Colorado University Athletics
Brooks: Dr. Crane, Er, Embree Welcomes Pac-12 Play
September 30, 2011 | Football, B.G. Brooks
BOULDER - In a perfect football world, Jon Embree would have launched his college coaching career against Presbyterian - maybe even First Presbyterian - at Folsom Field. Then, for a competitive upgrade, he would have welcomed Idaho State for Game 2 before trekking down I-25 to Denver and the standing date with Colorado State. And for his first out-of-state game, let's consider a drive in the other direction, maybe to Wyoming.
Instead, he gets Hawai'i (there), California (here), Colorado State (Denver) and Ohio State (there). Then come nine consecutive Pac-12 games - no byes, no breaks, a few regrets and little chance of coming out of September minus physical and psychological bandages.
Welcome home, Jon . . . change the culture and make us proud.
Reality probably hadn't taken root in late August, but Embree says he expected to be 4-0 by late September. I believe him, because I've been around enough coaches to know a fraction, certainly no more, of what goes on beneath their ball caps.
However . . . .
CU's scheduling philosophy is what it is, but what it was (and is) for Embree amounted to a cruel and unusual opening month. OK, you're right; none of those September games was added after Embree signed on last December. Before branding me a paid apologist and hitting the "send" button, I realize all of what has put the Buffs at 1-3 isn't related to the schedule.
Subpar tackling at Hawai'i and Ohio State helped make quarterbacks Bryant Moniz and Braxton Miller look like a younger pair of Michael Vicks. The Buffs' running game, which Embree and sidekick/coordinator Eric Bieniemy pitched in the off season as an offensive imperative, hasn't materialized. Or come close. Consider: CU is 11th (86.5 yards a game) in rushing in the Pac-12, UCLA is second (214.0). Right, that UCLA and that Rick Neuheisel, whose history suggests he wouldn't know a running game if he woke up with his arm around one. Then there's the Buffs' abysmal special teams play and the staggering number of penalties - neither being the product of a brutal September schedule. Injuries also have been a factor, with the O-line and the secondary down two or more starters for much of the first month.
I'm guessing there have been more growing pains than Embree anticipated and the timeline for that "cultural change" might be extended a bit beyond what fans expected. But as for timelines, please be mindful of this one: Embree is four games into his first season as a head coach. Two or three seasons into his tenure, get back to me if the Buffs are still limping along at a sub-100-yard a game rushing pace and still drawing near-double digit penalties weekly.
During his CU career's first month, Embree has proved to be honest almost to a fault. (So, would you rather have a Ponzi schemer with a whistle and a grease pencil?) Last Tuesday's news conference was a portal into his psyche, a brutally candid session during which he theorized that some of his team's early shortcomings stemmed from it collectively being "beaten down," from some good players suffering from a lack of self-esteem, from others being complacent about their back-up status, and the entire bunch going Jekyll-and-Hyde at home and away. (His entire taped news conference, plus player interviews, can be viewed on CUBuffs.com.)
After last weekend's loss at Ohio State, Embree told his players they "need to start seeing themselves for what they're capable of . . . what their talent level is." One thought on that: Confidence normally is a by-product of success; CU's September schedule didn't lend itself to that. But we digress . . . .
Embree joked that at various times in his coaching career - mentioning stellar tight ends Marcedes Lewis at UCLA and Tony Gonzalez at Kansas City - he's needed to channel ex-TV shrink Frasier Crane in raising some players' opinions of themselves.
"I'm an honest guy and I'm not going to BS the guys and tell them they're this when they're not," he said. "We have some good players. We do. Do we have a bunch of them? No. Do we have a lot of depth? No. But we have some good players. And those good players have to see themselves that way . . ."
It might have been strangely revealing in a public setting, but it was nothing Embree hasn't laid out for his players in numerous post-practice huddles since August. Time and again, he's told the Buffs that - and I'm paraphrasing here - while they're no collection of superstars they can win if they're the better team on any afternoon. But he also has emphasized that the best individuals among them must play at peak levels every afternoon.
Despite a few outsiders' eyebrows being raised by his candor, Embree's players appear to appreciate it. Said senior tight end Matt Bahr: "Honesty is awesome in my opinion," and junior safety Ray Polk said he "completely agrees" with his head coach's candor. Polk also noted that "every program . . . has a few guys that don't either trust themselves or what's going on. They don't understand the full work and effort that goes into every game week."
The Buffs' game this week against Washington State (Saturday, 1:30 p.m., Folsom Field) is genuinely historic. It's their first in the Pac-12 Conference, and Embree has played up that significance to players who might need to be reminded. Senior safety Anthony Perkins isn't among them.
"There's only one first Pac-12 game ever for this program," Perkins said. "So, it's going to be a real exciting opportunity, a stepping stone for this program, a new chapter. I think everybody is aware of that. We're embracing it."
The Buffs and their coach also are embracing a new beginning; conference play represents a fresh start. "We're 0-0 - that's how we're looking at it," Perkins said. "There's still a lot on the table for us. We just have to make sure we play confident and know what we're doing, what our goals are."
That would be winning the Pac-12 South. Delusional? Maybe not so much. The Pac-12 North features unbeaten (3-0, 1-0) Stanford ranked No. 6 and once-beaten (by top-ranked LSU) Oregon (3-1, 1-0) ranked No. 9. At No. 25, Arizona State (3-1, 1-0) is the only ranked team in a South Division that could be as wide open as the bad lands.
To be a factor in the South, the Buffs will have to hold serve at home by winning at least three of their four Pac-12 games at Folsom Field (WSU on Saturday; Oregon, Oct. 22; USC, Nov. 4; Arizona, Nov. 12). The bigger task is casting aside their road brain-lock once or twice over the next two months (at Stanford, Oct. 8; at Washington, Oct. 15; at ASU, Oct. 22; at UCLA, Nov. 19; at Utah, Nov. 25).
Embree truly believes winning the Pac-12 South is feasible - if a September leaf or three was turned and his layman's work as Frasier Crane was successful. Let's hope it was. His nine-week group session starts Saturday.
Contact: BG.Brooks@Colorado.EDU
