Thursday, August 2, 2007

Buffs absorb hit; Graham unknown

Colorado Warrior

P.T. Gates, CU's hope for an electric breakaway back, is, as expected docked for the season due to academic deficiencies. The junior college star won't be lining up in the Buffs backfield because he lacks the progress necessary to be eligible. Gates is saying that he is firm on CU, thanks to the relationship he has with the coaches and his love of Boulder but he's young and who knows what might happen down the road. Losing Gates takes away the Buffs hope of added punch to its' offense, making it more dynamic. While there are other talented backs on the roster, Gates was expected to be an immediate impact player. His absence will be felt in games and truly, helping recruit other players. If he would have been successful, it would have stoked the interest of recruits for the next class. Coach Dan Hawkins had to take a chance on Gates. It didn't pay off, at least not yet, if ever, but it was a calculated gamble worth investing in.

Jesse Nading (pictured) doesn't believe the return of injured running back Kyle Bell to the team is the key to CSU reversing its' fortunes. The touted defensive end thinks the Rams have sufficient talent to win without Bell. Truth is Nading was not disparaging the rugged Bell with his remarks as much as he was avoiding excuses for any sub-par results this season but maybe he should have asked offensive coordinator Dan Hammerschmidt and quarterback Caleb Hanie what they thought about his statement on Bell first. Guessing that trio may have agreed to disagree because the reality is the Rams might be talented without Bell but they are better with him over the course of 11 games.

Daniel Graham, the former CU All-American tight end, and New England ex-patriot who is now a Bronco, is getting a lot of media stroking because he's a story of a local boy done good who came home. The given is that Graham will be the blocker Denver has lacked in the running game at the position, and a player who has winning intangibles but what is unknown is whether Graham can be the pass catcher at the NFL level that he was in Boulder. With Tony Scheffler being banged up, this is Graham's time to show his best to the coaches. That tandem potentially might be the best the franchise has fielded. The guess here is that Graham is capable of 50-600-6. His talent will only help a young Scheffler on many levels, from playing the game to learning how to be a pro.

Stephen Franklin, CSU's talented basketball recruit and an Aurora Central graduate has not turned himself in on charges of identity theft. It is difficult to imagine that this is going to turn out well and Franklin is going to have a long and memorable career in a Rams uniform. This is going to likely be a short story. Look for Franklin to end up at Backwoods U. once the dust settles and this is all ironed out, legally.

1 comment:

O'Brien Pundit said...

Caleb Hanie showed a solid performance last week against TCU, he's always fun to watch. Did you know that he's also on The O'Brien Watch List? His playing stats are more impressive than his current fan votes though... vote for him at daveyobrien.com and let's get him into the semi-finalist list, top three voted college QBs have a sure spot in the running.