When Gaskin and Coleman leave after this year (assuming Gaskin does) McGrew and Ahmed will be our running backs with Ahmed being the primary RB.
Right now yes, but we both know there is a very likely chance we get another big time RB this year. It's exciting to know good players still won't see the field.
Not saying that is the case with McGrew, but it will start happening. It will happen in the secondary too with all the guys we have brought in the past two years.
Quite the contrast to what we became used to under Gilby/Ty/Sark.
Edit: I preemptively apologize for playing hupotheticals and wondering beyond next year.
There are no good RBs this year.
Pleasant will be chinteresting, though.
Dotson is a guy who could potentially develop and I say that as a person who has been down on him since day 1.
The adjustments he needs to make in his game are akin to what Coleman needed: hit the hole fast, give effort on every run.
It can be hard to disentangle bad vision, not bursting toward the hole, lack of confidence and being slow.
Obviously Dotson is fast, but it might not come out for another year or so as he learns to hit holes and read blocks.
I suspect he will be passed up by McGrew and Ahmed, but these kids generally develop pretty well and I'm not ruling it out.
Dotson is a guy who could potentially develop and I say that as a person who has been down on him since day 1.
The adjustments he needs to make in his game are akin to what Coleman needed: hit the hole fast, give effort on every run.
It can be hard to disentangle bad vision, not bursting toward the hole, lack of confidence and being slow.
Obviously Dotson is fast, but it might not come out for another year or so as he learns to hit holes and read blocks.
I suspect he will be passed up by McGrew and Ahmed, but these kids generally develop pretty well and I'm not ruling it out.
I think we're underestimating the loss of Ross on offensive production. Pettis is a great #2, but he can't open up defenses like Ross could. Charlie McClutchins fills that role to some extent, but early in the season we're going see mostly Pettis and a bunch of skinny shifty guys at WR/Slot (Fuller, Bacellia, McGrew). The downside is that all those guys are small and not the most physical at downfield blocking.
Hamdan's latest crop of jihadis should fill the role, but I think we'll see some struggles early on in the season generating a big passing attack. Ty Jones and Alex Cook could be devastating blockers if they have the mindset for it. We should be pounding the rock early in the year to let the WRs grow into their roles, but who knows what will happen.
As far as RB recruiting, TJ Pledger is a beast, but you're right, there is a better chance of you walking again than us? getting him. Chris Brown from Oceanside is the guy I'm hoping to get.
Pleasant would be a very welcome surprise. I thought the "big rb" role was a strange choice for him after looking at his recruiting highlights. He looked like a pretty long, lean WR or safety and a decent prospect at either.
I do like having a bigger running back in the rotation though and there's nobody else on the roster after Coleman. We're pretty full of smaller, quick/fast guys. Not saying that's a bad thing.
Dotson is a guy who could potentially develop and I say that as a person who has been down on him since day 1.
The adjustments he needs to make in his game are akin to what Coleman needed: hit the hole fast, give effort on every run.
It can be hard to disentangle bad vision, not bursting toward the hole, lack of confidence and being slow.
Obviously Dotson is fast, but it might not come out for another year or so as he learns to hit holes and read blocks.
I suspect he will be passed up by McGrew and Ahmed, but these kids generally develop pretty well and I'm not ruling it out.
I think we're underestimating the loss of Ross on offensive production. Pettis is a great #2, but he can't open up defenses like Ross could. Charlie McClutchins fills that role to some extent, but early in the season we're going see mostly Pettis and a bunch of skinny shifty guys at WR/Slot (Fuller, Bacellia, McGrew). The downside is that all those guys are small and not the most physical at downfield blocking.
Hamdan's latest crop of jihadis should fill the role, but I think we'll see some struggles early on in the season generating a big passing attack. Ty Jones and Alex Cook could be devastating blockers if they have the mindset for it. We should be pounding the rock early in the year to let the WRs grow into their roles, but who knows what will happen.
As far as RB recruiting, TJ Pledger is a beast, but you're right, there is a better chance of you walking again than us? getting him. Chris Brown from Oceanside is the guy I'm hoping to get.
