Colorado State University Athletics
Fairchild answers questions from fans
12/18/2010 12:00:00 AM | Football
Dec. 18, 2010
Everyone, I hope you’re enjoying a safe and special holiday season with your family and friends.
Let me start by saying I want to be truthful with you. I know you’re disappointed, just like I am, at how we finished this past season. I graduated from CSU, like many of you, and I played here just like hundreds of other former Rams. I’m answering your questions because I want to talk to the Ram community on a personal level. I don’t have immunity when it comes to public criticism.
We’ve made great strides as a program since I arrived, but that progress needs to start to show consistently on the field on game days. I believe it will in 2011. We have had two very good recruiting classes and anticipate another outstanding class this February. There is a commitment from our administration, Dr. Tony Frank and our AD Paul Kowalczyk, to resource and facilitate our program in a manner that gives us a chance to succeed.
I’ve been out recruiting, several cross-country flights (both east-west and north-south), so I didn’t have a chance to answer your questions as quickly as I would’ve liked. I wanted to take my time and be sure I answered the vast majority of them. A few of them were redundant, and a few came in too late last Friday, so I wasn’t able to get to those, but I answered all but five I believe. So, let’s get started.
Steve, I know being so young as a team you weren’t expecting to go out and be in a BCS game, but I’m guessing you didn’t expect to lose the way we did either. A lot of my friends are saying that you should be firing coaches right now, but I see the bigger picture, that you’ve got to give a staff enough time to have your own players, those guys you recruited, make an impact, and then judge after that. But at what point is that? Is it next year that we should be expecting results?
--Dave; Columbia, S.C.
Dave, our fans should expect tangible results next season. I knew when I took the job that 2010 might be a difficult year. But I am accountable and I expect us to be in a bowl next season. I will not allow anyone in this program to expect anything less.
What changes are you going to make to change the defense from being so porous in 2011?
-- Ronald Arndt, Wheat Ridge
Ronald, we will make changes defensively. We will look at changes in our scheme to better fit returning players, both in our 4-3 package and our 3-4 package. I am going to move our players and our staff around to give us the best chance to be successful.
Defense to me is EFFORT, TACKLING and TECHNIQUE. We have to revisit how we practice to promote improvement in these areas.
Third-down defense MUST improve. As our defensive-line pressure gets better, our ability to stop teams on third down should also improve. We need to match up better to opponent receivers and routes in these third-down situations.
Coach Fairchild, from what I could tell often times you were thrown out of sync in the play-calling as the team could not establish a consistent running game, which I am well aware of is vital to your pro-style offense. For one, it may have helped in the third-down conversion rate. How will you address this issue with the offensive line and the backs? And, in your most recent press conference you stated that during the last two games the players were an under-confident bunch; you don't think they were giving up but just under-confident. What can you do to get the team to expect to win, rather than hope to win? GO RAMS!!!!
--Spencer Strong; Gretna, Neb.
Spencer, first of all, you are correct. Running the football has been, and always will be, paramount to our success. Our offensive line has a chance to be outstanding next season. We return four starters, including Freshman All-American Weston Richburg and all-conference player Paul Madsen, and have a great group coming up behind them.
Pete Thomas will help reduce the sacks. He will become more familiar with our offensive system and our receiver timing will improve.
As far as our confidence, I need to prepare our players to be the best football team they can be. Each year our team is different. Our talent level on our roster is increasing each year. Our leadership will continue to improve. Good days lie ahead for our program.
There is so much competition for good players more than ever. What is the No. 1 draw at CSU that can bring talent to the football team?
--Toby Cromwell; Brush, Colo.
There are a lot of things that draw prospective student-athletes to CSU, Toby. We have a great campus, in the state of Colorado, in a wonderful community. Our academic reputation is outstanding. We have been a top 20 program as recently as 2002, and we were ranked several times when I was here coaching before in the 1990s, so it can be done here. There also is a commitment to athletic success here at CSU, starting at the Board of Governors and presidential level. We have great new facilities open and in use.
