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Times reporter Bob Condotta keeps the news coming about the Montlake Dawgs.

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April 17, 2008 9:37 PM

Defensive changes coming?

With a new defensive coordinator in Ed Donatell, it's no secret that the Washington defense will have some different looks next season.

What the team hopes to keep a secret is exactly what those changes are --- players and coaches alike are reluctant to go into much detail about how different the defense will look when UW plays Oregon Aug. 30.

Donatell has said he'd like to use both the 4-3 --- which if the scrimmages that have been open to the media are any indication, remains the team's base defense --- and the 3-4. The Huskies almost exclusively used the 4-3 in the two scrimmages we've seen.

More than the base scheme, however, the biggest change Donatell may be bringing is adding a lot of different looks to the Husky defense.

"I've always had a believe that I like to have coverage in disguise,'' he said recently. "Our intention is to do the unexpected.''

That's not something the Huskies were accused of doing too often under former DC Kent Baer --- one of the biggest criticisms of Baer's attack was its simplicity.

''They are disguising everything and the blitz schemes are a lot better than we had in the past,'' said backup quarterback Ronnie Fouch after the last scrimmage. "So it's starting to look good.''

Jake Locker touched on that a little bit today, as well, saying that "there are a lot of new things'' in the defense and that he can tell the defensive players "are excited about it.''

"I'm excited about it,'' he said. "They are really playing aggressive and flying around to the ball.

"I like what they are doing. It is definitely a new look and the players are enjoying it.''

Locker said he also thinks it is helping the offense by giving it some more complicated looks to work against in practice.

"We're seeing a lot of things we see week-in and week-out,'' he said. "That will help the whole offense to improve, as well and help our preparation as well.''

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