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DawgmanRadio: It's a full roundtable for Day 11 Apr 24, 2021

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It wasn't the nicest outside, but the Washington Huskies continued to get a lot of work done, and this Saturday's practice was all about situational football.

And the guys from Dawgman.com - Kim Grinolds, Chris Fetters, and Scott Eklund - were joined by current intern Jack McCauley and former intern Luke Mounger to create a full-on roundtable to break down everything they saw after Day 11 of spring football.

They start with the different situations the team practiced, from basic 2-minute situations to a 4-minute drill at the end of practice. The team mixed in wrap tempo with some live work, especially as the offenses got closer to the end zone.

The group broke down the work of the offense first, starting with the quarterbacks and moving down through the tailbacks, receivers, tight ends, and the offensive line. They also talked about how some sloppy play in the form of dropped passes and penalties stalled some very promising drives.

They then turned their attention to the defense, namely the pass rush without Laiatu Latu and Zion Tupuola-Fetui, who has stepped up in their absence, and who is starting to work their way toward more playing time.

Moving inside, it was clear Daniel Heimuli was getting more turns with the ones today, and Josh Calvert was getting some play as an outside linebacker. That became even clearer when he de-cleated Jay'Veon Sunday.

Talk finished up with who stood out in the secondary, including Cameron Williams, Jacobe Covington and Makell Esteen, who had the only interception of the day.

Finally, are there any real kicking competitions going on at punter and placekicker, and if the team was down three and they needed a 52-yard field goal to tie on the last play of regulation, who would you choose? Peyton Henry? Tim Horn? Jarrett North? The guys hammer out their thoughts on that.

DawgmanRadio: It's our two-minute drill! Apr 23, 2021

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The clock is tickin', so the guys from Dawgman.com - Kim Grinolds and Chris Fetters - broke down their observations from Day 10 of spring football, one where the Washington Huskies weren't wearing full pads, but that didn't mean they didn't pack in a lot of situational football during their 90-minute practice.

Starting with the quarterbacks, Grinolds and Fetters broke down what they saw from Dylan Morris, Patrick O'Brien, and Sam Huard, and also who stood out from the receivers and high ends. With the day being almost exclusively dedicated to the 2-minute drill, there wasn't much to talk about when it came to the running backs, except for the details, like pass protection and how well they caught the ball out of the backfield.

When it came to the receivers, Taj Davis had his biggest day as a Husky to date. He caught two balls for at least 25 yards each, getting popped pretty hard by the UW secondary for his efforts. Freshman Mark Redman had a very good day too for the tight ends, catching the lone touchdown scored all day by the offense.

Tight Ends Coach Derham Cato and Assistant Defensive Backs Coach Terrence Brown spoke to the media after practice, and Grinolds and Fetters talk a little about their groups and what they said.

Jimmy Lake talks about injuries to Pliska, ZTF, as well as his love of situational football Apr 21, 2021

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Jimmy Lakespoke with the media Wednesday, where he confirmed both Will Pliska and Zion Tupuola-Fetui would be out a minimum of six months with a fractured ankle and ruptured Achilles, respectively. He also talked about situational football, why he loves it so much, and also gave his thoughts on the OLB, OL, WR, and QB position groups.

DawgmanRadio: The Loss Of ZTF And Some Signs Of Progress On Offense Apr 21, 2021

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The news was expected, but it still was jolting when Washington head coach Jimmy Lake addressed the media on Wednesday following practice and announced that outside linebacker Zion Tupuola-Fetui tore his Achilles injury last Friday and will be out for a minimum of six months, likely meaning the Huskies' best pass-rusher will likely miss the entire 2021 football season although the second-year head coach did leave open the possibility of a return before the end of the season.

The guys from Dawgman.com were on hand for practice and the announcement and gave their thoughts on things including the recovery time for Tupuola-Fetui and walk-on offensive lineman Will Pliska, the latter of which fractured his ankle close in the same practice, and what they can expect once they get back. Do Achilles injuries heal and become stronger or is it something that can linger and always be an issue? Does an Achilles tear no matter what or were there some structural issues that led to it being weakened?

