Pre Spring Reports - CB
by John Berkowitz on Mar 14, 2009 11:45 AM PDT
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PrintDoes Washington have a true Pac 10 cornerback on its roster?
That is one of the things the coaches will be seriously looking at this spring. They need to identify the players fast enough running forwards and backwards who can play this position. CB's traditionally are among the fastest players on the roster.
You would like these guys to be able to run under 4.5 and be able to run almost as fast backpedaling. Everyone wants tall CB's who can do that but since there aren't a lot of those guys around a big leaper will do. Vertical leaping ability is a big part of the equation when you are evaluating a CB.
Quinton Richardson, Mesphin Forrester, and Matt Mosley picked up most of the starts last season. They all had one thing in common and that is they are not ideal Pac 10 CB's.
Forrester who graduated was a tweener. Not physical enough at safety and too slow for the corner. At best Mesphin was a credible nickle back. Matt Mosley played well at the end of the year but is a shade or too slow for the position. Matt is a good athlete who started at TB and spent some time at WR before heading over to help on defense. He lacks the speed to be a lockdown CB in this league.
So what are the coaches going to do this spring to sort it out?
One of the answers will be JC Transfer Dominque Gaisie. He is a little small but he has the speed, hops, and attitude to play the position. Look for him to earn a starting job when he arrives this fall. He was coached by new CB coach Demetrice Martin at Mt. SAC so he already has an in.
Who plays on the other side is not so clear. Vonzell McDowell, and Matt Mosley return and on paper would have the edge with their experience. Justin Glenn, and Adam Long will be in the mix after red shirting last season. Both of these kids have the size, speed, and raw tools you need to play this position. They just might be able to leap frog the more experienced kids ahead of them. If they do it is a good sign because we already know what Mosley and McDowell can do.
Anthony Gobern who gray shirted with a shoulder injury last season will play for the first time this spring. The former HS TB has the tools to play the position. As a TB he reminded me a lot of David Freeman. We all know how agile Freeman is.
On the recruiting front the Huskies bring in the top HS CB in the state from last season in Desmond Trufant who will likely spend next season learning and getting stronger. He has great bloodlines being the brother of Seahawk Marcus Trufant who attended WSU.
What about Quinton Richardson? I think the injury to S Jason Wells has sealed the probable move back to safety position where he belongs. I think Richardson has great potential and the year spent at CB wasn't wasted because of the coverage techniques he had to develop.
Richardson when recruited was targeted as growing into a LB. He ended up being a lot faster than anyone thought. That of course doesn't mean the 6'2 220 pound athlete is a cornerback.
In conclusion Washington's pass defense was one of the worst in the country last year. It was evident that last years coaching staff didn't have the answers at CB. The new staff needs some new talent to emerge to have success.
The hope is that Gaisie will lock down one of the positions and someone else in the pack will emerge this spring to take over the other side.
I think opportunity is really knocking for Glenn and Long this spring. Long may be the fastest player on the team. Glenn was the best HS cornerback in the Northwest when he was recruited. Both of these kids are going to be in the mix this spring for a lot of playing time.
Time may be running out on the other hand for Vonzell McDowell who played way too early after starting the first four games of 2007. This is a make or break year for him. Vonzell needs to show the coaches something or he could be somewhere else in 2010.
Possible position changes? They would have to come from either WR or TB and I really don't see anyone who jumps out at me. Once again the coaches know best so we will see how they shuffle the roster this spring.
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I’ve mentioned that I think 40 times are overrated and for the most part I stand by that statement. But the 40 time is a benchmark for corners. Of any position on the field the 40 time needs to be low for the cornerback. Dominque Gaisie will more then likely be one of our starters, why else would he be recruited from a JC? Getting Gaisie acclimated to Holt’s defense and coverage assignments are going to be huge. Gaisie has to have it all down come Fall camp.
And I agree the other corner is questionable at this point. I think what we should do is bring in multiple corners and rotate them in feverishly. Doing this will give us fresh legs, while the opposing receiver is winded. Secondly we need to coach our corners up on proper defensive alignment involving pass coverage. If we can teach our kids to get into the proper coverage alignment, this can assist us in our ability to defend the faster opposing recievers.
