HOT COUGAR ACTION: Spring, The Season Of Quarterback Competition
by Mark Sandritter on Feb 9, 2012 6:02 AM PST
in 2011 WSU Football News
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PrintThere is just something about Spring. Rejuvenation, rebirth, everything is blooming and quarterbacks are competing for the starting job. In an interview with Howie Stalwick, Mike Leach covered a lot of topics including who would start at quarterback next season.
Asked if Tuel is the clear-up No. 1 quarterback, Leach said, "I look for him and Halliday to battle it out in the spring."
It's no surprise quarterback will be up for competition, every position is up for competition, especially with a new coaching staff. What surprises me most is Connor Halliday would be ready to compete for the starting job in the spring. It's been roughly two and a half months since Halliday lacerated his liver against Utah. Some initial reports had the recovery lasting into April. The fact Leach expects him to compete for the starting job is at worst a sign Halliday is healing well.
If the starting position is indeed decided during spring ball, I would fully expect Tuel to win the job. While recovering from his injury, Halliday missed valuable development time and will at best be rusty once spring ball starts. Tuel was already the favorite, but a spring competition only stacks the deck in his favor. Then again, I wouldn't want to battle anything out against this guy.
A few other notes from the article.
- Tuel and Wade Jacobson will appeal to the NCAA for an additional season of eligibility.
- Injured linebacker Louis Bland has decided to no longer play football.
- Starting with the end of fall camp and throughout the season, WSU will close practices to fans and media.
Men's Basketball
Cougars seek offensive help for Motum - Spokesman.com - Feb. 8, 2012
PULLMAN – All eyes, seemingly, are on Washington State forward Brock Motum. Or, at least, more eyes than before. As the team’s leading scorer – his 17.2 points per game are second most in the Pac-12, behind only Jared Cunningham of Oregon State (18.0) – Motum is starting to receive more and more attention as the top performer on a struggling Cougars team.
Steve Puidokas to be Inducted into Pac-12 Hall of Honor - The Washington State University Official Athletic Site
PULLMAN, Wash. - Washington State men's basketball great Steve Puidokas will be one of 12 honorees inducted into the Pac-12 Hall of Honor presented by Bank of the West during the 2012 Pacific Life Pac-12 Men's Basketball Tournament, the Pac-12 Conference announced Tuesday.
Husky Men's Basketball Blog | UW's NBA stars not among Pac-12's richest | Seattle Times Newspaper
t's not a shocker Washington State is at the bottom of the list, but didn't expect the total earnings ($3.2 million) to be so low among former WSU stars.
The 12-11, 4-7 Washington State Cougars and 15-8, 5-6 Oregon State Beavers are hoping for some late season momentum to improve their standing in the Pacific-12 Conference. WSU is going to Oregon this week trying to sign off on their first Pac-12 win of the year on the road.
Baseball
SportsMinds: WSU Baseball: Practice Report And Coach Marbut Audio
Instead of editing the last post with the audio from my interview this afternoon with Coach Marbut I decided a new post might be in order.
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That list of NCAA teams whose alumni have earned the most money in the NBA
Is very embarrassing when compared to the other Pac-12 schools. It is actually even more embarrassing when you look at some of the other schools around us.
99) Gonzaga – $48,307,816
165) Eastern Washington – $7,829,086
183) Portland State – $3,926,817
184) Montana – $3,454,000
186) Washington State – $3,222,184
206) Idaho – $1,044,151
Atleast Klay should help up us climb up that list over the next decade.
That's because Craig Ehlo played before the days of big salaries
Around these parts, a man could get hurt for wearing purple.
James Donaldson, as well
He could have arguably made more than Ehlo based on their career statistics.
Donaldson (14 seasons): 8.6 ppg, 7.8 rpg, 1.6 bpg
Ehlo (14 seasons): 8.6 ppg, 3.6 rpg, 2.8 apg
Exactly, players with those numbers could equal $3,222,184 in a year now. It shows how pro sports have gotten out of hand.
Around these parts, a man could get hurt for wearing purple.
I don't think pro sports have gotten out of hand.
