RAISING MONEY FOR A NEW FOOTBALL STADIUM

All this talk got us thinking about some ways for fans and alums could help raise money to build a new $100 million dollar fortress in the middle of Fort Collins. Here are just a few ideas we had.

Brick Etching

This is an easy way to raise a nice load of cabbage. $100 bucks a brick. While building the stadium, include donor's names, occupation, city and state where they are from. Or, a little inspiring message for the team or students. Whatever. This has been done everywhere and it always makes it feel like the stadium is actually a part of the community and fan base.

Car Destruction

A good ole' fashion car smashing event is always fun. I would love to take a sledge hammer to the window of a CU littered piece of crap. What do you say? $20 for 2 minutes of smashing fun? Sounds good to me.

Fan Photos on Jerseys

You better believe I'd pay to have my mug on Crockett Gillmore's back. I think this is an awesome way to show fan support. Plus, it makes the fan feel like it's their team. It's personal. $100 bucks. Now, this isn't the first time this has been done. The Sevilla Futbol Club in Spain has done this. Click here to check it out.


Celebrity Dunk Tank

Who wouldn't want to dunk Joey Porter in full Arizona Cardinal uniform. I'd pay $10 bucks for three balls and a photo. After dunking him, you could pay another $50 for Joey NOT to kick your ass. CSU would clean up!

Summer Concert

Have the biggest concert bash Hughes Stadium has ever seen. Schedule acts like Slayer, Iron Maiden, and Killswitch Engage and throw down! That way if it got out of hand it wouldn't matter. Hughes would be destroyed anyway.

Here are couple more tamed ideas:

Stadium 5k Race

Not quite the big money puller but it does bring in some cash. Especially in Fort Collins.

Orakpo's Koolaide Stand

Mike could stand on the corner of Prospect and College and slang Koolaide. Sounds like a plan to me. He's got to charge more than fifty cents though. OH YEAH!

What's your ideas?

MOUNTAIN WEST BOWL SEASON WRAP-UP

This season, I honestly thought that the Mountain West had a chance to sweep their bowl appearances. Who would have thought Temple would shock the world by upsetting the number 55 ranked team in the land, according to CBS’s College Football Rankings? And where do the Aztecs rank this loss to l'Université des Acadiens, or formally known as Southwest Louisiana, currently known as University of Louisiana at Lafayette? Let’s give a commentary on each game.

NEW MEXICO BOWL

Temple 37 – Wyoming 15

Loss number one for the Mountain West. I can’t even remember when this game happened, it was so long ago. That or it was completely forgettable. I thought Wyoming would totally dominate the Owls on the front line but that wasn’t the case. Temple was up 21 before I knew it and the game was over at half time. The Owls rushed all over the Pokes, embarrassing their defense by putting up 255 yards. At least Wyoming fans didn’t have to travel that far to see them lose. Unfortunately the New Mexico Bowl isn’t against the state’s home team. I’m pretty sure Wyoming could have beaten the Lobos.

This guy either just found out his friend posted his dome on Facebook or he just dropped his deep fried Twinkie he just purchased.

Look at this goon.

NEW ORLEANS BOWL

Louisiana Lafayette 32 – San Diego State 30

Ha! I had to laugh when I saw the end of this game. Hey SDSU, way to show the nation you’re ready for ‘big time’ college football in the Big East. You just lost to a WAC opponent. Our Rams could have done that. Now, I know it was pretty much a home game for the Ragin Cajuns but that’s beside the point. They put up 492 passing yards on the Aztec defense and have kicker with nerves of steel, a titanium boot, and a goofy looking smile.

A couple inches to the right and, HELLO! What's he reaching for?

POINSETTIA BOWL

TCU 31 – Louisiana Tech 24

Whoa, that was a close one. I have to admit, I totally underestimated the Bulldogs. Those guys are scrappers. This see-saw finally ended up TCU’s way after the Frogs took control of the game in the forth. Their defense shut down Tech’s somewhat high powered passing game. Tech has some fastys on their team that I would like to see transfer to Colorado State next year, so they could be eligible for Grayson to target.

LAS VEGAS BOWL

Boise State 56 – Arizona State 24

What a load of crap this game was. You would think ASU would even give a rat’s ass. Oh yeah, I forgot. Boise State got screwed out of a BCS bowl bid to play in the who cares bowl against shittastic university who happens to have a super terrific record of 6-6. Garbage. Implement a playoff already. I’m tired of bitching about this, still. Arizona State sucks.

I couldn't think of a good caption so here is a random photo from the game.

MILITARY BOWL

Toledo 42 – Air Force 41
This game went back and forth forever. You would think that there wasn't any defense playing on the field but there was plenty of it. Just bad tackling on both sides of the ball.. The Falcons were so close only to be foiled by a place holder's dumb decision to keep the football and drive it straight into a linebacker forcing the ball to pop out making it look like the worst attempt of an option play to a kicker when in fact it was a forced fumble. Run on sentence that kind of makes sense. Air Force was our last hope of having a conference winning record in bowl play. Damn those Rockets of Toledo with their futuristic uniforms. What's with the mess on the side of the helmet? Worst attempt of an American flag ever.

RAMIFICATIONS ALL MOUNTAIN WEST TEAM

Photo taken by Steve Stoner

Yeah, we know the Mountain West Conference comes out with their own all conference team but we wanted to share who was deserving of our own all Mountain West team.

OFFENSE

QB- #11 Kellen Moore SR, Boise State- Moore wins by a landslide. He was robbed out
of being one of the Heisman Trophy finalists and passed for 3507 yards, 41 TDʼs and
only threw 7 Intʼs. Phenomenal.

RB- #13 Ronnie Hillman SO, San Diego State- Hillman was a stud this year and easily
out rushed everyone else in the MWC. Hillman rushed for 1656 yards with a ridiculous
19 TDʼs. He also had a 5.8 yard average. Even had a 99 yard run. What do you expect
from someone playing at Marshall Faulk University?

RB- #6 Chris Nwoke SO, Colorado State- Nwoke was third in the MWC conference in
rushing despite splitting carries with Raymond Carter for half the season. He also had a
5.7 yards per carry with 9 TDʼs. Nwoke was a beast to tackle and was great at getting
yards even after contact.

WR- #89 Tyler Shoemaker SR, Boise State- Shoemaker led the MWC in receptions
(59), yards (959), and TDʼs (15). What else does it take?

WR- #82 Josh Boyce SO, Texas Christian- Boyce is a crafty receiver who recorded 56
receptions for 932 yards and 9 TDʼs. Boyce helped the Horned Frogs avoid a let down
after losing pivotal players, including Andy Dalton, to graduation. TCU never missed a
beat.

