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In Part V of CU History Week, six writers have gathered together to draft the best ever Colorado Buffaloes. The goal is to build the best team possible — no messing with fantasy stats or whatever, just build a team that would beat up the others. After going round-by-round, each writer has written an explanation about why their team is the best.
The roster includes the following on offense: quarterback, running back, two wide receivers, tight end, all-purpose, and one offensive lineman to be the whole line. Each team was free to use one of their WR spots on a RB, in case they wanted to run the wishbone offense.
The defense is: one defensive lineman to be the entire d-line, one linebacker to be the whole linebacking corps, one cornerback to play both sides of the field, one safety to play both spots, plus two all-purpose defenders to play whatever you what (e.g. edge rusher or slot corner). We were going to have more defenders, but Anthony thought it would be too convoluted to understand.
There is also one special teamer. Jeff, who is a crazy person, drafted the best one before Matt Russell or Cliff Branch were selected.
Last thing: there is a poll at the end of the article where you need to vote on which team is best.
Round 1
1. Rashaan Salaam, RB — Jeff Hauser
2. Alfred Williams, LB — Anthony Kazmierczak
3. Darian Hagan, QB — Jack Barsch
4. Byron “Whizzer” White, RB — Ted Chalfen
5. Kordell Stewart, QB — Sam Metivier
6. Herb Orvis, DL — Jon Woods
Round 2
7. Stan/Pete Brock, OL — Jon
8. Eric Bieniemy, RB — Sam
9. Laviska Shenault, Jr., WR — Ted
10. Andre Gurode, OL — Jack
11. Phillip Lindsay, RB (AP) — Anthony
12. Chris Naeole, OL — Jeff
Round 3
13. Mike Pritchard, WR — Jeff
14. Deon Figures, CB — Anthony
15. Chris Brown, RB — Jack
16. Daniel Graham, TE — Ted
17. Joel Steed, DL — Sam
18. Rodney Stewart, RB — Jon
Round 4
19. Michael Westbrook, WR — Jon
20. Michael Lewis, S — Sam
21. David Bakhtiari, OL — Ted
22. Kanavis McGhee, LB — Jack
23. Sal Aunese, QB — Anthony
24. Joel Klatt, QB — Jeff
Round 5
25. Mason Crosby, K — Jeff
26. John Stearns, S — Anthony
27. Lawrence Vickers, FB (AP) — Jack
28. Chad Brown, LB — Ted
29. Jordon Dizon, LB — Sam
30. Ted Johnson, LB — Jon
Round 6
31. Chidobe Awuzie, S — Jon
32. Cliff Branch, WR — Sam
33. Paul Richardson, WR — Ted
34. Chris Hudson, CB — Jack
35. Nelson Spruce, WR — Anthony
36. Dick Anderson, S — Jeff
Round 7
37. Terrence Wheatley, CB — Jeff
38. Greg Biekert, LB (AP) — Anthony
39. Matt Russell, LB (AP) — Jack
40. Tedric Thompson, S — Ted
41. Charles E. Johnson, WR — Sam
42. Jimmy Smith, CB — Jon
Round 8
43. Jeremy Bloom, WR (AP) — Jon
44. Mark Haynes, CB — Sam
45. Bobby Anderson, QB — Ted
46. Justin Bannan, DL — Jack
47. Bobby Purify, RB — Anthony
48. Bill Brundige, DL — Jeff
Round 9
49. Frank Clarke, WR — Jeff
50. Leonard Renfro, DL — Anthony
51. Christian Fauria, TE — Jack
52. Mickey Pruitt, CB — Ted
53. Ben Kelly, CB (AP) — Sam
54. Sefo Liufau, QB — Jon
Round 10
55. Shay Fields, WR — Jon
56. J.V. Cain, TE — Sam
57. J.J. Flannigan, RB (AP) — Ted
58. Phil Savoy, WR — Jack
59. Nate Solder, OL — Anthony
60. Joe Romig, LB — Jeff
Round 11
61. Dave Logan, WR (AP) — Jeff
62. Joel Klopfenstein, TE — Anthony
63. D.J. Hackett, WR — Jack
64. Tom Rouen, P — Ted
65. Darragh O’Neill, P — Sam
66. Jon Embree, TE — Jon
Round 12
67. Laval Short, DL — Jon
68. Rae Carruth, WR (AP) — Sam
