Washington cleans house on the defensive side of the ball
by John Berkowitz on Dec 31, 2011 11:09 AM PST
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PrintHappy New Year...you are fired!
No official word out of Montlake as of yet but it has been confirmed by sources close to the situations that Washington Defensive Coordinator Nick Holt, Linebackers Coach Mike Cox, and Safeties Coach Jeff Mills will not be retained for 2012.
Word was prematurely leaked yesterday which hacked off a lot of people over at Montlake. Once word hit the street Sark simply decided to get it over with and move on. We should have more detail about what is going on within the next hour or two.
So who takes over?
We keep hearing that it could Rocky Seto who was one of Sark's initial choices to be the DC when he took over three years ago.
Jim Heacock who is a former Husky assistant coach was just released by Ohio State. He is looking for a job and Seattle would definitely be a place that he would be interested in.
(I will keep updating this during the day)
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Heacock would be a great get
And the fact he has Husky ties (he was the DL coach under DJ prior to Randy Hart’s tenure) might help.
ditto
Urban Meyer wants his guys – doesn’t mean Heacock isn’t a great coach, just that he wasn’t the right fit for what Meyer wanted. His age (63) probably has a lot to do with that.
He’s put together some very good defenses at Ohio State, and his DL coaching is regarded in coaching circles as top-notch.
He's also had a lot of talent to work with. Far more than he'd have at the UW.
That’s not to say he isn’t a good coach, or a good choice.
That would be the question.
We have to bring in someone who can recruit. In my mind it’s equally important as their ability to run the D. With the new tv contract money shouldn’t be a factor. Go get the best person available period.
it's OK to have a greybeard or two
In fact, given Sark’s relative youth and inexperience, I’d prefer he had another vet along with Cozz.
Exactly
With a young head coach, and surrounded by other young assistants, it’s GREAT to have an old, experience coordinator.
"Winning isn't everything, it's the only thing."
"Legends are made on the shores of Lake Washington"
Absolutely. We need a stately DC given Sark's relative inexperience
Damn, my eyeball tastes good.
@chrislandon
although it is ironic that Meyer chose not to retain Heacock ...
considering that Heacock was the first to hire Meyer as a full-time college assistant coach.
You would think that if Heacock was getting it done, that Meyer would be the first to give him the shot to retain the job.
I’m interested in Heacock’s ability to coach up his players, given the outstanding talent he would have been able to recruit at OHio State. Don’t want to make the Nick Holt mistake again.
When I refer to Tim Ruskell as "Tranny Tim" I do so ONLY in reference to his infamous use of the "Transition Tag", nothing more & nothing less. Some rather thick and uptight petty tyrants that unfortunately moonlight as fieldgull blog writers have threatened me over its use using a popup I was unable to respond to. I find such free speech censure offensive and ridiculous.
might be an age issue
Who knows – maybe Meyer has another guy in mind that fits his overall staff better. Kind of like Sark letting go of Mike Cox – great coach, but he needed to clear room to get Wilcox & Sirmon.
All I know is - Lawyer Milloy needs to be brought in as a grad assistant
get his degree and move to S/CB coach. I bet he’d be open to the idea.
Probably the most important decision of Sark's career on the forthcoming hire
Because right or wrong, it will probably end up defining him.
yep
While I doubt the new DC will have the same impact Vic Fangio had for Harbaugh at Stanford, it’s a similar deal – very strong offense developed through three seasons, questionable defense.
Sark is smart enough to realize that he’s at a key moment in his coaching career, where things can either regress and lead to him losing his job eventually, or hopefully improvement that takes this program to where it can (and should) be – competing for conference championships on a regular basis.
Oh, I agree.
When Sarkisian said everything needs to be evaluated including himself, I hope that’s what he meant.
You don't get to engineer the worst defense in program history and keep your job
Those results are simply inexcusable, especially when you’ve been running the show for the last 3 years. Changes had to be made.
That's basically what Monte Kiffin did. Everyone wanted him fired. He turned it around.
But it’s troubling to see this defense from Holt in year three… you expect it in years one and two, then improvement. This is not how I expected Holt’s career at UW would turn out, especially with Sark (generally) turning things around. We all knew that the quality of USC’s assistant coaches was starting to drop at the end of Pete’s tenure here but I thought Holt was one of the good ones.
"Ain't no tuition for having no ambition." -Brandon Carswell
no one in L.A. with any football sense wanted Monte Kiffin fired...
a Hall of fame defensive coach doesn’t get dismissed after just 2 years of teaching a complex NFL defense that he invented! USC’s improvement is right on time.
Holt couldn’t teach Tackling.
My thoughts exactly.
New D-Coordinator can hire two other assistants, then either keep Nansen on the d-line, or the coordinator can coach a position group and move Nansen to special teams. Special teams have been showing good improvement, if Nansen is a good recruiter, keep him on staff, but not necessarily on the defensive side of the ball.
"Winning isn't everything, it's the only thing."
"Legends are made on the shores of Lake Washington"
Ah yes, how could I forget.
