Spring Practice Thread
by John Berkowitz on Mar 31, 2009 8:46 PM PDT
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Sarkisian said the team would likely scrimmage three times during spring drills prior to the annual Spring Game on April 25, though some of that would depend on injuries.
Sarkisian expressed concern over the team's lack of depth in many areas which is quite a culture shock to him after coming in from USC.
Sarkisian didn't make a depth chart available to the media gathered for a pre-spring luncheon and said that was by choice.
"For us as a coaching staff, this is a clean slate. This is our depth chart," he said, holding up a full roster of the entire team, "and it's going to shape itself as we go forward.
DT Senio Kelemete has been officially moved to offensive line.
Jake Locker's thumb is 100% and the goal is to get him to throw at a 60% completion ration in 2009.
OT Terrence Thomas, S Jason Wells, and RB Brandon Yakaboski will miss drills because of injuries.
Guys who will end up seeing limited action are are CB Vonzell McDowell, LB Kurt Mangum, S Victor Aiyewa, RBs Chris Polk and Terrance Dailey and TE Romeo Savant.
News from beyond
Steve Sarkisian said on his Twitter page that he will have a staffer offering live updates of today's workout. Bob Condotta of the Seattle Times is going to try to do that to if it is allowed. The access is going to be pretty good with only cell phones and cameras banned from the stadium.
"The common fan has a pretty hard time really deciphering what we are working on,'' he said. "There is going to be a lot of every day drill work you're going to get accustomed to.'' That's why the most stringent guidelines on attending practice are on cameras and cell phones, the two ways spectators might be able to record what the team is doing. Simply saying "they worked on deep passes today'' or something isn't really going to give anything away.
The condensed version of Nick Daschel on Buster Sports. Washington fans need to get a clue, and maybe Sarkisian can give them one.
Sarkisian got off to a good start Monday during his introduction to spring practice press conference. He didn’t offer a depth chart, because that would have been absurd without having spent one minute on a practice field with the players. Sarkisian promised the coaching staff would show a lot of energy, with the expectation that players match it. He didn’t lock quarterback Jake Locker into a particular style, other than to say his completion percentage had to rise above 60 percent.
The Coach Sark Blog does a nice job of introducing Coach Lewis with a written interview and a 1:37 second video showing winter workouts.
Some of the more notable numbers from winter conditioning were turned in by LB Donald Butler (365-pound bench press, 500-pound squat), DE Darrion Jones (460-pound bench), OL Ben Ossai (385-pound bench, 505-pound squat), DL Alameda Ta'amu (375-pound bench, 545-pound squat), OL Ryan Tolar (555-pound squat) and S Jason Wells (335-pound bench, 450-pound squat).
Practice Notes
2:15pm Special Teams / Team / O&D / Position Meetings
4:00pm Explode & Run-Thru
4:15pm Special Teams Walk Thru
4:20pm Stretch
4:30pm Practice #1
6:15pm Off the Field
Bob Condotta of the Seattle Times was out there freezing his fingers off. Here is his report from todays practice.
As mentioned in the earlier entry, the most noteworthy personnel news was the No. 1 offensive line featuring Cody Habben and Drew Schaefer at tackles, Ben Ossai and Senio Kelemete at guard and Ryan Tolar at center. The biggest move there is Ossai, a two-year starter at left tackle, going inside.
The offensive line was the staff's biggest concern going into spring so look for them to continue to experiment moving guys around to find the best combination.
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Nick Daschel can suck it. Sorry, but the rise of Oregon State and Oregon will have only a small effect on whether the UW can rise again – that’s primarily going to be on the head coach at the UW, as it always has been. Get a good coach in here and it won’t matter all that much that Oregon State and Oregon are going strong – the biggest advantages the UW has always had on those schools remain as true today as they did 20 years ago (location being the biggest one).
If Sarkisian is the coach we think and hope he is, Oregon & Oregon State will see a dip in their fortunes as the Huskies rise, particularly Oregon – we will take back the players they have been getting from NorCal and shut them out of taking any elite Washington players. Oregon State doesn’t really recruit the same guys the UW will, so I think they will actually be affected less, but their win totals will suffer a bit as they will no longer beat the UW.
If Daschel thinks that’s arrogance, so be it, but it’s backed up by history and it’s the truth.
Rational thoughts
Daschel can suck it.
Sarkisian hasn’t coached a single game but I think he is the right guy and he will get this mess turned around over the next two seasons.
I’m not going to predict a .500 record and a bowl game this year, but I don’t think it’s an unbelievable stretch to say it could happen. I sincerely believe that the UW right now isn’t much worse than what Cal was when Tedford took over, and there are some definite parallels between the situations. As we all know, Tedford took a 1-10 team and went 7-5.
