ForThe  Cougar running game has been the definition of terrible and obsolete since the beginning of the Paul Wulff era. This has been caused by many reasons, the dominant one being that rushing the football in the traditional way is difficult to scheme around; it is almost entirely physical and when you are physically inferior at every position, it is incredibly difficult to run the ball.  A traditional rush off tackle out of a single tight I-Form (one of the most common and simple plays in football history) pits seven blockers against seven defenders in one-on-one matchups. With the Cougar players the last few years unable to knock the proverbial sick baby off a toilet seat, this type of rush was impossible for us to execute. However, USC was able to score 69 points against us using this play almost exclusively. It is a play that relies on at least having physical equality. We didn't against USC in 09 and we won't in 2011.

I know what you're thinking. "Geez fightfightfight, whatever shall we do then? Our running game must be salvaged or Jeff Tuel will surely be slain on the field of play next year!"

To which i respond, "Ya'll need to chill out. I'm bout to tell ya'll bout this play that got us covered like a jimmy hat. Real talk."

The zone-read is a play that the cougars finally started using to solid success towards the end of last year. It is run out of the pistol or shotgun, with single or multiple backs, 4 wide or 3 wide with a TE. The Cougs have generally run it out of a 4 wide single back pistol or shotgun, so this will be the set I use for analysis. At its base, it is a single option read based on the last player on the line of scrimmage on the backside of the play. By reading what this player does, the QB either gives the ball to the back to the play side or pulls the ball and loops around the backside.

Starting with the offensive line, I will now school you to how this beautiful play comes together. You're all totally welcome.

Continue reading this post »

 

                As everyone reading this is undoubtedly aware, DeAngelo Casto has left WSU a year early to pursue a Professional basketball career.  At this point, it would take a miracle for him to land on an NBA squad in the near future, and his immediate contributions will likely be on an international squad. This announcement has brought a surprisingly strong backlash from Cougar fans, and I cannot figure out why.

Continue reading this post »

I've been sitting on this for a while waiting to finish it (read: Procrastinating), but while studying for finals I decided to use my procrastination for the good of Cougar Football and finish this one as opposed to fancy booklearnin.

Anyways, here we go.

 

Brent Anderson Fr 6'1 260 Kennewick, WA

Freshman depth. Hopefully he gets another couple inches on him because 6'1 260 is a filled out frame and it is too small for the O line.

 

Elliot Bosch Fr* 6-4 258 Spokane, WA

Coaches seem high on Bosch, and he has the frame to fill out to 300 eventually. If he can get up to 280 by next year he could find his name in the mix.

 

John Fullington Fr 6-5 268 Belfair, WA

Fullington has great technique and excellent feet to go along with his solid frame. He has struggled at times this year, and is highly susceptible to a strong bull rush. However, as he grows and gets stronger, the bull rush should lose its effectiveness against him and he will be a very solid O lineman. Look for him to get up closer to 300 pounds and be a strong bookend for the next 3 years.

 

David Gonzales Jr 6-6 275 CA

Gonzales was doing an excellent job of protecting Tuel's blindside before he broke his wrist. He is not a mauler in the run game, but he is a good pass blocker and some added size and strength would go a long way for him. At 6'6 275, he is long and lean for an O lineman. If he can pack on 20 before next season he could become dominant.

 

BJ Guerra Jr* 6-3 315 Moses Lake, WA

BJ Guerra is a perfect example of a Defensive Tackle playing Guard. He is strong as a bull and very quick but seems a little lost in the complexities of blocking. He gets beat inside too often, resorts to holding more than he should and struggles to visualize the blitz pre-snap. He is, however, one of our better run blockers and is one of the few guys on our team who can physically handle Pac 10 DT's.

 

Micah Hannam Sr* 6-4 283 Gig Harbor, WA

Micah has been a fixture for the Cougs at RT, and for good reason. He has good size, strength and foot quickness, though none of these traits are spectacular. He is consistent and does not get injured, which is the greatest praise an O lineman can receive.

 

Tim Hogdon Fr* 6-3 291 CA

Hogdon has the size to get in the mix on the inside. He is ready to go from a purely size perspective, but I have not had the chance to watch him play or know particulars about him.

 

Wade Jacobson Jr 6-6 304 CA

Wade has come in and been OK. He has not dominated but he has not been dominated. He is a big, strong guy and supposedly a nasty blocker. However, it has been pretty apparent that nobody on our line is a world beater in the run game, and that includes Wade. This is his first year of big time ball though, so next year I expect serious improvements in his game.

 

Tyson Pencer So* 6'8 330 BC

Tyson Pencer is the opposite of Micah Hannam, in that he has dominant tools but is wildly inconsistent and injury prone. He has the size to play anywhere on the line, but until he shows that he can stay healthy and stay focused I have a hard time projecting him at any position.

 

Chris Prummer Sr* 6-2 263 Renton, WA

Prummer has been a work horse for the Cougs for the last 5 years on the scout team, special teams and in practice. He does not have the physical skills to ball at this level, but he has a lot of heart and determination. While he did not see the field much as a coug, his work in practice made the guys ahead of him better, and every team needs guys like Chris Prummer.

 

Alex Reitnouer So 6-5 270 CA

Forced into action as a true Freshman last year, Reitnouer did what he could as a physically overwhelmed youngster playing against the big boys. He has a great frame and burning that shirt turned out OK as he is redshirting this year and will be able to fill out his body. This is a guy who will definitely be making a big impact on the line in the future.

 

Jake Rodgers Fr 6-6 251 Spokane, WA

Jake Rodgers is a guy who the coaches are really high on, but looks to be a guy who is still at least 2 years out. He is a converted tight end and needs 40+ pounds to be ready to go. Looks to be a tackle down the line.

 

Andrew Roxas Jr* 6-2 303 CA

Another guy who just cannot seem to stay healthy and consistent. I have heard that he is one of our better blockers at times, but I have also heard he is prone to mental and effort errors. He is a guy who should be getting a shot at serious playing time next year, and we need him to rise to the occasion.

 

Sebastian Venezuela Fr 6-2 321 CA

Sebastian is probably a little too big. 6'2 is not meant to carry 321, and as a freshman that number almost certainly indicates a soft, fatty guy who needs serious time in the weight room.

 

Zack Williams Sr* 6-4 289 CA

Despite his struggles with snapping the ball and personal fouls, Williams has been our best run blocker all year and has been decent in his pass pro. He is also the only lineman from this year who will be gone next year, which raises pretty serious questions about filling out his position.

 

2010 Production:

I think it is safe to say that the offensive line was one of the poorer units on this team in 2010. They gave up an embarrassing 51 sacks (4.25/game) and averaged just 3.17 ypc without quarterback runs included, and 2.6 ypc with those runs factored in. There were also issues with low shotgun snaps from the Ok St. game all the way through the Apple Cup. Tuel seemed to constantly be picking it up off his toes, to the point that it seemed he started to immediately drop his hands and eyes at the snap. Though they rarely got away from him, that split second at the snap of the ball is crucial to reading a defense properly, and for getting into the proper footwork for a QB. It means that he is a half second late in his reads, which means holding onto the ball for just a hair longer which is the difference between a sack and a qb hit or a qb hit and a clean throw. If Jeff Tuel didn' have excellent feet and pocket presence this would have been even worse. He had 87 positive rushes this year, and we know that Wulff and Sturdy were not calling his number at all early in the season. That means most of these rushes came on scrambles, which again shows the issues on the line. To top it all off, our line seemed to commit an egregious amount of penalties. Holding you expect because of the talent mismatches, but loads of personal fouls are simply not acceptable, from any position.

 

Where do these issues stem from? Firstly, I think the reality of the matter is that most of the guys on our line are simple not very good. Hannam has been a long time starter but our line has been a long time issue. Guerra is a former DT with a holding fixation and issues handling any kind of stunt or move other than a bull rush. Williams can't perform the essential duty of a center adequately and struggled with personal fouls and holding. Jacobsen is a tackle playing guard not because he is better a guard than tackle, but because our other guards are terrible. He could maul smaller DE's, but manning up on a Pac 10 DT is a whole different monster. Gonzales is good in pass pro but mediocre at best in the running game, and Fullington is simply too young and under-developed to play at this level yet.

 

Another issue is that Gonzales, Fullington and Jacobsen were all getting their first looks at big time ball this year. California Jucos are great but playing there does not make one ready to take on the Pac 10. Very few lineman can make the transition from high school to college right away, and Fullington played admirably in that regard.

 

2011 Outlook:

 

4 guys return next year with significant starting experience in Fullington, Gonzales, Guerra and Jacobsen. This means somebody must step up and play center next year, and for the life of me I cannot find a player on the roster that doesn't make me cringe when I think of them starting at Center. Roxas? Shown me nothing yet but a great ability to be injured. Valenzuela? He is young but I haven't heard anything about him being very good. Elliot Bosch still seems a year away from being physically ready and most of the other guys on the roster look like tackles to me. My bet is the coaches are working incredibly hard on finding a JC Center because if we do not find one we are up shit creek without a paddle, boat or the ability to swim. Nobody in the current recruiting class looks to be an interior O lineman, so they better land someone, and soon.

 

WSU has a long tradition of excellent quarterback play. After a few years of terrible talent and horrendous injury to the Cougs Under Center, 2010 has shown that we may be on track to regaining our place as QB U.

Gordy Anderson Fr, 6-3 215 0 pass attempts Port Orchard, Wa

 

I had no idea that this guy was on the team or a quarterback, and I have a feeling it is best if it stays that way. I don't mean to knock the 4th, 5th and 6th on this team, but if we see them on the field it likely means that Tuel, Halliday, Lobster and others have gone down, and our chances of a good year go with them.

 

David Gilbertson Fr* 6-1 207 0 pass attempts, Woodinville, WA

 

David Gilbertson is excellent at calling in the signals on the sideline. Hopefully he continues to show that prowess for the rest of this career. Again, if he shows up we have some big issues.

