Stanford Preview
by John Berkowitz on Jul 1, 2009 5:25 AM PDT
114 comments
When Washington heads to the Bay area on September 26th most feel the team will have a 1-2 record and be licking its wounds from thumpings at home from LSU, and USC. The Cardinal contest is a must win on the schedule since it gives the Huskies a shot at evening its record before heading back to South Bend to play Notre Dame.
The Cardinal know what it is like to have to crawl out of the cellar. That is exactly what they have been doing ever since coach Jim Harbaugh arrived on the scene three years ago. The Tree fell short of a bowl bid last season by one game. The goal this season is to win 6-7 games and finish the season some place sunny. Most feel that Stanford is a good bet to do that since Harbaugh has recruited exceptionally well since arriving on the scene.
Stanford welcomes back eight starters on offense and seven on defense. Harbaugh has rebuilt the team from the bottom up by recruiting well.
For Stanford to reach the next level they need to start moving the ball more through the air to balance the attack. Tavita Pritchard returns at QB but he may not be able to hold off Andrew Luck who has the better arm. Toby Gerhart returns at RB after piling up 1136 yards last season. He has a great nose for the end zone scoring 15 times last season. Stanford needs more production from a passing attack that ranked 103rd nationally last season and had four more interceptions than touchdowns.
The Tree returns eight starters on a defense that is definitely on the upswing. Linebacker Clinton Snyder has all league potential and is the leader of the defense, but the strength should be up front. Defensive ends Tom Keiser and Erik Lorig are capable of wreaking havoc in the backfield and tackles Brian Bulcke and Ekom Udofia are both upperclassmen. Pat Maynor and Wopamo Osaisai both have graduated so Stanford has some major holes to fill to replace those two standouts.
The Cards need to improve their defensive backfield after giving up over 150 yards in passing per game last season. Safety Bo Mc Nally returns and he is solid but he needs some help back there if the Tree is going to improve on being 9th in Pac 10 pass defense. The Cardinal yielded 18 touchdown passes and picked off just seven in 2008, despite getting plenty of help from a healthy pass rush.
Consensus
If Stanford can get more balance in their offense and develop more consistency in the defensive backfield they should be a bowl team in 2009. Coach Harbaugh knows how to fire up his team to play well. The big question going into fall is at QB. Will Tavita Pritchard hold off Andrew Luck? It is all about improved production throught he air for the Cardinal to take it to the next level in 2009.
Early Prediction
You probably will never see me predict anything less than a Washington victory over Stanford whether it is home or away. If Jake Locker is healthy the Huskies should come away with the win and even their record to 2-2. Washington has more balance on offense and even though the offensive line is in need of a rebuild Locker will make them look better than they are. Washington receivers should have a field day against the porous Tree defensive backfield.
Defensively the Huskies will be improved in 2009. Better conditioned and better coached athletes playing with the right attitude should help the Husky defense improve in 2009. Playing a seemingly one dimensional offensive team like Stanford should be a confidence builder for this group.
I am going with a 28-17 victory for the Huskies on the road in this one.
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A big W for Sark
We have to remember that this was a Stanford team that we almost beat last year. We are going to go out there with reckless abandonment and cut down the Tree’s. Score predictions I will save until the week of the game, but out come prediction…W
Yup, I didn't see the game- my sister is a Stanford Booster, she went to the game
. . . with my mom. They were visiting my dad and on that trip. . . .she told my parents she was divorcing her husband of 22 years. (infidelity, what a schmuck eh? she’s an angel and beautiful, he’d been riding on her coat-tails for some time now. it was inevitable he’d f-up) Anyhow- I remember asking her, “How was the stadium?” Her reply, “I don’t remember, all I remember was the cute Husky QB got hurt. Real bad.”
I about slumped in my chair at the Starbuck’s I was at with a few friends. Couldn’t believe it?
When I read the game summary- the Huskies still put up 21 more points. So yeah, I agree- the Tree D is in need of a Husky blitzkrieg! Bombs away, TE-bum/slants, dives right up the left and right, QB bootlegs! And . . . Bombs away some more for good measure.
Can’t go to that game either, sister ain’t giving up her seats. (she has “someone else” she’s going with. i’ll prolly meet him on Dia De Los Muertos- Hispanic- holiday of The Dead on Nov. 1st)
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 Jul 1, 2009 8:58 AM PDT up reply actions
bix, Furd tickets are very very cheap and in great supply.
I believe the away game price was $20. You can get great seats as historically, there is a section of loyal Furd alumni around the fifty, a larger group initially of students on the other side who are mostly gone by third quarter, and then the large grouping of visitors in the NW corner of the stadium who usually outnumber the Furd fans. I like to sit there as we are among Huskies, but if you want great seats as a walk up, they are available. I don’t think there is another BCS type game you can get tickets for $20.
That's a good deal...
…I remember paying that to see ucla play Washington back in 1995.
by doubledeucedawg on Jul 1, 2009 7:31 PM PDT up reply actions
Harbaugh has improved the trees but i agree with you,
I would never ever pick the Furd over the UW. This will be a physically smashing game like the Dawgs of old. Without TW, we would have beaten them last year.
The Furd?
Help me out here, is that the last half of the word “Stanford”. When PC dictated that they no longer be the Indians, the mascot was changed to Cardinals. After a year or two the “s” disappeared. Personally, I prefer the name that the grateful students selected…Robber Barrons.
The Students Selected Tree's
I think they should have done it…the Tree’s?
I love it just like the Stanford band.
Toby Gerhart is the key
Stanford’s running game just manhandled our young inexperienced front seven last season. Gerhart right … Gerhart left … and Gerhart up the middle- that is what killed us, we couldn’t stop the man child.
Agree with John on his Stanford season outlook. The Cardinal need to develope more of a consistent passing game if they want to get to the next level. I think Harbough will stick with Tavita Pritchard at QB. Their is always something to be said about a savvy upperclassmen QB, especially in the Pac 10.
With Locker healthy and Sark calling the plays- we will score this year. The object is to stop Gerhart, stop him and we get the big W.
All I saw was purple
Actually . . .
mrstone is correct, we didn’t just stop Gerhart, we knocked him out of the game. Unfortunately, nobody told our front seven, and the rest of their backs had the game of their life’s at our expense.
"Bow Down to Washington"
"Kick the tires and light the fires!"
Sorry!
I have [deleted] last year’s Stanford game. That was the turning point in the season without a doubt. We were in good shape to get the victory, all of a sudden Locker’s season is over by halftime and we couldn’t stop the Trees.
I had forgotten that Gerhart got hurt, all I remember is we lost our focus (due to the Locker injury) and we couldn’t stop the bleeding.
I had it all wrong because I had deleted that game from memory. Yet I still think stopping Gerhart is key for a victory. If Gerhart is running like a runnaway Diesel Cat then surely that will open up their passing game. Agree with John, this game is the “must win” game of all must wins. This game could determine if we are close to recovereing or 2 to 3 years removed from restoration.
All I saw was purple
Gerhart was hurt early and did not return
Gerhart was hurt early and did not return, however the rest of the backs did have thier way with us at times.
