Saturday Morning Buff Bites - Andre Simmons Still Not Seeing the Field

by Jon Woods on Aug 15, 2009 6:00 AM MDT in Daily Buff Links Comment 4 comments

Brooks: Simmons Still On Hold - CUBuffs.com
Apparently it isn't just the transcript that is keeping Simmons off the field... Maybe it would be best if we set our expectations low to keep from getting disappointed.

But director of academics Kris Livingston said CU not having the transcript from his junior college is not the issue keeping Simmons sidelined. She could not discuss the matter further, citing Simmons' FERPA rights.

The Buffzone Blog - Rodney Stewart said he is not …
Rodney Stewart says that he wasn't injured during yesterday's scrimmage, he was just suffering some cramp issues.

CU football's offense holding back on breaking out - The Denver Post
For the only scrimmage of August drills that will be open to the public, the offense wasn't about to show any trick plays or new formations. Junior quarterback Cody Hawkins called the offense "vanilla." "A lot of our offense is installed, but we maybe ran 5 percent of it," Cody Hawkins said. "We didn't do anything today. We didn't do any of what we've been doing in practice. We have a lot of stuff we didn't want to show anybody else."

Buffs feel they have what it takes to win again -- chicagotribune.com
That "10 wins and no excuses" off season comment by University of Colorado coach Dan Hawkins? He said it wasn't a guarantee but an expectation, a holy grail for his talented but untested troops to shoot for.

Hawkins hands-on with CU wide receivers : Boulder Daily Camera
Sounds like Coach Hawk is getting down and dirty with the receiving core. Let's hope he can squeeze every last bit of production out of that group.

"Kiesau might be more of a disciplinarian at times. Hawk is more of a love 'em up type of guy," junior receiver Scotty McKnight said. "Especially with the young guys coming in and not having a lot of veterans, that's huge. Because these guys come out here for camp and practice 20 days in a row and they're like, 'What's going on?' "Coach Hawkins has been very patient and he's a players' coach and those guys know that going in. He's going to work with you and help you. And if you make a mental mistake he's going to take responsibility and say that's on him." Toney Clemons, a transfer from Michigan, said being coached by Hawkins is a breath of fresh air after what he experienced last season when Rich Rodriguez and his staff took over the program in Ann Arbor. "I was in a situation that wasn't as positive, and the negative can really mess with your psyche," said Clemons, who is practicing but must sit out the season per NCAA transfer rules. "When it's positive, it keeps you focused and lets you bounce back from bad plays because you know you have a coach that's not going to rip you about stuff. He's going to coach you before he cusses you out. You get a lot more confidence from that."

CU's Jefferson catching on quickly : Boulder Daily Camera
More solid feedback on Will Jefferson's first few weeks with the Buffs.

"The guy is very smart. He's very intelligent," Kiesau said. "He studies. He takes time. He doesn't go goof around and play Xbox all night. He sits there with the playbook and takes notes."

Brooks: Lights, Camera ... Lockridge - CUBuffs.com
Lockridge the model? This is pretty funny, but I'm sure the NCAA would find a way to make sure he couldn't make any money.

Burney's CU blog nixed after only one submission - Big 12 - ESPN
This is a very strange story that I haven't heard discussed anywhere else. Apparently Ben Burney was to write a blog for cubuffs.com but it was canceled after his first edition.

His introduction began with a description of him waking early Thursday morning next to a woman in his bed, and graduated to mention his libido as he commented that reporting day for players is actually viewed as the end of fun times and freedom.

Utah's quarterback derby takes a surprisingly fresh turn - Dr. Saturday
Matt Hinton gives his take on the Jordan Wynn at Utah announcement.

Coaches vote CU soccer third in Big 12 : Boulder Daily Camera
The Colorado women's soccer team was picked to finish third in the Big 12 Conference by the league's head coaches and two Buffs made the preseason All-Big 12 team on Thursday.

Colorado tabbed 10th in Big 12 volleyball poll : CU Sports : Boulder Daily Camera
In her first year at Colorado, volleyball coach Liz Kritza will have something to prove as her Buffaloes were picked 10th in the preseason volleyball poll.

0 recs | Comment 4 comments | Share

Story-email Email Printer Print

Comments

Up and early Woodrow?

Feedback on Jefferson just seems incredibly positive across the board. These stories are always great when a kid can get the right kind of motivation to get things turned around. Though it sounds like any academic issues he may have had been overblown.

On Simmons, I really just don’t know what to say at this point. Even If he is able to step in to practice by the middle of next week he is going to be way behind. Its a a crappy situation for him and the team and I only hope it can be resolved as quickly as possible regardless of outcome.

by NYCskibum on Aug 15, 2009 8:57 AM MDT reply actions 0 recs

Here's what I don't get

A few weeks ago Ringo said that Simmons would be able to practice for the first few weeks regardless of academic eligibility:

Any player who has not been academically cleared is still eligible to practice for the first 14 days of camp. If the process drags on longer, the player would have to watch from the sidelines until his eligibility was determined.

Maybe Simmons can’t practice because the issue is something other than academics, or maybe Ringo just got it wrong, but after reading this I really expected to see Simmons on the field as soon as he got to Boulder.

Also, thought I’d mention that I heard about Burney’s blog a few days ago on the Klatt and Kreckman show on AM1510. I’m not a big fan of AM talk radio, but started tuning into this show on my way home from work when I first heard Klatt was on the radio in the afternoons. I only catch about 40 minutes of it each day, but it’s a pretty good show and they talk about the Buffs a lot. They had a good interview with Ryan Miller last week, and a few weeks before that they interviewed Hawk (unfortunately, they don’t have those shows or interviews archived on the website). Anyway, check it out if you have a chance.

by highlandsbuff on Aug 15, 2009 10:29 AM MDT reply actions 0 recs

killing me

I dont know what to think about this situation with Simmons; i’ve never seen anything like it before. they tell us he has done an incredible amount of work and gotten himself into a position to play. i felt great about having a kid like that on our team – especially given his physical abilities. now it seems that the two athletic depts. are doing everything they can to sour people on the kid. he cant practice (cant even wear official CU gear) aall along told its because his transcript hasnt been passed along by the JUCO. Two weeks later, we get some cryptic message claiming he is being held out for reasons not concerning his academics but with no further information. Has anyone actually talked to the kid? I am starting to think he never existed and that the big athlete standing on the sideline is just some actor Hawk hired to make his receiving class look better (obviously I jest). I hate to be so pessimistic, but this situation is terribly frustrating – especially since we have super slot 5’9" McKnight, 5’5" Espinoza, and lightly recruited Will Jefferson (who looks good but also looks like he needs about 25 pounds of muscle to compete) looking like first week starters. This IS the big 12, brotha.

by rckymtnbuff on Aug 15, 2009 11:28 AM MDT reply actions 0 recs