Washington News in the Monday Morning Wash: From QBs to ADs

The injury to Jake Locker last week helped all kinds of emotions boil to the surface on the message boards.  A lot of fans weren't happy about the way Ty Willingham handled the news about the medical report.

I think he may just be tired of answering the same question over and over.

Tyrone is in a no-win type of situation until his team starts winning more than they lose.

You can listen to the Willingham press conferences each day over at http://www.gohuskies.com/

Expect Jake Locker to be back practicing by the end of the week.

Another player to keep an eye on this week is Juan Garcia.  He has done well the first week moving straight ahead.  In the next week or two they probably are going to take a cautious look at how he moves laterally.  When you see him moving laterally, that will be a pretty good sign that he is getting close.

The Huskies will hold two-a-days Monday, Wednesday, and Friday, single practices Tuesday and Thursday, and a split squad practice on Saturday.

Remember Cory Mackay?

He was a TE/LB/WR recruit who decommitted from UW to go to WSU.  The story back then was UW wanted him as a LB, but WSU wanted him as a big WR or TE.  One week into practice at WSU he has been moved to LB by Cougar head man Paul Wulff.

Ben Olson Goes Down Again

In our UCLA preview we predicted that Ben Olson wouldn't be able to stay healthy the entire season.  Ben went down in practice yesterday with a broken foot and will be sidelined for eight weeks.  Kevin Craft and Chris Forcier will battle it out to see who takes over.

This is going to be a tough first season for Rick Neuheisel and his crew.  Don't underestimate his abilities.  The man thrives when his back is against the wall.  Rick is one of the better gameday motivators I have ever seen.

Oregon Scrimmage Report

Oregon had its first scrimmage of the year, and Mike Belotti wasn't very impressed. He says his team doesn't look like a top 20 football team yet.  That is coach speak for you guys need to pick it up because we have Washington coming to town on Aug. 30.

"Nate Costa led the first-string offense on a drive to the four-yard line Saturday before Bellotti called a halt to the possession and summoned the second-string onto the field.  Costa and his mates only had been expecting to take four or five snaps, but after the eight-play series they were begging for one more."

Sports Blog Network and Reader Feedback

We are getting closer to our move over to the Sports Blog Network.  We should be ready to make the move in a week or two.  They are working on a logo, layout, and securing a new address.  The new name of the blog is going to be the UW Dawg Pound.

I want to get some feedback from you regular readers on how I have been doing this preseason.  The goal has been to give you something new to read each day that isn't a rehash of something you have already read elsewhere.

Your ideas, criticism, and comments are appreciated.

AD Hunt Coming to a Conclusion?

Scott Woodward let it slip out that the UW expects to hire a new AD before the start of football season.

The smart money is on Woodward being named the permanent AD since he has done a good job so far, and he is going to be leading the stadium initiative anyway.  Woodward wouldn't deny that he still was in the running.  He did make it clear that it was time that he started doing one job or the other.

The other name that keeps coming up is Chuck Nelson.  Chuck is the color man on the broadcasts when he isn't selling stocks or running local golf tournaments.

Nothing against Chuck—he knows Husky tradition and what the fans want, but I think Mark Emmert would be more comfortable with Woodward since they have a long track record together that stretches back to LSU.