January 1, 2001. A beautiful sunny winter day in Pasadena, California, a far cry from the dreary, rainy winters in Seattle. Despite my weariness and dizziness caused by heavily drinking into the wee morning hours, I could still clearly make out the scoreboard:
Washington 34, Purdue 24.
Yes, the Washington Huskies had finished an improbable season 11-1 and ranked #3 in the final polls. Marquis Tuiasosopo, whose name rolls off the tongue of any UW alum like poetry, was the king of the world, and possibly the greatest Husky ever. That I was in his graduating class is a point of much pride.
I have been a Husky fan all my life. Some of my friends talked about how great it would be if the Huskies were able to win the Rose Bowl our senior year. Thanks to Tui, we did. And the experience was more than I could have imagined. Sitting on the border of Husky fans and Purdue fans in the Rose Bowl, I heard all the pre-game talk about "Big-Ten smash-mouth football". So what happened? The Huskies ran for 268 yards to Purdue's 76. And I can personally attest that the Purdue fans did not like hearing about that all game. Some of them wanted to hurt me. Badly. But it's the risk you run when you speak the truth to the masses. Just look what happened to Jesus.
Sadly, that warm winter day many years ago marked the last game of a strong Husky program. Good wins the following season against Michigan and Stanford, and the annual beating of Washington State when misguided Cougar fans seemed to think they were good at football, are the lone highlights since. In 2007, a .500 season and a trip to the Sun Bowl would be cause for celebration. Some people have even suggested that the UW is a basketball school. Many current students have never been to a bowl game, but have seen three NCAA tournament bids.
How did it come to this?
This takes some dissecting. The reasons are often related to each other. For instance, recruiting has been terrible. Why? Well, partly because of the upheaval in the coaching situation, partly because of poor prioritizing of needs, and partly because of the lack of wins. The problem can't be pinned down to one cause, nor can it be resolved with one cure. That said, here are the reasons UW football is so down:
1) Lack of overall strength among the athletes.
2) Lack of coaching continuity.
3) Poor recruiting.
4) Fan apathy (no, we as fans can't be let off the hook).
Now, 1-3 can basically be attributed to poor vision and strategy by the coaches. But of all the mistakes made by the staff(s), failing to develop talent is by far the worst. Since limits were placed on the number of scholarships, programs have had to depend more on their development programs to turn initially somewhat marginal recruits into key performers. There is less margin for error, but if your developmental system is constantly making your players stronger and smarter then you can still succeed and maintain success.
The Washington Huskies are among the physically weakest teams in college football. The proof is in the results: an inexcusable lack of a running game for years now, and a total inability to stop the run. Those battles begin in the trenches, and the men in those trenches need to be strong. Rick Neuheisel was more concerned with recruiting receivers than linemen and he was even less concerned with strength training as his firing of strength coach Bill Gillespie shows. All Gillespie did was help make strong men out of the lesser-caliber but hard working recruits brought in by Jim Lambright. Instead of the fu-fu "functional strength" nonsense preached by later strength coaches, including Steve Emtman who of all people should know better, Gillespie believed in lifting a lot of weight as many times as you can, then pushing you to do more. The past weightlifting records are no longer posted in the Husky weightroom because the current athletes are so far away from them.
This lax view of working out not only caused mediocre players to remain mediocre, but it caused talented players to not realize their full potential. Many Husky fans are surprised to learn that troubled Chicago Bears star Tank Johnson is actually former Husky Terry Johnson. He was a good college player, but clearly the training program held him back from being the dominant force he is in the NFL. The fact that he's bat-ass crazy and probably a felon notwithstanding.
Injuries is another measurement of overall strength, and the Huskies have been hit with more than their fair share of those in recent years. At one point a couple years ago, over half of the springtime projected starters were out with injury. That doesn't happen to a strong, well-conditioned team. With some strong games running the ball in 2006, perhaps the Huskies under Ty Willingham have turned the strength/conditioning corner.
Can all this be blamed on the lack of continuity and direction from an ever-changing coaching staff? In part. But the players must take some blame in policing themselves. I believe the coaching situation has more affect on recruiting than players already in the program, and recruiting certainly has not been good. Again, the proof is in front of us: the number of players drafted by the NFL has decreased precipitously since 2001. This year, there are only two players who are projected to get drafted: Isaiah Stanbach and Dashon Goldson. Stanbach because of his athleticism and NFL-ready deltoids more than his achievements, and Goldson only God knows why. Take it from someone who watched him over the past two seasons: don't draft Dashon Goldson, he's not a good player. The lack of NFL draftees is also in part attributable to the poor developmental program.