TE- #88 Gavin Escobar SO, San Diego State- Escobar is 6-6 and 248 with room to get
bigger. Since he is only a Sophomore he has two years to do it. Escobar was a decent
blocker and had 47 receptions for 710 yards and 7 TDʼs. No other TE matched
Escobarʼs dominance in the MWC.

OL- #55 Kyle Dooley SR, Texas Christian- Dooley isnʼt flashy but he is very effective
and solid in all facets of his game. Plays solid at the guard position.

OL- #60 Tommie Draheim SR, San Diego State- He blocked for the best rusher the
MWC has seen in some time in Hillman, and Hillman didnʼt do it by himself.

OL- #72 Clayton Kirven SR, Wyoming- Clayton is a big body at tackle weighing 305
pounds. Kirven was overshadowed by the Boise Stateʼs and TCUʼs of the world, but
besides Potter, I think he would be the best lineman on any of those teams.

OL- #73 Nate Potter SR, Boise State- Nate is the best lineman in the MWC, and an
easy selection. Plays the tackle position better than almost anyone in the country.

OL- #70 Weston Richburg SO, Colorado State- Richburg has 2 more years left, and has
the potential to take over Potterʼs designation as the best lineman in the MWC.
Throwback center that is tough as nails.

K- #18 Parker Herrington JR, Air Force- Made 15 of 18 FGʼs for a 83% conversion rate.
Herrington would have been a no-brainer had it not been for him missing 3 of the 43
extra point attempts.

PR- #20 Mitch Burroughs JR, Boise St.- Hard to argue with a 13.28 yard average. Plus
he leads the MWC in punt return yards with 239.

KR- #7 Greg McCoy SR, Texas Christian- Insane 31.55 kick return average. Throw in
915 yards and 2 TDʼs and it was an easy decision.

DEFENSE

DL- #11 Nordly Capi SO, Colorado State- Capi came out of nowhere to lead the MWC
in sacks with 10. He had 34 tackles but 11.5 tackles for a loss. The quality that really
stands out for Nordly is his penchant for turnovers, and he also led the MWC in forced
fumbles with 7. He set an NCAA record with 4 in the first game of the season against
New Mexico. Not bad considering he started the season as the third string DE.

DL- #90 Stansly Maponga SO, Texas Christian- Stansly had 51 tackles with 10 tackles
for a loss. He was also second in the MWC with 9 sacks. He was a force on the line for
the Horned Frogs and still has room to fill out, and become more dominant.

DL- #96 James Dunlap SR, Nevada-Las Vegas- Dunlap had 47 tackles with a league
leading 14.5 tackles for a loss. He topped off his season by having 6.5 sacks and 3
forced fumbles. He would be getting more recognition for a great season if he wasnʼt
representing the disappointing Running Rebs.

DL- #40 Tyrone Crawford SR, Boise State- Tyrone had 42 tackles with 9.5 tackles for a
loss. He recorded 6.5 sacks with 3 forced fumbles and 2 fumble recoveries. He also
was able to block a kick. Gotta like a guy who excels at special teams too.


LB- #58 Carmen Messina SR, New Mexico- Carmen had 142 tackles which led the
MWC. He also posted 3 sacks, a forced fumble and an int. Messina is only the 5th
player in New Mexico history to record 400 tackles in a career. Leader of the defense.

LB- #43 Tank Carder SR, Texas Christian- Tank recorded 66 tackles and proved to be a
playmaker by returning his only 2 intʼs for TDʼs. He was the leader of a solid Horned
Frogs defense and many felt he was the best defensive player in the Mountain West.

LB- #9 Miles Burris SR, San Diego State- Miles had 72 tackles and 8 sacks. Burris was
expected to have a big season for the Aztecs this season and he didnʼt disappoint.


S- #3 Luke Anderson JR, Wyoming- Luke finished the season with 71 tackles with 2
forced fumbles and 2 intʼs. Luke even scored a TD this season. Anderson runs an
amazing 4.2 40 time which might explain his penchant to make plays.

S- #29 Luke Ruff JR, Wyoming- Who was more solid than the Luke brothers for the
Pokes? Ruff had 97 tackles with a forced fumble. Obviously had to make up for a weak
front seven but played real solid all year.

CB- #2 Leon McFadden JR, San Diego State- Leon had 42 tackles, a sack and 2 intʼs.
What really impressed me the most was he played opposite Larry Parker and manned
up by having 11 passes broken up and another 13 defensed.

CB- #29 Larry Parker SR, San Diego State- Larry led the MWC by intercepting 7
passes. Larry had 7 passes broken up and defended another 14. He had 54 tackles
with 2.5 for a loss and forced 2 fumbles. Parker is the best cover guy in the MWC.

P- #41 Pete Kontodiakos JR, Colorado State- Pete led the MWC in punting avg. with a
solid 43.63 yards a kick. Many people like Brian Stahovich from San Diego St better.
Ramifications doesnʼt.

Congratulations. You win nothing. Maybe one day we'll send out a certificate.

DEONTE WORTHAM 2012 CSU RECRUIT

Height 6'1"   |   Weight 230   |  DE/LB  |   4.6 40-time

Good lord! Right from the get go you can tell what this kid is all about. Watch Deonte's highlight film. He knocks poor soul's block off causing him to fumble. He is so fast, even coming from the defensive end position. Wortham never gives up on the play. He's fast enough to run people down from behind and long enough to bat down passes and intimidate a runner's anticipated juke moves.Deonte is always in the back field. He out muscles his opposition and comes up up with a hard hitting tackle every play. And he gets off the line before a running back or the quarterback can even think of what to do. Deonte gave a verbal commit back in August and currently is still committed to CSU. He ended up a having a great senior year which upped his stock in the recruiting world. Now, the Ram coaching staff will be in a heated battle with other schools. Hopefully we can get Deonte to sign. Overall, our defense is looking to be the center piece of the Rams future.

MOUNTAIN CENTER STAGE EXPOSURE

It has been a long time since I lived in sacred Rams country. Due to a great job opportunity I moved from the magic of the Mile High City to the sand and swamps of North Carolina. Everyone here are fanatic college football fans. When I hear a “Go UNC” chant, it takes me awhile to realize that they aren’t talking about the Bears out in Greeley. When I talk about my crazy college days I always discuss me taking in ska bands at the Aggie. The brewfest over the summer, and of course the party in the stands at ol’ Hughes Stadium when CSU played on national television against other Mountain West foes over conference supremacy. Back then these games were the place to be seen. CSU was expected to beat the Utah’s, BYU’s and Wyoming’s every year, and more times than not they didn’t disappoint. My buddies and I would tailgate while scoping out the ladies, trash talk rival fans, and throw down a beer or five. Then once inside.... the atmosphere was electric. Fans were screaming, Students held up creative signs dissing our opponent (B. itch Y. ou U. gly is still my all time favorite), cameras and sideline reporters combed the sidelines. I got hoarse from cheering and screaming my team to victory. Then afterward I would call my cousin, who lived in Pittsburgh, and talk to him about the game.

