Lost Traditions

It was obvious that Hawk tried to change things up.  There were the noticeable tweaks (smoke tunnel entrance, and the Roundup walk to the stadium), and the less noticeable (thunder chute, covering up of the "pride and tradition sign.").  As any head coach would do, he came in a tried to put his own stamp on how the Buffs prepared to run out onto the field.  Some of his changes worked, some of them didn't.  I thought the roundup was a cool concept with unfortunately low response from the fanbase.  The covering-up of the sign seemed like a massive oversight.   Considering the climate he was brought into (the "scandal")  it's rather unsurprising that he tried to change the way the program "felt."  I guess my problem, and one that many others shared, was that he was remaking the entire way that CU saw itself; what it meant to be a Buff.

In that respect its been nice to see Coach Brian Cabral try and use his stint as Interim Head Coach to return the Buffs to some of their old traditions.  In the 7 days he's been running the show, Cabral has: canned the roundup walk, gotten rid of the inflatable smoke tunnel, restored the "Buffalo Heartbeat," and banned the color red.  Coach Jashon Sykes even expects the infamous "pride and tradition" sign to make a quick comeback.

(He's bringing the pride back.)

Yes these are essentially cosmetic changes.  A sign is, for all intents and purposes, just a plaque on a wall.  But, in a sport where you work as a unit of many for one cause, unifying structural concepts can be significant.  I love the concept of the "Buffalo Heartbeat."  While I had never heard of the tradition before, I can see how Buff players of years past could have used it to form a bond with their teammates before heading out onto the field.  Banning the color red is a quirky way of reinforcing the concept of "us vs. them," and it can create a rallying mental point, even in non-Nebraska weeks.  Things like that can be just as important to the identity of the program as the logo or running out behind Ralphie.

You don't always have to do things the same way, and change can be good.  However, I don't think it's merely coincidence that the 4 wins so far this year have come in games that included outside motivation and tradition.  CSU is a rivalry (such as it is) and no context is needed.  In the Georgia and Hawaii games, CU was honoring it's past, and the players were told/shown what it means to be a Buffalo, and what it takes to be successful here.  Against Iowa State, not only was there the external spark of Hawk's firing, but Cabral had re-instituted the pre-game institutions referenced earlier.  It was easy to get up for these games; in these four games, the players were forced to have a sense of purpose greater than themselves, and it showed in the final score.  When I think back on the half-a-lope performances and demeanor of games and teams over the last 5 years, I wonder if this, the lost traditions, is the root cause.

This is all a round-a-bout way of saying: I think we need to stay "in the family" for the next hire.  If we don't, the guy better "buy-in" to what it means to be a Buff the way an outsider like Bill McCartney bought-in 27 years ago.

Unless something interesting happens (read: a coach is hired) by tomorrow, I'll have my short list for the next head football coach up tomorrow.