Looking ahead to 2011- Offense
by John Berkowitz on Jan 6, 2011 7:00 AM PST
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PrintWashington's high powered offense really never got off the ground last season even though the team finished with a 7-6 record. Injuries were a problem at quarterback and wide receiver. The lack of a target at TE was also a huge problem.The offensive line struggled early as they shuffled guys around to find the right combination.
Quarterback
Good bye Jake Locker. Thanks for all the memories. Hello Keith Price and Nick Montana. Both of these kids have solid potential but will need help from the supporting cast in 2011 to make a smooth transition to the starting QB position.
Spring Depth Chart: Price, Montana, Gray
Losses: Locker
Class of 2011: Joseph Gray is the lone QB recruited this season and he could end up playing in a number of positions if QB doesn't work out for him. He is a real good athlete so he will see the field one way or another in the future. He will be here for spring practice.
Prognosis: Price did a fine job filling in for Locker last season. Overall he made good decisions and was a leader on the field. One critique I have is that he needs to increase his arm strength. Montana was on the scout team all season so we really didn't get much of a chance to see what he can do. I think he could be the better play maker of the two but that will sort itself out over the spring and summer.
We all expect a downgrade and a bit of a learning curve at the position with a new starter but Washington didn't depend on this position to win its last four games. They won with a physical team effort led by rushing and defense that was fun to watch. Expect that to continue next season with even more emphasis on the running game.
Possible Surprise: Can one of the QB's replace Jake's production in 2011? They just might be able to do that because an injured Jake didn't put up great numbers last season. Neither Price or Montana represents the running threat that Jake was but they are both considered to be mobile.
Running Backs
Chris Polk is the first Husky running back to ever start his career off with two consecutive 1000 yard plus seasons. He is tough to bring down and as the blocking improves he only becomes more dangerous. He was obviously stronger in 2010 and got through the entire season without re-injuring his shoulder.
Spring Depth Chart: Polk, Callier, Cooper, Fogerson, Bronson
Losses: None
Class of 2011: Not a great year out West for RB's after last years bumper crop. The Huskies are still in it for Spokane's Bishop Sankey and insiders are telling me that he will end up at UW when it is all said and done.
Prognosis: I expect Chris Polk to return next season but we won't know for sure until January 15th. If he does return the Huskies will have one of the best RB's in the country to lean on while they break in a new QB. Callier was solid as a change-up last season and his role will continue to expand. Deontae Cooper is doing well in his rehab and should be fine this fall. Johri Fogerson may be eligible for a RS season. He may not have been missed much by the average fan last season but he can help a team in so many ways by providing depth and playing on special teams. I am not sure how Bronson fits into all this because he didn't have a carry in 2010 and is buried in the depth.
Possible Surprise: I would be pretty surprised if Chris Polk entered the draft. Don't be surprised if we see a lot of Cooper in 2011. Cooper and Callier returning kicks would look pretty good.
Fullback
The last Washington full backs blocked well but never became a meaningful weapon in the offensive play book. That is about to change with the debut of Zach Fogerson this spring even though it will remain primarily a blocking position.
Spring Depth Chart : Zach Fogerson, Kimo Makaula
Losses: Sylvester
Class of 2011: Dezden Petty is the big back that Sark has been looking for the past two years.
Prognosis: I think we would all like to see more offensive production out of this position in 2011. Zach Fogerson is a prototypical FB who can block, run and catch the ball out of the backfield. I think you will be seeing him sharing some time over here with his brother Johri. We haven't seen or heard anything from Makaula as of yet.
Possible Surprise: Johri Fogerson was going to get some reps here before he was hurt and I imagine that he will get a shot at doing that this spring if healthy.
Wide Receiver
We expected bigger things out of this group in 2010 but injuries and inconsistent play held them back. The one thing this group needs to do in 2011 is play more physical. They need to get off the line better and help the new QB by coming back for the ball.
Spring Depth Chart: Kearse, Aguilar, Johnson - Bruns, J.Polk, Smith - Williams, Campbell, Leonard
Losses: Goodwin
Class of 2011: The Huskies scored big with the commitments of Kasen Williams, Josh Perkins, and Jamall Jones.
Prognosis: Washington should improve here in 2011 with a healthier lineup augmented by the return of Johnson and the emergence of Williams. Kearse had a pretty good 2010 from a statistical perspective but he is capable of much more. Aguilar just needs to stay healthy. James Johnson sat out most of the year with an injury but will be 100% this spring. Bruns and Polk provided solid minutes when needed last season when starters went down.
Possible Surprise: Kasen Williams is going to get a chance to compete for a starting job and contribute right away. Washington needs a more physical presence in the receiving corp and he can bring it.
Tight End
Last spring confidence was high at this position with Middleton and Izbicki returning and now neither of the two highly sought after prospects are on the squad and ended up as classic busts. Hartvigson was being groomed as a starter early this season but went down with a shoulder injury that ended his season. He is expected back at 100% this spring.