I’m not too concerned right now about our coverage. Coach Holt said during his press conference that we can’t allow cheap touchdowns. Our defensive backfield will be ready. We’ll just have to play smart ball until we can recruit lock-down cover corners. Trufant might be one of those guys.
All I saw was purple
You definitely have faith, I'll give you that
I’m very concerned about all of our defensive backs. The safeties have potential, but I’m looking at the corners and none of them would start on any other Pac10 team. This is still the part of the team that concerns me the most. If I were an opposing coach, I’d throw the ball often, and I’d throw it long.
Just because Coach Holt says we can’t allow cheap touchdowns, that doesn’t suddenly make our corners any better than they are.
"Bow Down to Washington"
"Kick the tires and light the fires!"
That's the other reason...
…we have GOT to be able to pressure the QB! This has been killing us the last few years. Hopefully this will be the year we get someone to breakout and help Teo Nesheim.
Washington Husky Football-1991 National Champions
I Don't have faith, I have hope
Our coaching staff was largely pathetic last year. We are getting some of the best coaches in America this year. You can’t tell me Holt is not a great coach, if he wasn’t he wouldn’t have been on the USC sidelines.
Our kids are not that great at corner, but with great coaching they can be taught. And I agree with dawgfan. If we can get some dam pressure on the QB w/ our front, then surely we won’t expell so much energy in the secondary. You can’t teach speed, I know this, but you can teach proper defensive alignment involving pass coverage. Stuff like the hitch and go routes will eat up our secondary- that stuff scares me.
All I saw was purple
I'd be a bit cautious
Best coaches in America, huh? Put down the purple colored glasses for a sec, and look at this from a more neutral point of view. The UW will be the measuring stick for most of these coaches. To date they have accomplished nothing, coaching at USC under Pete Carroll is a cake walk compared to turning around our program. Mark Stoops was a GREAT defensive coordinator at Oklahoma, he’s an average head coach. Gilby was a great offensive coordinator under Don James, didn’t cut it as a head coach.
Our coaches are young, and have everything to prove. I’m quite hopeful that they will be very successful, but to call them the best in America is a HUGE stretch. If we win a Rose Bowl in the next two years I’ll agree with you.
I don’t mean to be a prick, I just hope everybody will keep some sort of sanity and not set the bar so high that Sark and Co. won’t be able to reach it.
"Bow Down to Washington"
"Kick the tires and light the fires!"
Okay Hold on...
Mike Stoops was a helluva defensive coordinator under his brother at Oklahoma- I will give you that. The reason Mike has struggled at Arizona is because of the initial coaching staff he hired. Can you say “LOUSEY”? The first four years under Mike Stoops the Wildcats were the worst coached team in the Pac 10, flat out lousey!
Yet as the talent level has risen in Tuscon on the gridiron so has the coaching staff. Mike has reshuffled and poached some good coaches lately and the revamped coaching staff at Arizona is winning ball games. Another thing that Mike is struggling with is the fact that Arizona is a basketball school and the local fan base in Tuscon (all of southern Arizona) loves wildcat basketball. With all that said you can now see the tremendous job Mike’s had to under take out on the dessert. When he arrived there was no talent and he didn’t hire a great coaching staff initially [see Ty], and the fact that Mike has had to reshape the communities of the U of Arizona, the city of Tuscon, and the entire Southern Arizona region into getting behind his Arizona football program. Mike’s job at Arizona does not come close to the job coach Sark has at Washington.
Washington is a football-crazed university, even our Pac 10 champion men’s basketball team comes second to an 0-12 Washington Husky football team- that says something about the support Sark has and Stoops didn’t have. And this has nothing to do with the head coach, well sort it does. But I’m here to tell you that any head coach will tell you the success comes from the players and assistant coaches. Coach Sark has great assistants. Look across the ball from Sark and we’ve got USC’s defensive coordinator runnning our defense.
Get on board Lear, you’re missing all the excitement.