Salaries adjust over time. It happens.
by Kyle Rancourt on Feb 9, 2012 11:33 AM PST up reply actions
Even after adjustment
In 1985 or 86Sports Illustrated had an issue listing all players with their salaries. I think the top earner was a little over 2 million. The18-25 million players go way over that after adjustment. They hasn’t been 1000% inflation since then. And think of it that article then was complaining about how much salaries had gone up since the 1970s. I think baseball is the extreme example because they have never been able to impose a salary cap, but other sports have seen way above adjusted levels of income as well. I think the only adjustment is the willingness of fans and owners to pay.
Around these parts, a man could get hurt for wearing purple.
Yeah but you're comparing what they make to what you and I make.
That’s not exactly apples to apples.
by Kyle Rancourt on Feb 9, 2012 12:25 PM PST up reply actions
The salaries are commensurate with the revenue streams.
They’re not “out of hand” for that reason alone. People will pay.
They are?
Without looking, I’d say the NBA’s revenues aren’t nearly in line with salaries. That’s why there almost wasn’t a season. Most owners would’ve lost less money if there hadn’t been a season. That tells me that salaries are way out of hand.
I'm here to kick ass and chew bubble gum, and I'm all out of bubble gum.
by SpectreFCO on Feb 9, 2012 2:05 PM PST via mobile up reply actions
obviously if the numbers
the owners talked about were factual they would have gladly opened their books and shown the potential for profit loss. They did not- ever in the process concede to tot that, even thought the negotiations were for a % of revenue stream. Why is tat do hyou think?
Look at the way the Dodger organiztion was run, leveraging everything from hot dogs to parking lot fee’s to buy and sell other holdings outside of baseball. Was there an outcry from other owners to have a deeper investigation? By the league? No… only by the fans, and by the players…
The owners collateralize their product and leverage it for gains elsewhere- then, in negotiations, claim it is an isolated business independent of other holdings. You wanna cry poor… you have to open the books and find all the tributaries… until then… it is market value.
If you can't Go Cougs... don't go.
by hollyweirdcoug on Feb 9, 2012 3:09 PM PST up reply actions
Nevermind, just looked at the actual WSJ article and some past salary data
It was only data for players who entered the league in 1985 or after. So that makes both Ehlo (‘83) and Donaldson (’80) ineligible.
Basketball-Reference has some salary info for older players, but it’s not complete. They have data for 12 of Ehlo’s 14 seasons and say that he made $10.5M in those years. For Donaldson, they only have salary data for 5 of his seasons, and those add up to $3.4M.
I'm not a doctor or anything so.....
how do you tell if somebody liver has made a full recovery? Wouldn’t it be an issue of just not doing anything to be on the safe side for a certain time?
Around these parts, a man could get hurt for wearing purple.
Closed practices...
I assume they won’t be patrolling the library by the windows or up on top, so those interested could still watch, right?
"It doesn't matter what you do, be it the butcher, the baker, or the candlestick maker, be excited about what you do." - Coach Mike Leach
by tclaus on Feb 9, 2012 10:55 AM PST via mobile reply actions
That's my impression.
A quote I saw said it was about eliminating outside distractions, rather than making it so no one can see what’s happening.
Leach won’t want to spend all his practice time in the Air Supported Structure if they’re playing out in the elements, so I’d imagine you’ll be able to SEE what’s happening from the library or even the fences. You just won’t be able to get onto the field/sidelines/stadium.
#CougHarmonyOnTwitter #teamnopants
by TiltingRight on Feb 9, 2012 11:03 AM PST up reply actions
My impression as well.
An article I read a while ago (and now can’t find) said he’s putting up screens around the field to keep the guys focused.
This was my exact thought.
The practice field is one of the most visible parts of campus from a places you can see it from standpoint.
"Tonight, we skate with them. Tonight, we stay with them. And we shut them down because we can!" | Herb Brooks
You can see from the library to the cub elevator all the way to right outside the fence.
"Tonight, we skate with them. Tonight, we stay with them. And we shut them down because we can!" | Herb Brooks
This is exactly correct
Leach just doesn’t want anyone down on the field inside the fences. It’s not about secrecy — it’s about minimizing distractions.
That's what I figured
"It doesn't matter what you do, be it the butcher, the baker, or the candlestick maker, be excited about what you do." - Coach Mike Leach
by tclaus on Feb 9, 2012 11:41 AM PST via mobile up reply actions
He does want any more You Tube videos of him telling players about their sh***** f******* efforts
But I would love it if HBO could just mic him up and give it uncensored for a few episodes.