The passing game won't struggle vs the dreck non conference schedule. Ross was great, but I don't think we will really miss him. It's not a slight. I was a huge Ross supporter from his freshman year. The guy was special.
There are too many other options. Not all the true freshmen will be ready to be featured right away, but a couple will.
I want a run heavy offense too because it creates a mindset and is more consistent than passing, but I'm going to assume we will be balanced. We aren't averse to the run, but Petersen has always had a QB centric offense.
The passing game won't struggle vs the dreck non conference schedule. Ross was great, but I don't think we will really miss him. It's not a slight. I was a huge Ross supporter from his freshman year. The guy was special.
There are too many other options. Not all the true freshmen will be ready to be featured right away, but a couple will.
I want a run heavy offense too because it creates a mindset and is more consistent than passing, but I'm going to assume we will be balanced. We aren't averse to the run, but Petersen has always had a QB centric offense.
Psalm Wooching didn't struggle against a dreck non conference schedule either, but we all knew he sucked.
Opposing defenses will be able to put one more in the box against the run because they're just not as worried about Pettis opening them up over the top. Aaron Fuller and Andre Bacellia would only strike fear in the heart of Brady Hoke, and he left for UT.
On the plus side, our conference schedule sets up ok. We start off with Colorado and OSU, who had the 2nd and 4th best pass defenses in the conference. Colorado lost everyone so I'm not worried and everything else about OSU sucks. All I'm saying is that I wouldn't be shocked to see Jake have a couple rough games when defenses key on Pettis and bring an extra guy in the box.
Actually several former UW running backs said look for Ahmed to be UW's next big time running back, and McGrew to play Chico's role. Either way it will be interesting. Judging back the lack of interest in Connor after Ahmed committed, I tend to believe in this staff
You are getting it wrong about why I'm busting you for Fuller - it's because there was no stance ... if you are saying you think he will be a contributing slot receiver I respect that opinion - I think it is very possible if given a shot ... just take the stand instead of saying "either way it will be interesting."
McGrew will likely be a 5 year player for us and a contributor as a role player for the balance of it ... and that's not a bad thing. The talent around will likely mean that he won't be the feature back for us but will be able to have a solid niche in what I envision as something close to a Darren Sproles type of role.
As for Chico, this will be a big offseason for him. He's got a similar skill set to a guy like KaVante Turpin at TCU but Turpin is significantly better as a route runner, runner after the catch, and in the toughness department. Chico needs to take a big leap because his role in the slot will be an area where the new guys coming in will push for playing time in the slot. I could very easily see both Alex Cook and Hunter Bryant taking snaps away from Chico as we look to get bigger receivers on the field in certain situations.
Where the WRs will need to prove themselves without Ross will be in that in 2016 defenses had to be scared enough of Ross and his speed that created a problem either defending the deep pass or slowing the running game. I would expect DCs to make us prove that we can do the same without Ross.
I actually think we can create similar problems without Ross, but it will be largely due to the increased size of some of our WRs versus the speed. Both Ty Jones and Hunter Bryant are significant matchup problems on the outside if left in a position where they will be 1 on 1. I would also expect that at least early in the year most safety shading will likely be to the side of the field where Pettis lines up. Jones and Bryant won't necessarily run by you with their speed, but they can go up and get the ball ... which isn't necessarily a huge strength of Pettis (he isn't bad at) and definitely not the strength of Ross.
Dotson is a guy who could potentially develop and I say that as a person who has been down on him since day 1.
The adjustments he needs to make in his game are akin to what Coleman needed: hit the hole fast, give effort on every run.
It can be hard to disentangle bad vision, not bursting toward the hole, lack of confidence and being slow.
Obviously Dotson is fast, but it might not come out for another year or so as he learns to hit holes and read blocks.
I suspect he will be passed up by McGrew and Ahmed, but these kids generally develop pretty well and I'm not ruling it out.
I think we're underestimating the loss of Ross on offensive production. Pettis is a great #2, but he can't open up defenses like Ross could. Charlie McClutchins fills that role to some extent, but early in the season we're going see mostly Pettis and a bunch of skinny shifty guys at WR/Slot (Fuller, Bacellia, McGrew). The downside is that all those guys are small and not the most physical at downfield blocking.
