Spring football: Petersen not pleased with Huskies

  • By Christian Caple The News Tribune
  • Tuesday, April 1, 2014 7:00pm
  • SportsSports

SEATTLE — Chris Petersen really wants you to know that his team is a work in progress.

After the Washington Huskies’ first day back at spring football practice following a two-week break, Petersen fielded a variety of questions about what he saw from his team during their first two weeks of workouts, about who has impressed him, about how the quarterbacks have performed.

Is he pleased with where his players stand after seven practices?

“No. Absolutely not,” Petersen said. “I’m pleased with their attitude. They want to get it. We’re all working this together. Are we pleased where we are? No, because we have a long way to go. I like the guys. I like them a lot. I like coaching them. But we’ve got a long way to go.”

Has anyone surprised him so far?

“Nope. Not a guy,” Petersen said. “I’ll tell you if I see a guy, and there wasn’t one out there where I went ‘wow, that’s pretty special.’ Work in progress.”

See?

Indeed, after two weeks off for final exams and spring break, there was much rust for the Huskies to shake off at Husky Stadium on Tuesday morning.

And if Petersen’s evaluations seem harsh, it’s mostly because, as he openly admits, the Huskies have more work to do than their opponents who aren’t adapting to a new coaching staff with new schemes and new philosophies.

“We’ve hurt our kids as coaches by being a new coaching staff,” Petersen said. “We’ve set them back and we tell them that every day — ‘because we’re new and we’re giving you new things, other people are ahead of us.’ So we’re trying to play catch up as fast as we can.”

To that end, there has been progress.

“The plays are starting to flow and it’s becoming more fluid, and I think guys on the team, on the offense, are starting to mesh together,” said redshirt sophomore quarterback Jeff Lindquist, who spent his spring break in the Dominican Republic with a group from his church. “Things are becoming less robotic and more natural for us.”

The emphasis is still on technique and fundamentals, with only brief periods of 11-on-11 or 7-on-7 competition from scrimmage. Sophomore safety Brandon Beaver probably made the most noise of anybody on Tuesday, intercepting a long pass from quarterback Troy Williams before stripping Williams and recovering the fumble.

“Two weeks was a long time off,” Petersen said. “So (we are) working hard. We’ve got a lot of details to clean up. That’s what spring ball is all about, and hopefully we make progress every day.”

High-jump hijinx

Each practice, strength coach Tim Socha introduces an off-the-wall competition designed to pit the offense and defense against each other in some type of test of strength or athleticism.

On Tuesday, a few offensive and defensive players were selected to compete against each other in the high-jump, with pads stacked on top of each other to simulate the bar.

The defense was eventually declared the winner after linebackers coach Bob Gregory edged offensive line coach Chris Strausser in a winner-take-all leap (a low leap). But sophomore receiver John Ross was probably the most impressive, eventually clearing a tall stack of pads that cornerback Jermaine Kelly couldn’t quite hurdle.

“I actually enjoy it. We talk bad about each other in the locker room, fun and games,” Ross said of the regular challenges. “The competition period is just a way for us to compete against each other while having fun.”

Extra points

Senior linebacker John Timu, who was suspended for the first two weeks of spring practices after facing a criminal charge for vehicle prowling, was back at practice on Tuesday and worked with the No. 1 defense. Petersen said “we’ve got separate issues here. We dealt with the other issue. He’s dealt with the other issue. And now he’s back playing football.” … Petersen said there is no update on quarterback Cyler Miles or receiver Damore’ea Stringfellow, both of whom have been suspended since Feb. 6 after being accused of assaulting a man on Feb. 2. Miles will not face charges in connection with the incident. The Seattle Times reported that Stringfellow will be charged with two counts of misdemeanor assault and malicious mischief, though the King County Prosecutor’s Office has not issued a formal statement. … Four players were absent from Tuesday’s practice — defensive linemen Danny Shelton and Hau’oli Kikaha (who made an appearance midway through practice before leaving), offensive lineman Ben Riva and cornerback Marcus Peters. Petersen said the absent players had class conflicts, which is the reason Thursday practices have been moved to 7:15 p.m. … Former Tumwater defensive lineman Jaimie Bryant, who grayshirted last year and signed with the Huskies in February, has enrolled at UW and participated in practice on Tuesday.

