Slideshow Posted On B/R

Hey guys,

Just posted a great slideshow of some of the better Husky players for this season on Bleacher Report. You can find the link here:

http://bleacherreport.com/articles/244917-husky-trails-the-washington-husky-power-players

Five Keys for the 2009 Huskies Season

With the season fast approaching, it is easy to get caught up in all the rhetoric that naturally flies around fall camps. The optimism can be contagious.

Washington head coach Steve Sarkisian has done an excellent job at bringing a fresh look to the Huskies. While it remains to be seen what he does on the field, he should be lauded for taking that first step.

If Sarkisian is going to be successful this season, here are going to be the keys.

Running the football.

There is no doubt that the Husky running game struggled last year. Not only did the backs themselves struggle, but the offensive line had difficulty creating holes for them.

Frankly, a starter needs to emerge out of the stables. Sarkisian was only able to rotate backs the last couple years because they all were supreme talents.

It just won't work the same here at Washington.

Chris Polk and Johri Fogerson have looked the best in camp so far, but so have Curtis Shaw and Willie Griffin.

Polk is the assumed starter, after all the drama surrounding him becoming starter last year and flopping. He has used this last season as a learning experience and as a chance to get stronger.

It's difficult because the two best runners from last year, David Freeman and Terence Dailey, are both gone from the program. That was the reason that Fogerson moved over to the running back slot from safety.

The Sarkisian offense is run oriented, so this is piece number one that Sarkisian needs to put into place. Otherwise the Sarkisian era could begin in disaster.

If the running game can succeed, it will take a massive weight off of quarterback Jake Locker's shoulders. Which in turn will help him develop into the talent he has the potential to be.

Improved Quarterback Accuracy

Both Jake Locker and Ronnie Fouch need to make great strides in their accuracy. Fouch won't see much of the field if Locker is healthy, but who knows how the season will go.

In spring and most of fall Locker has looked much improved, a mix of both being asked to make easier throws and having more solid receiver play.

The Sarkisian offense is predicated on more intermediate throws with the onus put on the receiver to gain the extra yards.

The offense of the last couple years was run oriented, with all the passing coming on really long third downs, or on big plays.

Drops have been an issue, but with the maturation of the younger receivers, that should be an occurrence that will be diminished.

Sarkisian has targeted an accuracy of 60 percent for Locker, and that may be high, but Locker looks well on his way there.

Receivers Need to Score Touchdowns

Last season was remarkably devoid of scoring, as evidenced by the 0-12 record, and the receivers scored very few of the touchdowns.

D'Andre Goodwin, the leading returning receiver for the Pac-10, had only one touchdown catches for the whole of last season.

The whole of the receiving unit? Six total catches.

Essentially the receiving corps needs to make that next step, either to get open on longer routes, or catch tough balls in the endzone.

Washington just needs to score more this season, plain and simple.

Pressure Opposing QBs More

It wasn't until the fifth game of the season did the Huskies record a single sack. The defense as a whole was atrocious at run stopping, and opposing quarterbacks had all the time in the world to throw.

It was something on the order of, on average, 63 percent completions by opposing quarterbacks during 2008.

Watching the team was frustrating because you could see them striving to get to the quarterback, but they couldn't quite make it there.

Opposing offensive lines just bossed them up and down the field.

The only bright spot has been Daniel T'eo-nesheim, who most likely will make all-PAc-10 honors this season. The guy just has a motor.

EJ Savannah coming back will have a huge impact on stopping the run game, it's up to the rest of the defensive front seven to pick up their game.

Intercept the Ball

The Husky defense only forced seven interceptions, and Husky defenders only broke up 26 passes all year.

The aforementioned 63 percent completion rate by opposing quarterbacks was no joke. They missed basically only when the quarterback couldn't throw the ball well enough, or the receiver couldn't catch it.

The bright spots are that both Nate Williams and Quinton Richardson got a lot of playing time and have looked like they can be special players for the Huskies.

The bad news is that the Huskies still haven't really sorted out the other safety and cornerback slots.

Thus far the leaders are Greg Walker at safety and Justin Glenn at cornerback, but it's really anybodies game.

Sarkisian hired both a safeties coach and a cornerbacks coach this year, as opposed to just one secondary coach, in the hopes of breathing some fire into both positions.

Jeff Mills, the safeties coach, and Demetrius Martin, the cornerbacks coach, have their work cut out for them, but have a lot of energy.

We'll see come game time if Sarkisian's hirings have succeeded.

