Fullback41
Well-known member
INSIDE SLANT
For the longest time in previous coach Joe Glenn's tenure, Wyoming waited for its offense to catch up to its staunch defense and take the Cowboys to a Mountain West Conference championship.
That never happened. What did happen was Wyoming ending up ushering Glenn out the door and bringing in Missouri offensive coordinator Dave Christensen to guide a new offensive era in Cowboy football.
The new head coach quickly set out to change the aura in Laramie, creating competition in everything the Cowboys do, getting them up to speed in the intensity required for the work.
"The biggest thing we've got to get done is teaching them the practice habits we want them to have and how to compete," Christensen said. "They've come out and competed will in our offseason program and our winning edge (conditioning) program. I think these kids want to win.
"What we have to do is teach them all the aspects of our program as far as competition, being tough and physical. It's a process -- nothing you can get done in a week."
The Cowboys' coaching staff will have 15 days to get as much done as it can in evaluating players and getting them in the positions that will contribute most to the team's success next season.
Christensen accepted Wyoming's offer fairly quickly in the search after last season because he saw aspects in the Cowboys' program that led him to believe he could build a winner.
"I think there's a lot of similarities in this program (and the one) that we took over at Missouri," Christensen said. "I think we're probably in a little bit better shape here than we were when we took over there."
Whether that's coach-speak remains to be seen, but certainly Wyoming must find a consistent starter at quarterback among Karsten Sween, Chris Stutzriem, Dax Crum and Adam Barry. Wyoming also must find some capable replacements at running back for Devin Moore and Wynel Seldon.
Defensively, the Cowboys won't face much of a transition with eight starters returning in basically the same scheme run in the Glenn administration.
NOTES, QUOTES
SPRING OBJECTIVES: Coach Dave Christensen said Wyoming's new spread scheme is night-and-day different from the previous grind-it-out style via the running game. He didn't bother to look at game film of his offensive players, hoping to get a better feel for what they can do by watching them practice. The Cowboys have to find a quarterback who can do the things Christensen wants a spread offense quarterback to do -- like a Chase Daniel or Brad Smith at Missouri. Problem is, no Daniel is on the roster at Wyoming -- only Sweens, Crums and Stutzriems. All were inconsistent last season, but at least they won't have any newcomers to fear in spring drills. The player that emerges will have a big advantage over touted fall arrivals Robert Benjamin (Phoenix Community College) and Austyn Carta-Samuels from Bellarmine College Prep in San Jose, Calif. Wyoming loses only three players on defense, but the unit needs another tough leader like Ward Dobbs was last year.
BUILDING BLOCKS: Christensen made a shrewd move when he decided to promote linebackers coach Marty English to defensive coordinator. Wyoming will retain its three-man front and keep the basic system that was the strength of the team under former coach Joe Glenn. That, plus the return of three-year starters across the defensive line should help the Cowboys stay strong on that side of the ball. UW also will be strong in the secondary with returning starters Chris Prosinski at free safety and brothers Marcell and Tashaun Gipson at cornerback. Offensively, Wyoming returns abundant experience at wide receiver in senior Greg Bolling, junior David Leonard and sophomore Brandon Stewart.
QUOTE TO NOTE: "Any great quarterback doesn't just show up. They have to have a lot of those characteristics that make them stand out. You want to bring out their skills and develop them. There's a lot of things that you either have or you don't have, and I've never seen a great quarterback that came in and was not a very good player that we made into a great quarterback. So I think you've got to have all those things beforehand." -- Wyoming coach Dave Christensen.
STRATEGY AND PERSONNEL
STARS OF 2009:
DE John Fletcher -- Fletcher is looking for a bounce-back season after starting slow en route to second-team All-MWC honors in 2008. Fletcher's ability to get in the opponents' backfield is crucial to the defense's success. Fellow defensive end Mitch Unrein will benefit from the return of Fletcher and nose guard Fred Givens. All three will be three-year starters next season. Fletcher's presence will allow Unrein to get one-on-one blocking on the other side. Fletcher has shown more propensity to make plays behind the line of scrimmage, but Unrein finished with as many total tackles (54) as his counterpart.
S Chris Prosinski -- He burst onto the season last season with his all-out effort as a sophomore. A year's experience under his belt, Prosinski could easily improve upon the 88 tackles he amassed in 2008. Prosinki proved last season he never gives up on a play, and Wyoming will need that kind of play as it replaces a couple of key starters at linebacker.
