UW Dawg Pound

the Gekko File: Pac 12 South - #6 Colorado

2012-05-17T12:00:10Z

Today begins a culling of the Gekko File in preparation for the Pac 12 season before us. There is a lot of offseason left to endure, so these will come out at my leisure. Fear not, as they will contain all the lack of wit and originality that you've come to expect from the Gekko File.

We start with the Pac 12 South and coverage of our predicted cellar dwellar: The Colorado Buffaloes. The sophomore Pac 12 season of the Buffaloes comes at a point of evolution for this once proud program. The Buffaloes are in year #2 of a significant rebuilding process under the tutelage of first time head-coach Jon Embree. Sound familiar?

The Gekko File on projected #6 finisher in the Pac 12 South, the Colorado Buffaloes, after the jump.

2011 Recap

Ah, what a premier the Buffs had in the Pac 12. No? Under first year head coach, Jon Embree, few people expected the Buffs to be competitive despite the presence of an experienced and reliable QB, a dynamite spark plug of a RB, a play-maker at WR and a pretty decent offensive line highlighted by the LT and C. Those few people were certainly not disappointed. Colorado finished the season with a paltry 3-10 record and recorded some particularly memorable losses. For example, they got whipped by Hawaii in game #1. They played the role of the Crimson and Coug'd it in their loss to WSU. They managed to put up two points in their loss to Oregon (which, I believe, is statistically more difficult to do than to get shut out). They also managed to provide Rick Neuheisel his last victory as a college football coach which, as you know, is the living definition of "irony". Their offense, burdened by a severely under-performing o-line, was the worst in the Pac 12. Statistically, not figuratively. Although, I guess, figuratively fits. Not unlike any female who has ever dated Mike Tyson, or Chris Brown, QB Tyler Hansen was walking punching bag who put up pretty respectable numbers all things considered. The Buff D was not much of a counterbalance finishing tenth in the conference in total Defense (just ahead of a certain Nick Holt led unit).

It wasn't all gloom for the Buffs in 2011. First and foremost, Jon Embree and his staff did have the desired effect - they brought passion, energy and commitment back to the culture of a team that was simply drifting. They also managed to put up a couple of important wins: they beat their rival (Colorado St), they whipped Arizona, and they went out on a high note by upsetting their "rival" Utah in the last game of the season. Rodney Stewart was absolutely their best overall player with over 1600 yards from scrimmage and becoming only one of four players in the nation to rush and catch for over 500 yards in each category. Finally, you can't help but to look at the recruiting class that Jon Embree put together and not see what the hope of Buff fans is for the future. There are at least eight defensive lineman coming out of that class alone as the Buffs begin the process of developing their reputation around size and toughness.

2011 Rewind: Colorado @ UW

UW racked up over 560 yards of Total Offense and convered 80% of their third downs en route to their biggest victory of the 2011 season in defeating the Buffs 52-14. Keith Price threw four TD passes in the first half alone as the Huskies went into cruise control in the second half in registering the easiest win that they've had since the Slick Rick era. This game featured several UW highlights worth remembering including the first ever rushing TDs for Kevin Smith, Jessie Callier and Bishop Sankey. This game also held some brutal lowlights for the Buffs including injuries to key players like Rodney Stewart and Doug Rippy. On the plus side, returning RB Tony Jones had one of his best games of the year rushing for 49 yards and scoring both Buff TDs.

2012 Outlook

Aristotle once wrote: "Youth is easily deceived because it is quick to hope". Hello Colorado Buffaloes. Despite a lot of positive vibes coming out of their Spring camp, the Buffs don't have the odds in their favor going into 2012. The Buffs return just 10 starters (only four on offense) and go into the season prepared to put somewhere between 18 and 20 true freshmen into playing roles, including in key positions in the offensive backfield and the defensive line. They are busy breaking in a new QB which features a competition between one-time Texas blue-chip Connor Wood, currently injured Nick Hirschman and incoming true frosh Shane Dillon. Apparently, Jon Embree is so unimpressed with his options for 2012, he's gone out and added Kansas graduate Jordan Webb to enhance the competition. Whomever emerges will have the luxury of playing with an unproven tailback, presumably returnee Tony Jones, and with a receiving crew that is missing all their key playmakers from last season which included two people lost to graduation (Logan Gray, Toney Clemons) and one lost to a season-ending injury in the spring (play-maker Paul Richardson).