But most of all, it’s the people. It’s the faculty and students, and for a football player and his family, I believe the best we have to offer as a football program is the coaching staff. That’s the No. 1 reason most of our players chose to come here.
With the recent hire of Jon Embree at CU, what are your thoughts on both schools being headed by former alumni?
--Addison, Denver
Addison, I’ve met Jon but I don’t know him well. CU is in a little bit of a different situation than we’re in, so I don’t want to comment too much on their program. If you compare the staffs, there are a lot of similarities with former players; I think we have just as many as they do on our staff. Former players have a passion for their program, and that’s one of the reasons I have so many on our staff. I know without even the slightest hint of a doubt that Colorado State has a vivid future. Our people care too much.
Coach, do you think it is just a coincidence or something greater to the decrease in winning percentage since CSU stopped playing games televised by ESPN? Do you prefer a 12 p.m. kickoff on a Saturday to a night game? Would you be willing to sacrifice the ability to play on Saturday afternoon for a Thursday night ESPN game?
--John, Denver
Coincidence. TCU and Utah proved that you can win and win big without playing on ESPN. Don’t get me wrong; playing on ESPN is great exposure, but not playing on ESPN is no excuse. Eleven of our 12 games were on TV last year, and 10 were available on DirecTV everywhere in the country, so we still get great exposure for our fans and families of our players.
As far as kickoff times, makes no difference. I like playing the game at noon, because we can get up, have our pregame meal, and go play, rather than wait around the hotel all day. I know our fans in Denver don’t enjoy those early kickoff times, but they have to realize it’s out of our control. The conference sets the start times.
I enjoyed playing those games in the 90s on ESPN, when we had shootouts with Air Force and BYU. We’ll play on Thursdays if the conference schedules us in those slots. Regardless of kickoff time, we have to win and win consistently.
Coach, do you look at the conference realignment as a threat to the CSU football program or an opportunity to re-establish the Rams as a perennial favorite to win the conference? Also, when I think back to the years when CSU was winning conference championships, I think about how strong special teams was. It seemed like once every week or two, Dallas Davis or Pete Rebstock returned a kick/punt for a touchdown. What is keeping this team from playing like CSU teams of the past on special teams?
--John, Denver
I’ll answer the special-teams question first, John. We were really close to breaking a couple punts and several kickoffs for touchdowns. We actually had our best kickoff-return average as a team since 2001, so I was pleased for the most part there.
As far as conference realignment, I know why they’re leaving, for money. I hate that it means the disintegration of heritage and rivalries, which ultimately hurts the fans. I definitely don’t see it as a threat, and yes we do look at it as an opportunity to retake the top spot in our conference, a place we’ve been before. But I also know everybody else sees the same opportunity we do. No one is going to give it to us. We have to go take it.
Our offensive passing game seemed to heavily consist of about three typical routes, including various screen passes and medium digs/outs. Will a more experienced Pete Thomas allow for some creativity in our passing attack? And is wide receiver depth/experience an issue?
--Chas, Arvada
Chas, our playbook will expand as Pete Thomas and our receivers gain experience. We NEED to create more explosive plays in our passing game. Depth/experience at wide receiver needs to continue to improve.
What needs to happen differently to ensure CSU plays with passion and pride and embarrassing efforts like the Rams displayed against BYU and Wyoming never happen again, especially to a rival with a trophy on the line?
--Pat, Omaha
Pat, there is no excuse for our play against BYU and Wyoming. I am accountable, our staff is accountable and our players are accountable. We will train this offseason harder than ever. I am confident we will represent you, our other fans and our university in a much better manner than what we showed in those last two games.
Our rushing attack was rather bi-polar. Was quality of opponent the primary reason for the success or struggles of the running game this season?
--Geoff, Fort Collins
We weren’t as consistent as we needed to be, that’s for sure. I saw our running game improve for a good stretch as the year progressed. We need to finish runs, stamp a big exclamation point at the end of every carry. We did that at times this year, and when we did it, our run game was productive. Our players know that our offensive identity is a power running team. That’s what we were in 2008 with Gartrell, and what we showed flashes of being the last two years. Everyone, from the quarterback to the receivers, knows that we need to establish a running game to be successful on offense. It’s tough to do when you get behind.