Hamdan's latest crop of jihadis should fill the role, but I think we'll see some struggles early on in the season generating a big passing attack. Ty Jones and Alex Cook could be devastating blockers if they have the mindset for it. We should be pounding the rock early in the year to let the WRs grow into their roles, but who knows what will happen.
As far as RB recruiting, TJ Pledger is a beast, but you're right, there is a better chance of you walking again than us? getting him. Chris Brown from Oceanside is the guy I'm hoping to get.
I want a run heavy offense too because it creates a mindset and is more consistent than passing, but I'm going to assume we will be balanced. We aren't averse to the run, but Petersen has always had a QB centric offense.
We will need to be balanced, just like we were this year. You hit the nail elsewhere in saying that we got too dependent on Ross/Pettis last year in the passing game and I couldn't agree more. We need to diversify and we now have the pieces that will assist in that.
The problem with being too run heavy is twofold to me:
1) Particularly early in the year in our OOC schedule, we need to get as many game reps as possible for the freshman and guys that haven't seen a lot of the field yet. We need to find out what they can do, what they can't do, and just as importantly, get them in a position where they realize that there are areas that they need to improve in. Similar to the offense we saw in 2015 where there were growing pains at times with Adams, McGary, Browning, and Gaskin, we will we see similar this year.
2) While our OL is largely upper third in the PAC, there are some weak spots on it and the interior is a giant question mark for us ... we're really in the upper third because we have the best set of tackles in the conference. How the interior of our OL develops will dictate how heavy of a running team we can be particularly against the elite teams. To me, if you rank how we expect the positions on offense to perform from 1 (best) to 11 (worst) over the course of the season, the Center and Guard positions will likely be somewhere between 8 and 11. Our best players will be (in no particular order) at QB, RB, WR, and OT. That's why the diversity in the passing game that you noted will be so important because I expect that we'll see a lot more of an emphasis on the short passing game coming from play action than we did last year.
Where the WRs will need to prove themselves without Ross will be in that in 2016 defenses had to be scared enough of Ross and his speed that created a problem either defending the deep pass or slowing the running game. I would expect DCs to make us prove that we can do the same without Ross.
I actually think we can create similar problems without Ross, but it will be largely due to the increased size of some of our WRs versus the speed. Both Ty Jones and Hunter Bryant are significant matchup problems on the outside if left in a position where they will be 1 on 1. I would also expect that at least early in the year most safety shading will likely be to the side of the field where Pettis lines up. Jones and Bryant won't necessarily run by you with their speed, but they can go up and get the ball ... which isn't necessarily a huge strength of Pettis (he isn't bad at) and definitely not the strength of Ross.
We can be similar ... but we'll be different.
McLatcher needs to take the leap. He'll probably never be Ross as a route runner (though I don't put anything past #MyBush), but he needs to improve his ball skills and at least be able to bring down the wide open/underthrown/now contested deep ball. If he can do that with regularity, the offense shouldn't miss a beat. Adding the two big threats you noted will be very interesting. I'm not sure they'll play a ton at first but by mid year I would expect both to be big parts of the rotation, though probably not starters.
Actually several former UW running backs said look for Ahmed to be UW's next big time running back, and McGrew to play Chico's role. Either way it will be interesting. Judging back the lack of interest in Connor after Ahmed committed, I tend to believe in this staff
I think this is spot on. Can't see McGrew as a fulltime RB due to his size. He totally suits the Chico role. Get him in space and let him run. Sort of like Oregon used DeAnthony T.
Actually several former UW running backs said look for Ahmed to be UW's next big time running back, and McGrew to play Chico's role. Either way it will be interesting. Judging back the lack of interest in Connor after Ahmed committed, I tend to believe in this staff
I think this is spot on. Can't see McGrew as a fulltime RB due to his size. He totally suits the Chico role. Get him in space and let him run. Sort of like Oregon used DeAnthony T.
Chico ran a good number of deep balls last year (and probably more this year with Ross gone), not sure I ever see McGrew doing that, guess it depends on his hands. But yes, the bubble screens/fly sweeps will be a nice role for McGrew.
