Five Critical Questions
by John Berkowitz on Apr 14, 2009 9:10 PM PDT
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Print- Is there a single Husky offensive lineman who could start for any other school in the conference? If you listened to the Brock Huard show on Monday the answer was no at this point according to Ray Roberts.
- We have a good looking stable of running back but exactly how many of them are healthy right now? I think Demetrius Bronson and Willie Griffin are the only two who have participated in every single practice. Will this position develop the durability to play 12 games in 2009?
- Is Kavario Middleton going to be developed enough to be taken seriously as a blocker in 2009?
- Are they going to make some more position moves before the end of Spring? I am kind of surprised that they haven't moved one or two of the receivers over to defense. I am suprised that Quinton Richardson is still at corner. I thought for sure he was headed to safety.
- Will the progress of the defensive tackles allow Daniel Teo Nesheim to play most his time on the outside in 2009? They are going to move him around no matter what and they are pleased with what Jones and Thompson have been doing on the ends.
What do you guys think?
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Five wild-guess answers to your rhetorical questions!
1. Yes! Ryan Tolar would start at guard for WSU. That may be it, though. (Caveat: if Ray Rhodes is in the room, I agree with whatever he says.)
2. I think they have enough bodies at RB to make it through the season. It may turn out like last year, though, where each back starts once or twice and then gets injured and they keep rotating around. Jake Locker will lead the team in rushing because every single tailback will have between 100 and 350 yards at the end of the season. (Caveat: Dimitrius Bronson has an outside shot at surviving all season, getting 10-12 touches a game, and racking up over 500 yards by the end of the year.)
3. No, but he’ll be taken seriously as a receiver, and that’s good enough to be a major weapon over the middle. Izbicki and Boyce will be the tight ends on important running downs (and will get plenty of catches out of play-action, too).
4. Coin flip, but I’ll guess no more position switches until summer or fall, when they know exactly which JC guys are eligible and who is in shape and ready to play right away. For example, if Gaisie is good enough to start and Batts is going to play CB and the rest of the incumbent corners are healthy, Richardson could move to safety. Especially if Jason Wells doesn’t look ready. (Lots of what-ifs, but that’s just an example where depth could be shifted around depending on who arrives for fall camp.) Perhaps after the coaches sit back and watch the spring tapes and think it over, they’ll ask a couple guys to work out with another position group over the summer in preparation for a fall change. I don’t anticipate they would make any changes this late in spring camp, but I guess it wouldn’t surprise me, either.
5. My guess is that he’ll play on the end in the base packages and slide inside on nickel or dime sets, in order to get all three of those guys on the field in pass-rush situations. I’m going to guess that there’s enough talent inside (with Elisara/Ta’amu/Noble/Tivao?/Duncan?) to hold down the inside in the base defense so that they can rotate Jones and Thompson and try to keep them both fresh for pass-rushing situations. (DTN will never sit out, ever. He will also play on all the special teams, kick PATs, play fullback in the goal line offense, and direct the band during TV timeouts.)
1 is ridiculous
If by conference Roberts meant USC and Cal, or UW when he played here, then probably not. I’d guess we have one or two guys who could start on every other team. The O-line is a huge weakness though and how much it improves will determine whether this is a 3-4 win team or a 5-8 win team.
Agree with busplunger on everything else.
I agree..
I think we have guys that could play at other PAC 10 schools, most definitely.
Ray Roberts...
… like all unproven radio guys will make a name for himself by making unpopular comments now and again. Not surprising.
1. Of course there are – both now and in the future.
2. One player – probably not. Whole unit – probably.
3. Very unlikely (I still have visions of him getting annihilated vs OU)
4. Who knows? I’m not necessarily for it, but you guys are closer to it than I
5. Rotating DTN around the line in different situations could be a nice advantage for us if he really has that kind of versatility
"Greed is Good."
So is Rudy.
Roberts
Roberts is a former NFL player (Seahawk) who now is the coach at Lake Washington HS. I don’t think that he is considered a radio personality.
by John Berkowitz on Apr 15, 2009 8:59 AM PDT up reply actions
sure, I'm aware of what he is doing
… (and that he was a seahawk before bolting for the dome in Detroit) but why go on the radio at all if you don’t hope to keep doing it?
"Greed is Good."
So is Rudy.
Ego
I think anyone would like their own show…it does pay well.
by John Berkowitz on Apr 15, 2009 9:26 AM PDT up reply actions
I don't think an invite gets you anything
If you are a regular personality such as Baird and Millen I imagine you could make an extra $50,000 a year and have a lot of fun.
