Washington is entering the stretch run of spring drills with only three more practices remaining until next Friday's spring game. The overall consensus this spring is Washington is improved and they may be able to field the most explosive offense in the Pac 10 even though fans at Oregon, Oregon State, and USC could argue the point.
Washington does have one piece on offense that nobody has and that is Jake Locker. Jake has had a solid spring and the addition of his feet to his game this fall will give Washington the most dangerous player in the country and possibly the first player taken in next years NFL draft.
Sam Bradford of Oklahoma was picked number one overall yesterday so it is pretty conceivable that Jake probably would have been the first player taken this year. All Jake has done all spring is become a better passer. The game has slown down for him enough so he is making the types of reads at the moment that are the difference between winning and losing big games.
Locker came back his final year to do one thing and that is lead Washington to the Rose Bowl. Most feel the Huskies will return to the bowl circuit this season at some level but with Locker at the helm of the Washington offense it gives them the chance to win every single game on the schedule.
Last season the goal was to be competitive in every game and Washington was able to do that most of the time. The 5-7 record could have very well been 8-4. This season I think the Huskies will win at least eight games if they stay healthy. If they a little luck falls there way they could compete for the conference title.
Quality depth is still a concern at LB and DE but Washington should have all the pieces in place to compete at a high level by fall. Washington has done a good job overcoming the depth problems at DE by moving Cameron Elisara outside who is thriving.
Mason Foster is playing like a first round draft choice at LB while Cort Dennison has taken his game to another level in the middle. The combination of Logan, Houston, and Aiyewa should fill the SLB position adequately. Logan is the starter at the moment but most feel the position is Aiyewa's to lost this fall.
The major goal the coaches had going into spring was to keep everyone healthy. The Huskies haven't had a serious injury this spring even though WR's Jordan Polk, Cody Bruns, and D'Andre Goodwin have missed significant playing time.
Bruns is currently back and he needs to use this remaining week to secure the number four receiver position going into fall. The future for Goodwin and Polk is a lot more cloudy. Neither have been on film yet this spring and that means that they will be slipping farther down the depth chart when fall begins.
Over at TE Chris Izbicki has parlayed a strong winter into getting the starting nod going into fall at TE. Improved blocking has been the key to his success. The move also is a motivator for Kavario Middleton who still has a lot of room left for improvement.
The Huskies are going to be scrimmaging on Saturday so mark it down as a good day to take in a practice. Sark says they will be running close to 100 plays which means you will get a very detailed look of where the team is right now.
You probably won't get to see Jessie Callier who sprained his knee in practice. The injury is described as mild but the coaches will keep him on the shelf until he is at 100%. The injury to Callier has opened up some reps for Demetrius Bronson and Johri Fogerson. Bronson needs a strong scrimmage to re-open the eyes of the coaches.
Washington will practice on Monday and Wednesday next week and then finish it off with the spring game on Friday night.