WR Brandon Stewart -- Stewart began to emerge as a game-breaker late last season, despite a broken shoulder that sidelined him for the first five games of the year. He averaged 19.3 yards per catch on his 13 receptions. His breakaway speed should have the Wyoming coaching staff salivating at the prospects of the spread offense's impact on his ability to make plays in space.
TOP NEWCOMERS:
QB Robert Benjamin -- Recruited for the spread offense, Benjamin will enter the competition as a dual-threat player. He was the NJCAA Region I offensive player of the year at Phoenix City College and will push Wyoming's veteran but inconsistent returners. Unfortunately, Benjamin and true freshman Austyn Carta-Samuels, from San Jose (Calif.) Bellarmine Prep won't join the team until fall.
OLB Brian Hendricks -- Although sidelined for part of 2008 with a sprained knee, Hendricks has the potential to earn a starting job. He'll be a sophomore next season but has a chance to make an impact the way Mike Juergens did before graduating after last season.
RB Darius Terry -- The junior also could benefit from the change in scheme. Lost amid Wyoming's Thunder and Lightning backfield last season, Terry had just 16 carries for 43 yards. With the graduation of Wynel Seldon and Devin Moore, he could be the featured back in a system that will allow him to use his 5-11, 207-pound frame to get the ball with a head of steam going before encountering defenders.
ROSTER REPORT:
--Injuries have ended the career of senior TE Chris Sundberg, which is a big blow in terms of his experience that will be lost.
--Because Wyoming no longer will employ a fullback in its spread offense, it has moved senior Greg Genho and junior Joe Evers to tight end. Sophomore Josh Biezuns will play outside linebacker.
--LB Matt Barrella will miss most or all of spring practice because of shoulder surgery during the offseason. Fellow OLB Matt Birkeness, a redshirt freshman, also will miss spring with a shoulder injury.
--Reserve LB Mark Oliver has been dismissed from the team for a violation of team rules, and freshman LB Chance Crawford has ledt the team to concentrate on academics.
--Redshirt freshman OL Levi Salmans has been medically disqualified.
--Safeties Brian Kuhtz and Eric Benson and TE Brandon Ribble won't return in the spring.
For the longest time in previous coach Joe Glenn's tenure, Wyoming waited for its offense to catch up to its staunch defense and take the Cowboys to a Mountain West Conference championship.
That never happened. What did happen was Wyoming ending up ushering Glenn out the door and bringing in Missouri offensive coordinator Dave Christensen to guide a new offensive era in Cowboy football.
The new head coach quickly set out to change the aura in Laramie, creating competition in everything the Cowboys do, getting them up to speed in the intensity required for the work.
"The biggest thing we've got to get done is teaching them the practice habits we want them to have and how to compete," Christensen said. "They've come out and competed will in our offseason program and our winning edge (conditioning) program. I think these kids want to win.
"What we have to do is teach them all the aspects of our program as far as competition, being tough and physical. It's a process -- nothing you can get done in a week."
The Cowboys' coaching staff will have 15 days to get as much done as it can in evaluating players and getting them in the positions that will contribute most to the team's success next season.
Christensen accepted Wyoming's offer fairly quickly in the search after last season because he saw aspects in the Cowboys' program that led him to believe he could build a winner.
"I think there's a lot of similarities in this program (and the one) that we took over at Missouri," Christensen said. "I think we're probably in a little bit better shape here than we were when we took over there."
Whether that's coach-speak remains to be seen, but certainly Wyoming must find a consistent starter at quarterback among Karsten Sween, Chris Stutzriem, Dax Crum and Adam Barry. Wyoming also must find some capable replacements at running back for Devin Moore and Wynel Seldon.
Defensively, the Cowboys won't face much of a transition with eight starters returning in basically the same scheme run in the Glenn administration.
NOTES, QUOTES
SPRING OBJECTIVES: Coach Dave Christensen said Wyoming's new spread scheme is night-and-day different from the previous grind-it-out style via the running game. He didn't bother to look at game film of his offensive players, hoping to get a better feel for what they can do by watching them practice. The Cowboys have to find a quarterback who can do the things Christensen wants a spread offense quarterback to do -- like a Chase Daniel or Brad Smith at Missouri. Problem is, no Daniel is on the roster at Wyoming -- only Sweens, Crums and Stutzriems. All were inconsistent last season, but at least they won't have any newcomers to fear in spring drills. The player that emerges will have a big advantage over touted fall arrivals Robert Benjamin (Phoenix Community College) and Austyn Carta-Samuels from Bellarmine College Prep in San Jose, Calif. Wyoming loses only three players on defense, but the unit needs another tough leader like Ward Dobbs was last year.