I’m excited about the future of our offensive line. We have four returning starters and a lot of depth there. Weston Richburg is a first-team Freshman All-American. He’s nasty down there in the trenches. Paul Madsen is a returning all-conference player. This O-line has a chance to be very, very good.
Hi Coach, thanks for taking the time out to do this. Do you think the problems the program has had over the last two years are a lack of talent, an inability of the coaches to reach the players, poor game-planning, or a combination of these factors? If it's a combination, what are you going to change to improve game-planning and gameday execution?
--Nate Robertson; Arlington, Va.
Nate, this is a process we had to go through, and I saw it coming. I knew we were going to struggle in Year 3, although I certainly didn’t expect us to struggle at the end of the year like that. We have talent, but we can’t rest. We have to keep recruiting, and we are, as hard as ever. Our biggest problem was confidence. As our talent level increases, I expect our confidence will improve. We’re all accountable, coaches especially, for our record.
This offseason, we’re making several changes related to scheme, training procedures, personnel and staff. Any success we have this year will start with how we work in January and February. Beginning in spring ball, we’re going to change our practice times, in an effort to improve that gameday execution. It’s a big change, going early in the morning, rather than in the afternoons. The players will go to school in the afternoons starting this next semester, when we practice Tuesday-Thursday mornings in the spring
Do you really think Larry Kerr is the right coach for defense? I didn't think he did a good job under Lubick either.
--Clarence E. Risheill Jr.; Castle Rock
Clarence, every coach is accountable for how we played these last two years, including me. I constantly evaluate our program, every aspect, even more after the season. Yes, I do think he’s the best coach for our defense right now. That doesn’t mean I’m satisfied at all with how we performed. We were last in the country in third-down defense. That was the root of many of our issues. I have some ideas I want to implement to improve our defense. I know we’re not getting the kind of consistent pressure on the QB we want to get and we’re not getting as many turnovers as we need. This is a fine staff. Obviously, our record hasn’t shown favorable results, but the primary reason we’ve been able to recruit classes like the last two years, and this one coming up, is these coaches. I’m not going to make knee-jerk reactions. This staff needs another year to get us in a bowl game, another year with the players we’ve recruited. We’ll continue to evaluate after every year, as we always do.
CU recently hired Eric Bieniemy as OC with a five-year contract. Does this precedence mean that CSU can start negotiating longer-term contracts for our assistant coaches...a problem that has been cited previously as hindering CSU's ability to hire replacement coaches. If not, why not? Thanks and go RAMS!
--Keith Watkins, Woodland Park
Keith, first of all, the State of Colorado allows public universities, like CSU and CU, to offer contracts only to six individuals, as I understand it, and it’s up to the school to decide which people receive those contracts. And that’s across the entire campus, not just the athletic department. At CSU, those six currently go to our President Tony Frank, our Athletic Director Paul Kowalczyk, and the head coaches for our four revenue sports. No one else has a contract on the campus to my knowledge. CU is in the same boat. Someone must’ve given up a contract at CU to allow Eric to have one, whoever that was.
As far as hindering our ability to get good coaches, I don’t know where that came from but it sounds like an excuse that I don’t buy. Our administration, including our President Tony Frank, our Board of Governors and our AD Paul Kowalczyk, have stepped up to allow me to go out and get a fine coaching staff. Continuity is critical to a football program from recruiting to game-planning, and we have it. Obviously, you haven’t seen the results on the field just yet, but we’re working even harder now to get this thing where you want it, where I want it, where everyone wants it, winning and winning consistently.
Coach, how do you feel about all the conference expansion and AQ status for the MWC? Would you like to see the MWC get to 12 teams and add a championship game? And, with the addition of Boise State, Nevada, and Fresno State, do you see the "pro-style" offense as a relic of the past? Do you feel any pressure to "open it up" a bit more?
