Brooks: Heady, Healthy Hansen Will Benefit Buffs

(Note: Seventh in a series previewing the Buffs position-by-position during training camp. Today: Quarterbacks.)

BOULDER - Tyler Hansen is trying his best to utilize his arm first, then his feet. Let's back up a bit; he's getting very good at using his head before either his arm or his feet.

By most accounts from the ones who really count - his coaches at the University of Colorado - Hansen, who is about to enter the final season of a very different college career, has done an admirable job of discarding any lingering traces of being a "run-first" quarterback.

"He's gotten out of that to the extreme where Coach (Jon) Embree has asked me on occasion if I've told him not to run," CU QB coach Rip Scherer said. "There's a fine line there. I don't want him to be a 'one-read-and-bail' guy, but I don't want to shackle him and take away his instinctiveness. He has the ability to move, so there's a fine line there.

"I tell all the pro scouts that come in here that he's made huge strides in that respect - playing within the pocket and sliding within the pocket and finding sight lines within the pocket. As a result, I think he's made some plays that he might never have let develop before, by being a little more patient. Quarterbacks have got to learn how to play in tight spaces, and that's not a comfort level for them. The natural instinct, when the pocket starts to squeeze on you a little, is to get out of it. The good ones find that there's always a soft spot in there. The good ones find it, play and deliver the ball from that soft spot.

"I think he's gone from being a 'bail-out' guy to becoming very, very confident and comfortable in the pocket."

Which brings us to Hansen's current comfort level; it's off the charts. Embree named him CU's starter last spring, eliminating those nightmarish months of uncertainty preceding preseason camp and the natural tendency to look over his shoulder at almost hourly intervals.

In reality, a big part of Embree's decision on his starter was a no-brainer; Hansen was his only experienced QB coming out of spring practice. But Hansen handled the new offense well and performed efficiently. Plus, last spring, this summer and throughout the Buffaloes' recently completed preseason camp, there wasn't that often-awkward situation he previously found himself in by competing with the former head coach's son.

Being named the starter last spring, said Hansen, "shot my confidence through the roof. You get confidence from your coaches and everyone else around the program, and that's going to make you feel good about the way you're playing. I've got to have good preparation for Hawai'i, but I do have 100 percent confidence."

Added Scherer: "Not having to look over his shoulder, he knows he's the guy, it's his show. I've challenged him to put the offense on his back and put the team on his back - which is what good quarterbacks and good leaders do.

"He's progressed steadily from the time I've gotten here. I thought he picked up in camp where he left off last spring. His comfort level was most important. He got a lot more comfortable with what we're doing, making quicker decisions. He also started to assert himself a little more from a leadership standpoint . . . he understands he's the guy."

Scherer, who has tutored QBs at every level, believes 6-2, 215-pound Hansen has the ability to play in the NFL, saying he's coached pro quarterbacks with "less ability." He added that Hansen is capable of making "all the throws that we're asking of him. He can get the ball everywhere on the field that we're asking him to. He throws a nice deep ball and has a real nice feel for the outside deep ball. He's a nice feel on the seam throws inside. He has above average arm strength. He can make the deep out cuts . . . the key thing on some of those throws, which he's now learning, is the timing of them.

"In the West Coast offense you have to make very quick efficient decisions, so that the ball is on time and the progressions, not to just the first receiver, but the way the routes are choreographed that the second receiver is coming open a little later and the third receiver a little later than that. You have to have the ability to work through those and get the ball out on time to all three guys."

It's intriguing to ask - hypothetically, of course - about Hansen's skill development had his college career not followed such an irregular route. "Obviously," Scherer said, "the more you play the better you get. What he should have is two complete seasons behind him and now be looking at being a redshirt junior. That's a shame it didn't happen, for whatever reason. I don't know all the whys and where-fors of that. He'd be further along, but that's not the hand we're dealt. We just move on."

Redshirt freshman Nick Hirschman remains Hansen's backup, despite missing almost half of camp with a sprained foot. One of the true camp surprises was the ascent of invited walk-on freshman John Schrock, a quick-study who has worked his way into the No. 3 QB role. Junior college transfer Brent Burnette and freshman Stevie Joe Dorman fill out the position and, according to Scherer, simply need to keep working and stay ready for the Buffs' 13-game grind.

This might be unrealistic given a schedule that offers no breaks, but it's imperative for Hansen to stay healthy from now through late November. Using his head when he runs - to think, not to butt linebackers and strong safeties - will be critical.

"I know I have to be healthy every week," Hansen said. "You have to be smart in sliding or getting out of bounds . . . obviously if you're trying to fight for a first down, you have to get in there. But in other situations you just have to be smart.

"There have been some times (in preseason camp) when I should have run and didn't . . . because I'm thinking I want to be a passer. If I want to play at the next level, those guys are passers first. They use their legs, but they use them smart - run when you have to, but get on the ground and don't take hits. I think I'm doing a good job with that so far, but I can't be thinking about it. I have to be natural out there."

The first QB in if Hansen goes down is Hirschman, a durable-looking 6-3, 230-pounder. Hirschman started slowly during spring drills but caught on fast during the final six or eight practices.