The new DC can hire three assistants, put them where he wants and still move Nansen to special teams.
"Winning isn't everything, it's the only thing."
"Legends are made on the shores of Lake Washington"
Have to keep Nansen for now given recruiting...
…he probably needs to be retained through Signing Day. After that, all bets are off.
I wonder if Chuck Heater will get any attention.
He’s done a fairly good job at Temple (given that it’s Temple), but it’s tough to know how much of that was lucking into inheriting a stud DT.
He was Urban Meyer’s recruiting coordinator at Utah and Florida. Meyer said he was a great teacher and recruiter, and he’s also got Husky ties (coached here under neuheisel).
I'd love to get Heater back
Great recruiter, and he’s proven to be a good defensive coach too. I was a bit skeptical of that aspect in his time under Neuheisel, but he’s done very well since then.
He was a position coach working for underwhelming coordinators, though.
And a head coach that thought “defense” was a good time to rest his eyes.
I'd love Heater too
- scoring defense, #14 total defense. At TEMPLE. I can’t find his current salary, but I imagine he wouldn’t be too hard to pry away.
You're aware that Temple doesn't play great teams right?
It’s not like those numbers are representative of how well their defense compares to those in BCS conferences.
I'm aware of that
I’m not claiming Temple’s defense is on the same level as LSU, Alabama, etc. However, there are lot’s of teams that play weak schedules, very few of them do as well defensively as Temple.
Attempting to adjust for opponent, the Football Outsiders ratings still have Temple at 29th
You can quibble with the numbers, probably, but while they aren’t best in the country, they’re still pretty good, considering.
you're aware that temple doesn't have great athletes right?
this guy has 2 national championships under his belt at florida, an undefeated season at utah, and has coached dozens of players who went on to the nfl.
the more i read about heater, the more i think he’s the guy. my main concern is that meyer already lined him up for ohio state (haven’t heard if he already hired a staff)
Michigan turned it around big time
Last year their D was worse than the UW and this year, under new leadership, they are #18.
that's true, but...
…if you want to use them as a comparison, you should also check their roster situation. Who did they lose? Who did they have coming back? Did they recruit any impact guys that made an immediate difference this season, or redshirt guys that had a great first season?
We need this to be an impact hire
Whoever it is needs to be able to know how to stop the spread, teach fundamentals and know how to condition his team for fast paced offenses
Last PAC-12 Rose Bowl winner not named USC....Washington
Twitter @DAWGFATHER91
by DAWGFATHER91 on Dec 31, 2011 11:51 AM PST via mobile reply actions
interesting
it does retroactively validate yesterday’s report, which suggests that it only took a few tenths of a second after the Alamo Bowl ended before Sark knew he was tossing Holt overboard.
Or . . .
Sark knew well before the Alamo Bowl and decided it was best to keep the coaches through the bowl game. The game was the final nail in the coffin.
"Winning isn't everything, it's the only thing."
"Legends are made on the shores of Lake Washington"
Good call...
Go back and look at his body language when discussing the “Martin” defection….it says it all.
the timing of when a new DC is announced may tell us what happened
if we quickly get a new DC announcement, then it suggests UW already lined up a successor’s contract in principle in December. If it takes a few more days then the Bowl was probably the last straw
Could be
I’d say the Alamo Bowl was probably basically the defensive coaches auditioning for their own jobs. The audition went about as well as this one:
Would be very interesting to know . . .
what Sark’s plan was before the game. Too bad we will never know.
"Winning isn't everything, it's the only thing."
"Legends are made on the shores of Lake Washington"
Martin leaves
did the rest of the staff know they were going to get the ax hence the terrible D play calling?
by lorenzothedog on Dec 31, 2011 1:04 PM PST up reply actions
I'm sure they knew they were on shaky ground.
I agree with Cassino, they wouldn’t jeopardize their own future.
"Winning isn't everything, it's the only thing."
"Legends are made on the shores of Lake Washington"
It was reported that Martin wanted to be closer to home.
That’s enough of a reason to leave.
by Carl Shinyama on Dec 31, 2011 2:06 PM PST up reply actions
yes, but...
…that doesn’t mean Sark didn’t have a hand on his back giving him some assistance out the door.
or . . .
he knew the defensive staff was on thin ice. Better to move laterally on your own terms, than to be fired.
The way things happened, Martin has saved face and doesn’t have the stigma of being fired from his last job.
"Winning isn't everything, it's the only thing."
"Legends are made on the shores of Lake Washington"
should be "and/or" . . .
"Winning isn't everything, it's the only thing."
"Legends are made on the shores of Lake Washington"
plus...
…we know that Mora & Sark are very close. Could be that Sark gave Mora his blessing to poach Martin, and maybe even told Mora that he’s an ace recruiter but a mediocre (at best) coach, and Mora was fine with it. Mora is a secondary coach himself – maybe he figures he can “coach up” his coach, as DJ did.
Yep.
Lots of possibilities.
"Winning isn't everything, it's the only thing."
"Legends are made on the shores of Lake Washington"
Speculative.
