Bob, I was very happy to read your programming note. Some of the bantering has driven me away from the comments section of this blog, but maybe I'll give it another shot. :)

Bob,

Thank you for attempting to clean up the comments. It got to the point that I just stopped reading them.

Hey Bob,

I'm glad to hear your comments on the programming note. While I have still been visiting the blog for your reports, the comments pages have been less and less enjoyable and informative, to the point of avoiding them almost all together. But your reporting is worth seeking out, thanks for your continued hard work.

I agree, things seem a little out of control here at times. Let's all stay positive and constructive. I'll repost a thought of mine here, as I posted it on the below thread but want to make sure I get this thought out to you all...please excuse the duplication if you read this below:

I have taken some time to go over the Dawgs situation with a buddy of mine that is a college head football coach, we looked at the first half performances and then looked at the second half performances. You know what, we did compete in both, we just had break downs in the 2nd half's that made the difference. As we broke the quarters down and looked at play calling, there were many opportunities that we missed out on. And on the big play's that we give up, the majority of them are results of missed tackles and blown assignments. This is on the players, especially when they seem to not make those mistakes during similair or identically ran plays in the first half's. I now believe it's mostly due to lack of depth, and only partially game planning/calling by the coordinators. Because the effort is there, the sideline energy is there (from the players), I just think that we don't rotate enough because of the lack of quality depth and the coaches are hesitant to play a lot of untested players significantly. This leads to fatigue. That's what I really think it is. And when you get fatigued, you tend to float mentally, and take plays off. I see players do it all the time. So the coaches must guard against this by rotating more players in during the first half. Keep guy's not only physically, but mentally tough as well. Also, I'll be at the Evergreen H.S. game tomorrow night against Hazen @ Highline Stadium. I'll get down on the field (I know some dudes in the program) and get a good look at four star recruit Senio Kelemete for us. I'll give you all a report on him this weekend. Until then...GO DAWGS! WOOF WOOF!

Good move with the comments Bob. Some people have kind of hijacked this blog. Constructive criticism is fine, expressing frustration is fine, but some have certainly crossed the line. DesertDawg, you may also want to check out Luther Leonard for Evergreen. I don't know if the Dawgs are really looking at him, but he is a 2 star recruit according to Scout. One local player I have seen this year that looked very impressive at both RB and S is Johri Fogerson from O'Dea. Seems like a guy that UW should take a hard look at.

Who are the culprits behind the personal attacks?

I am as big a UW fan as you will find and these last few seasons have really been tough. However I still believe that TW can get it done. There is no one out there that wants to win more then him. Talk about wanting an opportunity to prove to ND that they fired him too early and to UW that they hired the right man for the job. In the long run, he's doing an incredible job of building great young men with strong principles and the character and background to succeed long after their college careers are done. I do find myself wondering about the coaching overall since UW does seem to have a few more mental lapses then opposing teams. But if that gets fixed, UW does have the talent (even though people don't think so) to win a lot of games this year. It starts this weekend against the ducks. Go Huskies!

Bob - thanks for the stand on the blog. The blog is an analogy to our country's democracy, it only works if if individuals are willing to be responsible for themselves. Too bad you have to devote time to this issue and not on what you'd rather be doing.

I want to believe that we will end up better than the last few seasons. However, it hurts to see us trying to get a program like Ohio State, Michigan, and Oregon. We used to be there. This is a clinical study for what not to do to a football program. What started out as a power struggle between an AD and the headcoach has gotten us here. I got my BA from UW, a MS from SDSU, and an MBA from UCLA. I have plenty of teams to root for but my heart belongs to the Huskies. This just hurts and it hurts to see other programs engineer a quick turn around. Seems like it will be a while for us. UCLA brings in a back up QB against us and he looks wonderful........we bring in a red-shirt frosh QB and he looks unprepared. No doubt he has the skills and the leadership abilities but something is missing here....surrounding talent? the right QB coach? In my line of work failure is often met with termination.......why is this different? I want to be a fan of TW but I am having a hard time. Living down in LA is tough when most of my co-workers went to USC...really sucks! All my friends from ND just say, "we told you so!"

Dreamers.
Locker,stops over throwing his open recivers,that should open the running game, and hey,who knows maybe even a few touch downs, that will give the DF. a reason to bust their ass's to stop the ducks Offence....like wow!! I just came up with that... I might have some here...havens to murka troy, game plan!

