I thought I'd take a quick look at what I was able to gleen from Chris Petersen first spring practice at the University of Washington.
Overall: The ambiance of Spring Practices was different than with Coach Sark. Gone was the incessant blaring music and in its stead was attention to the fine fine details of each position.
No longer were the players just getting to their positions the were getting in the proper stance with their hips, shoulders, feet, and eyes.
We also got to see the players get pranked by the head coach in the April Fools Day Uniform Gag. He had me going to right up to the point where he said that the team adopted a stray dog wandering campus who would later become the mascot.
There is energy all around with this staff and they like to have fun. But the team-building exercises away from the field should also pay dividends down the road.
Offensive Philosophy: Coach Pete's offenses have been wide-open. He has no fear. He will use whatever weapons are at his disposal. To that we have seen John Ross wear the only #1 (although in coming freshmen don't have numbed yet) which may mean that he MAY see time on both sides of the ball along with special teams. Same with Shaq Thompson.
Although actual details of the offense were skint we did see the "pace" of plays remain. Both QBs had their moments and when the ball was in the hands of the Legion of Zoom, the running backs, and even the tight end special things happened.
It will be interesting to see the deployment of these weapons.
Defensive Philosophy: Near and dear to many Husky fans is the mantra: "Defense Wins Championships". To read the tweets and hear the coaches talk defense plasters a smile on my face.
The Defensive Front should be stout...if not down right nasty. Between Sr. Shelton, Sr. Kihaha, Suddenly re-seniored Hudson, Sr. Shirley, and others this will finally be a tried-and-tested trench-warfare team.
The defensive schemes will be interesting to watch. We saw what a physical, experienced defense can do to Oregon with how Stanford brought the Ducks to tears. Can the Huskies finally do that too?
Coaches: Prior to coach Pete arrival at Montlake I had never heard of any of these guys...with the exception of Smith and Paopao.
The mic'd up features were an eye-opener for me: Their passion, their energy, how they relate to their kids.
And then there's Coach Pete. By his own admission he may have been a bit amped up when he got into the QB mix.
I love the passion! I love the attention to detail! I hate that I have to wait so long for the season. Can it be August already?