Me: Hey man, you see my Rams dominate the Utes like that tonight?

Cousin: Yeah man, they look good. I think they could easily beat an ACC team if they meet one in a bowl game.

Me: Did you see how Cecil Sapp just ran over their defense like he was running through a wet paper towel, and did you see me on TV a couple rows back?

Cousin: Sapp is a stud. He easily will get drafted by the fourth round, and why would I want to see your ugly ass on National TV?

Not long after the Mountain West Conference was building momentum from these midweek appearances on TV the talk started building up about how the teams were just as competitive, if not more competitive, than many teams in conferences with automatic BCS bowl bids. The debate was a good one especially since the Mountain West was faring better with their Air Force’s, Colorado State’s, Utah’s and Brigham Young’s than the ACC and Big East was with their Virginia’s, Maryland’s, Boston College’s, Pitt’s and Rutger’s. I remember thinking it was only a matter of time before the BCS would cave in to the Mountain West’s exciting play and competitiveness, and grant us a BCS bowl auto-bid. National media started jumping on the MW bandwagon and clamoring for an automatic BCS Bowl tie in. Some even used the Mountain West as an example of the evil’s of the BCS, and how the BCS was robbing deserving Mountain West teams of some shots at major college bowl games. Utah destroying Pitt 35-7 in the Fiesta Bowl further validated the Mountain West’s stamp as a major conference ready to make it’s move.

The following year the Mountain West’s contract was up with ESPN, and Mountain West Commissioner Craig Thompson knew that this was the time to strike. Instead of swallowing his pride and riding the momentum they had built in establishing themselves as a top 6 conference, he instead thumbed his nose at ESPN and created their own network, The Mountain West Channel. Craig Thompson cited games being on more traditional football days, more revenue, more exposure, and better competition. Let’s examine if what Commissioner Thompson claims as benefits of the network is indeed fact or if it is a bunch of smoke and mirrors.

Claim #1 More Traditional Football Days- Fact

The Mountain West plays all their games on Saturday, so in that aspect Commissioner Thompson has accomplished what he set out to do. Although I understand that you want your students in class and on campus during the week, I also like the excitement of being under the lights on a national stage on any day of the week. This conservative scheduling puts Mountain West games up against the big conferences and causes less viewership for the casual fan.

Claim #2 More Revenue- Fact

The Mountain West Network pulls in 80 million dollars at it’s inception compared to the 50 million on the ESPN contract. That is 3.3 million more per school. That is a lot of funds for a Mountain West team, and also creates a greater ability to upgrade facilities. The problem I have with it is had they waited on the network and continued the momentum, the ESPN contract would have potentially increased. They could have then waited to get BCS status, and then create the Mountain Network which at that time would have demanded a bigger payday.

Claim #3 More Exposure- Smoke and Mirrors

The Mountain West Channel is available to anybody in the United States, but you have to pay for it. I have to buy a crappy bundle package that costs me an extra $20.00 a month to my cable bill for me to get it. I have seen very few programs that really peak my interest (outside of some football and b-ball games) that would make me want to fork over the $20.00 to have it. When I was able to watch them on ESPN it was part of the basic package, and I knew where to find it.

Claim #4 Better Competition- Smoke and Mirrors

ESPN Game in 2000- Colorado State VS. BYU. Mountain Network Game 2011- UNLV

VS. New Mexico.

I went back to watch the same Utah and Colorado State game in 2007 with some of my same buddies from my college days. We were excited to get back to defending the fort and relive the excitement of years past. When we walked up to Hughes Stadium the atmosphere wasn’t just melancholy, but it was non-existent. Alumni and fans alike were sitting on their hands having staring contests. I could actually hear the crickets in the bleachers, but then realized it wasn’t the crickets after all, but one of my buddies trying to hold back the tears from the utter disappointment he was feeling about the current state of affairs that is Rams football. After the 27 to 3 demoralization that we witnessed against the Utes, my friends and I went to a bar and grill to see some of the postgame. It was terrible to say the least. A joke.

Afterward I called my cousin to brag about being at the game.

Me: Hey man went back to my old stomping grounds and got to see the Rams again.

Cousin: I haven’t heard about them in awhile, how are they?

Me: They’re having a down year but they’ll bounce back?

Cousin: What conference are they in now?

Me: They’re still in the Mountain West

Cousin: That conference is still around?

Me: Yeah. The teams are not as good as they used to be but they’re still there.

Cousin: I just never see any of them on TV anymore.

Me: Well they have their own network called The Mountain. I think that’s channel 616 out there. You should check it out.

Cousin: It’s saying I’m not subscribed to this channel.

Me: Yeah it’s part of a higher tier sports package.

Cousin: That’s stupid. Well hey, let me call you after this Nebraska, Oklahoma State game. It’s pretty close right now.

Me: Alright man

As I hung up I realized how all the energy and excitement that was building for the

Mountain West Conference only a few years prior, had quickly grown stale and apathetic. Through all the claims of grandeur and innovation that was supposed to follow with the September 1, 2006 inauguration of the Mountain West Channel, I quickly realized that what it really created was indifference and isolation. What the Network has done was cut out the Mountain West Conference from the college football scene altogether; the North Korea of the college football scene.

+From the network of posters for Ramifications

JOE HANSLEY 2012 CSU RECRUIT

Height 5'10"   |   Weight 170   |   RB/WR/ATH  |   4.54 40-time

Gatorade player of the year in Colorado, Joe Hansley, gave a verbal commit last week to coach J-Mac. A great in state pick-up for the Rams as they start their new era. Hansley rushed for 1,851 yards, 24 touchdowns and caught 518 yards in his final season of his high school career. As a defensive back, he had 24 tackles and 7 interceptions. Pretty impressive numbers. Seeing the very limited video I could find, Joe has great balance and can turn his speed on to out run any opponent. He has great hands and I think he would make a great slot receiver.

Here is a link to a quick highlight reel of Hansley. Sorry if it doesn't give you a good sense of what he's about.
Joe Hansley Highlight

9news had a great reel but I couldn't find it on line. Here is an interview with the new CSU recruit. Volume needs to be adjusted so be forewarned.



After his verbal commit, Joe encouraged other top recruits to commit to CSU through facebook. Let's hope he got to Windsor O-lineman Joey O'Conner.