Colorado does boast some reasons for optimism. The beleaguered O-Line from last season returns some experience including their Jr C Gus Handler (perfect name for a center). They also have a pretty decent linebacking corps if Doug Rippy comes back from the brutal injury that he suffered against the Huskies last season. There is also some reason for hope on the D-Line as breakout DE candidate Chidera Uso-Diribe (6-3, 255) returns to wreak havoc in the Buffs hybrid defensive scheme. One other player that I'd keep my eye on is Jr S Ray Polk. He's a big man who likes to lay lumber in the defensive backfield. He is coming back from a significant wrist injury. If he recovers well, he could be a factor in turning the tide of a game or two this season.

Washington Connections

The Buffs and Huskies share one notable commonality in our collective history: Newly hired Pac 12 Network personality Rick Neuheisel. That's the easy one. What you may not realize is that Jon Embree has been scoring some pretty decent recruiting victories on the Huskies over the last two seasons. Of particular note is OL Stephan Nembot and, recently, the verbal commitment of Washington state QB prospect Sefo Liufau (Bellarmine Prep).

Dots

The Buffs only had two players drafted in the in NFL draft: WR Toney Clemons (7th Rd, Pittsburgh) and OL Ryan Miller (5th Rd, Cleveland). QB Tyler Hansen and RB Rodney Stewart both went undrafted but were signed as UDFAs by Cincinnati.
Projected starting tailback, Tony Jones, is another mighty-mite: he is generously listed at 5-7, 180 lbs.
S Ray Polk is a watchlist member for the 2012 Ronnie Lott Impact Trophy
The Buffs signed a class of 28 recruits in February - the most that they've signed since 1978.
Colorado took a chance on a very talented recruit, DB Yuri Wright, in this last recruiting class. Wright was being recruited by some big time programs, including Michigan, before this series of sexually explicit and hateful tweets emerged. This young man has lots of talent and a guy like Jon Embree may be exactly what he needs to help him in the maturation process. As a father of daughters, though, I'd want absolutely nothing to do with him.
AD Mike Bohn has announced that Colorado will leverage all their new found Pac 12 wealth and begin planning for a significant refurbishment of Folsom Field. The arms war in the Pac 12 continues

Predictions

I'm going to go with the preponderance of opinion among the journalists covering CFB and predict a four win season for the Buffs. Their first three games (vs Col St, vs Sac St, @ Fresno St) look pretty winnable, even for a young team (although, don't sleep on Sac St ... right, Oregon State?) Their first test is their Pac 12 opener @ WSU - a game that should be interesting on a lot of levels. I expect that the Buffs will lose that game but find the first, and only, Pac 12 win of the season the next week at home against UCLA. As far as scheduling misses go, Oregon State and Cal are not on the docket for CU this season.

The Huskies and Buffs meet at Colorado towards the end of the season on Nov 17. Although this is a road game for the Dawgs, they figure to get a pretty beat up football team who will be at a point of the season where they figure to be relying heavily on true freshman. The Huskies will no doubt be close to locking up bowl eligibility at this point and I'm betting that they will come out sharp as they try to either sustain or establish some momentum. Look for the Huskies to win big.

Dot...Dot...Dawg (5/16)

2012-05-16T14:23:47Z

Don't be cruel. Dots have feelings, too.