 

Connor Halliday, Fr (shirting) 6-4 175 0 Pass attempts, Spokane, WA

 

Connor Halliday is one of the big reasons I am excited for next year. If he can put on a little weight and be ready to go next year, it opens up a lot of things for Jeff Tuel because an injury to him does not leave us with the Lobster. He has a big time arm, a great frame and a real knack for throwing an accurate ball. I have seen him beat Tuel multiple times throwing into the basket, and I am excited about what he can do down the line and in place of Tuel.

 

Marshall Lobbestael, Jr* 6-3 210 15 attempts, 7 completions, 61 yds, 0 tds 0 ints, Oak Harbor WA

 

I wish the Lobster was a lot better than he is. Unfortunately, he is not and that is not his fault. He has played with a lot of guts for the cougs in his time here, and I will always appreciate that. Had he been a Coug at another time with a more talented surrounding cast he may have been much better. However, the teams he has led have been historically talent bereft and he does not have nearly enough to overcome that. He has one more year here, though I anticipate that Halliday will be taking most of the backup snaps as long as he is ready to go physically.

 

Jeff Tuel, SO 6-3 214 331 attempts, 194 completions, 2482 yards, 15 tds 11 ints CA

 

This is Jeff Tuel's team, and the success of this team now and in the future resides in his hands. He has shown enormous potential to go along with his sizable production. Next year he can play loose and attack, knowing that his backup is a legitimate QB and that an injury to Jeff doesn't turn our offense back into the 3 and out machine it has been the last few years. If he continues on his current improvement arch, we could be looking at our last year with Jeff. I am not sure how he feels about school, graduating and all the other things ouside of football, but another 10-15 pounds and an increase in production akin to what he had from last year to this year will put him on a lot of NFL team's radar.

 

Daniel Wagner, Jr* 6-0 211 0 pass attempts, CA

Not a ton to say about Wagner. He is a guy that could be on the field next year, but not at QB. He is WSU's backup punter, and next year will be the Year Without Forrest. Wagner could be the man to attempt to fill those beautiful, enormous shoes.

 

2010 Production

Jeff Tuel is the Man, and that's all I have to say about that. Clutch plays, deep balls, great touch and as soon as he stops locking on his receivers he is going to dominate the Pac 12. You can run and tell dat, homeboy.

 

2011 outlook:

A mobile newcomer in Cody Clements is the only real change to this squad. Clements will undoubtedly red shirt, and Tuel will undoubtedly start. Halliday and Lobster will battle for the second team snaps, and the position will be in better long term shape than it has been in since the early 2000's. If you are not chomping at the bit to watch these QB's develop then you might as well quit watching College Football. This is what it's all about.

 

 

 

Wide Receivers:

 

Justin Amundsen So* 5-10 178 Federal Way WA 0 catches

 

Diminutive Receiver from Wulff's first class. Never seen him outside of some special teams work, and the depth and talent of our receivers say we likely never will.

 

Isiah Barton Jr 6-1 190 CA 15 catches, 128 yds, 8.5 yds/rec, 0 tds

 

Barton has done some good things for this team, both as a receiver and as a return man. He hasn't had the most consistent hands and doesn't seem to have a great rapport with Tuel, but he is a steady kick returner and has made some big plays for the offense. Hopefully he improves offensively and can make serious contributions.

 

Daniel Blackledge Sr 5-11 181 Co 23 rec, 324 yds, 14.1 yds/rec, 2 tds

 

Blackledge has gotten open with some consistency this year, but his hands have hurt him at times. Still, he is a big time threat from the slot who gains his yards in serious chunks when he hauls in the pass. He will be gone next year, and he has been a great Coug.

 

Blair Bomber 5-8 160 Fr (shirting) Lynden, WA 0 catches

One thing I know about Blair Bomber is that he is going to compete in everything he does. I've known Blair and his family most of my life, and Blair is simply a worker. I am unsure if this work will full overcome some of his size issues, but he is highly skilled and has killer speed.

 

Bennett Bontemps 5-11 188 (walk on) Puyallup, WA 0 catches

 

Bennett has been a good get so far as a walk on. He has done well on special teams and actually saw the field against Cal when our receivers were banged up, though he didn't log any catches.

 

Austin Ehlo FR 6-2 194 Spokane WA 0 catches

 

Ehlo has looked pretty good on the scout team so far this year, at least when I have watched practice. Not eye popping, but consistent and Halliday likes throwing the ball his way.

 

Jared Karstetter Jr 6-4 208 Spokane, WA 54 catches, 587 yards, 10.9 yds/rec, 6 tds

 

He Went to Jared!! And boy has Tuel ever! Karstetter leads the team in catches and touchdowns, and has been a chain moving machine. It seems like every time we are in third and long that ball is going to Karstetter, and it seems like he catches everything within reach. He has been the most productive receiver the last two years, and has been a great local find. He has one dominant physical talent in his size, but is far from a burner, is not very quick and has moderate hops. However, he runs excellent routes and exploits his dominant physical talent on a consistent basis. He doesn't need to get separation to be open, he can just shield the DB away because he is 6 inches taller and 30 pounds heavier. And he has sticky, sticky fingers.

 

Bobby Ratliff Fr (Shirting) 6-1 185 CA 0 catches

 

Ratliff was a serious head turner in camp this year, but not quite as much as Wilson so Ratliff donned the shirt this year, a great thing for this team in the future. He has decent size, is explosively fast and has good hands.

 

Gino Simone So 6-1 187 Sammamish Wa 13 catches, 132 yds, 10.2 yds/rec, 0 tds

 

Gino has been plagued by injuries this year and we have missed our Slot Machine. While he has been healthy enough to play at times this year, his lingering hamstring issues have slowed him, as have concussions and I believe a shoulder issue. He has made some big time catches this year and I hope he is fully recovered and ready to bang against UW.

 

Jeffrey Solomon Sr* 6-0 200 Seattle, Wa 17 catches, 236 yds, 13.9 yds/rec, 1 td

 

Solomon was putting together a pretty nice year before being sidelined with injuries. His hands looked the best they ever have and he was getting open consistently and doing the kinds of things on the field that you need from your Seniors. He blocked, ran hard routes and CAUGHT THE FRIGGIN BALL! He is another guy we could really use healthy and ready by the apple cup.

 

Kristoff Williams Fr (Shirting) CA 0 catches

 

Kristoff was a guy that the staff really wanted to get on the field this year, but a nasty case of turf toe kept him on the sidelines long enough that we put the shirt on him. Like Ratliff, this will be a good thing for the team down the road. Kristoff is physical and explosive. He runs routes and catches like a WR but once he has the ball he is all power and ferocity. This guy is going to murder some DB's over the years and will be a fun player to watch.

 

Marquess Wilson Fr 6-3 173 CA 51 catches, 968 yds, 19 yds/rec, 5 tds

 

Marquess has been arguably the most explosive and impactful freshman in the history of WSU. He is tall, deceptively fast and I have never seen better ball skills since, well, ever. He has a ridiculous ability to high point the ball and to secure it in under pressure. He has had a couple of drops this year (at least 2 were td's) but the kid just turned 18 and it is not like he is plagued with the dropsies, he just missed a couple and they were in big time situations. Marquess is going to be a very special player in WSU history, and I am very excited to see him grow up. Here's hoping he runs all over the UW secondary and gets up over 1000 yards on the year.

 

2010 Production: Our WR's have been our best and most consistent group on this team. A solid mixture of experience and youth, group has consistently gotten open and most importantly, caught the ball at a high rate. Wilson stretches the field, Karstetter moves the chains and converts in the RZ while our slot guys work the middle and have made some huge plays. Being a WR in a spread is not easy. It is all running and no resting. Just ran a post 40 yds and Tuel threw it underneath? Better be ready for another post. At a school with a long history of great WR's, I would put this group up against any of them and I think they hold their own.

 

2011 Outlook: We bring in 3 new guys in Henry Eaddy, Isiah Myers and Dominique Williams. Eaddy is a diminutive speedster, Myers looks like a future slot guy and Williams is a big, physical receiver for the outside. We are going to lose Solomon and Blackledge, but everyone else returns for 2011. Guys like Blair Bomber, Bobby Ratliff and Kristoff Williams will be coming off their redshirt and will likely force the shirt on Eaddy and Myers. I am unsure if Williams is ready to play or if he can force his way into the rotation, but big guys like him don't come around all the time and he could add another dynamic threat to this squad. I think that next year Wilson and Karstetter start at the split end with Gino and Barton in the slot. Kristoff and Ratliff get backup snaps at both positions, while D Williams is the primary backup at Split end and Blair Bomber rounds out the group of 8 receivers getting on the field next year. This is the deepest and most talented group on the team, and very few times at WSU has any position had the kind of depth of talent that this group has. Expect big things from our receivers next year, and I have a suspicion we will be watching big things on Sunday's from a lot of these guys.

 

Hello Cougs!

 

Because of this awful, terrible 3 weeks without Cougar Football in our lives, I decided that I want a full look at the roster, positioin by position, and see how much the cougs have accomplished this year and to take a look at the "health" of the positions in the future.

 

These will be coming first for the offense over the next week or so, position by position as I finish them.

 

Anyways, let's start with the Running Backs.

 

 

Leon Brooks *Fr 5-7 170 CA, No carries

Diminutive back who has been decent at returns, not so great rushing the ball.

 

Arthur Burns *Fr 5-11 206 CA, No carries.

The man of many talents came as a running back, then pulled a 180 and played some backer. But wait, there's more! After the injuries hit the RB position, he magically turned into an RB again. If he is ever at a position long enough to see time, we can discuss the merits of these magic trcks.