What we do know is that he wanted to be back home.
by Carl Shinyama on Dec 31, 2011 5:57 PM PST up reply actions
What we don't know . . .
is how important that really is to Martin. It makes for a great excuse, but nobody knows if it was an actual reason for a lateral move or if it was a very convenient excuse.
"Winning isn't everything, it's the only thing."
"Legends are made on the shores of Lake Washington"
He's right though
it’s just speculation otherwise. The endgame is the same either way, he’s at UCLA. Seems kind of fruitless to dig.
In order for that to be a "great excuse" ...
he would somehow need some sort of preemptive heads-up that the defensive staff was on the “outs”.
Still, the timing of his move seems a little too convenient. It’s quite possible, if he has a strong personal relationship with Sark, that he was given some sort of warning. Sark would be saving the University Martin’s 2012 salary that needs to be paid with 30 days of their firing per the contract arrangements. Not sure that would be one of the reasons on Sark’s mind more than saving Martin from the humiliation of a firing, even if it is a defensive housecleaning.
When I refer to Tim Ruskell as "Tranny Tim" I do so ONLY in reference to his infamous use of the "Transition Tag", nothing more & nothing less. Some rather thick and uptight petty tyrants that unfortunately moonlight as fieldgull blog writers have threatened me over its use using a popup I was unable to respond to. I find such free speech censure offensive and ridiculous.
the other thing to keep in mind...
…is that Sark & Mora are very close. Perhaps Sark suggested Martin to Mora.
I'm guessing Stanford was when Sark started considering his options...
And now, for my very elaborate and college-educated plan!'
by StuHamm on Dec 31, 2011 4:41 PM PST via mobile up reply actions
Not that it matters
No official word out of Montlake as of yet
But according to Bob Condotta, UW officials have confirmed the firings.
"Winning isn't everything, it's the only thing."
"Legends are made on the shores of Lake Washington"
Can't imagine we'll have to wait long
To see who it’s going to be. They’ll want these guys out on the recruiting trail asap.
It's late? Bah, never too late for presents!
What’s that? You had to wait for a horrible investment to clear? That’s OK, we all write a bad check at least once. You don’t have to explain, I know its personal. I just hope you learned your lesson and don’t make the same mistakes again, OK?
Duck hunting season has officially begun.
by S_o_Smith on Dec 31, 2011 12:17 PM PST via mobile reply actions
I want to see us pick off some other PAC 12 Recruiters...
And steal some recruits in the process. And, seriously, why not make a run at Aliotti? He has as much experience as anyone in stopping Chip Kelly. I’m sure he’d rather live in Seattle at Nick Holt’s salary
Damn, my eyeball tastes good.
@chrislandon
Beautiful Dreams
Do we need permission to talk to coaches under contract? If we do, Chip wouldn’t even let us talk to him. I could see him denying us an interview. I would love to stick it to the Duck. Vic Koenning is leaving Illinois and has coached out west at Wyoming. His defenses are always good.
by CgHawk360 on Dec 31, 2011 12:29 PM PST via mobile up reply actions
maybe there's some weird contract poison pill?
you hear about Google and Microsoft execs having a one-year noncompete clause in the industry, or whatever.
unlikely, to be sure.
I can see why head coaches would be reluctant to add it to assistant coaches' contracts
after all, they too want the freedom to bolt whenever they want!
Just found it, they actually DID for Graham
If Graham terminates the contract, he can not obtain employment as head coach at another Pac-12 school for the rest of the original contract’s term.
Contract details per Ted Miller
by TualatinDawg on Dec 31, 2011 12:37 PM PST up reply actions
Head coach is a little different though
Assistants move around a lot more, and they’re almost always looking for a better gig, especially the position coaches.
And Todd Graham is also a special case.
Yeah, he's a bit of a job-hopper.
I can see why they wanted that in there.
by huskies2010 on Dec 31, 2011 12:46 PM PST up reply actions
Could be
I believe ASU did in fact put one in there for Graham, to the effect of if he breaks contract at ASU for another job, it can’t be for one in the Pac-12 for a set period of time. Correct me if I’m wrong.
by TualatinDawg on Dec 31, 2011 12:36 PM PST up reply actions
Nick Holt firing
Now someone new will get all the glory when Nick’s guys get better and better. What a shame.
They weren't getting better...
…tackling is football 101 and they weren’t getting better at it…it was time for a change UB.
UW Dawg Pound - SBN Seattle
by John Berkowitz on Dec 31, 2011 1:22 PM PST up reply actions
Nice to see UW honor the 2012 contracts of each of the fired coaches
Damn, my eyeball tastes good.
@chrislandon
They had to....
…they were all on two year contracts.
UW Dawg Pound - SBN Seattle
by John Berkowitz on Dec 31, 2011 1:23 PM PST up reply actions
Tough question.
Might temporarily hurt recruiting, but it can only help recruiting as soon as we get new coaches in place. It adds hope, and a lot of it. We have an up and coming offense on the verge of greatness. A good defense could put us on top of the conference.