UPDATE  12.19.11 8:48PM

This highlight reel was sent in by a fan. You can't watch it on a Mac but you can watch it on PC with a Silverlight plug-in. Click on the link below.
Highlights

If you have anything to share with us or if you have an idea for a post, make sure to email us! Thanks Mark for the link.

COMBAT UNIFORMS ASWELL

Again...oh yeah. Hell yeah. Some nice work provided by Peter. Here are two examples of some combat uniforms. Nice work!

Then we have another concept provided by Mike over at Ramnation. Some more nice work!

Great work gentlemen! The Rams are gonna gonna look good next year.

CSU BATTLE HELMETS INDEED

Oh yeah. Hell yeah. Is all I have to say about these combat helmet concepts. Puts our concepts we posted a year ago to shame. Peter Brown, a proud CSU alum and designer, came up with these concepts. They have been circulating around all the Ram networks and have been getting a ton of well deserved praise. CU fans are gonna be peeing in place when they see the machines coming out of the tunnel. The new Ram regime is coming and we're pissed. I would have to say the green on white is my favorite.

Go check out Pete's website. He's got some great stuff! Brown-Creative

COLORADO STATE REPRESENTING LAST WEEK

A trinity of Colorado State Alumni made some news this past week at the NFL
level. Two for good reasons, another for a not so good reason. Itʼs good to see some
Rams on Sundays because it reminds our fan base that we actually can develop some
superior talent. Here is the Good, the Glad and the Ugly.

GOOD
David Anderson WR Washington Redskins- Mr. Anderson made it to the end zone this weekend on a 6 yard reception against the New England Patriots. Although the Redskins lost the game they made it interesting until the end. Anderson finished with 2 catches for 12 yards and a TD.







GLAD
Erik Pears OT Buffalo Bills- Pears signed a contract extension for an extra 3 years worth 9.3 million. Guess whoʼs buying next time Erik goes out golfing with the fellas? Erik stated that he wanted to get this done because the Bills were the first team to give him an actual chance at playing consistently.







UGLY
Mike Brisiel OG Houston Texans- Brisiel Fractured his fibula last week and will be out for 3 weeks. This is not a mistype. 3 WEEKS!!! For a fractured Fibula!!! It is even more of an attribute to his toughness that he sustained the injury in the first half and still finished the game. Way to represent Mike.

CRAIG LEONARD 2012 CSU RECRUIT

Height 6'4"   |   Weight 215   |   QB  |   4.75 40-time

A few days ago Fort Collins newspaper the Coloradoan reported hometown Craig Leonard has given J-Mac a verbal commit. Doing some research on ESPN, Rivals and MaxPreps, gave me no conformation of this but figured what the hell, lets do a recruit profile on him anyway. The very first thing I see when I watch his film is his size. He's a big boy and pretty mobile, even coming of a knee injury his junior year in high school. His senior year he passed for 2,563 yards and 26 touchdowns. He attended Jireh Prep in North Carolina last year and led them to an 8-3 record.

He's definitely a pro-style pocket quarterback and it looks like he has a pretty strong arm. Craig has great vision and has the ability to sense pressure to escape at the right time. At 40 seconds in you'll see what I mean. He's got a nice touch on the fly routes but I would like to see more over the middle throws to see if he can zip it in. There are some examples of that but not as many as I would like to see. Do to Craig's size he's a challenge to bring down. He looks like a pretty good addition.

HIRE, FIRE OR BUBBLE

CSU started cleaning house from the top down and this year heads are rolling.  Athletic Director PK was the first, Fairchild was the second and I have a strong feeling that Defensive Coordinator Larry Kerr will be the third.  His defenses over the past 4 years have been pretty awful.  This year CSU ranked 84th in total defense through the end of the regular season and 116th in rushing defense.  By the end of the year it seemed as if the energy had been sucked out of our defense completely and they were continually gutted for huge chunks of yards.  I know that injuries were a factor, but it didn't help Fairchild's case and it shouldn't help Kerr's.

It's going to be a difficult task for McElwain to either hire or fire any of these assistants because he needs guys to help him recruit for CSU.  Alabama is playing for the fake National Championship and McElwain will no doubt have his attention fully on that game.  However it should be a little easier for McElwain because LSU is a regular opponent (making the fake National Championship even more ridiculous).  McElwain will have to come up with a better game plan to put more than 6 points on the board vs LSU.  I'm betting the Alabama kicker makes a few more FG's this game too.

McElwain can't just clean the entire house out the first year, otherwise he'll have to put an ad in the paper for coaches.  Here's the primary coordinators and position coaches.  No offense to the interns but I'm pretty sure you're all fired.  Just kidding, Interns are free, so why fire any of them.

Dan Hammerschmidt - Wide Receivers Coach/Passing Game Coordinator
- On the bubble, as in do another bubble screen and you're fired.

Larry Kerr - Assistant Head Coach/Defensive Coordinator
- Fired, and if he's not fired, new coach McElwain will hear about it from fans.

Larry Lewis - Assoc. Head Coach, Special Teams
- On the bubble, because of the catastrophe in the CU game where apparently Special Teams didn't know the rules of football.

Pat Meyer - Offensive Coordinator/Offensive Line
Hired, did a great job with a seriously banged up unit.

Bernard Clark - Linebackers
- Hired, and maybe gets a promotion to defensive coordinator, was suggested as the interim coach mid-season to replace Fairchild, lost two top players and developed Shaq Barrett.

Tim Duffie - Secondary
- Hired, the communication in the secondary was poor at times this season. But it was often the best part of our terrible defense.

Anthoney Hill - Tight Ends
- Hired, if Gillmore would catch some balls and put out a little more effort, ..Wyoming before the half, Hill would be looking a whole lot better.

Todd Stroud - Defensive Line
- Hired, I think Stroud gets a shot to improve the defensive front's tackling skills. There's no question the guys have the motor to run around and make sacks but the discipline was lacking on assignments.

Daren Wilkinson - Quarterbacks
- Hired, coached a difficult and awkward position because of the heavy involvement of Fairchild. Is Pete Thomas coming back? Grayson should be our starter next year so he'll have to bring in at least one recruit.

