Following a 1-11 season that was ugly in a lot of ways, there isn't much expected of the Colorado football team this season.
First-year Buffaloes head coach Mike MacIntyre isn't too interested in outside expectations, though, and he isn't too interested in talking about last year.
"I don't talk about last year's season at all," MacIntyre said Saturday at CU's annual media day press conference. "I know that they do and I hope that they do, but I don't bring up anything about last year or things that went on. All I talk about is the future and now. I talk about now more than I do the future. I talk about what we do now reaps dividends in the future. I focus on the now, I focus on the individuals here."
During the 2012 season, the Buffaloes were blown out in a lot of games, and MacIntyre understands the memory of those games is still in the minds of his players.
"As a football player and as an athlete, I imagine you think about different games or different guys you went up against that you might like to get them again when you see them again," he said. "That's a natural competitive instinct and I would hope that they have that, but that's not something that I dwell on at all."
Because the Buffs struggled so much last year -- leading to Jon Embree being fired and MacIntyre being hired -- they are generally picked to finish last in the Pac-12. MacIntyre tries to avoid getting caught up in those projections, though.
"I guess the public's perception, if you read the magazines, is not
very good," MacIntyre said. "But, I tell our kids all the time and I tell myself all the time -- and I truly believe this -- block out all the noise. All we have to worry about is ourselves."MacIntyre said he doesn't concern himself with past results because they have little bearing on how the Buffs will perform in the future.
"It's amazing how that happens in sports," he said of unpredictable results. "I think that's one of the things that's great about sports; it's not a sure thing every Saturday that this is going to happen. I think that's exciting and we're really excited about this season. I know our players are working extremely hard and believing that they can stand toe-to-toe with anybody they play."
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University of Colorado football coach, Mike MacIntyre, addresses the media during CU Fall Sports Media Day on August 10, 2013. ( CLIFF GRASSMICK )
MacIntyre's second head coaching job, and the second time he's taken over a struggling program.He was hired at San Jose State in 2010, one season after the Spartans went 2-10 and were blown out in several games. The Spartans actually got worse in 2010, going 1-12, but then went 5-7 in 2011 and 11-2 last season, including a bowl victory.
MacIntyre is hoping for a similar turnaround in Boulder, but said he's not exactly going about it the same way.
"My first year as a head coach (in 2010), I was running around trying to put out every fire there was," he said. "I'm a lot better this time around than I was the first time. Also, our coaching staff was all brand new (in 2010). All the guys here know what we want, so we're all moving in the same direction.
"We're doing some things similar, but every school is different. You always have to tweak it here and there, but our core values are always going to be the same."
So far, the players appear to be on board with what MacIntyre and his staff and trying to accomplish.
"With these young men, it seems to me they've done everything we've asked them to do," he said. "They've been very spirited in our practices.
"They're working extremely, extremely hard. The one thing I see in them is a willingness and a work ethic by the majority of the players that is phenomenal."
Six captains -- Jack Harris, Paul Richardson, Chidera Uzo-Diribe, Paul Vigo, Derrick Webb and Connor Wood -- were named in June, and that has helped the team grow off the field, MacIntyre said.
"I feel like the overall character of the team is going in the right direction," he said. "The leaders I lean on are the six captains. We've had a lot of meetings together and we talk quite often to try to get the culture across that we want. It's fun watching guys mature in that process."
MacIntyre said that in the few months he's been on the job, he's seen his players doing things together and helping each other out, while continuing to put in a lot of work.
"I've seen more excitement and enthusiasm than we saw in the spring," he said. "That shows you they're buying into what's going on and they're working extremely hard. It's hard work, but they're also finding a way to enjoy it.
"I think that's how you get better at anything you do in life. If you don't enjoy your work you're not going to get any better at it."
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Source: http://www.buffzone.com/ci_23836015/football-cu-buffs-macintyre-focusing-now?source=rss_viewed
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