 

Ricky Galvin Fr (Shirting) 5-8 162 CA, 1 carry, 2 yds

Really think he could have made some significant contributions this year, but being forced to Redshirt s something I think we may really like 3 years down the line. Had a better camp than Marquess Wilson, but a year to add size and learn the offense lands us a gem down the road.

 

Logwone Mitz *Jr 6-1 232 Redmond WA 70 carries, 252 yds, 3.6 ypc 4 tds

Local product is probably the most consistent guy when it comes to running the football. He makes his mistakes in protection and routes, but running the ball he is an enforcer and a guy that is always the hammer, and never the nail. That quality is rare, and something our offense needs.

 

James Montgomery Sr* 5-10, 201 CA 110 carries, 400 yds, 3.6 ypc, 5 tds

James is a good back and an incredible story. I really hope that the story isn't finished yet, because if he gets a 6th year and can get a full off season to finish his physical recovery, look out. I do not think he has played a game this year at 80% of his former self was. I also know that the second year after major injury and surgery is the year when an athlete truly regains their physical prowess. If he can get a year and come back at 100% (or better) the running back position goes from sketchy at best to a strength.

 

Marcus Richmond Sr* 5-10 202 CA 12 rushes, 18 yds, 1.5 ypc

Richmond has filled in dutifully at FB this year and when given opportunities he has made the most of his touches. Game of his life against Furd, but other than that he is a FB in a spread offense. One of these things is not like the other....

 

Chantz Staden Sr* 5-10 211 CA 22 carries, 91 yds, 4.1 ypc 1 td

Staden reminds me of a poor man's Justin Forsett. Top end slow and undersized, you would think that he would have no chance. Staden has dominant quickness though, which is a trait that exploits poor tacklers but doesn't punish like power or raw speed can punish. He is versatile though, and does a lot of things for the Cougs.

 

Carl Winston So 5'8- 201 CA 28 carries, 90 yds, 3.2 ypc

Hopefully a guy that shows more as he gets older, but as of now he is getting just a couple touches a game and is under 100 yards rushing on the year.

 

Performance in 2010:

 

I don't think anyone has been happy with the play of our running backs this year. We do not have a healthy back on the roster with breakaway speed. Ricky Galvin may have it, and looked to have it against our Defense in camp, but we will have to wait until next year to know. Monty has not fully recovered from injury, and none of us could have expected him to be 100%. Mitz has good power, but not enough speed to get through the quickly closing holes opened by our O line. As a group, our running backs average 3.7 yards per carry, which is pretty terrible. If Monty can get another year and get back to his '09 form, Galvin can add some pounds and be healthy and Bishop Sankey is as-advertised, this position could become very good. If Monty can't get the year, Galvin is rail skinny and limping around and Bishop is wearing purple, look for the running game to continue to flounder.

 

Outlook for 2011:

 

If Monty can get another year and get back to his '09 form, Galvin can add some pounds and be healthy and Bishop Sankey is as-advertised, this position could become very good. If Monty can't get the year, Galvin is rail skinny and limping around and Bishop is wearing purple, look for the running game to continue to flounder. The known newcomers are Sankey and 5-9 216 DeMarcus James from Alabama. Sankey could be a potential game changer and a guy who can score from anywhere on the field. James is a bruiser who is supposed to be great between the tackles but has poor top end speed. This outlook for this group is highly variable, and there are just too many questions for any kind of real answer.

 

My dad is the truest Coug fan that I have ever known. He was raised in a Husky Household, and only he and one of his many brothers broke the code and became Cougs, leading to a fandom that borders on delusional and definitely crosses the line between passionate and obsessive. His love for the Cougs is rivaled only by his hatred of the Huskies, and both that love and that hatred are pure and unadulterated in any way. Anyways, he called me after WSU beat OSU, and I could hardly muster a word at the time. After I had a moment to digest the game, I sent him a lengthy facebook post, which really put my feelings about this team and their future in a good light.

 

I couldn't really talk after the game, I simply had no words. Anyways, here is what I thought after the game.

The Cougs finally put it all together.

This is the game we have all been waiting for. On Saturday, the Cougs came out and put together four consecutive quarters of playing to their potential. The defense flew around, locking down tackles on first contact and getting to the Beav qb with ferocity and consistency. Offensively, we have been explosive at times this year but rarely consistent. Against OSU we converted third downs, moved the chains and finished our drives with points. We didn't turn the ball over but once, we gained tough yards on the ground and controlled the pace and tempo of the game.

I think the best thing about this game was the coaching. I felt like Saturday was the first time that Wulff and Co. had left another coach scratching their heads. I finally felt like Sturdy won the chess match against the DC. He used his jab to set up the haymaker. That option pass was just plain money. Tuel had been killing them all day on the ground, and just when they think they have him for a loss he lobs it over their heads for a touchdown. Just brilliant. OSU's defense just couldn't figure us out. A lot of this comes from the running game being effective for the first time all year, but credit Sturdy and Wulff for capitalizing on it and using it to set up a big play. Though I think it should have come earlier, they finally figured out a way to manufacture a ground game, making it so people couldn't just play the pass. Zone reads, options to with the WR and Tuel scrambling equated to an incredibly effective offense and that is because of the coaches. Great, great job.

This defense has finally begun to show why the coaches were so high on them. The coaches made some poor decisions early in the year, at least on paper. Keeping Ledge and Chima as starters over Bucannon and Mizell did not work out well to start the year, though I can understand the reasoning behind it. Mizell, Bucannon, Kafusi and Justin have transformed this defense. When we get consistency from these guys the defense will not just be acceptable; it will dominate. The secondary guys are making plays against the pass and are filling rushing lanes at the line. Bucannon looks like a future star at safety, and having a guy with his range greatly opens up the defensive playbook.

I am so excited about next year it makes me shake. The core of this team is just so young. Wilson, Tuel, Mizell, Long, Kafusi, Simone, Bucannon, Horton, Washington, Toomer, Fullington and so many other big contributors or starters are under 20 years old with at least two more years of eligibility. This isn't even counting guys like Pole, Williams, Galvin, Dunn, Oertel, Simmons, Ratliff, Locker and countless others are poised to play major roles over the years, and only Locker has used a year of eligibility from that group. As long as the lines improve (I think the D line will take a big jump but I am unconvinced on the O Line) we are looking to be a dark horse in the Pac next year. Probably not to win it, but I would be surprised if we didn't get into the mix from 4-7.

 

 

Mizell should continue to grow into his role, his biggest liability this year has been between the ears and when he gets his stuff figured out, look out. If we can find a dominant DT, we have the makings of the Palouse Posse all over again. I could see Long, Rankin, Bucannon, Simmons, Kafusi, Horton and Mizell playing on Sundays one day, and that is just the defense. When Wulff got here, I could probably say that for Gibson, Mattingly and Alfred, and that is it. Not to mention that next year we Get Luis Bland (our best LB before Mizell got here), Jordan Pu'u Robinson (our second best DE) and Toni Pole ( a true Frosh who was probably our second best DT) all back next year, and they didn't take a snap this year. Our incoming LB class is among the tops in the nation (best in the Pac!) and includes at least one guy who is going to challenge for a starting spot right away in Chester Su'a.

Offensively, throughout camp Marquess Wilson was the third best new offensive guy, behind Kristoff Williams (WR) and Ricky Galvin (RB). I watched a lot of fall camp and these guys are truly special. They are both guys who are legitimate threats to take it to the house every time they touch the ball, no matter where they touch it. Our line should be better, but count me unconvinced that it will be significantly better. We only lose one guy, but the guys we return are not exactly world beaters. However, even a marginal improvement along the line would do wonders for our offense, especially considering the guys we will have in the skill positions.

I am so excited to see the position battles at WR, DB, LB and RB. We are about to be legitimately loaded at those positions in ways WSU has never been before. I think in two years we will be looking at the best secondary in school history, and I am not forgetting the Trufant-Frampton-David-Abdullah years. All of the guys starting in our secondary are first or second year guys, and they are already legitimate play makers.

 

And my favorite part of this weekend:

Cougfan.com has an article about the celebration being short lived for the coaches, and that is because 3 left straight from Corvallis for recruiting trips, while another 4, including Wulff, left immediately from the airport in Pullman on recruiting trips. None of them will return til Weds. We are facing 3 weeks off, and coming off our first win in forever, but these coaches continue to keep their balls to the bansaw and work on making this PROGRAM a viable, competitive contender year in an year out. No recruit in their right mind is just going to choose Pullman over LA or Tempe, it takes a special kind of guy to make that happen. Wulff and Co. are those guys.

Papa said that this is the best group of young players that he has ever seen at WSU, and he was at school starting in 78 and hasn't missed a coug game since. He then said that he will continue his nightly prayers, those being ""Please God, let the UW sign those two overpaid "geniuses" Sark and Holt to long-term contract extensions......"

A month ago I thought this offense was good enough to get into a shootout with anybody in this conference and come out on top. Jeff Tuel was connecting on a high percentage of his passes, the receivers were making BIG plays look easy and the protection was passable, though just barely. We had no running game, but we were getting points on the board and could score from anywhere on the field.

The last four games, the offense has really struggled. What happened? I see two important injuries in Solomon and Gonzales. Our offensive line was never good,  and we lost one of our steadier blockers in Gonzales. This does not fully account for the horrendous play of our O line the last couple games, but it certainly didn't help. Solomon had been sure handed before his injury, and I think we may have a few less drops from our receivers if he had stayed healthy. Simone, Monty and a couple other guys have been dinged up and missed games here and there, though Mitz as been the better back and had a good game Saturday, and Simone has pulled a Huddini this year and disappeared due to various injuries. Neither had been a serious factor in our offensive successes this year.