COACH J-MAC EXCITEMENT

A first hand account: Today was an exciting day for CSU students, alumni, and faithful fans when Captain Jack Graham introduced our new head football coach up at the fort today. Anticipation was overwhelming. I had so much anxiety leading up to the press conference I couldnʼt contain myself. I quickly grabbed a Red Bull and some Doritos during my lunch break to hold me through the day. I had already become numb and skittish from the adrenaline I was feeling waiting on the word that coach Jim McElwain was indeed going to be leading our Rams to victory next year. It took me awhile to turn on the TV as my hands were shaking, and continually missing the power button on the remote. The press conference popped on, and I squealed when I saw the room packed< with others joining in on my excitement. Not a girly squeal or even a barnyard squeal. It was more of a squeal you hear when a redneck finds possum on the side of the road, and realizes that the meat is still fresh. I sat there and waited.....and waited.....and waited some more. What was taking so long? My lunch is only a half an hour. If CSU was trying to build up the suspense it was definitely working. Thoughts started running through my head. What if coach J-Mac left us at the alter. What if it isnʼt coach J-Mac, and due to budget restraints we had to settle for former Northern Colorado Bears coach Kay Dalton along with his broken hips? What a disgrace that would be. I grab another Red Bull and start tebowing in the break room. Tebow must have heard my prayers because within minutes Jack Graham is on the stage and was indeed introducing coach Jim McElwain. As coach walked up to the podium Brooklyn Decker wouldnʼt have brought me more joy. Realizing the time and the fact I need to get back to work I start to stall by grabbing another Red Bull. Coach J-Mac stated that his new gig is a long term commitment for him. If youʼre lying Jim keep doing it because Iʼm buying what youʼre selling. He wanted to thank Fairchild for his work. What class!!!! He mentioned Sonny Lubick. He knows what strings to pull. He watches HGTV. Thatʼs perfect since we are an agricultural school. I quickly composed myself and realized I had to get back to work, and even worse I had to pee from all the Red Bulls I just drank. I left the break room with unanswered questions. Who will he hire as coordinators? How much money do we have to hire coordinators? How well will he recruit? Will we make a bowl in his first year on the job? Is it a sign that his name is an Irish version of john Elwayʼs? These questions will be fun to see answered throughout 2012.

LIVE CHAT AND JIM McELWAIN PRESS COVERAGE

Catch LIVE starting at 11:30am TODAY! Introduction of Jim McElwain, "J Mac". New head coach of Colorado State University.

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ENTER JIM McELWAIN

Very nice hire captain Jack! We love it already! In case you haven't heard, Jim McElwain will be announced as Colorado State's new head coach tomorrow. Who wouldn't want someone who has coached for a national champion and a Heisman Trophy winner. After turning down offers from Memphis and Fresno State, "J-Mac" decided to come to Fort Collins! Hell yeah. Be sure to join us tomorrow for a live chat along with the live press conference coverage starting at 11:30am Mountain time. It will be over in our Live Game Chat room.

Jim McElwain – OC @ Alabama

Coaching Experience: QB/WR coach @ E. Washington ('87-'94); OC @ Montana State ('95-'99); WR/ST coach @ Louisville ('00-'02); Asst. HC @ Michigan State ('03-'05); QB Coach @ Oakland Raiders ('06); OC @ Fresno State ('07) & OC @ Alabama ('08 – present)

Reasons to like McElwain: Proven OC at top flight program. His offense is not flashy and rarely ranked amongst the top offenses in the country, but he puts points on the board. Since joining Alabama, they've compiled a 47-6 record. In McElwain's first year, his offense put up 422 points. In 2009 they reached 449 points, and in his third year they scored 464 points. Now, in his fourth year, the team to date has scored 432 points with one game left in the season.

THE FABULOUS FIVE?

If the Denver Post has reliable sources, Capt. "Black" Jack Graham is close to decision on hiring a head coach to right the ship in Fort Collins, a decision that could come as early as this week.

When asked about the characteristics factoring into his decision making, Graham responded "Someone who has been a head coach and has had a successful head coaching career is obviously somebody that we're going to be attracted to. And equally, someone who is an assistant coach in a very high-responsibility kind of role, who has had enough experience in that kind of a role that would give us the view, the belief and confidence that that guy could immediately step up and take on the responsibilities of the head coach — which is akin to being the chief executive officer of a business — would be somebody that we would consider as well."

So, with that said here are the names either known or thought to be interested in the head coaching vacancy.

Jim McElwain – OC @ Alabama

Coaching Experience: QB/WR coach @ E. Washington ('87-'94); OC @ Montana State ('95-'99); WR/ST coach @ Louisville ('00-'02); Asst. HC @ Michigan State ('03-'05); QB Coach @ Oakland Raiders ('06); OC @ Fresno State ('07) & OC @ Alabama ('08 – present)

Reasons to like McElwain: Proven OC at top flight program. His offense is not flashy and rarely ranked amongst the top offenses in the country, but he puts points on the board. Since joining Alabama, they've compiled a 47-6 record. In McElwain's first year, his offense put up 422 points. In 2009 they reached 449 points, and in his third year they scored 464 points. Now, in his fourth year, the team to date has scored 432 points with one game left in the season.

Reasons to fear McElwain: No head coaching experience. Has already turned down jobs at Memphis & Fresno State this season due to concerns over athletic department budgets. His offenses have always been slightly above average, but never ranked amongst the best nationally. Can he win without Saban?

Tony Alford - Notre Dame wide receivers coach

Coaching Experience: RB coach @ Mount Union ('95), Kent State ('96); Iowa State ('97-00); Univ. of Washington ('01), Iowa State ('02-06); Louisville ('07-08) & Notre Dame ('09 – present).

Reasons to like Alford: CSU alum ('92) and Colorado native. Proven recruiter in talent rich areas like California, Florida and Texas. Has coached seven 1,000 yd RB's in his career.

Reasons to fear Alford: No head coaching experience, after 17 years in the college ranks he's yet to progress past positional coaching responsibilities which could make running a program over-whelming. He's proven effective with coaching RB's which suggests he would be a "ground-n-pound" type coach and Graham has publicly stated his desire for a high-flying, fast-moving offense.

Billy Gonzales - LSU Passing Game Coordinator

Coaching Experience: WR Coach @ MacMurry ('94); Grad Asst. @ Kent State ('95-'00); WR Coach/Recruiting coordinator @ Bowling Green ('01-'02); WR/ST Coordinator @ Utah ('03-'04); WR/Recruiting Coordinator @ Florida ('05-'09); Passing Game Coordinator @ LSU ('10-present).

Reasons to like Gonzales: CSU Alum ('94), Colorado native. Has worked under coaches like Urban Meyer& Les Miles and has been part of two National Championships. Has experience recruiting in talent rich environments. Has worked closely with former Louisville HC, Steve Kragthorpe designing & implementing offensive schemes.

Reasons to fear Gonzales: No head coaching experience. Was passed over at both Florida & LSU for OC duties and publicly stated that he was not seeking the OC position at LSU. It was also rumored that Gonzales notified Meyer he was leaving Florida via a "post-it" note that accompanied his office keys & cell phone, which, if true may be an immaturity issue.