Nice Husky Collection
Almost as good as mine! ;O)
by doubledeucedawg on Jul 1, 2009 7:35 PM PDT up reply actions
nice collection yes but that is only what is on one wall
That whole room and about 1/4 of the front room are filled with Husky Memorbillia, the rest of the front room is Nascar(mostly Dale Sr and Dale Jr)
Keith Price
Did you guys see the picture of Price on dawgman? How in the world do you people make your fingers into that big W? I can’t do that for the life of me.
I learned from watching rap videos on MTV...
I was a sad little kid from the suburbs…but at least now it can mean something instead of me trying to be a part of the Bothell gang scene.
oh c'mon
It’s easy! It’s funny… now every time I go to do the ‘rock on’ sign, my fingers automatically go into the ‘W’ instead.
Not like the Utah Jazz... it's about REAL jazz. Go Dawgs, Go Blazers!
Stanford will be the first real indicator of 2009
Unless we get a huge upset of LSU or USC, or a huge letdown against Idaho, this will be the first real indication of what this team is made out of. I think Stanford is improving nicely under Harbaugh, and I don’t expect them to be anything but tough as long as Harbaugh stays on the farm. I expect Stanford to be in the bowl hunt, so this will be a great measuring stick of where we are really at.
Lose this game and we are in for a long season, a LONG rebuilding period and committed recruits rethinking their options. Win this game, go into Notre Dame 2-2, and we will have hope that the season and Sark’s rebuilding efforts will turn out well. Definitely a date to mark on the calender.
"Bow Down to Washington"
"Kick the tires and light the fires!"
I don't think it's quite that important...
I think that most of these recruits know better than to base a coaches ability on his first 12 games as a HC. If we go out, play hard and show marked improvement than I think a vast majority of our current recruits will sign.
I might also add...
that 1 win over an opponent we are underdogs against (all except Idaho and the Coogs), will be a marked improvement.
I think it is huge
You lose to Stanford and who else do you end up beating in the conference?
You have to at least knock off Stanford, WSU, Arizona, and UCLA if you want to get anywhere in 2009.
Throw in an almost sure thing against Idaho and very possible win over ASU and you are at 6-6.
Bottomline if you can’t get by the Tree it will be a long season…this is a must win!
by John Berkowitz on Jul 1, 2009 10:40 PM PDT up reply actions
Let's look at the possibilities
If we lose to Stanford, we will be 1-3 going into Notre Dame. If we can’t beat Stanford, we won’t be going into Notre Dame and winning, now we are 1-4, with the only other likely win being WSU, that puts us at 2-10. 2-10 is NOT exceptable, we were a 2-3 win team last year had Jake been healthy. In my mind, anything less than 4 wins is unexceptable and we will have hired the wrong guy. Here’s what I’m thinking:
0-3 Wins = We hired the wrong guy, is it too late to get Mike Leach?
4-5 Wins = Good, we are improving, Sark still has a lot of work ahead of him.
6-8 Wins = Sark is doing great, and Willingham really knows how to suck the life out of a program
9-11 Wins = We better give him one HUGE extension and pay raise and a HUGE buyout clause, Don’t ever let him leave!
12-13 Wins = ALL HAIL SARK!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Losing to Stanford is very likely going to put us in the 0-3 win category, and I’ll be mad we didn’t hire Leach.
"Bow Down to Washington"
"Kick the tires and light the fires!"
A 2 game window
Mine’s different Lear,
Under 4 wins- Sark is not the guy. But win 6+ games? I’d say we hired the right guy for the job. I know we are talking about 2 wins between pass and fail, but that seems about right. There is no reason why Washington should EVER fall below 4 wins- THAT IS COMPLETELY ABSURD!
We should beat Idaho and Washington State- No question. Then we should split the Oregons, Arizonas, and Bay Area schools. Then if we rob either Notre Dame, LSU, or Ucla their is your 6th win of the season. Six wins is obtainable this season. We’ve got a savvy upperclassmen QB, who is the finest athlete in the league, we’ve got decent depth in the backfield, we’ve got decent receivers out wide, we’ve got a promising young D line, and a stellar LBing corps. Now if Sark can put together an O line we should be okay- teaching Locker the pro is priority No.1, followed by priority No.2 fixing a lackluster O line. On defense we’ve got to shore up the secondary. We don’t have great talent back there, but if we can cover that would be HUGE! I believe if we can simply cover in the secondary, we should be able to cut down on opposing passing yards big time. Last year the main problem was we didn’t know how to cover. If you can’t cover, you can’t tackle, can’t knock a ball down, and can’t make a pick. Playing in the defensive backfield is all about cover. If we can cover then defensively we should be okay.
All I saw was purple
How is that different then what I said??
"Bow Down to Washington"
"Kick the tires and light the fires!"
I respect where you're coming from Lear
But one thing you are failing to see is that Steve Sarkisian and Nick Holt, not to mention Doug Nussmeir have sunk their teeth into this program- an 0-12er to boot.
All these coaches are relatively young and have a life time of opportunities in coaching ahead of them. But if they fail at Washington, what do you think that will do to Sarkisian and Holt? Nussmeir and the other young position assistants would rebound very well, thy all have good resumes for future use. But if this coaching staff were to fail at Washington, I firmly believe it could set Sark and Holt back probably 7 to 10 years. I’ve heard Holt is reaching close to his 50s and I am quite sure the man wants to eventually run his own program someday. If they fail, Holt might not get that opportunity again due to his age. Sark would lose most hope of getting another BCS-level head coaching gig. He may also have to revert to QBs coach if no coordinator position is available. Look at what happened to Slick Rick. The guy left Washington has a Rose Bowl champion head coach of the Dawgs to the Baltimore Ravens QBs coach- it was nearly 5 years before Rick got back to the status of where he left off at Washington by getting the Ucla head coaching job. Rick had other BCS-level head coaching experience (Colorado) and it took him 5 years. This is Sark’s first rodeo and the 7 to 10 years looks pretty accurate. Why am I bringing all this up?
To Sark and Holt failing is not an option. Willingham was already a loser [see Notre Dame]. Yet Sark and Holt have never tasted defeat and if they taste it up here then it may ruin their careers. I’m quite certain these guys have thought about this, I’m sure they’ve looked into what is at stake. And for them to take the job, even though failing could ruin their careers, I think they know something that we don’t. They know something that is on the horizon and I think this is one reason why they “jumped the shark”, their entire coaching careers rest on whether they succeed or fail and when you are talking about your dreams, your passion, and your desire- their is no option for failure.
These guys will succeed I have no doubt! WOOF!!!
All I saw was purple
Yeah Crazi...
…I was starting to get physically ill reading your post. We WILL do this! GO DAWGS!!
Washington Husky Football-Undefeated 1991 National Champions 12-0!
Now there's an argument backed up with facts
So let me get this straight, Sark and Holt won’t fail, because failing is not an option, and it will put their careers back 7-10 years. Hhmm, why is it then that many coaches who are in that same exact situation, fail??? I’d guess at least 1 out of every 3 coaches are in a win or get fired position, EVERY YEAR, and yet most of them fail and kill their careers. Ooops.
