Colorado University Athletics
Woelk: Offseason Will Be Crucial For MacIntyre, Buffs
November 26, 2017 | Football, Neill Woelk
SALT LAKE CITY — Now begins a long, long offseason for the Colorado Buffaloes.
In some ways, the Buffs have been here before — far more often than they would like. A 5-7 finish that includes a 2-7 mark in Pac-12 play and a spot in the Pac-12 South basement is nothing new.
But this year's finish also provides a different feel for Colorado. For the first time in the five-year Mike MacIntyre era in Boulder, the Buffs have taken a step back. A season that began with the Buffs riding the wave of a 10-4, Pac-12 South title finish a year ago ended with a thud. With one last chance to earn a bowl bid and extend their season, the Buffs played maybe their worst half of the season Saturday at Rice-Eccles Stadium, falling behind 28-0 in the first two quarters before finally dropping a 34-13 decision to Utah in the season finale.
That's nowhere close to what the Buffs envisioned when the year began. Now, they have a long winter, spring and summer ahead to look deep within themselves and begin the process of fixing the problems that plagued them for much of the season.
It's a process that will begin at the top. MacIntyre and his staff will hit the recruiting trail beginning Sunday night in an effort to wrap up their early signing class (Dec. 20), while at the same time carefully dissecting all the details that turned this season south.
It won't be an enjoyable task. There's not a position group on the team that performed up to expectations this season, and fair or not, that is an issue that begins at the entrance to every CU coach's office. Whether it is technique, game plans or a combination of both, CU's coaches will carefully evaluate the season — then figure out how to improve those areas.
Meanwhile, CU's returning players should have no lack of incentive to get back to work, first in the weight room, then on the field when spring ball begins. If ever an offseason required a little soul searching, this one fits that bill.
But what everyone in the Colorado locker room already knows is this: the 2017 Buffs simply didn't make the plays that made the difference this year. Only once — at Oregon State — did Colorado win a close game. Otherwise, the Buffs came up short in games they could have won, which proved to be the difference between playing again in December and being home for the holidays.
Now, the offseason quest will be to rediscover the intangible that made the 2016 team so special.
"There's a lot of young talent on this team," senior running back Phillip Lindsay said. "But now they know what it takes. They know now that it's done with offseason work."
Indeed, that might be the lesson this team takes forward, from the coaching staff on down. Offseason improvement is the true grind. It's when a team's character is developed, when a team's identity is established — and it is done far away from the spotlight and without the promise of an immediate reward.
Safe to say, the 2017 Buffs never really established an identity, a defining characteristic on which they could hang their helmets.
In past years, the Buffs have built on small successes. They have made incremental improvements, then taken another step the following fall.
But now, Colorado finds itself in a rebuild/rebound mode. It is unfamiliar territory, and it will demand that every coach and every player perform an honest self-assessment — then make changes where necessary.
As Lindsay said, there is plenty of young talent on this team. Throughout the lineup, offense and defense, the Buffs will have plenty of returning experience.
But those Buffs will also be returning to a Pac-12 that improved dramatically this weekend. One need look no farther than CU's 2018 conference opener — at home against a Chip Kelly-coached UCLA squad — to know that the road next year will be a difficult one. There are no easy weekends in the Pac-12, a lesson the Buffs relearned the hard way this season.
Yes, the Buffs have been here before. In seven seasons in the Pac-12, Colorado has finished at the bottom of the division six times.
But in almost every previous year, Colorado has entered the offseason knowing that improvement had been made. Those steps of progress — no matter how small at times — were a reassurance that the process was working.
This year, it is a different story. This year, a little introspection will be in order after a season that produced a step back. It will require a re-evaluation of the process and a re-commitment to the little things that make a big difference. It is, quite simply, the latest challenge for a program still trying to establish a firm foundation of success.
That process begins today — and how the Buffs respond over the coming weeks and months, from the top down, will be a big part of determining how 2018 unfolds when the lights come on again.
Contact: Neill.Woelk@Colorado.edu