I imagine Softy makes quite a bit. Well into the six figures.
by John Berkowitz on Apr 15, 2009 10:27 AM PDT up reply actions
maybe the guests get a subway foot-long coupon.
that would explain Roberts’ interest in participating.
"Greed is Good."
So is Rudy.
On Roberts
Ray Roberts has no allegiance to the UW, so it’s interesting to hear his views as they are less likely to be biased. If he thinks our O-line is bad, that’s good info. I’m not really buying the line of thinking that he’s going out of his way to be critical of the Huskies in order to build more of a radio career locally – doesn’t really make a lot of sense to me.
But here’s the thing – we all know our O-line was not good last year. Did anyone really expect that this would change overnight?
I’m more interested to hear what Ray thinks this Fall, after these guys have had more time in the conditioning program and have a full Spring Practice schedule with Cozzetto under their belts.
Yea but not one of them could play for the Cooogs...
that is very highly unlikely.
Yeah, that may be wrong. But how many would start anywhere else in the Pac-10? How many would start with a team that would be considered a legit Rose Bowl contender?
Cooogies
Well if its daming with faint praise to say a UW player could start for WSU then what is it called when you say he cant??? That was the question and the answer is yes. I think we have some young guys that (Ikehara and Senio K) that some of the bigger teams would not turn away either. Maybe not start for them right now because other teams have more depth but could def be in the mix.
Well if its daming with faint praise to say a UW player could start for WSU then what is it called when you say he cant???
Pathetic :)
I think it’s over-stating things to say that the UW has nobody on the OL that could start for another Pac-10 team. But then again, how many of our guys in the 1’s could? Tolar, probably. Ossai, maybe. And I agree that Ikehara and Kelemete have a lot of promise, but I’m not sure that currently they are good enough to crack a lot of other Pac-10 teams #1 O-lines.
I’m optimistic that the conditioning program will continue to re-shape their bodies in positive ways, and I’m optimistic that Cozzetto’s brand of tough-love will get more out of them. I’m hopeful that by the end of Fall camp this group looks markedly improved. But the proof will be in the pudding.
OT: Great interview with Nick Holt
This gives a lot of insight into what Nick Holt thinks so far about the Dawgs:
Really good article.
The questions put forth and the answers given, pretty much everything of what I was initially writing about when I first came over to UW Dawg Pound WRT: Coach Nicky and Coach Sark.
Competition
Turnovers
Believing
It will come around. And come around sooner rather than later. Depth is a big issue, recruiting will take care of that. Some incoming freshman will have to play their tails off to be put in situations that the coaches think will benefit the team.
Did you read a number of the players that Coach Nicky put out for his answers? He’s definitely not one to mince words or to blow smoke. He’s as straight as they come.
We have PAC 10 players on the roster now, these guys. . . all they’ve got to do is believe in themselves, the system, and the wins/accolades will come. No two ways around it.
Go Dawgs! WOOF!
Comer4tide to Nico2.0: "How come I've never heard of any of your random songs?"
Todd to Comer: "Because if you had, he wouldn't listen to it. BOOM. Roasted."
Nico to Todd: "Shouldn't you be off voguing somewhere?"
by BixBeiderbecke on Apr 15, 2009 10:37 AM PDT up reply actions
Question for you Bix...
…Do you think Sark and Holt can mold these guys into a much more competitive football team? I know it sounds like a stupid question but I like to get your take on it, you know these guys way better than we do. A lot of people don’t think we have the horses and without them, it doesn’t matter who the coaches are, we’re going to struggle.
The thing is I don’t mind knowing that. I think there are still some good football players on this team. Some of them are young and some of them haven’t blossomed yet and some of them, may never contribute. I think the future is bright, in the long term. I think these coaches are going to recruit and sign better athletes and before too long, we’ll be bowling again. What’s your take on this?
Washington Husky Football-1991 National Champions
Yes I do
And that’s an emphatic YES!
Seeing progress and evolution in practice is one thing. It builds individual confidence. But the whole “competition” thing is real. You screw up in practice, don’t show effort, or blow it big time in a real game, guess what? Who’s next? The next guy is given a chance to literally take that no. 1 spot from you in your position.
Here’s the kicker, in game time- once depth is set, these two coaches know how to rotate players in and out. The captains on O and D have game plans drilled into them prior to each game. Each game is different. With that being said, there is a healthy amount of rest for some of the starters, and some not so much. At ‘SC there were hardly any “game” injuries, and the reason: (I’m being serious here) Practices were twice as hard for our players in energy, execution, and manner than our opponents were. This is what Sark and Nicky will definitely emulate.
