Huskies 2018 season

[mcnabb7542]

I have to preface this by saying I wouldn't want to replace Browning, but I think this article very well articulates Browning's limitations.

Definitely worth a read.

Washington QB Jake Browning: Scouting Process Over Results - The Draft Network

Yep......Some serious good points made about Jake......

 

[WizardHawk]

I have to preface this by saying I wouldn't want to replace Browning, but I think this article very well articulates Browning's limitations.

Definitely worth a read.

Washington QB Jake Browning: Scouting Process Over Results - The Draft Network

Why?

The key isn't would we want to replace Browning, it's why isn't there a better option on a team known for having solid QB play when the team is prominent and we have a HC that is supposed to be QB-centric? Why hasn't Haener had more reps in games where they did have a lead? Not just garbage time back end clean up, but give him a series here and there or toss him a play just to get him time. The Cal game was entirely inexcusable and still has me completely pissed off. It was the worst coaching blunder yet of Petersen's tenure and that includes that game he botched the clock at the end and cost them a win. Not only did he lose that game just on that decision to take Browning out, but he now also shook the confidence of Haener and potentially stunted his development on top of it.

No one denies that Browning has serious limitations and cannot carry a team. Without solid almost freak receivers he is barely serviceable.

And yet here we are. Having to say we wouldn't bench him because there really isn't any better options right now. He does enough and plays ok enough to still be better than taking major lumps with inexperienced kids and their mistakes.

We saw the result of sticking another kid in even protecting a lead. They make rookie mistakes you simply can't make and win.

So here we are, with a QB that we know is good for 1 stupid int a game anymore that is entirely preventable by making better decisions on scrambles (almost all of his are on broken pockets anymore) that has a noodle arm (with solid accuracy, but still) hasn't improved on reading breaks and throwing with anticipation (which would increase his int ratio, but also way more explosive plays and higher scoring).

And why again? Because there aren't better options. Welcome to today's college football. Once you make a pick your real backup options bail to go try to get field time somewhere else. No one can blame them, but then you are stuck with less attractive options if you have struggles. Most teams outside of the top blue bloods simply can't carry two or more really qualified QB's unless you have a senior and an already ready heir apparent.

I'll also restate again that Hamdan isn't doing any of this any favors either, nor did Smith really do shit to help it. If Jake's footwork is bad who do you blame that on? Isn't it their job to develop his read ability, get him to throw receivers open instead of waiting, and fix his mechanics? By all accounts Jake is a total film rat, but if he isn't getting solid guidance how is he supposed to really develop from that time?

Game after game we've watched teams do the same thing over and over on defense and stifle this offense with no adjustments. Bliz a guy often? No worry, UW won't shift to check down bliz busting plays or quick outs to take advantage of lower numbers on the outside. Stuff 8 in the box? Again you are safe because UW will still handoff on inside draws.

They don't have just one issue or problem. If they did I'd have been onboard with a change to Haener early on and take your lumps. The honest truth is they wouldn't have put him in the best position to win either and at least Jake has more experience in busted plays to not make as many mistakes as Haener would.

This entire offense is mostly a disaster and I'm not sure I have a whole lot of faith they can fix all of it before next season, no matter who they bring out at QB. We can just hope whichever one wins it does a better job of carrying what may yet again be flat play calling or it will look a lot more like this season than we are ready to deal with.

 

[mcnabb7542]

I am going to give a short answer to this very well written question above:

"Loyal" !

Petersen is standing by the one he brought to the dance.
This kid came in and let's face it showed Sark's talented kids how to act, how to put team first.

My belief is that Chris Petersen has no time table, that he is going to do it his way, with people he has chosen.
Players he has hand selected, letting them build in his structure.

And nobody, boosters, media and yes even us lowly fans is going to change his approach to this!

 

[TheDayMan]

I am going to give a short answer to this very well written question above:

"Loyal" !

Petersen is standing by the one he brought to the dance.
This kid came in and let's face it showed Sark's talented kids how to act, how to put team first.

My belief is that Chris Petersen has no time table, that he is going to do it his way, with people he has chosen.
Players he has hand selected, letting them build in his structure.

And nobody, boosters, media and yes even us lowly fans is going to change his approach to this!

Exactly this, I’m thinking specifically to his staff, he has been loyal to a fault. Everyone seems to have their job, and they are left to do it. He was asked if he would step into some play calling responsibility recently and his answer was “not yet.” When then? He’s even acknowledged it’s bad, that answer in itself acknowledges it’s bad, for fuck’s sake.

It’s a good leadership quality when the pieces actually work, but when they’re struggling you have to step in at some point, or make a change. It’s hard to criticize play calling from our position. I typically find it a lazy fan bitch, but it’s clear the offense’s issuses start from the top down. The real concern is there’s been absolutely no improvement. I thought maybe last week. The plan and play calling the first half was great, and then they came out the second half, Stanford made adjustments to what they were doing, in addition to UW going into concervative mode, and from there they just had no answer.