"Winning isn't everything, it's the only thing."
"Legends are made on the shores of Lake Washington"
We need to recruit on par with SC and UO
On the D side if we want to be on top of the conference.
Duck hunting season has officially begun.
by S_o_Smith on Dec 31, 2011 1:35 PM PST via mobile up reply actions
Disagree.
We have never, and will never recruit, on par with SC, yet we dominated the conference for the better part of a decade.
With Sark’s offense, we only need an average defense to compete for the conference title.
"Winning isn't everything, it's the only thing."
"Legends are made on the shores of Lake Washington"
I was vague
On par as in close to the same talent levels. We can’t field the defense you’re referring to (which I agree is all we need if we just want to compete) when the gap is what it is now. UO has an elite offense and good defense, yet they lose to good-elite defenses and beat elite offenses with decent defenses. That should tell us something.
When we dominated for that decade, we had great coaching, recruited better than anyone ( our players beat theirs where it counted; on the scoreboard, not a star system) and a Dominant D. A great offense wins games, and a Dominant D wins championships. Recent and past history has proven this again and again.
Duck hunting season has officially begun.
by S_o_Smith on Dec 31, 2011 2:38 PM PST via mobile up reply actions
That's a tough argument.
When we dominated for that decade, we had great coaching, recruited better than anyone ( our players beat theirs where it counted; on the scoreboard, not a star system
Saying we recruited better than anyone, but discounting the star system, seems like a homer way of looking at things. We did have great coaching that got the most out of the recruits we had. I find it hard to believe that we were getting better recruits than SC, we just develop our recruits better.
"Winning isn't everything, it's the only thing."
"Legends are made on the shores of Lake Washington"
Thats what I was getting at.
Recruit talent you can develop. We may not get the 5 star polished guys, but we don’t get their attitude (if its aloof) either. Get physical talent and coach it up, that’s recruiting full circle. Its not just who sells the kids the best, its who is the better Boise St. at the end. Star systems are an educated guess. Who recruits better is ultimately who wins, you don’t win because you gave more popular talents more money.
Duck hunting season has officially begun.
by S_o_Smith on Dec 31, 2011 2:57 PM PST via mobile up reply actions
Boise St. is getting legit talent pretty frequently now.
They aren’t the monster they are now built on coaching up their talent alone. They are getting elite athletes.
I'm so positive, you'll need AZT later.
They have a great defense.
It’s really hard to be elite on defense w/o great athletes, imo.
I'm so positive, you'll need AZT later.
LoDog, i don't think our recruiting can get any worse...we were getting killed already and...
i think the national Alamo debacle was going to undermine our recruiting efforts more than not having a D-Coordinator.
I think we have to take our time and hire a defensive staff with recruiting presence that can repair our national image problem.
Depends on a lot of unknowns, most important of which is who they get
There are some that say the right name could make inroads with certain recruits, but I wouldn’t put TOO much stock in that. I don’t think that retention will be a huge issue. Moral of the story, we might lose 1 or 2, might gain 1 or 2.
by TualatinDawg on Dec 31, 2011 1:57 PM PST up reply actions
You have to wonder what might have been
If we had a middle of the road D, could have been a 9-10 win team. If we get that next year with this offense, it could be special.
Last PAC-12 Rose Bowl winner not named USC....Washington
Twitter @DAWGFATHER91
by DAWGFATHER91 on Dec 31, 2011 1:38 PM PST via iPhone app reply actions
Awesome Firing!
We need to only consider veteran elite-level coaches with proven track records that will take complete responsibility for the Defense. I think Sark spent too much time trying to help his buddy do his job around mid-season and his Offense suffered as a result.
"Awesome Firing"
Was that a reference to Nick Holt’s first UW press conference?
by Carl Shinyama on Dec 31, 2011 2:08 PM PST up reply actions
To rephrase a Lombardi quote:
“If you don’t do an AWESOME job, you will be part of an AWESOME firing!”
"Winning isn't everything, it's the only thing."
"Legends are made on the shores of Lake Washington"
What our team needs
I am not going to say names of coaches that we need but these are traits that we need in our defensive coaches. Every coach does not have to have all of them and frankly I would not want that but if our staff covers my list together I think it will be a success.
1. Great Recruiter
2. Great teacher
3. 1 ex husky player
4. 1 veteran coach who has been around success.
5. Someone who has won with less talent
6. Experience doing well against the spread.
Nice List
In my mind the order is a bit different:
1. Great Teacher
2. Someone who has won with less talent
3. Veteran coach who has had success
4. Experience against the spread
5. Great Recruiter – not nearly as important if we have other good recruiters
6. Ex Husky – Couldn’t care less, as much as I’d LOVE a former Dawg, I just want someone who will be successful.
"Winning isn't everything, it's the only thing."
"Legends are made on the shores of Lake Washington"
Why do people care so much about having an alum on the staff so much.
