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BIG 12 CONFERENCE MEDIA DAYSJuly 25, 2007Dan HawkinsSAN ANTONIO, TEXAS CHARLIE FISS: Joined now by Coach Dan Hawkins. We'll let you give a quick comment on your team, then we'll go to some questions from the floor. COACH DAN HAWKINS: I really think in the last year it's been an unbelievable experience for me and I really think -- I was telling people, we got a new trainer that came to us a week before camp started. Our strength coach came to us in the summertime, and new academic people came. And of course I was new. So it's been a process of getting everybody on the same page and have been really pleased with our players' intensity and their effort in coming together. And I think we're really starting to become fortified in understanding what everybody's about and you guys know, you've been in sports for a long time, that that freshman to sophomore year is probably the largest jump in learning. And I think that's the same for me and our football team. Colorado's an unbelievable place, and I think probably for the first time since Coach Mack was there, you're seeing a lot of camaraderie and a lot of connections going to faculty, community and alums and it's a magnificent place. But new leadership all over the place, new attitude. We're building an indoor Colorado. We're getting our locker room redone. Our training table redone. Season ticket sales are starting to get back up where they need to be. So I think there's a lot of momentum, and we're all moving in the right direction. And I feel very good about that. And I've had the vast majority of our incoming freshman here this summer. So feel very, very positive about that. Last season was, I said this many times -- you don't want to be close to having a good marriage and you don't want to be close to getting a raise, you don't want to be close to graduating, but we were close. We just couldn't quite finish in a few games last year. But we're a lot stronger, a lot more fortified. I think our leaders know which direction we're going, and we really look forward to getting going on the 5th. CHARLIE FISS: Questions. Q. Wonder if you could talk about your quarterback situation, how it's breaking, how they look so far? COACH DAN HAWKINS: It's hard, because in the summertime you don't get to be around those guys very much. So you don't know exactly -- I think our guys have had a pretty productive summer, both in their own, getting out, throwing, and in the weight room. We'll just see, see how it plays out. We're going to push from practice one, from meeting one to find a starting quarterback much like we did last year. And I don't think we can afford to wait for first scrimmage, second scrimmage, third scrimmage. It needs to be a race, and whoever gets out and gets going will be the guy. Either way it goes, I think we're going to be fine. I like Nick a bunch. We're obviously going to be use Bernard creatively back there as well. So I like the combination. As you know, the experience factor is always huge in anything, whether it's your business or football. And if it ends up being Nick or Cody, both of those guys, there will be some moments where you'll be slapping your forehead wondering what exactly happened. Now that being said, I think they're both smart, competitive and they're used to winning and have had plenty of snaps behind the center. So I think they have much more comfort with protections, checking plays, audibling plays, hot side skews, all that kind of stuff. Q. You lost the Big 12 sack leader to graduation, how is the D line looking and how will you make up for that kind of lost pressure and kind of just overall on your defense? COACH DAN HAWKINS: I think it's hard to -- I think it's hard to replace a guy in a sense like Abe. He had such a vibrancy to him and tremendous speed and great pass rusher. That being said, I think Alonzo Barrett is a kid who has been waiting in the wings and has an opportunity to be very good player in his own rank. We've got some young guys that have come into the fold that I think will contribute as well. And then we'll see how those guys do individually. That being said, if you're not getting pressure from an individual standpoint, then you need to go to blitz packages, because I don't think you can allow the quarterback to sit back there and play seven on. But I'll be very interested to see how Alonzo comes around. I think he's a good player and I think he's ready to emerge. CHARLIE FISS: Thank you, Coach. End of FastScripts |
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