"Bow Down to Washington"
"Kick the tires and light the fires!"
I don't know why, but I reread this post . . .
“Yet Sark and Holt have never tasted defeat . . . " hhmm, pretty sure Holt’s time at Idaho would have been a big old plate of defeat.
P.S. – I’m not sure if you have a complete understanding of what it means to “Jump the Shark”. It’s when a TV program is grasping at straws to keep people’s attention and do something so unrealistic it ends up killing the show. Have they already killed the UW show? Or have they killed their careers? Either way, I really hope they are breathing life into the program, not ending it.
"Bow Down to Washington"
"Kick the tires and light the fires!"
Call me Crazi........
No, wait a minute. That’s another guy. Call me an old dreamer, a John Lennon “Imagine” sort of guy, but I’m still feeling plugged into some kind of cosmic foreknowledge that says we go into the Notre Dame game 3-1.
(Oh, and B Money: I didn’t know Bothell had gangs.)
Are you sure you are not Crazi??
Man, I hope you are right, I don’t even know if I can imagine how pumped I’d be if the Dawgs were 3-1. The more I think about it, the more I just can’t fathom how exciting that would be. Unfortunately, I don’t have the faith you guys do, I hope and dream, but I just can’t get myself to believe it’s a possibility. Too many years of high expectations, or even just expectations of improvement, to then watch the team get worse. But, our lucky has to turn around eventually, and It’s about time we WIN SOME FOOTBALL GAMES!!!
"Bow Down to Washington"
"Kick the tires and light the fires!"
there's not...
but the MTV generation and early 90’s gangster rap made it cool to do “gang like activities”, kind of stupid but it is what it is.
Next Season
The dawgs are going to have to have the inner strength to play hard ALL season long. If they get into the “woah is me, we’re 1-4 the season’s over” type mentality we’re toast. We can eeek out some wins if we play hard ALL season long. Some of these teams are going to think they can just show up and beat us. We’re going to have to show them it’s not going to happen. Attitude is everything!
Washington Husky Football-Undefeated 1991 National Champions 12-0!
I don't know how many of you....
read the short interview with Roy Lewis on Dawgman but it is VERY exciting. Afew notes:
-Roy is working out at UW with the team for the summer and helping our CB’s
-He said he couldn’t believe how much the vibe and effort have changed
-He said the UW S&C program is working guys much harder then the Steelers S&C program and that he is having a difficult time keeping up with the Dawgs as they are in great shape.
-the off season turnout (7 on 7’s) has far exceeded what happened when he was at UW
Good stuff and another reason to pumped and very optomistic!!!!
Thanks for passing along the info
So far I’ve been cheap and won’t spend the money for Dawgman, but article like that sure make it tempting.
That is definitely the type of stuff I want to here. We put so much emphasis on coaches and systems, but the teams that work the hardest win the most. Football will always be a blue collar sport, all the schemes/packages/game planning in the world can’t overcome hard work and conditioning. I really hope it show on Saturdays!
"Bow Down to Washington"
"Kick the tires and light the fires!"
Dawgman
does a top notch job as they visit the campus daily durring the summer so you get first hand info about who stood out durring 7 on 7’s. They do alot of short interviews with players while they are there and tell you who looks to have considerably gained muscle.
Also, who looked good on bball court as they are all up there “running” right now in BOA. There is also a gentalman named AAndy that has ALOT of inside front office information that is VERY interesting. $100.00 for a year is a great value if your into all the “insider” stuff.
Nick Montana
Check out rivals for a video interview with Nick Montana. You can view it even if you’re not a member. The kid looks pretty polished.
Washington Husky Football-Undefeated 1991 National Champions 12-0!
Sark's record as coach
Lear I know what you are saying lose to stanford and go into nd 1 and 3 would be hard to take. I will say this much if that were to happen and I don’t think it will UW still has the right guy as head coach.
I live in Southern Cal and I have seen what Sark has done at sc. I think Sark has shown he can recruit he is getting some of the top kids to think about UW and coming off an 0 and 12 year very few of the top kids would even think about UW so this is a big plus.
Also his record as an OC and the QB’s he has helped put in the NFL should speak for itself. If anyone is still doubtful of Sark go back and watch this years RoseBowl.
For me UW made the RIGHT hire in Sark
Robert M is my Buddy!
Right ON! Now we’re talking fella. I like Lear and all, but sometimes I get the sense he is TW mocking it up on all of us. Lear take off the Willingham trick or treat mask [intended joke]. We love ya’ man, but how bout showing a little excitement!
Go Dawgs! WOOF!!!
All I saw was purple
Get a life
I was calling for Willinghams head at least a year before it became a popular idea. Again, I ask you, please get your facts straight, perferably before you start typing.
"Bow Down to Washington"
"Kick the tires and light the fires!"
[intended joke]
Read between the lines Lear. Don’t be so serious all the time. Hell dude half the stuff I put out there is nothing more the B.S. anyways.
As Colin Cowherd once said “I am research”. Now I won’t go that far, but I sure as hell am not going to do research for the blogosphere.
All I saw was purple
Do us all a favor
Cut out all the BS. We are not here to read BS, we are here to read about UW football.
"Bow Down to Washington"
"Kick the tires and light the fires!"
But this is great theater
I am the protagonist and you are the antagonist, or vice versa (depending on which side you are on- crazi’s or Lear’s)
We can’t all agree on everything, the world would be too boring. In the blogosphere it’s all about B.S.ing. We aren’t professional writers and with that said I don’t see the point in researching my stance on stuff. The blogosphere is what it is and nothing more. You want to read a credible piece of work? Go read Jim Moore at the P.I. (online columnist). All I am is a Husky fan who wishes to discuss college football and college basketball with other Husky fans. But I never pretend to be nothing more then a B.S. Husky blogger. I don’t have insider knowledge and I certainly do not make a living with my rambling written spouts.
We don’t have to agree. I don’t agree with some of the stuff you put out there and I know you don’t agree with 98% of the crap I dish out. But it’s all good clean, wholesome fun isn’t it? You want to be the white cowboy hat dude? Okay I’ll be the villian in the black cowboy hat if that suits you. But let’s call it what it is, if any of us were professional writers then surely you or I could have a point- we’re not so let the B.S. fly- BABY!
Go Dawgs! WOOF!!!
All I saw was purple
There's a big difference . . .
between discuss, chatting, or blogging about the huskies, and spouting off a bunch of BS. The great thing about John’s blog is the high level of conversation that is brought to the table by the all the different people. This isn’t your average “my team is the best, your team sucks” blog, if we wanted a bunch of BS we’d go to the dawgman boards, or the comment section on Condotta’s blog. The only way this blog is going to remain the best, is to have an educated opinion and to keep all the BS to yourself.
"Bow Down to Washington"
"Kick the tires and light the fires!"
But it's all B.S.
We don’t know what’s going to happen. You could make a statement and to joe schmoe it comes across as presumptuous. We are fans, who have a common interest and everything and everybody on this blog comes across as presumptuous, because they are just like you and I, we don’t know what’s going to happen or what’s in store.
