| 16 November 2011
Every Tuesday, Brian Elsner (Wait For It Seattle) and I will be answering questions from readers. These questions will vary from sports specific to awesome specific. Keep them coming. Send all questions to our Facebook pages at Wait For It Seattle or SeaTown Sports. Or leave us a comment here.
Husky FB expectation question. Not suprising the Dawgs lose to Oregon & USC. If they win out (no jinx intended) and go 8-4 should the fan base be happy? I’m concerned they didn’t beat any quality teams this year…. – Justin F.
Kevin: If they go 9-4 I think the fanbase should be satisfied with a hinge of disappointment. The capability of this offense was on display at the start of the season, but has failed to perform these past couple of weeks right when the defense started to play better. An upward trend is a positive sign, and that’s what the Huskies have accomplished these past three seasons. I’d start being unhappy once the Huskies stop climbing and are at a static position.
Brian: 8-4 should make us happy. This is where we need to be at this point. Think about it – Sark takes them from 0-12 to 5-7 to 6-6 to 8-4. That is great progress. Next year they will need to compete with Oregon, Stanford and USC – not just be on the field with them. If that happens, we know the Dawgs are headed in the right direction. Now, if the Huskies trip up against either Oregon State or WSU and then lose the Bowl Game, we should feel very disappointed. We need progress, not the status quo.
Andy Dalton was a 2nd round pick in the 2011 draft (10 spots after Carpenter). Should Seattle have taken him over Carpenter? Or more generally should have Seattle picked a QB at all in 2011 draft? – Justin F.
Brian: It is pretty easy to jump on the Andy Dalton bandwagon. He has thrown for 14 touchdowns and 9 interceptions with a 82.6 quarterback rating. He seems to manage the game well for a Cincinnati Bengals team that has emerged this season as a playoff contender, posting a 6-3 record. In examining the draft last year, it is clear that the Seahawks did not consider anyone except probably Cam Newton as a franchise guy. They did not trade up for the likes of Blaine Gabbert or Christian Ponder and they were correct in this decision. But should they have gone for Dalton?
Well the answer is found in your assessment of Dalton. Pete Carroll clearly does not think he is a franchise quarterback. He described him as a good player and a great system quarterback meaning he fits well with what the Bengals try to do. Is Carroll right? Maybe. Take Matt Ryan as a comparison. In his rookie year, Ryan threw 16 touchdowns and had 11 interceptions for a 87.7 quarterback rating. Overall, a bit better than Dalton. Is Ryan a franchise guy? Maybe.
So what about Carpenter? In some ways, he has been awful. Carpenter must be near the league leaders in holding and false start penalties. In some games, he looks lost and gets absolutely worked by a better defender. Yet at the same time, Marshawn Lynch has rushed for over 100 yards in two consecutive weeks against the Dallas Cowboys and Baltimore Ravens. In those two games, the O line has given up two total sacks after being nearly the top of the league in previous weeks with over 20 allowed. So clearly the line is improving and doing it against top defenses. Additionally, Carpenter has not missed a snap this season. Thus the verdict is still out, but if we are hinking long term, I believe Dalton is not the answer and Carpenter may just be pretty good at right tackle for years to come.
Kevin: I feel like we’ve answered this question in different forms for every single mailbag so far. Someone please ask a question about Marshawn Lynch next week.
Unless the front office and Pete Caroll were convinced 100% that one of the available quarterbacks was a franchise player, I don’t think Seattle should have picked a QB. I’m happy with Carpenter and will see if he can develop his talents. It’s not fair to already start criticizing him after nine games.
How the Huskies are going to be without IT, Venoy and MBA? – Dan D.
Brian: I have not been able to watch large segments of any games yet, but after talking to 5-6 people and reading a lot, I get the sense they will be exciting yet sometimes frustrating to watch. They obviously turned it up the other night against Portland, but will struggle against bigger teams. While I personally love Aziz N’Diaye, he will never be a back to the basket consistent scorer. (Although MBA never really got there either, despite some solid games).
The talent the Huskies have at the guard position is almost unparalleled in the country with the combination and depth of Abdul Gaddy, Tony Wroten, C.J. Wilcox, Terrence Ross and Scott Suggs. They have playmakers, they have shooters and they have star potential. This isn’t to say that they ARE the best – but they have the potential to be. Unfortunately the combination of N’Diaye, Darnell Gant, Desmond Simmons, Martin Breuing, and Shawn Kemp, Jr. do not compare closely to the front courts of Arizona, UCLA or others in the Pac-12.
Overall, I believe Coach Lorenzo Romar will get them playing defense at a high level and the amount of weapons on offense will take them to greater heights than most anticipate this season. I think the Dawgs will compete for the Pac-12 title and potentially win it.
Kevin: Like Brian, I haven’t analyzed a full Husky game yet, but from what I’ve seen so far, I think the Huskies will be fine without IT, Venoy and MBA. The guard depth will easily replace the production of Thomas. As for post production, don’t expect 15 point nights from N’Diaye or Gant on a consistent basis, but if they can play defense and grab rebounds throughout the season, they will have filled their role well.
Given the current state of the two programs and some serious Pac 12 teams standing in their way, which is more likely to occur first? Husky basketball makes a Final Four or Husky football plays in a BCS bowl game? – Craig A.
Kevin: Though Romar has not signed a recruit from the class of 2012 yet, Husky fans shouldn’t be too worried about the future. Three five-star class of 2013 recruits currently have Washington in the running. In ESPN’s rankings, Jabari Parker is No. 1, Aaron Gordon is No. 6 and Jabari Bird is No. 11. Grab two of these three guys and a final four appearance is a possibility. I’m not seeing this Husky football team in a BCS bowl anytime soon, especially after their performances against USC, Oregon and Stanford this year.
Brian: The Husky basketball team has people a bit worried because of their youth, lack of inside play, and no recruits signed for 2012. At the same time, the Husky football team hasn’t even sniffed a win against Stanford or Oregon in the last two years. So who is closer to the pinnacle? The Husky basketball team for sure – Kevin and I agree on this one. The Dawgs hoops squad only has two seniors who will play this year – Darnell Gant and Scott Suggs. With Suggs out right now, the Huskies still feature great depth at guard. Gant is a nice player, but by no means irreplaceable. Thus the lack of signing someone next year doesn’t seem so bad (even though they will likely grab someone at some point). Kevin is also right in that they are in the mix for some pretty good players after that. Meanwhile the football team is improving, but is not close to the BCS yet.
Additionally, a basketball team can make the leap with one big signing or two. For example, Kentucky went from being average in recent years to a championship contender with a few good players under John Calipari. The Dawgs hoops team could do the same with a five star recruit in the next couple years, especially if Terrence Ross stays another year. Plus, things could be worse – we could be rooting for UCLA.
Brian Elsner writes about Seattle sports at Wait For It Seattle.
