Robert Livingston certainly didn’t expect to have his defense refined by the end of spring practices.
Entering the final two practices of the spring, however, Colorado’s first-year defensive coordinator couldn’t be more pleased with the progress.
“There’s been goods and bads,” Livingston said Tuesday after the Buffaloes completed the 13th of their 15 spring practices. “I think the spring is very much that way when you go versus the offense. You’re the best in the world or you stink. So consistency is what we’re striving for. We talked about when I first met you guys laying the foundation and building from there. I think we’ve done a good job with that.”
Building the foundation required Livingston to learn about his players’ strengths and weakness and build around that. And, to not try to force feed the entire defensive scheme in 15 practices.
“There’s pros and cons to going slow, I recognize that, but that’s where our mindset is,” he said. “I’m very proud of the effort that we’re seeing every day. I know that’s kind of a statement you shouldn’t have to make, but the guys are running to the ball. That’s a key coaching point here. And execution has been good. So once we get this first floor set, then we’ll put the second, the third and the fourth, but we won’t go any higher until we’ve got our foundation set.”
Senior safety Cam’Ron Silmon-Craig said it’s been a good adjustment from former coordinator Charles Kelly to Livingston. Silmon-Craig praised Kelly, but said players have appreciated Livingston’s willingness to adjust to them.
“Coach Livingston came in and, just, he made the system about us,” he said. “Coach Kelly brought his own system in. … (In meetings), we tell him what we see and he goes and adjusts to that. A lot of lingo we use, the words we use, it’s coming from us; it’s not coming from coach Livingston. He’s kind of trying to adjust to us more. That makes it easy for us. … We’re not really thinking when we’re out there; we’re just playing.”
Before spring began, Livingston said he would be looking for certain players who are great at blitzing or excelled in different areas. He believes he’s found those guys this spring.
“I think we got some guys that can rush the passer. I think we got some guys that can cover,” He said. “We’ll kind of build from there.
“We’ve got some shooters, so it’s our job to feature them. … When it’s a got-to-have it, game-on-the-line, I think we have a pretty good feel who we want covering, who we want rushing and how we want the structure to be.”
Hunter making impression
Like just about everyone else who has been around the Buffs, Livingston has been impressed with star cornerback/receiver Travis Hunter.
“Travis is a unicorn,” Livingston said. “I think the best example is, you know, Travis was playing wide receiver on one of our third down days, so he gets eight to nine reps at wide out and then kind of jogs over to us. And I’m like, ‘Hey dude, you need a break?’ He kind of looks at me like I’m crazy. I’m like, ‘Oh, all right, great. Well, you got him. Go ahead.’
“I think Travis can be as good as he wants to be. I think the sky’s the limit. He’s an immensely talented kid. He’s a great kid. I’ve never seen him have a bad day. I don’t mean to make this into an infomercial for Travis, but I haven’t seen anything bad.”
Sapp’s impact
Hall of Fame defensive lineman Warren Sapp is in his first spring as a graduate assistant for the Buffs. Head coach Deion Sanders has been impressed with his work so far.
“Coach Sapp is a phenomenal communicator,” Sanders said recently. “He was on television for several years with me with the NFL Network. He knows his craft. He knows his craft superbly. That’s why he has a gold jacket. It’s not about just his athletic ability. He knows this game and he’s able to communicate that in his passionate way and I love how he does it. I love what he brings to the table, who he is, how he is.
“I’m just really glad and I’m thankful that our young men are getting that on a daily basis, just that communication.”