I think the only thing TW needs to work on is his "loayalty" he talked about at the end of last year. I thought the overall coaching was bad last year and would have liked to seen Lappano go last year to start fresh with locker. He had a similar style player in Stanback last year (not that I think Stanback was better just the same style) and had the same problems with play calling. I dont think he is a bad coach just this is not the system he should be running.

As always - thanks Bob. Regardless of this year's stats I feel the same about Dixon as I did about Booty - they will throw it up under pressure. I hope our coaches are willing to put it on our corners and send the dawgs. If we sit back - we'll be picked apart.

We have not given a lot of kudus to Tolar. Playing left guard as a RS freshman - possibly the most critical position on the OL - and willing to mix it up - he has become my favorite Husky. Sounds like Habben is going to get more experience and with the recruits we have coming in our O-line is really shaping up. I'd like to see us pick up another quality lineman or two.

Lastly - lets close the deal on Bruns - I'd love to see him in purple and gold.

that's unfortunate. best of luck to macklin and his family. hopefully habben can carry the extra weight. as for the new rules, i like it. people do get kind of mean sometimes. more so on the b ball blog. it's always annoying seeing people give bob a hard time and badmouth the dawgs just to be mean. it detracts from the good discussions we all enjoy. thanks bob!

Yes thanks Bob, I'll follow suit. Anybody got the stats on Oregon's Defense? Seems to me we've struggled at home in the 2nd half cause our O hasn't been able to move the ball. I think we can move it against Oregon. Gives the D more time to rest. The closer this game gets the more I like the Huskies chances.

I would like to see some more risk on the play calling. I know that can be a recipe for disaster but I think it also shows the players that the coach is willing to do whatever it takes to get the "W". The team will be fired up when they are successful and the stadium will go crazy! I live in Oregon, still have season tickets (not able to make it this week unfortunately) and I have to tell you...the past several years have made Mondays after Dawg/Duck games very lonely. Also---The Oregonian reports the Ducks have only played up on Montlake twice since 1999!!! how on earth does that happen anyway?????

"I would like to see some more risk on the play calling."

A run play out of the shotgun on 3rd and long is risky

*smacks forehead and weeps softly to self*

Sanity, finally.

keepin it clean.

matt in bothel, when was the last time a kid from O'dea actually played for the dawgs? i think kohler needs a visit from our athletic department as much as the recruits do from the coaches

i remember when fans from oregon and the paloose would say it made their season when they beat us. we can't fall to what those programs used to resemble, but it would make the wounds this season is going to inflict a little less painful.

I would definately like to see more shots downfield. Even if Jake overthrows them you get better with practice. If we are gonna loose go out guns blazing we have to give the defenses more to think about.

Here's why we beat the Ducks. UW beat Syracuse, who beat Louisville, who beat Utah, who beat UCLA, who beat Oregon State, who beat Cal, who beat Oregon. See, it's a no brainer. Logic says UW beats Oregon this Saturday. Logic also says I partake in the consumption of a few adult beverages during a night of celebration afterwards!

Nice pdx!!! Will Kevin Bacon be at the game too? LOL

This is a big hit losing Macklin. I'm sure Habben will do just fine. In his short playing time at left tackle I thought he played better than Ossai. Any one know if Middleton is going to this game? I thought I read somewhere that its down to Oregon and Washington in his decision. We need to show something or at least the fans need to make it known why he should come here.

Wow. This program has fallen so far. Jim was not good enough to keep around even though he always had winning teams. The ineptitude of the coaching staff is blatant. You are right Bob, fans shouldn't be critical of the coaching staff. Who really cares if we finish 3-10 this year? There's always next year!

Bob

Thanks for this timely and much-needed action.

I am a first-time poster.

My bona fides: I pick up the Huskies with the 1960 Rose Bowl team and the restoration they brought of respect to West Coast football vis a vis the Big Ten and the East Coast. I have been with them ever since. I played football in high school and in college and have known a number of the players in the Husky program over the years.

Like everyone else I am in pain over the present spectacle of our performance. I want to tear my hair out over the long runs and the 3-and-outs.

Nevertheless, I am a firm believer in Tyrone Willingham -- in his ability as a coach, in his present and eventual success as a recruiter and motivator, and in his grace and manliness as a person.

It is late, for me, so I will confine my remarks to several thoughts.