Around these parts, a man could get hurt for wearing purple.
When practices are open...
The coaches don’t know that the players are paying attention or have wandering eyes — the media generally gathers off to the side, though recently the media was like four people. At least with people on the library, players have to look up if they have wandering eyes, and the coaches will know.
Leach made the practice policy pretty clear a while ago, so I’m not sure why it’s popping up now, but here we are!
He just doesn't want their fat little girlfriends in there
Two in the cake, one in the puddin'! -Kevin Calabro, Twitter: MichaelTheCoug
by Michael The Coug on Feb 9, 2012 4:43 PM PST up reply actions
Fall of 2010...
I heard someone tweak their knee horribly from the library while I was talking to a girl. Needless to say, I started watching more of the field than talk to the girl.
Thanks so much for linking my baseball articles, Mark.
I hope everyone is enjoying the coverage! I’d love to hear any suggestions on how I could do better or something else you’d like to see.
Brett Gleason | Twitter | Sports Minds Blog | Never fallen in the sarchasm.
I actually don't think there will be much of a competition.
Tuel is going to be the starter, but I don’t really see Leach coming out and saying “Halliday has no chance, it’s Tuel’s job to lose.” Especially since he hasn’t seen them play live much. It’s sort of par for the course coach speak.
the way his practices sound
There is always a battle, especially at quarterback. He tracks stats during practice, and blasts through reps the way my college girlfriend blasted through Michelob Ultra. I.e. the drill with 4-5 qbs throwing to every check down option, then they rotate.
by DemonDes on Feb 9, 2012 1:27 PM PST via iPhone app up reply actions
No I get this part
Maybe I didn’t clearly state what I meant. It’s not as if I think Halliday is some bum who has no shot. I just think people forget how good Tuel is and assume Leach will want to go with the younger guy. I don’t think that’s the case. I also think people are taking this “there will be an open competition at QB” way too far. Isn’t there always competition for a starting position in Spring practice? Isn’t that the point of Spring practice? I just don’t think Tuel loses out to Halliday.
by Kyle Rancourt on Feb 9, 2012 4:09 PM PST up reply actions
totally agree
Tuek is in for a MONSTER season if he stays healthy. Having Halliday healthy bye fall will just be some nice icing on the QB cake.
If you can't Go Cougs... don't go.
by hollyweirdcoug on Feb 9, 2012 9:54 PM PST up reply actions
Tuek sounds like someone who hunts dinosaurs,
not a quarterback.
#CougHarmonyOnTwitter #teamnopants
by TiltingRight on Feb 10, 2012 12:22 AM PST up reply actions
Re Leach's Speak: It's his M.O.
None of his QB’s at Tech were ever guaranteed squat … especially publicly.
by Arizona Raider on Feb 9, 2012 1:35 PM PST up reply actions
Pac-12 Basketball Hall of Honor
The article on the late, great Steve Puidokas includes a list of 10 Cougar basketball players and coaches who have been inducted into the Pac-10/12 Hall of Honor (Puidokas will be # 11). I was shocked to see that Don Collins is not included on the list of Cougar inductees. Collins was arguably the best Cougar b-ball player ever. I know some of you might argue in favor of Fontaine, Weaver, or Thompson, but Collins was the best in my opinion, based on 35+ years of watching Cougar basketball. Collins is the only Cougar ever to be selected Pac-10 Player of the Year. Therefore, it’s hard to believe that 11 Cougars have been selected for induction into the Pac-10/12 Hall of Honor, but Collins isn’t on that list.
Yeah, not sure what is going on there.
The individual institutions pick their inductee so for whatever reason WSU has gone with other guys thus far.
by Mark Sandritter on Feb 9, 2012 3:39 PM PST up reply actions
I agree about DC
he was a phenom in is senior year. Best offensive and defensive player on the floor for the Cougs, and for the most part the opposition too. I saw every home game that season – Rav would get the Coug fans hopping and Beasley would rock. Great Coug memories…
If you can't Go Cougs... don't go.
by hollyweirdcoug on Feb 9, 2012 9:59 PM PST up reply actions
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