Kibbles and Bits
by John Berkowitz on Apr 8, 2010 6:46 AM PDT
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PrintCort Dennison looks to be solidly entrenched at MLB with Victor Burnett backing him up. Tim Tucker has slid a bit in the depth chart. The coaches talked about him competing for a starting job this spring but it seems he fell behind other players during off season workouts.
Washington looks very solid at CB this spring with five potential starters competing for two starting spots. Desmond Trufant has been out with a groin injury early this spring but his backups have been playing at a high level. Anthony Boyles continues to play well and is getting reps with the first team.
Cameron Elisara has been getting a lot of reps at DE this spring and Coach Sark says that it is a look that could certainly be used this fall. The move might be a good one for Elisara who always looked more like a big DE to me rather than a DT. The move also might help him stay healthier. He has been plauged by stingers in his shoulders over his career.
Down in Oregon the President of the school is saying that Mike Bellotti was basically forced out of his job as AD and the timing happened to coincide perfectly with an opportunity from ESPN for him to move into the broadcast booth. Bellotti's version is a little different. He says he wasn't forced out of either the AD job or head coaching position.
Oregon President Robert Lariviere says there is a cleanup underway in the Oregon Athletic Department. That just happens to be the type of statement which opens a school up to an NCAA inquiry. It seems like the athletic department has been under complete booster control the last couple of years.
"This institution did not follow acceptable business practices in the past," Lariviere said. "That will not be repeated under my administration."
"Athletics needs increasingly strong finance and business management," Lariviere said. "I saw this early in my tenure here. I decided that at some point, a change of AD would be necessary."
"As a result of our discoveries in this, we are going to change a lot of the university's practices," Lariviere said. "At this point, I can't tell you what the response will be to any individual request, but I can tell you we will be as responsive, open and transparent as we possibly can be."
Butler Head Basketball Coach Brad Stevens has reportedly rejected an offer from Oregon. Even wth a new basketball arena the Ducks are going to find it hard to steal a marquee coach from the college ranks. The Ducks may now be headed in the direction of PJ Carlesimo.
Ted Miller of ESPN was in town this week to watch a practice. Ted tries to visit every school in the conference during the spring and during the fall. Ted has a really sharp football eye and it will be interesting to see what his comments are once he has had a chance to visit every school and watch a practice.
Kiper says it is etched in stone
Mel Kiper loves Jake Locker and that type of love has the ability of mutating into some serious cash a year from now. Mel is predicting that Jake will be the number one overall pic in the 2011 draft. He also say that if Jake had come out early he would have been the number one QB taken in 2010.
"If you had to ask me right now who is going to be the number one pick in the 2011 draft, I would say it's etched in stone it's going to be Jake Locker,'' Kiper said. "You can mark that down. Jake Locker, if he's not the number one pick, it's an upset.''
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I'm worried about stopping the run
We have a few ? at LB and a few ? at DE. Good thing we are in Spring Ball right now instead of Fall Camp. We’ve got a lot of time to address both these issues and find away to develop run stoppers. I think defensively we are pretty solid elsewhere. I like the idea of bringing in a guy from the basketball team (Trent), but the timing is a little alarming and should’n’t come as a surprise that we have a hole or two to fill on the ends.
On a different note, I think something has been going on at Oregon and I agree it seems as if boosters have been running the athletic dept. for a few years. Did Bellotti fire Ernie Kent of did a major booster? I think all the offseason stuff that has occured at Oregon this past offseason is eventually going to come to a header. That is a lot of garbage being tossed to the media in just a matter of months. I still can’t see why Mike Bellotti went along with the “force out” as head coach and allowed again to be “forced out” after 9 months on the job as Oregon’s AD. Something just doesn’t add up. Then you have all the offseason player crap to pile on. Eventually the truth will come out- it always does.
All I saw was purple
I think we are really solid inside with the options we have. The challenge remains at DE…but if Elisara is capable out there it provides another experienced answer. Keep in mind that Kelani Aldrich could play right now if it was fall…they are just allowing him the chance to get as healthy as possible.
I think Kent was fired by consensus a couple of years ago but surprised by taking his team to the Elite Eight…that bought him another two years.