I think the real factor is that teams have figured out our team. We are one dimensional offensively, and the one thing we are good at, passing the ball, is very susceptible to pressure with just four rushers. The down lineman that we face simply do not worry about the run. They look to penetrate every play, and if the running back gets behind them there is no threat for them to take it the distance, or really past 5 yards. The linebackers can drop into their zone, knowing that the backs are slow enough that they can easily recover and tackle for a moderate gain at best. This is crippling. 7 players in coverage and pressure arriving quickly on the QB is a perfect defense. 

I think this problem is one that can get better next year. Getting two explosive backs in the lineup with Galvin and Sankey should be enough to keep defenses from completely disregarding the run and shutting down the pass. The O line should also improve, but I am not convinced that the improvement will be significant.  Hopefully Mitz, Sankey and a healthy Galvin will be able to punish teams for selling out on the pass with some zone reads, some draws, screens and getting into the flat as an outlet. Hopefully our O line can handle four pass rushers, and at the very least make a defense commit 5 to rushing to get pressure, or give Tuel time to pick the zone apart.

Fair warning, this is long, rambling and somewhat disjointed. It also contains a lot of stats and numbers, some of which say nothing about a lot of things, and others that say lots about nothing.

 

First, the state of the program under Bill Doba:

Doba was an integral part of the coaching staff that brought WSU it's greatest stretch in history, and was named the head coach after Price left. He was unable to capitalize on or even sustatin the success that WSU had experienced over the last few years. While Doba was a gifted X's and O's guy, at least at one point, he was a poor recruiter. He was responsible for four recruiting classes, from 04-07. Two of these classes (06 and 07) saw less than 15 players make it to school. There was also a heavy reliance on JC transfers, with 29 JC's over the 4 classes. This is a shoddy foundation that was masked by players recruited either early in Doba's time or by Price, the RS Sr.'s of that team. Here are their numbers

Passing: 305/503, 60.6%, 3817yds, 7.59 y/a, 26 tds, 15 int, 135.5 rtg.

 

Rushing: 373 attempts, 1391 yds, 3.7 y/a, 11tds

 

S&P (Total): 204.2, 55th overall

 

S&P (Offense): 110.1, 32nd overall

 

S&P (Defense): 94.1, 75th overall

 

 

 

As we all know, after the 2007 season Doba was relieved of his duties and Paul Wulff was brought in. Things hardly went well. The cougs would drop from 55th to 117th in total S&P. There are many, many reasons for this outside of Wulff. The Phantom recruiting Classes from 05-07 were the main issue, which was compounded by Wulff kicking players off the team and injuries. Lots of injuries. This also had plenty to do with Wulff and the coaching staff. Their first run at the big time facing into a situation that was absolutely terrible and I think it is safe to say that they were in over their heads. It was not pre ordained that the 2008 team had to be historically bad. Bad, yes. 69-0? No. However, I think it is fair to say that the program was in a deep hole, a hole not initially dug by Wulff and one that he couldn't be expected to immediately climb out of. I also think it is fair that Wulff picked up the shovel and dug down a little deeper in his first season, whose numbers looked like this. 

Passing: 191/361, 1898 yds, 52.9%, 5.26 yds/a, 6:21, 90.9

 

Rushing: 339 att, 1182 yds, 3.5 yds/att, 13 tds

 

S&P (Total) 150.6, 117th overall

 

S&P (Offense) 68.0, 118th overall

 

S&P (Defense) 82.6, 105th overall

 

I do not know what to say about the 2009 season. Talent wise, it was certainly the lowest spot in cougar history. The full effect of Doba's last few recruiting classes was being felt, as was a historic amount of injuries. The team, when healthy, showed small, small flashes of competitiveness. However, they also showed large, large flashes of super shitty, leading to a multitude of blowouts. Some young guys like Tuel, Karstetter and Long showed some flashes, but to me 2009 was not a season, it was a series of practices for other teams. The numbers:

 

Passing: 195/372, 2135 yds, 52.4%, 11:16 5.74yds/a, 101.8

 

Rushing: 233 att, 742 yds, 3.19yds/a, 5 tds

 

S&P (Total) 125.3, 120th overall

 

S&P (Offense) 50.6, 120th overall

 

S&P (Defense) 74.7, 117th overall
 

2010 has changed what a lot of us thought was possible for this team. Young guys have stepped up in big ways and this is obviously the best team Wulff has ever put on the field at WSU. However, they have yet to get over the hump and have shown that they can still get blown out (USC, OSU, ASU.) They have also shown they they can play with the best in the league (UO, Furd, UA). I am going to take a deeper at 2010, and try and see what we are looking at in 2011.

 

 

Passing: 160/270, 2067yds, 14:9, 7.67yds/a, 134.7

 

Rushing (without qbs): 176 attempts, 600 yds, 3.41 yds/att, 6 tds,

 

S&P (total): 179.7, 93rd overall

 

S&P (Offense): 89.0, 87th overall

 

S&P (Defense): 97.8, 60th overall

 

These numbers, of course, are not an entire season's worth, and are in fact not updated through the stanford game.

 

Here are the guys getting it done in 2010:

 

QB: Tuel So

RB (Committee): Montgomery RS Sr., Mitz RS So, Staden RS Sr, Winston So

O Line (Left to Right): Gonzales Jr, Jacobson Jr, Williams RS Sr, Guerra RS Jr, Hannam RS Sr, John Fullington Fr.

WR: Wilson Fr, Simone So, Blackledge Sr, Karstetter Jr., Solomon RS Sr., Barton, JR

 

Main Contributors, defense, 2010:

'DE: Long So, Kooyman RS Sr, Coerper So, Hamlett Sr,

DT: Rankin RS Jr., Wolffgram RS Sr, Laurenzi RS So, Hoffart RS So,

WLB: AHE RS Jr., Kafusi RS Fr

MLB: Mizell Fr, Ledgerwood Jr., Higgons Sr

SLB: Beck RS Sr, Jamal Atofua, Darren Markle

RCB: Simmons RS So, Justin RS Jr.

SS: Toomer RS So, Locker Rs Fr.

FS: Bucannon Fr Nwachaku Sr.

LCB: Washington RS Fr, Horton Fr.

 

Notable injuries (Returning in 2011): Luis Bland (JR, Med Shirt), Toni Pole (Fr, Redshirting), Kristoff Williams (Fr, Redshirting) Ricky Galvin (Fr, Redshirting) Jordan Pu'u Robinson (RS Fr, Med Shirting)

 

2011 starting positions spoken for:

 

QB: Tuel Jr

OL: Jacobson RS Sr, Fullington So, Gonzales RS Sr, Guerra Sr

WR: Wilson So, Karstetter Sr

DE: Long Jr

DT: Rankin RS Sr

LB: Kafusi RS So, Mizell So

CB: Simmons RS Jr, Washington RS So

S: Toomer RS Jr, Bucannon So

 

 

I left out a lot of the 2010 contributors as 2011 starters because while lots of guys have been serviceable this year, they have not convinced me that they will start in 2011 (lookin at you, Logwone). So by my count we have these positions to fill:

 

RB: 3-4 guys getting the rock Mitz, Galvin, Sankey and Winston could be a decent rotation.

 

OL: Need a starter to replace Williams at C, and a couple guys to step up for rotation and depth. Andrew Roxas could fill in at Center, with Valenzuela, Bosch and Pencer looking to unseat a starter or be the # 2's .

 

WR: Not penciling Gino in as a starter, looking for kristoff, Ratliff, Barton and Simone to battle for the start and rotation reps.

 

DE: Lots of possibilities here, Rankin could slide out, a Frosh could emerge, etc... Pu'u Robinson's return clouds this even further.

 

DT: Gun to my head I am saying Rankin and Laurenzi, but Pole is in the mix as well as some incoming freshmen and guys like Hoffart.

 

LB: We need to replace Beck, anybody think AHE could cover the TE? I have my doubts, but it looks like he is at his best in pass coverage, for what that is worth. Look for Markle, Sua and Bland to battle it out for the start here. That kind of competition is something we have lacked for a LOOONNNNGGGG time.

 

CB: Starters are set barring injuries, but the secondary needs to rotate and there is always nickle and dime backs. Look for Horton, Justin and some guys redshirting this year like Brandon Golden to be in the upper end of the rotation.

 

S: Again, starters are set, but there is going to be quite a battle beneath the starters for the back end of the secondary. Casey Locker, Anthony Carpenter, Tyrone Ducket and Jay Matthews are names to watch when training camp begins.

 

Things I cannot wait to see:

 

LB: We are going to have a SIIICCCKKKK crew at LB. Mizell, Kafusi, Su'a, Bland... This is a MEAN combo, and they will be together for quite some time.

 

WR: If you believe the reports, our best lineup of receivers was unable to see the field this year with Williams hurt. I am looking for big things from this group, especially with some speed and size coming with the 2011 class in guys like Dominique Williams and Henry Eaddy. If they continue to progress and produce, we could be looking at the best receiving corps in the Pac.

 

Defensive Backfield: This is a backfield that is beginning to show flashes of great things like our old secondaries used to in the early 2000's. They are young, fast, love to hit and are confident in their abilities. In the coming years we will be able to play a super aggressive style on D because our DB's can match up and SHUT DOWN receivers. Salivating.

 

Oh, and QB. We are pretty good there.

 

Positions that I am unsure of:

 

DT: If Rankin stays at DT, Pole is legit and Laurenzi is decent I think this group should work. If Rankn adds another 15 or 20 pounds, Hoffart gains some size and one of the commits can play right away, this could be a very good group, but I am not sold.

 

RB: If Galvin is healthy, Sankey is committed and Mitz can learn the plays, then this group could be special. If Galvin is fragile, Sankey bounces and Mitz can't block, then this group could be special of the helmet and drool variety.