Spring Depth Chart: Hartvigson, ASJ, Bennett, Domaski, Hudson
Losses: Izbicki, Boyce
Class of 2011: Austin Sefarian-Jenkins was one of the most sought after recruits in the country this season.
Prognosis: It has to improve doesn't it? Hartvigson has a lot of potential and has that power forward type body that will only get stronger. Marlion Bennett is more of a H-Back and caught a few passes early this season. ASJ will be here this spring to compete for the starting job. Marek Domanski and Evan Hudson are two solid walk-ons that are going to be counted on to supply depth.
Possible Surprise: The only surprise that will happen is if ASJ isn't starting from the absolute get go. He is a big quick kid that can block and if he can do just that he will earn the job.
Offensive Line
The offensive line improved week to week in 2010 and that should continue to happen in 2011 with the regular addition of Kohler and Porter to the starting lineup. Will they keep Kohler inside or are they going to move him outside to tackle?
Spring Depth Chart: Kelemete, Kohler, Porter, Ikehara, Schaefer - Hatchie, Kanczugowski, Tanigawa, Atoe, Christie, Fancher, Wood
Losses : Tolar, Habben, Christine
Class of 2011: Dexter Charles and Siosifa Tutunga have already committed. The Huskies will sign at least two more here and we are hopeful that it will be Ryan Nowicki and Paulay Asiata. Update: Ryan Nowicki has declared for Penn State.
Prognosis: This group has a lot of upside and we get to see it this spring when the five red shirts begin to compete for playing time. We go into spring with four solid starters and one slot open. Will it end up being one of the frosh or could it be Mykena Ikehara? My guess is that it will be one of the newcomers.
Possible Surprise: I think it would be a surprise if Ikehara is able to earn the starting job because he just hasn't been able to put on enough weight to make the move.
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That was a bit of a surprise
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by John Berkowitz on Jan 6, 2011 8:55 AM PST up reply actions
Quick edit: in the OL depth chart I think you mean Kohler instead of Tolar
But in general a great look at the offense! A lot of talent coming back on this side of the ball… great depth at RB and WR…
Remember a couple years ago when Polk went down and the depth behind him was Brandon Johnson, Willie Griffin, and David Freeman? Me either, that’s why I had to go look it up. I like this group a lot better!
A definite improvement.
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by John Berkowitz on Jan 6, 2011 8:50 AM PST up reply actions
Additions to the run game and short passing game
With the additions of (potentially) great fullbacks and TEs, having our QB get support should be no problem. A run first team with the ability to complete short passes easily should give whoever the new starter is a good amount of confidence in the early going.
A couple of questions
You mentiond Gray will be in school this spring, didn’t know that. Sounds also like ASJ and K Williams will be there, I thought I had heard that both would finish HS in June. Will all 3 enroll early?
Ikehara. He must be good, but all I know about him is that he got sick about 2 years ago and now can’t get his weight back up. First of all, I’ll give him, 20-30 pounds if he wants them. And second, should he move to a smaller position? He has a nasty streak, can he play LB?
Bugs talked about the depth at RB, its better everywhere!
According to Dawgman they will be here this spring.
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by John Berkowitz on Jan 6, 2011 10:16 PM PST up reply actions
Price or Montana
To be quite honest I’m not sure who will be the future signal caller. At this point I think we are going to be in good hands with either or both. I’ve been on the Montana bandwagon ever since he commmited to Washington and I figured he’d be the guy to take over after Locker. But now I’m not so sure. When Locker was out for the Oregon game, I came away very impressed with the way Price played at Oregon. Most young QBs would’ve been quaking in their boots about starting their college career at Autzen. Price looked good, not great, but played well. What I liked about him the most is that he had great composure and confidence. Sure he didn’t make many plays, but that stuff will come as he gets on the field more.
Then came the Holiday Bowl. When Locker went down and was lying on the turf we all thought their went our chance to win the game. However, once Price stepped on the field I could almost feel the confidence level thru the tv. And the players surrounding Price in the huddle felt confident with him. Again Price didn’t make too many plays in Locker’s absence, but the confidence level of the players never dropped.
One thing I like about Sark’s offense is that it is not centered around one player. We have a dependable running game- best in over a decade. We have some quality receivers. And the O line is really coming together. I think we are going to have an easy transition from Jake to either Price or Montana or both. Key area of need: Tight End, we need a TE that can put his hand on the turf, who has sticky hands. Offense is in good shape.
All I saw was purple
ASJ is your hand down sticky hand TE
Hartvigson is a bit leaner I think but he’ll be good both ways as well.
by B Money on Jan 6, 2011 11:49 AM PST via mobile up reply actions
Everyone is leaner than ASJ.
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by John Berkowitz on Jan 6, 2011 10:17 PM PST up reply actions
I loved that in the USC game, when Locker had to come out for a play
Sark called a pass play and Keith Price took the snap, calmly looked around and found Chris Izbicki in the back of the end zone.