69. Jimmie Gilbert, LB (AP) — Ted
70. Rashidi Barnes, S — Jack
71. Darrin Chiaverini, WR — Anthony
72. Donald Strickland, CB (AP) — Jeff
Round 13
73. James Kidd, TE — Jeff
74. Ronnie Bradford, CB (AP) — Anthony
75. Mustafa Johnson, DL (AP) — Jack
76. Troy Archer, DL — Ted
77. Joe Garten, OL — Sam
78. Ahkello Witherspoon, CB (AP) — Jon
Round 14
79. Will Oliver, K — Jon
80. Ron Woolfork, LB (AP) — Sam
81. Hale Irwin, S (AP) — Ted
82. Mike Mariscal, K — Jack
83. James Stefanou, K — Anthony
84. Jashon Sykes, LB (AP) — Jeff
And now, every writer will explain why his team is the best. The poll will follow the “best of the rest” team.
Jeff — Team TBE
QB — Joel Klatt
RB — Rashaan Salaam
WR — Mike Pritchard
WR — Frank Clarke
TE — James Kidd
AP — Dave Logan (WR)
OL — Chris Naeole
DL — Bill Brundige
LB — Joe Romig
CB — Terrence Wheatley
S — Dick Anderson
AP — Donald Strickland (CB)
AP — Jashon Sykes (LB)
ST — Mason Crosby
Right off the bat, one of the best teams assembled in CU history with field general quarterback Joel Klatt leading the charge. The outstanding one-two punch of the forever Heisman rusher Rashaan Salaam, along with receivers Mike Pritchard and Frank Clarke would provide tremendous offensive firepower. The weakness would be trying to find a perfect way for Klatt to distribute the ball to everyone equally.
On the other side of the ball, I have a stacked defensive core with Hall of Fame talents Bill Brundige and Joe Romig, as well as Jashon Sykes running all over the place. A secondary trio of Terrence Wheatley, Dick Anderson and Donald Strickland would be hard to throw against, especially with Anderson coming over the top — watch out. The cherry on top is Mason Crosby, the best special teamer in Buffs history.
Anthony — Guts & Balls
QB — Sal Aunese
RB — Bobby Purify
WR — Nelson Spruce
WR — Darrin Chiaverini
TE — Joel Klopfenstein
AP — Phillip Lindsay (RB)
OL — Nate Solder
DL — Leonard Renfro
LB — Alfred Williams
CB — Deon Figures
S — John Stearns
AP — Greg Biekert (LB)
AP — Ronnie Bradford (CB)
ST — James Stefanou
On the defensive side of the ball, my all-time Buffaloes team should be the best of the bunch. Linebacker Alfred Williams, a College Football Hall-of-Famer and the 1990 Butkus Award winner was an easy selection with the number two overall pick. Defensive tackle Leonard Renfro — a first-round pick by the Philadelphia Eagles in 1993 — and tackling-machine Greg Biekert solidify my front seven. 1992 Jim Thorpe Award winner Deon Figures anchors my secondary, alongside 1991 Orange Bowl hero Ronnie Bradford and the Buffaloes career interceptions leader John ‘Bad Dude’ Stearns.
Offensively, my squad might not be the best on paper, but damn they have heart. My second-round pick and all-purpose offensive player Phillip Lindsay, running back Bobby Purify, and both wide receivers, Nelson Spruce and Darrin Chiaverini were all Buffalo Heart Award winners. But perhaps no Colorado Buffaloes football player had more heart than my fourth-round pick, quarterback Sal Aunese. Protecting Aunese in my triple-option offense will be the steal of this draft, my 10th-round pick Nate Solder. Tight end Joel Klopfenstein was an added bonus with my 11th round selection. And because I’m the elder statesman of the Ralphie Report — and have been alive to see about 90 percent of these 84 draft picks play — rounding out my squad is the oldest player in college football today, kicker James Stefanou.