All I saw was purple
Hmm, interesting comparison
Who has a tougher job, Mike Stoops taking over a poor Arizona team with a little bit of tradition, or Sark taking over an 0-12 team with a lot of tradition. Unfortunately fans don’t win games, we still have to put our players out on the field. I’d have to say its a toss up, just remember Sark has not been a head coach before and all we have right now is hopes and dreams.
I don’t need to get onboard, I am the voice of reason reminding you that there is a long uphill road that we will have to climb. After we finish 4-8, or 5-6 next season, I’ll be the one saying, “yep, that’s about what I expected.” You’ll be the one drowning your sorrows in a drunken stuper because Sark is actually human after all.
"Bow Down to Washington"
"Kick the tires and light the fires!"
I think most sane
Dawg fans expect about a 4 win season next year. If this team goes 6-6 next year it will be an outstanding job by everyone involved. My expectations will increase at about 2 wins per year or so:
2009 4 wins
2010 6 wins = possible minor bowl bid
2011 8 wins = bowl bid
2012 get in the conversation for winning the PAC-10
No Comparison
How can you compare Mike Stoop’s career at Arizona to Steve Sarkisian’s at the UofW? We’re not even on the same scale.
How long of a tenure has Mike Stoops had at Arizona? How many losing seasons? How many bowl bids? If Mike were at Washington he would’ve been fired for not turning around the program. I don’t consider getting the Cats to a minor bowl game a huge, impactful turnaround. And what tradition are you referring to at Arizona regarding the football program? The Dessert Swarm era? That was one season- not a lot of tradtion there if you ask me. Being the head football coach at Arizona is the equivelent of being the head football coach at Washington State. They don’t expect Rose Bowl bids in Tuscon. They want an entertaining team that can compete for a lofty bowl bid about every four years. The real sport in Arizona is basketball. And you are right, the fans don’t play the game nor coach it. But they support it and they invest into it. At Arizona over the last 25 years, fans have supported and invested into the basketball program. The football team has been an after thought minus the Dessert Swarm season.
Personally I didn’t think the Arizona job was a good fit for Mike Stoops when he took the job. Mike is from a family of football junkies (coaches)- we’re talking about a patriarch of passionate football coaches. I think Mike should’ve taken a job at a university that puts football up on a pedestal, i.e. Michigan, Tennessee, Alabama, Notre Dame, Washington, and Miami. These are just some of the big time football schools who’s had openings lately for head football coaches. Taking the Arizona job was not well thought out. It’s a basketball school- much like Carolina, Syracuse, and Duke. They are career killers.
I say if Sark works his ass off, takes recruiting very seriously, hires a great coaching staff, get’s behind the support of the media, alumni, booster, students, and fans- coach is going to succeed. Mike didn’t have any of that at a basketball frenzied Arizona, Sark does.
I respect your views and opinions and it is wise to not get caught up in all the hype after what we’ve gone thru the last 6 years. But I believe all that hype will get things rolling again. Currently we have 4 big time recruits w/ verbals for the 2010 recruiting class. That’s huge for an 0-12er!
And if you want to debate the lackluster head coaching jobs under the Pete Carroll tree, then I’ve got one answer. They took bad jobs. Mississippi is not going to win the SEC anytime soon. Oakland is not a great job in the NFL anymore. On the other hand even at 0-12 the Washington job still is and only Sark knew it. The state of Washington puts out great prep talent, it is a football-crazi school, therefore making the University of Washington still an impact program.
Go Sark! WOOF!!!
All I saw was purple
You are still looking at everything with purple colored glasses.
Stoops was a TOP assistant who took over at a down program. Yes Washington has WAY more resources, but resources don’t win games, coaching wins games.
North Carolina a career killer, huh? Interesting, Butch Davis is doing pretty darn good so far, and for a basketball school he’s doing a FABULOUS job.
Bad jobs: Assistants VERY rarely get good jobs. Butch Davis took a “bad job” and is doing quite well. Good coaches win, average coaches don’t. So far Carroll hasn’t produced any assistants who could win on their own.
