Progress Made and Still Expected

Jim Mora came to the program with a standard to be met. After 15 spring practices, the Colorado State football coach is still waiting. Not that it wasn't expected.

Somewhat like Friday's closing weather – big, spring snowflakes blowing across the field. He'd been told to expect it this spring. It just didn't come until the end.

A revamped roster and a rebuilt coaching staff requires a process to take place before trust is built, consistency reached. Mora recognizes that while holding firm on his desire to get there sooner than later.

"It's better, but it's not near where it needs to be," Mora said Friday. "But we're learning daily, and that's part of coaching is just coaching them up, teaching them what it's supposed to look like, what it's supposed to feel like, how to push through adversity, how to handle success, how to treat the very next day as the next opportunity to get better. And that's what our guys are adopting.

"But we have a million miles to go, and we have time to get there. But every day it's that process of moving closer to, you know, what we ultimately want to become."

There are 67 players on roster new to the program, but not all of them are new to Mora, having played for him at UConn. Additionally, part of the coaching staff worked for him. There are people on board who know what he wants and are there to help guide the process.

The first game isn't until Sept. 5, so there is time. Those who know feel those who are learning are coming along, which is encouraging.

"I think we're on the right track, but I don't think we're there yet. As you've seen, he gets mad out there," tight end Juice Vereen said. "We've just got to keep stacking days, keep taking what's in the meeting room to the practice field. I'm sure we'll get where he wants, but I know what he wants. He just wants us to keep working, to focus, to listen, to have that mental endurance, mental toughness. We've just got to keep building that.

"I am encouraged. From OTAs to now, everybody's gotten better day by day. Every position group, our communication, our execution operation, whatever you want to look at, everything has gotten better. I am very excited but not satisfied about where we are. At UConn, it took us a little while."

Spring camp may be finished, but the process is not. There is no break for the team, coaches included. Offseason lifting and conditioning will take place Monday. OTAs will follow. Player-led workouts will continue to fine-tune what they've learned in camp.

Nothing stops. The summer is about putting in more work, but Mora would like to eliminate certain aspects which have presented roadblocks.

"Well, number one, we have to get healthy. We had 24 guys out this practice today, which is a world record in my mind. I mean, I've never seen it. It's just – it's unbelievable," Mora said. "I have no idea why it's 24, but it's 24. And we will not survive if that's the case. We won't be able to – we'll lose every game if that's the case. So that's number one, is we have to look at the reasons why we have so many players missing practice. I've never had it in my career.

"I expect it to get fixed, and I think it will get fixed, but we can't survive if we have 24 players missing practice because those 24 players won't play games. If you don't practice around here, you don't play. So that's number one. We've got to get healthy, and we have to find a way to keep them healthy. And if we can't do that, we won't win."

What he does appreciate is the department's desire to help him problem-solve through the resources of nutrition and strength and conditioning.

Get the players healthy, the OTAs will generate more progress, as will the weight room.

As for Vereen, who understands he has to step into a leadership role, he embraces his marching orders. Now is not the time to rest or take a step forward. Now is just as important as what the team has just built the past six weeks, not let it crumble.

"It's the details. We've got to clean up the details," Vereen said. "Whether that's in routes or block combination or just around game pass game. We really need to clean up details all the way around. That's what we're going to do.

"We'll do a lot of play-around practices; it'll just be the players out there. We'll run stuff. We'll go through our whole script, make sure everybody's on the same page. We do that for a couple of weeks before the coaches get back."

One important part is not lost on Mora. They have a start. It wasn't perfect, but it had to happen.

You can't reach the goal without those first steps, awkward as some of them may be.

"If you can't start, you can't finish," Mora said. "So we're starting, but I don't even think we can see the finish line right now in terms of what the expectations are around here for how we're going to practice, how we're going to play, how we're going to think, how we're going to meet, how we're going to rehab, how we're going to lift. They're starting to understand that now there's the consistency that has to happen.

"That's my job to keep pushing them towards that consistency and keep demanding and not letting anybody feel comfortable about where we are. The natural thing right now, let down. Done with spring. Take a breath. You don't take a breath in this business. The people that take a breath in this business lose."

Which Mora has no intention of doing any time soon.

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