Jack — Barnett Fever Dream
QB — Darian Hagan
RB — Chris Brown
WR — Phil Savoy
WR — D.J. Hackett
TE — Christian Fauria
AP — Lawrence Vickers (FB)
OL — Andre Gurode
DL — Justin Bannan
LB — Kanavis McGhee
CB — Chris Hudson
S — Rashidi Barnes
AP — Matt Russell (LB)
AP — Mustafa Johnson (DL)
ST — Mike Marsical
The “first off the bus” team.
Listen, football is a big boy’s game. At the end of the day, the more people you have on your team that hit real good, the better you’re going to do. It just so happens that these happen to be my favorite players.
I took Darian Hagan in the first round because any time you can get a top 3 option QB all time on your team, you do it. The rest of my picks had a clear emphasis on being big and mean. In this weird I-formation option, Lawrence Vickers is frothing at the mouth a few steps between Hagan and the thoroughbred Chris Brown. Christian Fauria is arguably the best receiver and blocker, and Andre Gurode is going to pave some cobblestone roads to the end zone. D.J. Hackett and Phil Savoy are two huge WRs that are great blockers. There will be almost no huge plays, but these Buffs are going to break wills.
On defense, I just wanted badasses. Matt Russell and Kanavis McGhee are scary dudes, and Chris Hudson simply can’t be thrown to. Mustafa Johnson is a great, versatile DE and Justin Bannan is going to completely stuff the middle. Rashidi Barnes is the solid cover guy we need on the back end, because if anyone can throw the ball past McGhee, it’s not looking good. This team is gigantic, mean, and definitely not sustainable
Ted — Buff Justice
QB — Bobby Anderson
RB — Byron “Whizzer” White
WR — Laviska Shenault, Jr.
WR — Paul Richardson
TE — Daniel Graham
AP — J.J. Flannigan (RB)
OL — David Bakhtiari
DL — Troy Archer
LB — Chad Brown
CB — Mickey Pruitt
S — Tedric Thompson
AP — Jimmie Gilbert (LB)
AP — Hale Irwin (S)
ST — Tom Rouen
My squad boasts an offensive attack the likes of which has never been seen on a football field. It will take a genius offensive mind to bring out the very best in this group, but they could be nearly unstoppable with the right coach. You’re never going to know what to expect. I can run the single wing, the triple option, or even the wildcat. Bobby might throw, or hand off to Whizzer, who’s a threat to throw as well. Maybe Bobby will run it himself for 20 yards before pitching it to JJ. Or maybe Whizzer decides to take the snap himself, which opens up even more possibilities. And on short yardage situations, I have Viska in the wildcat formation. I also have the best tight end in program history and David freakin’ Bakhtiari blocking for me. If I get tired of running over you, I can throw a deep ball to P-Rich (who I can also use as a quarterback on a gadget play if I want to). Both Bobby and Whizzer were very good passing quarterbacks for their day, and I’ll bet they never had a target who could get as open as Richardson will. If you double team him, I’ve got Shenault and Graham underneath. And you can never, ever sell out for the pass when I have a rushing attack like this. It’s an embarrassment of weapons.
When you’re facing my defense, you’re never going to have good field position because I have Tom Rouen pinning you deep on every possession. With a secondary led by Mickey Pruitt and Tedric Thompson, your receivers won’t be catching many balls and they’ll be paying the price if they do. If you throw away from them, two-time All-Big 8 safety Hale Irwin would be more than happy to intercept your passes instead. Your quarterback also won’t have much time to throw with Jimmie Gilbert and Troy Archer, a 1975 All-American and first round draft choice, bearing down on him every time he drops back. If you try running the ball (which you will after passing doesn’t work) and you get past the line, you’ll come face to face with Chad Brown, and you won’t be going much further after that. This team may be headlined by its offense, but I’d go to war with this defense any day.
