SB Nation - Thomas Coffman

Checking The Temperature On Steve Fairchild's Hot Seat

bhsmarine — Thu, 17 Nov 2011 21:07:44 -0000

As the Rams look at another possible 3 win season the question pops to Steve Fairchilds future. Will he be the Rams Head Coach another year? His 5 year contract is up following the 2012 season. The injuries have been abundant this year and at critical positions. After this week I believe running back will be the only position that hasn't lost a man to injury or suspension. QB if Pete Thomas comes back. OL has been torn apart, DL has lost everyone but CJ James at one point. Only three opening day starters on defense have not missed a game, eight players total have started every game. That means that 63% of Fairchild's starters have gone down for one reason or another at one point. The patch job has not been pretty. I will break it all down by recruiting, money, and on field product.

Recruiting is a toss up in some eyes. I personally love the athleticism that Fairchild has brought to the program. Nordly Capi and CJ James are great pass rushing DE's. Chris Nwoke is the new Predator. He did bring in faster then light Thomas Coffman, Tony Drake, and Lou Greenwood. Don't forget his possibly two biggest recruits in giant DT Isiah Norton and high school famous Kapri Bibbs who had grade issues but are still reported to join CSU when possible. Faichild brought in stud LB's Mike Orakpo and Shaq Barrett. His offensive line is full of NFL pickups but not players which is good for CSU, Weston Richburg was a freshman All-American. He pulled 4 star recruit Pete Thomas from Arizona St. He pulled starting DT John Froland from Northwestern. He pulled former fast man Tony Drake from Michigan. The coaching staff deserves credit too, but Fairchild has targeted Texas, Florida, and California as areas to find athletes. The talent level is higher then before and is growing each year despite losing records. Fairchild gets a pass in recruting.

Catch the rest after the jump...

Money is another issue when your not bringing any money in for the programs. Losing is hitting the budget hard this year. Fans just are not showing up.

Fairchild is pulling in $700,000 a year. $350,000 from base salary and the other $350,000 from other incomes such at TV and media. This helps CSU out by only really paying half his salary. Also Fairchild has failed to meat any incentives in his contract for better or worse. Fairchild got close by getting to a bowl game but needed 7 regular season wins in 2007. The incentives won't tip the contract though, it would be good for the program if he starts to hit some of them. Against the rest of the MWC Fairchild is in the middle to lower end in a way giving the Rams a "deal". I am not sure they can afford to pay his replacement between $700,000-$900,000 and pay Fairchild his share. I vote for keeping Fairchild on at least his final year on the money front. Its a good deal for the Rams, why pay two coaches?

The playing field is where it gets dicey for Fairchild. This new Grayson/Thomas quarterback issue isn't helping either. Fairchild was 100% behind Thomas, a knee sprain shook his world up? It looks very desperate for Fairchild. He is looking for a way out of the hole he put himself in, but looking desperate doesn't look good on him or the program. I understand finding out what you got in Grayson, but it appears he is ditching out on Thomas already.

Past the QB controversy is the play calling and play of his recruits. The creative great play calling from his first year with Gartrell Johnson and Billy Farris is about gone. Despite the trick touchdowns against Boise St the offense has been fairly predictable. The point to where its like watching Sonny Lubicks last year of coaching, not good. Instead of loving the run play Fairchild loves a bubble screen or any other screen. His athletes aren't really built for his offense which leads to a odd predicament.

Recruits good. Scheme good(potentially). The two are just not meshing and that is where Fairchild is really running into his problem. Separately there isn't really an issue, but it is not gelling together. Not yet, and will it is the question? Is it the play calling? The athletes?

Fairchild needs to start tailoring his offense to his recruits. Or his recruits to his offense. That is the real issue for CSU football as I see it. All the pieces of the puzzle are nice but if they don't fit together then it doesn't work. Fairchild could use a few work lunches with Tim Miles on figuring out how to get the pieces to fit and fit consistently.

