Culver City, Calif. – While after everything else Friday’s Pac-12 Media Day didn’t provide several major surprises, it did provide the press an opportunity to catch up with this modern season’s coaching hires as well as comprehend apiece program’s take on the modern rules and policies of the league.
The following is a pithy synopsis of what’s taking place with apiece team in the league and our youthful predictions representing them. Let’s start with the Pac-12 North.
WASHINGTON STATE COUGARS
Mike Leach is initial his support season in the Pac-12 league, and if nothing besides, the Wazzu top Coach provides a refreshing revolution from the often dreary exchanges amid the coaches and the media wherever stoicism and run of the mill answers are a constant.
When asked around his controversial assessment after everything else day of his own team what time he described them as “empty corpses" and “zombies” on the take, Leach good-naturedly engaged the question. “It’s funny, in this generation and age, fill with would like to ask questions but they don’t until the end of time would like open answers. During the middle of to facilitate, I mean, if a big cheese is a android or a corpse, I’m the head android or corpse...But we had a horrendous offseason.”
After an enlightening banter around his script a hardback on the Native American hero Geronimo, Leach discussed the quarterback post. “If we were to perform at the moment? If we were perform in a link months, I don't know, but at the moment, Connor Halliday would be the quarterback. He had a horrendous spring, did a horrendous job. What I've been impressed with is as a leader he takes the team on his shoulders and he's solitary of the guys who I think brings fill with organized.”
Finally, Leach was furthermore very judgmental of the modern directive in the Pac 12 ordering referees to eject a player representing a helmet-to-helmet thump, indicating you “usually can’t tell” whether the defensive player or the disgusting player lowered his helmet chief.
FORECAST: While a quantity of believe the Cougars might make for bowling this day, the conjecture now is to facilitate they are truly not quick in a very deep Pac-12 North.
(Pac-12 Media Prediction: 6th in North, 11th overall; DSH Prediction: 6th in North, 12th overall)
WASHINGTON HUSKIES
Steve Sarkisian was pumped around the renovated Huskies stadium. “In my estimation, the unsurpassed place to perform in all of college football.”
He was furthermore upbeat what time assessing the challenge of competing representing popular recruits from Southern California. “Just to comprehend 'em on the airplane since as soon as they comprehend at hand they realize how horrendous of a place it is. It's a beautiful city, Seattle; horrendous university, the facilities are fantastic. There are horrendous fill with in our society. The rich history and tradition to facilitate we own, the biggest challenge is to comprehend them on the airplane since as soon as they comprehend at hand, they love it.”
Yet what time it came to articulating why his team will further ahead the 7-6 highest achievement the team has posted apiece of the after everything else three seasons, Sarkisian’s answer was a reduced amount of than satisfying. “The certainty is we are a better football team. We were a better football team after everything else day and unfortunately the highest achievement isn't indicative of how respectable to facilitate football team was. Ultimately we're judged on our final outcome and highest achievement. You can look next to stats and the discrete things. The solitary to facilitate matters is the wins and the losses…In our focal point of hearts we were better than 7-6, but we didn’t comprehend it complete.”
Hmm…not exactly instructive is it? How look after you solve a glitch exclusive of in reality identifying it?
QB Keith Price furthermore commented on after everything else year’s disappointing season and his own perfection. “I'm quick. I own a lot in life to show to myself and a lot in life to show to you guys. I can't linger. I think this is what time I operate unsurpassed, what time fill with are skeptical me and fill with don't think I can look after come again? I did. I believe I'm departing to be better than I was in the 2011 season, but that's truly me…I think I beyond doubt know how to head promptly.”
FORECAST: Top Coach Steve Sarkisian is as soon as again exuding confidence around his team. But how is to facilitate discrete from the after everything else four years? Keith Price is indubitably talented, but four tough league road games (Stanford, ASU, UCLA, and OSU) and an almost guaranteed interior loss to the Ducks will nominate it tough representing the Huskies to earnestly contend. One can argue to facilitate the Huskies will still varnish as high spot as third in the Pac-12 North, but I’m not sold on the same old, same old viewpoint preventing a foster failure.
(Pac-12 Media Prediction: 4th in North, 7th overall; DSH Prediction: 5th in North, 9th overall)
OREGON STATE BEAVERS
Mike Riley’s 13th season in Corvalis begins with much greater expectations than the preceding day. Last day, the Beavers shocked many by contending representing the Pac-12 North deep into season in the same way as wins next to UCLA and Arizona and near-misses next to Washington and Stanford. Does Riley think his team can be to facilitate respectable again?
“We own lost a quantity of real respectable players from a day previously, so we're looking representing the guys to facilitate own been in concert to step up and look after more and we're looking representing modern fill with to show your face in and distinguish if we can return persons horrendous players, Jordan Poyer, Markus Wheaton, Micah Hatfield. I can make for on. But we are excited around the day and looking promote to getting happening.” A typically cautious and humble response from Riley, but it’s doubtful if he is lowering expectations representing a respectable think logically or truly in concert down his team’s probability improbable of modesty.
“We lost our inside linebacker, two defensive tackles, our apology played really well up front after everything else day,” Riley points improbable. But the Beavers still own 15 frequent starters from a 9-win team after everything else day, 7 on the defensive characteristic.
FORECAST: They Beavers own a very unproblematic opening to the regular season, and must be healthy favorites in their chief six games. Some distinguish youthful season victory not in favor of unproblematic opponents as obliging, but this is too much of a respectable issue. With a brutal support semi schedule, solitary can expect a “collapse” to facilitate will even improbable the schedule and bring the Ducks into the murky inside of the Pac-12 North.