--Rob M., Fort Collins
Rob, had Utah, BYU and TCU stayed, with the addition of Boise State, we would’ve been one of the premier football conferences in the country, hands down. And really, if you look at the rankings right now, you do the math, BYU isn’t receiving votes in the polls. All four of those future MWC schools are at least getting votes in the polls. So, we’re gaining four of those teams and losing two. Three of those future teams, including Hawaii, are ranked right now.
As far as getting to 12 schools and adding a championship game, to be honest, I haven’t given it much thought. We’re focusing on what we need to do to get our program back to where people like you want to see it.
Regarding the pro-style offense, players like Pete Thomas come to CSU because they want to play in the NFL. No other offense better prepares them for that than what we offer. What we need is more explosiveness. If you look at what San Diego State did this year, they were among the top offenses in the country, and they led our league in passing. They did it with a similar offense. They do everything they can to be balanced, like we do, and they want you to pick your poison. We need to get there, obviously. We need to get more explosive, but really, we’re the same scheme. Florida is an example of a school going back to the pro-style offense. CU is doing it, and I think you’ll see more teams consider doing it, too.
Coach, thanks for taking the time to answer questions. My question is pretty simple. You seemed to be out-toughed in most games this year. To me it looked like you lost the battle on the line of scrimmage, but also missed many tackles or allowed backs and receivers to have a lot of yards after contact. Running backs did not finish plays. Receivers did not block well on the edge or down field. Because of losing all these one-on-one battles it never looked like the defense could swarm to the ball and the offense did not look like it played as a cohesive unit. You seem to be getting good athletes in recruiting but when CSU was successful it seemed like you guys were a blue-collar, tough, physical team. Those teams were not pushed around. How do you get back to being tough?
--Gunnar Johnson, Thornton
Gunnar, you are correct in that toughness, competitiveness and will is what determines the outcome of games. Talent level and coaching also are a part of the equation. I thought we were tough in 2010, but we were a very inconsistent team and at times, we were an under-confident team. We will continue to train and practice as hard as any of our opponents, and as our talent and depth improve, I believe our performance will improve, too.
In college football, head coaches must make tough decisions each and every offseason to improve their football team and their staff. What tough decisions are you making this offseason to improve your football team and your staff? What are your thoughts on playing an easy non-conference schedule like we have next year as compared to a schedule with FBS teams from major conferences? In the offseason you preached about "accountability,” and after two 3-9 seasons, who is accountable? The players? The coaches? What changes need to be made?
--Zane; Onekama, Mich.
Zane, I am accountable for our football team’s performance. I stood up in my press conference after each of those losses, and took the blame for our team. I took the time to answer all these questions from our fans. At the end of the day, accountability stops at my desk and I know that. I’m accountable after every season, always.
We will make changes in any area where we think it will help us. We’re altering our scheme, technique, personnel and staff. You’ll see a lot of those changes when we line up again in the fall.
Regarding our schedule, we’ll play anyone in the country, Florida, Notre Dame, anyone, but it has to be home-and-home. Paul Kowalczyk and I don’t think it’s fair to our fans or to our program to settle for a 2-for-1, or a one-game contract on the road. Scheduling is a complicated process. It’s done years in advance. And there’s no such thing as scheduling a win. Ask Virginia Tech, who’s in a bowl this year after losing to James Madison. Seven of the teams we played this past year are in bowls. Then you look at all the new teams coming into the conference, Boise, Nevada, Fresno State and Hawaii – they’re all in bowls, too (three are ranked right now). Boise and TCU are on our schedule next year, two Top 5 programs, and we just added UTEP, who also will be coming off a bowl. Plus, we always play CU, a team from an AQ conference. There’s no such thing as an easy schedule.
Why are there no coaching changes? Oklahoma State’s head coach decided to relieve himself of offensive coordinator duties and it has greatly helped out the team. Something similar would help out on our offense. Defensively, how does our defense finish in the bottom-to-last in many categories statistically, but still there is no changes to that pathetic defense? Thanks!