In the end I think Fairchild deserves one more year. The lame duck coach theory is weak in my mind so I think its ok in CSU's case to go into the final year without an extension. If the players believe in the coach a contract shouldn't get in the way. Fairchild always says competition is good, make him earn an extension by winning games next year. Make him prove the program is turned around. Tim Miles got a couple years to turn it around and he only has 5 guys on the court. Give Fairchild his 5th year to turn around 22 guys.

What Happened to Pete Thomas' Growth?

bhsmarine — Tue, 25 Oct 2011 20:34:51 -0000

The Colorado State Rams sit at 3-4 and are looking on the outs of a bowl game with some missed opportunities against a easy schedule. The Rams will need to upset Wyoming and SDSU or Air Force to reach the magical 6 win mark. They are favored against UNLV but at this point who knows. The Rams were getting looked at as a 7 win team by some and now might be lucky to get 4. The injuries have hurt, Mychal Sisson in particular. Steve Fairchild is on the hot seat more then ever because of his love of the screen pass, I think he has another year at least with his recruiting starting to show up and Pete Thomas as an upper class man. What is happening to Pete Thomas though?

This was suppose to be his breakout year after he shook off the freshman jitters. He was the only true freshman to start all his teams games last year. A very good freshman year that saw some very good stats. 64.7% completion percentage with 221 yards per game. Both of those were 2nd in the conference behind Andy Dalton and Ryan Lindley respectively. His TD to INT ratio was the only bad mark on his record at 11-13. Those freshman mistakes were suppose to disappear and turn into touchdowns. Pete Thomas was primed to step up with his experience and a better grasp of the playbook. So what happened?

Catch the rest after the jump...

So far Thomas has dropped in every category. His completion % down a tick to 62%, his yards down to 192 a game. His yards per attempt are down. His TD-INT ratio at a poor 6-7. This is all over the same amount of attempts per game, 32.

Can't blame the running game as they are averaging about the same per carry with 3.42 this year compared to 3.47 last year. I think the offensive line has played even better this year then last in regards to protecting Thomas. The sacks per game are down from 3.67 to 3.29. We will get back to that number later though.

The receivers should take some of the blame. His tallest threats have been no shows for the most part in Marquise Law and Byron Steele. He is dealing with freshman Thomas Coffman, Lee Clubb, and Charles Lovett. Returning leading receiver Lee Greenwood has been inconstant and is still just 6 feet tall on a good day.

On the plus side for the receivers Joe Brown has replaced Zac Pauga as his favorite check down receiver. Crockett Gillmore has put his name out there with some of the best tight ends in the conference and nation. Despite the lack of big bodies Thomas' targets are very quick and can get open. See the Boise St game where Raymond Carter, Lee Greenwood, and Coffman all got behind their defender but Thomas missed possible touchdowns or big gains.

This leads me to the two big issues. Play calling and Thomas. The play calling hasn't put Thomas in the best position for his skill it would seem. Thomas throws a nice deep ball, can read the middle of the field as good as any QB I have seen for CSU. Thomas isn't good at faking the screen pass and has issues with the throws that require some extra umph. He can make the throws because of his decision making but sometimes he puts to much touch on his passes.

Play calling should follow something like Boise St and Kellen Moore. Lots of crossing patterns where Thomas can read a defense quickly and make that decision where he can get his receivers in space. Right now the CSU offense is very vertical or screen pass. There isn't much in the way of routes up the middle or across the middle. Where is the basic slot receiver or tight end beating the LB across the field? Hitting him about 5-10 yards and letting him run or just getting those 7 for a first down? It would seem its all streaks and out routes.

Thomas needs to get his accuracy back up to last year or even higher. Thomas was 70% after his first three games but has been under 60% all but 1 game since. He has only cracked the 200 yard mark twice all year. The 2nd year QB needs to find his touch, which can mean throwing the ball as hard as possible on some routes to sneak it in. The speed of the ball plays into the timing of the routes. It doesn't matter if you release the ball on time if you float it when it needs to get there lickity split.