Fuck...

 

[WizardHawk]

Exactly this, I’m thinking specifically to his staff, he has been loyal to a fault. Everyone seems to have their job, and they are left to do it. He was asked if he would step into some play calling responsibility recently and his answer was “not yet.” When then? He’s even acknowledged it’s bad, that answer in itself acknowledges it’s bad, for fuck’s sake.

It’s a good leadership quality when the pieces actually work, but when they’re struggling you have to step in at some point, or make a change. It’s hard to criticize play calling from our position. I typically find it a lazy fan bitch, but it’s clear the offense’s issuses start from the top down. The real concern is there’s been absolutely no improvement. I thought maybe last week. The plan and play calling the first half was great, and then they came out the second half, Stanford made adjustments to what they were doing, in addition to UW going into concervative mode, and from there they just had no answer.

Fuck...

I honestly don't think Browning is still in just on loyalty. He does do some things well, or at least doesn't fuck up as much as a rookie even if his skill set may have a much lower ceiling than that rookie. It's risk management 101.

I've seen enough of Haener in practice to know he is prone to missing coverage and throwing to guys on the other side. Again, rookie stuff that may be something you can work out, but clearly stands out to coaches. He needed more live action and more confidence building plays before throwing him in against a Cal defense that is really stepping things up and getting a grove right now.

Sure we can't know what plays were called vs how they were carried out, but the proof they have issues is just watching what competent teams do when their offense is stifled. Every team has bubble screens, quick hit bliz busting plays, misdirection plays meant to beat over aggressive defenses, etc. Where's ours? When they put 8 down low why aren't we at least running more fly sweeps or double reverses? We have Ahmed who has shown explosive speed on those and yet when they do use him they are mostly bouncing him between the tackles.

This is probably just a bad time for me to be talking about the offense as I'm still pretty pissed off over the Cal game and that second half last week. I've never been more pissed after a win in the Petersen tenure. This staff just seems lost.

 

[mcnabb7542]

Exactly this, I’m thinking specifically to his staff, he has been loyal to a fault. Everyone seems to have their job, and they are left to do it. He was asked if he would step into some play calling responsibility recently and his answer was “not yet.” When then?

Being on a high school staff ( did I mention playoff staff) I can say a head coach will ride out any day with his "guys". I work for a guy that believes in us and what we bring to the program. ( I know highs school is different then college) but that coaching mentality is still the same at any level, " my guys" and head coaches will own that phrase good or bad.

 

[TheDayMan]

As far as the beat to death topic of Browning goes, Jesus Christ... do we really need a guy who plays an NFL scout on the internet ripping him apart? No one considers him a legit NFL prospect, he doesn’t play in the NFL, and he’s probably not gonna play in the NFL at any future time. I haven’t seen anyone argue otherwise.

What I do find interesting, however, is his regression. It would be more relevant to dig into what played into that. It’s not just no Ross and Pettis, they were huge losses for the offense in general, but specifically Browning’s regression. His sophomore year people praised his mechanics and reads. Yes, Ross doing Ross things boosted his numbers, but I remember Hugh Millen (obviously a homer, but knows a thing or two about quarterbacking) comparing him to Joe Montana when referencing his footwork and how naturally he positioned his body to make throws. Then that year went on, he got hurt, we realized he’s a whole different player when there’s a hint of pressure, and things have been different ever sense. Then last year (where the internet scout pulled the clips he was criticizing) into this year... he still has his strengths, but now eScouts are all over his shitty mechanics and reads, and some fans want a redshirt freshman whose claim to fame is tossing the game winning touchdown to cal to step into his place.

You’re supposed to get better over time, fix the flaws, not lose the strengths.

 

[mcnabb7542]

As far as the beat to death topic of Browning goes, Jesus Christ... do we really need a guy who plays an NFL scout on the internet ripping him apart? No one considers him a legit NFL prospect, he doesn’t play in the NFL, and he’s probably not gonna play in the NFL at any future time. I haven’t seen anyone argue otherwise.

What I do find interesting, however, is his regression. It would be more relevant to dig into what played into that. It’s not just no Ross and Pettis, they were huge losses for the offense in general, but specifically Browning’s regression. His sophomore year people praised his mechanics and reads. Yes, Ross doing Ross things boosted his numbers, but I remember Hugh Millen (obviously a homer, but knows a thing or two about quarterbacking) comparing him to Joe Montana when referencing his footwork and how naturally he positioned his body to make throws. Then that year went on, he got hurt, we realized he’s a whole different player when there’s a hint of pressure, and things have been different ever sense. Then last year (where the internet scout pulled the clips he was criticizing) into this year... he still has his strengths, but now eScouts are all over his shitty mechanics and reads, and some fans want a redshirt freshman who’s claim to fame is tossing the game winning touchdown to cal to step into his place.