--Matt; Fort Collins, Colo.
Matt, you and I can compare our program to others all over the country. I do that constantly; that’s why we’re implementing a lot of our changes on defense, because I see a lot of what is working across the country and we haven’t been doing it. You could compare our situation to Maryland. They went 2-10 last year and you can bet Ralph Friedgen felt the same pressure I’m feeling now to make coaching changes, one year ago. But he believed in his plan and now they’re 8-4 and he’s the ACC Coach of the Year. If you’re a leader, you recognize the need to make change and you do it for the right reasons. You also recognize what you believe in your heart.
Let’s be honest, the play-calling has been very suspect in the three years you have been here. It is very difficult for head coaches to both concentrate on the head-coaching duties while essentially being the offensive coordinator. There is a reason that coordinators sit in the box; they see things up there that you cannot see on the field. Do you think it’s time that we let Pat Meyer become a real offensive coordinator and have him call the plays?
--David, Fort Collins
David, play-calling is very subjective. There have been and continue to be head coaches that call plays on either side of the ball. I have a long-range plan to transition the play-calling to our offensive staff over the course of a few years. The problem we hit was we had to make a coaching change on our offensive staff in that second year, and that set us back.
The bottom line is, whether it’s starting a fifth-year senior at quarterback or play-calling, I will always make decisions that give us our best chance to win and win consistently. You deserve that. Our players that work so hard in the offseason and at practice deserve that.
As head coach, was it apparent to you that the team seemed to lack intensity and motivation this year?
--Mark Reynolds; Yorktown, Va.
What we lacked, Mark, was consistency and confidence. We are improving our talent level and as we gain experience, our team will improve.
Coach, earlier this year, heading into conference play, you said this team "has the talent to win the MWC.” Did you truly believe that or was that just motivational coach-speak? If you believed it, what the heck happened? Did the players prove you wrong? Also, Coach Kerr apparently doesn't agree with your assessment of the talent, as he said nobody on the CSU defense would start for Utah (in postgame comments after that game). I don't mean for this to be a rude question, but am curious to get your thoughts.
--David, Loveland
David, I think you’re taking those things out of context. Do we have the talent to win the MWC? Yeah, eventually. But you have to understand that we played 23 freshmen in 2010, and across the country only six other schools played more. Talent and results are two different things. Our most talented players are inexperienced. I know it’s a results business. We’re on the right path. If I didn’t believe we could eventually win the conference, I wouldn’t be here.
Can you give your pitch as to why CSU fans should stick with this program right now? There was a lot of momentum after Year 1, and even though Year 2 was disappointing, the team fought tough in most games and lost in close fashion. This year though, it was a complete plummeting and speaking for myself, I've been sapped of all optimism for the future. I will come back around by next football season, but can you tell me why a CSU fan should buy football tickets coming off this last season?
--Jesse, Denver
Jesse, I know you want us to win now, and so do I. It’s very hard to be patient, I know. And if you care about this place passionately like I do, you were absolutely sick at how we played those last two games. Now we have to live with that taste in our mouths for nine months until we play again. I played for this team. I played against BYU and Wyoming. I went to school here like most of our fans. I met my wife here. This community, this university, those alumni, they deserve a winning program. No one wants to win more than I do.
We need your support now more than ever. We are not going to reach those goals without the support of our community and our campus. We need our foundation solidified by people like you.
What is being done to recruit some dominant linemen? Personally I don't see much of any opportunity for improvement until we make significant progress in this area. Also, do you ever try and recruit H.S. players from the Hampton and Virginia Beach schools?
--Mark Reynolds; Yorktown, Va.
Mark, I can’t comment too much on recruiting, because the NCAA limits what I can say. We were able to sign a high-energy defensive lineman in Colton Paulhus the other day. One of the strengths of our team heading into this next season is our offensive and defensive lines.
I recall you saying in an interview earlier this year something to the effect of CSU would never out-scheme its opponents, but rather beat them by lining up and out-performing/out-physicalling them. I see teams out-scheme other teams all the time and beat them. Boise State comes to mind. Granted, often, like Boise State, those teams also have great talent and that helps, but my point is, out-perform, out-physical, AND out-scheme them all at the same time.
