Tempo A Priority As Buffs Offense Hits Ground Running To Open Camp
August 02, 2018 | Football, Neill Woelk
BOULDER — It is, quite obviously, far too early in fall camp to make any long-term judgments.
But even one day can provide at least a snapshot — and if the first day of Colorado's camp was any indication of things to come, the Buffaloes' offense could be fun to watch this year.
What is not up for debate is that the Buffs hit the field running on Thursday. Co-offensive coordinator Darrin Chiaverini, a proponent of an up-tempo attack, had the Buffs moving quickly up and down the field, with quarterback Steven Montez getting the ball to receivers in space and allowing them to make plays in both team and 7-on-7 drills.
"It's what we want to do — apply pressure from the beginning," Chiaverini said. "We want to apply pressure by getting the ball in our playmakers' hands. If we can do that consistently, then tempo gets going. When tempo gets stagnant is when you have a negative play or no gain. But if you can get that first first down and start feeling that, it's a big thing. Our guys have trained at elevation to play fast, and that's what we want to do."
Even though the Buffs lost three starting receivers to graduation, there is no shortage of ability on this year's team. In fact, CU coaches believe this group could be better.
"I'm excited about the group," Chiaverini said. "Not only have we recruited really well, all our guys have a great work ethic. Look at Juwann Winfree, Laviska Shenault, Jay MacIntyre, Kabion Ento, K.D. Nixon, Tony Brown, Maurice Bell … we have an arsenal of guys who know what they're doing. They can stretch the field vertically, and they're also big receivers who can make plays on slants. I was impressed with them today."
Indeed, every receiver Chiaverini mentioned came up with a catch or two in the three-hour long practice, with Winfree and Shenault each making some difficult catches look easy. Winfree, in particular, appears ready to produce a breakout year, as he came up with a handful of big catches on the first day.
"They know what we want to do," Chiaverini said. "We have a veteran guy back there at quarterback and they know the philosophy of the scheme. Now we have to work on the details."
While only one of this year's receiver group, MacIntyre, has much starting experience, most have had plenty of time working with Montez over the last couple of seasons. Throw in the player-run summer practices, when quarterbacks and receivers had ample opportunity to work on timing, and it's clear at least the basics are in place.
"They know how to align and assign," Chiaverini said. "Those PRPs in the summer no doubt help because they're out there learning the scheme, getting some of that basic timing down. Now we have to get the details down."
Thursday was the first day of basic offense install, and the Buffs worked on a variety of situations, including two-minute drills.
"They responded really well," head coach Mike MacIntyre said. "Our quarterback being so seasoned in two minutes, that really helps it run smooth, especially on offense."
One thing the Buffs do need to accomplish over the next couple of weeks is to work their way into "football" shape.
"Coach (Drew) Wilson and his guys do a great job of getting our guys bigger and faster and getting them into condition," Chiaverini said. "But now we need to get into football shape, and the only way you do that is on the field in pads and running plays. That will help timing, all those things."
And, Chiaverini noted, the competition at all the positions — from the offensive line to running back to wide receiver — will begin to sort itself out when camp wears into the second and third weeks.
"First day, everybody's legs are fresh," he said. "I want to see them on Day 2, Day 3, Week 2, Week 3," he said. "We want to see them in live scrimmages, live bullets. Then we'll know a lot more. But for the first day, I think we saw some good things."
Contact: Neill.Woelk@Colorado.edu