When we speak of the wreakage of the program by the previous coaches no one seems to state the situation in its stark accuracy.
RN was not just a narcissistic self-promoter. Rather, his personal behavior in its selfishness and self-centerness, his willingness to bend rules in recruiting and his penchant for trying to induce players away from other programs to which they were commited, his continually trying to take shortcuts to success (focusing on several star players to the exclusion of building the solid foundation of a team across the board), his general reliance on his glib tongue to get what he wanted, and, lastly, his insistance that owing to how he was let go he should reap a million dollars --- all this not only demoralized his players but had a corrupting influence on them, on their otherwise bouyant fighting spirit. Gilby never had a chance in that atmosphere.

Coach Willingham has instituted character and instilled personal discipline in his team. When he refers to them as 'young men' that is right on target. They become men under his tutelage. They are succeeding in the classroom, in their personal demeanor, and they will eventually succeed on the field. When he states his preference for overachievers he is insisting on personal excellence -- and, by the way, enacting one of the best of Husky traditions under Jim Owens and Don James. That's what we always had -- overachievers. We don't have O.J. Simpsons, Marcus Allens, or John Elways. Never have, never will. We made do with 'lesser talents', and in the long run kicked the butts of those other schools.

This is a first and indispensible step on the road back to greatness. The present seniors and juniors are scarred by their previous exposure and by the coaching changes. Their fate has been to be victimized by all that, and the visible, public consequence is that they literally do not know how to enact the winning philosophy they are being (correctly, in my estimation) taught.

We all want a quick fix. (Note: Dennis Erickson will ruin the very program he is now building up. Nevertheless, we should have beaten ASU -- we are a superior team at the core.) But quick fixes are a chimera, for the most part. (Second note: James got into the Rose Bowl quickly on somewhat of a lucky break. Something about a USC field goal as I recall). Patience is called for here. Be up to the challenge in your heart. We can all muster the emotional maturity for this.

The second point is that both the success of Jim Owens and Don James were predicated on peculiar circumstances.

We were successful under Owens only as long as the game involved a limited substitution rule. The reason the survivors of Owens vaunted 'death march' won was because in their superior conditioning they 'fourth-quartered' their opponents. Furthermore, they speared with their helmets in gang tackles (legal in those days) so by the end of the game the opposition was truly dawg meat. Once it became two-platoon football, bingo, USC was on the scene. (We went to the Rose Bowl in '64, but that proved to be something of a fluke. Especially once Dick Butkus broke our quarterbacks leg in the first series). Owens got pulled out from disaster by Sonny Sixkiller for a three-year mild reprieve before the mountain caved in on him owing to his incompetence and racism.

It was just the opposite with Don James. Once he stuck by Warren Moon the word was out to every black recruit they went after: "These guys play fair. No bigots on Washington's staff" That, combined with the LA rise of the Crips and Bloods sent us a flood of Southern California talent and we went chin to chin with UCLA and the Trojans. Those kids desperately wanted to get away from the violence. Hell, USC was literally downrange from the hail of gunfire. So, many of them became Huskies and helped make us a powerhouse. The fact that James was colorblind and the fortuitous circumstances in the streets of LA combined to give us an edge.

Now in all this the staff must be good and the x's and o's well-devised, the drill solid, etc. But I am talking about what tips the balance for 'overachievers'.

And in this vein consider our friends, the Zeroes, who are paying us a nice visit this weekend. Bellotti (spelling? Who cares!) inherited a cupboard not quite bare from Rich Brooks. He had a fan base. Then he got great assistants --- Tedford, exhibit A. But does anyone think that recruits could have been induced to come to mediocre U of O, student body of 17,000, in bumf**k Eugene, Oregon, were it not for Phil Knight and his Nike gambit? The renovation of the stadium, the penthouse locker room, the uniforms designed by color-challenged metrosexuals, etc. The billboard in Manhatten hailing (dig it...) Joey Harrington.

Gimmicks and gambits, in the case of Oregon. Smoke and mirrors. Solid advantages hard-won in the case of the Dawgs.There must be SOMETHING to get the edge on USC, Florida, Ohio State, LSU, etc.

To compete against the top-tier schools we must have something which sets us apart and sells the recruits.

What could that be?

Hm!!!!!!

Let me suggest that it is none other than Tyrone Willingham himself.

