Welcome to another Spring Fish Wrap, number two in the series for 2010. And who's up next, but the Bobcats of Montana State. They'll come to Pullman in week two of the 2010 season, jacked and pumped to take on a northwest BCS school in hopes of pulling off an upset. So what does Montana State look like, coming out of spring ball? Read on for more.....
"There are many things my father taught me here in this room. He taught me: keep your friends close, but your enemies closer. " –Michael Corleone
Well played Mr. Corleone. Friends close, but your enemies closer. Got it. With that in mind, I've checked in with Amieable's cousin Tom, a died in the wool Husky Honk, to see just what is going on over in Montlake this Spring. As you all know, in any great sports debate, as we are prone to get into with our rivals in purple, there is nothing more annoying than the fan who doesn't even know what they're talking about. So pay attention Coug fans. It's important that we know our stuff. Here's what cousin Tom has to say.
Longball: So Tom, you are a longtime Husky fan, just how many Spring scrimmages have you attended over the years?
Cousin Tom: Honestly, this was my first year attending any spring event. I think I’m like most Husky fans in that spring games were just never that big of a deal.
Longball: So being a Husky fan here on a Cougar blog, I gotta ask... are you scared? Well, are ya?
Cousin Tom: Depends. Does my big cousin Amieable have my back?
Longball: Just like a Husky to try and hide behind a woman! Kidding, I admire your courage, even if I despise your taste in football teams. So being Cougars, we are naturally curious (whether we admit it or not) about how the Montlake Makeover is going so far. Much like my beloved Amieable and our own resident dawg commentor, JasonUW, you are a reasonable and fair minded Husky fan, so we're counting on you to give us a fair assessment of the state of things over on the dark side. No pressure.....
Welcome to another year of WSU Football Blog's Spring Fish Wraps! If you are new around here, or if you just flat-out forgot, this is now the third year - IN A ROW! - that we have decided to check out each WSU opponent for the upcoming season and see how they look, post-spring-ball style. If you are at all curious, you can see the spring fish wraps from years past right here. And if you are wondering where, exactly, the term "fish wrap" comes from? Per the website urbandictionary.com:
Fish wrap: a newspaper of poor repute. "The local fish wrap presented a biased story on the governor's speech".
Translation: The paper was so awful, after suffering through the experience of reading it, you would proceed to wrap dead fish with it that you might find at Pike Place Market. That is, you know, when people actually read newspapers??
Yuck.
Anyway, here we are. And first up are the Oklahoma State Cowboys, opponent number one on the 2010 WSU schedule. What do they look like coming out of spring ball? What are some key questions that need to be answered before the September 4th opener vs good 'ol Wazzu? Read on for more....
No, it's not Coug related, but we should ALL take a moment to honor the great tackle, Walter Jones, as he finally hangs up the cleats in his illustrious career. For today has been proclaimed "Walter Jones Day" by governor Christine Gregoire in the state of Washington!
Since coming to Seattle as a first-round pick in 1997, Jones started all 180 games played while becoming the most dominant left tackle of his time. In 13 seasons, he was called for holding nine times - NINE TIMES! - and in 5,703 pass attempts, surrendered just 23 sacks according to coaches statistics. He was selected to nine Pro Bowls (1999, 2001-08), passing Cortez Kennedy for most in team history, and was also a six-time AP All-Pro (1st Team in 2001, 2004, 2005, 2007 and 2nd Team in 2006 and 2008).
It's hard to measure offensive linemen in terms of the pure "stat". But Jones has received major accolades since he first arrived in the NFL, from opposing players and coaches alike. But the best of all? Mike Holmgren called Jones the best offensive player he ever coached (yes, that includes Brett Favre and Joe Montana). WOW.
Check out this video of Jones. And please, pay close attention to the block he makes in the 2005 NFC Championship Game vs. Carolina at the 3-minute mark. I was at that game, and I remember that play in particular. It was late in the game, and the Hawks were comfortably ahead. It was becoming clear we were headed to the Super Bowl, and easily one of the most exciting, memorable days I've experienced as a sports fan. But on that play, not only were my eyes on Shaun Alexander taking it down near the goal-line, I couldn't help but notice Jones taking the defensive end and moving him down the field like he was on roller skates!:
So if you are heading into school or the office or whatever it is you do today, wear something Seahawks and salute a sure-fire, first-ballot Hall of Famer. And let me ask you this - where does Jones rank in Seahawks history, as far as the greatest of all time? It's hard to say he's the best ever, not when you have someone like Steve Largent, a Hall of Famer himself who retired as the leading receiver in NFL history, before Jerry Rice broke all his records. And Cortez Kennedy had a seriously dominant run of success in the 90's, as a game-changing, play-making defensive tackle, but he didn't last quite as long as Jones did at staying at the top of his game?
Article updated at 12:51 PST to include a link to KJR interview with Jim Walden
Happy Thursday Cougar fans!
LucasCoug back at you with an Odd & Ends post for all things Wazzu.
First things first, some interesting news on Jack Thompson. I am not sure how many of you are aware but Tony Thompson recently launched the Facebook group Put The Throwin' Samoan in the CFB Hall of Fame!!!in an attempt to push father's College Football Hall of Fame candidacy into the online stratosphere. Keep reading for more....
The 2009 version of WSU lost 67 starts due to inju...
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Longball: So Tom, you are a longtime Husky fan, just how many Spring scrimmages have you attended over the years?
Cousin Tom: Honestly, this was my first year attending any spring event. I think I’m like most Husky fans in that spring games were just never that big of a deal. 
Bloguin is the revolutionary blog network specifically focused on helping bloggers get the most out of their websites. We're currently working on building a large network of online communities and hope to expand our blogging coverage to include a wide range of topics. 
The Bloguin Network allows advertisers to promote their products and services to our ever-growing number of visitors. We offer both site-specific ad placements as well as the ability to run a network-wide campaign. If you're interested in working with Bloguin to meet your advertising needs, please contact us.
The Bloguin Network is always looking to expand. We're specifically looking for blogs in the sports, entertainment, and video games field, but are open to adding any type of quality site.. If you're a blogger and interested in joining our network, please fill out our application form.
The Bloguin Login gives you full access to everything our network has to offer. Your name and password will work for each and every one of our sites. Signing up is simple, and will allow you to post in all our forums, create member blogs, and access other cool features! What are you waiting for? Create an Account! 