Thinking like that has killed UCLA (and WSU) over the past few years.
it has certain value
There’s some value in having an alum on the staff, but it’s low in the priority list as Lear suggests. There is something to be said for a guy that can say “I’ve been in your shoes – I’ve played here. I know better than anyone how it is to be a player here and what it means.” That said, being an alum doesn’t mean squat if you’re not a good coach.
Someone from the right era
would be nice to help with the attitude, but he has to have some ability.
by hairofthedawg on Jan 1, 2012 2:02 AM PST up reply actions
Team is soft need a tough guy
We have become a finesse team…really a Washington State type team. We score, get in shoot outs, get blown out by good teams. We need a “tough guy” to get back to Husky Football. A good example is Pete Caroll bringing in Tom Cable to bring a realy physical aspect to the Seahawks.
I am not sure who it is, but we need someone that will bring an attacking style defense. How about Mike Singletary?
Definitely tough, but...
I’m wary of bringing in an NFL guy with no college coaching experience. He doesn’t have experience recruiting, he’s a complete unknown in that regard, and recruiting is the most critical part of the job. You have to be a heck of a salesman, and you have to have patience.
Pete Carroll learned the college coaching game at Iowa State, Ohio State, NC State and Pacific before he went off to the pros.
Ironically, say we did get Singletary, his alma matter is Baylor.
I think there are guys who transcend recruiting...
I would have never thought about Singletary, but he’s a name and legend who might just be one of those guys. I’ll tell you what, if I was a highly sought linebacker and Mike Singletary came to a home visit and I’m looking at a guy who’s enshrined in Canton, well… I’m thinking he might be able to teach me a little something.
"Now I'm tired of this s---. I'm sick and f------ tired of an 8-10 record. I'm f------ tired of losing to Purdue. I'm not here to f--- around this week. Now you may be, but I'm not." -- Bobby Knight, circa 1992
by Tyler Jorgensen on Dec 31, 2011 2:54 PM PST up reply actions
There's that...
But like I said, you have to like recruiting. It’s a huge time commitment and a ton of travel, and you gotta deal with disappointment a lot. Is Singletary cool with that? If so, great. But like I said, it’s a big unknown with him.
isn't holt a "tough guy"?
i like the idea, but image doesn’t always equal success
Get a smart guy, please.
Somebody who knows how to scheme to win, and teach his players.
If it only took a toiugh guy to get it done, we should hire Steve Emtman
He is arguably the toughest former UW player still alive.
Far and away the most dominating Defensive Lineman I ever saw . . .
Ben Davidson was well before my time, but also had a (very) tough guy reputation . . .
but tough by itself isn’t enough.
by HuskyInExile on Jan 1, 2012 10:57 PM PST up reply actions
I hope it's like the original Alamo....
they lost, but in retrospect, they won. Then, we can say
Remember the Alamo Bowl!!!
Mush you Huskies!!! GO DAWGS!!!!!!!
Expect to Win!!!
I'm sure he will be locked into a contract for the unforeseeable future :)
All I saw was purple
by crazidawg on Dec 31, 2011 4:37 PM PST up reply actions 1 recs
In Sark I TRUST:
It might’ve sounded like I was a Holt apologist. I’m actually a Sark supporter. He’s made good decisions on the offense and firing the defensive staff is another good decision. We need a guy who can teach the fundamentals and a guy that can build a defense using incremental steps. This defense has talent but their are plenty of holes. Most of those holes though are mindset. We need to find something that we can lean on. Can we stop the run, if so lean on that. Can we defend the pass, if so lean on that. Times have changed and the 4-3 is not effective for the multiple offenses we see in league, so if that is the case then we have to build something that we can lean on until the rest of the defense can catch up. Holt tried to rebuild the entire defense all at once and in my opinion that is a recipe for dissaster. Still think our DTs can drop some unneccessary weight and still be effective in the leverage category. Going up against no huddle and quick tempo, our guys have got to shed some weight, get in better football shape, and think like track stars playing DT. We need to play faster and stronger- not bigger.
All I saw was purple
Not every team is up tempo
There is no right answer, particularly not changing our identity and scheme to stop one team. We need to start getting better athletes on D and executing the schemes we do have.
by B Money on Dec 31, 2011 4:25 PM PST via Android app up reply actions
It's not just no huddle and tempo
Offenses have never been this creative in the league. And with more high profile coaches coming into the league, Sark has got to slam dunk this hire.
All I saw was purple
I agree on the slam dunk
I just don’t agree on how to fix this defense. I think discipline and execution are more important than speed st this stage.
by B Money on Dec 31, 2011 5:23 PM PST via Android app up reply actions
Agreed...but.
And this is a BIG BUT…I like “speed”!
Speed is important
but I think the bowl game was evidence that you can get to where you need to be as fast as you want. If you don’t execute and learn how to read the play as it happens, you’ll be using that speed to play catch up.
Until they play a Stanford and get blown off the ball
And people start complaining that the players arent big enough
This is so true.
We play other teams that have kicked our asses, too, lest you forget.
I'm so positive, you'll need AZT later.
