How bout them Bruins? Undefeated and ranked in everyone’s top 10. They look good really good. Backed by a surgin running game. This team is poised to be undefeated into their game with the Trojans come December. What does this have to do with the Buffs?
Let’s look closer…
Karl Dorell – UCLA head coach is the Buffs former wide receiver coach.
Eric Bienemy – UCLA running backs coach is the Buffs all time leading runner and our former running backs coach.
Tom Cable – UCLA offensive coordinator is also another former Buffalo coach.
Are you sensing a trend yet? Let me continue..
Doc Kries – UCLA strength and conditioning coach is our former condition coach.
Maurice Drew – UCLA Heisman trophy candidate was nearly a Buff comittment until Bienemy left
Larger questions? Why did we let these coaches get away? Why do we keep missing the big recruits? Why is Shawn Watson still on our bench? Let us know what you think
In other news the Buffs.tv notification system is back up and running

It appears that the Daily Camera is confused. They wrote an article about how Shawn Watson is sad that fans used to like him, but now they have turned on him. I just want to say for the record that we here at Buffs.tv have always hated Shawn Watson. If any proof is needed of this please search under search for Mr Watson in our archives. While he is mentioned in more than 25 articles none is a postive light.

Chris Hollis has retired from action on the field as a Buff. He will move to action on the sideline as an undergraduate assistant. The possibility of additional spinal trauma was too much for Hollis and he has decided to hang up his cleats for good. This will open up some more playing time for the rest of our stellar linebacking crew. But Hollis will be missed on the field. Good Luck Chris