Paying the Rent Erases the Threat

Across the country, coaches are saying the same thing: No job is safe. Every position is open as spring camp starts at – pick a school – as the ultimate goal is to spark competition, which should ignite improvement six months before anybody actually plays a game.

Across the country, fans are saying: Get real. Around these parts, does anybody believe Tory Horton won't be lining up across from Texas on Aug. 31? That Jacob Gardner, a four-year starter for the staff, won't be anchoring the offensive line that day? Or that longtime starting safeties Jack Howell and Henry Blackburn won't be the tandem on the back end?

And they're right – weird factors aside – but not because Norvell is blowing smoke with old coach speak, it's because that group and a few teammates like them adhere to another timeless coaching point.

"We have some old sayings, and the reason they're old is because they're true. We have a saying you have to pay the rent, and you have to pay the rent every day," CSU coach Jay Norvell said. "We pay the rent by working hard and by doing our very best. That's exactly what those guys do every day."

Spring drills began last week, but there were players getting ready to be ready. Horton turned down the NFL Draft with the intent to get better. He showed up with muscle added to his frame, which Norvell has seen translate into improved blocking and better results in tight spaces.

They all have aspirations for this season and beyond. Being better has become a constant in their life, a positive habit.

Now, that's not to say they don't have their moments when they hear what Norvell says and deep down in their mind say, 'he can't be serious?' Gardner admits he's heard the voice. Then he brushes it aside.

"Hey, I've played a lot of snaps. I've started a lot of games," he said with a grin. "You start to think about it, but then you know you owe it to yourself and the other guys to keep getting better. There's always something to improve."

Gardner has played 45 collegiate games. He's started every one of them. He played for two seasons at Nevada before transferring, and he's been the lynchpin of the offensive line since his arrival. When injuries decimated the front two years ago, he moved to help out, no questions asked.

His resume speaks for itself. Yet, he's still primed to prove himself once again. Not just for himself, but because some younger guys behind him need to know what it looks like, because Tanner Morley and Aaron Karas, who are battling to fill vacated spots, need to be prepared.

"You do. You owe it to them as much as yourself, to see what hard work looks like," Gardner said.

Because somebody showed them at some point.

At the end of practice, Norvell joked to the team, "Blackburn doesn't love ball," akin to saying a dog doesn't love a good steak bone. The senior captain always has, and even though he had his mind set on playing as soon as he arrived, he quickly learned hard work meant something different at the next level.

"I was lucky because I had some great mentors when I was a freshman like Logan Stewart and Tywan Francis, guys who showed me how to work and what the work ethic should look like. Now I'm in my fifth year and I have younger guys coming up, I want to be able to pass that on to them and show them what it's supposed to look like," he said. "When I come back in a couple year, they're the ones running the show."

He, like many of his teammates and especially his running mate Howell, spent the time between the end of last season and the start of camp watching themselves. Both of them earned All-Mountain West recognition. Both of them were looking for ways to better themselves.

Spring is the perfect opportunity to improve oneself. Blackburn wants to be better at playing the half, as well as improving his tackling. Communication tops his list as he can see everything in front of him and he wants to be able to relay it to the two levels in front of him.

In short, be the expert on the field because defensive coordinator and safeties coach Freddie Banks cannot suit up and be out there with them.

When it comes to being the best he can be, Blackburn sees multiple levels of measurement.

"That's the thing. I'm competing against guys all across the country," he said. "I'm trying to get myself to be the best player I can be for the team and put myself in a position where I'm competing against safeties all across the country. When the NFL conversations happen, I'm competing against guys all over the place. My mindset is I need to be the best I can be for the team first, to be the best leader and win games, then also looking ahead. My goal is to go to the NFL after college, so that's something I need to work for. I'm not where I need to be right now. That's something I need to work at every day at to get to that level."

Job security. Something everybody wants, but there's only one way to get it on a football field.

Show up daily. It's what the best do, and why they accept the challenge and don't worry much.

"I've always been part of programs and teams where the best players are the hardest workers. They're the ones who set the tempo in practice, and there's a reason they're good players: They practice that way," Norvell said. "Henry, Jack, Tory and Jacob practice every day like it's a game. For them, it's just competing. It's just football, so they always have that edge, they're always improving and you're always getting their best."

When Norvell tells them their job isn't safe, he's not lying to them. Deep down, he's not thinking he's looking for a new center, a set of safeties or a standout wideout. It's not because Gardner has started all of those games; or that Howell and Blackburn have combined for 497 tackles and nine interceptions; or that Horton is a two-time all-conference player with more than a mile of receiving yardage as a Ram.

No, it's because they take the challenge seriously.

"He's not wrong. No position is secure," Blackburn said. "Mine is not secured. Jack's is not secured. That's how football goes. If at any point and time some guy is excelling, you get your spot taken. That's the way it should be. I don't have the mindset my job is secure. I still work every day like I have to earn it."

And kudos to the guy who gives it a go. It'll make Blackburn better, as well as the team. But as long as Blackburn is on the field, he's not about to let it happen.

Which is exactly the reaction Norvell expects.

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Henry Blackburn

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