Spring Break
The Star Report: Rams can't afford to lose Brewer
Sean Star
Issue date: 3/13/09 Section: Sports
As if the off-season for local football fans wasn't already chaotic enough trying to keep up with the soap opera that has become the Denver Broncos, things got downright depressing on Thursday.
Ricky Brewer, who was projected as the leader of the Rams' defense next fall, was suspended by the team for the entire 2009 season.
Talk about a downer the day before spring break starts.
Brewer apologized in a statement released by the university, though it wasn't exactly clear for what. He only admitted to making "an error in judgment."
Whatever error in judgment he made, it's going to cost his team dearly. The names of the players on the list to replace Brewer are everything but familiar, even for the most diehard Ram fan.
Simply put, Brewer is the last player the Rams could afford to lose.
A case could be made for safety Klint Kubiak, or receivers Dion Morton and Rashaun Greer, but Brewer's ceiling is higher than all of those guys. And next season was supposed to be when he approached it.
Instead he'll be watching from the sideline as his teammates try to build on the marked improvement they made last year. CSU's first winning season in five years was a giant step forward, but it's hard to not think Brewer's suspension will greatly impede that momentum.
After coming to the Fort from Mullen High School in 2006, Brewer steadily evolved into a force on the defensive side of the ball the past two seasons.
Before Thursday he was well on his way to becoming the team's first all-conference defensive player since 2003.
Now, who knows?
CSU players the caliber of Brewer have missed an entire season twice recently, returning the next year with varying degrees of their former self.
Kyle Bell missed all of 2006 and was never the same player. Kory Sperry missed all of 2007 and for the most part regained his form. Granted, Bell and Sperry lost their seasons to injuries and not suspensions.
If there is a smidgen of good news buried in this debacle, it's that Brewer will still be able to practice and workout with the team. And according to one player I spoke with Thursday, that means something.
Ricky Brewer, who was projected as the leader of the Rams' defense next fall, was suspended by the team for the entire 2009 season.
Talk about a downer the day before spring break starts.
Brewer apologized in a statement released by the university, though it wasn't exactly clear for what. He only admitted to making "an error in judgment."
Whatever error in judgment he made, it's going to cost his team dearly. The names of the players on the list to replace Brewer are everything but familiar, even for the most diehard Ram fan.
Simply put, Brewer is the last player the Rams could afford to lose.
A case could be made for safety Klint Kubiak, or receivers Dion Morton and Rashaun Greer, but Brewer's ceiling is higher than all of those guys. And next season was supposed to be when he approached it.
Instead he'll be watching from the sideline as his teammates try to build on the marked improvement they made last year. CSU's first winning season in five years was a giant step forward, but it's hard to not think Brewer's suspension will greatly impede that momentum.
After coming to the Fort from Mullen High School in 2006, Brewer steadily evolved into a force on the defensive side of the ball the past two seasons.
Before Thursday he was well on his way to becoming the team's first all-conference defensive player since 2003.
Now, who knows?
CSU players the caliber of Brewer have missed an entire season twice recently, returning the next year with varying degrees of their former self.
Kyle Bell missed all of 2006 and was never the same player. Kory Sperry missed all of 2007 and for the most part regained his form. Granted, Bell and Sperry lost their seasons to injuries and not suspensions.
If there is a smidgen of good news buried in this debacle, it's that Brewer will still be able to practice and workout with the team. And according to one player I spoke with Thursday, that means something.
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