BOULDER — One of the most tempestuous sideline coaching personalities in Colorado football history is getting kicked upstairs.
Befitting the title of offensive coordinator, Eric Bieniemy will call plays from up in the coaches’ box this fall. Ever since his playing days more than two decades ago, Bieniemy has been one of the most vocal, demonstrative figures on the sideline.
Only the other offensive coaches on the headset will be able to hear him on game days. Players will still get their ears singed by Bieniemy on the practice field and in the locker room.
“I got kicked off the field,” Bieniemy said Saturday of his assignment. “It’s going to be a great challenge. It’s a calmer, more serene environment.
“The bottom line is you can see everything.”
Coordinators typically take an eye-in-the-sky perspective to study not only their team, but to counter defensive schemes.
During Saturday’s media day, coach Jon Embree said Bieniemy will call plays and “will be upstairs until they kick him out of the booth.”
Bieniemy said the internal coaching communication system was developed in the spring. It’s Bieniemy’s first stint as a coordinator.
“I really want to be good at it,” he said. “I’m not going to say I’m not going to be up there and not be emotional. It’s good to step back and get a different observation.”
Pasta power.
One of many behind-the-scenes changes made by Embree is a new training table. Boulder restaurateur and longtime CU booster Jay Elowsky approached Embree about a new training table.
Elowsky said there is an emphasis on healthy, locally produced fruits and vegetables. Even the sausage is made locally. He put flowers on the tables, cut carbonated drinks and will replace the ice cream dessert bar with frozen yogurt.
He also wants to challenge the rest of the Pac-12 for the best training table. Referring to Oregon’s Nike benefactor Phil Knight, Elowsky said, “This is meatballs vs. golf balls.”
Pasta Jay’s has several menu items named after the coaches.
Goats and rivalries.
For his first official start-of-football news conference, Embree was his usual off-the-cuff self. Repeating a familiar refrain about how much he will miss the rivalry with Nebraska, Embree recounted an ESPN interview with a fellow Pac-12 newcomer, Utah coach Kyle Whittingham.
“They had me and Kyle like we were the new rivals. I was like, this is not like the old- world marriage where you get two goats and a cow and this is your wife,” Embree said. “I know something will happen on the field that will make a rivalry for us.”
Injury.
Sophomore Jered Bell, in the mix for playing time at cornerback, suffered a torn ACL in Saturday’s practice and will miss the rest of the season.
Natalie Meisler, The Denver Post
