Boulder – In January, when Greg Brown joined the Colorado football coaching staff overseeing the secondary, he was in charge of positions rich in talent and depth.
He has needed it.
Since then, cornerback Gerett Burl and safety Tyrone Henderson have been dismissed, and others, such as safety Ryan Walters, have missed extended time with injuries. The depth has been tested. But the Buffs are passing the exam.
“We still have a lot more people,” cornerback Terrence Wheatley said. “You have guys go down and there’s another one that jumps back up. We have a lot of depth and a lot of experience, which is something we didn’t have in the past.”
Brown, who coached the New Orleans Saints’ secondary last year, likes what he sees.
“We are fortunate that we’ve got some experience, some guys that have played back there,” Brown said. “For example, Ryan Walters, who was arguably the best defensive back during spring, has a tough hamstring injury and sits out for a while. It’s tough for him, but that opened up a great opportunity for Ben Burney. So, Ben has stepped in and it’s been a plus for us all the way around. The more players that you can develop and feel comfortable with, the better off we’re going to be.”
And in its in-your-face style of play, CU needs as many game-ready bodies as possible.
“Coach (Dan) Hawkins runs an aggressive style of defense,” Brown said. “He’s in favor of getting your guys up to the line of scrimmage, get in their face and take away the immediate throw that the quarterback is going to have to a receiver if you’re playing off the line of scrimmage. You have to be able to cover in this style of defense.”
Walters returned to practice Friday for CU’s final scrimmage.
Cornerback Lorenzo Sims continues to play with an injured right hand, which has a cast on it. They all give good reviews to the new system.
“It’s a little more simple, just kind of get to an area,” Wheatley said. “And then their biggest thing is just make plays. If you bust a coverage, they’re not going to curse you out as long as you make the play. They might tell you, ‘Hey, you can’t get away with that,’ but it’s a lot more simple. Get the skill players into an area and let the skill players do what they do.
“There have been days we looked real, real good. If we play like that constantly, we’ll be one of the best units in the Big 12.”
Boye-Doe practices
Defensive end Walter Boye-Doe returned to practice Sunday, but with limited hitting. The senior said he is expected to be full speed Tuesday.
Hawkins said it was good to see him out there “for many reasons.”
Boye-Doe was involved in a scary-looking scene during CU’s Aug. 18 scrimmage at Folsom Field. He was taken in an ambulance to Boulder Community Hospital after falling on his head and neck during a play. He has taken numerous concussion tests, and was held out of practice until the strength in his legs returned to normal.
“I’m so thankful,” Boye-Doe said. “Every time I think about it, it could have been much worse than it is. I thank the guardian angel out there so much, because I looked at that film and it could have been bad. It could have been real bad.”
Footnotes
Kicker Mason Crosby, guard Brian Daniels and linebacker Thaddaeus Washington are CU’s captains for the 2006 season. … CU players have today off as the team settles in to its normal routine. … Don’t look for freshmen cornerback Cha’pelle Brown and linebacker Michael Sipili to redshirt. Hawkins said they will be given playing time early and often. Brown also is a kick returner.
Staff writer Chris Dempsey can be reached at 303-954-1279 or cdempsey@denverpost.com.