Gary Barnett – Analyst on Fox Sports

Coaching Experience: Compiled a 92–94–2 record as a head coach in stops at Fort Lewis, Northwestern and University of Colorado. Barnett took Northwestern to two bowl games during his tenure and lead CU to 4 Big 12 North Championships in 7 seasons.

Reasons to like Barnett: Though he has a sub .500 career record he has shown he knows how to win at under-funded programs (Northwestern) and in competitive conferences (CU). He is a proven recruiter and motivator.

Reasons to fear Barnett: Numerous infractions were reported at CU during Barnett's tenure, at least one of which was deemed a major infraction by the NCAA. Along with the entire Katie Hnida scandal, Barnett's baggage may be too much to handle. That along with Barnett's relatively conservative offensive philosophy makes him a long-shot to land the job.

Gary Crowton – OC @ Maryland

Coaching Experience: Compiled 47-36 record as head coach in stops at Louisiana Tech & BYU.

Reasons to like Crowton: Has a CSU connection having played QB, WR & DB at CSU in the '70s. Prides himself on an aggressive style of offense and has an NFL (albeit short) pedigree as an OC. Has head coaching experience and has spent the majority of his 29 year coaching career working in the college ranks. Prefers an athletic QB that can run the option or run the spread offense.

Reasons to fear Crowton: His last HC gig at BYU got off to a fast start, but then quickly fizzled out resulting in his dismissal after four seasons. He's either been unwilling or unable to land another HC job since.

Lastly, a name I've heard floated but not directly linked is Wisconsin OC Paul Chryst. Chryst could be the dark horse of the group.

Paul Chryst – OC @ Wisconsin

Coaching Experience: Grad. Asst @ West Virginia ('89-'90); Asst. Coach @ San Antonio Rough Riders ('91-'92); UW-Platteville ('93); Ottawa Rough Riders ('94); Illinois State ('95); Saskatchewan Roughriders ('96; Oregon State ('97-'98); San Diego Chargers ('99-'01); Wisconsin ('02); Oregon State ('03-'04); Wisconsin ('05-present).

Reasons to like Chryst: Built offense that ranked Top 10 nationally, building off the run. Believes the key to offense is a big, mobile "O" line. Has compiled 49-16 record during Chryst's tenure and have averaged 31.9 ppg and 409 ypg over the last 5 years.

Reasons to fear Chryst: No head coaching experience and collegiate coaching experience has been in the Big 10, so would Chyrst stay at Colorado State long-term if successful? Does he have experience on the recruiting trail?

THE ANNOUNCEMENT COULD COME AS EARLY AS  TODAY!

KEVIN DAVIS 2012 CSU RECRUIT

Height 6'2"   |   Weight 220   |   LB/TE   |   4.73 40-time

This kid is pretty exciting to watch. Looking at his film you can make the assumption that his instincts to snap anticipation is uncanny. Linebacker Davis gets off the ball so quickly and he knows exactly where to be at the right time. He's faster than he looks because again, like Jordan Vaden, is very long. He's got a strong upper buddy to drive the opponent into the ground. A couple of times he lines up as a tight end/ slot receiver to show off his soft hands. Most impressive is his ability to get to the ball and the ways he can bring down whoever has the ball. Davis will be a great addition to an already improving defense and to add his talent opposite of Mike Orakpo will only make the Rams defense that much more exciting to watch.

MAKING IT RAIN UP IN FOCO

 Not long ago Paul Kowalczyk was a fairly successful AD for CSU. We upgraded Hughes Stadium and a number of other sports facilities. He hired Tim Miles , blah blah blah. Good moves but he failed to find success with Steve Fairchild and it cost him his job. You just know he left his office, told his secretary to take a message and cruised over to Prez Frank’s office.  

“Hi Tony, I brought you a Starbucks. The Pumpkin Spice are the best, with whipped cream of course!”

“Thanks Paul. You’re fired. I also need to get your employee parking pass if that’s cool. By the way, I hate whipped cream on my double shot venti Pumpkin Spice fat free latte. ”

Jack Graham is the Martin Riggs and to Prez Frank’s Roger Murtagh. He’s a loose cannon, a crazy SOB, wild card, playa, a man who makes things happen. Graham is making it rain up in Fort Collins. We’re talking (seriously) about building a stadium on campus. Blow up Hughes and build the Graham Center. A retractable dome stadium with real grass, skyboxes, beer and press passes for those guys at Ramifications. Plop it in the middle of campus, bulldoze the library, I don’t even care. Traffic doesn’t exist in Jack Graham’s world. Maybe he’ll get all the students Hover boards and Segways for the alumni.

Let’s look at his accomplishments so far:

1. Fired Fairchild. It had to be done and quickly for recruiting season.
2. Paying PK and SF to take a hike and hired an Executive Search Firm to help with coaching search. That’s 1.5 million. Pennies to Graham.
3. Talking to credible coaches. Word on the street is that Alabama’s O coordinator Jim McElwain is in the mix, and Wisconsin O-coordinator Paul Chryst. SEC and Big-10 coaches, not the O-coordinator for the crappy St Louis Rams and Buffalo Bills.
4. Shot down Barnett. Sorry Gary, you are a Delta Bravo.

It’s time for CSU to start thinking bigger and outside the box. In the wake of all these conference realignments, we are going to be left in the dust (if we haven’t already) and we need an exec who believes CSU can do better. As we speak, Graham is probably kicking back in his private jet, lighting cigars with spare Benjamins, jetting off to court Lou Holtz or Jon Gruden for the job.

JORDON VADEN 2012 CSU RECRUIT

Height 6'2"   |   Weight 175   |   Wide Receiver   |   4.7 40-time

Through the midst of these chaotic two weeks of Colorado State news, it seems that recruiting is an un-phased variable and CSU manages to pick up new recruits. On December 5th CSU got a commit from wide receiver Jordon Vaden from Brighton, Colorado. After watching some of his highlight film, the kid has some pretty good hops. Not quite the speedster that I would like to see as targets for Grayson but maybe because he so lengthy, he looks slower than he is. He adjusts nicely to the ball and he's got some shifty moves to make defenders miss. Overall I think it's a pretty good pick up for a lack luster CSU receiving corp. He's got two sweet kickoff returns starting at about 1:30 in the film. He's all over the field making people look like jerk offs. Can't wait to see him in green and gold.

COLORADO STATE'S JACK GRAHAM STADIUM

Photo is to scale. That's really how big Hughes Stadium is.

When I did my daily peruse of the happenings in Fort Collins yesterday I fell face first onto the Jack Graham wants new 100 million dollar "ON CAMPUS" stadium. When I read the article I had a few thoughts go through my head after my first thought which was the relocation of Ramskeller to the fifty yard line. Just another note on that. I could see GPA's taking at least a one point hit if it happened.