(Pac-12 Media Prediction: 3rd in North, 5th overall; DSH Prediction: 4th in North, 7th overall)
CAL GOLDEN BEARS
Top Coach Sonny Dykes understands to facilitate after everything else year’s pathetic 3-win season has twisted low expectations representing the Bears in the minds of the press. “I can't say I blame the media representing knowing to facilitate we are a children team, and if you're on the outside of our encode and you're looking next to Cal football, it doesn't look very respectable. From the inside we think it looks very respectable. We're around our players all the stage. We know the talent to facilitate exists in our encode. We know the dedication and the buy-in to facilitate these guys own had.”
Dykes was surprisingly outspoken what time asked around a statement made by Alabama top Coach notch Saban suggesting to facilitate multiply offenses are leading to more concussions and player safety issues.
“When you multiply the take improbable more at hand is more universe and a reduced amount of of an inclination representing a big cheese to fall on a big cheese besides and I think you can nominate the argument to facilitate traditional old-style, smash-mouth football is much more of a physical condition detriment to student-athletes than in concert multiply or up-tempo football, and I think we all need to nominate convinced we comprehend our the whole story straight or we start making several assumptions.”
He furthermore identified come again? He notion were the strengths of the team: “We own a horrendous receiver group, guys to facilitate can look after a lot in life of things, own a lot in life of discrete body types and skill sets, so I'm excited to distinguish how all persons pieces show your face organized since I think it can be a pretty special bracket together. And I think it's certainly solitary of the strengths of our team. At linebacker, I think, is our other strength.”
FORECAST: A tough nonconference schedule, interior games not in favor of both Northwestern and Ohio State in the chief a small number of weeks, will be horrendous tests representing the new-look Golden Bears in 2013, and the conjecture now is to facilitate it will fulfil them well representing the remainder of the season. Just what time one and all feels comfortable script sour this rebuilding encode, expect a stagger. With radically improved QB and O-line perform under the leadership of top Coach/offensive authority Sonny Dykes, drastic perfection from after everything else year’s 3-win performance will take place. The Bears own not at all in reality lacked representing talent and while the doubters own compelling concerns around the team’s inexperience, a revolution in viewpoint often factory unsurpassed with a children team.
(Pac-12 preseason media prediction: 5th in North, 10th overall; DSH Prediction: 3rd in North, 6th overall)
OREGON DUCKS
Things may well own tainted next to the top in Eugene, but the Ducks will still be a horrendous team. Sure, Chip Kelly is consumed, but his Oregon spirit remains on in modern top Coach assess Helfrich. “It's an honor to chase in Chip's footsteps. Oregon has been unique, looking back to [Rich] Brooks, [Mike] Bellotti, Chip Kelly following him and me following Chip…If the guy to facilitate followed John Wooden quoted him as soon as in a while would to facilitate own been a bad issue?” Helfrich sadly asks.
It doesn’t hurt to own a Heisman contender in Sophomore Marcus Mariota next to quarterback either. “As far as ratio and figures, this guy is the unsurpassed quarterback in the nation state. But he doesn't thought how many leave-taking yards he has. He cares come again? It says or and in the same way as the hyphen in the team highest achievement, and that's how we carry on.”
According to Helfrich, Pac-12 fans can furthermore expect more of the same from stimulating running back De'Anthony Thomas. “De'Anthony likes the role of wide-out, action guy, movement guy and we like to facilitate, too, to keep him versatile not in favor of nickel defenses or whatever apology we occur to be in concert not in favor of.”
FORECAST: It’s tough to pick not in favor of the Ducks, but that’s come again? We’re around to look after. Despite the horrendous track highest achievement of transitioning modern head coaches, the loss of Chip Kelly will nominate a quantity of difference. Kelly’s swagger and swashbuckling personality came to delineate the encode and while Helfrich may well own the capability to keep it departing, a tough road game in Palo Alto must be too horrendous an hindrance this day.
(Pac-12 Media Prediction: 1st in North, 1st overall; DSH Prediction: 2nd in North, 2nd overall)
STANFORD CARDINAL
Isn’t it stage everybody gives Stanford the proper honor representing building a Pac-12 powerhouse? Sure, but it’s not as if unassuming and straight-talking top Coach David Shaw cares solitary way or the other.
“For us, we don't uneasiness around come again? Other fill with say. I think the foundation of our team is the team. It's not at all been around solitary coach, it's not at all been around solitary player; it's around how well we perform organized and we've proven to facilitate. This day we own gotten notoriety around a state championship chase, but I like to say three years previously we were solitary game away and after everything else day two games away and this after everything else day 10 points away. This day we anticipate being in the hunt representing the foreseeable upcoming. That's how we loom it and to say to facilitate this day is several discrete than several other, it's truly not how we look next to it."
When asked around the option of rules changes in the upcoming allowing representing the paying of a small stipend to scholar athletes, both Stanford players, OG David Yankey and LB Shayne Skov certainly seemed receptive to the goal. Coach Shaw however, quickly reminded one and all to facilitate Stanford scholarship players receive “a $58,000-per-year education and unbelievable contacts and summer jobs.” One can deduce to facilitate the plight of owing scholar athletes is not exactly something he loses much snooze larger than.
Indeed, why would Stanford would like something to revolution justification promptly? They own built a team to facilitate rejection longer rebuilds, but only reloads.
FORECAST: Stanford has built a smash-mouth juggernaut in the Pac-12 to facilitate is not departing away anytime soon. Coach Shaw will own his team quick what time Oregon visits in the Pac-12 Game of the Year. Can't pick not in favor of the Cardinal this day.
(Pac-12 Media Prediction: 2nd in North, 2nd overall; DSH Prediction: 1st in North, 1st overall)
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