When I say B.S. I mean opinion. Everybody has an opinion, but is your opinion accurate? My question is- accurate to what? Yours? Probably not. That is for the reader to decide. You can’t sit there and tell fans that their opinion doesn’t count, we don’t live under a socialist regime- not yet anyway :)
I am like you though, I don’t back down from a good argument. We can continue to go around and around, but it would ultimately lead us back to where we started. That is in disagreement. And that’s cool, we don’t have to agree- it makes good theatre. I don’t drop F bombs, I don’t cuss- well I might use dam and hell now and then, but it’s not directed at anyone blogger- well maybe only in regards to filthy duck fans coming on here to rub crap in.
I’m a little sarcastic, yet am polite and I will state that I am wrong on a certain topic if need be. But I do have an opinion (B.S.) and it is your decision to either agree or disagree- I’m cool either way bro!
Go Dawgs! WOOF!!!
All I saw was purple
Children please!!!!!!!!...
…er ah I mean fellow Husky fans! We need to agree to disagree, I am all for any Husky to have an opinion," the coach sucks, he’s the greatest", what have you. As I told bigdawgdaddy when he and I used to post on the PI blog. If you’re a true Husky and you support the team and program, you have a right to whatever opinion that “floats your boat”. Who gives a rip!
Washington Husky Football-Undefeated 1991 National Champions 12-0!
Recruiting is HUGE!
This may take some time guys.
by doubledeucedawg on Jul 3, 2009 5:24 PM PDT up reply actions
My only concern . . .
Anytime you promote a coordinator to Head Coach, there is a big risk invovled. For whatever reason, many coaches make great coordinators, but piss poor head coaches. Some of the greatest offensive and defensive minds in the game have made piss poor head coaches.
So far I’d give Sark is an A+, but until he wins a game as a head coach, it’s all just speculation.
"Bow Down to Washington"
"Kick the tires and light the fires!"
On the record...
I predict two wins… you? I hope for more of course… lets get everyone in writing just to see.
6+ wins BABY!
We have moved beyond the Gilby and [yawn] Willingham eras. Under both coaches we flatlined it.
Sark and Holt have got this place chest bumpin’ and mosh pittin’. I think the appropriate song of what we’ve seen so far that directly reflects everything we’ve seen from Sark and Holt is AC/DC’s Thunder Struck- BABY!
We were flatlining it for the last 5 to 6 years. I believe their is something to be said about pumping up excitement- it brings out the best in all of us. These players will play and compete for their coaches. I know we’ve said it before under other coaches, but this thing is the real deal and I’m buying in.
6+ wins this season- no question. WOOF!!!
All I saw was purple
4+
The problem is that if we start the season 1-3 this already fragile team’s psyche could take a big hit…dont under estimate what a bad start could do to this team. I think Sark & Co will have everyone ready and I think 4 wins is acceptable given the situation of 0-12 last year and our non conference schedule. Though 6 is obtainable too.
REMEMBER THIS !!!
The Dawgs will upset LSU. The Dawgs will be 3-1 going into the Notre Dame game. Better Coaching will be the difference. The kids at Montlake are ready to play and they believe. Locker will have a break out season and so will Polk. The Dawgs could have two shutouts posted by the time they play Notre Dame. Not hype… just fact.
I like your style, bdd999....
see my post above from yesterday. We WILL be 3-1 going into the ND game!
You gotta have a little faith,,,,,,,,, GO DAWGS!!!
Try to remember
Crazidawg I hope you are right 6 wins would be great all I am trying to say is we all need to show some patience with this team and coaching staff. Is UW better than 0 and 12 in one word YES. We all have to remember the last coach ran the program into the ground I would be happy with 4 to 5 wins as long as progression is being made each week.
One last question to ask if Leach were the coach does anyone think he could get Nick Montana. I don’t think so
Robert M again I am impressed!
Dude have you been drinking the purple kool aid that crazi made? I think so because we think exactly alike. No- it would be a travesty if the hype was built up so much, this early, to think Sark can pull out a winning season so realitively young in his career. I’m with you, now if we don’t get 6+ wins like crazi is predicting, fellas don’t go jumping off any bridges. 6 wins or not it is going to take time and patience and I know this, yet I think these coaches are hungry to do something with this purple and gold clad program that has been dorment for nearly a decade.
I don’t think Mike Leach was a good fit- hell no! Leach likes Lubbuck, TX because he doesn’t like being around the media. Leach can’t compete with Texas and Oklahoma in recruiting. He (Leach) has to manuever around recruiting the same way WSU has to. WSU knows good and well they aren’t getting the best of the best- same w/ TT and Leach here. Leach might fit in well at WSU or in Corvallis, but not in media-friendly Seattle.
Leach does not have the experience of getting the top notch recruits. He’s crafty and makes the most out of very little [see Mike Price]. We have the resources to go head to head with USC and Ucla in both recruiting and funding- most other Pac 10 clubs don’t. So you see Mike Leach was not a finalist for this job. We needed to explore youth, passion, creativity, and no-nonsense defense. Sark is THAT guy. Sark can go head to head with USC and Ucla. Do I think Leach would’ve landed Nick Montana? Leach and Washington wouldn’t have even been in consideration my fellow dawg fans. Montana wants a great education, a chance to build something special with his future teammates, and work in a college offense that will get him acclimated to the NFL offenses. That last statemen is GOING to be HUGE in terms of future recruiting seasons. We couldn’t stay in the stinkin’ spread! Why? Because if you wanted to play in the Pac 10 and if the spread was your offense of choice- your first option was Oregon. The ducks have mastered the spread. We couldn’t compete with that in recruiting. But we can compete against them going in the oposite direction and that my friends is what is so dam great about going to the pro style offense. Head to head vs. USC and Ucla. Hell we are going to blow the doors off Oregon very soon.
Go Huskies! WOOF!!!
All I saw was purple
Sark's west coast ties...
…were absolutely critical in the reasoning for him being hired. The whole thing just made a lot of sense guys. Most of us weren’t happy when the decision was made as I recall.
by doubledeucedawg on Jul 3, 2009 5:28 PM PDT up reply actions
Just because you like Sark, doesn't mean you have to hate every other coach
What did Leach do, he won, and he won immediately at a school with no talent, no history, and he has NEVER had a losing season. Leach has a track record of turning around a losing program, Sark doesn’t. I wonder if Sark will be able to make those same claims.
For the record, so Crazi doesn’t misinterpret something else, I like Sark, he’s doing a great job, I have high hopes for his future at the UW. I also like Mike Leach, Urban Meyer, Pete Carroll and most any other coach that has a PROVEN track record of WINNING. I do NOT let an offensive system determine whether or not I like any particular coach.
"Bow Down to Washington"
"Kick the tires and light the fires!"
Never said the word "hate"
I said he wasn’t the right fit for multiple reasons. And the only thing I said about Steve Sarkisian was that we needed to explore the youth, passion, creativity, and no-nonsense defense and this is exactly the way the University of Washington went isn’t it? We don’t need a coach that looks like he needs to take a sabatical leave anytime soon. We needed a young face, a knowledgable teacher, a great seller, a friendly face (not a TW frown), a coach that had west coast connections and ties. This was the way the UofW went and he (Sark) has turned this program upside down in the short time he’s been here.