There is no "right" way
The only thing that will help you week to week is execution. Unless you’re USC you can either be fast or you can be strong. You can’t be both, unless you’re some hybrid where your really neither. I guess it’s a pick your poison scenario, but I’d rather be stout than just fast. Speed can be overcome by angles and assignments, but a guy who’s fast at 230lbs can’t be fast at 275lbs.
Does Sark go outside the USC family for this hire?
Is it going to be Rocky Seto? I still like the name Nigel Burton, ex Husky, his specialty is defense, and has a knack for turning mindset. But could he be lured away as Portland State head coach to become a D coordinator at UDub?
All I saw was purple
Got to to give it up to Lear
The guy knew way back when that it was time for Holt to jolt. Lear … you the man!
All I saw was purple
I'll give lear credit for being passionate
And sticking to his guns…even if we disagree. Lear is the hipster of holt haters. “I hated holt before it was mainstream”.
by B Money on Dec 31, 2011 5:26 PM PST via Android app up reply actions
Sure
I’m not in the gang, I’m just the weird guy who hangs out with you and is thinking about joining.
There's room for more.
So much so, a year from now there won’t be anyone who wasn’t with us the whole season long. Just like it was with Ty, where did all the Posi’s go? Seems like there wasn’t any. Weird…
I'm so positive, you'll need AZT later.
I'm a Posi. It's my nature to trust coaches, generally.
There’s so much mindless knee-jerk `fire `em all’ on the tubes. Football, Baseball, Basketball, Foosball, much of it coming from Eeyore types who obviously don’t like anything or anyone. It gets tiresome.
I came around when the defense steadily failed to improve. The lack of reliable play-makers was almost breathtaking in it’s totality. It’s hard, IMO, NOT to let a few random kids blossom into something semi-special over the course of a season. But Holt managed to pull it off somehow.
Clearly you've never watched a Paul Wulff football team
It’s hard, IMO, NOT to let a few random kids blossom into something semi-special over the course of a season.
I like Wulff, actually. Wazzu is a tough nut, and he made real progress there.
Maybe not in wins, but in competitiveness and point differential, he had `em moving.
Oh.... Heh-heh.
But seriously, folks… Who did Holt stumble across? The lack of development here is bizarre. Young kids generally step up. That’s just the way it works. They stepped up for Sark on the offense. Why didn’t they step up for Holt? There’s got to be some black and white reason underlying that.
All the players on defense have made strides
It’s just that most of them hit a ceiling. Meda, Thompson, Dennison, Richardson and Trufant come to mind as veteran guys who’ve hit a ceiling and quit getting better. However, since Sark and Holt took over, they’ve progressed from where they were before (except Tru obviously). The thing that gives me hope is that the common thread among those players is that Holt did not recruit any of them.
It actually happens quite often that young guys don’t step up. Eventually they grow into the position, but the Tyrann Mathiews of the world are rare. There are 2 reasons that an underclassmen plays. One is that they’re just the best option. The other is that the starter gets injured/suspended and their thrust into duty. When their the best option, their either really really good or there isn’t anyone older who’s better. When that’s the case, they tend to not step up. I find it hard to fault Holt for the fact that he’s got underclassmen playing OLB, DE, and S.
It wasn't just Lear.
More than a few people could see it, but more should have.
I'm so positive, you'll need AZT later.
Correct.
I was probably just the guy to get the most vocal first. I think I really started to get worried when Arizona lit us up last season. Then Stanford steam rolled us and Oregon did their usual damage.
The only thing that sets me apart from anybody else is that I didn’t let a win get in the way of an honest appraisal of the defense’s performance. I never bought into the “strong defensive finish” last year against UCLA, Cal, WSU and Nebraska. UCLA and Cal had horrible offenses, a crappy WSU tore us up (but we won, so we don’t seem to care that the defense sucked), and Nebraska was injured an unmotivated. Just like early this season, we were winning, therefore the defense was “improving”.
"Winning isn't everything, it's the only thing."
"Legends are made on the shores of Lake Washington"
everyone saw it ...
…the only thing you two were ever challenged on was timing.
Damn, my eyeball tastes good.
@chrislandon
Not true.
Yes we were challenged on time, and I made it quite clear from the beginning, I was NEVER for a mid season firing.
Many people challenged us on many different aspects. Until recently most people didn’t believe their was a problem with Holt’s schemes, or his ability to teach, he had a great resume, how could he possibly be an average coordinator?
"Winning isn't everything, it's the only thing."
"Legends are made on the shores of Lake Washington"
that's not entirely accurate
The main challenge to the “fire Holt!” movement was the contention – which is as true now as it was then – that the problems on defense were not just Holt; we said look at his position coaches too, and look at the personnel situation.
And look what happened – it wasn’t just Holt that was fired, but his position coaches too (with the exception of Nansen, who is likely only still around because he’s the recruiting coordinator).
And nowhere will you find any of us here saying “Sark should absolutely keep Holt around”. As Sundodger kept pointing out, if Holt was going to get canned, then his whole staff should get canned so the new coordinator can work with guys he prefers, and that’s what appears to be happening.