Men's Golf is getting some pub with former NCAA National Freshman of the Year, Chris Williams, continuing to set the pace. He is currently the 8th ranked amatuer in the world and he is leading the UW team into the NCAA Tournament that kicks off tomorrow. Todd Miles calls Williams the best golfer in UW history. I think this is pretty much indisputable.
All the late season hype wasn't enough to get Isaiah Thomas anywhere close in the NBA ROY race - he finished a very distant seventh behind a lot of other guys including Klay Thompson. Though his stats were impressive as a starter, they apparently were not good enough to overcome his early stint on the bench or the fact that his team was probably the second worst in the NBA. Look for IT to be carrying a little chip on his shoulder next year. Either way, he had a great season.
The Husky Softball team is in the NCAAs for the 19th straight year. This isn't the best squad they've rolled out over the past several years, but they open up against Harvard and, as they say, there is always a chance!
Here is a recap on rowing championship news from around the country. You already know that the UW Men's Crew team took home the Pac 12 championships. You may have also heard that the Women's team has just been selected to challenge in the NCAA's. Interestingly, they are just one of four programs to have participated in every tournament since it's inception in the 90's. Go Crew!
Bummer news coming out of the NCAA Tennis Tournament: The Huskies got bounced by Pepperdine and will not be moving on into the Sweet 16. The Dawgs finished the season 17-9.
Here is some more non-revenue news from the Seattle Times including a recap of James Alaka's record-setting track performance and news on the UW Baseball team getting swept by UCLA.
Interesting debate here on who is most likely to challenge USC, Oregon and Stanford for premier status in the 2012 Pac 12 season. Hint: the favorites are Cal, Utah and you-know-who.
Ted Miller has a wrap on the Washington Huskies Spring Practices. Nothing you don't already know, but interesting to see it summarized so concisely.
Bruce Feldman takes a look across the nation and recaps his "top surprises of the spring". Look who's number two. Then, look who's number seven.
Chris Low calls UW at LSU one of the best SEC non-conference games of the season. Speaking of LSU, here is a Todd McShay tweet on their DEs. Cassino noted Twitter that these beasts will be matched against two OTs with zero career starts before next season. Take that as you will.

Studying these LSU DE's right now.Man they're talented.Montgomery is a better football player today but Mingo is a freakish athlete.
— Todd McShay (@McShay13) May 15, 2012

Better Know The Playbook: The Jailbreak Screen

2012-05-15T12:00:16Z

In the first entry in a series looking at plays that are in Steve Sarkisian's playbook, we're going to break down a wide receiver screen that has commonly become known as "The Jailbreak."

Since the proliferation of the spread offense the jailbreak screen has become a staple of many teams' offensive repertoires, and being low risk with a lot of big play potential, it's easy to see why. It's a versatile play that can be run out of a lot of different formations and alignments and the philosophy behind it is simple: get the ball into the hands of a playmaker with blockers in front of him and attack the space on the edge of the field.

The situation: 2nd and goal from the 8, 12:22 3rd Quarter, Huskies 10 - 7 Utah

It doesn't take a whole lot of critical thinking to get into Sark's head here. Goal-to-go from outside the 5 can be tricky for a playcaller. You're too far to execute a lot of your goal line pass plays, and don't have the space to run most of your traditional passing game either. Running the ball would be a good choice, but it's a bit predictable for a guy like Sark, and it's also not likely to score in one play, so he dialed up the screen to Kasen Williams. You don't call this play to set up 3rd and goal, you call this to punch it in, and this play gave them a great chance to do just that.

Here's how the Huskies had it drawn up against Utah:

Assignments and execution after the jump.

Pre snap, Chris Polk (A) motions from Keith Price's (Q) left to his right, and keeps some momentum through the snap of the ball which allows him to get a jump on getting out to throw a block on the corner over Kasen Williams (Z).

X and Z both take a couple of steps upfield, attacking the corners to keep them from jumping the screen, and also giving the play the time it needs to set itself up in the backfield. X isn't getting the ball - it's going to the right the whole way by design - but by mirroring the play the backside defenders are kept honest and are basically non-participants.

H and A are blocking the corners over the outside receivers. It's important that the play is going to the weak side and that Polk is throwing the key block out of the backfield. Since it's the weak side, there's no nickel defender to worry about (he's over H), and with the RB next to the QB it keeps the linebacker and the safety on that side from moving into a position where they can make a play.