Also contributing to the poor recruiting? A half-empty Husky stadium. It's shameful how so many "fans" have jumped ship. As far as I'm concerned, the only reasons to miss a game are if you pass out in parking lot beforehand or if it's raining really, really hard and the game is on local TV.
Now, how do these problems get solved? The good news is that my exact prescription to solve these problems appears to be happening right now:
1) Make the players stronger so they can run the ball and stop the run.
2) Get the players to buy in to the new system so they work hard during games and especially during the offseason.
3) Nab a star recruit to generate buzz and hope for the future (it only takes one).
The recruit? Jake Locker. He's already been named the 2007 starting quarterback as a redshirt freshman, but the remaining fans would riot if he wasn't. He will likely be on every ticket stub, program, and media guide created this season. All he needs to do is lead the Huskies to some improbable wins this season and a bowl game, however crappy, then we can officially talk about the rebirth of Husky football at this time next year.
And maybe, just maybe, in four years students at the University of Washington can have the same experience I had: a Rose Bowl victory in their senior year.
Forget the summer, bring on the fall.
Washington 34, Purdue 24.
Yes, the Washington Huskies had finished an improbable season 11-1 and ranked #3 in the final polls. Marquis Tuiasosopo, whose name rolls off the tongue of any UW alum like poetry, was the king of the world, and possibly the greatest Husky ever. That I was in his graduating class is a point of much pride.
I have been a Husky fan all my life. Some of my friends talked about how great it would be if the Huskies were able to win the Rose Bowl our senior year. Thanks to Tui, we did. And the experience was more than I could have imagined. Sitting on the border of Husky fans and Purdue fans in the Rose Bowl, I heard all the pre-game talk about "Big-Ten smash-mouth football". So what happened? The Huskies ran for 268 yards to Purdue's 76. And I can personally attest that the Purdue fans did not like hearing about that all game. Some of them wanted to hurt me. Badly. But it's the risk you run when you speak the truth to the masses. Just look what happened to Jesus.
Sadly, that warm winter day many years ago marked the last game of a strong Husky program. Good wins the following season against Michigan and Stanford, and the annual beating of Washington State when misguided Cougar fans seemed to think they were good at football, are the lone highlights since. In 2007, a .500 season and a trip to the Sun Bowl would be cause for celebration. Some people have even suggested that the UW is a basketball school. Many current students have never been to a bowl game, but have seen three NCAA tournament bids.
How did it come to this?
This takes some dissecting. The reasons are often related to each other. For instance, recruiting has been terrible. Why? Well, partly because of the upheaval in the coaching situation, partly because of poor prioritizing of needs, and partly because of the lack of wins. The problem can't be pinned down to one cause, nor can it be resolved with one cure. That said, here are the reasons UW football is so down:
1) Lack of overall strength among the athletes.
2) Lack of coaching continuity.
3) Poor recruiting.
4) Fan apathy (no, we as fans can't be let off the hook).
Now, 1-3 can basically be attributed to poor vision and strategy by the coaches. But of all the mistakes made by the staff(s), failing to develop talent is by far the worst. Since limits were placed on the number of scholarships, programs have had to depend more on their development programs to turn initially somewhat marginal recruits into key performers. There is less margin for error, but if your developmental system is constantly making your players stronger and smarter then you can still succeed and maintain success.
The Washington Huskies are among the physically weakest teams in college football. The proof is in the results: an inexcusable lack of a running game for years now, and a total inability to stop the run. Those battles begin in the trenches, and the men in those trenches need to be strong. Rick Neuheisel was more concerned with recruiting receivers than linemen and he was even less concerned with strength training as his firing of strength coach Bill Gillespie shows. All Gillespie did was help make strong men out of the lesser-caliber but hard working recruits brought in by Jim Lambright. Instead of the fu-fu "functional strength" nonsense preached by later strength coaches, including Steve Emtman who of all people should know better, Gillespie believed in lifting a lot of weight as many times as you can, then pushing you to do more. The past weightlifting records are no longer posted in the Husky weightroom because the current athletes are so far away from them.