 

Positions that I am terrified for:

 

OL: Returning four starters from a terrible unit with terrible depth behind it. I do not know who will replace Williams, nor who will replace any starters when they go down. I hope I am wrong but I have little faith in Pencer, Valenzuela and and a handful of walk ons. To put it in another light, consider how bad the line play has been this year, especially from Williams with his poor snaps and personal fouls. Now consider that these are the BEST players on the team. They went through countless variations to the line in camp, and nobody else emerged, nor has anyone this year outside Fullington. Not good, and the incoming guys do not seem ready.

 

DE: We have some talent coming in at the position, but it is undersized and needs time to develop. Long is good, Rankin could move and everyone else on the team is an unknown. Hopefully improved DT play will lighten the load for the group, but I do not see us fielding a tandem better than Long-Kooyman next year.

 

Overall: I am excited about the potential for this team next year. The skill positions on offense look good, the passing game should be excellent and the running game improved, with Jeff Tuel coming into his third year under center. The defense should have speed and attitude, as well as solid tackling. However, all of this hope and expectation could be for nothing if the offensive and defensive lines do not drastically beat my expectation of them. There is potential for them to be good but not great, and unfortunately I see their ability to reach that potential as unlikely. The Offensive line will likely continue to be a liability in the deep passing game, and will probably marginalize any improvements in the running back talent. Our linebackers will likely continue to meet opposing offensive linemen 5 yards off the line, and our front four will probably continue to fail to generate pressure on their own. This will put deep pressure on our secondary allow opposing qb's time to find the open man.

 

If Paul Wulff is the coach in 2011, and I hope he is, he will have the deepest, most talented team he has ever had at WSU. This team should be as good as the 2007 team but not nearly as top heavy and much more sustainable. If Wulff is not the coach next year, whoever comes in to replace him is walking into a much better situation than Wulff walked into, and I think that fact is undeniable. Wulff has not made the most of his time here. He has not done the best possible job. However, I think that he has not done the worst possible job and the building of the roster has gone very well.

So, I guess this is my state of the cougars address. What do you guys think? Wrong? Right?

With the commitment of Eli Edwards over the weekend, the 2011 cougar recruiting class is up to 17 known commits. I would like to break down this class by position, and take a look at what the cougars need to do with the last 8 slots.

QB: 1 (HS, Cody Clements)

RB: 2 (HS, Bishop Sankey and Demarcus James.)

OL: 1 (JC, Rico Forbes)

WR: 2 (HS, Henry Eaddy and Isiah Myers)

DL: 4 ( 3 HS, 1 JC TJ Poloai, Dexter Davis, Brock Lutes and Eli Edwards.)

LB: 5 ( HS Max Hersey, Chester Sua, Darryl Monroe, Logan Mayes, Tana Pritchard)

DB: 2 (HS, Max Gama and Spencer Waseem)

 

A couple of notes on these:

Brock Lutes is 6'3 210 after dinner MAYBE, and has a very long way to go if he is going to play DE, and may be a candidate for LB or TE.

We are going to be full up on linebackers over the next few years, that is for sure.

Looks like we are continuing to emphasize defense in recruiting, with 11/17 scholarships heading to the Defense.

 

Now, with 8 remaining slots in this class, what do the cougs need to help them continue to improve in 2011 and beyond?

The most obvious gap in that class is on the OL, where only one guy, JC transfer Rico Forbes, has committed to the cougs. I would like to see up to half of our remaining scholarships going to the OL, with one or two JC guys and a couple of HS players as well. We need to increase the talent level of our line, no two ways about it.

Assuming 3 scholarships go to the OL, I would like to see us add another WR and DB, bringing both of those totals to 3 in the class. If we are going to commit to the spread, having a rotation of 6-8 receivers is necessary. We have to layer that talent as well, so that when this year's frosh group is gone with all their receivers, we do not fall off in our rotation. Defensive back is also a position where it is important to have a deep rotation, so the same applies to them.

With 3 scholarships left, I would like to see a big anchor of a JC DT that can come in and play right away. If Toni Pole steps up as well, we might get to see what Rankin can do on the outside, though I think it is safe to say that he can play inside, especially with 15 more pounds. I have dreams of a line consisting of Long, Pole, (insert JC DT) and Rankin.

With the last two spots, I think a JC  RB and possibly a big bodied tight end to develop into an OT would fit the bill just fine.

 

If the class fills out this way (however unlikely) then our totals would be this:

QB: 1, HS

RB: 3, 2 HS 1 JC

OL: 4, 2 HS 2 JC

WR: 3, HS

TE/OL: 1, HS

Offense: 12

DL: 5, 3 HS, 2 JC

LB: 5, HS

DB: 3, Hs

Defense: 13

The reason I say contain, and not stop, is that no defense in the country is going to line up and stop Oregon unless Oregon shoots themselves in the foot. They are simply too talented to stop if they are executing.

Anyways, Oregon's base running play is the Zone Option. It works like this:

At the snap, the O Line will move in unison in one direction. They are looking to double team the playside D Lineman, and from those double teams achieve push into the second level, and one lineman will disengage to pick up a second level player, depending on the movements of that second level player. They will often leave the backside end (or furthest outside defender on the line) as the "Read" man. If this player comes upfield, the QB hands the ball to the RB. If the read man crashes down the line, the QB pulls that ball out of the RB's gut and runs around the end, opposite of the offensive line movement., which looks similar to a QB running a Play action naked boot.

Here is how you slow it down.

Decide which player you want running the ball. James is the best runner, but will also be running into the heart of the defense. Thomas is an excellent runner in his own right, and when he pulls the ball he will be going directly into the open field, which is open because of the fear of James breaking one causes the defense to flow towards James. You can only truly stop one, and for the cougs I think that one has to be James.

What this means is sending that last guy on the line, the Read Guy, crashing towards james from the backside. This will cause Thomas to pull and head towards the area vacated by the end. Here is where the scheme comes in, and it requires putting a "spy" on Thomas. As soon as the defense recognizes the zone read, whoever is covering Thomas (be it an OLB or a safety or whomever) needs to A.) Get to the outside  of Thomas  and force him back to the pursuit and B.) make the tackle in space when presented with the opportunity. Holding outside contain is the key, because if Thomas gets to the far sideline with our defense chasing James you can say goodnight to us keeping them under 600 rushing yards.

This accomplishes two things. Firstly, it keeps the ball out of the hands of a Heisman Candidate as much as possible, which is obviously a good thing. Secondly, it requires Darron Thomas, who while a superb athlete and offensive weapon is NOT the best player on that offense, to beat us. He probably can, but allowing their best player to do whatever he wants to us is a surefire way to get rolled on by the Quack Attack.

I played in this offense in high school and, not surprisingly, we had a duo of backs that both averaged near 100 ypg on the ground. The most frustrating thing for our team was when that backside DE just simply crashed down and forced our qb to pull the ball and run it himself. This led to good gains by the QB at times, but when they had someone on him it would lead to rushes for loss and marginal gains.

Here's hoping the coaching staff figures out some way to slow them down, and hopefully our offense can find itself in a shootout and keep this thing respectable.

And this is how I am feeling. If you are a young, impressionable toddler, Please stop reading here. Trust me, it's for your own good. I separated my rambling thoughts into categories, but they are in no particular order because I don't want to.

Defense:

The defense is beginning to deliver on it's promise. It is very talented, but it is also very young. The youth and talent in the secondary was especially apparent, as we often had receivers covered but just could not make a play on the ball and stop the reception. I have a lot of hope for Bucannon, Horton, Simmons, Carpenter, Locker and Toomer. These guys can really play, and all of them are in their second year or earlier of eligibility. Once they learn to feel the ball coming they will be making plays for us.

 

AHE went too far with the bulking up, from my estimate by about 10 or 15 pounds. He is more than a step slower than last year and it is showing. Kyle Padron's TD run, while not at all AHE's fault, would have been stopped at the 5 if AHE is as fast as he was last year. I also think Ledge could stand to cut it back, I think a lot of their tackling woes are stemming from their new bulk.

 

For all the talk about their great running back, I thought the Cougs did an excellent job of bottling him up for the most part. Take away two good runs and we held him to under 50 yards, though he only carried the rock 8 times. Our tackling looked significantly improved from the OK State game, which makes me very happy.

 

Having rewatched the game, I really can see just how close the cougs were on a lot of plays. Myron Beck was a half step late to blowing up Padron on the touchdown play where they went up 21-14. Daniel Simmons was all over a pass but it slipped though his grasp. Travis Long was right there 3 times in the second half, only to have Padron scramble out or get the ball out at the last second.

 

Speaking of Long, I do have one serious gripe about the defense, mainly because we lost and this can't all be sunshine and fucking rainbows. Travis Long is spending WAAAAYYYYY too much time out in the flat covering nobody. I see it with Kafusi, he is really fast and is more like an OLB than a DE. Travis Long is NOT an OLB, he is a DE and a damn good one. Putting him out in the flat decreases our abilities to stop the run and rush the quarterback while putting an otherwise good player in a position that works against his natural skillset. FUCKING STOP IT! RIGHT NOW! Please....

Offense:

 

Marquess Wilson is special, possibly the most talented offensive player the cougs have seen in a decade. Obviously he has to work hard and mature well, but if he improves at a normal level then by the time this guy is a senior I can't fathom where his ceiling will be. The kid just makes plays, whether you throw it to him long or just dump it off and let him move. Watching him and Tuel develop is going to lead to great moments for Cougar Football.

 

Todd Sturdy is holding this offense back. There is no other way to put it, we are playing at a massive disadvantage with him calling the plays. Refusal to adjust to what the defense is doing, not playing to our strengths and bland, vanilla play calling is hamstringing our offense.

 

Our offensive line is awful at all facets of their game. There are very few redeeming qualities to the unit, and much of their woes fall on Sturdy, who demands that they run traditional plays that require an excellent offensive line. Run, run, pass is a dogma reserved for the Alabamas of the world. Washington State will never dominate the point of attack on a consistent basis. We do not pull 300 pound lineman and dominant running backs out of our hats, and that is what it requires to run the offense that Sturdy is desperately clinging too.