Now if you would forgive me, I mispoke. I want to apologize to Lear for my negligence of insinuating that Lear loves Urban Meyer and Bob Stoops. Yet when you put info out there that says you like the spread offense and keep referring to both Meyer and Stoops, a person begins to add 2 and 2 together. I stand corrected. Usually I don’t leave the Pac 10 bubble. I am a bleeding heart Husky fan, and I’ve been a loyalist for the members of the Pac 10 Conference, minus the ducks- hate the ducks! So usually I don’t have a lot to say about other programs or leagues. I watch from a distance and always have, but my loyalty has always been with Washington and the Pac 10, minus the ducks- hate the ducks!
All I saw was purple
Funny thing is . . .
I do like Bob Stoops and Urban Meyer, they are both highly proven coaches, and they both have AWESOME track records. You really need to get outside of your “pro style” bubble and have a look at the rest of the world.
"Bow Down to Washington"
"Kick the tires and light the fires!"
You crack me up Lear!
I do get outside of the bubble now and then, but it is always from a distance. I actually have always admired Joe Paterno and Penn State. I think one reason why I’ve always had a liking for the Nitnany Lions is due to their no-nonsense approach. They don’t wear those non-nonsense uniforms for nothing. It’s a traditional statement, yet fits JoePa’s coaching and teaching football philosophy like a glove. Those uniforms speak loudly “We don’t need swagger, we don’t need to trash talk, we don’t need all the extra curricular nonsense that surrounds the game” We are State College of Pennsylvaina and we know our assignment and will carry it out 100% effectively".
I also like Jim Tressell of Ohio State- hate the Luckeyes, but do respect Jim Tressell. Yet his offense is outdated. He is still playing the way USC, Oklahoma, and Alabama were playing back in their hay days. “We are coming at you with only 5 plays at our disposal … it is your job to stop it.” Good coaches and good team can stop Ohio State these days with Tressell’s 5 play offensive playbook. He needs to hire an offensive coordinator and bring the Luckeyes into the millinieum.
Lear I knew you were a Stoops and Meyer guy all along. It’s okay to admit it because I’ve stated that I have a likening for JoePa and the Sweater Vest.
All I saw was purple
There's nothing to be ashamed about
Stoops: 109-24 (.820 winning percentage) 5 Conference Championships and 1 National Championship
Meyer: 83-17 (.830 winning percentage) 4 Conference Championships and 2 National Championship
Yep, I should be ashamed of myself for being a fan of such horrible unproven coaches. What was I thinking, I must be a fool!
"Bow Down to Washington"
"Kick the tires and light the fires!"
WOW!
Didn’t see that coming. There for a moment I thought we were “relating” on some level, apparently not.
I give you props and it comes across to you like I am attacking your fanhood … ??? I was actually complimenting you Lear. I guess we’ll just have to stay in character. You, the white cowboy hat dude (protagonist) and me the black cowboy hat dude (antagonist). Any theatre critics in the audiance?
All I saw was purple
We need to really keep this thing in perspective...
…I think as much as anything it’s how we play the games this season. We may be 4-8 this season but I believe there are going to be a few nail biters in there. If we win those we could do better but I think 4-8 would be fine as long as we are “playing hard and improving”.
by doubledeucedawg on Jul 3, 2009 5:32 PM PDT up reply actions
Advantage Washington
I think we have an advantage in that most teams will come into our games thinking they can just show up and win. We need to pound their ass on every down until they realize they made a serious mistake.
Advantage Washington cont...
…Oh I forgot, once they realize they screwed up, we keep pounding their asses on every play. Tough physical football!
by doubledeucedawg on Jul 3, 2009 5:36 PM PDT up reply actions
JC's
All are on track to qualify but we really won’t know until they pass UW’s admissions (sometime in August) – so far everything looks good though.
Tivao
Sounds like Tivao is the only guy who is still questionable.
"Bow Down to Washington"
"Kick the tires and light the fires!"
Tivao
Still has a math class to pass this summer (that he didn’t pass this last spring). He’s taking it now and should be done in August I believe. Crossing my fingers. We need some depth.
As far as 6 wins goes… that’s a real stretch but I’m hopeful as well. I certainly don’t “expect” it in the least bit. I’d be okay with 3 wins, good with 4 wins, happy with 5 wins, and ecstatic with 6 wins.
It’s very promising that Roy Lewis (one of the only guys giving it 100% a few years ago) thinks that the program has a whole new feel and look. Add to that, Sark has Tuisasopo and Huard at the 7-7s throwing routes, which blows my mind. Great move on Sark’s part.
It's always easier the second time
As much as it sucks to have to retake a class, it’s got to be easier the second time, we really could use him!
I hadn’t heard about Tui and Huard, having those guys around is awesome. Tui has enough heart to carry a whole team, and Huard could read defenses better than any other QB at the UW. Having former players, especially those with NFL experience, hanging around the program and helping out is a big plus. I really like what Roy Lewis said, if our players coming into the season that well conditioned, anything is possible!
"Bow Down to Washington"
"Kick the tires and light the fires!"
3 to 6 wins, and we need a game
I think Sark jacked us up too quick. People are talking about Leach again if we don’t go bowling. Gimmicks didn’t get us excited, it was hard nosed intense practices, S&C, and recruiting. The reality is we lost all 12 last year and will be favored in only 2 games this season.
Is this team as fragile as last year, I don’t think so, but it is the same guys; just different leadership. That leadership will be tested big time by LSU. A blowout will be devastating, but a close game, especially if the UW makes intelligent half time adjustments, will make most of us happy. Three to 6 wins means winning 150 to 300% of your favored games, let’s build our expectations as the season goes. No gimmicks, just old fashioned hard nosed football. Go Dawgs.
Leadership
I do think the change in Leadership is a HUGE difference. I think we all under estimate just how much Willingham did to destroy the spirit of this team. How many coaches tell their players to play without emotion? Players take on the personality of their coaches. An emotionless, stoic, boring coach can only produce an emotionless, stoic, boring team. If our team attitude is half of what it should be under Sark, Husky football could really get fun, and it could happen quickly. That being said, I complete agree with you, let’s take this one step at a time and not get ahead of ourselves.
"Bow Down to Washington"
"Kick the tires and light the fires!"
Leadership
Lear you are right leadership is a huge difference and I think we can all agree that the last coach ran the team into the ground. Here is the big difference maker for me the last coach expected the top players to come to him and we all know how well this worked out.
Sark is going out and he is getting the top players to at least think about UW which is a huge step foward coming off an 0 and 12 season. I feel good about this year do I expect 6 wins I would like to say yes but I think 4 to 5 win is more realistic.
As long as the team takes a step forward after each game UW will be just fine. UW has the right coaches now we the fans need to show some patience and be realistic with our expectations.
Only for the sancitity
I agree only for the sancitity of the coaching staff, the players, the administration, the leadership who hired these coaches, the alumni, the boosters, and the fans. Higher then thou expectations is not good. You wanted my prediction and I gave you my prediction. I predict 6+ wins this season, if we fall short of that win total then surely we’ll need to come back the next season and build upon our strengths. Yet I may be in the minority on this one- their is no way we should ever win less then 4 games.