He gets a lot of credit for his poise and composure there… and extra credit for actually spotting Chris Izbicki, who was apparently invisible to every other quarterback, coach and fan for the entire rest of the season.
ASJ is a beast already
Reports from the All-Star camp are that he is not only the best tight end by a country mile, he is the best blocker out of all OL!
He can do what he wants, but damn he could be a truly dominant OT by the time he’s done….
On these bigtime recruits
I don’t want any freshmen coming in talking and boasting like Reggie Williams. No one is bigger then the team and the program is all about Sark. Come in, do your job, play fast and hard. If you do all that and keep the talking to a minimum all the hype will be there.
All I saw was purple
Lets hope he doesn’t outgrow TE.
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by John Berkowitz on Jan 6, 2011 10:18 PM PST up reply actions
eh
If he out-grows TE and moves to OT, wouldn’t hurt my feelings any. It’s easier to find a good TE than a good LT.
I think it’ll be a moot point though – I expect he’ll get significant playing time from day 1 and will be too good at TE to consider moving…
Might not hurt your feelings
But ASJ has said he’d rather quit playing than play OT… Hopefully his body will cooperate and not outgrow the TE position so we don’t have to go down that road with him
that's what he says now
We’ll see down the road. Joe Toledo resisted being moved from TE for a long time too, and it cost him NFL money in not being drafted higher.
As I said, I expect it will be a moot point (because I suspect he’ll be too successful at TE to move), but if ASJ does naturally grow into a 290, 300 lb guy, he may start to realize that it’s really hard on his knees and ankles to be running downfield on routes all the time as a TE and that he’ll actually be paid more money to destroy his body playing football by playing LT in the pros.
Considering the dawgs.
When you think about the dawgs in the cold light of day, there is a transformation in progress. For years we’ve talked about coaching players up, about moving guys to cover weaknesses, about playing to potential, and a myriad of other forward looking but sober assessments.
We are now at a point where younger guys are filling in gaps, taking over for others at a higher level that what we’ve had recently on the team. Better players with a higher trajectory.
The biggest trend now is that players are in place with more talent now and with barriers to reaching the field removed. There’s players all across the board coming back from this year, to be suplemented from a flood of talent in their RS years. Combine that with several probable frosh playing their first year, and this team suddenly looks entirely different.
The one major caution I see is that in the last two seasons there have been glimpses of the future, like the LSU and SC games but following games were bad. But in both seasons, in ‘09 the last two games and in ’10 the last four games, the team would come together in an impressive fashion. Looking forward, with all the new elements coming into play, it’s very likely that there will be time needed to build the new team into a cohesive unit. I believe that it will happen, but perhaps not until later in the season. We may not be starting with a murderers’ row like previous years, but each game has it’s challenges.
Once again we’ll see the team at the end of the year as being substantially different that what we saw at the beginning of the year. Eventually we’ll be reloading rather than rebuilding, but that is another year or two off.
It is definitely a move on the upswing.
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by John Berkowitz on Jan 6, 2011 10:19 PM PST up reply actions
Depth
from last year to this year is astounding. And 25 more coming in next year the future looks awesome.
Not only the quality of the recruits but what impressed me most was the aggressiveness. Lot of good ones but Jamora jumped out of the screen.
Imagine two years from now? We are rebuilding to an Emtman like defense and that is saying a lot.
Support our student athletes, have faith in the coaches! "...it's how you play the game!"
I certainly agree that is going to be fun to see who among the depth pans out ...
… it sure does seem like that our recent history is chock full of high ranking d-linemen who either passed up UW or never really grew into their lofty rankings … guys like Elisara, Matthews, Coleman, etc. Ta’amu broke that little slump and the initial takes on some of the other young guys are exciting to consider.
Damn, my eyeball tastes good.
I am loving it!
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by John Berkowitz on Jan 6, 2011 10:19 PM PST up reply actions
Anthony Boyles is Transferring
Not unexpected, but after the hype he had when he came in, I think we can file him under the heading of “disappointment”.
I’m guessing we’re soon going to see something similar from Demetrius Bronson and Luther Leonard. Frankly, I wouldn’t be surprised if Mykenna Ikehara goes to a smaller division school, either, if he doesn’t depart spring ball as a projected starter.
Boyles is a win win situation
He gets his degree and a chance to play somewhere else; he wasn’t going to play here and we get the scholly back. Good luck to him.
I hate to see Boyles leave but he was buried…his heart wasn’t at DB unless he hit the field. He didn’t…but he had potential…I think we missed on him…he could have been a great day game player…one of those guys that would have elevated it if he got the chance…he never did…chances start in practice.
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by John Berkowitz on Jan 6, 2011 10:22 PM PST up reply actions
If i remember right he had a real problem holding on to the ball when he was at WR. One of those guys that would make the hard catch and then drop three in a row that hit him right on the numbers.
He had a problem learning the offense.
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by John Berkowitz on Jan 7, 2011 10:15 AM PST up reply actions
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