Snostrebla’s outline for the future seems right on, very good realistic expectations. Anything above and beyond that is just frosting on the cake.
"Bow Down to Washington"
"Kick the tires and light the fires!"
Ooops
Mike, Mark, good thing you knew what I meant. I’m not so sure about Mark, don’t know enough about him, except that his last name is Stoops.
"Bow Down to Washington"
"Kick the tires and light the fires!"
Mosley
Now that I think about it Matt Mosley made some really nice plays last year. I saw a glimmer of real potential with him. Hopefully, our coaches can make the most out of it.
"Bow Down to Washington"
"Kick the tires and light the fires!"
Yeah I saw that too...
…if I’m not mistaken McDowell made a few too and looked good out there at times. Hopefully these guys can just keep working hard and getting better. I think with the new guys coming in it will make it even more competitive.
Washington Husky Football-1991 National Champions
I think Mosley was our best CB at the end of the year. I am also not sure that CB is his best position but the kid is a keeper.
by John Berkowitz on Mar 14, 2009 5:56 PM PDT up reply actions
I think...
…burst is important for a corner too. The ability to close quickly when needed and make a play on the ball. It’s almost like when you read those times in Road and Track and the other car magazines. They have times to see how fast a car can go from 60 to 80. A corner needs that extra gear to be able to close and make a play.
I don’t know about rotating corners in and out of the game. If a guys hurt or winded that’s one thing but having your best and most experienced guy out there seems like the way to go for me.
Washington Husky Football-1991 National Champions
Don't forget hip swivel...
the ability to quickley & fluidly go from your back peddle, turn and all out sprint. Very important for a corner,
Yeah those guys have...
…one of the toughest positions to play and the ability to make that change of direction is huge. There is that half a second when they have to make up ground and close on the ball after it’s been thrown. Quickness and athleticism is required in spades.
Washington Husky Football-1991 National Champions
You really can’t teach 4.4 – 4.5 speed. You either have it or you don’t. Even more important is how fast they back peddle and change directions. After that comes coaching and technique to hone those raw skills.
by John Berkowitz on Mar 14, 2009 4:23 PM PDT up reply actions
Alabama offers Jake Heaps
This kids is a hot commodity and getting hotter. I like that coach Sark is getting early commits in now. Getting early commits will be huge in luring Heaps to Huskyville and keeping him home.
Hopefully Jake is a John Brockman type kid, who wants his family to watch every game and be apart of all the action. Going to Alabama, Florida, or any team back east will require more then a tank of gas to be apart of it.
Heaps needs to go all John Brockman on us- BaBY!
All I saw was purple
What about Will Shamburger John?
I heard that he was a big time sleeper with good size and athleticisim. Do you think he’ll redshirt? And if he does reshirt do you think he has a good shot at a starting job in 2010?
Shamburger is a safety
We won’t know what he has to offer till August.
by John Berkowitz on Mar 14, 2009 4:07 PM PDT up reply actions
What about David Batts?
New member, JB. Love the blog, follow it every day! Batts appears to come more highly regarded than Gaisie, at least in terms of physical skills. Not sure on cover ability and ball skills. CB should be a good battle to watch this spring. If McDowell, Moseley, Glenn, Long or Gobern cannot beat out even one of the JC guys then what does that say about how bad TW left this position?
Welcome Woody!
When Batts was recruited he was listed as a potential CB. When the coaches were interviewed thay said they envisioned him as a safety. The important thing is to get the best eleven guys on the field at the same time.
by John Berkowitz on Mar 16, 2009 2:46 PM PDT up reply actions
Batts cont...
…he apparently is a safety “prospect” but two articles and dawgma’s site lists him as a corner. If he can play both all the better. He’s 6’2" and that’s a big plus, no pun intended! ;O)
by doubledeucedawg on Mar 15, 2009 1:01 PM PDT reply actions
Batts could play either if needed
That being said I think the coaches envision him as a safety. The has three years to play three which is nice.
Thoughts on Long or Gobern?
They both have the speed…top sprinters in CALHI.
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