Husky O-Line Scares Us

Optimists that we are, we'd hyped ourselves into a pretty good mood about the upcoming Husky football season. (Anything to stop from thinking about the Mariners). We thought--hey--the Dawgs start out with four very winnable games (ignoring the Oklahoma game, which they should probably just forfeit now and save state taxpayers the airfare).

San Jose State is a slam dunk, Fresno State isn't that good, UCLA is not nearly as good at their 2005 record indicated, and Arizona's the one Pac-10 team the Huskies beat last year. They could be 4-1 heading into an October 7th blowout at USC! Maybe skip that game too.

But then we read this terrifying thing in the Seattle Times:

When it comes to the inexperience of Washington's offensive line this season, it's not really a question of how much, but where.

The first unit features two seniors and two juniors who have combined for 36 career starts.

But then there's that all-important left-tackle spot manned by Ben Ossai, a redshirt freshman who became the unquestioned starter at the position when Nathan Flowers was declared academically ineligible.

"Scary," said UW offensive-line coach Mike Denbrock of the prospect of starting a redshirt freshman at what might be the most vital position on the line.

The coaches are scared? Not a good sign.

Why's left tackle so important? That's the guy that guards the quarterback's blind side. If your left tackle gets beat badly, your quarterback (even a fast quarterback like Isaiah Stanback) gets hit without warning. This leads to big losses, fumbles, and, sometimes, career-ending injuries.

The Seahawks left tackle is all-pro Walter Jones. Jones got beat twice all of last year. Any knowledgeable Hawks fan will tell you that, with the possible exception of Matt Hasselbeck, Jones is the most valuable player on the team.

If the Huskies can't protect Stanback's blind side, he'll (understandably) get some happy feet in the pocket. Would the team should just go to the option, a la the Tuiasasopo years, and exploit overpursuing defenders?

Maybe newcomer Ossai will surprise. He's a great athlete--former soccer player. But he's also never played a college game. We're not holding out much hope, for him or for the Dawgs.