Thomas has to get rid of the ball some times, he is maturing there but 3+ sacks a game is to many. Thomas has shown some ability to escape and move around the pocket. He needs to perfect that skill to open passing lanes and maximize yardage. Running is nice but with his speed it isn't a skill until he uses it to help the passing game.

I still believe Thomas is the key the turning CSU around. You don't plateau as a true freshman, the gains might come slower then we wanted but Thomas will get better. He needs some more experience and some help in the play calling and receiver department. The sophomore slump might be a real thing, just ask Jake Heaps and his 3TD - 6INT ratio and 55% completion percentage which landed the 5-star recruit on the bench at BYU.

Poll

Is Pete Thomas the answer for CSU at quarterback?

Yes, it is just a sophmore slump. He will get better.

18 votes

No, he peaked already.

8 votes

No, but with that play calling and team around him Aaron Rodgers wouldn't be the answer!

28 votes

Other, comment below.

1 votes

55 votes | Poll has closed

Utah State and Colorado State Attempt to Quiet Realignment News By Playing Actual Football Game

bhsmarine — Fri, 23 Sep 2011 00:01:00 -0000

Next Game

Colorado St. Rams
@ Utah State Aggies

Saturday, Sep 24, 2011, 5:00 PM PDT
Romney Stadium

Complete Coverage >

All this conference jumping talk makes it feel like the off season. I can't wait for Saturday and get some actual games to talk about. The Utah State Aggies will take on the Colorado State Rams in Utah at Romney Stadium. The Aggies come in at 1-1 and a onside kickoff away from 2-0 and being the talk of the town. After the close loss to Auburn the Aggies destroyed Weber St two weeks ago and have been prepping for the Rams since.

The Rams(2-1, 1-0) are off a tough loss in the Rocky Mountain Showdown to Colorado. CSU blocked a punt in CU territory and it turned in to a late first half TD for the Buffs some how. True freshman Austin Grey got caught being a freshman and let in a TD pass. Those two plays change and its a different game, let's hope the blocked punt gone wrong doesn't become a turning point in the season.

The Aggies might be the best team the Rams have faced all season, CU is nothing special so don't make that argument. The Aggies are allowing a meager 1.97 yards per carry, 6th in the nation. They rush for 6.67 yards on offense. No Aggie has an average less then 4 YPC. That is crazy good. That will allow Utah St to control the clock and allow exciting freshman quarterback Chuckie Keeton to make smart decisions. It will attack the Rams defense who missed Mychal Sisson last week.

Shaquille Barret did a good job filling in at linebacker along with James Skelton, the speed was missing though. I think Mike Orakpo missed Sisson the most as he was targeted and couldn't fly around per normal. It is much easier to stop one fast LB then two fast LB's. They will need help stopping the Aggie run game from the secondary and defensive line. Nordly Capi who leads the nation with 5.5 sacks will need to show he can help stop the run.

On offense Pete Thomas needs help at receiver. Thomas Coffman the speedy red-shirt freshman got some looks but couldn't get separation on any routes. Marquise Law hasn't been good enough to demand the ball. I still think Tj Borcky and Crocket Gillmore could be the solutions. It also looks like they will gget Byron Steele back from suspension. Most importantly the play calling needs to help Thomas out. 3rd and 9 is a tough down, but a screen pass isn't the only answer. The Rams need to start getting risky. They can lose safely or lose trying, they can't win safely though. The Rams have called roughly 742 screen plays this year.

It will come down to the Aggies running all over the Rams or the Rams offense stepping up and getting some big strike plays. Which ever team fails to do those things will lose. Should be a good game for both teams to see where they are at on the early season.

Colorado State Football Fall Camp Report For Week One

Jeremy Mauss — Sun, 07 Aug 2011 15:34:32 -0000

Colorado State has had three practices so far in fall camp. A big concern last year was the offense and specifically the running game which suffered due to injuries. UCLA transfer Raymond Carter was to be the top back but he was hurt and inconsistent.

After day one of practice Carter said he was 100 percent and he had a good showing:

Carter certainly went hard in the Rams' first fall practice, he consistently showed the greatest explosion and the most speed of all the CSU running backs. And Carter understands how to get up the field, taking great angles up the field, with the ability to cut back against the grain and gain some ground.

