I heard one of the ESPN analysts earlier this week, Steve Lavin I believe(?), say in an interview that yeah, the first weekend always sees some craziness. But you USUALLY see things settle back down in the second week, and the reasons are many. But from a coaching point of view, some of it just has to do with the fact that the teams get almost an extra week to prepare for the third and possibly fourth round games. That first weekend of play, you really don’t have much time to think and prepare. The whole thing is just such a whirlwind, and with so many distractions and the craziness of everything, you see the big upsets. But that second weekend of play, the powerhouse programs have a chance to catch their breath, look at film, and basically settle down.
Meanwhile, Cinderella who survives the first weekend? They now have extra time to actually stop and think about the situation they are in, instead of just playing in the momentum of the moment. Suddenly they wake up and realize they are still in this thing, and well, if you aren’t used to it, the pressure of the situation can overwhelm the best of you. Kids from a lesser-known school that never got much media attention suddenly get more interviews and the like then they ever have before. Their cell phones blow up with texts and voicemails from people they barely even know anymore or totally forgot about, all passing on their well-wishes, and some “oh yeah, I need tickets!” type people out there. It’s easy to forget, seeing these man-child types doing amazing things on the court, but they are still kids, not professionals.
Anywho, enough of that. It’s spring football! And just two days into it, and some good reports are coming in. That is to say, good if you are looking for an improvement on defense, which after last year, yeah, it’s REALLY good news! Cougfan had a strong report after day one, with a noticeable uptick in speed and potential playmaking ability flashed on defense throughout the first practice. And it’s so far, so good on maybe the biggest sudden-impact recruit, at least defensively, in the Paul Wulff era – Brandon Rankin. Per the article:
Rankin, who will work at both defensive end and tackle this spring, spent his first day lined up at DT. He said he is ready to go wherever Co-Defensive Coordinators Chris Ball and Sears need him.
“I’m used to it,” Rankin said. “I play all over the d-line — I played (DT) in high school and a little bit in junior college.”
Rankin said the size of his new teammates and counterparts won’t require too large an adjustment coming out of junior college. But he said he plans on adding to his 6-5, 271 pound frame. Wulff said he’s lost 5-10 excess pounds since arriving in January but Rankin says he wants to add muscle.
“They’re about the same, maybe a little bit stronger, but about the same size. I need to gain some weight since I’m playing tackle now,” he said.
Nice. That said, I hope we don’t see him bulk up TOO much, you know? Maybe he’s just destined to grow into a defensive tackle, as he was around 280 when he enrolled in January. That could be who Rankin is, and eventually that weight could settle right back into the 280 range. But I love the idea of having versatility up front, especially once the season starts to wear on and injuries start popping up. To be able to move a player of Rankin’s ability around could be a wonderful thing.
And on day two of practice, the new JC offensive linemen, David Gonzales and Wade Jacobson, have started to establish themselves (note – premium article here at Cougfan). But here’s a good read from Grippi on the goings-on thus far. Of particular interest in his story is the improved play of the secondary:
“We’re really talented in the secondary,” said the group’s veteran, safety Chima Nwachukwu after Friday’s more than two-hour workout, “and I’m really excited about it. We’ve got guys who can cover, guys that can run. I think we’ve got a complete group back there.”
I guess if you can trust anyone’s word of how things are so far, it’s Chima, the senior who’s been a starter since DAY ONE of his WSU career.
Earlier in the month, in breaking down the corners and safeties, pre-spring style, you could really see that there was some promise back there in terms of athleticism, speed and depth.
Anyway, all that aside – we know, we know – it’s EARLY. It’s like the first few days of spring training in MLB, where everyone reports to camp and that they are “feeling great” and “in the best shape of my life” and all that stuff. It’s awfully easy to feel optimistic after just a couple of days of spring ball, when everyone looks great running around in helmets and shorts. We’ll see how things shake out over the next couple of weeks, once the pads come on and these guys start popping each other. But for now, hey, why not enjoy the optimism for a brighter tomorrow? I don’t know about you, but I’m done lamenting the past.
That’s it for now. ENJOY your weekend, and as always, GO COUGS!
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