I think this Husky team would’ve been at least 2-10 last year, maybe better, had Locker not gotten injured. If you are moderately optimistic and think Sarkisian and his staff means 3 additional wins, that should translate into 5-7 this year, and that’s just a few lucky breaks away from 6-6 and a bowl game. Does this make me a “delusional” Husky fan according to Nick Daschel? I don’t know, and I don’t care.
Now, this optimism is all predicated on Sarkisian being a good coach. I hope that’s the case, and I see reasons for optimism, but there’s a ton left to be proven.
Wonder how this compares with USC players?
“Some of the more notable numbers from winter conditioning were turned in by LB Donald Butler (365-pound bench press, 500-pound squat), DE Darrion Jones (460-pound bench), OL Ben Ossai (385-pound bench, 505-pound squat), DL Alameda Ta’amu (375-pound bench, 545-pound squat), OL Ryan Tolar (555-pound squat) and S Jason Wells (335-pound bench, 450-pound squat).”
As has been discussed on the Dawgman boards, sub-400lb bench numbers for offensive linemen in their 4 season in the program are embarrassing.
It’ll be instructive to see these guys in action this Spring and get a look at them in person. They may be leaner now (we’ll see), but it’s probably going to take a while to really re-shape their bodies to what is expected under Sarkisian & Lewis.
A bench press of body weight + 100lbs...
should be expected of all football players regardless of position. A bench press of body weight + 200lbs is outstanding.
Should be expected
A three hundred pound guy should be benching 400 pounds.
by John Berkowitz on Apr 1, 2009 8:12 AM PDT up reply actions
I don't think a huge bench...
…necessarily translates into being a good football player. Granted a certain amount of body strength is required to effectively play football, but I’m not sure benching 400 or 500 pounds is going to be significant. I think it’s more important to be strong in the squat and the powerclean.
You’ve all heard the story of Hershel Walker right? A guy that supposedly never touched a weight but who was noted for his great power and speed.
Washington Husky Football-1991 National Champions
Depends on the position...
At WR or RB it isn’t as important as it is in the trenches. A stong base with squats is equally as important but you control your man with your arms extended and your pecs are VERY integral in the stability and push to be able to do it. Keeping opponents from getting into your body is one of the most important fundamentals of football and we have been VERY poor at it the last several years.
Raw strength is overated in athletics...
..this isn’t a lifting contest it’s football. Power and muscular endurance are more important then being stronger in a lift. Applied strength is the key. Core strength is the flavor of the day and for good reason, without a strong core the whole chain is weakened. I guess that was my point and I didn’t make it clear, there is a lot more that goes into being a complete football player than being strong in your lifts.
Steve Emtman squated a tremendous amount of weight. I never heard anything about his bench which indicates to me it was probably not that great, in comparison to say, Ernie Conwell who could bench a house. Squats also build a strong back another core muscle group. Explosiveness coming out of a three point or four point stance is based on your legs and back not your chest and arms.
Washington Husky Football-1991 National Champions
Raw strength is never overated...
…just ask those that don’t have it.
As with any lift, a great bench press doesn’t guarentee you that you’ll be a great lineman while a very weak bench press will almost assuridly guarentee that you won’t. Put a guy in the trenches that can only bench 275 and he’ll more than likely look like a rag doll.
Steve’s best bench was 460 which was about 160 lbs over his typical body weight = very good. But you are correct his legs were off the charts – squats -sets of 10 with 800 lbs. = that is off the charts. And shrugs with 1000 for 10 reps. Just the forearm strength alone to hold that weight even with straps is incredible.
I don't care if you are strong as an Ox...
…in the bench. If you have weak legs you are going to get knocked on your butt. You guys were making a big deal of a guy benching 375 vs 460. My point was the whole package makes differences like that meaningless, for Football. Athleticism, quickness and power are more important.
Washington Husky Football-1991 National Champions
Absolutly a strong lower body is a must, that goes without saying...
but we were talking specifically about the bench press because some of the numbers that became public weren’t all that great. The body works as a whole and is only as strong as it’s weakest link. If your bench press is weak then that could be your “weak link” and needs to be fixed ASAP.
Your normal run of the mill bench...
is a good indicator of upper body strength. That is why they put so much imphasis in it. It not only shows your chest but arms, shoulders, stomach, and legs (legs you say…there are certain techniques were you can actually harness your feet and legs for an extra "umph"). The problem is that when you normally bench you have a grip that is wider than shoulder width. That is were people say that it has no relevance to football. I personally like it because of what was mentioned above but the close grip and the Jammer machine are way more “football” friendly. Its all about what you like but make no mistake that a strong bench is necessary for O-Linemen…not that they have to be putting up 450+ each but you need a solid number, something around 385 and up.