BUILDING BLOCKS: Christensen made a shrewd move when he decided to promote linebackers coach Marty English to defensive coordinator. Wyoming will retain its three-man front and keep the basic system that was the strength of the team under former coach Joe Glenn. That, plus the return of three-year starters across the defensive line should help the Cowboys stay strong on that side of the ball. UW also will be strong in the secondary with returning starters Chris Prosinski at free safety and brothers Marcell and Tashaun Gipson at cornerback. Offensively, Wyoming returns abundant experience at wide receiver in senior Greg Bolling, junior David Leonard and sophomore Brandon Stewart.
QUOTE TO NOTE: "Any great quarterback doesn't just show up. They have to have a lot of those characteristics that make them stand out. You want to bring out their skills and develop them. There's a lot of things that you either have or you don't have, and I've never seen a great quarterback that came in and was not a very good player that we made into a great quarterback. So I think you've got to have all those things beforehand." -- Wyoming coach Dave Christensen.
STRATEGY AND PERSONNEL
STARS OF 2009:
DE John Fletcher -- Fletcher is looking for a bounce-back season after starting slow en route to second-team All-MWC honors in 2008. Fletcher's ability to get in the opponents' backfield is crucial to the defense's success. Fellow defensive end Mitch Unrein will benefit from the return of Fletcher and nose guard Fred Givens. All three will be three-year starters next season. Fletcher's presence will allow Unrein to get one-on-one blocking on the other side. Fletcher has shown more propensity to make plays behind the line of scrimmage, but Unrein finished with as many total tackles (54) as his counterpart.
S Chris Prosinski -- He burst onto the season last season with his all-out effort as a sophomore. A year's experience under his belt, Prosinski could easily improve upon the 88 tackles he amassed in 2008. Prosinki proved last season he never gives up on a play, and Wyoming will need that kind of play as it replaces a couple of key starters at linebacker.
WR Brandon Stewart -- Stewart began to emerge as a game-breaker late last season, despite a broken shoulder that sidelined him for the first five games of the year. He averaged 19.3 yards per catch on his 13 receptions. His breakaway speed should have the Wyoming coaching staff salivating at the prospects of the spread offense's impact on his ability to make plays in space.
TOP NEWCOMERS:
QB Robert Benjamin -- Recruited for the spread offense, Benjamin will enter the competition as a dual-threat player. He was the NJCAA Region I offensive player of the year at Phoenix City College and will push Wyoming's veteran but inconsistent returners. Unfortunately, Benjamin and true freshman Austyn Carta-Samuels, from San Jose (Calif.) Bellarmine Prep won't join the team until fall.
OLB Brian Hendricks -- Although sidelined for part of 2008 with a sprained knee, Hendricks has the potential to earn a starting job. He'll be a sophomore next season but has a chance to make an impact the way Mike Juergens did before graduating after last season.
RB Darius Terry -- The junior also could benefit from the change in scheme. Lost amid Wyoming's Thunder and Lightning backfield last season, Terry had just 16 carries for 43 yards. With the graduation of Wynel Seldon and Devin Moore, he could be the featured back in a system that will allow him to use his 5-11, 207-pound frame to get the ball with a head of steam going before encountering defenders.
ROSTER REPORT:
--Injuries have ended the career of senior TE Chris Sundberg, which is a big blow in terms of his experience that will be lost.
--Because Wyoming no longer will employ a fullback in its spread offense, it has moved senior Greg Genho and junior Joe Evers to tight end. Sophomore Josh Biezuns will play outside linebacker.
--LB Matt Barrella will miss most or all of spring practice because of shoulder surgery during the offseason. Fellow OLB Matt Birkeness, a redshirt freshman, also will miss spring with a shoulder injury.
--Reserve LB Mark Oliver has been dismissed from the team for a violation of team rules, and freshman LB Chance Crawford has ledt the team to concentrate on academics.
--Redshirt freshman OL Levi Salmans has been medically disqualified.
--Safeties Brian Kuhtz and Eric Benson and TE Brandon Ribble won't return in the spring.
And right you are, about the CST having better sports coverage...at least from an overall vantage point. I think the Boomerang does a better job with UW sports though (and they have better access to do so), and the Trib just plain blows.