The unfortunately injury news overshadowed, what appeared to be a pretty good day for the Husky quarterbacks, especially Dylan Morris and Patrick O'Brien who had a couple of nice touchdown throws in redzone work while wide receivers like Terrell Bynum and Jalen McMillan and tight ends Cade Otton, Quentin Moore and Mark Redman each had some big grabs as well.

In the secondary, the defensive backs continued to shine and the guys talked specifically about the play of safety Dominique Hampton and the two players battling for the right to start at the nickel spot, Oklahoma transfer Brendan Radley-Hiles and redshirt sophomore Kamren Fabiculanan, all three of which had interceptions on the day.

We don't normally discuss the punters, but today, Race Porter stood out with two 60-plus yard punts that really opened peoples eyes.

DawgmanRadio: A Red Zone refresh on Day 8 Apr 19, 2021

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It would certainly make sense for Washington to use Monday's Day 8 practice to clean up and hone in on a lot of what they were trying to get accomplished during Saturday's red zone scrimmage, and that's exactly what they did this morning under perfect conditions at the east field next to Husky Stadium.

The guys from Dawgman.com - Kim Grinolds, Chris Fetters, and Scott Eklund - delve into everything they saw Monday morning, but they start with the players they didn't see at practice, or those that were there but limited to work. It was a list that included Zion Tupuola-Fetui, Miki Ah You, Jack Westover, Mason West, Alex Cook, Richard Newton, Victor Curne. Ryan Bowman and Gaard Memmelaar were back practicing, as normal.

With the red zone emphasis, the guys talk about how Monday was really a tale of two halves. During the first half of the practice, the defense dominated. During one period of 1-1's going into the end zone from 10 yards out, the offense went 3-20, while the defense committed three penalties and the offense one.

In moving toward individual players, the guys talked about the work Brendan Radley-Hiles has already done to integrate himself into the defense, as he battles with Kamren Fabiculanan for the number-one nickel spot. On offense, it was a focus on the quarterbacks, including more talk about freshman Sam Huard and some of the things that may be hampering his ability to break through so far.

The media spoke with running backs coach Keith Bhonapha and receivers coach Junior Adams, and the guys talked a little about their comments about each position group, who is standing out, and who needs to work on their consistency.

To finish the podcast, talk turns to Washington's latest hoops commit, Emmitt Matthews, Jr., and what his commitment means for the team moving forward, what he can add, and what his commitment says about guys leaving home and then wanting to come back. Is this a development that someone like J.T. Tuimoloau is paying attention to, for example? We'll find out.

DawgmanRadio: Saturday was when the fans found out about the "red zone lock out" Apr 17, 2021

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Next Saturday will be more situational, but Washington did a lot of red zone work today, and in front of roughly 2000 people, as Head Coach Jimmy Lake advertised it as a live scrimmage.

Well, he was right... to a point. There was certainly live scrimmaging going on as they mixed in some live reps with their normal wrap (or cut) tempo, but they didn't really go full live periods until the two-hour practice was nearly done, and even then the 'red zone lock out' game fans were able to watch only lasted 14 plays and the defense won 22-3 after a Jackson Sirmon interception sealed the win for the defense.

To explain the 'red zone lock out', it's a red zone period where each drive starts at the defense's 25-yard line. If the offense scores, they get 6 points. If the defense hold the offense to a field goal, the offense gets the three points, but the defense gets four points. And if they hold them on fourth down or create a turnover, the defense gets six points. They also get all six points if the offense misses a field goal.

The guys from Dawgman.com - Kim Grinolds, Chris Fetters, and Scott Eklund - broke down what they saw during the day, including the red zone lock out, and also the individual highlights. There were some players that didn't play, whether they were hurt from earlier in spring camp or were held out for one reason or another.