I don't see it with Dotson ... he's a RS Junior this year. Any shot of him really growing to me vanished with Lavon Coleman came back as there is no direct path for him to get touches.
I guess it is possible that he could contribute in a backup role in the 2018 season. But it's probably equally, if not more, likely that he'll still be 3rd or 4th on the depth chart at that point and instead look to go to Montana State so that he could get at least a year of playing time as a starter if not be a graduate transfer somewhere.
Where the WRs will need to prove themselves without Ross will be in that in 2016 defenses had to be scared enough of Ross and his speed that created a problem either defending the deep pass or slowing the running game. I would expect DCs to make us prove that we can do the same without Ross.
I actually think we can create similar problems without Ross, but it will be largely due to the increased size of some of our WRs versus the speed. Both Ty Jones and Hunter Bryant are significant matchup problems on the outside if left in a position where they will be 1 on 1. I would also expect that at least early in the year most safety shading will likely be to the side of the field where Pettis lines up. Jones and Bryant won't necessarily run by you with their speed, but they can go up and get the ball ... which isn't necessarily a huge strength of Pettis (he isn't bad at) and definitely not the strength of Ross.
We can be similar ... but we'll be different.
McLatcher needs to take the leap. He'll probably never be Ross as a route runner (though I don't put anything past #MyBush), but he needs to improve his ball skills and at least be able to bring down the wide open/underthrown/now contested deep ball. If he can do that with regularity, the offense shouldn't miss a beat. Adding the two big threats you noted will be very interesting. I'm not sure they'll play a ton at first but by mid year I would expect both to be big parts of the rotation, though probably not starters.
Chico's never going to be the outside guy that Ross was ... you are correct that the ball skills are definitely an area where Chico needs to improve in.
To me, Chico is kind of the epitome of the kind of player that gets lost as you're moving from a conference championship contender to a national championship contender. Against Alabama, he just looked small. He's got good quicks and whatnot but against elite defenders/athletes they can roughly matchup with him while being bigger. He's the kind of kid that is a massive weapon at your middle tier conference schools like Washington State or even Oregon State because his athleticism is different than what most of their players have. But for where we are as a program, it's hard for me to envision him as anything other than a role player going forward.
I think McGraw will be taking all the kick returns by the end of the year. Also will be a second rb that they use middle of the first half just to split wide and Sprint downfield; gas the safeties if they go with him or get a td if they dont.
I re-watched Pleasant's high school film footage. It almost looks like his coach didn't know how to use him. They put him all over the place and had him do a million different things. There was no coherence. So rather than Kamari becoming AWESOME at one thing (RB, WR, slot receiver, etc.), he was pretty good at a lot of things.
May have contributed to him being so "under-recruited."
I think McGraw will be taking all the kick returns by the end of the year. Also will be a second rb that they use middle of the first half just to split wide and Sprint downfield; gas the safeties if they go with him or get a td if they dont.
Comments
Pleasant will be chinteresting, though.
Dotson is a guy who could potentially develop and I say that as a person who has been down on him since day 1.
The adjustments he needs to make in his game are akin to what Coleman needed: hit the hole fast, give effort on every run.
It can be hard to disentangle bad vision, not bursting toward the hole, lack of confidence and being slow.
Obviously Dotson is fast, but it might not come out for another year or so as he learns to hit holes and read blocks.
I suspect he will be passed up by McGrew and Ahmed, but these kids generally develop pretty well and I'm not ruling it out.
Hamdan's latest crop of jihadis should fill the role, but I think we'll see some struggles early on in the season generating a big passing attack. Ty Jones and Alex Cook could be devastating blockers if they have the mindset for it. We should be pounding the rock early in the year to let the WRs grow into their roles, but who knows what will happen.
As far as RB recruiting, TJ Pledger is a beast, but you're right, there is a better chance of you walking again than us? getting him. Chris Brown from Oceanside is the guy I'm hoping to get.
I do like having a bigger running back in the rotation though and there's nobody else on the roster after Coleman. We're pretty full of smaller, quick/fast guys. Not saying that's a bad thing.
There are too many other options. Not all the true freshmen will be ready to be featured right away, but a couple will.
