No Offense Taken, But the Rams Like What They See
Football team bolstered by work done outside the public eye
LAS VEGAS, Nev. – They aren’t mad. Quite the contrary. They know how this whole process works. The people look at the latest body of work, make their best, quantitative guesses off of those results and pick an order.
Colorado State didn’t have much of a 2020 season. A schedule whittled down to eight games due to a worldwide pandemic was cut in half by the ramifications of the COVID-19 virus. In those four games, the Rams won once.
So Trey McBride gets it, and so does Dequan Jackson. No hard feelings. None at all. They don’t quibble about the perceptions directed at the Rams for the 2021 season.
“I understand it. All they know is what we’ve put out in the past. They can’t foresee the future,” Jackson said. “They don’t work with us every day. You have to respect the media. They’re going off what they know, what they can see, what they can imagine. We’re going off the actual work we’re putting in, and I think it will be two different things at the end of this season.”
Then again, those perceptions come from the outside world. They do not match how the Rams see themselves inside the confines of Canvas Stadium. No one watched what happened in spring camp, which was held relatively uninterrupted.
Those 15 practices were a boon for the program, much needed scheduled work after the months which had preceded them. Steve Addazio was hired as the head coach in December of 2019. A few months later, he was in the middle of trying to mold the program into his likeness when the pandemic really grabbed on tight and didn’t let go. Students left campus. Student-athletes were put on pause and went home, where gyms were closed down and workouts took on an old-world feeling. Find what you can and lift it. Do it again and again.
When they returned to resume work, the football team wasn’t alone in running into starts and stops, delays and pauses. Contract tracing was just as feared as the virus itself, so each day began with players and coaches wondering who was going to be on the field.
Not exactly the way a new coaching staff wants to start setting a foundation. It’s hard to get on the same page when they keep flipping in the wind.
“I think the culture that Coach Addazio wants is not what we had last year,” McBride said. “I’m happy that we’ve had this whole year to develop that and grow as a team, as individuals. I don’t think we were where we wanted to be last year, but now that we’ve had time and COVID hasn’t really been an issue, we’ve been able to get together, meet, practice and build that culture that Coach Addazio wants. That’s who he is: It’s a toughness, and that’s who we are.
“Now I think guys have really bought in and the culture is strong. The leadership is leading, guys are buying in and wanting to be here. We’re getting tougher mentally and physically, bigger, faster, stronger, so I’m excited to see what this team can do.”
Addazio has never made it a secret. He expects the team to be as tough in the way they think, adapt and respond to the same degree they are in the trenches or squaring up a ball carrier. Tough at sunrise. Tough at sunset, and all the hours in between.
Putting 100-plus players in a room filled with new coaches and varied schemes from what they know requires time and diligence, the latter of which is tough to produce when the former is in short supply.
Jackson has seen it start to take hold, understanding nobody else had the same vantage point as he did.
“I think most definitely it was a learning process. Some guys learn faster than others,” Jackson said. “For me, personally, I feel like I adapted well, but that’s a big ask of 100 guys with a new coaching staff. The coaches are still learning us, not just us learning the coaches. We’re learning their playbook, we’re learning his style. We had a different kind of game day, a lot of quarantines and time off from not being with each other. I think having a full year, a good stretch, I think we’re in good shape.
“I think we’re in tune. We’re rolling. It’s all about confidence. When you talk playbook, it’s guys understanding and bought in. I think a lot of guys are confident, not just in their own skill, but the scheme we’re running. I think it’s going to allow us to execute a lot better and put out a different display.”
The spring brought about some adjustments, too. The infusion of new offensive coordinator Jon Budmayr topped the list, bringing a few new wrinkles to the table of a developing offense. The staff was rounded out with the addition of wide receivers coach Alex Bailey.
This time around, the Rams had the entire spring to work with, to gain some familiarity, and more importantly, some confidence via added reps and execution. McBride knows the offensive unit has probably more to prove under the most watchful of eyes with college scoreboards rolling numbers like pinball tables.
His confidence comes from what he personally witnessed. He’ll tell you Todd Centeio had a strong spring, and he expects the quarterback to be excellent in fall camp. Cam Butler is back, which he knows will be a boon to the offensive flexibility. He’s seen the offensive line work in the weight room and in the training room, enabling them to come together and develop as a unit. When it comes to Dante Wright, well, he knows everybody has seen the big-play potential. As sure as Monday becomes Tuesday, the former freshman All-American makes defenders miss.
Defensively, there were some gains made which could be built upon in the spring. An improved pass rush (the Rams led the nation by averaging 4.0 sacks per game) led by Scott Patchan. The entire defensive front is back intact, even though four of them could have exited the premises. The run-stopping numbers had improved, too. In meeting rooms, the schemes became a clearer picture.
This is what the Rams see.
“What happened last year was last year. It was COVID,” McBride said. “It was struggling if we were even going to play that week, what was going to happen, struggling to practice. But this year, I’m confident in our team and our abilities. Coach Addazio and his staff have done a great job of bringing in players who can make an impact, and I’m super excited where this team is going and the culture that they’re building. I’m confident in this team and the ability we have.
“I see guys pouring their blood, sweat and tears into this game and into getting better. Developing, understanding their role; guys just working hard. I’m confident our team has a toughness and the ability to be what we’re capable of, a championship-caliber team.”
To the outside world, that may seem like a rather lofty goal for a team which was 1-3 a season ago. Then again, did most of the outside world see San Jose State coming?
Probably not. Definitely not judging from the 2020 preseason picks.
So, now comes the next step. Fall camp begins soon, and every phase of the team still has items on their checklist. Jackson firmly believes the defense can be great, but only after the added work. Likewise, McBride sees the offense as explosive with a bit more polish. The special team were a prime target in the spring and will be again in the fall.
The Rams will have an added month of practice and meetings to get to where they want to be for the Sept. 3 season opener with South Dakota State at home. Camp can’t start soon enough, because as valuable as all the running and lifting can be, as necessary as reinstalling the systems in the summer during player’s-only sessions is, there’s nothing like camp.
In pads. With contact. Actually playing football. At this point, that’s all they really want.
“Most importantly is to let the pads do the talking. Inside the team we know what we’re capable of,” McBride said. “I think we’re a championship-caliber team, but on the other hand, words are words. Action has to take place, and that’s exactly what we have to do coming in. We have to have a good fall camp and get ready to go.”
The media has had their say, and the Rams are not offended by the projection. Starting in September, the Rams will have their chance to speak. Scratch that. A chance to play.
To change perception. By winning games.
Predictions are fun before the season starts; they are something to start the talk, to get the excitement building for the season. Fans get to return to the stands. The pageantry of the sport will take root once again this fall.
“Guys can look and judge, that’s what they’re supposed to do,” Jackson said. “I’ve always thought the media is supposed to analyze. But nobody else can go take a rep for you, so if the team’s mindset is good, that’s all that matters.
“I’ve always thought like that. I don’t look at us as a bottom-tier team. I don’t go in thinking we were 1-3 last year. I look at it like a whole new thing. We’re not the same team from a year ago. That was a year ago. I’m trying to get everybody else on the same level and thinking like that. Most definitely, we can be that team.”
Nobody will celebrate predictions. Just results. September is when the truth will start to be told. No more crystal balls and outlooks, just wins and losses. Prove people wrong? Nah, it’s not about that at all. To show others what they see is the more apt bullseye.