Yes, he must perhaps (only perhaps) adjust this offensive and defensive coordinators. Yes, he must fit his schemes to his personnel. Yes, he must have the best conditoning program possible. Etc.

And, yes, the position coaches do much of the recruiting and scouting.

But, it is the head coach who closes the deal, who sits in the top recruit's house and has coffee with the parents.

Now consider the situation in those homes once we have begun to win again. Here is Tyrone facing the parents. He is in his mid-fifties sharing the room with the kid and his parents who are, lets say, between mid-thirties and late forties. Assume it's a black home. What do the parents see?

Here is a man who is a child of Jim Crow and of the Civil Rights era, medium dark complection, with a polite, engaging, manner and the hint of a mititary bearing. Confident, upbeat, positive. You can sense no one ever gave him a damn thing he didn't earn. You sense it even from a distance by noticing the grace with which he carries himself in the face of the villification he is facing from 'fans' like many on this board.

He will justifiably cite the good graduation rates he has sustained at (now) three demanding institutions. Prime case: Stanford. But ND and UW as well. "Place your son with me and I will see to it he graduates and has a life outside football, if he should choose to do so." Can we trust you, they may think. But the man himself is the affirmative answer. Tyrone KNOWS what it will take for that boy to become one of his 'young men', and how to take him there.

What gives this message credibility? His very success in a profession which has been hostile to black men -- head coaching in football. He is something of a Jackie Robinson figure. Every black parent will know that.

Lets see Pete Carroll match that.

Now the recruit will likely want a career in professional football. Why not? There will come a time when the Dawgs will begin to pepper the NFL ranks again. We can get to the desired place either by having a sufficient number of draftees or by having one or two very high-profile top end guys taken. And if we can get there, then that will level the playing field with the other good Pac-Ten schools.

We will get there as Don James got there, by patiently, out of the eyes of the press, developing the skills of the players we get. Players got recruited and disappeared for three years. And, BTW for all the quick-fix boys out there, and you 'star-gazers' who assess the recruits by those bogus ratings, James always maintained that the only time to evaluate a recruiting class was when they were seniors. Using that star rating system reminds me of the old (loser's) claim that you can call the horses in a race much better if you don't see them.

We will also get our stadium alteration.

At that point we will all be wonderfully charmed at the brilliant job Tyrone does of closing the deal on top recruits.

The Dawgs will be a feared force everywhere they go. But especially in our stadium, which will make Qwest field sound like a nunnery on a quiet afternoon.

In the meantime, we will support the team we have, honoring it for the fighting spirit it shows which was so absent on the field two years ago.

Can anyone get up for a 'Say who?' chant when the Dawgs walk through on Saturday afternoon? They can't do it, but we can.

"Say Who?" "Say What?" "Say Who?" "Say Dawgs!!" "Say Bad Motherf**kers!!!" Repeat.........

It seems like it comes down to coaching in the 3rd qtr or just plain coaching. Whether its coaching decisions on when to rotate players early in the 1st half, adjust schemes in the 2nd half, play calling or TW developing players during practices/games, it's still coaching. Is TW the right guy? Maybe it's his assistants and coordinators? Bottom line, it's TW!

Horrible news about the stadium

huskiesjv

That article really doesn't qualify as news as information is exactly what it lacks. The 'financial hail mary' is not a stretch...the stadium will be fully overhauled but in 3 distinct phases.

No track removal???? Huh??!!!

If the UW can raise 2.5 billion during its fund raising campain why can it not raise an additional 250 million to bring husky stadium up to snuff.

It will happen eithout a doubt.

Why don't we just ask for some state athletic fund money? Every other state university gets money from the state to help out their athletic fund budget. We have not accepted this money for years. Maybe it is time to revisit that policy.

John in Kent. Amen, brother! Go Dawgs!

Bob,

I am happy with the policy change around post decorum. This should help elevate the discourse between avid DAWG fans and be a major factor in driving the content quality of your blog. It is good to know that we all share a common hope that the return of UW's football program will coincide with developing quality young men. I am in full support of TW based on the fact that being an alumnus of UW goes far beyond the achievements of our athletic program. It is in knowing that all alumni strive to represent their university in the best/worst of times with class and dignity.

