Snowy Friday Buff Bites

Another spring storm is leveling the Denver area. Something tells me that it isn't such a bad thing that the scrimmage today is not open to the public. Even if it was open, the bubble isn't exactly the best place to watch a scrimmage since we are herded deep in the endzone.

Still feeling good about Danny Spond committing to the Buffs last night. Great to get in the action early on recruiting especially with a versatile in-state athlete. Let's hope we can get a few more before the start of the season.

Now for some more news:

Kyle Ringo writes about the Buffs probable starting safeties in Patrick Mahnke and Anthony Perkins. Mahnke earned a lot of "fan love" after a big hit against Nebraska last year right before halftime along with a sack of Joe Ganz late in the game. Both Perkins and Mahnke started games and played last year to a point where they don't necessarily warrant the "inexperienced tag." From the practices I saw this year, I noticed that the coaches like moving Mahnke around, using his aggressiveness to apply pressure in the backfield. I would say aggressive is the right word the describe these safeties, players who can cover a lot ground. If form holds true, we may have a pretty dynamic set of safeties for the next three years, especially when you throw a healthy Ray Polk into the mix.

B.G. Brooks writes about the secondary as well, saying the injuries/sickness to Ben Burney (still recovering from the 2008 surgeries) and Cha'pelle Brown (got the giardia worm) have led to multiple players filling in at both safety and cornerback. One of those players is S Tyler Sandersfield, who has been playing a little bit of cornerback as well as playing a "rover" type position when the Buffs go 3 - 3 - 5.

Tom Kensler of the Denver Post labels DL Taj Kaynor, OT Bryce Givens and TE Ryan Deehan as players who have blossomed this spring. Deehan and Givens, like the safeties above, provide a long term future for the Buffs at their respective positions but Kaynor might be the most important for 2009. The defensive line needs playmakers, they need a guy to dominate and if Kaynor can be a consistent rock on the line, things immediately improve.

Love the title of this article from B.G. Brooks: Texas Blue-Chippers, Here Comes Denver! More from the article:

Denver Johnson said he can't wait to hit the recruiting trail.

"They're going to have me in Texas, I'm excited about that," Johnson said.

Johnson is a native Oklahoman who recruited the Lone Star State while coaching at Oklahoma State and Oklahoma.

He will have recruiting responsibilities in Austin, San Antonio and the northern suburbs of Houston.

Parents of blue-chippers will love his drawl and country-fried sense of humor.

"I know my way around Texas," he said. "I think I have some name recognition in Texas. I'm excited to go down there and represent Colorado. I think we've got something wonderful to sell here."

May I recommend yoga? A pretty interesting article about the offseason conditioning program from the Longmont Times. Sounds like a lot of thought (as it should've) went into this offseason considering how many torn ACL's and shoulder surgeries the Buffs were plagued with. The program tried to bring more plyometric-based exercises into the mix that make you a better "athlete" overall rather than specializing the workouts for varying positions.