He also had a couple hard, determined runs up the middle and caught a couple passes out of the backfield with ease.

Even with the confidence Carter is having he is not guaranteed the hands down because there will be competition between Chris Nwoke and Derek Good. Here is what Fairchild said about the running back position:

"I hope he (Carter) has his best year. We'll always need more than one, and I thought Derek (Good) had a really good spring. Chris Nwoke is talented. That'll play itself out. We do want to get a good look at the freshmen backs."

Quarterback Pete Thomas looked good in his first practice by hitting receivers in the short and intermediate routes, plus his best pass of the day was a 50 yard bomb down the left sideline that hit WR Marquise Law in stride.

Again this was the first practice of the year and the players were just in helmets and shorts, so it is tough to tell how good players are performing.

Here are quotes from head coach Steve Fairchild from day one of fall camp:

On players not at practice, including WR Tony Drake: "Yeah, he and Justin Becker, will have to finish up academics one way or the other. You have to take care of your business to get out on the field. We'll see."

On the status of RB Dorian Brown: "The red jersey is just precautionary. He should be full-go at some point real quick. We're just being safe, watch him run around for a little bit."On Pete Thomas Thursday compared to his first fall practice a year ago: "Well, the big thing this time last year, he wasn't our starting quarterback, No. 1. I think he was still saying goodbye to his parents. It's totally different. He's a returning quarterback, the first time we've had that around here in four years. It makes a difference."

On Pete Thomas Thursday compared to his first fall practice a year ago: "Well, the big thing this time last year, he wasn't our starting quarterback, No. 1. I think he was still saying goodbye to his parents. It's totally different. He's a returning quarterback, the first time we've had that around here in four years. It makes a difference."

On the level of pressure on his shoulders: "That's the type of kid he is. He has real high expectations. I know I do and I'm pretty sure he does. He'll get better every year. I've said this all along: He has a very bright future for CSU."

On running backs, specifically Derek Good: "We'll always need more than one, and I thought Derek had a really good spring. Chris Nwoke is talented. That'll play itself out. We do want to get a good look at the freshmen backs."

On getting a good look from true freshmen during the fall camp: "Today's installation was fairly base but as we start going here in the midst of the eighth, ninth practice, with the volume of offense, the volume of what we're doing, those freshmen kind of hit plateaus."

Day two at Rams Camp:

The second day was the receivers who shined for Colorado State. Two freshman had good days in Thomas Coffman and Lee Club looked impressive, but they may have a tough time getting significant playing time due to the depth at receiver. The Rams ran four wide receiver sets to take advantage of their depth at wide receiver withMatt Yemm, Lou Greenwood, Marquise Law and Byron Steele being the projected top four receivers.

The offensive line is the position group that already looks in mid-season form, and the Rams definitely need them to step up and be able to protect Pete Thomas. Head coach Steve Fairchild said the offensive line dominated the defensive line, and with hopes the defensive line can improve for the next practice.

Here are quotes from Steve Fairchild after the second practice:

On whether he attributes things seeming to go more smoothly than last year to having so many returning starters: "Yeah, I think so. I think we're more experienced. That helps. I think we're farther along in our program, so they understand what we want. We're scripting at least a 2, maybe a little over a 2-hour practice. Two days in a row, they've got it done in an hour and 50 minutes. That's fine. Eventually, we're going to have to be on the field for 3, 3 ½ hours, in a game type of thing, but I'm not worried about that now. There will be some Saturday scrimmages when we do that, but they're working good."

On competition at running back: "Again, that's a spot, kind of like our defensive line, where I don't think we're looking for one guy. We're looking for a bunch of guys because we usually play two or three guys there. And, with running backs, you really can't tell until you put pads on and make guys miss, break tackles. We're letting them finish out here without shoulder pads on. Raymond (Carter) had a good spring and I'm hoping he'll have his best year, and I think he will. Derek Good is going to play some and I think Chris Nwoke is really talented. I'm anxious to get a look at our freshman backs when we get the pads on. Again, they're stumbling around a little bit because everything's new, but it'll be fun to see them go."