The tackles have to keep the defensive ends hands' down, and keep them from getting into the passing lane. You'll see a cut block by the playside tackle on jailbreak screens 9 times out of 10 (and Erik Kohler does exactly that).

The interior linemen sell pass for a beat to get the defensive linemen to pursue the quarterback and run themselves out of the play, then take off and block level 2.

Austin Seferian-Jenkins (Y) sells the backside play by blocking the man over H.

What ends up happening is that the Huskies get a big numbers mismatch, and even though Colin Tanagawa doesn't get to level 2 fast enough (he ends up behind KW), Williams still gets into the end zone untouched.

The players with X's have no shot on this play. None of the defensive linemen pick up on the screen, and the DB's on the backside are kept home by the jailbreak action over there. The Mike linebacker (circled) has a chance to make the play. He's the guy who Tanigawa does not get out and block, but at the snap of the ball he moves two steps to his right, and that's all it takes. He doesn't have the speed to recover from it and by the time he meets the ball carrier they're at the goal line.

You can see it here as K-Willie catches the ball: The corner is taken care by Polk (his right leg visible), Colin Porter has a body on the Will backer, Drew Schaefer is headed toward the safety, and Tanigawa (64) is the only guy who missed his assignment, but Williams has enough speed to make it irrelevant. Also note Erik Kohler right at the 2 on "2nd", as he threw a perfect cut block and got the DE to the ground just before Price delivered the ball.

It wasn't a perfectly executed play, but it was close. The design of the play gave the Huskies a great opportunity to give themselves a numbers advantage with the ball in the hands of a playmaker. Expect to see a similar version of this play more than once this year when Sark wants to let Kasen Williams make a play.

The Monday Morning Wash

2012-05-14T18:44:18Z

CB Derek Babiash who committed to Washington a couple of weeks ago has backed off his commitment. Just another reason to take the news of any early out of state commitment with a huge grain of salt. UW is still in the mix but he wants take his visits.

Just another huge reason why the NCAA should have an early signing period in June each year to help take the pressure off the programs and the kids.

Alignment

I was talking to a vacationing bowl official yesterday who says more re-alignment is being discussed behind the scenes that could have major impacts on the ACC and Big 12. That same person also says that the existing bowl system is in serious trouble and is bracing for some major hits this summer.

LSU Fans Lament

I ran into a knowledgable SEC fan during my travels who feels that Washington is catching LSU at exactly the right time this season. Says he was blown away by our offense in the Alamo Bowl and feels the huskies have what it takes to puil off an upset.

I reminded him that Chris Polk and a good chunk of our offensive line needed to be replaced but he said wait and see...this is going to be a tougher than expected year for LSU.

Spring Break

Kate and I are spending our annual spring vacation in Bora Bora this year thanks to one of the insurance carriers I work with. Meeting lots of nice people here and have to tell you that the scenery is just fantastic. One observation we have all made is that most of the bell staff at our hotel could start on our offensive line next season...too bad the big sport over here is rugby rather than football.

(Sorry for my unexcused absence after the spring game. I have had a few minor health issues to deal with and have been spending some time outside the country. Thanks once again to everyone who has been chipping in during my absence.)

Question of the Day:

2012-05-13T16:58:19Z

Thanks to Bob Condotta at the Seattle Times, this week we learned that EJ Savannah and Kavario Middleton both were invited for tryouts with the Seahawks. My question for the UW Dawg Pound faithful (the unfaithful people can vote too): Who is more likely to get an invitation to the Seahawks training camp?

I think it's pretty obvious that the odds are pretty slim that either one will get an invite to training camp, but anything is possible right? If I was a betting man, like B Money, I'd put my money on Savannah. I think both players have the natural ability necessary to be NFL players, but I think Savannah is far more likely to put in the time and effort to reach his potential.

Let's hear it, what do the Dawg fans think?

Poll

Who is more likely to get an invitation to the Seahawks training camp?

Dot...Dot...Dawg (5/13)

2012-05-13T14:12:56Z

Dots? Hell yeah, I got dots. Don't you?