I want a run heavy offense too because it creates a mindset and is more consistent than passing, but I'm going to assume we will be balanced. We aren't averse to the run, but Petersen has always had a QB centric offense.
Opposing defenses will be able to put one more in the box against the run because they're just not as worried about Pettis opening them up over the top. Aaron Fuller and Andre Bacellia would only strike fear in the heart of Brady Hoke, and he left for UT.
On the plus side, our conference schedule sets up ok. We start off with Colorado and OSU, who had the 2nd and 4th best pass defenses in the conference. Colorado lost everyone so I'm not worried and everything else about OSU sucks. All I'm saying is that I wouldn't be shocked to see Jake have a couple rough games when defenses key on Pettis and bring an extra guy in the box.
Either way it will be interesting. Judging back the lack of interest in Connor after Ahmed committed, I tend to believe in this staff
McGrew will likely be a 5 year player for us and a contributor as a role player for the balance of it ... and that's not a bad thing. The talent around will likely mean that he won't be the feature back for us but will be able to have a solid niche in what I envision as something close to a Darren Sproles type of role.
As for Chico, this will be a big offseason for him. He's got a similar skill set to a guy like KaVante Turpin at TCU but Turpin is significantly better as a route runner, runner after the catch, and in the toughness department. Chico needs to take a big leap because his role in the slot will be an area where the new guys coming in will push for playing time in the slot. I could very easily see both Alex Cook and Hunter Bryant taking snaps away from Chico as we look to get bigger receivers on the field in certain situations.
I actually think we can create similar problems without Ross, but it will be largely due to the increased size of some of our WRs versus the speed. Both Ty Jones and Hunter Bryant are significant matchup problems on the outside if left in a position where they will be 1 on 1. I would also expect that at least early in the year most safety shading will likely be to the side of the field where Pettis lines up. Jones and Bryant won't necessarily run by you with their speed, but they can go up and get the ball ... which isn't necessarily a huge strength of Pettis (he isn't bad at) and definitely not the strength of Ross.
We can be similar ... but we'll be different.
The problem with being too run heavy is twofold to me:
1) Particularly early in the year in our OOC schedule, we need to get as many game reps as possible for the freshman and guys that haven't seen a lot of the field yet. We need to find out what they can do, what they can't do, and just as importantly, get them in a position where they realize that there are areas that they need to improve in. Similar to the offense we saw in 2015 where there were growing pains at times with Adams, McGary, Browning, and Gaskin, we will we see similar this year.
2) While our OL is largely upper third in the PAC, there are some weak spots on it and the interior is a giant question mark for us ... we're really in the upper third because we have the best set of tackles in the conference. How the interior of our OL develops will dictate how heavy of a running team we can be particularly against the elite teams. To me, if you rank how we expect the positions on offense to perform from 1 (best) to 11 (worst) over the course of the season, the Center and Guard positions will likely be somewhere between 8 and 11. Our best players will be (in no particular order) at QB, RB, WR, and OT. That's why the diversity in the passing game that you noted will be so important because I expect that we'll see a lot more of an emphasis on the short passing game coming from play action than we did last year.
as a fulltime RB due to his size. He
totally suits the Chico role. Get him in
space and let him run. Sort of like Oregon
used DeAnthony T.
I don't see it with Dotson ... he's a RS Junior this year. Any shot of him really growing to me vanished with Lavon Coleman came back as there is no direct path for him to get touches.
I guess it is possible that he could contribute in a backup role in the 2018 season. But it's probably equally, if not more, likely that he'll still be 3rd or 4th on the depth chart at that point and instead look to go to Montana State so that he could get at least a year of playing time as a starter if not be a graduate transfer somewhere.
To me, Chico is kind of the epitome of the kind of player that gets lost as you're moving from a conference championship contender to a national championship contender. Against Alabama, he just looked small. He's got good quicks and whatnot but against elite defenders/athletes they can roughly matchup with him while being bigger. He's the kind of kid that is a massive weapon at your middle tier conference schools like Washington State or even Oregon State because his athleticism is different than what most of their players have. But for where we are as a program, it's hard for me to envision him as anything other than a role player going forward.
May have contributed to him being so "under-recruited."
Just my .02 cents.