On the progress of the defensive line since spring ball: "I like the fact that we've got numbers there, somewhere between eight, nine, 10 guys I'm hoping we can put in a game. I don't know that we have a difference-maker right now. I'd like to see somebody step up and practice-in, practice-out be the guy, that the offense has to contend with. I'm not sure I see that right now. We've got some time."

Day three of Rams camp featured the players first time in full pads.

There was a big addition for the Rams on Saturday morning and that is freshman speedy wide receiver Charles Lovett. Lovett is also expected to be used in the return game as well, he sat out the first two days of fall camp due to his school schedule conflicting with practice. For those unaware of Lovett here is a highlight video:

Fairchild is both high on freshman wide receivers Lovett and Lee Clubb:

"I've seen a couple true freshmen that look like, if they continue to learn the offense, which is a difficult thing to do, but if they can do it, if Lovett and Clubb can line up right, they're going to play some snaps for us," said Fairchild.

The third practice was a lot like the second with the wide receivers performing well. Marquise Law and Thomas Coffman had good days according to Fairchild:

"Obviously, Thomas Coffman with his speed brings a little bit of that," said Fairchild. "It's an area, like the safety position on defense, the receiver area on offense, we've got to come on in a hurry and get where we need to be, but I like what I see so far."

Law looks to be one of the most improved players on the team. He was catching nearly everything thrown his way from Pete Thomas. With so many receivers who are performing well it should allow Thomas and the offense to have more success than they did last year. Perhaps the offense will not have to play catchup.

Here are quotes from Fairchild after day three of practice:

On Saturday's practice, the first in shoulder pads:
"I thought we had a real slow start this morning, and that does concern me. It got going pretty good there, and we got a lot of work done, but obviously it wasn't quite as clean once you put the pads on. I thought it was a good practice, just a little flat early on. You've got to learn how to go, with a Saturday morning game schedule (like CU, 11:30 a.m. kickoff)."

On RB Derek Good, whether he can be someone that sneaks up on people:
"Yeah, he is. He walked on and sometimes I think we had that walk-on label on him, but every time we asked him to do something, he did it as good as anybody. We've since put him on scholarship; he's earned it. Derek's a talented back. He's done well not just as a back but also in the return game, every time we've asked him to do something. I'd expect as a senior that he's going to have a big year for us." On whether his breakout game last season was at Air Force: "Yeah, it was. And then he got to play a little bit as a back. And, not just in the return game, I thought he looked good. He's going to play football for us this year."

On Good's strengths:
"I think he's got good vision, good in-line cutting; it's hard to get a solid shot on him. He's faster than you think. He's smart, so when it comes to the other parts of the game, the protection, those types of things, he does the right thing. He can catch the ball out of the backfield. He's brings a lot to the table."

Here is audio from the first three days of Ram practice:

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Why the Colorado State Rams Will Have a Winning Season in 2011

Hank Corless — Tue, 10 May 2011 18:49:29 -0000

Those of you who wave off and dismiss the Colorado State football team, you can forget that thinking. Its not in the cards. CSU Coach Steve Fairchild, himself a former Rams quarterback, is confident of that as well. In the three seasons Fairchild has been the team's head coach, his combined record is 13-24, with one winning season, but this season is shaping up great for the Rams. They have all the ingredients to roll to another winning season.

"I've been really happy with this spring," Fairchild said recently on the team's website. "We're not game-ready. There are still some areas we've got to develop in a hurry, but this has been a very productive spring. Best spring since I've been here."

The Rams might not be "game-ready" but spring ball brought them a long way toward the end zone. One of those areas that needed to be answered was how to fix the O-line. Fairchild and his assistants have worked hard and it shows. At the April 23rd Green and Gold spring game CSU gave the fans a look at some of the Rams improvements.

