SEATTLE – Tuesday marked the one-third point of the spring practice session for the University of Washington football program, and coach Tyrone Willingham said he and his team can agree on one thing: They’re glad the season doesn’t start tomorrow.
Willingham said that through five practices (15 are scheduled), the focus has been less on game-type drills and more on simply learning a new system.
“That’s been the priority for everyone, including the coaches,” Willingham said. “The most important thing is that we get a handle on the system.”
Willingham said he has seen improvement in the short time the team has been on the field.
“The third or fourth day you do something, it becomes easier to work in that environment,” Willingham said. “The longer you’ve been around your coaches, things become common place. You learn what you can do and what you can’t. I label it growth. And it allows you to be more enthusiastic about what’s going on.”
The team has avoided any injury problems. In living up to his established routine of being vague as to what has been going on in practice, Willingham said no particular player has either stood out or been a disappointment.
Willingham said he designed the spring practice schedule so that it would be more demanding than practices during the regular season.
“If you don’t know your football team, you want to find out how they respond to stress, how they respond to a different situation,” Willingham said. “You don’t learn people until they’re in pressure and stress situations. I best knew my wife after we lived together for a few years. You want to learn how they do things when it’s not a dating situation. … Until you’re in live competition, you don’t know how one will perform. That’s when you find out.”
Toledo adjusting well: He won’t get the glory of catching passes anymore, but Joe Toledo said he’s OK with that.
Because while the recognition might not be there, the responsibility still is.
Toledo is spending spring practice getting used to his move from tight end, where he’s played the past four season for the Huskies, to offensive tackle. The 6-foot-6 senior has added nearly 30 pounds, bulking up to 310, in preparation for the move.
“It’s a little different,” Toledo said. “I’m not getting out on routes. But I’m still blocking the same guys, defensive ends and outside linebackers. So it hasn’t been that hard.”
Last season, Toledo finished second on the team in catches with 19 for 202 yards and two touchdowns. But he and Willingham decided that it would help the team more if Toledo moved to tackle.
Not only is Toledo moving to tackle, he’s competing for the important weakside job. That position is primarily responsible for protecting the quarterback’s blind side, and was manned last season by Khalif Barnes, who appears headed to be a first- or second-round NFL draft pick.
Toledo is listed second on the spring depth chart at weakside tackle behind sophomore Chad Macklin. Junior Jason Benn, an Edmonds native from O’Dea High School, also moved from tight end and is competing for the position.
“There’s a lot of responsibility,” Toledo said. “I’m stepping into some big shoes, and I’m excited for the chance. There’s a lot of pride that comes with having to protect the quarterback’s blind side. I’m going to work as hard as I can to become as good at that position as possible.”
Roster slightly smaller: Two players failed to report for spring ball and have left the team, according to Willingham.
Tyler Ashby, a 300-pound redshirt freshman guard and redshirt freshman free safety Chet Sanders are both no longer on the roster. Willingham would not say why they left.
Both players were listed third on the depth chart.
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