I have been trying to approach the 2008 season with the glass half full method as far as Husky football is concerned.
On offense, I've written about how Jake Locker walks on water, how the veteran offensive line will blast holes for inexperienced running backs, and why I think the current group of inexperienced wide receivers are better than the experienced ones that graduated.
On defense, I have made the case that Washington has one of the best sets of LBs in the Pac Ten, and the defensive backfield finally has enough depth and talent to compete.
I have also talked about how much I like DE Daniel Te'o-Nesheim and what a great year I anticipate him having. The interior of the defensive line is a concern, but we have some very large young guys that have the potential to come in and play right away.
If you ask the coaches, the word is they feel they have the talent to win eight games this year, which would be a great improvement.
If you ask me, I feel the same way, but the coaches and I felt that way the last two seasons and watched it go up in smoke when Isaiah Stanback was injured in 2006. It happened again in 2007 when the defense couldn't stop anyone.
Add to that the inability to pick up crucial yards to keep possession in the fourth quarter to put games away during both of those years.
Let's talk about what can go wrong in 2008. Plenty of things can go wrong, and we're setting down the half full glass and picking up the half empty one to talk about it.
1. We all have a big man crush on Jake Locker, but what if he gets injured? Behind him is RS Ronnie Fouch, who has never taken a snap in a game and is pretty green, and behind him is one true frosh who may not ever end up playing QB at UW once everything shakes out.
For Washington to do well, Locker needs to be around for all 12 games. If he is injured, the wheels are going to come off pretty quickly. If you lose Locker and Fouch, it will get 2007 UCLA ugly.
2. The schedule is rated as the toughest in the country. Washington starts off against Oregon, and then they get BYU and Oklahoma at home before they take their first bye week. What if they start off 0-3?
Once again, even with Jake Locker the wheels can come off pretty quickly for a program that hasn't had a winning season in four years. Instead of handing out just chocolate milk after practice, Coach Ty Willingham may have to lace it with Zoloft.
Washington needs to beat BYU if they have any hope in 2008, and that won't be easy.
3. D'Andre Goodwin looked like the only receiver on the team ready for Pac-10 play this spring. What happens if that continues to be the case this fall? What if none of the highly touted frosh and redshirts are ready to play?
What it means is Jake is going to be putting a lot more on his shoulders than he has to, and that can mean the risk of serious injury when he is forced to run the ball more than he should. We are all counting on Jake to improve his passing percentage this season, but it won't happen if guys don't get open, and when they do, end up dropping the ball.
2 comments Last one added 11 months ago — Leave a Comment
Ian Peterson 11 months ago
All this stuff is very true John, like you I'm trying to keep the glass half-full mentality to avoid disappointment. Hard with Jake Locker at the helm and a lot of exciting, albeit untested, talent around him. Like anything in sports, and especially college football, this is all just speculation at this point. I'd like to think that this is our breakout year, but what you pointed out is very true, I'll keep my fingers crossed!
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John Berkowitz 11 months ago
I think the biggest key for this season if your a Husky fan is if if the Husky football coaching staff can fire the team up to play above their ability. The knock on Coach Willingham is that he is the perfect guy for the job six days a week, but in gameday he fails to inspire his team and often acts like a deer in the headlights when the game is on the line.
The Huskies have been in position to go to a bowl game the last two seasons, but 4th quarter collapses have been prevented them from attaining that goal.
Great coaches win games in the seconf half, and the fourth quarter, Ty hasn't proven himself capable in that situation since he has been at Washington. This is the year he needs to change that or his BCS coaching career is over.
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