You’re supposed to get better over time, fix the flaws, not lose the strengths.

I've mentioned a couple times, I believe it was the shoulder injury and I believe there was surgery done on it. I think it screwed him big time and really hasn't recovered mentally and physically.....

 

[mcnabb7542]

Of course I signed up for that sight SF found that article on.....

 

[TheDayMan]

So, bye week is a good time to go back and open old wounds.

The 3 losses:

Auburn--What got me thinking of this was hearing Softy talk about the 6 trips (not just to the redone, but...) inside the 13 yardline. Those 6 trips resulted in 16 points and a loss in a game that ended up being somewhat of a defensive struggle.

Oregon--Lost the game in overtime after a missed 30 something yard chip shot put them there. Petersen decided to run off 30+ seconds with timeouts left for that chip shot (to end a drive in which they were cramming it up oregon's ass with ease)

Cal--I know this one's still pretty fresh, but why not... Another painful unproductive offense game, full of missed opportunities, summed up by the coaching staff deciding to pull Browning in the 3rd quarter with a 7-6 lead, the redshirt freshman backup throws cal their only touchdown, enough for them to win the game.

So, I guess on the bright side we should have one each of those games...

 

[AlaskaGuy]

Thank you Jake for 2016 but tbh I'm looking forward to next season with a new QB.

 

[WizardHawk]

Thank you Jake for 2016 but tbh I'm looking forward to next season with a new QB.

I think we all are, however it better be with improved play calling and coaching/developing if we really want a better result.

 

[seahawksfan234]

Why?

The key isn't would we want to replace Browning, it's why isn't there a better option on a team known for having solid QB play when the team is prominent and we have a HC that is supposed to be QB-centric? Why hasn't Haener had more reps in games where they did have a lead? Not just garbage time back end clean up, but give him a series here and there or toss him a play just to get him time. The Cal game was entirely inexcusable and still has me completely pissed off. It was the worst coaching blunder yet of Petersen's tenure and that includes that game he botched the clock at the end and cost them a win. Not only did he lose that game just on that decision to take Browning out, but he now also shook the confidence of Haener and potentially stunted his development on top of it.

No one denies that Browning has serious limitations and cannot carry a team. Without solid almost freak receivers he is barely serviceable.

And yet here we are. Having to say we wouldn't bench him because there really isn't any better options right now. He does enough and plays ok enough to still be better than taking major lumps with inexperienced kids and their mistakes.

We saw the result of sticking another kid in even protecting a lead. They make rookie mistakes you simply can't make and win.

So here we are, with a QB that we know is good for 1 stupid int a game anymore that is entirely preventable by making better decisions on scrambles (almost all of his are on broken pockets anymore) that has a noodle arm (with solid accuracy, but still) hasn't improved on reading breaks and throwing with anticipation (which would increase his int ratio, but also way more explosive plays and higher scoring).

And why again? Because there aren't better options. Welcome to today's college football. Once you make a pick your real backup options bail to go try to get field time somewhere else. No one can blame them, but then you are stuck with less attractive options if you have struggles. Most teams outside of the top blue bloods simply can't carry two or more really qualified QB's unless you have a senior and an already ready heir apparent.

I'll also restate again that Hamdan isn't doing any of this any favors either, nor did Smith really do shit to help it. If Jake's footwork is bad who do you blame that on? Isn't it their job to develop his read ability, get him to throw receivers open instead of waiting, and fix his mechanics? By all accounts Jake is a total film rat, but if he isn't getting solid guidance how is he supposed to really develop from that time?

Game after game we've watched teams do the same thing over and over on defense and stifle this offense with no adjustments. Bliz a guy often? No worry, UW won't shift to check down bliz busting plays or quick outs to take advantage of lower numbers on the outside. Stuff 8 in the box? Again you are safe because UW will still handoff on inside draws.

They don't have just one issue or problem. If they did I'd have been onboard with a change to Haener early on and take your lumps. The honest truth is they wouldn't have put him in the best position to win either and at least Jake has more experience in busted plays to not make as many mistakes as Haener would.

This entire offense is mostly a disaster and I'm not sure I have a whole lot of faith they can fix all of it before next season, no matter who they bring out at QB. We can just hope whichever one wins it does a better job of carrying what may yet again be flat play calling or it will look a lot more like this season than we are ready to deal with.

Good post Wiz.

I don't disagree with any of your points. I'm on board with what you have to say about Hamden. The frustrating thing about Browning is I feel like the offense is quite limited by his skill set. I think part of Browning's issue is that he doesn't have the anticipation to hit his WRs in certain routes, or the confidence. Even when he does complete a pass, he isn't really leading his WRs very well or hitting them out of their breaks. He always seems to be a split second behind.