So, for instance, not having Zion Tupuola-Fetui or Ryan Bowman available for the scrimmage meant players like Jeremiah Martin, Bralen Trice, and Cooper McDonald got even more turns with the first and second teams to show what they could do. And with the live periods, we got to see how all the quarterbacks and running backs responded to as close to oppositional adversity as they'll get during spring football.

They give their thoughts on the difference between the earlier 11-11 periods, ones where plenty of touchdowns were scored, and then how the tables turned during the red zone lock out period. As Tuli Letuligasenoa could be heard on the sidelines near the end of practice, 'we're back on schedule!'

Rip Rowan and Will Harris spoke to the media after Day 6 of UW Spring Football. Apr 17, 2021

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Rip Rowan and Will Harrisspoke to the media after Day 6 of UW Spring Football.

DawgmanRadio: Friday's practice was simply a prelude, but still a ton to talk about Apr 16, 2021

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Friday's Day 6 of practice had all the hallmarks of a Thursday practice during a game week. It was shortened, it was not a full pads practice, yet incorporated all the periods you would expect the team to go through as they prepared for a big game.

And in this case, the 'big game' is Saturday's full scrimmage, open to the public.

But folks will still be talking about the non-pads injury to Zion Tupuola-Fetui that forced the junior outside linebacker off the field and down the tunnel, not putting any weight on his left leg.

The guys from Dawgman.com - Kim Grinolds, Chris Fetters, and Scott Eklund - talk about that injury, as well as the one to walk-on offensive lineman Will Pliska, that took place as the team was getting fine-tuned for Saturday's scrimmage.

UW Head Coach Jimmy Lake has talked all spring about the need to go live as much as possible, but also be smart about the times they do it so they don't put their players unduly at risk. This makes the injuries to Tupuola-Fetui and Pliska even more ironic because they happened during a practice where they should have been protected the most.

The Dawgman guys also talked about the quarterback play on Friday, getting a chance to talk with new DL Coach Rip Rowan and DB Coach Will Harris, the versatility of a stacked defensive back room, and Sean McGrew's day among the running backs and how Giles Jackson may put McGrew's stranglehold on the kick-return job in doubt.

And finally for the fans - make sure you go to gohuskies.com and sign up for tickets to attend Saturday's scrimmage. From our memory, an event like this has never happened during spring football, outside of spring game. So this is your chance to get a sneak-peak on what the players have been working on, and the weather forecast is great too.

Jimmy Lake's full comments after Day 5 of spring football Apr 15, 2021

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Here's everything Jimmy Lakehad to say to the media after Wednesday's Day 5 of spring football. He talks about new drills and new approaches that have helped the coaches double the number of reps put down on tape, as well as comments on players like Edefuan Ulofoshio, Dominique Hampton, and others.

DawgmanRadio: Mixing it up on Day Five Apr 14, 2021

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The band is back together! The guys from Dawgman.com - Kim Grinolds, Chris Fetters, and Scott Eklund - were all at practice on Wednesday, and it was a glorious day on Montlake to watch some spring football. With roughly 200 fans in the stands, they got a chance to watch something you don't normally see with UW spring football; live reps!

Now, they weren't fully live, as the quarterback is almost never put in a live situation in either spring or fall ball, but when Tim Socha called out 'LIVE!!!' during the final team period, that was music to our ears. Jimmy Lake believes the best way to learn to play the game is to play the game, so he called for a mix of live reps with their normal 'wrap' tempo, meaning full-speed to wrap up, but never to take a ballcarrier to the ground.

The guys talked about going live at the end of practice, how the day could have been sponsored by Pacific Linen for the number of flags that were thrown all throughout practice, as well as some of the players singled out by us or by Coach Lake after practice: Dominique Hampton, Ja'Lynn Polk, and Bralen Trice.

They also touched briefly on why tailback Richard Newton missed a couple practices early in spring, something Lake talked about with the media after practice, as well as the breaking news that the UW Men's Basketball team hired an assistant coach Wednesday morning; former Cal Head Coach Wyking Jones.

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