 

Two deep threats in Wilson and Barton, Possession guys in Karstetter, Simone and Solomon. Todd, when corners are playing ten yards off your best offensive weapons, throw them the ball. Just snap it and throw it. Let them move in SPACE, PROTECT your QB and SET UP THE RUN WITH THE PASS! Playcalling is a chess match and Sturdy is playing Hungry Hungry Hippos; he just keeps slapping the fucking handle with the run and hoping that some of the balls roll in front of gaping mouth.

 

Not only is the offensive line poor, but our running backs are mediocre at best. There is a feature back in Monty, but he is definitely not 100%. Other than that we have a collection of third down backs that are just OK. My opinion is that we should use them more as blockers and safety valves for our Tuel, and only run the ball when their defense is conceding the run.

 

Overall opinion on the first quarter of the season:

 

The team is markedly improved in many areas, notably the physical changes in the players and their ability to be in the position to make a play, even if they do not make the play in the end. Defenders are filling lanes, generating pressure, staying with receivers and, most importantly, are getting opponents offenses off the field, though not consistently. Offensively, there are legitimate play makers on the field in Wilson, Karstetter, Tuel and Monty. This offense will have to rely on the big play because marching down the field with consistency is going to be a major issue. They are also not turning the ball over at nearly the rate they used to. Tuel had the one INT against MSU, and other than that there have been a couple fumbles but nothing more. This is the good stuff.

 

The bad is that the defense is still giving up a lot of points and not MAKING the plays that our offense needs them to make. They are not turning tight coverage into picks, big hits into fumbles and contact in the backfield into TFL's. Offensively, our Line is awful and our play calling is worse. Because of this, we will struggle to move the ball with consistency.

 

Finally, and this was the first time I saw this this season, we shot ourselves in the foot with penalties yesterday. Bucannon was clean but a little late (an acceptable learning moment) Simmons hit was blatantly dirty and Williams was picking fights. Couple those big ones with false starts, holds, PI etc... and it really hurt us down the stretch. However, penalties are the mark of inexperience and immaturity on a team, and are arguably the easiest things to fix for a coach and are mistakes that decline with time.

 

Outlook for the Season:

 

I am done with Sturdy. Just done. I hope Wulff asks him to step down this week and has a meth addled chimp call the plays. At least they would vary and the defense wouldn't be calling out our plays before we know them. Please, take the power away from him. He cannot hack it, and if he can his system will not work with our players, and we have the ability to compete THIS YEAR with THIS TALENT.

 

If we change up our offensive play calling, I truly think we find our way to conference victory this year and I think we will compete with some Pac-10 teams. We have the talent, and it is time to use it..

Warning: There will be no Pollyanna-ing here, and there will be some cussing. Sorry.

I am seriously beginning to question the abilities of the coaching staff to work to our abilities or establish any kind of identity both on the offensive and defensive side of the ball.

 

I got five dollars to anybody who can name our base offense... TELL THOSE CRICKETS TO SHUT UP!

 

Todd Sturdy has possibly upset me more than anyone else on this coaching staff. His refusal to cater to the talents of this team is infuriating. We have a mobile quarterback and a good back in Monty, yet there is no option play to speak of. Running a zone option out of the shotgun is so ridiculously easy and effective that a child could figure out that we should run it. We absolutely could not stop their backside pursuit, so punish them for pursuing like that and have Tuel pull the ball and head through the back door for ten yards. Or just run a regular old option, it is still a very valuable play if your qb is a threat to run it, and ours is.

 

Speaking of a mobile Tuel, why are we not moving the pocket, like all the time? He can roll out and throw with excellent accuracy, or he can run it as opposed to standing in our shitty little pocket and getting crushed every other time he drops back. When we do have him sit in the pocket, we need to be taking advantage of the height of our outside receivers and throwing fades and jump balls, getting the ball out quickly to a spot and letting our big wide outs GO FUCKING GET IT. When you throw the fade out of the shot gun, you snap the ball, find the one on one matchup and toss it. Takes roughly a second and a half, you just float it and let your 6'4 receiver jump against a 5'9 corner. It is incredibly simple.

 

These offensive strategies are built to protect a poor O Line by allowing them to barely be a passable unit and still allow the offense to succeed. This 3 yards and a cloud of dust shit is never going to work at WSU, we will never have the O line talent to pull that off. We just keep handing the ball off up the middle and sticking Tuel in the ever collapsing pocket yet Sturdy is still scratching his fucking head wondering why it isn't working. This dude needs to show up and call at least decent games or get the fuck out of pullman.

 

Further, I think the O Line needs to be set from here on out personnel wise. I understand and welcome the competition they have been having with so many guys either unknowns coming in or coming off injury, but the starters need to spend time with the other starters so they can communicate, react and block as one line instead of 5 linemen. The Cougs have not had the benefit of continuity the last few years and it has shown, we do not need to be doing it to ourselves anymore.

 

Defensively, I actually like what I saw against MSU, especially in the second half when they took the training wheels off. I understand the logic behing playing coverage against a young qb who can turn a missed sack into a big gainer with his legs. However, I think that WSU has to have an attacking defense. If we sit in coverage against Pac-10 teams and do not get real pressure, any decent QB will sit in the pocket and wait for our young secondary to make a mistake, which they will. While constantly being on the attack will cause some big plays for their offense, sitting in coverage has not exactly worked out well either.

 

However, I hate how much we have one of our defensive ends either in a two point or dropped into coverage. Long/Kafusi have been moved all over the field, and I think it has been detrimental to our defense. Long is a talented DE with his hand in the dirt, but Sears is trying to move him out into the flat, the shallow third or bring him more like a blitzer from LB depth. For the love of God, let him do what he does well and PUT HIS FUCKING HAND IN THE DIRT. Having a two point DE without massive DT's to eat up the O Lineman is asking for a team to run it down your throat, and what do ya know that's what other teams are doing to us.

 

Blitzing and causing pressure is how we are going to beat teams defensively. We have to have a Rex Ryan-esquementality on defense. GO GET EM. KILL THEM AND THEIR FAMILIES, MAKE THEIR CHILDREN HURT. Opposing QB's should be shaking because though he might have a good game we are going to smack the shit out of him every chance we get. AHE should live in the backfield, and probably try and drop ten or so pounds so he gets his killer speed back. Pressure should come like a fucking hurricane from different spots all the time. Keep em on their toes and holding onto their lunch money because Brandon Rankin and AHE are here to jack your shit up

 

When you get pressure on the QB it absolutely hamstrings their offense and likely results in a turnover or a 3 and out, something the coug defense has not had a lot of in a long, long time. Keep up the heat Ball/Sears and the D will be fine.

Or, what do the cougs need to do saturday for them to get some confidence back?

 

What I hope to see this weekend is a lot of the base set on defense. You gotta be good in your base, and that has a lot to do with running it a lot and having success with it. I hope to see four down lineman with their hands in the dirt, working contain first, sack second to make this kid throw. I still think that because of injuries to the secondary (any word on Aire Justin?) our strength lies in our front seven, even though they were abused last week. We have to have confidence in our base defense, something that gives us an identity, that we can fall back on and have confidence we can make a stop.

I expect and think we desperately need to have a good game tackling. We need to be dropping guys on contact, turning backfield broken tackles into sacks and TFLs, allow minimal yards after contact.

Offensively, I wanna see us in the SPREAD. If Gino and Karstetter are ready to go, I wanna see Wilson, Barton, Gino and Karstetter on the field at the same time. Spread 'em out and throw the ball, and use it to open up the running game. Definitely wanna see us run the no huddle as well, it would be excellent for the team if we stuck with it all game, finally.

Speaking of the running game, James Montgomery needs to have a good game. I think he needs to be our leading rusher, with a solid YPC. Personally I thought he was the biggest disappointment last week, but theres a lot to be said for being out of football for a year and how his injury could still be holding him from 100%.

Lastly, no sacks. I think our offensive line needs to challenge itself to give no pressure, and I think thats possible this week for the first time in a long time.

And of course, no inuries. Just this once God, please? Are you there God? It's us, the Cougs....

 

 

GO COUGS

When I first got to Pullman in the fall of ’08, it was tough to spot athletes from the meatheads who spend all day at the rec. I remember getting introduced to some of the football players (I won’t call them out here) and finding it almost comical that they were going to be facing USC later in the week. That is, it would have been comical if it wasn’t so freaking sad. Our basketball players were only recognizable because they were tall, but all of them except Baynes looked like a strong gust of wind would knock them over.

I am happy to report that this is no longer the case. Having been here all summer has allowed me a first hand view of the athletes that have been in town, and all I have to say is this: The Boys Are Looking Big.

Football: It is hard for me to put into words just how much bigger and stronger every player I know has gotten. I watched Alex Hoffman-Ellis repping over 350 pounds on the bench with ease, and then go throw up nearly that much on the clean. I’ve been living next door to Andre Barrington and Jamal Atofua this summer, and they have both gotten noticeably bigger since May. Barrington is a freak athlete and a physical player as I learned in a couple games of pick up 3 on 3. Jamal is quick as hell and easily 200 now, probably more. The O-Linemen are collections of hamburglars crossed with Mayor McCheeses no more; they look like mountains of muscle that can actually move. Not to mention that Brandon Rankin is one of the biggest, scariest looking men I have ever seen. Nightmares fellas, nightmares.

Basketball: DeAngelo Casto has put on at least twenty pounds since last season, and it looks to be all muscle. I saw him the other night for the first time all summer and was SHOCKED at how much bigger he had gotten. He also says he’s throwing up well over 300 on the bench, which is pretty damn impressive when you look at his arm length. I’d peg him at 250-265, which is exactly what I was hoping he would be at for this coming year. Bjornstadt isn’t far off, either. He’s turned a lot of that baby fat he had last year into muscle, and added what looks to be around 25 pounds plus to that frame of his. The other big man that impressed me with his size is Patrick Simon. His scout profile lists him at 205, and if that is his weight for his scout picture then I easily see him at 225 or more already. If Motum hasn’t packed on the pounds, do not be surprised if Simon is our starter at the 4 early into the season. If he can be 6’9 240 with a superb outside shot then we are really looking at our size being a strength heading into the season, if you can believe that.