Thought #2:

We should move Hughes Stadium, I know it's a big job but I know some Freshman engineering students that need a project for their capstone.

Thought #3:

We shouldn't move Hughes, because I want to blow up Hughes stadium with dynamite, freshman engineering students, you're up again.

Thought #4:

We should build it right on top of the Clark buildings and the Library, the Clark buildings are practically falling down anyway, the Library I can sacrifice to the cause.

Thought #5:

We should rip out the track put in a Coliseum with a track and football field and have it spill halfway out into College Ave further making the intersection of College and Prospect impossible to get through ... a side note on thought #5: If/when the stadium is built on College Ave and you see a little girl with a lemonade stand on the corner of College and Prospect, she only takes cash.

Thought #6:

We should plant the stadium right smack in the middle of the baseball, softball and practice fields. With an indoor football practice facility, no hope for baseball ever becoming a D1 sport, and softball being moved to a local rec field (sorry softball, no offense, at least you're not baseball who got completely chopped) it's perfectly feasible.

Thought #7:

Where's everybody going to park? Wish I had an answer for that. Off to Ramskeller for some problem solving.

And my final thought:

Move the stadium by I-25, where there is enough room to build that retractable roof, pull fans from all points of direction and truly spread Ram pride all across the front range.


-------OTHER IDEAS FROM RAM FANS-------

Posted by LONGHORNRAMS

 

Posted by DefendTheFort from RamNation

Love that! Keep it up Ram fans

MORE BCS MADNESS - BSU SDSU

San Diego State and Boise State to the Big East? Seriously? Makes about as much sense as a deep fried snickers from the Renaissance Festival, which are delicious by the way. Highly recommend. What I don’t recommend is the dismantling of our conference. All the Mountain West is now is a landing pad for up and coming school’s football programs only to take a dump on the MW as they’re leaping into the next big pond of dirty BCS money. Yeah, I may be sounding like a little bit of a homer because Colorado State hasn’t done any shuffling themselves and really don’t have the program to do so but doesn’t it still piss you off a little? Seriously, the BCS is totally ruining college football as we know it. You have Ok State whining about not having a plus one system because they got shoved aside to have a SEC national championship. The funny thing is weeks before the Cowboy’s coach votes against a plus one system. Moron.

You got Boise State not making a BCS bowl in being #7 in the nation only to play in the craptastic Las Vegas Bowl? It’s all jacked!

Then you got some whiny punter from Ohio saying he doesn’t want to play in a bowl in Idaho because it’s too cold. Pussy.

The thing is that these schools can do whatever they want to but it’s clearly evident that there is only a hand full of people influencing the entire landscape off college football and it blows. These guys for the BCS make hundreds of thousands of dollars for only doing a few months of work, where do I sign up for that? Ramifications Bowl

I sure hope San Diego State and Boise have been saving their pennies because the cost to fly to UConn and Rutgers a year is a crap ton. Better be making some hundoes.

Thanks BCS for ruining college football.

JOHN WRISTEN - GOOD ENOUGH FOR CSU FORT COLLINS?

Yes, you should be stunned to learn that CSU-Pueblo has a football program and even more surprised to learn they were pretty good. Good as in a #1 ranking in Division II.

More surprising than the #1 ranking was the fact that they've done it in just four years. In 2007, Wristen accepted the job as head coach and the Thunderwolves (don't ask) didn't have real facilities, real leadership or most importantly any real players on the roster. Wristen has recruited every single player currently on their roster.

Under Wristen's watch, the T-Wolves wesnt 4-6 in season one; to 7-4 in 2009; 9-2 in 2010 and this year they finished 11-1 and were ranked #1 in the DII National Rankings for a brief period of time. His offensive style appears to be a 50/50 split with his '11 team averaging 33 pts per game; 181 ppg, 187 rushing per game; but a strong D appears to be the ear-mark of his teams. The '11 squad only gave up 124 points for the season, or an average of 10.3 per game, including 3 shut-outs and 6 games where they held the opposition to 10 or less points.

His resume is filled with the things you would like to see in a head coach, 17 years of DI coaching experience at University of Colorado; Northwestern and UCLA. At UCLA he coached special teams & tight ends; at CU he was recruiting coordinator in addition to his special teams duties, and while there CU did win four Big 12 North Titles and the '01 Big 12 title. He was also responsible for bring the West Coast Offense into Boulder. At while at Northwestern, the Wildcats won back-to-back Big 10 championships in '95 and '96. Much like the Tebow phenomenon it stops being pure coincidence at some point and winning becomes winning.

I don't have a clue who Jack Graham is or what he stands for, but I do know that CSU needs someone fully invested in the program and with all due respect to CSU-Pueblo; I personally would think the challenge in Ft. Collins, the DI program and of course the pay-check that would come along with it makes for an appetizing challenge for someone like Wristen. Yes, I fully understand that DII is not nearly as competitive as DI; but recruiting is recruiting and more importantly coaching "up" those recruits is something Fairchild appeared incapable of doing and ultimately cost him his job. I believe the next head coach at Colorado State should have head coaching and recruiting experience on his resume.

Yes, the names Billy Gonzales and Tony Alford will be tossed around and its great that former CSU players want to come "home" and fix things, but at the same time you have to ask the question "do we want another coordinator trying to fix things"?

Could the man capable of leading a massive turnaround at Colorado State be just around the corner (or in this case 180 miles south on I-25) and will Graham make the call?

FAIRCHILD FINISHED

At around 3:30 today we caught wind of the closed door press conference of the firing of Steve Fairchild. We all knew it was coming, besides a lonely few of us. Now the search is on for a new hire. Personally, I really think Graham already has a name and offer on the table for the next in line a head coach of Colorado State. The odd thing is that another buy out of a large contract has taken place by private donors and the big question is, where is all this money coming from? Is it Graham's buddies making a push in a new business venture? Is it Pat Stryker steering the wheel of this out of control go cart? Is it headed straight into another CSU homer influenced wall of failure?

Don't think so.

I think Graham has a grand plan that hasn't yet come out but if he's got the monies to back, I'm all for it. If it's gonna bring some major revenue, out standing recruits and possibly a retractable roof (just dreaming) I'm all about that.

Couple things on a new stadium.
Things that I have heard in the past is that the University is working on buying up the neighborhood directly north of campus. Specifically between Laurel and Mulberry. Making room for an on campus stadium? One option I guess. More student housing. Probably the right call. If there's going to be a new stadium, move to I-25 to pull more fans. Moving in the middle of Fort Collins would be a nightmare for people getting in and out of town.