This lax view of working out not only caused mediocre players to remain mediocre, but it caused talented players to not realize their full potential. Many Husky fans are surprised to learn that troubled Chicago Bears star Tank Johnson is actually former Husky Terry Johnson. He was a good college player, but clearly the training program held him back from being the dominant force he is in the NFL. The fact that he's bat-ass crazy and probably a felon notwithstanding.
Injuries is another measurement of overall strength, and the Huskies have been hit with more than their fair share of those in recent years. At one point a couple years ago, over half of the springtime projected starters were out with injury. That doesn't happen to a strong, well-conditioned team. With some strong games running the ball in 2006, perhaps the Huskies under Ty Willingham have turned the strength/conditioning corner.
Can all this be blamed on the lack of continuity and direction from an ever-changing coaching staff? In part. But the players must take some blame in policing themselves. I believe the coaching situation has more affect on recruiting than players already in the program, and recruiting certainly has not been good. Again, the proof is in front of us: the number of players drafted by the NFL has decreased precipitously since 2001. This year, there are only two players who are projected to get drafted: Isaiah Stanbach and Dashon Goldson. Stanbach because of his athleticism and NFL-ready deltoids more than his achievements, and Goldson only God knows why. Take it from someone who watched him over the past two seasons: don't draft Dashon Goldson, he's not a good player. The lack of NFL draftees is also in part attributable to the poor developmental program.
Also contributing to the poor recruiting? A half-empty Husky stadium. It's shameful how so many "fans" have jumped ship. As far as I'm concerned, the only reasons to miss a game are if you pass out in parking lot beforehand or if it's raining really, really hard and the game is on local TV.
Now, how do these problems get solved? The good news is that my exact prescription to solve these problems appears to be happening right now:
1) Make the players stronger so they can run the ball and stop the run.
2) Get the players to buy in to the new system so they work hard during games and especially during the offseason.
3) Nab a star recruit to generate buzz and hope for the future (it only takes one).
The recruit? Jake Locker. He's already been named the 2007 starting quarterback as a redshirt freshman, but the remaining fans would riot if he wasn't. He will likely be on every ticket stub, program, and media guide created this season. All he needs to do is lead the Huskies to some improbable wins this season and a bowl game, however crappy, then we can officially talk about the rebirth of Husky football at this time next year.
And maybe, just maybe, in four years students at the University of Washington can have the same experience I had: a Rose Bowl victory in their senior year.
Forget the summer, bring on the fall.
6 comments:
it was interesting to see how many fans jumped ship as soon as the huskies started losing. Seattle is known for being a frontrunning town but I thought if any team could inspire more loyalty it would be UW football.
I agree that TW appears to have this thing headed in the right direction. This year's schedule may not allow us to get an accurate gauge on the progress but it would be in TW's best interest to not suffer the kind of blowouts his Notre Dame teams did. Next year is the make or break season for this program. The team will have experienced depth, locker will be in his thrid year with the team and the first TW recruits will be seniors. I'm thinking they have to win 8 games or he will be on the hottest of seats.
nice post Sarge. great read, though a bit difficult, as all criticisms of the fandom seemed aimed directly at me, and that hurt. i will make a better effort, this year, to use your tickets (fingerz) every time you cannot attend a game. i cannot promise, however, that I will not throw un-nameable fruits at whoever, b/c i'm wasted and i don't care, nor can I promise that I will not try my best to rally the gang onto Christopher's boat during the RARE blowout in the 2nd quarter during that 70 degree day in late October so we can jump off of rusty ships in Lake Union, nor can I promise that I won't try my damndest to get us up to the Sombrero for Chinese food, only to watch Sarge scare the shit out of old people with his vulgarity.
I do promise I'll try to attend the games, or at least attend the viewing in the Eberle abode so we can watch the games and that chick in lingerie across the street do her ironing. yay!
Agreed for the most part. Nice restraint in not blaming everything on Rick Neuheisel. He did coach us to that Rose Bowl victory after all.
I think you may have undersold how good Terry Johnson was when he was here, though. He was bad-ass and probably the only person on our defense that I could name for several years.
and also, Terry/Tank is far from a dominant lineman in the NFL, at this time. That said, I am glad that he'll be in Bears uniform this year
this doesn't really have to do with terry johnson but his pic is on the story and it's funny.
http://deadspin.com/sports/college-football/
you-just-cant-trust-mapquest-sometimes-251885.php
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