The point is, WSU will be fielding a lot more MEN this year compared to the BOYS of the last few seasons. I’m not sure if this will lead to more wins, less injuries or what, but it definitely has me excited.

And the only real hope for Seattle's offense in 2010.

 

The Zone Blocking Scheme is in the process of changing the perception of the running game and particularly the offensive lineman totally and permanently. It is the most effective, successful and one of the simplest schemes ever invented in football, and when run correctly is literally unstoppable.

 

I played in a ZBS ala UO for four years in high school, playing at one point or another every position on the offensive line. We rocked people with it. It takes away any advantage a single defender has against a single blocker, so with a bunch of slow, athletically challenged white boys from farm country (Lynden) we have won three of the last four State Championships. 

 

The beauty of zone blocking lies in that the offensive line is literally that: a line of bodies moving in complete unison, step for step. Perhaps a mobile wall is a better term. The lineman have no idea who they are blocking at the snap of the ball. That is decided by the defense, by using what they do to create the play as it unfolds. There is no hole decided at the snap, there is a direction given. Let the defense pick the hole and they will, every time.

 

Now, lets get into the nuts and bolts of how this exactly works, shall we?

 

The defense is in a pure 4-3, for simplicities sake. From the defense's right, starting with the RDE through to the LDE, their alignment is 5 tech, 1 tech, 3 Tech, 5 Tech. MLB is over the center, OLB's are  inside head up on the OT. The offense is single tight, I formation. The play is zone right, a zone run to the right. At the snap of the ball, each lineman will pick up his right foot and take a 45 degree 8 inch step to the right. They then follow it with the left, so that they are facing at a diagonal to the right sideline. This is where the contact should occur. If the D line has not stunted, this is how the blocking will start, from left to right with the starters names for funzies: Okung steps hard right, ensuring the DE cannot stunt across his face. If the DE does that, he can blow up the play from the backside. If he heads upfield or outside, Okung ignores him; he is not in his zone. Unless the 1 tech has come across Hamiltons Face, Okung continues until he engages the second level.. Next down the line, Hamilton will have the job of of handling the 1 tech, working to secure his inside shoulder and hooking him. If the 1 tech shoots playside Ham will have help from Spencer. If not, Hamilton will single the 1 tech.  He does not have to move him, just hook his playside shoulder and trust the back to break an arm tackle. These backside blocks do two things. Firstly, they shut down backside pursuit and allow the play to develop. More importantly, however, they create massive cutback lanes that if hit while opening will send a back 20 yards untouched. On the play side, Spencer and Unger will have the duty of working the 3 Tech. It is Spencer's task to cross his face and get his outside shoulder, and it is Unger's job to secure the 3 tech while Spencer hooks him, creating the first Playside Lane. This double team is the most important. There needs to be push on the playside double team for the holes to open, and the middle linebacker is often blocked by one of these players. Finally, Locklear and Carlson get the DE, with Locklear working across the DE's body while Carlson secures, creating the Second Playside Lane to the outside.

 

These are the initial blocks and double teams that should occur if the DL is not stunting or twisting or shooting a particular gap. This is not the norm, however, and the ZBS accounts for that better than any other blocking system. Say the 3 tech dives hard outside, so that Hamilton cannot engage him without turning back, a cardinal sin in this scheme. Okung simply buries the DT while Hamilton finds the guy who is coming to fill his spot. The ZBS runs under the assumption that nobody moves without someone filling his spot, and it is true 99% of the time. If he dives inside, Hamilton buries him and Okung fills the lane. It doesn't matter what the defense does, as long as everybody steps playside they will find contact and when they do, they engage and hook the playside shoulder of the defender. Every D lineman will be accounted for every time if every Offensive lineman simply steps to the playside.

 

With 7 blockers there should be a double team on the three lineman closest to the playside; namely, everybody except the backside end.  Once these double teams are initiated, the term to describe what happens next is best put as "Four hands on the Body, Four Eyes on the Backer." The lineman in the double team will watch the linebacker over them and wait until he commits to a lane. This is generally dictated by the RB, unless the LB is on a blitz. As the LB steps up to fill the hole, the lineman on the double team closest to the hole slides off and picks the LB up. This happens off of each double team, which, if done correctly, will account for all three backers and leave the RB with the secondary wide open. If because of the defensive set (this happens a lot against 3-4 teams and stunting teams) the double team is unnecessary or impractical, the free O lineman simply continues on into the backers at a right hand diagonal to the sideline, engaging the first defender he meets.

 

If run perfectly, there is nothing a defense can do to stop this play for less than 5 yards. Because of the double teams, it negates strength. Because of the uniform wall wherever a defender goes, it negates speed. The only direction that speed would be useful for against the ZBS is out of the play. Once you negate speed and strength, in the trenches the only things left are technique and discipline. And that is where Alex Gibbs excels. His guys have perfect zone form and timing, keeping their pads low and at a diagonal for 3-5 yards deep, with their heads up figuring out who they're gonna get a body on. Their first 4 steps are perfectly synchronous, moving exactly the same distance in exactly the same time. If Alex Gibbs can get our players to simply stay disciplined and trust the system, it doesn't matter that our line is both frighteningly young and crippling old at the same time, because their lack of experience or aging talents will nearly be non issues, as long as they are disciplined and have their technique. At least for their run blocking.

 

I expect big improvements in Seattle's run game this year, barring injuries (hate how I have to say that). Forsett might be the next 7th round draft pick that Gibbs' system made a star (TD anyone?). He is patient, fits though small holes, breaks arm tackles and rarely if ever goes backwards. If things break right, or rather don't break at all, Force should have a big year in this system. Gibbs has done it everywhere he has been, and I'd be pretty surprised if that stopped in Seattle.

As a warning, I must tell everyone who is reading this that the following fanpost is full of hardcore, uncensored rosterbation. You have been warned.

Now, here are some of the lineups that I see the basketball team running next year in different situations.

 

Starting 5/closing 5: Reggie Moore, Marcus Capers, Klay Thompson, Brock Motum and DeAngelo Casto. This is the best combination of talent and experience that the team has. It can score, it can defend, it can run and execute the sets from Bone. 

 

 

Offensive Group: Reggie Moore, Faisal Aiden, Klay Thompson, Patrick Simon, DeAngelo Casto. Great ability to penetrate and dish/score with Aiden and Reggie, and Klay can do that too. Klay and Simon are dangerous from range and Casto scoring off Moore drives and getting one on ones with our shooters demanding attention when he has the ball. This will be a quick, running squad, which will benefit our offensive gameplan. However, DeAngelo is the only guy on the floor who has been proven a good defender, with Klay only being OK and Reggie being Reggie.

 

 

Defensive Group: Reggie Moore, Marcus Capers, Klay Thompson, DeAngelo Casto and Steven Bjornstadt. This hinges mightily on the development of Bjornstadt, but he showed good defensive skills in his limited time last year and seemed at home anchoring the zone. This lets Casto move around a bit on defense, and keeps him from banging with bigger guys all game. If Aiden or Winston appear to be better defenders than Reggie, than either of them could run the point for this group.

Big Group: Faisal Aiden, Marcus Capers, Klay Thompson, Deangelo Casto, Steven Bjornstadt. Faisal and Marcus are both 6’4+, which is large for their positions. DeAngelo and Steven can bang with the bigs, and Klay at 6’6 brings more height to the group.

 

 

Small Group: Reggie Moore, Andre Winston Jr., Klay Thompson, James Watson, DeAngelo Casto. Run run run run run run run! This is the fastest lineup we can put on the floor. Every one of these guys could get up and down the court in a flash on a fast break. 

 

 

Now, depending on who improves the most, Simon/Motum/Watson/Enquist could all be in the mix at 4 for any of these groups that doesn’t put Casto there. Too much remains to be seen on those guys to make a definite call. The same can be said for Winston and Aiden. We will know much more about these guys as the season nears, but until then there is only gross speculation.

 

 

So, whatdya think? Any changes you would make? Anybody else glad that Hersch’s “The one that got away” isn’t the top fanpost anymore?

How did a 4pt lead turn into a 28pt deficit?

We lost our bigs to foul trouble early in the second half. James Watson picked up his fourth foul at the 14:05 mark. Casto picked up his third at  the 18:00 mark, and played hesitantly and cautiously until picking up his 4th at 12:00 to go. The loss of Watson and Casto severely weakened our interior defense, and the huskies got to the rim at will. Brock Motum logged 7 minutes from roughly 10:30 to 3:30, from where Casto finished the game. Motum entered the game down 13, and left the game down 27. During that time the Huskies made 8 layups/dunks and hit 8 freethrows. 24 points from the paint. If you were watching the game it was sickening to see just how easy they got to the bucket. This was because of Casto/Watson being off the floor and Motum being our big.

 

My question is where did Charlie Enquist go? He saw time in the first half and played fairly well, scoring 2 pts and grabbing 3 boards in just 4 minutes. He also picked up one foul. It was odd to see our #2/3 center (he and Watson appear to be about level on the depth chart) not see time in the second half with only one foul.

 

That's what happened defensively. Offensively, we just could not put the brown thing in the round thing. 24 pts in the second half won't cut it against anybody, especially the huskies.

 

Some bright spots that I noticed:

Xavier Thames: Before we landed Reggie I was really stoked on this kid. It looks like the game is slowing down and he is turning into our best mid-range shooter. 15 points and a couple steals.

