When Mike MacIntyre was hired last December to take over the program from the fired Jon Embree, he came into Boulder and said all the right things. He spoke of "values" and their importance. He brought with him his dedication to the 4-F's (Foundation, Family, Future, and Football).
With a full off-season, spring, and summer to work with, MacIntyre preached tirelessly of the importance of "WE" over the individual. He spoke of togetherness and making the team into a family. He said the right things and started his young charges toward the path of becoming a truly close-knit team.
After starting the season 2-0, the love and the commitment to "WE" was growing around the CU campus. Then came the flood and the three week break before the next game after the home tilt against Fresno State was postponed. This allowed the good feelings to go on for an extra 3 weeks...
Then came the game in Corvallis against Oregon State and a 44-17 loss.
On a very windy (40-50 mph) day, neither MacIntyre nor the offensive coordinator Brian Lindgren had the intellectual wherewithal to adjust their offensive game plan to account for the wind. The Oregon State coaching staff adjusted, but the Buff coaches proved themselves incapable.
When they should have focused on short passes directly into the wind (and the longer ones when the wind was at their back), the OC continued to call for long out passes to the sidelines. This rendered Paul Richardson nearly useless, and made Connor Wood look horrible.
The play calling was so bad that the Buffs really had no chance. After starting out strong, the Buff defense tired of fighting an unwinnable battle. They did not give up, like in years past, but they certainly reflected the futility of their efforts. You could see it in their faces that unless their coaches themselves made the adjustment to the game conditions, that there was no possibility of developing an offensive flow.
If you are playing basketball outside when the wind is blowing 40+ mph, you
take it the hoop and try to get layups or short shots. You do NOT
continue to launch 3 pointers and wonder why the ball ends up 6 feet
away from the rim.
Lindgren's play calling was the same as launching 3 pointers in the wind.
It
is simple physics and aerodynamics. The shape of a football is designed
for the nose of the ball to cut through the air. When strong wind blows
on the side of the ball it is quickly disrupted. Maybe Lindgren and Mac should take a science class that will explain this to them.
After about
three passes, Lindgren should have changed his play calling strategy.
When he didn't, Mac should have changed it for him. When neither did
anything, the offense was doomed to failure. In effect, the game was lost long before the final seconds ticked off.
The loss was not the most bothersome thing that happened in Corvallis, however. Most Buff fans have been used to losses for quite a few years now. No, the biggest issue this writer saw was when the coaches talked to the press afterwards.
Like magic, the dedication to "WE" quickly disappeared. All of a sudden, Mac's players were now "THEY," and "They did not do their jobs!" This is bullshit. Football players are often compared to soldiers, and like soldiers they look horrible under bad planning and orders from the officers. The result of this game came from officers (coaches) who froze under fire in adverse conditions. Period. Many of the players were simply "running for cover" after their coaches froze up.
Is it really VALUES? Or is it just advertising?
The test of one's values are NOT when things are going well. The real test comes when things get bad. Based on CU's first loss and his response after the game, Coach Mac deserves an "F" for failing to reflect the values that he claims to hold so dear.
When you get paid millions of dollars a year to lead a group of college kids playing a game, failure on the field should be followed with a big "I" when meeting with the press after the game.
You know, as in "I did not do my very well paid job correctly. My fellow coaches and myself were not prepared, and did not adjust to game-time conditions. We let our players and our university down and we vow not to let it happen again."
Mac and his staff have five days to learn how to address a post game press conference after a loss. It's a month into the season, and Oregon is arguably the best team in the country. A win by Colorado would go down as one of the biggest upsets in college football history.
The CU coaches need to emphasize to themselves the importance of acting like grown men when the game is over. If they cannot do it, how can they expect it from their players?
I knew the end was near for Gary Barnett when he started blaming his players. The same went for Hawkins and Embree. I certainly hoped that it would take longer than 3 games for that crap to come out of the mouth of MacIntyre.
The Buck Stops Here!
Harry Truman used to have a sign on his desk that read "The Buck Stops Here!" It was meant to indicate that HE was responsible for everything under his command. No underling would be blamed for the shortcomings of this president.
By contrast, a popular phrase over the last couple of decades comes courtesy of the cartoon character Bart Simpson when he exclaims "I didn't do it!" when something goes wrong. Unlike Truman, Bart is "passing the buck!"
Saturday and a date with Oregon is close at hand. Coach MacIntyre needs to decide and share with his coaches and his players and the Colorado Buff community the answer to one simple question:
Is MAC a LEADER or a cartoon character?
Check back each Saturday to find out.
Last week he left his players dangling in the wind, both on the field and in the post-game press conference. His angry "deer in the headlights" can be forgiven on the field. Some folks don't respond well under stress, but they can LEARN to respond better in the future.
It is much harder to UNLEARN the habit of blaming others for your mistakes.
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Those who have read my other blog posts know I have been a very strong supporter of Coach MacIntyre and his staff. It pained me greatly to watch him flee from his supposed values after the Oregon State game. Leaders sometimes make great mistakes, but great leaders learn from those mistakes. My hope is that MacIntyre finally recognizes his mistake and learns from it. If not, I hope it is NEVER windy again when he is coaching.
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