Wins will bring trust to each and every player. So, at first- they get the confidence that they’ve got a least a “fighting chance” against their next opponent. Secondly, if/when they come away with a victory or well-played game- they get complete and total trust for one another. And when a team goes on a roll/streak- that’s when you win games you weren’t supposed to or play completely out of your head to the point of submitting your opponent.
Sark and Nicky won’t “lose” the players. This is the truth. Coach Ty did. They’ll change things up just so to ALWAYS make practice interesting and full of high-energy. There will be a few “grumpy Gils” or “naysaying Nancys” and they will lose out and be muted. Attrition is the operative word.
When the players see their potential being realized, a whole new set of goals and expectations get put down on their player charts and they go after it and try for more.
Here’s the rub: when people go on a diet (hypothetically), the subsequent factors that will determine success or failure are threefold :
Injury
Boredom
Unrealistic goal to begin with
When you try to do too much or overdo it, you’re more than likely to get injured. If you get injured, you screw up your diligence to reach your goal or objective. You can’t train if you can’t get moving.
When you train doing the same things over and over with no change of scenery or exercise program, you fail to keep up the necessary intensity to see your daily training/practice to full exertion. You’ll eventually create excuses to NOT train or practice, thinking you’ll make up for it “tomorrow” or “later on in the week”. IT NEVER WORKS! with this kind of mindset
Unrealistic expectation/goal: The best or most diligent athlete will never meet an unrealistic goal, and if they try (especially towards the end of that part of the training or exercise program) they’ll try to do too much and overdo it. (see Injury).
Careful monitoring, mentoring, encouraging, and having someone to “spot you” (be it in the weight room or in the head! telling you to either calm it down or get better after it) is crucial to each and every player on the team. It’s just as valuable as the X’s and O’s in the playbook.
Having your head on straight and knowing that all that you do is for the team and for yourself (goals) is paramount. Coach Nicky and Sark come from the Carroll school of X’s and O’s, but just as importantly- they embody and eschew the Carlisle school of strength and conditioning.
Champions they’ll make of them. So long as they keep their heads, victories will come and joy will be shared. For the team and the fans. You all deserve it, and that’s a fact.
Comer4tide to Nico2.0: "How come I've never heard of any of your random songs?"
Todd to Comer: "Because if you had, he wouldn't listen to it. BOOM. Roasted."
Nico to Todd: "Shouldn't you be off voguing somewhere?"
by BixBeiderbecke on Apr 15, 2009 1:46 PM PDT up reply actions
Do you think Sark and Holt can mold these guys into a much more competitive football team?
They are already a more competitive team. When you are coming off 0-12….learning a new offense and defense you just have so far to go in a short time.
Carroll was 6-6 his first year. Notice he started off 1-4 but the team rallied for a bowl game and after that have dominated the conference every single season.
San Jose State W 21-10
Kansas State L 10-6
Oregon L 24-22
Stanford L 21-16
Washington L 27-24
Arizona State W 48-17
Notre Dame L 27-16
Arizona W 41-34
Oregon State W 16-13
California W 55-14
UCLA W 27-0
Utah L 10-6
by John Berkowitz on Apr 15, 2009 2:10 PM PDT up reply actions
If we get to the Las Vegas Bowl
… the party is at Gekko’s house. And Gekko will be bringing the Red Hook, the Ste Michelle and the smoked salmon.
"Greed is Good."
So is Rudy.
correction
gekko is slowly moving he and his next of gekkettes back towards the west coast (third person is too damm fun)
"Greed is Good."
So is Rudy.
Yes, however. . . .
. . . .unfortunately “there’s a BIG BUT”.
Yes, on coaching and in-game adjustments alone- the UW football team will be more competitive on any given Saturday. Now, let me just be honest here- I don’t know jack about Coach Ty and his rocky-tenure here at UDub. I do know this, his teams have always played USC up close and tight. I’m not even joking when I say that playing the Huskies was always a total-nail-biter for me. Ty kicked our asses when he was at The Fighting Rash. He formulated great strategies against Coach Carroll. And then there’s Jake. (as my grandfather used to say, “What can I told you?” . . .pssst: he didn’t speak English very well. Although he liked passive double-entendre’s whenever the opportunity arose)
Both Coach Sark and Holt are hella game-planners! Sark’s got his first 25 plays scripted and THEY’RE SET! (there’s a reason for it, I’ll get to it later on in the season). Coach Holt PUTS PLAYERS IN THE RIGHT SPOTS ALL THE FREAKING TIME! He’ll try his coverages, see if his players are “up to it” during the game, and if not- he’ll adjust accordingly. Hardly will you see his entire package change, but he’ll sneak in some funky stuff and strives to “game change” the ballgame. (he loves getting into an OC’s head. you’ll soon learn to love his D, and considering he’s a “line-guy”- his “Elephant” set on D will come outta nowhere) So, I’m not saying Coach Ty and his staff were incompetent, I’m just saying Coach Sark and Coach Holt represent a new breed of coaching and scheming that isn’t “new” or “21st century”- it’s just exciting as all get out with a TON OF DEPTH, DILIGENCE, and DUTY being given and offered to the players before, during, and after each game. Major major hands-on coaching. Major major up-close and personal mentoring as well.
