The Colorado State Rams played their first spring game under new head coach Jim McElwain over the weekend, and it was a defensive-minded battle between the Green and Gold. For a program that's essentially installing a new defensive scheme this season, the Rams' new coaching staff presumably found a lot to like in that game.
But in speaking with the Denver Post's Christopher Dempsey, Rams co-defensive coordinator Al Simmons made it clear that the team still has a good deal to figure out before the season actually starts. While excitement is building, the Rams don't even know whether they'll be going with a 3-4 or 4-3 defensive alignment yet:
We did both (3-4 and 4-3 alignments) in the spring, and we're still trying to figure it out as we go along, what our best group is. So we've just got to keep staying multiple, I think, until we get all the way down to the end.
When asked if the decision wouldn't come until preseason camp in August, Simmons replied, "Yeah, exactly."
So for now, Simmons and fellow defensive coordinator Marty English will continue to work with a defense that badly needs to improve for the Rams to make some noise in the Mountain West. Colorado State gave up an average of roughly 31 points per game last season, a pretty awful mark.
In addition to the uncertainty on defense, Rams offensive coordinator Dave Baldwin noted to Dempsey in a different piece that the team is still deciding who will be its starting quarterback. Four different players are still in the mix right now, but it's becoming clear that the Rams will have a bunch of decisions to make at the end of the summer.
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