Bow Down!!
Cheers

Excellent points about in the "Programming Note". It's just football people.
There's no need to drill into people personally, as we're all passionate about our Dawgs and ultimately, all on the same team.
Let's go Huskies! Beat the Ducks!

socal Husky, Quinton Richardson from O'Dea is a promising redshirt DB, but you are right, a lot of O'Dea players have not ended up at UW. For being in UW's backyard, it has not been the pipeline in could be.

We might offer Johri Ferguson of O'Dea very soon. -------HuskyInLondon, I agree that all alumni should strive to represent the university in the best/worst of times with class and dignity. I'm not an alum but my parents are and I worked in the athletic department one summer during college so feel like an alum in a way. Would've gone to UW if they offered me a football schollie, can't blame them b/c nothing but big time speed cuts it. Anyway, I hope we can exempt the "Say Who?" "Say What?" "Say Who?" "Say Dawgs!!" "Say Bad Motherf**kers!!!" chant b/c it's a tradition!

Major bummer with the stadium news. It would seem all this losing is indeed having a wide reaching impact beyond just us "not liking it".
No money=no good stadium/facility redo=continued tough time recruiting=no big time winning in sight.
Yikes. That could be a slippery slope.

These facts might get me banned from the blog:
Tyrone's first 13 games as UW coach: 3-10.
Tyrone's next 3 games as UW coach: 3-0.
Tyrone's most recent 13 games as UW coach:3-10.
Interesting how people see progress out of that.

To John in Kent, nice post!

Bob, too bad the blog has to be monitored, but better that than no blog.

Go Dawgs!

Great news Bob. I spent half my time on the blog scrolling past rants, personal attacks, and extremely childish comments. I can handle ignorant, but not insulting.

Once again, the third quarter woes are clearly mistakes by players, primarily defense. It may be fatigue, but they were rested at halftime. Fatigue, everyone say it with me, is a fourth quarter issue. Having many three and outs over the entire game will take a toll by the fourth quarter, so offense carries some of the blame. But again many of the plays called are there, the player miss an assigned block, the receivers do not break free against man to man coverage, or locker misses the receiver. What a difference a sustained drive can be on the team if a few first downs are put together.

As to play calling. The OC calls the plays the team knows and has practiced. With our inexperience at QB and OL we are very limited with the plays we can call during the game. That is why we look so good during our first drives, we have practiced the plays all week! The coaches scripted those drives and would clearly be able to make adjustments to the defense if they thought our offense had the experience to run the plays. There is only so much time in a week to add new plays and to prepare for the next team as well. This season is progressing as well as any objective person could expect. Recruiting will take us to the next level and that takes several years more. Hopefully recruits do not read all the negative garbage and coach bashing the has been on this blog. If you are a true fan, remember that nothing you write on the internet is not available for all to see. Especially impressionable kids. All potential huskies.

mdawg, nice post and I think we'll see more rotating on the DL now with Lobos and Elisara and D. Jones being healthy. Maybe D. Matthews too? I'm excited to see more of Brandon Johnson as well, maybe out of the I-formation?

I really can't stand Oregon. I hope Tyrone gets the boys up for this game, they need to understand the magnitude of the UW-Oregon game in the minds of Husky fans. Leave your guts on the field boys.

GO DAWGS! WOOF!

Right, but now truth tellers will be blamed for lack of stadium revenue and kicked off the blog. Not sure why it costs $415 mil to put some lipstick on the old lady. Especially when Qwest Field cost $360 mil to build. Oops, there I go again.

does any one known the status of Mr. Boyles?

rickdawg, I think it's due to the transportation project as well. Lots of heavy construction and integration going on that is quite complicated. They say the engineering needs are substantial. -----------------Here's a nice article on scout: http://washington.scout.com/2/692158.html

Winning = Stadium remodel w/o the track. Winning = successful recruiting, especially local talent
Looks like we may be waiting a while for the optimum stadium remodel happens. We won't know about recruiting until the "young men" get into their 3-4 years into the program. So it looks like we'll be waiting for that too. Go Dawgs!!!

I understand that personal attacks should be controlled. I also believe that those who have supported husky football for 30-40 years should be able to express their view that the program doesn't appear to be headed toward "husky football" yet. If you cut off the belief system of the old guard you harm the long term future. These are the very people who can build the inertia for stadium funding.

I will now start reading the comments again... was getting sickening in recent weeks. Bob thanks for brining sanity back.
Guarantee that when it comes down to it, there will be enough funding for stadium.