But I stand firm 6 wins should be achievable. We should beat Idaho and Washington State. We then shoud split the Oregons, split the Arizonas, and split the Bay Area schools. To get to that 6th win we would need one win over either LSU, Notre Dame, or Ucla.
And it may come as a surprise to some but our team was better then an 0-12er. Once Locker went down the team quit on the coaches. At Oregon? Hostile & tough venue for a young team. BYU? We had our hearts ripped out of us. Oklahoma? Reality check. Stanford? Locker lost for the season and team flatlined it for the rest of the season from halftime until TW slowly walked off Cal’s field to end the winless season.
We’ve got to do a better job in scheduling. If we continue to have the toughest schedule in the country then surely we need a few solid placement bye weeks in order to not get banged up so dam much. I say one top heavy BCS team (LSU type), one middle of the road BCS team (Kansas type), and one cupcake (Idaho or San Jose State types). I know why we are scheduling top flight BCS programs, it’s to show the state legislatures that we bring in out of state tax revenue- BIGTIME! But this sort of scheduling is not only crippling our chances of a winning season, it’s also putting some of our less experienced kids in harms way with out having much depth. Let’s get it fixed.
All I saw was purple
I'll "one up" you
I don’t think the UW football team should EVER have a losing record. I firmly believe that a 6-6 record should get a coach fired.
BUT, I also realize that the football team has been utterly destroyed by hiring Rick Neuheisel and Tyrone Willingham. THEREFORE, it’s going to take a few years to get back to where we should be. Fans must have realistic expectations, anything above and beyond our expectations is just icing on the cake. Players on the other hand, if they don’t expect to win, they won’t win.
"Bow Down to Washington"
"Kick the tires and light the fires!"
Very good point
I couldn’t agree more, we could have a really good year, but patience is the key word!!! I honestly believe we have the talent to win 6-9 games this year, we horribly lack depth, so a good part of that is dependant upon the health of the team. With the right coaching and the right conditioning, this team could really surprise a lot of outsiders and even a good amount of insiders. The key to this season, is just what you said, progress, just keep making progress every week and I’ll be happy.
I guess I’m the bad guy because I won’t anoint Sark as the savior of UW football before seeing the on field product first.
"Bow Down to Washington"
"Kick the tires and light the fires!"
The Black Cowboy Hat Dude Rides Again!
This may come as a shock, but I agree with Lear on this one. The benchmark at the UDub was always 8 wins. And going 6-6 back in the day was cause for alarm.
Yet since the James/Lambo era the program has suffered for multiple reasons and we find ourselves hitting rock bottom on the face of the map. Once you are down the only way out is up. And to think we could come out of this funk with a BANG (7,8, or 9 wins) would be great but if it happened? HuskyNation would be thriving once again. Yet back to reality. We are rebuilding off a winless season and so we have to be patient and realize this thing requires babysteps. Babystep it to win 1 … babystep it to win 2 … so on and so forth. If we can babystep it from one step at a time then we can build momemtum for the duration of the season.
Sark and Holt are not losers. They demand your ver best on every play. They are skilled at what they do and that is to teach kids the game of football and they know how to get it done. If we show a little patience as fans, then surely this group of coaches can work stress-free in order to rebuild this once GIANT of a program, ultimately leading us back to the status quo of an 8 win benchmark.
Go Sark! Sickem’ Holt! WOOF!!!
All I saw was purple
Dissappointment
I think anyone expecting 6+ wins is headed for disappointment. Until this team has a top 5 (in the PAC-10) OL & DL we are going to struggle – you just can’t win consistantly without them. I think 4 wins is the benchmark as well as being more competative and obviously better coached. This year is going to be more about the “eye test” as opposed to the overall record.
Well Said
Just to make sure I’m clear, I expect 4+ wins this year, and I think it’s too early to make predictions. Last year I thought we’d be a 5-6 win team, but after watching the first game I only expected a one win season. Turns out, even I was overly optimistic. I’ll probably make a prediction right before the season, then another one after seeing the LSU game. I do think we have more talent then we are being given credit for and anything is possible, but just as you said, until the offensive line gives Locker time and opens holes for the rb’s, it’s going to be tough to win games.
"Bow Down to Washington"
"Kick the tires and light the fires!"
That is what I am basing all this on
Snostrebla and Lear that is what I am basing my prediction on. I think we’ve got decent talent on the offensive line. I do … I really do. The problem was that they were poorly coached, their was a lack of energy and like Lear said earlier “Players on the other hand, if they don’t expect to win, they won’t win” (quoted from Lear).
Our offensive line unit didn’t expect to win all last season. We got pushed around up front by just about everybody, particularly Oklahoma and USC. It was literally ugly up front and the reason was because we didn’t come together as a unit, we were very poorly coached, and it was all about “me” and not we. Did Juan Garcia come back for the team or to attempt to raise his own stock for the NFL? Only Garcia knows the answer to that one. But the guy was horrible when we were in shotgun formation. The snapl 90% of the time either bounced to Locker & Fouch or it simply rolled back to Locker & Fouch.
The bouncing or rolling shotgun snap is point blank evidence the offensive line couldn’t execute their assignments. Hell fellas if we can’t execute a freakin’ snap correctly how the hell do you suppose we are going to execute a blocking assignment? We sucked up front and the returning O linemen should feel pretty shitty, they literally offered no protection to our QBs and RBs. None, nadda, zero O line protection.
But this is a new regime. Sark and Holt both know what a perfectly executing offensive line looks like. Sark entrusted a great USC O line to protect his star QBs. Holt went toe to toe with arguably the best O line in the country. They know what a good offensive line looks like. They know the importance of getting that needed protection. And I have a hunch we are going to see drastic improvement up front on both sides of the ball this season.
Last season the kids didn’t buy into the system. This year? The kids are onboard and ready to light the first boiler. My prediction is based on the notion that up front on both sides of the ball will be much improved and that our defensive secondary can cover- something they didn’t understand last season.
A great teacher and a little motivation carries! WOOF!!!
All I saw was purple
Hmm...
Not sure I agree crazy. Denbrock is generaly regarded as a pretty good OL coach. First, I think the S&C program failed BIG TIME as these kids wern’t in shape. Second, the three seniors all had injury issues all year long. Third, the offense Lappono made them run didn’t use their strength but showed there weakness. I’d blame it more on Lappono then Denbrock.
That being said, I don’t think the talent we’ve recruited at OL under TW is top notch. Sure they may develope into solid PAC-10 players but asking MANY of them to be good in their first year is asking quite a bit. Schaefer, Kelemente, Ikehara, Scott, Shuggart, Sedillo will all be asked to play alot this year and a few of those guys will even start and none of them have much / any game experience and most are still young. I’m not worried about Tolar or Ossai as both are proven solid PAC-10 players. Habben beter improve a TON as he got schooled game after game and almost got Fouch killed last year.
The bottom line is, as of right now, this is somewhere between the 10th and 7th rated OL in the PAC-10 = hard to win 6+ games with that.
