The Monday Morning Wash
by John Berkowitz on Jan 2, 2012 7:05 AM PST
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PrintHow do you score 56 points and lose?
That has been the topic for University of Washington football fans since last Thursday night when the Huskies lost to Baylor 67-56 in one of the highest scoring games in college football history.
It didn't take long for Steve Sarkisian to react. He fired Nick Holt, Jeff Mills, and Mike Cox the day after the game and now the Husky Nation waits for a new defensive savior to resurrect the bone crushing days of Owens, James, and Lambright.
So what exactly went wrong?
A friend of mine who attends practice on a regular basis and understands the game at a level equal to a good HS coach wasn't a fan of Holt from the start. He felt that the defensive staff didn't communicate or teach well and he places most of that blame on Holt and Sark.
He thought that Holt's emotional antics during practice and games was distracting the players to the point where they didn't respect him. He also felt that the kids were shutting him and the other coaches out because they didn't believe in the schemes.
His opinion is that Holt is a good soldier when he is the right hand man for a guy like Pete Carroll, but he doesn't have the tools to be a head coach, or even a coordinator at this level..ouch!
So what was the problem with Sark I asked? He said it is his job to coach the coaches on both sides of the ball. He felt that Sark was negligent in giving Holt total control of he defense. He said it was obvious after season one that Holt wasn't a good fit at Washington and Sark should have dealt with it then.
This of course is coming from a guy who never liked Holt, hoped for the best, but never completely bought in. He doesn't like Sark much either. He always refers to the current staff as those guys from USC who came in and took everything over. I always have to remind him about those guys from Kent State who came in and took everything over back in the mid 70's.
So what happens now?
I think Sark has a pretty good idea of who he wants to hire and we have heard rumors of a couple of offers being made over the weekend. The top rumor is that Washington has offered the position to Tennessee DC Justin Wilcox who would also bring LB coach Peter Sirmon with him.
Wilcox is a second generation Oregon Duck. His dad was an All American linebacker at Oregon during the 1960's who is now a member of Pro Football Hall of Fame. Justin started his career as a GA at Boise State. He then moved on to Cal where he coached linebackers. He then returned to Boise to be the DC for three seasons before Tennessee offered him a truckload of money to move to Knoxville.
Wilcox is one of the hottest young coaches in the country. Texas tried to hire him to replace Will Muschamp last season when he left to take over at Florida. He knows how to beat Chip Kelly and Oregon. In fact he did it twice while he was the DC at Boise State.
Keep in mind that talent, numbers and experience were all contributing factors to Washington's lame defensive performance this season (who am I kidding...decade). Even more relevant however was the lack of a philosophy or scheme that could deal with high powered modern offenses.
In my opinion Wilcox would be a great fit at Washington. He brings instant credibility and has the formula to remake the Washington defense into a unit that has a fighting chance against the high powered offenses the Huskies will face in the Pac 12 on a week to week basis.
Keep your fingers crossed.
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ESPN reports Wilcox and Sirmon are in
The days of giving up 60 pts in games are over
football scoop
Has it as well. I’m excited not only for Wilcox but Sirmon as well.
by MNDawgfan on Jan 2, 2012 9:16 AM PST via iPhone app up reply actions
Wilcox would be my choice
and it’s also our chance to finally get Sirmon into Purple and Gold
I wonder if Sark will make some structural changes as well.
Based on your post, JB, it seems like there are some administrative issues with the staff. Since Sark is already Head Coach and offensive play caller I wonder how duties will be distributed and how much independence Wilcox will have. Seems hard to imagine Sark maintaining his current responsibilities and taking on greater management of the defense. Does he hire Wilcox because he trusts him to not need direct supervision? Or does Sark shed some of his responsibilities and take more control of the D?
And now, for my very elaborate and college-educated plan!'
I don't think Sarkisian needs to take more control of the defense.
But he definitely needs to take a more active roll with the defensive coaches.
When you hire a high profile guy like Wilcox...
…you give him the keys and let him drive.
UW Dawg Pound - SBN Seattle
by John Berkowitz on Jan 2, 2012 12:52 PM PST up reply actions
I don't entirely agree
It’s the head coach’s job to oversee the entire program. That’s not to suggest he should micro-manage Wilcox, but neither should he simply say “you handle everything on the defense while I focus on the offense”. Sark needs to be involved in managing Wilcox.
I suspect Sark has learned a few things for the Holt experience.
Sark is a sharp guy. He’s hitting `reset’, and the fresh start is system-wide. Including between his ears.
I agree with both of you.
