| 30 August 2010
So, yeah, game week is here. Can you feel it? I have to admit it hasn't fully hit me yet.....I mean yeah it's been a busy August full of news and practice recaps 'n' such, and I can't flippin' WAIT until they get it on this week, but wow, GAME WEEK? Really?? I think maybe it'll hit, ton-o-bricks style, when Gameday comes on Saturday morning and we'll see ol' Crimson (and Whitey?) proudly waving in the morning breeze. THEN it's football season, right?
And now that the season is here, you'll see us more or less settle into some of our regular things that we like to do around here - the radio show recaps, ripped video of the weekly FSN show, a Football Friday post of some kind, etc. And we are pleased to have LucasCoug in the fold for the 2010 season, and he'll add in a new feature or two along the way. And of course, we'll have some fun and mix it up here and there, including our second annual WSU Football Blog tailgate party which we will announce soon. God knows the routine can be awfully frickin' boring, know what I mean? So stay tuned this year - it's going to be fun, one way or another!
Read on for what's out there on this busy Monday.....
First, the official WSU release will probably hit later this afternoon or by tomorrow at the latest. You know, the official release from the school, with the depth chart for the upcoming game? I am looking forward to see how the final depth chart looks, and especially how the new guys are going to fit in the grand scheme of things. Once it's released, we'll have a post up and take a look at some things that caught our eye at least, but it should be interesting.
Speaking of depth charts, the Seattle Times took time out from their Jake Locker/UW obsession yesterday and ran a look at WSU's two-deeps. Any surprises? I guess we'll have to wait until WSU does the official release, but based on this anyway, here's a few points of interest:
Up front on the O, the new JC's are not just starters, but starters at positions that we didn't anticipate when camp started. David Gonzales appears to have won the left tackle job, beating out Alex Reitnour. But Wade Jacobson now appears to be the starter at left guard, and Zach Williams gets the nod at center. Hmmm, that's not exactly what we thought a month or so ago, when it looked like Jacobson was destined for left tackle, Williams was set for left guard, and Gonzales was going to battle for right tackle, most likely as a backup? And to add to the offensive line, it appears true frosh John Fullington IS going to play, listed as the primary backup to Micah Hannam at right tackle. I know the last thing Paul Wulff wanted to see was for another true frosh lineman, underweight and inexperienced, thrown to the wolves, but the buzz around fall camp was that Fullington really did go out and earn it. The youth/weight thing is a concern though, just 268 pounds is awfully light for an offensive tackle in the Pac-10. But if he played that well in camp, what else can you do but reward the best players, regardless of their age? At least it shows the rest of the roster that if you go out and whoop ass, you WILL play on this team!
Frosh standout WR Marquess Wilson is, unsurprisingly, on the two-deep. He'll back up Daniel Blackledge at the "X" receiver spot, and hopefully he can use his size and athleticism out on the edge of the offense, stretching the field with his speed and using his leaping ability to go up and flat-out make plays.
And now that the season is here, you'll see us more or less settle into some of our regular things that we like to do around here - the radio show recaps, ripped video of the weekly FSN show, a Football Friday post of some kind, etc. And we are pleased to have LucasCoug in the fold for the 2010 season, and he'll add in a new feature or two along the way. And of course, we'll have some fun and mix it up here and there, including our second annual WSU Football Blog tailgate party which we will announce soon. God knows the routine can be awfully frickin' boring, know what I mean? So stay tuned this year - it's going to be fun, one way or another!
Read on for what's out there on this busy Monday.....
First, the official WSU release will probably hit later this afternoon or by tomorrow at the latest. You know, the official release from the school, with the depth chart for the upcoming game? I am looking forward to see how the final depth chart looks, and especially how the new guys are going to fit in the grand scheme of things. Once it's released, we'll have a post up and take a look at some things that caught our eye at least, but it should be interesting.
Speaking of depth charts, the Seattle Times took time out from their Jake Locker/UW obsession yesterday and ran a look at WSU's two-deeps. Any surprises? I guess we'll have to wait until WSU does the official release, but based on this anyway, here's a few points of interest:
Up front on the O, the new JC's are not just starters, but starters at positions that we didn't anticipate when camp started. David Gonzales appears to have won the left tackle job, beating out Alex Reitnour. But Wade Jacobson now appears to be the starter at left guard, and Zach Williams gets the nod at center. Hmmm, that's not exactly what we thought a month or so ago, when it looked like Jacobson was destined for left tackle, Williams was set for left guard, and Gonzales was going to battle for right tackle, most likely as a backup? And to add to the offensive line, it appears true frosh John Fullington IS going to play, listed as the primary backup to Micah Hannam at right tackle. I know the last thing Paul Wulff wanted to see was for another true frosh lineman, underweight and inexperienced, thrown to the wolves, but the buzz around fall camp was that Fullington really did go out and earn it. The youth/weight thing is a concern though, just 268 pounds is awfully light for an offensive tackle in the Pac-10. But if he played that well in camp, what else can you do but reward the best players, regardless of their age? At least it shows the rest of the roster that if you go out and whoop ass, you WILL play on this team!