At the risk of pissing off 206, here is a Draft Profile on Keith Price. Interesting set of opinions contained herein. Of note, the author calls Keith an "intriguing" prospect with better than advertised arm strength but prone to "wild bouts of inaccuracy".
Vince Ferrarra caught up with Jake Locker as part of a fan fest tour through Knoxville, TN. He called Jake "extremely impressive". It's a good read and links to this video of the interview which spans a variety of topics including Jake's take on the Tennessee offense contrasted with the Husky offense.
Husky alum and current 49er Pro-Bowler, Dashon Goldson, is not yet in camp as he waits to sign his franchise tag tender. I'd like to make a shout out to Dashon. He is one of the more forgotten studs to have come out of our program in the past decade. Dashon was a gamer for the Huskies - playing both CB and S for our defense. Together with CJ Wallace, he was instrumental in making what were otherwise some challenged defenses into respectable units that contributed to several wins. Because he played during "the slide", his contributions tend to get lost in the grand scheme of things. I'm a big Dashon fan and I'm happy to see him make a Pro Bowl after literally getting cut by the 49ers to start last season.
Expect to see a lot of Chris Polk coverage as he is quickly becoming one of the most talked about NFL rookies in the 2012 season ... partly because he was a surprise UDFA and partly because he is one bad-ass War Daddy.

via blog.seattletimes.nwsource.com

Awesome Hoopsworld story on Isaiah Thomas. Click through and read about his story on his "welcome to the NBA moment". Hint: it involves Kobe Bryant.
Here is a vote, and justification, for IT in the Rookie of the Year race.
The Huskies fell to the Bruins for the second straight game as their recent hot streak comes to an end. I like to our friends at Bruin Nation because they do great baseball coverage. Maybe they will unban me at some point. Or not.
Linked is more great non-revenue sports coverage from the Seattle Times. Of note is the ending of the Ladies Golf season.
Yes, that is Kavario Middleton getting a tryout with the Seattle Seahawks

via desmond.yfrog.com

That's it for sports dots. If you are interested in a totally off-topic curiosity, click through the jump. The good news is that it is totally PG rated. The bad news is that it is very disturbing.

...and, yes, that is a woman breast feeding a kindergartner on the cover of Time Magazine. What is amazing to me is the, errr, girth of that young man on what is a rather unlikely diet.

via blogs-images.forbes.com

Dot...Dot...Dawg (5/12)

2012-05-12T13:11:49Z

"That's all ya got?" she said, with some disdain in her voice. "Yeah," I replied, "It's a tough time to be a dot. Offseason, and all".

Bud Withers leads off with his predictions for the Pac 12 North this season. What is surprising isn't so much who he has in first place, it is who he doesn't have in last place...as well as who he has in second place. Apparently, he doesn't value competent QB play.
Rant Sports ruminates on the upcoming Pac 12 season and highlights a certain program as a key factor that may influence the outcome of the season. While I generally agree with the premise that Stanford is primed to be overtaken in the North, I struggle to see how Oregon isn't better post LMJ and post DAT. Any jitters that the replacement players may have will surely be worked out as Oregon cruises through their ridiculously easy first half schedule. They are legit national title contenders next year.
Bob Condotta has more Q&A in his mailbag. I heart Bob. And I know he reads this blog. Don't you, Bob? By the way, see if you can catch his subtle snark in the linked post.
The Morning Call (Lehigh Valley) is impressed with the Eagles's crop of rookies - especially Chris Polk.
Softy Mahler had Polk's agent, Steve Caric, on his show yesteday.
Steeler alum continue to be impressed with Alameda Ta'amu. Recently retired Steeler DL Chris Hoke is very bullish on the big man and offers some interesting views on what it takes to be a successful interior lineman in the league.
More debate on the Hasselbeck vs Locker situation in Nashville. This really is a no-lose situation for Jake.
SI has an awesome way-too-early discussion on the upcoming Pac12 roundball season. A lot has been made about UCLA's class, but this Dawg is more concerned about the move Arizona is going to make this season. They've been recruiting length and, frankly, they have a flat out better coach. Watch out for the 'Cats next season.
This is a couple of weeks old, but I just saw it after linking to it from Divish's blog. It is Chad Ford's latest mock NBA draft. It has some interesting comments about Tony Wroten as both a player and a teammate. It also has Terrence Ross going to the Sixers.
Chris Madden thinks that the Pistons should avoid drafting Tony Wroten. Why do I link this here? Well, because our Duck friends at ATQ are the #1 source of page views every day and I don't want them to think that I only link to the articles that stroke the Huskies. There is that and the fact that this is a Bleacher Report article which should further knot them up as they struggle synching their disdain for B/R with their impulse to agree with them.
A roundup of non-revenue sports action, including the Husky Men's Tennis Team winning in the first round of their tournament. This is their NCAA championship tourney - good luck and go Dawgs.