So, to recap, my team has size, speed, versatility, a United States Supreme Court Justice and a three-time US Open golf champion. Who do you got?
Sam — Slash & Burn
QB — Kordell Stewart
RB — Eric Bieniemy
WR — Cliff Branch
WR — Charles E. Johnson
TE — J.V. Cain
AP — Rae Carruth (WR)
OL — Joe Garten
DL — Joel Steed
LB — Jordon Dizon
CB — Mark Haynes
S — Michael Lewis
AP — Ben Kelly (CB)
AP — Ron Woolfork (LB)
ST — Darragh O’Neill
There is zero argument against my team having the best QB-RB combo, as I have Kordell and Bieniemy. They would be an unstoppable read-option offense by themselves, but it’s even more difficult to stop because I have freak receivers Cliff Branch and Charles E. Johnson stretching the defense. Then underneath, I have Rae Carruth (who was a steal in round 12, because, uh, reasons) and the underappreciated tight end J.V. Cain (an all-timer). I waited until the end to pick a lineman because CU is stacked with powerhouses and there would still be elite talent in round 13. Regrettably, John Wooten went undrafted as I opted instead for Joe Garten, who led the 1990 offensive line. My offense is built to play fast and gain huge chunks at a time, but I’m confident I could control the clock if I wanted to.
Defensively, I’m not quite as stacked as Anthony’s team, but my team is built to stop the run. Joel Steed is the best d-lineman in history (imo) and will clear space for Jordon Dizon and Michael Lewis to fly around the field making plays. My biggest weakness is my secondary — Lewis is elite, while Haynes and Kelly are merely great — but that shouldn’t be an issue because CU’s best quarterbacks are all run-first. If I can sell out to stop Darian Hagan, I’m not going to worry about Joel Klatt or Sefo Liufau carving up my secondary, not with Ron Woolfork rushing the passer.
Jon — This is What Happens When You Don’t Know Things
QB — Sefo Liufau
RB — Rodney Stewart
WR — Michael Westbrook
WR — Shay Fields
TE — Jon Embree
AP — Jeremy Bloom (WR)
OL — Stan Brock
DL — Herb Orvis
LB — Ted Johnson
CB — Jimmy Smith
S — Chidobe Awuzie
AP — Laval Short (DL)
AP — Ahkello Witherspoon (CB)
ST — Will Oliver
What do you want from me? I know next to nothing about the Buffaloes prior to the year 2000 and not THAT much after. This is what happens when you try and be a casual fan who also runs the best Buffaloes website on the planet for ten years (shut up, nerds). On offense... well we’re going to struggle. I used my first two picks at the end of the first round on linemen without realizing that isn’t sexy and nobody cares and then didn’t pick again for 10+ picks. Speedy is amazing and Sefo will hook up plenty with Westbrook, Embree and (good season) Fields. Honestly, my best offense might be that my secondary is so damn much better than everyone else’s and I kept those players off their team.
My defense ain’t half bad. As I mentioned, my secondary is the best and if you don’t agree you’re clearly wrong and bad at fake fantasy drafting. Plus, with Orvis, Johnson and Short I have three tackling machines. Then throw in Jeremy Bloom returning kicks all over everyones faces and looking great in the process and I don’t really see a way I would lose.
Best of the Rest
QB — Koy Detmer
RB — Hugh Charles
WR — Scotty McKnight
WR — Derek McCoy
AP — Kayo Lam (RB)
TE — Matt Lepsis
OL — John Wooten
DL — Tyler Brayton
LB — Nate Landman
CB — Isaiah Oliver
S — Cullen Bryant
AP — Drew Wahlroos (LB)
AP — Bud Magrum (DL)
ST — Mitch Berger
Poll
Which team is the best?
This poll is closed
-
8%
Jeff — Team TBE
-
18%
Anthony — Guts & Balls
-
19%
Jack — Barnett Fever Dream
-
10%
Ted — Buff Justice
-
35%
Sam — Slash & Burn
-
5%
Jon — This is What Happens When You Don’t Know Things
-
2%
Best of the Rest