"He struggled early, mentally and physically," Scherer said. "But the more we worked, the better he got, the more confident he got in the offense. He was plodding along early, then began to make significant strides and had a positive performance in the spring game (his overall spring passing numbers: 22-of-43, 274 yards, three TDs, no interceptions). He followed that up with a bigger step in the first six or seven days of fall camp."

For the great spring strides Hansen made, Scherer notes Hirschman progressed even further. "Now, he had further to come," Scherer adds as a qualifier, "but he probably made more improvement than any quarterback we have."

Hirschman, who shed his "boot" and returned to practice this week, credits his coaches for much of his improvement, saying Scherer, Embree and offensive coordinator Eric Bieniemy "have done a great job of taking us through this offense, just not letting us go out on our own. But if you don't put the man hours in it, you're not going to be successful. It's really up to us players to do it; they've given us all the tools."

Hirschman calls Scherer "one of the best coaches I've ever had. The way he's able to explain things is second to none, and that's because of his experience in the NFL, as a college head coach. He's been such an impactful coach, really second to none."

Hirschman's missed practice time in camp obviously set him back in running the offense, but he believes he was able to stay mechanically sharp by continuing to throw and mentally sharp by studying the playbook.

"It's never a plus," Scherer said of Hirschman's absence. "The plus was getting other guys more work . . . we found a guy in John Schrock, so one man's adversity is another man's benefit. You have to find something positive. I'd be concerned if Nick was coming back with just five days left (before the opener). He has time to get back in the groove."

But is that time really sufficient for Hirschman to get on the same plane as Hansen in his grasp of the offense?

"I don't know," Scherer conceded. "We kept putting more and more on the quarterback as we progressed through preseason . . . (Hirschman) can spit it out to me in a meeting, but there's nobody going to hit him with a pen in his hand. That remains to be seen - how much, if any, he regressed and how long it might to get back. It's unrealistic to think he'll be against Hawai'i where Tyler is. If he'd stayed healthy, he'll be right there."

Still, Scherer, whose 37 years of coaching experience includes 31 at the college level, has tutored Hansen and Hirschman much in the same way he tutored NFL quarterbacks at Cleveland and Carolina. He said he hasn't had to dilute those NFL concepts "with my top two guys . . . sometimes in meetings I will address things specifically to them and tell other guys not to worry about this part of it yet. I'm kind of forcing Nick to stay close to Tyler in that regard. But I don't have the same expectations of the other guys. When a guy is drowning you don't throw him an anchor - and that's what I'd be doing.

"But Tyler has played enough football and understands the game at a different level, just because he's been exposed to more and understands the expectations. I approach him more like an NFL guy, with subtleties and little things with his eyes and body language, his movement with defenders and different things. The other guys, we'll work on it, but I tell them I don't expect them to do that."

With the opener looming (Sept. 3), Scherer's and Hansen's expectations during the final stages of preparation are in synch. Here's what Scherer wants from his starter:

"The elite quarterbacks take full ownership of the offense from a mental standpoint, from an execution standpoint, from a leadership standpoint. That's his next challenge - put the offense on his back and make it his in terms of game presence, game command and leadership. I know he'll do everything we ask, and more, in terms of working at the mental part."

What's more, Scherer said Hansen "has earned the right to have input (with the coaches) on what he's comfortable with, what he feels best doing (in games). That's what you do with older quarterbacks. And he's excited about earning that responsibility and that right."

Before the Buffs fly to Hawai'i on Thursday, Sept. 1, Hansen is aiming at having "100 percent knowledge of the game plan," which includes knowing the Rainbow Warriors' personnel, their defensive formations and the Buffs' protections against those formations.

"I want to be able to master that, and if I keep doing what I'm doing, I will (master it)," he said. "I'm comfortable with the reads and what we want to do on certain concepts, certain protections. I feel like I've got a good knowledge of our stuff. Now, it's going against an opponent and getting that routine down for the rest of the season."

Hansen considers himself "close" to fulfilling Scherer's goal for him of taking the offense/team on his shoulders.

"I don't think I'm there yet, but close," he said. "I think that will come with a couple of games and I perform well and guys can trust me on the field. I think that's when you truly get that."

THE INSIDE LOOK AT . . .

Quarterbacks

Coach: Rip Scherer, first season on CU staff.

Returning starters: Tyler Hansen, Sr.

Returnees: Nick Hirschman, Fr.-RS.

Newcomers: Brent Burnette, Jr.; Stevie Joe Dorman, Fr.; John Schrock, Fr. (invited walk-on).

Key losses: Cody Hawkins.

Stat line: Hansen played in seven games last season, completing 112 of 164 passes for 1,102 yards and six touchdowns (six interceptions). He also ran 51 times (41 yards net after sacks) and scored four TDs.

Bottom line: Behind Hansen, none of Scherer's other QBs have any experience at CU. Hirschman appears to be an able backup, but he, too, lacks game experience. Schrock made huge strides in preseason camp, but . . . right - he's a freshman and lacks experience. Scherer's best-case scenario: Hansen proves to be a he-man and cruises through a 13-game schedule unscathed. Keep your fingers crossed.

Next: Defensive backs

Contact: BG.Brooks@Colorado.EDU