Boulder – For all the positives coaches have found early in Colorado’s fall workouts, secondary coach Craig Bray brings a sense of realism.
Bray coaches the defensive backfield, and though he likes some of what he has seen, he’s less than enamored with the play of his cornerbacks.
The good news first: With five solid players, four of whom started at some point last season, Bray isn’t worried about his safeties.
“It’s an awesome situation,” Bray said Thursday. “I’ve got five guys who can play. Great experience and knowledge of the game compared to spring and last year. It’s like night and day. And the competitiveness keeps them sharp and I rotate them around. I’m really happy with that position.”
And at cornerback?
“I’m concerned,” Bray said, his eyes looking to the ground.
“Out of six guys, I’ve got to come up with a two-deep, and I don’t know what it’s going to be. That’s just not a strength like I hope it would be.”
The six contenders for playing time at cornerback are Lorenzo Sims, Gerett Burl, Terry Washington, Stephone Robinson, Gardner McKay and Ben Burney.
Here’s how Bray breaks down the top three:
On Sims: “Solid, but he has his limitations.”
On Burl: “He’s doing a nice job, but we’ve just got to get more consistent play out of him.”
On Washington: “Terry is green, but he’s got the strength, the speed. He’s probably the fastest guy out there.”
McKay, Bray said, “is going to be a heck of a player,” but he weighs 150 pounds and needs more strength and weight. Burney is learning the ropes at cornerback, having been switched there from safety, the position he played at Mullen High School.
“The good news is (McKay and Burney) can really run,” Bray said. “The bad news is they are freshmen and they have to learn real fast.”
Sims is fairly well entrenched as the starter at one corner. The other starter has yet to be determined. The return of Vance Washington, who has not practiced as he recovers from shoulder surgery, will give Bray another speedy, veteran option. Washington said he hopes to begin practicing before school starts Aug. 22.
“We’re still trying to learn each other,” Sims said of the cornerbacks. “But I see us making plays, I see us making progress, trying to get better every day.”
As for the secondary as a whole, Bray is encouraged, in part because he has had a year to install his system and players know the schemes and techniques he wants.
“From the standpoint of putting four guys out there that know what they are supposed to do, and understand the concepts of defense, we are miles ahead,” Bray said. “So that’s positive. We aren’t going to be a dominant, take-everything- away group. But we’re going to be pretty doggone solid, I think.”
Footnotes
Linebacker Jordon Dizon (shoulder) didn’t return to practice Thursday, as was expected. His timetable has been pushed back to Saturday. Meanwhile, center Bryce MacMartin (ankle) and safety Dominique Brooks (finger) returned to practice. Neither was allowed contact. … Defensive end Alex Ligon (neck) is expected to return to practice Saturday or Monday, coach Gary Barnett said.
Chris Dempsey can be reached at 303-820-5455 or cdempsey@denverpost.com.