Can't blame Daschel
… for being middle of the road. Look at Husky Nation. The day Sarkisian is announced, almost 100% of you went postal as if the end of days had arrived. Then Sark got out there, said the things you wanted to hear, and now he is the deliverer of Rose Bowls. I think all Nick was writing is that progress for UW in the years ahead is to have the foundation rebuilt, the identity of the program defined and momentum established for years 3 and beyond. I don’t think that’s an irrational point of view if that was his intent. Its all good.
"Greed is Good."
So is Rudy.
On a side note, I think low expectations is the worst possible scenario after a rough patch (going on 6 years for us) for Husky fans. Expect big things. Seattle isn’t Corvallis or Eugene or Pullman (thank god) so we’ll always have that. Additionally, UW isn’t OSU or UO or WSU academically/prestige-wise and we’ll always have that.
There’s no reason to believe we can’t be part of the upper 1/3 of the conference every year from here on out (after a period of rebuilding).
It’s all hard to swallow though because we heard the same stuff 4 years ago when Ty arrived. Luckily this time we have some inspired leader who is young and ready to make (or break) his career.
Really? Did you read exactly what he wrote? To refresh:
but the best Washington can hope for in years to come is to share the wealth with its Northwest neighbors, while the warm-weather schools fatten up on the top recruits.
Um, sorry – I disagree. When Washington is going again, they will own the state and they will compete favorably with Oregon for California recruits. Oregon State goes for a different type of guy anyway, so they won’t be affected as much by Washington rising, other than in the win/loss department vs. the Huskies.
Also:
Expecting to win or go to a bowl game in 2009 is ludicrous. But show us you’re going somewhere, even with the talentless roster Willingham left behind.
Like I said, while I’m not expecting 6-6, I don’t think it’s “ludicrous” either. And while Willingham’s entire body of recruiting leaves much to be desired, I wouldn’t go so far as to call the roster “talentless”. There is talent to work with – a good coaching staff (i.e. one led by someone other than Ty) will find some players that are worthy of Pac-10 football. Not enough yet to be legit contenders, but not as bad as 0-12 would suggest either.
Off to practice
Not expecting too much actual gameplay of course, but it will be good to see what everyone looks like after a winter of conditioning.
Have a great time!
And don’t forget your earplugs!
Surprise Move
Ben Ossai moved to guard according to Bob C. Starting O-Line was Center Ryan Tolar, Guards Ossai and Kelemete and Tackles Haben and Fresmen Drew Schaefer. Could get interesting.
Really surprising to hear that Habben was at LT – I didn’t think he had the footwork for that position. I’m sure there will be some experimentation early in Spring camp as Cozzetto figures out what he has to work with and who fits in best where.
I hope...
…they get that big JC kid into school to challenge some of these guys. I expect a few others who haven’t been named yet to emerge this spring. How would Klemete even be considered in the mix for a starting position at this point? The guy played defense last season.
by doubledeucedawg on Mar 31, 2009 9:18 PM PDT up reply actions
Yeah, they interviewed him after practice
And he even said he was surprised to be running with the ones because he thought he was going to redshirt. I suspect they’ll try a lot of guys in a lot of places, so I’m not going to worry about the first day of spring ball.
If a 285-pound, just-converted-from-D-line, true sophomore Senio Kelemete is starting at guard against LSU, then I will worry.
If he is starting its because he is the best option we will have...
He is an athletic kid who can move. With coaching this spring and summer I think you will see a pretty decent finished product.
He started at DT last season
Because he was the best option we had. But I still wish we’d had a better option. :-)
I’m not criticizing the kid and of course I hope he’s awesome. I just meant that if he is one of the best five O-linemen this year, then that’s probably indicative of a major depth problem.
I assume things are going to keep getting shuffled around all spring. Tomorrow’s “starting” O-line might be completely different (or maybe next week after another “Competition Tuesday”).
Ok, I see what your saying
The depth on this team is atrocious. We will need to have our starters just be in that much better shape then when the season starts.
I love this stuff...
“As the offense worked out, fans ringed the field standing on the track including former players such as Hugh Millen, Jason Chorak and Brock Huard.
I didn’t watch much of the defense, but word is DC Nick Holt could be heard across the lake in Bellevue.”
by doubledeucedawg on Mar 31, 2009 9:27 PM PDT reply actions
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