Massive Commitment News

Offensive Lineman Erik Kohler, of Oaks Chrisitan High School, has committed to play for the Huskies. This is a huge pick up, literally and figuratively.

Kohler plays on the same team as Husky commit Nick Montana.

This pulls the Husky class to 17 commits so far, with a healthy complement of offensive linemen.

Greg Walker Is Showing That Impact On the Defense

If you are Nick Holt, the number one priority in getting this Washington defense prepared is nailing down the secondary slots.

Thus far it has been a challenge, through spring and fall. There have only been two players that have put a hold on their positions; Nate Williams controls the strong safety spot and Quinton Richardson has one of the cornerback slots.

As for free safety and the other cornerback slot, it's anybodies game at this point.

That being said, over the past week, redshirt freshman Greg Walker has started to make and impact on that open free safety slot.

He has gotten praise from the coaches for his ability to hit and make plays. He's shown a pair of soft hands in catching interceptions to complement his hitting ability.

He also seems to communicate well with his fellow teammates on the defense, which is a very underrated skill sometimes.

There was a great interview with him on GoHuskies.com the other day that highlighted what I think is a fantastic attribute about him, he sounds very smart.

He knows his strengths and he knows his weaknesses, and most of all, he seems to know his place on the field in Holt's defense.

Taking some of the interviews with players over fall camp, it seems that often times the Willingham staff was not always clear on what players were supposed to do.

Chris Polk was scathing in his attack of the Willingham team, and how it had fractured right down the middle during the 0-12 season.

To have a player like Walker, who know's his job on the field, and communicates well with his fellow players, it shows serious potential for this rebuilding defense.

At the end of the day, there are a million and one reasons why this Sarkisian team is better than any Willingham team. Most of all, it comes down to team chemistry and intensity.

Looking purely at before a ball has even been hiked, Sarkisian's team has got it, Willingham's didn't.

Guys like Greg Walker help this aspect out immensely.

News and Notes

Some good news, Desmond Trufant got over his NCAA Clearinghouse issues and is with the team practicing. It should add even more competition to that cornerback battle.

Practice went short today with limited contact as Sarkisian has stressed that keeping the players fresh is the most important.

Will The Kicking Game Progress This Year?

I think, as Husky fans, we can all remember the heartbreak that was last years Apple Cup. The real culprit was the shoddy kicking game. (Not to mention Tripper Johnson's absolutely blown coverage)

Last years kicker, Ryan Perkins, is gone, retiring because of constant injuries. Sophomore Erik Folk is now taking over.

For those of you who went to the Spring Game this year, I'm sure you remember the horror of Folk missing two extra point attempts.

Let's face it, the Huskies special teams over the last year or two have been absolutely horrendous.

It would be a huge bonus for the team if they are able to get the kicking and punting down pat. All reports are that the new punter, Will Mahan, is looking impressive and should help out immediately.

Folk needs to learn to slow down his kicking and not worry about what is going on around him.

It's been stated in some articles around the net and from my own observation that he rushes through the kick to get it out there as fast as possible.

Special teams coach Johnny Nansen also claims he has a tendency to look up early to watch the ball go through the uprights. The same problem I have when I whiff the ball playing golf.

Folk has a good pedigree, his older brother Nick is the kicker for the Dallas Cowboys, and he showed amazing leg strength in high school.

However, since coming to school, he's been hung up by injuries and the mental transition to college. He just isn't nearly back yet.

That being said, I think he has looked a hell of a lot better than he did in spring. There is still half a month to go to the first game, and he'll be sure to get plenty of reps in before September 5th.

Scrimmage Highlights Good Back Play

Tuesday marked the the first scrimmage practice for the Huskies, and while the number one offense saw little of the field, the running backs had a great day.

Several busted off some big runs or some big catches out of the backfield.

Some of the numbers are as follows:

Curtis Shaw: 4-70 with a long of 50

Johri Fogerson: 6-48 with a 48 yard reception

Demetrius Bronson: 6-31

Chris Polk: 4-8 but with a 33 yard reception

Willie Griffin: 3-16

The running back situation is going to be key in the coming year. The progress made at this position will make or break a lot of what Sarkisian is trying to install.

With no clear starter being pushed to the front, it's easy to assume that Sarkisian may employ a committee system like the last couple years at USC.

It doesn't bode well for any single running back to get that star presence, but it may be the only answer.

Locker needs a lot of weight lifted off of his shoulders to really flourish this season.

There has been a lot made of the strides he's been making as a passer, but it will be a difficult task for him if he has to throw on 3rd and 8 rather than 3rd and 3 every time.