The Rams 2011 season to this point has been all about the quarterback. During the recent spring game all eyes were on sophomore quarterback Pete Thomas, 6' 5" 218 lbs. Last season he threw for an impressive 2,662 yards on 392 tries with 252 completions. But his inxperience led to 13 interceptions and just 11 touchdowns. This year he is a seasoned player. And more confident. You can bet his 64.3 percent pass rating will be much better and perhaps his running game as well.

"We've got a quarterback that now we can really get into some of the situations, some of those two- minute things. Things where we were just hanging on for dear life last year," Fairchild said of having a returning starter at QB. "Because of his experience, now we can start working at it. Anytime your quarterback's back, from an offensive standpoint, that's very positive."

With Thomas as the starter, it looks like he will be backed up by quarterback M. J. McPeek, 6' 4" 224 lbs. The junior QB, who transferred to CSU from Kansas State, did well with his Ram team in spite of an early struggle before ending with a pair of impressive drives.

The coaches have not just been focused on the QB situation. They have been giving the receivers a close look as well, watching to see who will be the players to help the QB's this year. Receivers such as WR Lou Greenwood, 6' 0" 186 lb., WR Bryon Steele, 6' 3" 215 lbs, and freshman wide receiver Thomas Coffman, 5' 10" 170 lbs. And they are only three mentioned here who might be stepping up. The jury is still out on redshirt freshman WR Brett Etherton, 6' 3", 207 lbs. who played well in the Spring Game. And look for WR Matt Yemm, 5' 11" 200 lbs, to not only receive but work with the special teams again this year as the primary holder.

Last year, the rushing attack for Colorado State was dreadful after early predictions suggested it would be dominate. But if CSU's spring game this year is any indication of the running game the team will be rolling downfield with the ball. Two of the backs who showed they can carry the pig this spring were RB Chris Nwoke, 6' 0" 215 lbs and RB Dereck Good, 5' 10" 193 lbs. They are proving they can be tough and gritty.

Crockett Gillmore, 6' 6" 235 lbs, is a big, physical TE who caught a lot of attention during spring ball. The Texan has shown he has good hands and able to play DE with good blocking as well. Coach Fairchild calls Gillmore one of the top 22 players on the team. The Rams have a number of other big guns in their arsenal: senior linebacker Mychal Sisson, 5' 1''" 207 lbs, whose 95 tackles were among the team leaders last season; sophomore linebacker Mike Orakpo, 6' 1" 215 lbs, should see plenty of action. Then there is safety Ivory Herd, 5' 11' 196 lbs could be a playmaker this year on defense and cornerback Bernard Blake,6' 0" 179 lbs, the team’s fastest player, who is back to do even more damage to opposing offenses this season.

That is just a sampling of the players who tore up up the field this past spring. And you can look for more players to show what they can do when fall ball practice begins and Fairchild puts the final polish on this year's Ram team. Already the fans are thinking about the coming season an making predictions. And the media is beginning to buzz. But not in a negative way as they did last year---the "year of the boomerang" when the Rams were expected to bounce back---when the Rams finished in ESPN's Bottom 10. The 2010 season was a tough, humilating year that was capped with the 44-0 beatdown at Wyoming. It was not good and not pretty.

But this year is shaping up better even schedule wise. The Rams open play at New Mexico, and the Lobos were another team in ESPN's Bottom 10 with an even worse record. Then they play Northern Colorado at home, before facing the University of Colorado. The following week they play at Utah State where they face an Aggie team that went 4-8 last year. Then they get San Jose State at home. The Boise State game is next, but right afterward they play UTEP who went 6-7 last year. Then UNLV. Those are a lot of winable games.

The end of the season will be tough with SDSU, TCU, and Air Force on the ticket. But the season finale will be the annual "Border War" with Wyoming---this time at home. Wyoming went 3-9 last year and the only big win was against the Rams. With a motivated, revenge-minded Ram team chomping at the bit, the Cowboys will be hard pressed to repeat that win this year at Fort Collins. When you look at it, there are just too many "wants" at stake: The CSU fans all want that Bronze Boot back. The Ram's football team want some payback.

And Coach Fairchild wants a post-season bowl game.