There obviously was a lot of things going on behind the scenes. Mike had surgery this year and is using this off time to get healthy and pick up some bucks from ESPN. He will be mentioned prominently for any attractive job opening. I think Mike wanted to get out of Eugene and finish up elsewhere.
But wasn't he in love with Oregon and Eugene?
I’ve heard both assumptions on behalf of the Bellotti situation. Why in the hell would the most decorated and most successful head football coach at Oregon be forced out? And over the years, even Bellotti has mentioned that he loves his job at Oregon, so why would he want to get out of Eugene? Something definitely is not right down there. It just doesn’t add up and the stories I’ve heard are a tad inconsistent with each other.
All I saw was purple
Why would they?
Why would they force out the most decorated and most succesful Athletic Director they ever had?
Why would they force out the most decorated and most succesful Basketball coach they have had since the Kamikaze kids era?
How many Rose Bowls did Bellotti go to? I think right there is your answer on that one. They are spending a lot of money trying to become a national program. I guess they felt Bellotti wasn’t the guy to take them to the next level.
Bill Moos built the Oregon program from the ground up. They replaced him with a booster who had no prior experience running an athletic department.
Ernie Kent is an alumnus who spent 13 years at the school. He took his team as far as the Final Eight only three seasons ago. He had ties in the Midwest that delivered talent that Oregon won’t be able to get anymore. Obviously they felt they needed a new shinier name to go along with that new shiny arena. Make no mistake they want to be a national championship contender in basketball plus keep whatever local talent there is home…tall order if you ask me.
by John Berkowitz on Apr 8, 2010 12:10 PM PDT up reply actions
Greed, you've got to love it!
I think you’re right, John. Oregon wasn’t happy just being in the upper half of the conference, they seem to think that Papa Knight’s money entitles them to being one of the elite programs in the nation. Fortunately for us they are going to learn the hard way, they should have been happy with their current level of success. Instead they fired some of the most successful people in the history of Oregon athletics, just to take a huge risk on younger flashier people. OOOPS!
"Legends are made on the shores of Lake Washington"
"BOW DOWN TO WASHINGTON"
I think when you are located in the Northwest part of the country the best you are really going to do is what Don James accomplished during his 17 years at Washington. You are going to have your good years and not so good years…every once in awhile you are going to have that great year.
When James retired / was forced out he figured the program was in the the type of shape to compete for the Rose Bowl every years and a national championship every 3-4 years. That is really the ultimate benchmark of success in the Northwest and Oregon hasn’t come close to that.
by John Berkowitz on Apr 8, 2010 3:41 PM PDT up reply actions
Agreed
But it’s MUCH easier to accomplish that in a big city like Seattle, and it’s considerably more difficult the smaller the city/region is around the university. There’s a reason you don’t see NFL teams in Pullman, Eugene, or other non-major cities, they just don’t have the resources to support it.
"Legends are made on the shores of Lake Washington"
"BOW DOWN TO WASHINGTON"
I wonder if Oregon will ever run into the same thing the UW did – where the faculty get tired of sports being so much bigger than academics.
I don’t necessarily think their president’s comments about cleaning up the athletic department are the first step per se. It could be, though. Unless there is some serious stability instilled, they might be heading toward that end in the near future.
Well then...
I sure as hell hope Oregon finds what the hell it is they’r looking for. I agree with Lear. Maybe Oregon has tasted what we tasted for 50+ years and it’s not enough. Greed can ruin a good thing going. Mike Bellotti was well-respected amongst his peers.
All I saw was purple
NO!!!!!!!!!!!!
We are not allowed to agree!!
"Legends are made on the shores of Lake Washington"
"BOW DOWN TO WASHINGTON"
I think it will be in Colorado
If Dan Hawkins doesn’t start winning this season Bellotti is his likely replacement.
by John Berkowitz on Apr 8, 2010 3:47 PM PDT up reply actions
That's a good call.
I’d say it’s inevitable that the guy goes back to coaching. CU would be a good fit for the level of douchebaggery they’re used to (yes, that IS an intended slight at Neuheisel!)