Chris Polk has been so highly touted his first two years here, especially in the preseason. Yet, he has fizzled in the the actually game situations he's been in.

It would not be a surprise if guys like Curtis Shaw or Willie Griffin make more of an impact over the course of the year than Polk, even if Polk is the starter.

The guy who is making the biggest move is sophomore Johri Fogerson.

The former safety is looking comfortable in his new position, enough so that it is a bit of a wonder why he wasn't playing running back sooner.

The pro-style offense Sarkisian runs relies heavily on the run game, so it is good news when the backs are playing well.

The only caveat I can give is that so far they have only played the Husky defense, which was notoriously atrocious at run stopping the last couple years.

It will be a whole different animal when the Tigers of LSU roll into town.

Let's hope the backs are still up for the challenge.

Defense Seems to be Carrying the Day

Going into day six of the Washington Huskies fall camp, the trend thus far has been for dominate defensive play.

The way that head coach Steve Sarkisian tailors his practices is by holding a points competition between offense and defense, with a winner chosen each day.

The defense has won three of the first five practices. According to Sarkisian they came close to winning a fourth time but for some last minute heroics by the offense.

It's going to be interesting how this camp translates into the full season. The team as a whole could benefit greatly from the defense being better.

A dynamic threat like Locker benefits by having to not carry as much of the burden as he has in the past. Knowing that each drive doesn't necessarily have to be a scoring drive is important.

The only way the team has come close to winning the last several years has been in shoot-outs because the defense has given up so many points. I point you to the Oregon-UW game in 2007.

The offense, however, needs to pick up the pace. No matter how good the defense, if they are playing the majority of the game they rapidly lose effectiveness.

The defense has earned good praise so far from the head coach. It would seem that hiring Nick Holt as defensive coordinator has paid off so far.

The unit that is mentioned constantly is the linebacker corps.

Donald Butler, Mason Foster, and EJ Savannah have been singled out for praise on multiple occasions.

Savannah claimed in a post season practice the other day that this unit ranks among the best in the country.

While that statement is completely hyperbolic, it attests to the amount of swagger that the team has picked up so far. A swagger that was completely lacking last season.

The secondary, as well, has looked eager to get back to their best. They have made quite a few of breakups and interceptions.

However, they also get picked apart on some of the bigger pass plays, so it's still a give and take in that respect.

The one troubling unit is the defensive line, with only Daniel Te'o-nesheim really ever being singled out for praise in each practice.

The rest of the line seems a bit anonymous so far. Coach Sarkisian even stated in his newest post practice interview that if it was game time tomorrow that true-freshman linemen Semisi Tokolahi, Andru Pulu, and Talia Crichton would play.

I'm thrilled that Sarkisian is seeing such good things out of those guys, but it does not inspire confidence that the line is performing to it's potential.

Also, notice the disaster that was last season to show the dangers of playing so many true freshmen during a season.

It would seem that the defense as a whole, though, is poised to take a step up over the last couple years.

It remains to be seen how much that will affect the wins and losses column.

Locker Named to Maxwell List

Jake Locker was named to the watchlist for the Maxwell award today. The award is given to the nation's top college player.

This is good news for Locker, as he was named to the O'Brien award for best quarterback as well.

This news comes on the heels of Daniel Teo'nesheim being named to the Bednarik award list for the nations best defensive player.

As I said for that story as well, the awards list really shine the light on who the best players on the Huskies are, even for an 0-12 team.

Congrats Jake on making the list!

The rest of the list can be found here.

Clarification on Tui's Role At Practice

So, if you remember a couple posts back I stated that Marques Tuiasasopo was back with the team as an assistant strentgh coach.

I looked up a lot of different sources and found that he's in this role while he sorts out his NFL future. He has stated that if an NFL team came calling that would be his first choice, though he is happy being here with the Dawgs.

For those of you wondering how it is possible for him to be a coach, the NCAA rules state you can't have more than 10 coaches including the head coach, but stipulate little on support staff.

Tui has to be careful not to give any football advice, as that would be a violation, but he can assist with a lot of administrative stuff with the running of practice.

It was definitely a treat to go to practice and see him running around the field. It goes without saying that the former Rose Bowl MVP will always be a legend around Montlake.

Coach Sark has done an excellent job of including ex-Huskies in the day to day operations of the Dawgs.

He has had former greats come and talk to the team about what it means to be a Dawg. Plus, former coaches like Don James and Jim Lambright are kept close to the program.