Nikola Koprivica: Shot 50%, 3 assists and no turnovers. He is truly being the senior leader we need.

Klay Thompson: What the? Who the? Yeah, he couldn't hit the broadside of a barn. But that game was just truly an off game, which hasn't been his problem in conference play. His issues were forcing the issue, jacking 3's over double teams and taking poor quality shots. He still hit his open shots, however. Against UW he took open shots and passed when he was covered. He just simply couldn't find the bucket, which happens to all shooters. Even though he sucked yesterday, he sucked in a way that we know was an anomaly.

The fact of the matter is that we are going to see plenty of games like this over the next season or two. WE have great talent that hasn't learned how to put it all together yet, but will. Until then, we just have to be content to see the flashes of greatness that this team has in it's future.

Firstly,  Cal is for real, or at least they were on Friel Court tonight.  Jerome Randle looked like the POTY for the Pac. I watched him drain 3's from 30+ feet with a hand in his face FOUR TIMES. That is not an exaggeration, he was lights out and it didn't matter if he was open or if he was taking deep NBA shots. He was indefensible, and he was covered the whole night. The opening ten minutes was a clinic by Cal. They put up 28 in that time and rarely had an empty possession. It was ridiculous.

For the Cougs, something has to be done about Klay and Casto. Klay is in a slump and is trying to break it by forcing shots. It's not working. Bone had him on the bench for a long stretch in the second half, which was well deserved. His shooting was so poor it was almost like watching Nik circa 08-09. Every time he touched the ball I found myself praying he would pass.

Casto needs to finish stronger. His go to move is a spin to the outside and a jump hook. That also is not working. He needs to be able to go up strong with two hands and FINISH. Even if he can't connect there is a lot more foul potential when you go up strong. I understand that he is undersized but he needs to get inside or develop some type of jump shot.

There were a lot of bright spots in this game however. Xavier Thames comes to mind. 5-7 shooting off the bench is very good. Nik played well and was our only threat from behind the arc. 

And then, of course, is FOTY Reggie Moore. He does, and did, everything for the Cougs. 25 points, 5 assists, 2 steals and only one TO. He is becoming our most consistent offensive player and is the reason the Cougs hung with Cal tonight. 

Officiating towards the end of the game was pretty shady, getting all of Beasley Chanting "F*** THE REFS, F*** THE REFS!!" Nothing like the Oregon game, but down the stretch they definitely gave Cal the advantage. A terrible Goal tending call on a Casto block, two bad charge calls and not calling intentional fouls at the end of the game when the Cougs were trying to extend the game may not have won the game for Cal, but certainly gave the Cougs a tougher road to victory.

The Cougs were resilient tonight. They never gave up and kept coming back for more even when down 20 points. I have to say, I liked what I saw tonight even though we lost.

And now we will play (and hopefully dismantle) Stanford on Sunday. If that happens, I say it was a very good homestand.

My only question is where is the Technical? DeAngelo hits a game winner with fractions of a second left and there is no tech? This strange new world amazes frightens me......

This team was damn good tonight across the board. Casto looked like the Beast From the East and Klay was an absolute Surgeon.

But best of all, tonight, Pac 10 Freshman of the Year Reggie Moore was introduced to the rest of the world. Dear God he's better than we dreamed.

 

 

GO COUGS!!!!!!!!!!!!

After the beat down in the Lone Star state, Seattle has lost the remainder of it's already small playoff hopes. We look destined to be a top 10 drafter and have needs at an un-godly amount of positions. With this in mind, I offer up some of the potential options the Hawks will have this off-season. Let me know what you think.

 

#1. The Jason Peters Special: Seattle has two first round picks this year. The JPS would look like what they Iggles did last year, trading away the 28th pick in the draft to the Bills for Jason Peters. Free agent OT's this coming year and their ages are: Marcus Mcneill (25), Winston Justice (24), Daryn Coolidge (27) and Jared Gaither (24). Seattle sends one of these teams their second first rounder and potentially a later pick/Branch/Kerney/Other in exchange for an established/peaking OT to protect Matt. They take their 1st first round pick and take best QB/S/DT available. If QB is not taken first (and I suspect it won't) Seattle takes McCoy/Mallet/Pike in the second.

#2. Climbing Mt. Suh: Seattle packages it's top first rounder with other first rounder/Cole/Grant/Jennings/Combination of several for a higher first pick and takes Ndamakong Suh. Suh looks to be an immediate boost to our D-Line. In a perfect world he jumps in Week 1, eating up double teams like an afternoon snack and punishing opposing Qb's if they double clutch or fail to assign two blockers for him. If Seattle history repeats itself yeat again, he is injury ridden, lazy and never matures. It may cost a lot to get him, but if he can avoid whatever causes so many injuries in the Seattle water, he could be the push the Seafence needs to get over the edge of good into the Realm of Awesome. Again, seattle uses its next pick on best QB/OL/S available.

#3. The Prayer for Matt Ryan 2.0: The Seahawks look to trade up to the top 6 or so pick and look to snag Jimmy Clausen or Sam Bradford. This involves a lot of risk, for several reasons. Firstly, this is going to cost a lot of money, and likely that money will sit on the bench for two years while Seattle fans endure more Matt fumbles/Seneca phantom pressure. There is the risk of a Ryan Leaf or Brady Quinn (provided that he returns to his former terrible self). However, either one of these Qb's could be the next Matt Ryan/Peyton Manning, being ready to come in right away (or at least compete for the #1 job). This plan can be enacted as part of the Jason Peters Special, though costs could be very high in that scenario.

 

#4. Perpetuating our Mediocrity: In this scenario, the Seahawks pick up Jason Campbell in the offseason, through the unloading of Seneca/Branch/Burly/Hawthorne. Campbell competes for the starting job, earning it when Hass breaks (insert bone here). The Seahawks sell out on their defense/running game on the first day, picking up Spiller/Mays/Berry/Cody/OL. They don't invest in a QB on the first day, banking on the depth at QB in this draft forcing good players into day 2. Seattle follows the Ruskell formula of picking up offensive talent in late rounds, picking up a 3-5 round QB and having him battle out the preseason with Teel. The Hawks flounder for several more seasons until we finally find a late round gem who brings us back to relevance.

 

These are some of the more likely moves that I see Seattle making. Thoughts? Suggestions?

A healthy Seattle defense is talented. Stacked at linebacker, deep in the defensive line and decent in the secondary. However, even when completely healthy, it does not dominate. Seattle cannot win on it's defense alone right now. That has been obvious this year. It cannot be on the field as long as our offense forces it to be and continue to stop NFL offenses. However, this defense we have right now would carry us to the playoffs if our offense was even slightly competent. Our offense is at least two years from winning us a game, but our defense is on the verge of taking us back to relevance. Teams that hang their hat on defense are consistent winners. The Steelers, the Ravens and the Titans (last year) are all evidence for why a great defense is better than all but the best offenses.

 

One of the main problems with the SeaFence is the utilization of our talent. Seattle has the group of LB's in the NFL in Hill, Tatupu, Curry, Hawthorne and Lewis and Herring. All of them (excluding Lofa who is too big and slow right now) can consistently get to the quarterback, and all are good against the run. One of the Hawks biggest issues this year has been their inability to apply consistent pressure. Any NFL quarterback can have a good game with no pressure in his face. DB's can only cover so long. This has led to our already depleted secondary getting exposed by quarterbacks having all day to pick their targets. The NFL is a passing league, and stopping the pass will win you more games than stopping the run.

 

Alas, I feel there is a solution! A way that Seattle's defense can take the Seattle offense to the playoffs in 2010!

 

First, The Scheme Change and Utilization of Our Talent:

Seattle should switch to a 3-4 defense. Yea, I said it! A 3-4 is about the linebackers, and that is something Seattle would benefit from. Hill, Lofa, Lewis/Hawthorne and Curry on the field at the same time would mean our four best defensive play makers could wreak havoc in beautiful four part harmony. Curry is Big. Curry is Fast. Curry is Smart. As a blitz-first linebacker Curry is 15+ Sacks. Lofa is a killer on the run, as is Hill, and Hawthorne just seems to find the ball. The pass rush generated from our linebackers causes hurried throws, tipped balls and incompletions/interceptions. So who do we do it with, and more importantly, who do we do it without?

 

Players to Drop (like bad habits):

Patrick Kerney. Doesn't fit the 3-4 and can no longer produce in the 4-3. He should go no matter what. Colin Cole. I can no longer watch him get pushed 3 yards back every play and my television is cracked from my throwing of a remote at him. D Lineman, especially in the 3-4, have to be able to hold ground against a double team, and Cole simply cannot. Redding/Bryant can also go. Also, Jennings can go, along with Malloy. If Jennings stays, he can battle with Wilson for the nickle/dime back position, where I think both could play well.

 

Now, Players to Add:

A dominant DT. Richard Seymour would be perfect. He is dominating at the position and takes up blockers like no other, which is essential in the 3-4. And he is a free agent. Next, a play maker in our secondary. Preferably a safety who can punish the middle and make plays all over the field. I move that we use our first overall pick on Taylor Mays. Mays is the hardest player in college football, and can do everything. He hits, he picks, he covers, he stuffs the run and can pressure the quarterback. Pete Carroll rarely has him do anything besides play center field, but it does not matter with his closing and pursuit speed.

 

Ideal 2010 Starting Lineup:

RDT: Lawrence Jackson/Bryant. NT: Mebane: LDT: Seymour/Redding ROLB: Leroy Hill. RMLB: David Hawthorne/ DD Lewis. LMLB: Lofa Tatupu LOLB: Aaron Curry. RCB: Ken Lucas/Josh Wilson.. SS: Deion Grant. FS:Taylor Mays. LCB: Marcus Trufant. Reed, Tapp and others could be used situationally.

 

And that, my True Blue (and neon green) friends, is one of the best defenses in the NFL.