Talk to us

> Give us your news tips.

> Send us a letter to the editor.

> More Herald contact information.

More in Sports

Silvertips forward Shea Busch participates in the Florida Panthers development camp at Baptist Health IcePlex in Fort Lauderdale, Florida on July 1, 2025. Florida selected Busch in the fourth round of the 2025 NHL Entry Draft on June 28. (Photo courtesy Shea Busch)
Shea Busch experiences whirlwind NHL Draft week

The Florida Panthers selected the Silvertips forward in the fourth round on June 28.

Rome Odunze scans the field in a scrimmage at his youth football camp at Archbishop Murphy High School on July 10, 2025. The former University of Washington star is entering his second NFL season with the Chicago Bears. (Joe Pohoryles / The Herald)
Odunze ‘gives back’ in Everett youth football camp

The former University of Washington star hosts a single-day camp at Archbishop Murphy on Thursday.

The New York Yankees' Aaron Judge, top right, celebrates with teammates after hitting a walk-off sacrifice fly ball during the 10th inning against the Seattle Mariners at Yankee Stadium on Thursday, July 10, 2025, in New York. (Justin Casterline / Getty Images / Tribune News Services)
Yankees walk off Mariners on Judge’s sac fly for series sweep

Seattle blows 5-0 lead after Bryan Woo takes no-hitter into eighth inning.

Raleigh says Munoz tipped pitches during Yankees’ comeback

The Yankees had a bead on Seattle Mariners closer Andrés Muñoz. That’s… Continue reading

Midfielder Christian Soto dribbles up field during Snohomish United's 5-1 win against the Tacoma Stars at Stockers Fields on July 9, 2025 (Joe Pohoryles / The Herald)
Snohomish United keeps playoff hopes alive in home finale

With 5-1 win against Tacoma, the USL2 club’s focus on local talent keys success in inaugural season.

Silvertips forward Carter Bear fields questions after the Detroit Red Wings selected him 13th overall in the 2025 NHL Entry Draft in Los Angeles on June 27, 2025. (Photo courtesy Natalie Shaver / CHL)
Two weeks after Draft, Silvertips’ Bear still can’t believe it

The Red Wings’ first-rounder reflects on draft night and his experience at Detroit’s development camp.

AquaSox down Devils for consecutive wins

The AquaSox were on a 2-10 stretch coming into the series.

Cam Schlittler’s strong debut freezes Mariners

The Mariners fell to the Yankees, 9-6, on Wednesday night.

Storm flies too close to the Sun, loses in an upset

Connecticut snapped a 10-game losing streak to beat Seattle 93-83 on Wednesday morning.

Giancarlo Stanton of the New York Yankees flips his bat after hitting a three-run home run in the sixth inning against the Seattle Mariners at Yankee Stadium on Tuesday, July 8, 2025, in New York. (Evan Bernstein / Getty Images / Tribune News Services)
Raleigh, Judge heat up homer race at Yankee Stadium

In the battle of baseball’s biggest sluggers, Aaron Judge… Continue reading

Seattle Seahawks linebackers Derick Hall (58) and Boye Mafe (53) celebrate a defensive play during the 2024 season. (Rio Giancarlo / Getty Images / The Athletic)
Season to reveal long-term plans for Seahawks linebackers

The Seattle Seahawks selected edge rusher Boye Mafe with… Continue reading

Silvertips defenseman wins U20 Ball Hockey World Title with Canada

Rylan Pearce helps Canada win gold at the ISBHF U20 World Championships in Slovakia.

Support local journalism

If you value local news, make a gift now to support the trusted journalism you get in The Daily Herald. Donations processed in this system are not tax deductible.