Wilcox is coming here to prove that he is what everybody says he is, he will have (and should have) complete control of the defense. But Sark still needs to oversee the defense and manage the entire program. Who knows, Sark might learn from Wilcox, grow in his defensive ability and become a better (and more balanced) head coach.
"Winning isn't everything, it's the only thing."
"Legends are made on the shores of Lake Washington"
the ideal is Sark, Nuss & Wilcox playing "top this"
One of the great things about the ‘90-’91 coaching staff was the battle of wits between Gilby & Lambo, with each challenging the other to say “If I do this, how would you stop me?”
Sark knows defense – there’s no way he’s a great offensive coordinator without understanding defensive strategies and how to defeat them. But he could certainly learn from a great and creative defensive mind, and vice versa.
Exactly.
It still blows my mind to think of the first great coordinators to play the “Top This” game: 1950’s New York Giants, Offensive Coordinator Vince Lombardi, Defensive Coordinator Tom Laundry. I read Laundry’s autobiography years ago, he mentions the late night back and forth with Lombardi, "If you do this, I’d stop it with . . . . "
"Winning isn't everything, it's the only thing."
"Legends are made on the shores of Lake Washington"
Landry and Lombardi
Both were interviewed for the UW coaching job in 1957.
UW Dawg Pound - SBN Seattle
by John Berkowitz on Jan 2, 2012 3:17 PM PST up reply actions
I didn't know that . . .
I also wasn’t born for another 20 years! I sure hope they weren’t interested and it wasn’t the UW that said no thanks to them!
"Winning isn't everything, it's the only thing."
"Legends are made on the shores of Lake Washington"
I don't know if it was obvious, but in now way was contract extension in order.
“So what was the problem with Sark I asked? He said it is his job to coach the coaches on both sides of the ball. He felt that Sark was negligent in giving Holt total control of he defense. He said it was obvious after season one that Holt wasn’t a good fit at Washington and Sark should have dealt with it then.”
This article along with the whispers around recruiting has me more than a little worried about the future with Sark. This is the price you pay for hiring a guy with no HC experience, and why we should have hired someone that had done it before. Another misstep like this as a manager will end his career at Washington.
I'm so positive, you'll need AZT later.
Being a bit worried is justified.
But even if one thinks the action with the defensive staff should’ve been taken earlier, the fact is that 3 years isn’t exactly a glacial pace. It might not be as quick as you might like, but it was decisive and there was a real purpose behind it, unlike Willingham firing Baer.
Hopefully, this is a sign of growth in Sarkisian as a coach. We’ll see.
agreed
These moves are very positive reflections on Sark’s ability to address problems. That he had the guts to hire his good buddy that he had to work really hard to pry away from USC, that he had the guts to gut the whole defensive staff (even a really good coach like Cox), that he had the ability to woo a very highly regarded DC and assistant in a lateral move, that both of those coaches had no prior connection to Sark – these are all very positive signs about Sark’s growth as a HC.
Big time move...
It shows that Sark has the marbles to make a tough decision and that he has an AD behnd him who can get him all the resources he needs.
UW Dawg Pound - SBN Seattle
by John Berkowitz on Jan 2, 2012 12:57 PM PST up reply actions
Contract extensions mean nothing.
All an extension means is that the school is willing to spend money to make it appear as thought they support the coach. Coaches are quite often given and extension, then fired a year or two later, it’s about controlling the perception of the programs stability.
Sark is by no means perfect, but he is very smart and wise beyond his years. I was worried he couldn’t make the tough choice and fire a coach/friend. Not only did he fire Holt, he made a very splashy hire AND it has obviously been in the works for awhile. He thought ahead, he had a plan and he performed the plan with excellence. I’m very impressed.
"Winning isn't everything, it's the only thing."
"Legends are made on the shores of Lake Washington"
Good thing I kept my fingers crossed!
Two words, oh my!
Last PAC-12 Rose Bowl winner not named USC....Washington
Twitter @DAWGFATHER91
by DAWGFATHER91 on Jan 2, 2012 12:57 PM PST via iPhone app reply actions
Sark knows how to go into the off season.
Year 1 – Strong finish to the season with dominate wins over WSU and Cal.
Year 2 – Strong finish to the season to get to a bowl game and a HUGE upset bowl win.
Year 3 – Another bowl game, awesome performance by the offense, but defense sucked. Fired the DC and made a GREAT hire that instantly put positive momentum back into the program.
"Winning isn't everything, it's the only thing."
"Legends are made on the shores of Lake Washington"
hopefully...
…this move can staunch a bit of the bleeding going on in recruiting and the new guys can lure some stud defensive prospects.
Can I dream for a moment?
