By Todd Milles
The News Tribune
SEATTLE — Chris Petersen says he constantly strives for balance between his high-pressure job as the University of Washington football coach and personal obligations at home.
But come late July, he admits the coaching part wins out.
He starts thinking about the start of the season.
And that means one thing — the beginning of preseason camp.
On Monday, the Huskies open with an afternoon practice in the Dempsey Center — the first of 26 practices the team will hold leading up to their 2017 season opener Sept. 1 at Rutgers.
Coming off a relaxing few weeks, it was obvious Sunday in his pre-fall camp media conference he was revved up and ready to go.
“It’s really important you force yourself to get away and to gear down (in the summer months),” Petersen said. “Then we start getting close. Even though you might be on vacation, you start to kind of turn it up.”
Here is a recap of the 2016 season: The Huskies won the Pac-12 North Division title, then defeated Colorado for the league crown. They were selected as the No. 4 seed to the College Football Playoff, eventually losing to Alabama in the national semifinals in the Peach Bowl in Atlanta.
Quarterback Jake Browning returns. So does the high-powered tailback duo of Myles Gaskin and Lavon Coleman. Four offensive linemen, led by tackle Trey Adams, are back to pave the way. And wide receiver Dante Pettis could lead the conference in touchdown catches.
Yet, true to his nature, and consistent with what he has said all offseason, Petersen said this preseason camp isn’t the start of the next chapter building on last season. It leads off a whole new book entirely.
“We are very fundamental-based,” Petersen said. “We don’t pick up where we left off. We started over with everything we do, whether it’s spring ball, fall camp, game week — we start from the start.”
It hasn’t stopped the heap of preseason predictions from flowing. At last week’s Pac-12 media day, the UW was picked to repeat as the Pac-12 North winner, and play USC in the conference title game.
“This is a really hard league to win (in) every week,” Petersen said. “And sometimes who the experts predict to win every week doesn’t happen.
“If you don’t show up with your best, when we play in our league, you’re going to lose.”
Extra points
Defensive back Brandon Lewis and wide receiver Nik Little have retired with medical issues, but will stay with the team in administrative roles. … After graduating, quarterback Tony Rodriguez — who had another season of eligibility — opted not to return to football. …. Defensive back Trevor Walker has decided to transfer to Texas Tech. … Myles Bryant, a walk-on defensive back from Los Angeles, was awarded a scholarship in the offseason. … Petersen said senior Tristan Vizcaino, who was the primary punter and kicker on kickoffs, could end up becoming the team’s top option on field goals. … The first preseason practice open to the public is Friday. Two days later is “Picture Day,” which is also open.
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