--Christian, Colorado Springs
Christian, you always need to plan on winning by being more physical, more technique-sound and more consistent.
Coach...I think most people would agree, it's not the record that was most upsetting this year, but rather the way we lost most of our games. In eight of our nine losses, we were blown out and uncompetitive. What do you attribute that to, and how do you change it?
--Joel, Denver
Joel, I could come up with a host of reasons, but I don’t want to sound like I’m making excuses. I put a lot of thought into it right after the season. I think there are three things that need to happen for us to win consistently. We have to have ability. We’re close there, and we won’t rest in recruiting. Secondly, we’ve got to work hard. My staff and I have to ensure that will happen. And, finally, and this is the most elusive, it’s how important is it to everybody? How can we be less about ourselves and more about our team? How committed are we?
Every team is different. There are teams out there right now that have several all-conference guys coming back and they’ll struggle next year because they don’t have that third thing. Because you can be a hell of a football player from an ability and work-ethic standpoint, but it won’t matter if you don’t have that third thing. If you don’t expect it to happen, it will not happen.
But If you’ve got some good football players that work like crazy and that third thing’s in place, you’re going to have a good team. That’s where we want to be.
Two questions: With the change to the new D scheme, wouldn't it be beneficial to bring in a new defensive coordinator, especially since it appears ours hasn't gotten the job done? Also, is there a plan for the head coach to relinquish play-calling duties, and let a coordinator handle that? And if so, would that be a new hire with new ideas? Thank you.
--Matt Hall; Loveland, Colo.
You’re right, Matt. We haven’t gotten the job done on defense. I’ve been meeting with each of our players the last couple weekends, and outlining what I expect from them, on the field and off. Some of those conversations are with regard to position changes.
I answered the play-calling question earlier. Yes, when the time is right, I will delegate that responsibility, but it will only be at a time when I feel it gives us the best chance to win.
Who are some of the players who will be redshirt freshmen in 2011 that you are expecting to be major contributors next season, both offense and defense? GO RAMS!
--Brandon Anderson, Loveland
Brandon, we’re excited about guys like Kivon Cartwright and John Froland. We have several talented offensive linemen. I really like our depth up front on offense. There are plenty of young players that will see an increased role right off the bat in spring ball. We have recruited well.
Recently you have made comments about philosophical changes to the defense due to their performance. However, I have not heard you mention any potential changes to the offensive side of the ball, which ranked just as low, if not lower in the national rankings in rushing, sacks allowed, total offense, etc. I assume you are focusing on making changes to all three phases of the team, not just one as all phases struggled in 2010.
--Kevin Wood; Fort Collins
Yes, we will make changes to any phase, anywhere we think it will benefit the program. We did not play as well as we thought we could. Anything we can do to become more of an explosive offense, we have to look at. We have to look at that in terms of recruiting, in terms of personnel, in terms of scheme. Anything we can do to create an explosive run or an explosive pass, we need to spend some time on.
I didn’t think we did a good enough job with pounding the ball this year. Our running backs need to improve at finishing runs. The offensive line has the potential to be good; I’m excited about what they can give us.
How much do you see Kivon Cartwright contributing to the offense next season?
--Boomer; Pueblo, Colo.
Athletically, Kivon is a very gifted young man. He also has a 4.0 GPA. We have a lot of ideas for how we can use Kivon, and his role will be determined in spring ball. He has a big, big upside.
Coach, what is this team's offensive identity? It seems when committed to the run we have success, but then the following week we throw 30-plus times with 30 yards total rushing. It seems like there is no strong identity for this team.
--Kevin; Englewood, Colo.
Kevin, I think I answered this earlier. We didn’t run the ball as well as I thought we could have. It seemed like we fell behind early too many times, and that also contributed to our lack of opportunities in the run game. The identity is a downhill, power-run team that can also beat you with an explosive passing game.
