SEATTLE — How times have changed since the days of Mark Bruener, Ernie Conwell and Jerramy Stevens.
After spending the 1990s and early part of this decade producing NFL-ready tight ends, the University of Washington is having trouble getting the ball to its tight ends this season. Through five games, the Huskies’ three regular tight ends have a combined seven catches for 80 yards. Robert Lewis leads the way with five catches, Michael Gottlieb has two, while Johnie Kirton is without a catch.
In his time at Washington, Stevens had four games in which he had seven or more receptions.
Last year, Kirton, a Jackson High School graduate, considered his 12 catches with three touchdowns something of a letdown. This season? Well his pace for zero and zero won’t exactly make him happy if things continue down this path.
“Every position wants the ball more, but the bottom line is we want to do what’s best for the team,” tight ends coach Bob Simmons said. “That’s not to say that our tight ends are not important to the team, because they are.”
Part of the reason for a lack of tight end productivity is the Huskies’ spread-option offense, which on many plays replaces the tight end with an extra receiver. Still, Washington’s coaches insist that the tight end is still a big part of their season plans.
“Our tight ends are still a big part of our offense,” offensive coordinator Tim Lappano said. “But it goes by progression. If they’re not open in that first progression, (quarterback Jake Locker) has got to get off that and he goes to his second progression and his third. It’s not by design. I’m not trying to not use our tight ends. I’m trying to use them.”
While Lappano insists that he is still trying to use the position in his offense, Washington’s tight ends have noticed their roles in the passing game shrinking.
“Every week now it’s gotten a little bit worse for us all,” said Kirton, who noted that the tight ends joke now in meetings about the number of plays that exclude their position. “It’s like, ‘Oh, a formation without us is up again.’ We’re trying to make the best out of it, and we understand that coaches are going to do what they think is best for us to be successful …
“We can’t do anything about it, so we’re just going to ride the wave until maybe they change their mind and start using us more. Right now we’re just trying to do our best and catch the ball when it’s thrown to us.”
While they’d like the ball more, Lewis, Gottlieb and Kirton all say their limited roles aren’t affecting their efforts.
“I sill go out there and practice and play hard every chance I get,” Lewis said. “But it’s hard to be a senior leader if I can’t get on the field and lead.”
Simmons also pointed out that in their limited pass-catching roles, he is pleased with the tight ends’ play, and that their blocking also has been good.
For now all three tight ends seem to agree that they would like the ball more, but until that time comes, there isn’t much they can do but play hard and make the most of limited opportunities.
“Yeah, we’d definitely like to be getting more balls, but at the same time, we understand the scheme of what the coaches want to do,” Gottlieb said. “They’re wanting to spread the ball out and want to get Jake open in space. We understand that that’s effective too, so we’re not really going to be bitter about it. As a player you’d like to do as much as you can, but at the end of the day, when all is said and done, as long as we’re getting opportunity, we’re getting a fair shake at things.”
Contact Herald Writer John Boyle at jboyle@heraldnet.com. For more on University of Washington Sports, check out the Huskies blog at heraldnet.com/huskiesblog.
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