Bob: Glad to hear you're taking this stance. Blogs are supposed to be a good way to talk through the items you bring up, not to slam each other if we think differently. I almost never read the posts because of that. Perhaps I'll start participating a little more now.

Thank you, Bob. Keep up the good work-I frequently check your blog during the day for updates on my beloved Huskies.

The personal attacks, insults and other garbage are reasons why I don't read the message boards on dawgman any longer. There is a difference between offering constructive criticism of coaching and players, but personal attacks, name calling and other childish remarks have no place in a forum such as this and should be left to the 4th grade playgrounds. Let's keep it to football, folks. Go Huskies!

Thank you, Bob. Keep up the good work-I frequently check your blog during the day for updates on my beloved Huskies.

The personal attacks, insults and other garbage are reasons why I don't read the message boards on dawgman any longer. There is a difference between offering constructive criticism of coaching and players, but personal attacks, name calling and other childish remarks have no place in a forum such as this and should be left to the 4th grade playgrounds. Let's keep it to football, folks. Go Huskies!

John in kent,
Nice post. I couln't help but get James Earl Jones' (from field of dreams) voice in my head...People will come Ray, will most definately come...haha good stuff.

Nice post Kent and I agree with almost everything you say in it. I too started my association with the Dawgs in 1960 when my cousin was given a scholarship to play football for the UW. I was at that 1964 Rose Bowl and just happened to have mentioned it to my wife last night when I saw that Butkuz was name the 19th best college player of all time. But I digress. The place that I have trouble following is where you talk about the wins being part of the equation for getting the top recruits. Kind of the chicken egg question. But I sure hope that you are right and it turns as you mention. Although this didn't work with Stewart, who will be coming for a visit Saturday. Although he will understand what he missed when the Dawg win and the fans are VERY LOUD.

This stadium article is disturbing. It looks like it is up to the fans. We need a grass roots effort to get this thing done right. I think we should start that effort right here. If the beavs can raise Reser, we can get this done. What do you say?

I know this may be off track, but I just read the article on the stadium renovation. Any plan that does not involve removing the track and lowering the field is just not worth doing. If those two components are left out, don't bother.

Let's HOPE for a loud stadium. Based upon ticket numbers, we are looking at far less of a crowd than the USC game...bummer.

If you enjoy stats and numbers here's a link for Ore vs UW ---- http://washington.scout.com/2/692183.html

The Beavers have an athletic director that had a plan for fundraising.

Washington apparently does not.

Little money for remodling the stadium,some of that maybe do to Hedges,as Don James, said she was diveriting football money, to woman axe throwing, that was funny!!!
I'd like to see the dogs take a 300+ player and use him for a run back for frist half, even if they don't get much out of him, just wear them suckers out! And to, have the OF. line littally lay on the ducks DL,by half time they'll be blowing wind..

some of us are willing to defend our turf, Bob. and , I think we would all agree that this blog is Husky turf.

Agreed about defending "turf", but need that involve personal attacks?
And for the record, this blog is the Seattle Times turf and subject to being shut down if people can't behave like civilized humans.

Don't know who "John in Kent" is, but he absolutely nailed it! Great job. Sign him up for a lecture series "Husky Football - How did we get here and what does it mean?" Let's all take the long view, be patient and value the really important things. TW does it right, and it will pay off. He is a leader and builder of character - somewhat lacking in today's world. Appreciate the blog Bob - keep up the great work.

To John in Kent

A few comments of yours I have to take exception with:

1) Regarding the players on the team you say, "They become men under his tutelage." Do you really believe that about Coach Willingham or, for that matter, any college coach, especially a head coach? How much true one-on-one interaction do you think he has with these guys, because brother...it ain't much. Really, you feel that he is a major factor - in the whole 'I was lost but now I'm found' sense - in these guys' metamorphosis from 'young men' to 'men'?

2) Regarding recruiting you say UDub's edge or advantage to "compete with top-tier schools.....Tyrone Willingham himself." Oh now, come on buddy. This guy, this personality, this record of mediocrity an advantage!? I don't think so. How many of you younger bloggers out there would want to get on board with this guy? I'd like to know.

3) Finally, PLEASE do NOT compare Tyrone Willingham to Jackie Robinson in any way, shape, or form. That is a stretch to say the VERY least.