Here’s the BUTT (or “ghetto-bubble” as my brother calls ‘em): It’s really up to the players to understand they’re being put in the right places, positions, and plays each and every time “their number is being called”. They’re to make something happen, and if they can’t or don’t, they’ll know what to do to help their “man on” make something happen. (and so on, und so weite). The respect of coaching, breeds trust in teammates, brings confidence in handling ANYTHING that lies before them. The expectations will seem to have no ceiling on good years, and good seasons. It’s contagious. And runs in streaks.
Highs and lows are bound to happen. Maintaining their heads is paramount in keeping streaks alive and helping the lows not to hurt too much.
Watch it, Les “The Meaux-ron” Miles is gonna get SOCKED IN THE FRICKING MOUTH! (I hazzard to guess that UDub is gonna make the SEC feel insecure this year. Couldn’t think of anyone better than Coach Miles to feel the wrath that’s becoming the PAC 10!)
Comer4tide to Nico2.0: "How come I've never heard of any of your random songs?"
Todd to Comer: "Because if you had, he wouldn't listen to it. BOOM. Roasted."
Nico to Todd: "Shouldn't you be off voguing somewhere?"
by BixBeiderbecke on Apr 17, 2009 2:45 AM PDT up reply actions
Thanks Bix!
Love to have your input and like I said you know Coach Sark/Holt WAY better than we do. I love the energy and the teaching going on. The kids are buying in, working hard and believing and with that WILL come success. I also think the future is even brighter because these guys can recruit! They are translating that energy and youth into optimism for the future.
The other thing is I think Emmert/Woodward are more than willing to give Sark whatever he wants and that is huge. The last coach to have that power was Nueheisel but he made poor choices.
Washington Husky Football-1991 National Champions
I LOVE THAT!
“Practices were twice as hard for our players in energy, execution, and manner than our opponents were. This is what Sark and Nicky will definitely emulate.”
Thanks Bix
Washington Husky Football-1991 National Champions
5 Great Questions
1.An absurd statement by Ray Roberts. Of course some of them are good enough to play at other PAC 10 schools. Maybe not at USC, CAL or Oregon, but there are other schools where they would definitely start.
2. I think we will be OK in depth , but his question is really dependent on the first question. The better our line, the more confidence I have in our RB depth. We took a lot of injuries in the backfield last year and many of the boys were just not ready for primetime.
3. Kavario, Kavario, Kavario….Yes, he took an absolute beating last year (Gekko I echo your comment) and never returned healthy. I predict he will have a strong finish to Spring ball and become a standout at TE during summer. However, with all that said, Chris Izbicki may be the real story coming out of spring and summer. He was blasted by Ty and has something to prove right now.
4. Doubt we will see any moves until the summer when the JUCO’s arrive
5. Would love to see DTN moving around. Based on what they have done so far this spring, I think the DLine and LB’s are going to be much more competitive this year.
5 Questions
1 – Sounds like Roberts is trying to get a job, unfortunately he’s taking the same path as Moore, eventually pissing people off will bite you in the butt. Statement might have been true for last years o-line, but a lit conditioning goes a long way. Plus any of these guys could start for the cougars.
2 – We have plenty, but not many have the ability to play all season. I think Bronson and Shaw will make a pretty good “thunder and lightning” combination.
3 – All depends on how hard he works over the summer. Izbicki’s great performance so far should help put some more pressure on Middleton.
4 – By the end of spring? probably. By the start of fall camp? definitely.
5 – Elisara, Ta’amu, and Duncan seem to be coming along well. D-line could turn into a solid unit this year.
"Bow Down to Washington"
"Kick the tires and light the fires!"
What does John think?
1. We all hate to hear it but it is closer to truth than fiction.
The coaches were extremely concerned going in and that hasn’t changed after eight practices. We all better hope that Mafoe gets in and is ready to play. Big JC guys that dont get in at spring time usually aren’t ready conditioning wise. I have friends who are HS coaches that watch the practices and while they aren’t as negative as Ray they haven’t seen a breakthrough in performance compared to last year even with the improved conditioning.