Coach, I am very excited to see Pete Thomas get even better, as it was quite a true freshman season. It has been pointed out that he has a very slow release, is this something that you will be emphasizing on improving with him?
--Dan, Fort Collins
Dan, we will work to improve Pete’s mechanics and footwork during spring ball. I’m certainly excited to work with him because he has a very bright future.
Coach, this team is downright embarrassing to watch. I can't think of a worse time to be a Ram fan. My question to you is: Are you willing to fire an assistant coach if they are not preparing their players properly? Our defensive coaching is terrible. Our players consistently miss tackles and are simply outmuscled. There is simply no desire or intensity. My main complaint with Sonny Lubick is that he showed too much devotion to his assistants and the program took a nose dive as a result.
--Eric Rasmussen, Denver
Eric, I was embarrassed, too, believe me. I think I’ve answered most of your questions earlier. Just know that we constantly, in-season and offseason, evaluate every aspect of our program, from the way we travel to the way we execute on Saturdays, and we are making changes. But we have to keep a healthy perspective on this thing. People look at our record and say it’s not working, but we’re still building our program. We’re not going to deviate from our plan until it’s complete and we can look back, after stacking several recruiting classes on top of each other. It's not complete yet.
Steve, it seems like we have had more luck bringing in high-ranked recruits on the offensive side of the ball since you took over, such as Pete Thomas, who made huge strides this year as a true freshman. That being said, will the focus of this year's recruiting be more defensive-based, as that appears to be the area in which we need the most work? Go Rams!
--Evan Tynan; Fort Collins, Colo.
Evan, we have had success on both sides of the ball recruiting. Mike Orakpo is an example. I am very confident that eventually those last two classes we signed are good enough to give us the competitive edge we need to move our program to the upper echelon of the Mountain West.
You mentioned there will be coaching and staff changes. Does that include equipment management? I was at the San Diego State game and the players looked like hell. Their uniforms were sloppy and the team had a swagger of the Miami hurricanes of the 80s, even though they couldn't muster a .500 season. One particular player, the kicker, was wearing ankle socks and short pants that barely passed for a speedo. You know it's embarrassing to alumni to show up and have the whole stadium laughing and commenting not on the play but the ridiculous presence of the team. Don't you think it's important for a team to show some class?
--Embarrassed Ram, San Diego
I respect your right to have an opinion. Whenever any team changes its uniforms, some fans will like them (and I know a lot of our fans do), and some won’t. I’ll just say that we’re proud of our new uniforms. Uniforms are a big deal to players, and our players played a role in our new designs.
Coach, I have been a big backer of you the last couple of years and have come to your defense several times. However, after those last two games I have found it indefensible in the direction in which I see the program going. I know you are a big believer in working your plan, but at some point big changes need to take place to shake things up (case in point Bronco Mendenhall of BYU took over their struggling D and completely changed it around for the better). My question: If you were to pick one specific thing that would help turn this program around, what would it be?
--Robert Haas; Fort Morgan, Colo./Loveland, Colo.
Robert, I know you’re ticked off. So am I. I appreciate your support, and I hope we can do some things on the field again this year that win you back. We’re going to make some significant changes in scheme, personnel and staff. We’re also changing our practice times and you can bet we’re going to spend a lot of our 44 practices before we play in September on our technique and fundamentals.
I know fans have seen the product we put on the field on Saturdays the past year and-a-half and they’re not convinced. I’d feel the same way if that was all I saw, our performance on Saturdays. But as head coach, I see much more than that, and those things, despite our disappointing record the last two years, tell me we’re headed down the right tracks. We are increasing our talent and depth each year, and it’s time to expect tangible results in 2011.
The one thing I need to change to turn the program around, at least with respect to our performance on Saturdays, is to restore our belief and our confidence. We need to stop being so wide-eyed when things don’t go our way. Instead, we need to turn around and punch people in the mouth. That starts with how we approach our mat drills in February. It’s going to be even more fast-paced. Those mat drills set the tone for a competitive environment, where we’re forced to respond to an adverse situation like we encounter in a game and turn around and respond.
