Buffs Report: Tucker Stresses Physical Play
April 10, 2019 | Football, Neill Woelk
BOULDER — It has been a constant since the day Mel Tucker arrived as Colorado's new football coach, a message he delivers every day to his players — especially after every practice.
The Buffaloes will be a physical football team. That, Tucker has told his players, is a non-negotiable essential. Every drill, every play, every moment, Tucker and his staff expect the Buffs to play hard, play fast and play with an edge.
Halfway through spring ball, the message is no doubt hitting home.
"We won't put anyone on the field that's not going to play physical football," Tucker said after Wednesday's eighth practice of the spring, conducted indoors because of inclement weather. "You can't play football like that. There's only one way to play the game. You have to be physical on both sides of the ball and special teams."
It is, Tucker tells his players repeatedly, one way to ensure that they get playing time when the curtain goes up next fall. Coaches watch and grade practice film every day — and they know who stepped up to the plate in that regard.
"I've told these guys every day, day in and day out, if you're physical and you'll run and you'll hit, then you'll probably find a way on the football field," Tucker said. "If you don't, no matter how talented you are, if you won't hit, if you're not physical, then you will not play. That's just our program. There's only one way to play the game of football. That's all-out physical football."
Players are listening and delivering.
"I like it," said linebacker Alex Tchangam. "The intensity level has really gone up and they encourage us to be physical every play. I think we enjoy that because it's really what football is about."
With eight of 15 spring practices now in the books, Tucker said he likes what he has seen so far. CU coaches continue to install new the new offense, defense and special teams schemes, and at the same time, teach players how they need to practice in order to take advantage of every minute available.
"I do feel good about where we are right now with the installation of our schemes and the culture we are building in terms of how we practice and how we have to work," Tucker said. "How we have to meet, the sense of urgency that we live with — I've been pretty pleased so far. But you're only as good as your next play, though, so we have to get the film watched and try to find a way to get better on Friday."
CU coaches do their best to utilize every possible moment on the field. As defensive coordinator Tyson Summers noted on Wednesday, every repetition is a teaching moment — and every repetition makes it that much more likely that a player will be able to react instinctively on the field.
"Even when we have our special teams period, guys that aren't on special teams are getting mental reps on the side with Tyson," Tucker said. "There's only so much time in the day to work and everyone in the Pac-12 has the same amount of time in the day. So who's going to make the best use of the time? We try to get as many reps as possible. That's how you get better. It's more than just standing there watching. You have to do it."
Friday, Tucker and his staff will get their first look at the Buffs in a full scrimmage situation. The expectations won't be complicated.
"I want to see who can take it from a practice setting, a normal practice and meetings, to a live scrimmage in terms of being able to play fast, execute your assignments, be physical, sustain, strain," Tucker said. "Who can win the one on ones, who can make plays in this first scrimmage, and then we'll go from there."
RODDICK STEPPING UP: Redshirt freshman Casey Roddick has been getting plenty of repetitions over the last few practices with the No. 1 offense at guard. It's a spot that seems to be a good fit for the 6-foot-4, 335-pound Roddick, even though he spent much of his time at St. Bonaventure High School in Ventura, Calif., playing tackle.
"I feel a lot more comfortable at guard," Roddick said after Wednesday's workout. "I played tackle my last two years in high school, but I like guard a lot better. I just have to get my footwork down, learn how and why to use certain techniques — but overall, I love it."
Roddick was a grayshirt signee from the Buffs' 2017 recruiting class and enrolled and began practicing with the team last spring. A knee injury sidelined him about halfway through, and he spent much of last fall in the weight room, where he shed some unnecessary weight and added more muscle.
Now, the player who arrived as a 385-pound lineman weighs about 335 — but is much stronger, faster and quicker.
"I've added a lot of muscle and gotten faster," he said. "I've dropped about 7 percent of my body fat. It's a credit to our strength coaches, every one of them, and our nutrition people. I'm in much better shape than when I got here."
He is also learning the kind of work ethic required to play at the Division I level, thanks to the tutelage of offensive line coach Chris Kapilovic, graduate assistant Jack Harris and fellow lineman Tim Lynott Jr.
"They've helped me a lot in learning how to prepare for each practice like it's a game," Roddick said. "That's how you have to go through every opportunity — no matter if it's in the weight room or on the field, prepare like every day is game day. That's how you're going to get better."
And, he is spending as much time as possible learning the new offense.
"It's a lot of terminology, a lot of new plays — basically a whole new language," Roddick said. "But with that, if I want to make it to the next level, I have to learn an NFL playbook. I might as well start now and adapt myself to it."
PRACTICE REPORT: Even though the Buffs were in shorts and shoulder pads, they continued to get plenty of "thud" work in.
"I thought we had a more physical practice today than what we had on Monday," Tucker said. "That was the emphasis for the day, is to get more physical on both sides of the ball. Especially early in the practice I thought we were really really physical. Guys had good tempo. We weren't as physical toward the end so we need to work on our conditioning and our mental disposition at the end of practice to strain and finish. But I thought we made progress today in terms of being physical." …
Coaches continue to give a number of players opportunities with the No. 1 and No. 2 units on both sides of the ball at a number of positions. That includes outside linebacker, where Carson Wells, Nu'umotu Falo, Alex Tchangam and Jacob Callier are all getting looks with both units.
"We want to try to see how guys match up against the ones and twos," said outside linebackers coach Brian Michalowski. "Give everyone a fair opportunity and create a competitive culture. Help each other get better but also know how to compete and win a spot. We're mixing it up, giving guys ones and twos reps and just making sure they are as versatile as they can be." …
Wide receiver Jaylon Jackson is working his way into the mix, getting some time with the No. 1 group and making plays. … Sophomore Jonathan Van Diest is getting some time at inside linebacker alongside Nate Landman. … Junior cornerback Ronnie Blackmon is logging some snaps with the No. 1 group. … Senior corner Delrick Abrams Jr. has been steady at the other corner. … Redshirt freshman Melekiola Finau and junior college transfer Jeremiah Doss have been getting time in pass-rush situations. Terrance Lang, Mustafa Johnson and Jalen Sami are regulars out of the base 3-4. … Sophomore wide receiver Daniel Arias had a nice catch of a long ball from Tyler Lytle. … Tight ends Jalen Harris and Brady Russell had nice catches. …
The play of the day may have been a perfect strike from quarterback Steven Montez to slot receiver Dimitri Stanley. Montez threw a perfect ball down the middle to Stanley, who made a nice grab in stride just over the outstretched arms of a defender before picking up some extra yardage after the catch.
SCHEDULE: The Buffs are scheduled to conduct their first full-contact scrimmage of the spring on Friday, their ninth practice of spring ball.
Contact: Neill.Woelk@Colorado.edu