I haven’t been to a practice…but from the photos I have seen not a single guy on the line including Tolar matches up lower body wise with typical Pac 10 offensive linemen. They lost weight…they gained cardio…they still don’t have the freakish horse like lower bodies that the kids at Oregon and other schools have.
You win with those type of guys and I just don’t see them yet.
In the old days they would just shoot them up with steroids. Can’t do that anymore so it takes two years with the right type of body type to produce those results.
2. I think it is going to be a problem. I think it a reason why they are recruiting bigger backs. Bronson is getting better because he is talented and most importantly is there every single day. The more reps you get the better you get.
3. Kavario had a great practice on Monday. He needs to have a big time summer in the weight room but he can do it.
4. I am thinkin Fall camp once they sort out the JC’s I really think they would have moved Logan but he is dinged up.
5. I think he is primarly a DE but he will slide around to keep people honest.
by John Berkowitz on Apr 15, 2009 11:29 AM PDT reply actions
are we referring to ourselves in the third person?
if so, gekko is pleased.
"Greed is Good."
So is Rudy.
JCs
I was reading where “a couple of them” still have work to do. That may indicate that two of them won’t qualify. We’ll see how it all shakes out.
Washington Husky Football-1991 National Champions
I think it is safe to say they all have work to do.
The thing with JC’s until they are actually enrolled in school you just don’t know.
Take Dorson Boyce he was supposed to be here but had to pick up a few more credits for some reason.
by John Berkowitz on Apr 15, 2009 2:01 PM PDT up reply actions
That's what's so damn scary about it...
…you have no idea until they enroll.
Washington Husky Football-1991 National Champions
And even then...
…the NCAA clearing house can be a pain in the ass!
Washington Husky Football-1991 National Champions
Offensive Line?
The question mark in the subject line says it all. Question: How did we go from what was conceived as great offensive line in 2008 to the biggest casualty in 2009? I’m just can’t see how our offensive line was suppose to be our best unit in 2008 and now in 2009 it is our biggest question mark.
My guess? The 2008 line was poorly coached. Of all the assistants, Coz has the biggest job in the entire program. He has to get this OLine up and running like a Pac 10 OLine- not an easy chore considering what we all saw last year.
All I saw was purple
They had many issues
Coaching was just one of many issues, but wouldn’t be at the top of my list. I don’t think coaching of techniques and assignments was lacking. I think the schemes used were lacking, and that falls on Lappano and Willingham. The coaches did do a piss poor job of implementing a spread option offense.
I think the biggest problem with the o-line last year was conditioning, and closely followed by a HUGE lack of motivation/passion. Had these guys been in Pac10 shape and strength we would have won a few games.
"Bow Down to Washington"
"Kick the tires and light the fires!"
It Better Be at the top of Your List
Because nothing works offensively unless the offensive line is functioning [see 2008 season for results]. Technique and fundamentals were a complete laughing matter last season. Point of emphasis is always on the snap of the ball. How many times did we watch as Garcia fumbled the ball back to Locker in the shotgun? Multiple times thru out every game all season long the snap was in the dirt or rolled back to Jake. And with timing being everything in terms of offense regardless of offensive style (pro or spread) if the snap is delayed it throws everything off course.
It wasn’t one game it was all season long and the offense was stuck in the mud. Coaching was a HUGE part of the failure last season, because good coaching would’ve corrected the bouncing or rolling snap of the ball. We didn’t see any correction in this department.
Offensive Line play had better be at the top of everyone’s list of priorities. Because without it, the offense will sputter. Even if the defense plays at championship level, the team will still suffer because of the OLines inability to score, much less keep the defense off the field. Our defense is A LOT better then advertised- A LOT BETTER! The problem we encountered last season is that the offense couldn’t keep us off the field- thus we fatigued, thus we made mistakes due to fatigue, thus we lost our focus, thus we lost our spirit. Don’t fool yourself, the offensive line was what crippled the team last year. Couldn’t score and couldn’t keep the defense off the field. It was about the worst offensive line play I’ve ever seen in my entire life. We’ve got to get better on the line FAST!
All I saw was purple
I'm not saying they were perfect
We are saying similar things, just differently. I don’t think the o-line’s fundamentals were the biggest issue, I think being fat and lazy was the biggest issue. If they had proper strength and conditioning, we would have been able to run the ball, and might have won a few games.
"Bow Down to Washington"
"Kick the tires and light the fires!"
Great to see...
Kurt Mangum was mentioned as making some plays. Hopefully he’ll continue to step up and give the DAWGS more depth at LB.
Washington Husky Football-1991 National Champions
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