Yep.
Not that it matters at all, but we’ll never know what the real problems on defense this season really were.
Only firing Holt would’ve been a pansy move by Sarkisian, much like Willingham firing Baer due to fan outcry. Sarkisian made a big boy move.
"big boy move"
That’s 100% true. I’m very encouraged that Sark had the stones to make a real change, and not just a superficial one. As well, he had the stones to fire a guy he’s very close with and worked extremely hard to lure here, as well as assistants (particularly Cox) that were probably doing a really good job, all in the name of making for a better overall staff.
It wouldn’t have surprised me if he’d given the staff another year to prove themselves. That he didn’t shows he has the guts to make difficult decisions, and that he realizes he’s at a major juncture in his coaching career.
Agreed.
As I’ve mentioned before, the discussion revolved around Holt because he was the leader of the defense, but most of us thought others needed to go to.
Any idea what type of defense Utah has been running? I need to do some research seen as how their DC’s name keeps popping up in rumors.
"Winning isn't everything, it's the only thing."
"Legends are made on the shores of Lake Washington"
I want a guy who can teach fundamentals
I want a DB coach who will play more press and bump and run
I want someone with experience in handling the spread offenses were going to see
As well as being able to stop the run is a must, having the ability to read what the offense is doing, coaching up the players to see what’s coming and adjust. But it starts with the fundamentals, like tackling and conditioning.
I know I’m asking for a lot but I think those commodities are out there at our price range.
Last PAC-12 Rose Bowl winner not named USC....Washington
Twitter @DAWGFATHER91
by DAWGFATHER91 on Dec 31, 2011 4:48 PM PST via iPhone app reply actions
it has to be a slam dunk
I’m left thinking maybe the defensive kids did not respond to Holt early this season. I’m mean, honestly, all of us thought last offseason the defense would have to carry us until the offense got going. That wasn’t the case at all. I believe this defense has some good talent, but it just hasn’t responded well. All season long, their was no sense of urgency with the defensive team. No improvement anywhere. In my opinion this is not a rebuild. I think the new guy coming in will have a lot to work with.
All I saw was purple
My only problem with press coverage
Is that we’ve got tru and a unknowns. Ducre has flashed potential. Peters could be solid, but running a frosh out sophomore to jam Robert Woods our Marquis Wilson is a receipe for disaster. I just want somebody who can make the press coverage call at the right time. Timing of calls was always my biggest holt gripe.
by B Money on Dec 31, 2011 5:29 PM PST via Android app up reply actions
It's more than that; the ability to play press coverage takes more than good CB's;
it takes a credible and reliable pass rush.
by HuskyInExile on Jan 1, 2012 11:31 PM PST up reply actions
We've got proven pass rushers
In Shirley and Jamora (Hudson had been alright as well). Our new DC needs to be creative in where he brings the extra guys. Relying on pressure from 4 is bad news and it seemed like whenever Holt dialed up a blitz the guy was at the line before the QB even got to asses the play.
by B Money on Jan 2, 2012 1:46 AM PST via Android app up reply actions
Shirley hasn't been reliable.
He had two good games in the Apple Cup and in the Alamo Bowl.
by Carl Shinyama on Jan 2, 2012 11:10 AM PST up reply actions
No, not yet.
But he’s trending the right way. His last four games as a starter were far more productive than his first four.
"I want a DB coach who will play more press and bump and run"
That’s for the DC to decide, not the DB coach.
by Carl Shinyama on Dec 31, 2011 6:00 PM PST up reply actions
well put Carl
I want an experienced DC that will make us average or better next year. We know how to score, now take the guys we have and stop the other team. Or at least slow them down. I know nothing about the 63 year old for tOSU, except that he has a ton of experience and the Bucks have played good D. At least interview him. Heacock has been to a lot of rodeos and could offer some sound advise to our young lions.
If I run in to Holt in a bar
I’d probably still buy him a drink. If I run in to Tyrone Willingham in a bar, I’d probably punch him in the face.
I’m glad Holt is gone, but not on a personal level. I think he is a good guy and was honestly trying, it just didn’t work out. I hope he can get it together somewhere else.
Holt is a great guy...
…it just didn’t work out…and it wasn’ t due to the amount of effort expended…he wrked his ass off…he cared about the kids…it just didn’t work out.
UW Dawg Pound - SBN Seattle
by John Berkowitz on Dec 31, 2011 6:34 PM PST up reply actions
Really...
a break or two could have changed things pretty dramatically. If Chris Young and Waters are starting at the OLB positions this year things might have been quite a bit different. Not sure how many people realize just how much other teams exploited those two positions – including Baylor.
