Practice Report: Competition Strong Throughout Buffs Position Groups

BOULDER — It came as an offhand comment Tuesday morning, but it spoke volumes about the state of the Colorado football program:

As one of several NFL scouts on hand at Colorado's practice watched the workout, a CU staffer told him, "Good to see you guys here again on a regular basis."

The scout turned, grinned and said, "Y'all are back in business. We've got to be here."

Indeed — and it is an indication of how far Mike MacIntyre has brought the Buffs as he heads into his fifth season in Boulder. The Buffs are back on the NFL Draft radar, with four players selected this year and more who should hear their names called next April. It began in earnest last season and it is now solidified: Boulder is on every NFL team's regular fall camp itinerary.

But the progress made thus far under MacIntyre is evident in more than just the players who will be NFL-ready by the end of season. It is evident in the competition at every position group on the field, thanks to the kind of depth that hasn't been seen at Colorado in years, the product of solid recruiting and talent evaluation over the last couple of seasons.

The result is ongoing battles for top-two depth chart spots at every position group and an ultra-competitive camp thus far — something that is expected to continue, with 20 practices to go before the Sept. 1 season opener.

Thus, MacIntyre said, while the coaching staff is starting to see a little "separation" in some of those position battles, many of them are by no means settled.

MacIntyre is a firm believer in making sure as many players as possible get practice repetitions. It's why he has the No. 1 and 2 offenses and defenses work on one field, then dedicates the second field to the Nos. 3 and 4 units. It means daily competition, and it is not rare to see a player move up (or down) depending on his performance in previous practices.

"The cool thing I think is the backups, the guys that are competing, they're excelling," MacIntyre said. "The way we practice on two fields and get so many reps has enabled those guys to keep improving. I have seen a little separation at some of the spots, but I've also seen excellent improvement by some of the younger guys who haven't had as many reps, especially today."

The Buffs spent the first week of practice installing basic schemes, meaning a steep learning curve, particularly for some of the younger players.

But now that the initial installation is in place, it's allowing even the younger players to react more quickly in drills and team situations.

"There was a lot more of the old saying I stole from Coach Parcells, 'Knowledge equals confidence equals playing fast,'" MacIntyre said of Tuesday's practice. "I'm seeing that. When you're in your ninth day, practice 9 and you see guys playing faster, that's what's going on."

KINNEY BOOMING KICKS: Junior punter Alex Kinney is having by all accounts his best camp yet with the Buffs. In Saturday's scrimmage, he averaged well over 50 yards per attempt on eight tries.

"His drop is more consistent," MacIntyre said. "That sounds really minute, but it's just like a golf swing — if you're just off a centimeter, it's going crazy. His drop, the way he's doing it, the way his leg's coming through — as you saw the other day in the scrimmage, he had eight punts that averaged about 52 yards. All of them were good. Even his misses — what you would call a miss — went about 45 with hang time. He's always had that power in his leg, now he's so consistent in his drop."

Kinney has also been working on handling errant snaps and making sure he can still get a good kick away.

PRACTICE REPORT: The Buffs were back in full pads Tuesday and got plenty of work in on some situational team drills, including some red zone work.

"I thought it went really well," MacIntyre said. "(We) had some situational periods and I thought that went well. The guys are still whooping and hollering and excited about practicing, which is always great."

For the first time in modern history, the Buffs won't have two-a-day drills this year. It has meant the team began camp with many players still in summer school, but overall, MacIntyre said he likes the results so far.

"With single days it seems like to me they're more fresh with the way we're doing it," he said. "They're still in school, too. I was a little concerned about that, but it seems like our schedule has worked out well, where they wouldn't be so tired for school and also that wouldn't wear them down mentally. Physically they've been flying around good."

NOTES: Safety Afolabi Laguda came up with a nifty interception Tuesday, following a receiver into the flat and then grabbing the ball out of midair when the pass was momentarily bobbled. … Cornerback Isaiah Oliver had two big pass breakups, including one on a slant pattern in the end zone that originally looked like a sure touchdown. … Bryce Bobo had a nice catch in the end zone, going up and simply out-battling the defender for the ball. … Nose tackle Javier Edwards "blew up" a short-yardage play in full contact drills, much to the delight of his teammates. … Defensive end Chris Mulumba continues to turn coaches' heads. … Derrion Rakestraw also continues to make rapid progress in his switch from wide receiver to defensive back. … Both Steven Montez and Sam Noyer were sharp throwing the ball, with both putting the ball in receivers' hands in the end zone in the red zone drills.

SCHEDULE: The Buffs will return to light pads on Wednesday, Thursday and Friday, then put full pads on again Saturday for a scrimmage (closed to the public).

Contact: Neill.Woelk@Colorado.edu