Tucker's First Spring Buffs Workout Has 'Relentless' Feel
March 18, 2019 | Football, Neill Woelk
BOULDER — "Relentless" is more than just a fun Twitter hashtag.
New Colorado football coach Mel Tucker made that abundantly clear Monday morning, when the Buffs hit the practice fields for their spring ball opener.
"Hurry, hurry, move, move. We don't walk anywhere!" was the recurring message from the entire CU staff throughout Monday's workout, a two-hour practice in brisk Colorado spring weather.
"Sense of urgency, be efficient, be effective," Tucker said of his practice philosophy after Monday's workout concluded. "We don't want to waste time and we want to get our work done and move on to the next deal."
Monday morning's temperatures were in the low 30s when the Buffs hit the field — and Tucker half-joked that he would have liked slightly more inclement conditions for his team's first spring workout.
"I was hoping for a little snow today, we didn't get that," he said. "It was a little chilly when we first started out but the kids embraced it. We have to be a weatherproof football team."
The Buffs have plenty of work to do in their 15 spring workouts, beginning with the basic installation of their new offenses and defenses. Both involve different schemes and approaches, as well as new terminology. The Buffs have been working on the installations in the classroom and in walkthroughs; Monday finally offered the players and coaches a chance to get a test drive on the field.
"It was great to finally get out on the grass," Tucker said. "I was glad we were able to get outside. I know the players were excited to get out and so were the coaches. Finally get a chance to roll up our sleeves and coach them up a little bit."
But even as the Buffs go through the learning process, they are doing it at a rapid pace. As the No. 1 offenses and defenses ran plays against each other — the Buffs were in shorts and helmets, no pads — coaches were busy explaining assignments, correcting technique and exhorting players to make plays at full speed.
Players no doubt noticed the stepped-up level of intensity.
"I can definitely say it's been heightened," defensive lineman Mustafa Johnson said. "Running to the ball, trying to get the ball out — just running in general. If you're walking, you're wrong. But if you're running the wrong way, keep running. As long as you're running, something's going to happen. So that's a big part of the intensity, just keep running, get to the ball, fly, move around."
Johnson said he and his defensive mates have been spending as much time as possible learning the new terminology for coordinator Tyson Summer's base 3-4 defense. While he said it is not a complicated scheme — "All of this football stuff really comes down to the same thing" — it is also a scheme that will require the defense to adjust on the fly more often.
"It's more adjusting and being ready to adjust to what the offense comes out in," he said. "We have a lot of new calls and we're not just going to play what we called. We're going to adjust to what the offense gives us."
The biggest change for the Buffs may be on the offensive side of the ball, where new coordinator and quarterbacks coach Jay Johnson is installing a pro-style attack. It will mean much more time under center for the quarterback, more formations involving the tight end, and more run-pass balance.
That much was evident in Monday's first practice.
"There's a lot more going on at the line of scrimmage," quarterback Steven Montez said. "When (Tucker) first came in he said we're going to be physical and we are going to run the football. That's something great to hear if you're a quarterback because if we're going to run the football that means we're going to get some plays where we're not going to have to throw the ball every single play and worry about that and worry about protection. We're still going to throw the ball, obviously, but we're going to open up the throw with the run, which is good. It will help us out a lot. It will make us a more physical and tough football team."
After practice, Tucker told his team he was pleased with their effort on the first day, but stressed that there was plenty of work to be done.
But while scheme installations will be critical, Tucker and his staff also want to make sure they are getting a good evaluation of every player at every position.
"We just want to get better," Tucker said. "We have to challenge ourselves to improve each and every day, offense, defense and special teams. That's what spring ball is all about, just getting better and finding out who can play for us. … I thought the guys were able to give effort, they were able to sustain throughout the practice, I thought they got stronger as practice went. That's what I expected."
One extra bit of motivation for the players may have been Tucker's clear message that spring is a clean slate for everyone.
"That's also why there's a lot of (intensity) going on," Johnson said. "We're all trying to compete for a new spot. Guys that didn't get reps last year, it's a clean slate for everybody. We all know that if you show out to these coaches, we all got opportunity. They've made it very clear that there aren't any spots (guaranteed). You have to show up and play."
PRACTICE NOTES: While the first practice is by no means an indicator of where players will end up on the spring depth chart, it was nevertheless interesting to see where some players were lining up in early team drills.
Defensively, CU's staff appears to want to take full advantage of Davion Taylor's versatility and athletic ability. Taylor lined up at various linebacker spots, dropped into coverage out wide on receivers, and generally seemed to be expanding on his role from last year, when he played a combination linebacker/safety spot. Redshirt freshman Jalen Sami, meanwhile, got some early reps at nose tackle alongside Mustafa Johnson and Terrance Lang on the defensive line; Isaiah Lewis saw some time at safety along with Derrion Rakestraw; and Carson Wells got plenty of reps at outside 'backer. …
Offensively, Montez took snaps with the No. 1 offense, with several different running backs getting some reps, including senior Beau Bisharat and sophomore Alex Fontenot. Up front, William Sherman (left tackle), Kary Kutsch (guard), Colby Pursell (center), Tim Lynott Jr. (guard) and Jack Shutack (tackle) had the chance to work alongside each other.
Very noticeable was the regular presence of the tight end, with Brady Russell seeing plenty of time, along with newcomer Jalen Harris. The 6-foot-5, 255-pound grad transfer from Auburn is hard to miss, and presented a nice target for CU's quarterbacks.
Of course, Monday was simply a first look, and there's no doubt many of the spots with the Nos. 1, 2 and 3 offense and defenses will change, likely on a daily basis.
PRACTICE SCHEDULE: The Buffs have 14 spring practices left, with two more scheduled this week (Wednesday  and Friday) before taking next week off for spring break. Wednesday's workout will be in shorts and helmets before donning pads for Friday's practice.
After spring break, the Buffs will return to work Monday, April 1, with 12 practices scheduled for the month, including the April 27 spring game at Folsom Field.
Contact: Neill.Woelk@Colorado.edu
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