It bodes well for Sarkisian that so many of the people from the "golden years" are flocking back to the program and offering their praise.

Teo-nesheim Named to the Bendarik List

Daniel Teo'nesheim was named to the Bendarik Award watch list. The award is given out to the nation's best defensive player. He joins quarterback Jake Locker in reaching lists for post-season accolades, Locker being named to the O'Brien award.

While both guys are long shots for the awards, it bears out who are the best players for the team.

Congrats Daniel!

James Johnson Is Coming On Strong

A quick canvas of stories about fall camp will bring up one name for all of them, true freshman wideout James Johnson.

A quick receiver from San Diego who rated as a three star recruit by Rivals, has really caught the attention of the coaches, as well as, the fans and media.

He was recruited by most of the Pac-10 schools and also by San Diego State and Utah, and Sarkisian praised the staff's ability to hold onto him and bring him to Seattle.

He was praised during signing day as probably one of the most marquee players out of a fairly mediocre class, granted the staff only had so long to put it together.

Sarkisian praised the young man for the speed with which he has caught onto the system and tried to make an impact.

Wide receivers coach Jimmie Dougherty claims he is unafraid of the challenge or the spotlight, and that "when the bullets were flying today, he really stepped up."

So far he has shown good bursts of speed and incredibly solid hands. He has shown a propensity for catching passes in the endzone.

Yesterday was the first day that I was able to get out to practice, and to be honest the defense had the offenses number all day long.

Locker threw several interceptions and the defense broke up a lot of passes either through some decent coverage or some hard hits.

However, the highlight of the day was Locker thrown up a little jump ball in the corner of the endzone and Johnson coming down with it one-handed in the endzone.

It brought everyone in the stadium to their feet.

Johnson finished the practice with a good amount of catches and three touchdowns on the day. It's hard to see him as merely a true freshman.

Sarkisian, in a post- practice interview, said that the evaluation period is long but "if we were playing a game Saturday, he would play, that's for sure."

Obviously guys like D'Andre Goodwin and Jermaine Kearse are being groomed as the starters, but Johnson is making a very strong case to challenge for that role as well.

Let's not forget as well that he is only in his first year, so there is plenty of time for him to develop.

It gets hard to say when so much needs work, but it will be a great development for the offense if the receiving corps takes that step up.

Heading Out To Practice

Hey guys, heading out to my first practice for fall camp. Gonna go observe the Dawgs in action after summer. I should have a recap up by tomorrow morning, so stay tuned!

The Clean Slate

Coming off a season in which the Washington Huskies went 0-12, it is interesting to see in season previews how the past comes back to haunt the Huskies.

In truth, there is more different with this team than there is the same. The players are still the same, but so much has changed.

It's nothing to surprising, considering that there is an all new face to the program. None of the coaches from the previous regime were kept, even long time coaches like Randy Hart weren't safe.

Coach Steve Sarkisian has replaced that dour silence of Tyrone Willingham with the youthful enthusiasm of a brand new staff.

The effects are starting to show.

For one, there is a huge emphasis being placed on strength and conditioning, with coach Ivan Lewis being credited with creating a leaner and meaner team as a whole.

Bob Condotta actually has an excellent breakdown on the shape that a lot of the kids are in here.

For a second thing, Jake Locker is back, healthy, and looking extremely comfortable learning the pro-style offense.

Sarkisian said in a radio interview several days ago that there is going to be a lot of give and take between the system he wants to run and the talents of Locker as a runner.

It would seem that Sarkisian understands that while he has a system that he likes, the sheer physical tools that Locker possess give a special kind of advantage. Assuming of course they are used correctly.

The thing that bodes well is that the offense coaches seem to understand the game to an acute detail.

Coach Doug Nussmeier, the offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach, is a proven groomer of quarterbacks and shows the direction Sarkisian wants to go with the offense.

Proven quarterback play will be the key to the offense, and it is up to Locker to fulfill that duty. Luckily he has shown the acumen and the drive to be a force on the football field.

It's up to the supporting cast to help him out now.

Since fall camp is just starting, it will be interesting to see how the lot of this shakes itself out.

News and Notes

Marques Tuiasasopo, the Husky legend himself, has been helping out during fall camp as an assistant strength coach while trying to sort out his NFL future. I'll try to have more on this as I learn more, as this is great news to have some of the greats coming back to help with practices.

Desmond Trufant, freshman cornerback and brother of Seattle Seahawk Marcus Trufant, had one of the classes he took in high school rejected by the NCAA clearinghouse and will not be able to suit up for the team in practice yet.