What's your plan to increase the secondary? Green and Gold News talked about a kid, Bernard Blake, back in February. What's the deal with him? I thought he was going to be a true freshman? He is returning next year, right? The kid's 4-5 highlights show great ability. He's a natural playmaker. We need him on the field. Will he start? He seems athletic. Can he not play safety or offense? What are your plans for him entering next year, along with Shaq Bell?
--Jason Mason; Greeley, Colo.
Bernard was with us all season. He sustained a leg injury during fall camp and that set him back. By the time he was back to 100 percent, we decided as a staff that it was best to redshirt him and save his talent for the future. He’s more of a corner than a safety and had he not gotten hurt, I certainly could’ve seen him on the field helping us this past year, yeah. He’ll be right there in the mix with Momo Thomas and Shaq Bell when we open spring ball.
I believe our secondary will show significant improvement this next year. We also have Dominique Vinson coming back and Elijah-Blu Smith is going back to corner, his natural position.
I had a chance to catch some of the high-school playoff games in the Metroplex area. There's a kid in Bastrop that has unreal ability. Josiah Monroe showed great instinct and desire in leading his team to victory over Frisco Liberty. With me being a Ram fan I keep up with the program and I noticed you guys have last year's Bastrop star, Bernard Blake. That kid has great ability as well. My question to you Mr. Fairchild is with having Bernard does that help draw any interest in Monroe? Will he be offered as a Ram?
--Ty Detmer; Dallas, Texas
Ty, the NCAA really limits what I can say about recruiting. I can tell you that we’re excited about Bernard Blake and I’m thrilled about our work so far in recruiting.
Pete Thomas had a very solid freshman season and showed some flashes of brilliance. Do you think with more experience he can become a great Mountain West quarterback on the level of a Kellen Moore or Andy Dalton?
--Jason L Howland; Denver, Colo.
Absolutely he can. I’m just excited that I get to work with a returning quarterback for the first time since I can remember, even going back to my days with the St. Louis Rams. Pete obviously was young in 2010, but he has all the tools to be as good as anyone. He’s special, no question. He’s one of only a handful of guys over the last decade to start every game for his team as a true freshman, and I know he was the only one in the country to do that this past year. He has a lot of room for improvement, and what makes him so fun to coach is he wants to get better. But his future is bright.
Are you hoping to bring CSU to the forefront of BCS buster talk now that TCU, Utah and BYU have decided to leave the conference?
--Derek Flores; Henderson, Nev.
Derek, with those schools leaving, we’re staring at a great opportunity to step up and make a name for ourselves and try to fill that void in our conference. But we’re not alone. We have to keep fighting, because I know the schools left in our conference are looking at this just like we are – a great opportunity to step up. And I’m excited about the new teams coming into the Mountain West over the next two years, but they’re seeing the same chance, too. No one’s going to give us anything. We have to take it from them. That’s what we’re going to have to do.
What are your realistic expectations of the Rams in 2011? You recently said that anything but a bowl will be a bust, but can this team play in and win a bowl next winter? Also, with Utah, BYU and TCU leaving soon, Boise State, Fresno State and Nevada coming in, where do you see the Rams fitting in when the dust settles in the MWC? Still near the bottom, somewhere in the middle or a constant competitor at the top?
--Rich, Kurtzman; Fort Collins, Colo.
Rich, we need to be at the very least in a bowl next year. That’s realistic. I know I take a risk in saying that, but life is about risks. You can’t be afraid to fail. A bowl game is a program-wide goal for 2011. It’s time that we set tangible goals, and raise the level of expectation. We’ve got a lot of work to do, obviously. But we need to take a step forward.
Hey Coach, how do you manage your expectations with the ability of your fellow coaches and the players?
--Mike Sanderson, Colorado Springs
Mike, I wouldn’t put it out there that we expect to be in a bowl if I didn’t think we had the ability to get there. We also need to graduate ALL of our seniors and we need to eventually get this program back on top of the Mountain West Conference.