Not sure on that one
I do not think Young or Waters had outstanding years at the JC level. Dawgs not pursuing either of those guys. I doubt if Waters would still be in school I believe he had grade issues at JC. No improvement in the LBs from the Eastern game to the Baylor game – Also what happened the two prior years – there was no improvement in the D over the three years Holt and company were here.
by lorenzothedog on Jan 1, 2012 7:01 AM PST up reply actions
Young was only JC All America
He surely would have helped.
by Bamer_ on Jan 1, 2012 8:10 AM PST via Android app up reply actions
Young would be an impact player
I don’t think losing Waters was a huge blow (though it would’ve been nice to have him), but losing Young was big. He’s a kid that has played lights-out at his JC and I firmly believe he’d be an impact play-maker for whoever can get him (assuming he can get his AA).
I'm sure Holt is a good guy.
Ty, OTOH, can get canceraids any day now.
I'm so positive, you'll need AZT later.
Couldn't agree more.
And I’m the vocal anti-Holt guy.
"Winning isn't everything, it's the only thing."
"Legends are made on the shores of Lake Washington"
Happy New Year Dawgs
And here’s to a "Teeth" filled 2012. May the New Year bring you more ASJ, Sankey, Callier and Cooper, Williams, Fellner, Jamora and Sample. To the outgoing Seniors, it seems we hardly knew you… 4 years, don’t they go by in a blink. You will be missed. And never forgot…you were a Dawg. We, certainly, never will.
Happy New Year To You! All..Here's To Kickin' It!
Off With A Bang! (Not the kind that blew up our defense/recruiting…) The kind that jump starts the positive,optimism needed and waiting to burst and blossom to get this Dawg Pound excited again for “good reasons!” (We’re talking "sacks,fumble recoveries,pick 6’s etc.! ) Sark has a definite plan underway…the “right” guy will get this thing going soon. Don’t be fooled by the 777yards. These kids are much better than that and it’s going to be fine! Gotta clean house first…done. Now, get the right guy that doesn’t allow our big in-state kids to slip away again! Fix the “fence”! It’s gonna be really exciting to watch things “mend” as they improve..can’t wait!
Pete Roussel mentions a few other candidates
If the Huskies are ever going to compete for a PAC-12 championship, the defense will have to rise to another level. There will be no shortage of quality candidates. Sark is considered one of the better head coaches to work for in the country and Washington has a lot of positive things going on in the program.
Let’s take a look at a couple of possible candidates:
Jeff Casteel – Casteel has been one of the most consistent coordinators in the country over the last several years. If Sark wants to make a run at Casteel, he’ll have to do so quite quickly. Arizona head coach Rich Rodriguez has yet to hire a defensive coordinator and many coaches believe Casteel will arrive in Tucson shortly after the Orange Bowl. Sark could steal Casteel with presumably a much larger budget set aside than Arizona. Washington could benefit from Casteel’s knowledge of Rich Rod’s offense, Todd Graham’s scheme, and LSU’s offensive system. Washington is scheduled to play Arizona and LSU next season.
Justin Wilcox – Wilcox just finished his second season at Tennessee under Derek Dooley. Before joining Dooley’s staff, he made a name for himself at Boise State as the defensive coordinator. Wilcox played at Oregon and coached at Cal. He turned down an opportunity to join the Texas staff a year ago, but with the way things are going in Knoxville, Sark might be able to lure Wilcox with a big offer. Wilcox currently makes over $700,000 per year, but Washington has plenty of money.
Tyrone Nix – Tyrone Nix served as Houston Nutt’s defensive coordinator the last four years at Ole Miss. Sark is best friends with Lane Kiffin and he is aware that Nix gave Kiffin fits in 2009 during the Rebels 42-17 win over Tennessee. It is also believed that Seattle Seahawks head coach Pete Carroll made a run at Nix two years ago for a position.
http://www.coachingsearch.com/home/225-candidates-for-washington-defensive-coordinator-position.html
Wilcox
I was initially very intrigued about the idea of trying to lure Wilcox back to the West Coast, but then I looked at Tennessee’s recent defensive history – they were actually quite a bit better the two years prior to him arriving than they were his first year there, and while they improved this year, they weren’t as good as they were prior to his arrival.
Obviously he posted great numbers at Boise, but most of that was against weak competition.
Probably a moot point as there’s no obvious mutual connection, and who knows if Wilcox would even be interested in a lateral move like this.
It's tough to seperate Wilcox from the other changes at Tennessee, though.
Three different head coaches in three years, and two of those changes were very, very messy. All three really, if you look at the way Fulmer was forced out, Kiffin’s single year there, and finally getting a guy that wasn’t highly regarded in Dooley. That things weren’t exactly stable or steady in Knoxville isn’t a surprise.
Yes, Boise State played well against (mostly) weak competition. But they also played well when they got the opportunity to step up. More importantly, they played sound, fundamental defense, and with an attitude. On the downside, he never was able to stop a decent spread ground game from a team like Nevada, that seemed to torch him even in losses.
I’d take Wilcox. Really, anybody that the Dawgs could possibly hire is going to have some questions or warts. Wilcox’s seem no worse than Heacock or Heater, and lesser than a guy like Sitake.
yeah, don't get me wrong - I like him as a hire
And the more I read about the details of the Tennessee situation, the less concerned I was. I think this is a really encouraging hire for a lot of reasons.
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