Dot...Dot...Dawg (5/9)

2012-05-10T01:37:10Z

I'll show you my dots, but only if you show me yours.

This was raised in the FanShots already, but Johri Fogerson has concluded his Husky career. Thanks, Johri, for being a Dawg. I wish the injuries hadn't slowed you down.
Jim Weber thinks that Keith Price has the "it factor" and calls him the next RGIII. He likes KP as a dark horse Heisman candidate. You guys all know that I feel KP is getting a bit overhyped, but it still is fun for such a great guy to get such attention.
Ryan Divish has all the details of the Pac 12 North coaches interviews on the conference conference call (how often do you get to repeat those two words back to back in a sentence and actually have it make sense?). He also has a link to the transcript of Steve Sarkisian's interview. The best news from my POV was that Deontae, Jamora and Tanigawa all look on track for fall.
An Eagles insider thinks that Chris Polk is positioned well to win the backup RB job in Philly.
This Steeler blog has a nice write up on the new-look D and how Alameda Ta'amu fits in.
Speaking of Husky Alum, here is an in-depth update on Jake Locker and his battle to earn the job in Nashville. Congratulations to Jake who is expecting the birth of his first child, a baby girl, this year.

#Titans QB Jake Locker will become a dad in July. "A little girl. We've got some names me and my wife have agreed on, so we'll see."
— Jim Wyatt (@jwyattsports) May 8, 2012

The inimitable Bob Condotta has his first Mailbag of May. Why can't the Seahawks have such an effective blogger representing them on the Times?
Ted Miller defends his lack of enthusiasm on the Huskies in his mailbag. Truthfully, I've not really seen any bias towards any one team or another Ted since he went to the mothership. Do I think he tries a little hard to convince people he's not a Husky homer (even though it is clear that he isn't)...probably. But that doesn't bother me. What kills me about Ted is how he falls in love with a single notion and then overplays that notion to build hype around an issue. There have been a few instances where he has done it in the past: his love affair with Shayne Skov, his utter conviction (based on a book) that RichRod owns no accountability for what happened in Michigan, and his overboard reaction to USC's conclusion of last season (while, apparently, patently dismissing the early part of their season) come to mind recently. Regardless, he's pretty good and I'm glad we have him covering the Pac 12.
You may have heard ... the Cougs are on 710. Good thing I live in Memphis.
Oh, and Rich Neuheisel is back. Word is that Ty Willingham is interviewing. JK. I hope.
Here is another dumb "coaches ranking" ... but there have been so many of them I figured I ought to link to one of them.
The Crew teams head out for the Pac 12 championships this weekend. The Men are going for their fifth championship in the last six years and the Ladies look to get revenge on the Cal Bears who recently usurped them in the standings. This is a great time for Men's and Women's crew.
Romar and Sark made a joint appearance at the Yakima Athletic Club. Apparently, they were both defensive.
Could a Brandon Roy comeback be in the offing? If he wants to do it, I'm all for it.
Tony Wroten is an enigma. So is CraziDawg ... the only difference is that CD isn't going in the first round of the upcoming NBA draft.
Terrence Ross had a nice workout. Click through for a great recap and some video. The guy has freakish hops.
Interesting interview from Time.com with UW recruit Jabari Parker