 

[seahawksfan234]

Of course I signed up for that sight SF found that article on.....

They actually have some really good write-ups on players.

I thought that the article on Browning was excellent, and I've agreed with many of the other player evaluations they've posted that I've read.

 

[seahawksfan234]

I think we all are, however it better be with improved play calling and coaching/developing if we really want a better result.

In a dream world we'd replace Hamden with someone who has experience. I just don't know if that's going to happen. At the least I'd like another Jeff Tedford like hire so Hamden can learn how to run an offense from someone who knows what they're doing. In my evaluation, Hamden's play calling has not really improved over the course of the season.

 

[seahawksfan234]

So, bye week is a good time to go back and open old wounds.

The 3 losses:

Auburn--What got me thinking of this was hearing Softy talk about the 6 trips (not just to the redone, but...) inside the 13 yardline. Those 6 trips resulted in 16 points and a loss in a game that ended up being somewhat of a defensive struggle.

Oregon--Lost the game in overtime after a missed 30 something yard chip shot put them there. Petersen decided to run off 30+ seconds with timeouts left for that chip shot (to end a drive in which they were cramming it up oregon's ass with ease)

Cal--I know this one's still pretty fresh, but why not... Another painful unproductive offense game, full of missed opportunities, summed up by the coaching staff deciding to pull Browning in the 3rd quarter with a 7-6 lead, the redshirt freshman backup throws cal their only touchdown, enough for them to win the game.

So, I guess on the bright side we should have one each of those games...

I love Petersen and of course there are a ton of variables that play into those losses, but I think one thing that is very glaring in each of those losses is that the result very well could have been quite different in each of those games had different coaching decisions been made.

-Better redzone performance against Auburn? We win.
-Had we been more aggressive against Oregon in the final minutes? We win.
-We don't put in Haener and Browning doesn't make any huge mistakes? We win.

Against Cal the Huskies really didn't even need to score again with how the defense had been playing. 10-0 wouldn't remotely reflect how the team had been playing, but had the coaching decisions been better, the team would be 10-0.

 

[seahawksfan234]

I am going to give a short answer to this very well written question above:

"Loyal" !

Petersen is standing by the one he brought to the dance.
This kid came in and let's face it showed Sark's talented kids how to act, how to put team first.

My belief is that Chris Petersen has no time table, that he is going to do it his way, with people he has chosen.
Players he has hand selected, letting them build in his structure.

And nobody, boosters, media and yes even us lowly fans is going to change his approach to this!

Sorry for the long string of posts, but I hadn't had the opportunity to read and respond to everything yet.

I definitely do think loyalty plays a significant role as well, but as @WizardHawk pointed out, we don't really have a viable option behind Browning right now.

Furthermore; benching your 4 year starting QB with every significant UW passing record and who was the QB leading the team during one of the best four year stretches in team history is a very controversial call unless he's playing disastrously. Has Browning been good? Far from it. Has he been awful? No. When you're in this type of situation, still in the run for a Rose Bowl bid, it's very difficult to bench a QB like that. Makes it even harder when your only other option is a redshirt freshman with a similar skill set to Browning who only has 7 career pass attempts against a school who I hadn't even heard of before this season.

 

[mcnabb7542]

Okay so we are all in agreement no more bitching about Jake cause Jakes not the problem?

 

[WizardHawk]

Okay so we are all in agreement no more bitching about Jake cause Jakes not the problem?

No, he's A problem, but not THE problem.

Does't mean people can't bitch about his part in it all.

He still has a chance to salvage some bit of legacy. If he finds a way to torch the cougs and lead another AC victory, beats likely still Utah or whoever, and actually has a solid bowl game win he will go out with a better slot in UW lore than Price and Pickett. He'd be ahead of either of the Huard brothers and if it's a rose bowl win he's up there in stature with Tui.

Do I expect he goes out that way? Not really. We have waited for him to be that QB for the last two full seasons and he hasn't. SF234 is correct though, a few coaching decisions differently and we are having a totally different conversation about this highly ranked team with or without Browning playing any differently. He doesn't suddenly become a great QB, but he isn't bitched about as being the folly of the team either.

They still have a couple of weeks to get Hunter Bryant into full gear and make him a solid part of the offense, Trey Adams has a bit of time to help solidify that line again and maybe reduce Jake's happy feet, it would be nice to have Chico back, but no one knows what the fuck is going on there. They need Jones, fuller, and the others to pick their asses up and play ball.

I still harkon back to last week's article reminding us this is the WORST offense for UW since '08. You can't get to that point with just a questionable QB alone. That takes Willingham era derpness.

 

[seahawksfan234]

2019 Husky Depth Chart

Would've liked to see a stronger write up on each position group, but this gives you a look at how the Huskies may look in 2019.