I borrowed someone's laptop. Can you guys please post a reminder from time to time today and tomorrow morning.'
'
******Meet and Greet Bob****
'
2:30 p.m tomorrow in SE12 parking lot between climbing rock and the waterfront center where the "Player's Walk" starts. The players begin their walk at 2:20. Wish our Dawgs well, then remain behind to say hello to Bob, thank him for his good work and take photos.

Again, some of you regulars can you post this reminder a few times more. See you then!
Malibu

Ken Shabby, if he's getting top 35 classes when we aren't doing very well, imagine how we'll do when we are rocking again. We are #29th according to Scout and Middleton, Thompson, Ta'amu, and Kearse haven't popped yet. We easy could have a top 25 class for this year's class.

John in Kent expresses Husky tradition and Husky hopes for the future. Tyrone is a class act and I very much want him to be a big-time winner, too, even though I've expressed my doubts about hima nd his staff. It's clear that Todd Turner is going to honor the full five years of the contract, so let's just shut up about our coaching doubts until the end of next year. If the program is stagnant in years four and five, then it's time to talk about change. But right now, let's just keep up the morale of the Dawgs on the field, who, after all, are the kids becoming men who are playing a tough game for the love of it all. And let's pluck the ducks bald on Saturday, leaving only a few shattered bits of orange webbed feet here and there. Let's make that big zero real. Go Dawgs!

Why punish all us for the deeds of a few? "We're going to start taking a harder-line approach to some of this or we'll just cut off all the comments." I would say this blog is a good example of the 80/20 rule...80% of the problems are due to 20% of the people...just get rid of the problems...
I sense a victory...an old fashion hard earned mutt victory Saturday...I'm going stay home saturday and watch the game via TV...feet up...beer and chips...warm and dry...and watch for players that don't play hard every play...mutts, play every play as if it is your last and remember, this is a game of inches...

Shabby,
Just because TW might not have "substantial" face time with all of the players does not mean that his responsibility, accountability, morality, maturity, and dilligence does not trickle down and influence the entire program.

Tarn --- That's exactly what I'm trying to do. I'm not punishing "all'' at all. Just sending a salvo that hopefully people can police themselves so we don't have to, but if they don't, we will.
That's all. And again, I'm talking about name-calling, profanity, etc., not viewpoints. I don't care what people say, but how they say it, if that makes sense. This has nothing to do with making this only a forum for comments that are "pro'' the program. There will always be room for dissent, especially in times like these. I just want that dissent to be civil.

John in Kent ... Thank you. I love the zest and the way you wrote the entry. It is absolutely 100% how I feel and one of the many reasons I hate hearing people complain about Tyrone. These days people want to pop a pill or take a shot to fix things instantly. They don't want to work for it or put in the time to get it(Notre Lame). They put on the blinders and can't see the incremental steps in the right direction we have allready taken. The obsticles we have overcome and the ones we face now ---

Great news about the stadium (sarcasm). Maybe we can get some fans to come in and do some charity construction labor much like House for Humanity. It's almost like we should just rebuild from scratch. I am not blaming you Bob -- cuz I know we need to be told the news and sometimes people want to hear this sort of thing...but, that type of story ain't helping recruiting.

To Ken Shabby

Of course, tastes vary in all things and that includes our appraisal of personality and character.

Coach Willingham just may not particularly appeal to you, while there is something about him that I like and admire very much. So be it.

Let me follow up on your good objections, if I may.

As I write these impressions about the recruits, the young Huskies, becoming men under Coach Willingham I am running a 'compare and contrast' image through my mind. I recall how their predecessors looked, carried themselves, and played under RN and then Gilby. Do you remember, Ken? At the games and, notably, in practices, the posture and behavior of the players altered in direct proportion to the immediate proximity of RN to them. He was, in all matters, the center of attention. If he was nearby, they put on a façade of concentration and caring, but when he was away they reverted to distraction and a posture not appropriate to football. In other words, they adopted exactly his behavior pattern, holding up an appearance under scrutiny, but foresaking it when left to their own devices.

Contrast that to the total focus on performance as overseen by the positions coaches under Don James, who in practices, as in games, distanced himself personally from the players.

Now think of how this current generation of Dawgs presents itself. What do you see when you look at them at practices and in games? They are excellent in their concentratioin and in their dedication to the necessary division of labor. Get out you field glasses on Saturday and look in their faces on the sidelines. Don't take my word for it. Look and draw your own conclusions.