I would not necessarily rule that one out
The key would be Bellottis relationship with ex Oregon AD Bill Moos. If Mike’s name is overlooked for other top jobs, I’d say Mike might look at that job pretty hard. Mike Price showed us it’s not necessarily impossible to get talent to Pullman. You have to be a wizard recruiter though. But Moos and Bellotti tag teaming- let’s just say I wouldn’t be surprised if Bellotti showed up on Bill Moos’ front door step someday. Could happen…
All I saw was purple
I think the thing that worries me is the "experience" tag
We’ve been trying to remove that tag for a few years at certian positions. Last season was on the O line, RB, and secondary. This season the O line looks improved, RB is solid, and the secondary is really coming together. Now we have critical issues at DE and some inexperience and depth at LB. Foster and Dennison have great experience, but not so much experience with the twos. I’m a little concerned about our LBing. It is one of the most physically demanding positions on defense and as it currently stands we don’t have much experience behind our ones. Yikes!
All I saw was purple
The offense is ahead of the defense because of returning starters depth, and coming depth. QB is really dicey if Jake Locker goes down. Keith Price isn’t ready and Montana most likely will pass him on the depth chart over the spring. The Huskies really could have used Ronnie Fouch even though chances are he wouldn’t have played this season unless there was an emergency and Montana would have likely beat him out in 2011.
On defense the seconday seems strong and will only get stronger. They have lots of depth and talent coming in this fall at LB so I really don’t think we will have much of a problem there. The trio of Logan, Aiyewa, and Houston at SLB is the only real concern but early returns look good.
DE looks scary because of the lack of depth this spring but that will also correct itself in the fall. Keep in mind that UW isn’t going to be exclusively running a 4-3. They will have plenty of wrinkles once games start to disguise any weakness they may have on the outside. I spoke with an insider this morning who told me not to worry about DE because the coaches think they will have the ansers as time goes on.
by John Berkowitz on Apr 8, 2010 12:02 PM PDT up reply actions
H-U-R-R-A-Y!
I’ve been in the Holt camp for a long time and I think he is one of the brightest young D coordinators in the country. Having said that I do think he’ll bring in more then what his ex-boss Pete Carroll used at SC. I want us to play a base 4-3 with blitz/stunt packages. Yet I would like to see our defense be able to operate out of a 3-4 at times. That would require DEs and or LBs to play with a little more athletic ability. I do think the defense is heading in the right direction and I know the LBs we recruited in 2010 are going to be very good. But for the upcoming season we look rather thin at both LB and DE if a player or two goes down (knock on wood).
All I saw was purple
Speaking of DE, I just heard on KJR that Trent may not be pursuing football any longer… still hard to figure that he would have made too much of an impact at least from what I saw in practice. I think a real issue is if this defense can hold up at the end of games when they are tired. we’ll see.
by mynameisdavid on Apr 8, 2010 1:08 PM PDT up reply actions
The Trent Experiment
Did the football coaches pursue Trent or vice versa? Regardless who approached who, I think it’s just an experiment. I honestly think Trent could be a very good DE, but it would take some time for him to adapt to the game, tehnique/fundamentals, position, and the nastiness required to play football. Trent is in a good basketball program and if he continues to work on his game, I think he’ll get more minutes.
All I saw was purple
The key is nastyness, Senio Kelemente totally made Trent his biotch on one play. I’d say he looked the part though, maybe a little skinny in the legs, and was a pretty fast player. I hope he sticks with football.
by mynameisdavid on Apr 8, 2010 1:23 PM PDT up reply actions
That would be expected though
Kelemente has been in the program and this is Trents first stint in football since being an underclassmen in high school. I’d expect Trent would get knocked around early and often. Are the coaches working him over on technique and fundamentals? If Trent could get down some of the basics then it would be obvious to the coaching staff whether they believe Trent can play. I’m sure they’re taking a week to week approach on evaluating him.
All I saw was purple
Football is every bit as much mental as it is physical. If you don’t have a certain mentality then you’ll never excel at football even with the best physical gifts. Not saying that is the issue with Trent but going from not playing for a few years to playing on a BCS team has got to be a huge “Wake up call”.