Maybe a few top in state recruits will see that Washington is serious about returning to an elite program and will reconsider staying home?!?!
I can dream right?
"Winning isn't everything, it's the only thing."
"Legends are made on the shores of Lake Washington"
you can dream...
…but I don’t see it happening. I don’t see any reason why Williams, Garnett & Russell would change their minds based on these hires. Maybe Cedric Dozier, but I won’t hold my breath.
I’d be more excited about how these hires will affect the decisions of guys like Shaq Thompson, Ellis McCarthy, Aziz Shittu, Brandon Beaver, Alex Balducci, Jeremy Castro, Brett Bafaro, etc.
Yep.
Positive momentum for the program could really make a difference with guys who were on the fence. It could really help next years in state class (see Max Browne) if we start showing signs of life on defense and win 9 games.
"Winning isn't everything, it's the only thing."
"Legends are made on the shores of Lake Washington"
I haven't had a single doubt about Sark since...
He nailed his first press conference and then immediately took off to recruit Kasen Williams and ASJ before he had even unpacked his suitcase. Mark my words, if he doesn’t leave for the NFL he’s a lifer at Washington.
You are more trusting than me . . .
I really liked his first press conference, but I’m not that trusting, just because you say something . . . .doesn’t mean you can do it. That being said, I’ve been very pleased with Sark, how he handled the defensive changes has answered my last big question about him. I couldn’t have asked for it to go down any better, more organized, and controlled.
"Winning isn't everything, it's the only thing."
"Legends are made on the shores of Lake Washington"
I could list several dozen things he's done right so far.
The only things I can think of that he hasn’t are the defense, losing some recruits this year (but not many over his tenure), and being over-aggressive at times (ASU and Notre Dame come to mind).
The list of things done right . . .
far out weigh the list of things done wrong. What gives me the most hope for the future is Sark’s ability to learn from his mistakes. When he sees a problem, he fixes it. His future is very bright.
"Winning isn't everything, it's the only thing."
"Legends are made on the shores of Lake Washington"
Sark is not impulsive.
He sticks with the program, tries to make it work. But when he changes direction, he really changes direction. He seems to know what he wants. That’s half the battle.
So I went to Volsnation and am starting to panic a little
Now, I realize they were young at UT as well at LB but a lot of the comments on there were about lack of tackling and the worst tackling team they’ve ever had. Please tell me they are just mad over there and this isn’t true! I don’t want another year of poor tackling!
Last PAC-12 Rose Bowl winner not named USC....Washington
Twitter @DAWGFATHER91
by DAWGFATHER91 on Jan 2, 2012 1:51 PM PST via iPhone app reply actions
sounds like rationalizations kicking in
Tennessee fans can’t fathom why Washington would be able to steal two of their best coaches. All of the early reaction I saw was Vols fans pissed at losing them, and a beat reporter for the Vols thinks highly of the job Wilcox & Sirmon did there – see Bob C’s blog.
My optimism is still high
Here’s hoping they teach the fundamentals well!
Last PAC-12 Rose Bowl winner not named USC....Washington
Twitter @DAWGFATHER91
by DAWGFATHER91 on Jan 2, 2012 2:19 PM PST via iPhone app up reply actions
true
Last PAC-12 Rose Bowl winner not named USC....Washington
Twitter @DAWGFATHER91
by DAWGFATHER91 on Jan 2, 2012 8:39 PM PST via iPhone app up reply actions
Very young defense
against SEC running backs, I’m not suprised tackling was an issue. The Tennessee defense was not great, but considering everything (all the coaching changes, lack of experience, crappy offense) it’s really amazing that they put up the numbers they did. They were in the top 30 nationally for total defense.
"Winning isn't everything, it's the only thing."
"Legends are made on the shores of Lake Washington"
in other news
TD Badgers!!!
Last PAC-12 Rose Bowl winner not named USC....Washington
Twitter @DAWGFATHER91
by DAWGFATHER91 on Jan 2, 2012 2:19 PM PST via iPhone app reply actions
Time will tell
This appears to be a really good hire by Sark…or two hires as it were. Wilcox and Sirmon are pretty young but Wilcox has a pretty decent resume at Cal, BSU and UT. I keep hearing that at BSU they played a weak schedule so you really can’t tell how good he is. True…but they were in the top ten in a lot of catagories so there must be some validity to him being a very good DC. And with a young UT team this year they were ranked 28 nationally. Even if he gets UW to 50 they would have had 10 wins and not 7 this year. Sirmon has even less experience but sounds like he is a wizard as a LB coach and a very good recruiter. But…..Time will tell.
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