Another thing is the rumor about bringing in Gary Barnett. HUGE MISTAKE. First, I don't like that guy. Second, who wants to deal with all his college football issues. Third, he coach at CU. Not a good choice. We need new blood to build a new standard.

WYOMING KEEPS THE BOOT

Congratulations to Wyoming for keeping the boot, now get the hell out of our state. Congratulations to our seniors on senior day. We bid you fair well and good luck in the future. A hard fought game only to fall short again and a disappointing outcome to an even more dismal season. I'm gonna sound like a broken record, a broken record, a broken record, a broke... because I saw the same mistakes today that have been plaguing this Ram club all season long. I'm not trying to take any of the celebration out of senior day from this loss because I saw things I haven't seen all year from our veterans.

Raymond Carter - as much as we give you crap on this blog, you had a hell of a game with a 158 rushing yards and 2 touchdowns. You were running all over fools! Way to go out with a bang and good luck.

To our man Sisson - 2 solo tackles, 5 assists, and an interception. Not a bad day for the tough year you've had.

Borcky - Well, way to contribute with a catch for 9 yards. Participation observed! Beauty job.


I actually felt bad for the ROTC that had to run the boot down from Wyoming only to bring it back up there on a warm, heated bus. Poor souls.

Grayson looked great again. Scrambles like BVP with a sling shot for an arm. He still needs to work on his decision making because that safety he took from 20 yards out was disgusting.

Overall, the Rams played a physical contest but penalties, lack of effort (cough Gillmore should have put a little more effort in the endzone), clock management, and personnel issues still have put a dent in the hopes for a Ram win. You would think they would have some of these issues cleaned up in the last game of the year. Nope. We should have won that game but couldn't we say that for every game we lost this year. I mean, just think if we could have scored in the first quarter of that Boise State game. A season turner for sure.

Now comes the million dollar question! You know it's coming... Is the clock ticking on Fairchild? I know some of you will answer it's been ticking since UNLV, or even San Jose State. 0-18 in the last 6 games for the past three years. what an awful statistic. We will have to see in the next few days or even in the next week.

Some thoughts still running through our heads:
What is it that Graham is willing/able to do that Kowalczyk wasn’t?

Assuming Fairchild gets canned, what happens to prized recruit Pete Thomas? Does he beat out Grayson next year or transfer?

Kowalczyk states that he was blindsided by his dismissal, but his allegiance to Fairchild might have been his undoing. For that reason, I don’t see how Fairchild can keep his job.

It’s not like Graham is going to fire the tennis coach or something.

Think we can get some of those Nike Combat uni’s? Russell is so lame and 18 yr olds love looking good.

How sweet would it be to bulldoze Hughes and have a stadium on campus? Two words: Retractable dome.

YOU DON'T KNOW JACK

Newly hired AD Jack Graham and Fairchild are carpooling to the Wyoming border today for the Bronze Boot ceremony. Can you say AWKWARD? So many questions here. Who drives? I say Jack does, because if I were firing someone, I’d want control of the steering wheel. Does anyone bring bagels or coffee? Do they stop on the way? If I were Fairchild, I'd make a mix tape. I can see the wind whipping through their hair as Survivor’s “Eye of the Tiger,” and The Cranberries “Linger” blast out of the speakers. I can also see Graham tossing Steve’s CD out the window and telling him he needs to find his own ride back to the Fort. Maybe Fairchild and Graham just put the radio on, but hopefully manage to avoid the local sports stations. 

Steve Fairchild has had 3 solid years of recruiting and 4 years at the helm of the CSU football program.  In that time period CSU went to the lowly New Mexico Bowl (and won a crappy milk jug) finishing at 7-6 in his first year and followed that up with consecutive 3 win seasons in 2009 and 2010.  In 2011 the Rams currently have the 98th most difficult strength of schedule and have only managed a meager 3 wins.  It's a huge disappointment for what was touted as a breakthrough year for Fairchild and the Rams. 

A variety of issues have hurt the Rams this year.  Injuries have been particularly bad this year with several starters going down early.  Returning Sophomore QB Pete Thomas played terribly for much of the season throwing rainbows on any ball beyond 5 yards and has now been replaced by the former redshirt, Garret Grayson.  While the toe tapping Grayson has provided a big boost on offense with the Rams finally able to move the ball through the air it's not nearly enough to overcome our issues on defense.  If the Rams cheerleading squad was parading through the defensive front I'm pretty sure they couldn't stop them or even to grab a phone number.  Our rush defense currently ranks 116th in the nation.

I'm looking past the player issues and placing the blame squarely on the coaching staff.  Our play calling this year has been highly suspect with another beautiful call last week on 3 and 16 when we ran a draw play.  Opportunities to take points from field goals have been bypassed in the 1st quarter of some games which goes against coaching logic.  And the bubble screens, OMG, the bubble screens.  I really don't think the coaching staff understands the concept of when or how to use the screen effectively.  It isn't the execution, it's the fact that all teams watch game tape and they know we call screens all the time.  The over/under for screen calls in the Wyoming game is 5.  And every time a screen is called you have to take a shot.  Raymond Carter continued to get carries midway through the season even though Nwoke was obviously the stronger runner.  Ramifications pointed that out in week one.  It took Fairchild half of the season to figure it out.  Grayson only got a shot when Thomas went down with injury, despite his awful play.  But the back story was the redshirt and MJ McPeek, who never got a shot even though he was listed as the number two quarterback.  It was a bizarre decision only because of Fairchild's statements all year about refusing to play Grayson because of the redshirt.  He quickly changed his tune.  How about the penalty fest at TCU?  I thought it was a Steelers game with terrible towels for a while.  Poor discipline equals poor coaching.

Will Graham fire Fairchild or is he willing to risk staying with Fairchild for the last year of his contract? That is the question. Come Saturday night, Graham has a $750,000 decision to make. 

PK TKO (Paul Kowalczyk done)

So it’s 11am and across my Twitter comes news of a “major announcement” from the CSU athletic dept. Cleary AD Paul Kowalczyk had ask Coach Fairchild the dreaded “Can you step into my office please?...” Instead we received the confusing news that PK himself had been canned and that former CSU QB Jack Graham will take over as Athletic Director and ultimately determine the fate of Fairchild.

What caused the rift between PK and CSU?

It seems that this has been in the works for months and to do it now only helps the prospects of new athletes coming to CSU (quality tbd). If I were to guess Jack has got some deep pockets and connections that will help hire a new and well qualified coach to captain this struggling football program. In fact, I guarantee he already has someone in mind to take Fairchild's place only because the timing of this whole thing. Overall we believe it's the right move. Well calculated. Let's bring this program back! And oh yeah, who's Jack?

What do you think? Will Graham possibly extend Fairchild's contract?