Brooks: Rippy, Mahnke Get Spring Seminar At ILB

BOULDER - For a couple of decades, venerable Colorado assistant Brian Cabral has called his new linebackers his "puppies." Since they're both new this spring to learning from Cabral, we'll assume Doug Rippy and Patrick Mahnke still qualify as "pups."

But in that sense only. Otherwise, they don't qualify.

Both are veteran squad members who have moved under Cabral's umbrella as he goes about restocking an inside LB corps that lost two starters and a pair of key reserves to graduation.

Rippy's switch took him from the outside (or Sam) spot to the middle (Mike), so he's moved laterally within the position. Mahnke, meanwhile, shifted from free safety to the inside (Will) spot, a change that positions him about 10 yards nearer the line of scrimmage and brings the action to him much faster than at his former position. Plans are to also give him a look at playing linebacker in the nickel package.

Rippy, a sophomore, is playing behind senior Michael Sipili, who shared time last season with graduated Marcus Burton. Mahnke, a junior, is backing up sophomore Jon Major, who was behind departed Jeff Smart and Shaun Mohler in 2009.

Rippy is a chiseled 6-foot-1, 240-pounder who, with seasoning, probably could play any of the linebacker positions. "At the end of the day, it's all the same - learning, taking it all in and doing what they're telling you," said Rippy, who manned an inside spot in high school (Trotwood, Ohio, Madison).

The 6-1 Mahnke concedes, "I kind of consider myself a slow DB, so I guess I'd consider myself a fast linebacker. The only problem physically would be weight-wise. I'm 205 and by far the lightest linebacker."

Weight aside, Mahnke is athletic and considered a playmaker, and a little more than a week into spring practice, Cabral likes how he and Rippy have embraced and adjusted to their new roles.

Said Cabral: "I'm excited that they're excited. We're going to get the best guys on the field in the best positions. That's what spring is for."

The duo was approached about making the moves when they returned to campus after Christmas break.

"We evaluated some things, looked at our numbers (inside and outside) and really it was to balance our numbers," Cabral said.

"They're both doing well . . . really, an exceptional job from the moment they agreed to move to the first day of practice. They've done good film study, good prep in making the switch.

"I'm pleased with they're at right now. It's just a matter of them learning the positions and seeing everything and experiencing everything. We'll take it one day at a time and see where it all goes."

Both admit they're still in the learning process.

"I'm having to read more things . . . when you're on the edge, you only have to read the tackle," Rippy said. "You could tell, obviously, when he pulled, what was coming. Now, you have to read both guards, see where the back is and see what the formation is.

"That's been the biggest adjustment, but at the same time it's coming along pretty well."

Mahnke's biggest adjustment comes from where he now lines up. "Coverage-wise, I don't think it's that hard," he said. "But I would definitely say it's a lot harder mentally because everything happens so much faster.

"When you were at safety, you were 10 or 12 yards away, so you could see things develop. At linebacker, you're three yards from the line of scrimmage, so it's like everything happens in a snap - just so quick.

"When you're in the secondary, where you started kind of stays the same. At linebacker, if someone motions, you change your alignment or your responsibilities. The hardest part is changing from formation to formation."

Late last season, Mahnke got an inkling that a position switch might be percolating. Then-redshirt freshman Ray Polk, a converted tailback who approached former secondary coach Greg Brown about moving to defense, was getting more playing time at safety. Players and coaches "kind of joked about (Mahnke moving). Then it went from joking to serious in the off-season - and I made the change," Mahnke said.

"I think linebacker plays to my strength better. So, yeah, I'm definitely excited for the opportunity."

With Brown leaving in December for Arizona, Mahnke would have changed position coaches even if he had not changed positions. Ashley Ambrose, an NFL veteran who assisted Brown last season as a defensive technical intern, was promoted into Brown's slot.

Learning a new position under Cabral, said Mahnke, "really helps out a lot . . . he's a good coach."

When Rippy signed with CU, his high school coach, Maurice Douglass, briefed him on Cabral. Douglass and Cabral had played together with the Chicago Bears in the mid-1980s.

"Coach Cabral can teach the mechanics and basically help me get my footwork down," said Rippy, who has been spending as much time as his schoolwork will allow with Cabral to acclimate himself with his new position.

"He can be tough sometimes, especially if he expects something out of you and you make mistakes," Rippy said. "You'll do it over and over. He's on us pretty hard, but it's to help us all get better."

BUFF BITS: As the halfway point of spring drills approaches, coach Dan Hawkins says his punters and placekickers "are not where we should be . . . the numbers are not what we want." Redshirt freshman Zach Grossnickle and senior Aric Goodman are competing for both jobs, but Hawkins already is saying in-coming freshman Justin Castor (Arvada West) will be in the mix in August . . . . Junior tailback Rodney Stewart was back at practice Monday after missing Friday's work to attend to academics . . . . Thursday's first full spring scrimmage is scheduled for 4 p.m. in Folsom Field, although Hawkins said some preliminary work could be done on the lower practice fields . . . . Former CU defensive back Ronnie Bradford, who played in the NFL for 10 seasons, has joined the University of California staff as an administrative assistant. Bradford served as a defensive assistant in 2009 with the Kansas City Chiefs for current Cal defensive coordinator Clancy Pendergast.

Contact: BG.Brooks@Colorado.EDU