Rose Bowl thoughts
by John Berkowitz on Jan 1, 2009 11:00 PM PST
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PrintI think anyone who watched the Rose Bowl came away impressed by the play of the USC Trojans. It is hard to imagine that there is a better team out there in college football right now. It is even harder to believe that Oregon State beat these guys earlier this year but stuff like that happens in college football. It is very difficult to go undefeated even if you are the USC.
If you are a Husky fan you had to come away with the impression that Steve Sarkisian and his offense is the real deal. The Trojans didn't slow down till the second half when Carroll decided to put the breaks on and handed the game to his defense.
I think it was a great preview of what Husky fans can expect next season when it comes to offensive style. Sure they won't have the horses the Trojans have for a few years but the direction is clear. Jake Locker can't help but get better under Sarkisian and that is a very good thing.
Over on the Dawgman board a number of people have questioned Sarkisian's involvement in the Rose Bowl after he was hired by Washington. I happen to think it is a good thing and it got Washington a lot of exposure recruiting wise that they wouldn't have gotten if Sark had jumped ship early.
If your Jake Heaps you have to like the look of the offense he has put together. Make no mistake a lot of recruits were watching the game and they all can't play for USC. I think it made a positive impression.
Sark will be back in Seattle Friday to start his new life as the head coach at Washington and the future is going to be bright. The vibe he sent out when he was hired is only going to increase over the next month and through 2009.
There is a new sheriff in town and the revival of Husky football begins in earnest on January 2nd. I think we are all going to like what we see.
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The main question in my mind
can Sark and ??? get Jake reay to run that type of offense by next fall.
I was waiting for Pete to pull the trigger later in the game but he didn’t. Howver, it very clear which was the better team. Is there any question why Taylor Mays turned Ty down…he is looking to get to the league…he would have made it as a Husky, unless he got into Ty’s black hole, but he looks better with Pete.
Locker and Mays
Can Locker be at the level of Sanchez by next fall is the real question and that is probably no. Can he be ready to run the new offense effectively by this fall….yes? Can you say Carson Palmer?
Willingham was simply out recruited by Carroll. Williingham took it for granted that Mays would come because he was local and his dad and uncle had played at UW. Mays parents wanted him to go to UW. In the end Carroll and his staff where in on him earlier and showed a lot more enthusiasm than the Washington staff did. Willingham came across as stiff and boring while Carroll came across as fun and enthusiastic.
by John Berkowitz on Jan 2, 2009 8:32 AM PST up reply actions
In his press conference didn’t Sarkisian mention that it will come fast? See that is what I am trying to define. Fast as in next season or fast as in within a couple of years compared to what we’ve already endoured since, well arguably since James retired.
Fast
Just the change in attitude will be huge.
He needs to figure out how much actual talent he has on the roster and go from there. I think they have enough to go .500 next season with a couple of breaks.
by John Berkowitz on Jan 2, 2009 9:22 AM PST up reply actions
Absolutly
Jake isn’t as far off as most people think. The recieving game is all about spacing and taking advantage of gaps left by the defense. For every bit of blame people want to put on Jake for the inconsistantcy an equal share needs to go on the recievers for VERY poor spacing and bad route running. The success will be found in the small details that Ty & his crew failed to get across to the players.
Did you see all the roll-outs USC used? Jake will be a lot more lethal on those plays than Sanchez – the defenses will have to respect Jake as a running threat which will open up more passing options. And any passing play is one that Jake can turn into a run if he sees the middle of the field wide open. Given the struggles of our o-line the last few years, I expect to see Jake rolling out a lot.
Also, don’t be surprised if you see a few option plays mixed in. While DJ favored a mostly pro-style offense, he regularly incorporated a few option running plays even when his QB’s were primarily drop-back guys. I think Sarkisian is smart enough to adjust his playbook slightly to take advantage of Jake’s gifts.
Keeping Jake from getting too excited...
and taking off himself will be paramount in the roll outs succeeding. The game needs to get slower for him and I’m not sure that can be taught.
by hairofthedawg on Jan 2, 2009 5:00 PM PST up reply actions
Well, that’’s where coaching comes in. The more Locker is able to read defenses and see how plays develop in front of him, the “slower” the game will seem. One of the things I saw Sarkisian stressing with his QB’s in the USC practice videos is the idea that a QB needs to anticipate the action; don’t just wait until you see a guy running free (because by that point safeties and LB’s might be closing in on your target) – read the defense and anticipate the opening happening.
