Continuing our trek across the great Northwest, we find ourselves in Seattle, Washington for our second to last stop to analyze the Pac 10 offenses.

The UW offense is clearly the most difficult to look at as there are A LOT of question marks surrounding a very talented bunch of individuals with very little, if any college paying experience.

So let's get the big question out of the way first... Can Jake "The Great" Locker bring UW back to respectability? I guess the best way to address this is to look into his past. Here's a kid who has won state championship and only lost five games in his entire high school career. Now, many of you who know me, know that I deeply believe that looking at the past is the easiest way to predict the future. A winner in high school generally wins in college.

This kid has proven he has the talent level and the maturity to be the greatest quarterback in UW history. Heck, even Hugh Millen wrote that Locker could be the greatest pound-for-pound athlete in UW history. That's the good news. The bad news is that he hasn't done anything yet and he inherits a solid team but a team trying to compete against a lot of Pac 10 teams who have improved themselves immensely... Oh, and there's that other thing about UW having the toughest schedule in the country in 2007. Basically what I'm saying is that we shouldn't expect too much from Locker in 2007. Heck we don't even know he'll start. there is that other guy...you know, Carl Bonnell? The guy who led UW to a big victory in the Apple Cup and was clearly playing his best ball at the end of 2006? Either way, I will say that the quarterback position is in solid hands but I would personally rather see Bonnell as the starter for 2007, perhaps holding back my enthusiasm for Jake Locker until the 2008 campaign.

Now, on to the running backs where there is even more question marks. UW is absolutely LOADED at the running back position, but once again, there is so much youth and inexperience, it is impossible to know how they'll perform. The only thing UW fans know to expect is that Louis Rankin is going to be a very functional back in 2007. His challenge continues to be an inability to run North/South and use his size and strength to punish the opposing line, although he impressed a lot of people with his Spring performance. Still, Rankin appears, at times, to be trying to avoid hits and that is troublesome to me. Then there is JR Hasty, probably the best natural back in the bunch and he appears to finally be ready to go in 2007. The big question here is what can we expect from a back who has sat out three years? If Hasty actually hits the playing field this season, we shouldn't expect much until the second half when he gets his legs under him.

To add to the questions, UW boasts a trio of phenom running backs out of highschool, Brandon Johnson, Curtis Shaw, and Willie Griffin. The word is that one of these backs will get significant playing time and at least one shoudl red-shirt. My money is on Brandon Johnson to play, as he seems to be the most polished of the backs out of highschool.

At Tight-end, UW fans should finally get a good look at Chris Izbicki. While Johnnie Kirton might still be the starter, don't expect that to last long. Kirton has been an average tight end at a school known for producing them, and Izbicki is supposedly everything Willingham and coaches have looked for. he is an exceptional blocker and route runner, with exceptional hands, which is going to help out the youthful running game as well as giving Locker/Bonnell an outlet. Of all the changes for 2007, seeing Izbicki play is what I am most excited about.

Wide Receiver should see a marked improvement in 2007. UW will boast five senior receivers in Anthony Russo, Corey Williams, Quintin Daniels, Marcel Reese, and Cody Ellis. All of these receivers showed marked improvement throughout 2006, with the leaders being Russo, Reese, and Williams after their strong Spring showings, and they will now have a more accurate passer to get them the ball, whether it be Locker or Bonnell. Add to the fold D'Andre Goodman, who is sure to be a very sure handed receiver and add to the quarterback options. The Wide receiver position is solid despite the confusing status of incumbent super-stud, Anthony Boyles, who appeared that he would not acedemically qualify to play for UW but is listed in both the media guide and the roster guide on the University's primary web site.

Still, if Boyle does play, it will turn what could be the deepest wide receiver unit in the Pac 10 into the best, as well.

The Offensive line, where it all begins, is fortunately the area with the fewest question marks for UW. There are literally eight talented offensive linemen to fill five positions. This is certainly not a luxury UW has had for the past four seasons. If the projected starters hold true, they will average a whopping 313 pounds (second biggest in the Pac 10) and most ot of them are seniors. This could be the biggest advantage to UW as it will help out every aspect of the UW offense. The big names to watch will be Ben Ossai, Ryan Tolar, Juan Garcia, Morgan Rosborough (who I don't have starting) and Jordan White-Frisbee. White-Frisbee has been injured for two full seasons and has not been able to live up to the hype surrounding him, but if he is healthy, this 6'6" 320 pound frame can only help an offensive line.

Finally, the kicking game is likely to showcase the return of Ryan Perkins. Perkins has also been out but is going to return in 2007, but with the arrival of Jared Ballman to punt, Perkins is likely to only see PK duties.

So here's my take. I think that this will be the best UW offense we have seen in five years. I believe that offensively, UW is a bowl team and should be able to have a winning record FINALLY, mostly due to the offensive line, BUT the the challenges cannot be ignored. If Locker starts and struggles or if the corps of running backs can't get it going, it could be another long season for the UW offense. Still, I think the bigger challenge, at least for this season, will be how the defense performs against the toughest offenses in the country. That will ultimately decide whether or not UW goes Bowling for the first time in several years.

Labels: CollegeFix, Dawgman14