After a disappointing 4-8 season that shattered their playoff aspirations, the Colorado Buffaloes are making a strong comeback. They are focusing on the transfer portal to strengthen offense and defense, generating enthusiasm among fans for the upcoming season that holds much promise.
However, the dream of a playoff berth after jumping from a 1-11 record to 4-8 seems daring. Sports journalist Bruce Feldman, known for his insights at ‘The Athletic’, is injecting a dose of reality into Coach Prime’s ambitions. Feldman questions the immediacy of a playoff appearance, highlighting the Buffaloes’ journey from setbacks to triumph. As they navigate this path, the team’s quest for success in the forthcoming season is under intense scrutiny.
Bruce Feldman hits Colorado and Coch Prime with a reality check
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In a recent segment on “The Rich Eisen Show”, Feldman delved into the remarkable success of Colorado’s transfer portal endeavors under Coach Deion Sanders. However, he outlined the pressing challenges that Coach Prime faces in elevating the Buffaloes’ on-field performance, particularly in the trenches on both offense and defense.
Feldman specifically praised Sanders for solidifying the offensive line. However, he underscored the need for continued improvement.”Right now they still have six [linemen], and they need it. They’ve lost a couple of guys on the other end of the quarter, like the starting center is going somewhere else, and they need to hit that really hard,” Feldman explained.
Getting six OL players does not guarantee a bowl game, said Feldman
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Acknowledging the Buffaloes’ struggles in the trenches from the previous season, Feldman stressed the importance of development and cohesion among the offensive linemen, emphasizing the critical role of Phil Loadholt, the former offensive lineman from Oklahoma who now serves as the offensive line coach. He outlined the significant challenges of transitioning from a weak offensive line to a formidable one, emphasizing the need for steady progress.
“The challenge is to get from awful on the offensive line, you have to go to some point to get to mediocre, and at least then you go to decent. Can they get to there?” Feldman questioned. Feldman also addressed the broader context of the Buffaloes’ performance, noting, “…you beat Nebraska team, that’s not very good. You beat Colorado State which was obviously not very good. They had a couple of other games they should have won.[Like,] Stanford you know. There’s a few others where they probably could have got bowl-eligible. But you know, from talking to a lot of coaches, it’s like, they know this is what they need to do. But they need to keep going. It’s not just, ‘Hey, we got five guys who played somewhere, it’ll be better.’”
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The Buffalo team is facing a substantial challenge ahead and Coach Deion Sanders and the Colorado Buffaloes have a demanding journey ahead of them, according to Feldman’s insights. Their objective is to strengthen the offensive line and propel the team toward greater success in the upcoming seasons.
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