I believe you will see what I am getting at.

The losing --- the bottom line of W's and L's -- is terrible. But the way the concentratioin persists and the effort continues shows more character to me than the swagger we hope they will acquire once the corner is turned. The ship has been righted. Now the tug boats must come in and nudge it forward.

Let me give you an analogy to show how I see Tyrone Willingham's influence at work.

Get a copy of 'War and Peace' by Tolstoy and find the chapter which describes the battle of the Russian forces under the General Kutuzov against Napolean's Grand Armee at Austerlitz.

The Russians get blindsided in a fogged-in valley by the French infantry and artillery, while Kutuzov and his general staff are on ridge above the valley, unable to see anything below and therefore not able to really 'know' what orders to give.

Russian horse couriers come riding up.

"The French have broken through our center by the river, sir."

"Fall back to the forest line and reform your ranks."

"Yes, sir. Immediately."

And off they go into the obscurity of the murk below.

A second courier.

"The cannons are destroying our position on the left, sir."

"Assemble and move forward rapidly and close to rifle range. Rake them with fire from as many angles as you can."

"Yes, sir."

Away he goes.

Now what is the point? Why doesn't Kutuzov just fess up and say, "Do the best you can; you can see it better than I."?

Now the Russians at Austerlitz came out with an 'L', reforming to get their big 'W' at the later battle of Borodino. What they didn't get was a 'D' for Disaster at Austerlitz.

Kutuzov's orders saved the day because as long as his troops felt he was in charge, caring for them (which he was) like a loving father, and sharing their trials with them, they fought like hell and stung the USC-like French force. That belief is essential to morale, morale essential to success. Given the element of time, they turned the tide and ended up running the French back to Paris.

When I say they become men under Coach Willingham, I have in mind an analogy to the scene given by Tolstoy.

He is there with them, imposing discipline, suffering and exulting with them, in a way far superior to that of Don James and in another universe for the RN karma.

Like I say, I like his personality. He speaks to me, to my sense of dignity and determination and of mature balance in life.

For those who disagree, I say time will tell.

For now, lets give the Zeroes a good, old-fashioned Husky welcome this weekend. A hearty verbal knuckle sandwich right in their yellow duck bills.

HFNY: Rotation is the key to fatigue as well as needed game experience for next years starters, even if that means there will be some mistakes on the field. We have to get players experience or next year we will tough. Especially the defensive line.

Running with Locker under center is the way to go for this O line and Homer as fullback. We still need the spread, it may be the future, but today we run better with two backs.

John in Kent...Willingham is a .315 coach at UW and a career .511 coach at Stanford, ND and UW. He's going to change how?...and when?

Revolution...I hear ya. Be careful. Very, very careful. Some people equate non-disputable facts and a lack of Husky cheerleading with insults. I guess that's the world we live in.

John in Kent, I appreciate your perspective and I enjoyed your post. I too beleive that TW is a good answer to the program. Is he the only one? Of course not, but he is the current one and has the skills, experience and capabilities to get the job done.

This Saturday, I would love to see UW play good old fashion football. Pound the ball with a HUGE OL and rotate RBs with Rankin (who looked good against ASU), Johnson and Hasty and have Homer & Kravitz rotate at FB. Add Locker's tough running to the mix. Line up with a TE or double TE and run 70% pass 30%. Play field position, control the clock and time-of-possesion, play tough UW defensive football, bring pressure from the LB's, mix up the blitz packages, gang tackle and have the DE's stay home to keep Dixon from getting outside. Keep Oregon's O off the field (easier said then done). If we control the clock and give Oregon a couple possessions a quarter that will minimize their opportunities and impact. Lastly, play solid(doesn't need to be spectacular) special teams and get that 12th man involved to make it LOUD(sorry T A&M)!

The Ducks have a little more team speed then UW especially on O, so let's minimize their chances and get them frustrated that UW has owned the time-of-possession. Make the press to score and force them into mental errors.

The final score 24-20 UW!

Husky19...Willingham is a .314 coach at UW...a career .511 coach....soon to be a .498 career coach. If you believe that TW is a "good answer to the UW football program"...you aren't expecting much. Are you looking for a year-to-year record of, at best, 7-6; 6-7; 5-8, etc., and a Bluebonnet Bowl invitation? My.. how the mighty's fan expectations have fallen.