Frosh standout WR Marquess Wilson is, unsurprisingly, on the two-deep. He'll back up Daniel Blackledge at the "X" receiver spot, and hopefully he can use his size and athleticism out on the edge of the offense, stretching the field with his speed and using his leaping ability to go up and flat-out make plays.
If there is that one element that has been missing (aside from an effective, healthy offensive line), it's been the lack of "playmakers" from the offensive skill positions. You know, playmakers - the type of guys who, when all else fails, are able to just go out and make plays - PERIOD. Maybe they go out and take an 8-yard quick slant 80 yards, breaking tackles or weaving through traffic with their speed and athleticism. Maybe they go up and grab a "jump ball" of a deep ball, where they just elevate and use their size and athleticism to go out and pick it out of the sky. But whatever or however it is, this program under Paul Wulff has just missed this type of player on offense. No offense to Brandon Gibson, now in the NFL and one of the better wideouts in school history, but his last year in '08 was such a disaster on every level that he never really had the chance to be THE GUY. Not when three QB's were beaten up by the first week of October and the offensive line was in tatters. But no doubt about it, the offense has lacked a Jason Hill type guy from the start, a guy where defenses simply have to seriously worry about. Here's hoping Wilson is going to be THAT GUY.
And, I really like the looks of the defense. This is where I believe we'll see a huge step forward in sheer competitiveness for 2010. The front four looks pretty good, easily the best front four under Wulff and definitely the most talented under his watch. I really can't wait to see Brandon Rankin, but I also want to see how Kooyman looks in this last season. And I'm especially curious to see the improvement from Travis Long, now with a year under his belt and some added weight to handle the rigors of playing defensive end in a BCS conference. And even with some recent hits to the depth inside, there still appears to be some decent options in backups like Justin Clayton and Anthony Laurenzi, with Dan Spitz coming back on 11/6. And the linebackers look strong too, with Beck, Ledgerwood and Hoffman-Ellis all holding off some talented young backups like Darren Markle and CJ Mizell. No doubt, the defense will be upgraded beyond anything resembling the last two years of defensive struggles!
Moving on, also in the Times was this story on CJ Mizell. Mizell, as you are probably well aware, comes to Pullman after signing with Florida State for the class of 2009, where he was a top-5 rated inside linebacker in the country. Of course it didn't exactly work out, and Mizell ended up at good 'ol Wazzu. Big (6-3, 230) and fast (sub-4.5 in the forty), Mizell sounds a little lost right now, but could make a major impact once he makes his way onto the field.
But this first year, so far away from home in a brand new environment, well, it could be a big challenge for the young man. Let's hope the coaches and his teammates stay on him and keep him headed in the right direction, because on the field, it sounds like the sky is the limit for this extremely talented individual!
Next, we updated our Fall Camp photo gallery with some more shots taken by Longball and Amieable. Thanks to the both of them for their hard work. You can check out the updated gallery here.
Finally, the team met the public on Saturday, doing a meet-n-greet in full uniform on the turf of Martin Stadium. Check out the video from Joe at the official site:
That's it for now. Should be an interesting, exciting week! Enjoy your Monday, and as always, GO COUGS!
And, I really like the looks of the defense. This is where I believe we'll see a huge step forward in sheer competitiveness for 2010. The front four looks pretty good, easily the best front four under Wulff and definitely the most talented under his watch. I really can't wait to see Brandon Rankin, but I also want to see how Kooyman looks in this last season. And I'm especially curious to see the improvement from Travis Long, now with a year under his belt and some added weight to handle the rigors of playing defensive end in a BCS conference. And even with some recent hits to the depth inside, there still appears to be some decent options in backups like Justin Clayton and Anthony Laurenzi, with Dan Spitz coming back on 11/6. And the linebackers look strong too, with Beck, Ledgerwood and Hoffman-Ellis all holding off some talented young backups like Darren Markle and CJ Mizell. No doubt, the defense will be upgraded beyond anything resembling the last two years of defensive struggles!
Moving on, also in the Times was this story on CJ Mizell. Mizell, as you are probably well aware, comes to Pullman after signing with Florida State for the class of 2009, where he was a top-5 rated inside linebacker in the country. Of course it didn't exactly work out, and Mizell ended up at good 'ol Wazzu. Big (6-3, 230) and fast (sub-4.5 in the forty), Mizell sounds a little lost right now, but could make a major impact once he makes his way onto the field.
But this first year, so far away from home in a brand new environment, well, it could be a big challenge for the young man. Let's hope the coaches and his teammates stay on him and keep him headed in the right direction, because on the field, it sounds like the sky is the limit for this extremely talented individual!
Next, we updated our Fall Camp photo gallery with some more shots taken by Longball and Amieable. Thanks to the both of them for their hard work. You can check out the updated gallery here.
Finally, the team met the public on Saturday, doing a meet-n-greet in full uniform on the turf of Martin Stadium. Check out the video from Joe at the official site:
That's it for now. Should be an interesting, exciting week! Enjoy your Monday, and as always, GO COUGS!
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