Building An Offense From the Ground Floor
Tracy optimistic about what he’s seen in camp
Mike Brohard
Truth is, they don’t have to pick up a first down of meaning for another four months, let alone put points on the board. Even still, Pryce Tracy would like to see proof the offense he’s constructing at Colorado State is more than capable of both of those things – preferably in droves – in the current structure.
Spring camp is a time to see concepts start to come together while fresh ideas formulate. It’s experimentation and methodical research. See a player excel and wonder just how to use them best.
In the case of Tracy, do it for the first time.
“It's been awesome. It's been everything I've been working toward for 17 years,” he said at the midpoint of spring camp. “I've been very fortunate to be around a lot of really good offensive minds, a lot of really creative play callers. The problem is I probably have too many things with me, too many ideas, too many thoughts of things I want to do. A guy like me just loves scheming and X's and O's.
“We're in the lab right now, for sure, so we can test ideas, test thoughts, test different things. This is the fun part of the year.”
He’s not the only one, either. The “lab rats” are having a blast being put through the paces, watching it come together while learning how it’s connected and how the coaches connect the dots and use the data.
The rules of the game allow for 15 spring sessions, but teams can also take advantage of a handful of OTAs. It was then basics were installed to a collection of players coming together for the first time. Some who knew Tracy at UConn recognized some parts and understood the variables. They knew his personality and his approach while others were learning on the fly.
At the start of spring, a reinstall of sorts and the introduction of some of the lab work. They were taking notes then, and they’ll continue to do so for another handful of weeks.
“You’ve really got to trust the process. Like Pryce, when he first came to UConn, you know he's a good coach,” wideout Terrence Smith Jr., said. “I already knew him before we even came here. He already put in our mind what we what he wanted to do, and I just fell in love with it in the room. We were talking about it. I'm ready for it.
“We’re just with a good group of guys; there's no selfishness. We all just met each other, but everybody's out helping each other on new stuff.”
Just the same, all of them are doing their best to make an impression. Early returns suggest the running back room is deep, so they want to stand out and become part of the call sheet Tracy will use on game days. There isn’t a position room where other players aren’t generating the same thoughts.
All the same, they take a wider view and take in what’s going on around them. A good offense requires multiple options and a cohesive unit where 11 assignments being done correctly leads to success. A play called in the first quarter could very well set up a key call in the fourth.
We're in the lab right now, for sure, so we can test ideas, test thoughts, test different things. This is the fun part of the year.Pryce Tracy
Be part of the solution, but more importantly, part of the success. Trust the process.
They already trust the architect.
“I really think he uses everybody. He knows what kind of weapons he has,” running back Oliver Lundberg said of Tracy. “I think everybody already knows who's explosive and who he can really juice. So, I'm excited. I think he's doing a great job. I think we're in a good spot and we're just getting better every day, exactly every day.
“I can see myself fitting into it, and I can see a lot of other people fitting into it because we've got so many different weapons on this offense. We've got a lot of power, we've got a lot of speed, we've got a lot of playmakers.”
Elements which lead to high-scoring offenses, the type which are taking over college football. The elite units in the past five years are the ones averaging better than 30 points per game – last year being the first one in six where at least 50 teams across the nation hit the figure.
Colorado State hasn’t seen that type of production for about a decade. The Rams have to go back to 2017 for the last time (33.4), the last season in a five-year run where productive offenses were the norm under Jim McElwain and Mike Bobo – one of the offensive minds Tracy has mentored under. From 2013-19, only once did the Rams not reach 30 points per game, and that was 2015 when they averaged 29.6.
Tracy knows what he wants from his offense, and this spring he’s decoding how to get there.
“The basis of who we want to be is a run-first offense. We'll be able to do that with the backs we have, the tight ends, and we have the O-lineman and the quarterbacks,” he said. “Obviously as we're getting to know the first answer, we have to put these pieces in these parts.”
Every day has been valuable, regardless of the bottom line. Some of them have been really good, where those involved clearly see progression through stacking positive reps. Others, not so much, but still valuable for the teaching moments they create.
The more intently they go at it – even if it means running a play over and over again until they get it right – the better the offense will be when the outcomes start to matter on a scoreboard and the standings.
“We’re really just trying to treat every day like game day because that's what is really preparing us for to make the games easy. That's why we have these hard practices,” Smith Jr., said. “So when you get out in the game, it's a breeze for you. To be ready you prepare for anything.
“I can see we’ve got a lot of playmakers and that's going to be good because our whole goal is to just get a bunch of explosives.”
Which brings them back to the focus of spring. The season may not rely on the Rams moving the chains right now, but that day will eventually come, and now is the time to show Tracy they can.
He needs them to learn and understand the foundation being constructed. He’s looking to identify the players who can execute, as well as those who provide an extra wrinkle or two to make it even better. Those who can shorten a drive busting out and busting away. The guys who can get the tough yards which may not be explosive but wear down and demoralize a defensive effort.
“I’m cautiously optimistic,” Tracy said. “I've been in this a long time. I know we are nowhere near where we need to be. We have not arrived. We have a long way to go for what we want it to ultimately look like, but I'm encouraged by the couple of steps we've taken so far through OTAs and spring that we're headed ultimately to what I think will be the right direction.”
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