I see your point and partially agree
“A great teacher and a little motivation carries”. That is the basis of my argument that we can get better up front.
Now Denbrock, sure he is generally regarded as a pretty good O line coach. Oh I place blame to multiple coaches. For starters I have to lay blame on Willingham in replacing our offense. It was condusive or could be condusive to Locker’s talents, but was not in the ballpark in terms of condusive to the talents of our offenisve line. The spread experiment failed. I blame Lappano for not having the vision to see that no matter how gifted your QB is, it all rests on whether the O line is effective, in which case we were awful in learning the spread blocking schemes. Do I blame Denbrock? Well I don’t know all that went on. Maybe Denbrock doesn’t truly understand the blocking schemes in the spread, maybe he is a pro style blocking scheme O line coach. Or possibly Denbrock thought switching to the spread was a bad idea due to the fact we didn’t have great spread personnel up front, maybe Lappano and Willingham over-ruled and went to the spread without the acceptance of the O line coach.
Yet when the snap rolls back or trickles back to the QB in shotgun formation something- HELL everything is wrong!
In the event that we don’t have top 5 (Pac 10) talent on the O line their are blocking schemes that we can fine tune. We can go to max protect schemes, if the defense is in over pursuit and blitzing heavily we can get out of our 7 and 5 QB drop steps and go to 90 game (quick 3 step QB drops). Their is a lot of schemes we can use for a not-so-talented offensive line that can be taught. One thing to always remember about the offensive line. It’s not about strength and size, it’s all about leverage and angles and technique.
Without a doubt we can’t teach strength and size, but we can teach leverage, angles, and technique.
“The bottom line is, as of right now, this is somewhere between the 10th and 7th rated OL in the PAC-10 = hard to win 6+ games with that.” Sorry Snostrebla, but I have to disagree with your closing paragraph. That was as of last season. This is a new year w/ new coaches- expect a lot of improvement on the O line. Sark and Holt both know that the offense won’t work unless we can get the required protection.
All I saw was purple
I guess my point is more that you can’t teach experience and we are going to have a lot of newbies out there on the OL. You can definetly help them with protection schemes in the passing game (and I expect our passing game to improve a lot this year). But when it’s 3rd & 2 or a goaline stance that all goes out the door. It becomes mono e mono and I’ll take a senoir who’s been in a legit S&C program for 3-4 years over a newbie who just found out what getting in shape is all about.
I have little doubt that Sark & Co. are very good coaches but this is about more then just coaching. It’s about experience, over all talent & years spent in a great S&C program and you can’t drastically change those things in one season. It’s going to take a little time.
GO DAWGS!!!
I've got to go with Snostebla on this one
I think we do have talent on the o-line, but it is either older players who have been horribly out of shape, or young very inexperienced talent. Either way, even with a lot of improvement, it’s really going to be tough going up against Pac10 defensive lines.
Crazi, you said, “Sark and Holt both know that the offense won’t work unless we can get the required protection.” There’s a big difference between knowing what needs to be done and actually getting it done. Unless there is a new NCAA rule, I don’t think coaches are allowed to play, so it’s up to the players to listen to the coaches and get the job done. I’ve got to agree with snostebla, I don’t think the o-line coaching was the issue, I think it was part Lappano’s system and a HUGE part conditioning.
"Bow Down to Washington"
"Kick the tires and light the fires!"
Idaho
The LSU game will be interesting – if we keep it close going into the 4th quarter that will be a good sign. But I think the game that will tell us alot will be the Idaho game. Idaho is a team we should dominate from the start as we should have more talent across the board. If we struggle to win that game by 20+ points then it will be a long year.
We dont' have a "Tells All" game early in the season
About the only thing the LSU game offers us is a chance to work ourselves into sync with the offensive system and/or use the home crowd ruckus to lift us up for a possible “shock the world” upset. I don’t think LSU tells us anything unless we pull a milestone upset.
I don’t see the Idaho game as a tells us a lot. I say we win by 20 to 25 points- what does that say? Doesn’t tell us how tough we are on defense, doesn’t tell us anything about special teams, and surely won’t tell us anything of offense.
I don’t see USC as a tells all game neither. But if hypothetically we begin this game sitting at 2-0, this game could get a little interesting.
I don’t see a tell all game until Stanford. The Cardinal are riding the wave up the Pac 10 ladder. Traditionally this game should be always winnable, including this season. The Stanford game is the tell all game.
Yet what does it tell us if we come into this game at 1-2? And how does the season carry out if we drop a game to the trees and find ourselves at 1-3? The Stanford game is a pivitol game in the season- no question. Beat the Cardinal and we sit in good shape at 2-2, lose to Stanford and we succomb to what has become the expected- a losing record sitting at 1-3.
That Stanford game is the BIG ONE this year. Huge measurement game- NO question!
All I saw was purple
I agree
If we beat Idaho by a bunch = so what, but if we struggle to beat them = Not Good. Stanford is a must win and I agree – a HUGE indicator of were we’re at as a program.
sancitity part 2
crazidawg I think you are 100% right 6 wins is achievable and everything else you wrote is also very true. All I am trying to say is I hope everyone does not think by not getting to 6 wins that the season is a total failure.
Agreed...
Robert. I’ve been following this thread and I’ve seen other programs that though they finished the season with 4 or 5 wins, they laid the groundwork for the future. To be honest, not many fans are “expecting” 6 wins. I’m not saying that we’re not hopeful but I want to watch the way we compete and I think most of us would be happy if this team is competitive and improving. As far as wins and losses, who knows. If we win four games and were competitive in most of our games, IMO that’s a huge step forward.
Washington Husky Football-Undefeated 1991 National Champions 12-0!
Turn UP the Volume
Fellas I might come across overbearing, obnoxious, self-absorbed, with a smudge of sarcasim. Lear would be happy to concure, right Lear?
But if you truly understood my intensions then you’d understand crazi. I can’t dwell on the negavitive past. Can’t and won’t. Why?
I am a Husky fan that has seen the highest highs and the lowest lows. Right now we are sitting in the pitfalls and the wastelands of college football and it kills me to think that we are the bottom feeder in the Pac 10, a place we once dominated.
My point is, I am quite sure some (not all) potential recruits check message boards. Not sure as to the reason, maybe to get a vibe for the culture in order to gage their options a little more clearer. I want this coaching staff to succeed. They have to, because if they don’t we will be a dead dawg for a long time to come. This can’t happen. And I sure as hell am not going to give potential recruits a negative vibe surrounding the program. Last year was last year. The boring Willingham regime has gone bye-bye. This is a new era of Husky football, the closet energy level we’ve experienced since the James/Lambo era. Everything from coach Sark has been positive since he arrived. Neuheisel? The energy level was there but the negative crap coming up from Colorado haunted Rick’s era, along with his selfish self-abosrbed endeavors.
I have to do my part, I want the recruits on the fence to know that this isn’t the Willingham Huskies anymore. This is USC-North BABY! I want to help the recruits sitting on the fence to make up their minds. I want to sell the University of Washington, Husky Football, and HuskyNation to them. Can’t do that by always playing the “woe is me” song. We got to switch out the cd to AC/DC “Thunder Struck”!