Locker will certainly need to learn when to tuck the ball and run on pass plays and when to use his running to draw defenses toward him and open up the field for his receivers, but that’s also something that can be coached – give Locker players to key on in those circumstances.
The education of Locker is continuing; considering he came from an offense that was primarily about misdirection running plays, we shouldn’t be too surprised that it’s taking a while for him to really learn the nuances of passing the ball. Sarkisian should be good for Locker’s development.
A Sark New Year
Happy New Year John. I think we will have much more to be happy about than the last 5 terrible years. The dark years might be over!
Dark years?
I think the dark years are over and we are back to watching the team get better every game and practice. I find that pretty exciting. It won’t all happen at once because next years schedule is another killer but I think we will back to being competitive every game and we might win a couple that nobody figured we would because we will play to win and not lose.
by John Berkowitz on Jan 2, 2009 8:34 AM PST up reply actions
Pola
Not sure on Pola yet. Depends on if they fire the staff at Jacksonville.
by John Berkowitz on Jan 2, 2009 8:35 AM PST up reply actions
A Good Hire- Poaching Carroll's staff
I think this may be the best hire since Don James. The pro style is the way to go. Why did everybody abandon the pro style in the last 6 to 8 years? Everybody sold their souls for better results w/ the spread. When we get this pro style up and running, how many programs are going to revert back to it?
Penn State’s secondary looked literally lost! All the X, Y, and Z USC receivers stand 6-4 or taller (so it seems) and I think they were lost in their coverage assignments. Not sure if the UofW will get that talented at the wideout positions, but I agree it is all about spacing. Sanchez looked like a bonafied franchised quarterback out there. He’s good, probably the best of the USC QBs to run the pro style in college. That list includes Carson Palmer.
Without question the best football prorgram again this year is USC. Florida, Oklahoma, Alabama, and Texas? Penn State was in that class too and just got the whoopin’ stick by the Trojans. The only team that could give USC a run for the marbles is Florida. Tebow is a beast, but I think Malega (spelling) and Cushing would contain him quite well.
Pro Style
You could run a Chinese Fire Drill with USC’s talent and do well.
I think it is less the offense used than it is the execution of the offense used.
USC executes very well.
That comes from coaching.
Oh beleive me I agree. It doesn’t matter what offense you run- it’s all about execution. But you also have to have talent for the offense. We don’t have a great group of talent to run the spread, as does Oregon. I thought us opting for the spread was like grab bagging something or anything that “may” work. It didn’t because we don’t have an offensive line that is mobile enough to run the stinkin’ spread.
Sark is a pro style coach and we will head in that direction. It will take a few years of teaching it and recruiting towards it, but I like the switch, especially since everybody besides SC went all-in on the gimmick spread.
Rose Bowl - Great Execution
USC had great execution. They blocked well, ran good routes, and made great game time adjustments. To compliment that, they have great athletes, but really they executed a great game plan.
I think Sark should bring that attention to detail that you saw last night to the UW. Don James had that attention to detail and it looks like Sark has it too. Things will start improving very quickly, but being realisitic it will take 3-4 years to really get things where they should be. We really need to focus on becoming dominate in the Northwest again and everything else will fall in place.
3-4 years?
I am thinking two.
Ty had two decent classes in a row.
Add that to what Sark brings in the over th enext two years and we will be fine.
What Do you think John?
Do you think the exposure of coach Sark coaching in the Rose Bowl will bolster our recruiting class? I am thinking that many kids on the fence might be more persuaded by Sark winning the Rose Bowl, thus signing with Washington.
Now I am going to be glued to Rivals to see if it happens, even though I don’t believe all the hype surrounding Rivals or Scouts.
Yep
Boost it between 35 and 45 if we are lucky.
Next year is when it all comes together.
by John Berkowitz on Jan 2, 2009 8:25 PM PST up reply actions
7 years?
Some oregon reporter at the lowlight of the Husky Season threw out this number for the program to snap back and I’m thinking “where in the world do you come up with that?” I mean you completely turn over a team in as little as 4 or 5 years. Sometimes you wonder what these people are smoking.
by doubledeucedawg on Jan 2, 2009 11:30 AM PST up reply actions
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