On the morning of the Arizona game, and after the last two weeks and the rash of injuries at LB and LT, it's tough to summon up a lot of optimism about this season. I don't know what will happen tonight. I don't know how this season will play out. I don't know if HCMM will get this thing done or even be here next year, and all the bravado and guarantees in the world won't change any of that uncertainty for me until we start winning games.
But I do have to admit there are some young players on this team at almost every position that give me hope for the future. I think there are coaching issues that need to be fixed, and I think we need a senior dominated team, like we will have next year, but here are some guys at each position that give us a chance the next few years, if we keep filling in around them:
QB
Steven Montez--I don't know jack about evaluating QB's. To be honest, as a OL and DL coach, I don't even like QB's for the most part. But I know football and I know that no other single position can make or break a team as much as QB, and everything I hear from all my sources say that Montez is the real deal. People I respect say he's the best QB at CU since the 90's. Granted that's not high praise, but if he is what people say, he could turn this around quick.
RB
We haven't had a true number one feature back who can do it all since Speedy. Patrick Carr is that guy. Very excited about this kid and I hope he explodes the rest of the season. In addition, Phillip Lindsay is totally underestimated and under-respected. This kid is a warrior and he can do everything you need as a RB. I'm not saying he's going to be an All American ever but he can be your lead back. I keep watching game after game how he jacks up guys twice his size while blocking and I can't help but love the kid.
TE
If we can find a QB who can see the field and deliver the ball Dylan Keeney is going to be BIG TIME! He's the matchup nightmare we need if we can just get him the ball.
WR
Shay Fields could be an All American. Jay McIntyre and Donovan Lee can be a very nice 2nd or third WR. And the guys we have commits from right now are a whole other level of athlete for this position. If we can hold their commits, the cavalry is coming!
OL
Tim Lynott so far has been all he was cracked up to be. John Lisella has had a rough go this year but he's shown me enough to believe he will be very good in time. Isaac Miller is the prototype LT. And Dillon Middlemiss is a guy you are going to love--big, mean as hell on the field, got an attitude, and works his ass off!
DL
Jase Franke has looked pretty good to me so far if he can stay healthy. Leo Jackson has two years after this year and he's gonna be so much better a year from now. Frank Umu and Lyle Tuiloma take me back to the golden years in the 90's and the kind of guys we had up front back then. And I still believe in Eddy Lopez too, even though he's disappeared this year.
OLB
Derrick McCartney is going to be very special his last two years here, the kind of guy other teams always seem to have who single handedly destroy opposing offenses. We need to develop a couple more like him.
ILB
N.J. Falo and Grant Watanabe--is it going too far to say the future of the program hangs on the shoulders of these two guys? For a once proud LB factory we've become woefully thin at this position, but these two could be the cornerstone of a rebirth at LB for us. We'll see how they do tonight but I would love to see these two take over inside for us the next three years. It sure would be nice to start fielding LB's who are over 230 on a regular basis again. And say what you will but I like Gamboa. He's just a FR-RS and he will get better with experience and maturity.
DB
Nick Fisher, Isaiah Oliver, Afolabi Laguda, Evan White, Ryan Moeller, Craig Watts, Ronnie Blackmon--all have at least two more years to play after this year. How can you not be excited about that?
Look, please spare me the crapola about how we suck, we'll always suck, it's always next year, blah, blah, blah. I know a lot of these guys haven't played yet. I know many of them haven't proven anything against the Pac 12 yet. But hey, I'm just a Buff fan looking for reasons to keep on believing. Throw an old dog a bone for Christ sake and let me have my fantasies about CU football returning to relevance some day soon. I think we have some talent on this team. Do we have coaches who can turn that into wins at some point? Just have to wait and see, I guess.
But I do have to admit there are some young players on this team at almost every position that give me hope for the future. I think there are coaching issues that need to be fixed, and I think we need a senior dominated team, like we will have next year, but here are some guys at each position that give us a chance the next few years, if we keep filling in around them:
QB
Steven Montez--I don't know jack about evaluating QB's. To be honest, as a OL and DL coach, I don't even like QB's for the most part. But I know football and I know that no other single position can make or break a team as much as QB, and everything I hear from all my sources say that Montez is the real deal. People I respect say he's the best QB at CU since the 90's. Granted that's not high praise, but if he is what people say, he could turn this around quick.
RB
We haven't had a true number one feature back who can do it all since Speedy. Patrick Carr is that guy. Very excited about this kid and I hope he explodes the rest of the season. In addition, Phillip Lindsay is totally underestimated and under-respected. This kid is a warrior and he can do everything you need as a RB. I'm not saying he's going to be an All American ever but he can be your lead back. I keep watching game after game how he jacks up guys twice his size while blocking and I can't help but love the kid.
TE
If we can find a QB who can see the field and deliver the ball Dylan Keeney is going to be BIG TIME! He's the matchup nightmare we need if we can just get him the ball.
WR
Shay Fields could be an All American. Jay McIntyre and Donovan Lee can be a very nice 2nd or third WR. And the guys we have commits from right now are a whole other level of athlete for this position. If we can hold their commits, the cavalry is coming!
OL
Tim Lynott so far has been all he was cracked up to be. John Lisella has had a rough go this year but he's shown me enough to believe he will be very good in time. Isaac Miller is the prototype LT. And Dillon Middlemiss is a guy you are going to love--big, mean as hell on the field, got an attitude, and works his ass off!
DL
Jase Franke has looked pretty good to me so far if he can stay healthy. Leo Jackson has two years after this year and he's gonna be so much better a year from now. Frank Umu and Lyle Tuiloma take me back to the golden years in the 90's and the kind of guys we had up front back then. And I still believe in Eddy Lopez too, even though he's disappeared this year.
OLB
Derrick McCartney is going to be very special his last two years here, the kind of guy other teams always seem to have who single handedly destroy opposing offenses. We need to develop a couple more like him.
ILB
N.J. Falo and Grant Watanabe--is it going too far to say the future of the program hangs on the shoulders of these two guys? For a once proud LB factory we've become woefully thin at this position, but these two could be the cornerstone of a rebirth at LB for us. We'll see how they do tonight but I would love to see these two take over inside for us the next three years. It sure would be nice to start fielding LB's who are over 230 on a regular basis again. And say what you will but I like Gamboa. He's just a FR-RS and he will get better with experience and maturity.
DB
Nick Fisher, Isaiah Oliver, Afolabi Laguda, Evan White, Ryan Moeller, Craig Watts, Ronnie Blackmon--all have at least two more years to play after this year. How can you not be excited about that?
Look, please spare me the crapola about how we suck, we'll always suck, it's always next year, blah, blah, blah. I know a lot of these guys haven't played yet. I know many of them haven't proven anything against the Pac 12 yet. But hey, I'm just a Buff fan looking for reasons to keep on believing. Throw an old dog a bone for Christ sake and let me have my fantasies about CU football returning to relevance some day soon. I think we have some talent on this team. Do we have coaches who can turn that into wins at some point? Just have to wait and see, I guess.
