Colorado Fans Embarrassed by Coaches in 28-0 Loss to Washington State

An already ugly season for Colorado football fans got even uglier Saturday night at Washington State. It was so ugly it was embarrassing.

But don't misinterpret that as criticism of the players. That goes squarely on the coaches. Coaches prepare the players to play. Coaches call the plays. Coaches make the adjustments. Coaches make the big bucks, and players are full time students with full time jobs playing football as well.

A consistent theme this year is the claim that Colorado has no discipline, leading to numerous penalties. Discipline is a taught trait, and anyone watching head coach (and Chief Embarrassment Officer) Mike MacIntyre absolutely LOSE IT on the sidelines knows that he is incapable of passing on the trait of discipline because he has none. I've raised three kids to adulthood and none of them had the kind of temper tantrum Mac did. Sadly for Colorado football, Mac has done this before.

Another embarrassment is co-offensive coordinator Brian Lindgren because he calls the plays. Imagine if you will that the rain is coming down in buckets and the wind is gusting up to 40 miles per hour. Or, watch the tape of the game if you want to re-live the horror. 

How does a smart coach get his QB and offense into a  rhythm to overcome the elements? From 50 years of watching football, I can tell you that you throw SHORT passes and run the ball against the grain because it's easier for tailbacks to change direction than big defensive linemen. 

What do you do to make things easier for the defense? You run straight up the middle and throw long passes either deep or to the outside. You might be able to guess which plays were called over and over by Lindgren.

In the first half, Lindgren called 17 runs up the middle. The first six totaled 10 yards, with a long of 4. That means the other five totaled six yards.

Then, thankfully, a seven yarder up the middle. The next four totaled only 6 1/2 yards. Then a 24 yarder (wow!). But then the next five totaled only 5 yards as WSU stacked the box.

How was first half play calling for passes in the horrible weather you ask? Even worse.
Passes:
1 - 40 yards outside (INCOMPLETE)
2 - 13 yards out of bounds (INCOMPLETE)
3 - 38 yards to the outside (INCOMPLETE)
4 - 15 yards outside hash (INCOMPLETE)
5 - 10 yards outside numbers (INCOMPLETE)
6 - 8 yard pass out of bounds on 4th and 10. (INCOMPLETE)
7 - 10 yard pass to the numbers (INCOMPLETE)
8 - 9 yard pass complete outside numbers
9 - Pass behind LOS after scramble (INCOMPLETE)
10 - Offensive pass interference
11 - Outside bubble screen complete for -1 (loss)
12 - 2 yard pass out of bounds (INCOMPLETE)
13 - 5 yard completed pass to sideline
14 - 7 yard completed pass to sideline to end half

Just a reminder that football fields are 53 1/3 yards WIDE. So "short" passes to the sideline often travel more than 30 yards in the air.

In the horrible weather conditions at Washington State, how many short passes to the middle of the field were called? ZERO!
The only inside pass was off a scramble to the tailback. The rest were deep or outside in high winds and rain.

So, before anyone (you know, like the head coach and QB coach) starts blaming Steven Montez for the lack of production, take a good look at the passes called in horrible conditions. And blame the guys responsible for calling the plays. That would be Lindgren and his boss.

Many fans are embarrassed that these guys get paid with our tax dollars. And we feel terribly for the players.

Several years ago, in similar windy conditions, Lindgren called the same kind of pass plays. This site responded with:

"It's the wind, stupid!"

Now, "It's the WIND and the Rain, stupid!" 

Get Brian Lindgren OUT of the BOOTH so he can see what the weather is like. Or better yet, fire him. We're stuck with MacIntyre and his giant contract, but BL can go. It's been five years and he still can't see what's going on around him. It's embarrassing.