Agreed- don't be a Ken doll
Trent has an up hill battle if he wants to pursue a football career. However, considering that he is even out on the field, I am reluctant to think that he might have some of that stuff Snostrebla. We have a very good coaching staff, guys that have a knack for spotting talent. I’d imagine that somebody on the coaching staff has taken some what of a personal inventory of Trent. Does he has the mentality of a football player? Many times you can figure that out before the kid steps foot on the field. Hell Holt can figure that one out when he stares into the kids eyes in his livingroom.
If Trent sticks it out, he’s got a lot of work to do. I think the most important thing Trent must do is learn some techinque that will give him a better chance of defeating some blocks in Spring Ball. Defeat a couple of blocks, assist on a stop, hurry a QB and you will catch the eye of the coach. But if he’s getting thrown around like a ken doll, then he’s got to get in the film room and study techinque. Technique is HUGE at this level.
All I saw was purple
Sione Potoae (sp?)
This kid is coming in the fall and he’s a stud. I think he can at least help the dline have a rotation that keeps them fresher.
by doubledeucedawg on Apr 8, 2010 8:21 PM PDT up reply actions
Senio has the ability to make most defenders in the Pac 10 his biotch.
by John Berkowitz on Apr 8, 2010 3:45 PM PDT up reply actions
Senio is a great story that we haven't talked enough about.
I thought he was our most effective O-Lineman last year and to achieve that after spending the previous year on the d-line was fantastic.
Damn, my eyeball tastes good.
He seems to be much more in the mold of what this staff wants in an O-Lineman – more agile and a leaner kind of weight while retaining great strength. Not to pick on Ben Ossai, but compare him and Kelemete and you get a good idea of the different approaches the previous staff had with the current one. Not one of the OL recruits we picked up this past year seem to be loaded with baby fat – they all seem to just be thick, well-built dudes with some (relative) agility.
He is on the docket
I need to get on it…he is going to have a great year.
by John Berkowitz on Apr 8, 2010 8:08 PM PDT up reply actions
Tupou commits to the Huskies
Scout.com is reporting and confirning this on their website. This is a great get for Sark and th Huskies. Sark re inforcing his recruiting prowes is not a fluke GO DAWGS
The Tunnel is Hallowed and Sacred Ground
Bigelow Considered a 4 Star Recruit
His film looks awful dang good.
The Tunnel is Hallowed and Sacred Ground
He's Quick...
…and he appears to be strong too.
by doubledeucedawg on Apr 8, 2010 8:55 PM PDT up reply actions
Watching his film against DeAnthony Thomas
I’ll take Bigelow every time. He reminds me of what Chris Polk was “supposed” to be when he showed up. Quick, shifty and electric.
As much as it pains me, he reminds me of LaMichael James, with a bit more downhill skills.
Polk
Polk just may end up being the most prolific RB stats wise in Husky history.
by John Berkowitz on Apr 9, 2010 7:18 AM PDT up reply actions
I guess that came out wrong...
CP has become more of a tough between the tackles guy. When he got here he seemed like a much shiftier and speedy type of back. I think he’s gonna end up among the greats to put on the purple and gold, I was just commenting more on his transformation as a back.
Indeed, my impression of what Polk was going to be like and what he turned into last year were very, very different. I love Polk as a back – hard not to love a guy who gets so many yards after contact and runs so hard – but I wonder if we’ll ever see him explode through a hole and take it to the house like a Sterling Hinds, Beno Bryant, Nip Kaufman, Rashaan Sheehee, Louis Rankin, etc. I figured he was mainly a speed guy, but he’s much tougher than I had assumed.
I suspect that is coming
… given the improvement in the passing game, 10’s improving accuracy and a maturing o-line, one could see opportunities for Polk to get into some space and to take off.
Damn, my eyeball tastes good.
Yep, taking it to the house has a lot more to do with the OL then Polks capabilities. If the opportunity presents it’s self Polk has all th speed and talent required to do it.
Sure, Polk really hasn’t had much of an opportunity in games to show whether he’s got top-end speed. That said, some of the insiders that have watched a lot of practices say that Polk isn’t a burner in the same class as some of our past speed-merchants. Not that he’s slow by any means, but he’s not sprinter-fast.
All that said, Reggie Williams wasn’t an elite sprinter either, but I don’t recall seeing any defender in college catch him from behind…
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