Want to help get these kids signed to Washington? Get on board and turn up the volume.
Go Dawgs! WOOF!!!
All I saw was purple
Opposites Attract?
You guys are really best friends huh!? Ying and Yang!? ;O)
Washington Husky Football-Undefeated 1991 National Champions 12-0!
Lol!!!
I think Crazi & I are on the same page he is very pumped up about the future and so am I but I believe it’s going to take a season or two to realy get things back on track – I’d be VERY happy if I was wrong and we win 6+ this year.
Delusions of Grandure
I have a VERY hard time believing that we have much impact on recruiting. There is just too much other stuff driving a recruits decision than what fans have to say on blogs. I’ve got bad news for you crazi, every other Pac10 coach is reminding these guys of how “well” we’ve been playing over the past decade, recruits aren’t going to pick Cal over UW just because a few fans are cautiously optomistic. As much as I love your energy, I doubt your blind enthusiasm is going to land us a recruit.
PS – WE ARE NOT USC NORTH, WE ARE WASHINGTON! I hate the very concept that we would want to be any other program. Schools like Oregon, Arizona, Stanford, and Oregon State might want to be like USC. The only program I want to be like is the Washington of the Don James era!
SCREW USC, BOW DOWN TO WASHINGTON!!!
"Bow Down to Washington"
"Kick the tires and light the fires!"
Figure of Speech Lear
The USC-North thing is a figure of speech. We took Sark and Holt away from USC, our offense will resemble USC with a few wrinkles added in and our defense will play like USC of recent.
Lear I am not saying that we land recruits on this blog, but I am quite certain some will check message boards to feel out and get a vibe for the culture, which we do display on this board. Indeed competing programs and coaches are using negative recruiting tactics against us, I’m quite certian Bellotti has been doing it for years. Not to mention but I’ll bet Tedford did it to change Carter’s mom’s decision.
But I do not want to put crap out there that makes it more difficult for our coaches to recruit. Yeah we sucked last season- move on and let’s get positive.
All I saw was purple
Recruits aren't going to like unrealistic expectations.
What’s worse, being cautiously optomistic and hoping for the best, or expecting Sark to be Vince Lombardi reincarnated? Recruits are smart, they aren’t going to think Sark and Holt are the world’s best college’s coaches just because Crazi says so.
Who’s putting crap out there, making it more difficult to recruit? Again, recruits are smart, they are not dumb enough to expect us to go from worst to first in one year.
"Bow Down to Washington"
"Kick the tires and light the fires!"
PS - Don't ever use that figure of speech again!!!
We are Washington, and it’s about time people BOW DOWN TO WASHINGTON once again!!!
"Bow Down to Washington"
"Kick the tires and light the fires!"
USC-North BABY! Sorry Lear I couldn't resist :)
All I saw was purple
I don't understand
…The conflict between Crazi and Lear….I love both you guys!
by John Berkowitz on Jul 7, 2009 7:50 PM PDT up reply actions
Can't we all get along!!!
Nah, getting along is boring! It’s simple really, I’m right and he’s wrong! Ok, so I couldn’t pass up that one. How do I put this, I like crazi’s energy, but a touch of reality would go along ways.
"Bow Down to Washington"
"Kick the tires and light the fires!"
I like it!
I like the enthusiasm.
Washington Husky Football-Undefeated 1991 National Champions 12-0!
Pretty cool article from SI
http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2009/highschool/07/03/top.10/index.html?eref=sihpT1
There is a name mentioned that we should feel good about. Nice to know that we are getting recruits that are nationally recognized.
Go Sark & Co.
12-0 next year…anything less will be a disappointment.
Union HS - Tulsa, OK
I went to flight school in Tulsa and was lucky enough to catch the annual Union vs. Jenks game, that is a rivalry that would put most college’s to shame. They quickly sell out Skelly Stadium (Tulsa University – 40,000 seats) every year!
"Bow Down to Washington"
"Kick the tires and light the fires!"
WOW!
That is unreal! 40,000 for a highschool game!
Washington Husky Football-Undefeated 1991 National Champions 12-0!
It was incredible!
By far, the most exciting (non husky) football game I’ve ever been too. Even had a kickoff return for a touchdown to win the game and there was less than 20 seconds left on the clock! Bo don’t know Diddley, but The South knows football.
"Bow Down to Washington"
"Kick the tires and light the fires!"
SO....
Stanford a couple games out of a bowl game last season, Dawgs not one win…
Stanford top 15 recruiting class, Dawgs somewhere between 6-9 in the pac 10…
This site has some pretty lofty goals.
Not much to do in Oregon, huh??
I know there isn’t much to do in Oregon, but don’t you have anything better to do with your time than come on a Husky blog and try to pick a fight?
Well, to quote Captain Jack Sparrow, “You need to find yourself a girl mate.”
"Bow Down to Washington"
"Kick the tires and light the fires!"
I rarely come on this site but this and the Notre Dame post struck a chord
This isn’t even me “trolling” It just seems like you’re setting your fans up for a real big let down. These apparently serious and well versed writers are giving you guys a legitimate chance and even a winning chance against teams that are clearly better than you. Stanford, okay maybe, but Notre Dame? REALLY…. REALLY? The same reason even though Oregon has all their tough games at home i still don’t think they can take the Pac 10 from the Trojans. there is a thin line between optimism and outright fanboy bias,.
Ye be warned!!!
I saw John warned you about trolling, I saw three post with nothing but Husky bashing, what did you expect our response to be? By your own admission, you aren’t on this site much, so how well do you know the current UW program and coaches, and what we should expect next year?
Trust me, we’ve been debating expectations a lot lately, and there is a very wide range of expectations. Every football blog is biased to the home team, this is sports. What did you expect, all of us to say “woe is me” the Husky suck, and we will only win one game this year? We weren’t an 0-12 team last year, we had 0-12 coaches last year. Change is coming, both here and in Eugene.
"Bow Down to Washington"
"Kick the tires and light the fires!"
if you had 0-12 coaches
What happened to the 0-12 players?
oh yeah still enrolled at the University.
I don’t think the Huskies are going to be 0-12 maybe more like 4 or 5 wins I just don’t think the game against Notre Dame is one in which you should notch down a “W”
I’ll probably be Banned despite what I say as is…
I agree
Notre Dame is going to be a tough game, is it possible we will win the game, yes. Is it likely? probably not.
We never have had 0-12 players. It’s all on the coaches. Check back at the end of the season and we can discuss how much talent we did or did not have last year, and how much the coaches flushed it all down the toilet.
"Bow Down to Washington"
"Kick the tires and light the fires!"
Getting banned.
John’s great, if you bring an intelligent conversation to the table you will be very welcome around here.
If all you bring to the table is “you suck, my school is better” then people get banned.
"Bow Down to Washington"
"Kick the tires and light the fires!"
You forgot to mention . . .
Everything you mentioned happened last year, we’ve had a small change, the entire coaching staff, strength and conditioning staff, team attitude and team work ethic.
This is completely different program than last year.
"Bow Down to Washington"
"Kick the tires and light the fires!"
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