Patton's 2012 NFL Mock Draft v 2.0

By Patton Richard

This is my 2nd Mock Draft of the year, but my first since the College season has ended and a lot has changed. I tried to pack a lot of my thoughts into each pick. Like always, questions/comments are always welcome. There are only 10 days until the draft and a lot can change between now and then!

1. Indianapolis Colts: Andrew Luck, QB, Stanford.
The inevitable.

2. Washington RedSkins (from STL): Robert Griffin III, QB, Baylor.
The inevitable.

3. Minnesota Vikings: Matt Kalil, OT, USC.
A lot of people believe this is the inevitable part III, however I disagree. I hear rumblings that since absolutely no one knows what Cleveland is doing, this is a hot-spot for trades. People have been calling about Kalil, Claiborne, Richardson and Tannehill. I would not be shocked at all if someone jumps Cleveland to get their guy, as they have no idea who's going to fall.

4. Cleveland Browns: Trent Richardson, RB, Alabama.
I feel like Cleveland spent all off-season trying to upgrade the QB position, and once they failed at that they should decide to upgrade their talent around the QB. With Peyton Hillis signing in KC they only have Montario Hardesty on the roster as any RB worth anything. I can't believe they'd be willing to pass up Trent Richardson here, however if they do I believe it's between Floyd and Tannehill.

5. Tampa Bay Buccaneers: Morris Claiborne, CB, LSU.
Tampa really loves being in the 5th position. They would love any of the big 5 prospects so they will sit here and take whatever one is left.

6. St. Louis Rams (from WAS): Fletcher Cox, DT, Mississippi State.
I'm hearing St. Louis LOVES Richardson (no surprise here, who doesn't?), and is trying to figure out if they have to move up. They've had preliminary talks with Minnesota about moving up to #3 to grab him. If they are unsuccessful then I think they will take Fletcher Cox over Michael Floyd or Justin Blackmon. Cox has the versatility that Fisher likes in his linemen.

7. Jacksonville Jaguars: Michael Floyd, WR, Notre Dame.
Blaine Gabbert was terrible last year, in fact I'm shocked that the Jaguars won any games at all last year. They have holes everywhere. This pick could go any number of ways: Floyd, Blackmon, Gilmore, Barron, DeCastro, Ingram, Upshaw, Kuechly. No one really knows what Jacksonville is going to do, but I think Floyd would give them someone next to Lee Evans who can make life on Gabbert a little easier. I have heard that they want to trade down and take Floyd, but I think Carolina would take him at #9.

8. Miami Dolphins: Ryan Tannehill, QB, Texas A&M.
Miami gets their QB at #8. Now I don't believe this will actually happen, I think someone is going to trade up to #6 (if Richardson is gone) or #7 (Jacksonville would love to trade back) to take Tannehill. I think Kansas City, Buffalo, and Cleveland (from #22) are all possibilities.

9. Carolina Panthers: Stephon Gilmore, CB, South Carolina.
Stephon Gilmore has always been a personal favorite, but I'm hearing teams are coming around on him. Carolina would love a DL, a WR or CB. I believe Gilmore is the best value here.

10. Buffalo Bills: David Decastro, OG, Stanford.
After spending lots of money on bolstering the D-Line, Buffalo turns to the OLine to grab the 2nd best Olinemen in the draft. I think they would consider Blackmon here too.

11. Kansas City Chiefs: Mark Barron, S, Alabama.
Teams are starting to realize how hard it is to get good safeties, the idea of putting Barron next to Eric Berry is too good to pass up. Barron and Berry can both cover and help in the run game. Everyone thinks that they are going Poe here, but I'm not sure if I believe it.

12. Seattle Seahawks: Luke Kuechly, LB, Boston College.
Probably the toughest pick to make, I know some people love Ingram, others love Coples and everyone else loves Upshaw. All 3 are available and yet I have the Seahawks passing on all of them, the reason? Kuechly is that good. He was recently #6 on Mayock's big board, he's #4 on mine (Luck, Richardson, RG3, Kuechly, Claiborne, Kalil for those of you interested). Besides Luck and Richardson, Kuechly is the most likely to be an All-Pro 8+ year pro bowler. I don't see how you can turn that down when there is a need at that position. Currently Seattle plans on starting Barrett Ruud at LB, Kuechly would be an enormous upgrade.

13. Arizona Cardinals: Justin Blackmon, WR, Oklahoma State.
Justin Blackmon is an Anquan Boldin clone, but less physical. I think he will thrive next to Fitzgerald and with an accurate passer like Kolb.

14. Dallas Cowboys: Dontari Poe, DT, Memphis.
A little birdy told me Poe is #7 on Dallas's board. I think Rob Ryan is seeing the potential in what he could be and salivating.

15. Philadelphia Eagles: Dont'a Hightower, LB, Alabama.
Philadelphia would love Kuechly to fall to them, but in this mock he doesn't. They take the rising Hightower who many think is the best LB prospect in this draft. He brings a pass-rushing element that Kuechly doesn't, but Kuechly does everything else better.

16. New York Jets: Melvin Ingram, DE/OLB, South Carolina.
Melvin Ingram is a victim of unfortunate Circumstances. He could go as early as #6 and I believe that this is his absolute floor. I can't imagine him falling any further than right here.

17. Cincinnati Bengals (from OAK): Dre Kirkpatrick, CB, Alabama.
This seems to be the obvious pick, yet Cinci seems to do the obvious almost every year.

18. San Diego Chargers: Courtney Upshaw, LB, Alabama.
Upshaw is a perfect fit as an OLB in SD's 3-4 defense. I liken him to Brian Orakpo, but I don't

19. Chicago Bears: Riley Reiff, T, Iowa.
I struggle to see why all these Iowa OT's get taken early. As you may or may not remember I was completely against Baluga in the first round, and I'm completely against Reiff in the first round as well. That being said, I believe the Bears will take another OL in the first that won't pan out like they hope (just like Crimini last year).

20. Tennessee Titans: Quinton Coples, DT/DE, North Carolina.
I also believe that this represents the floor for Coples, he's versatile and can play many positions on the DL. He has the highest ceiling out of any dlinemen in this draft, however inconsistency has made him fall.

21. Cincinnati Bengals: Stephen Hill, WR, Georgia Tech.
Cincinnati first addresses their CB need, and now they go find another threat across AJ Green. Stephen Hill needs to be refined, but with Dalton and Green, they are starting to build something dangerous.

22. Cleveland Browns (from ATL): Colby Fleener, TE, Stanford.
Everyone always hears that a TE is a QBs best friend. Well, Colt McCoy, meet your new best friend. Fleener can cause havoc in a West Coast based offense (as he came from one in Stanford).

23. Detroit Lions: Brandon Boykin, CB, Georgia.
Detroit has 2 really big needs going into this offseason, Secondary and Oline. I wouldn't be surprised if they took 5 players between those 2 areas. Boykin is the best non-Janoris Jenkins corner left. I believe Jenkins is a top 10 talent, but the way I heard he interviewed is that he "smoked himself stupid" and that he continued to play at Northern Alabama instead of going into the supplemental draft so he could continue to smoke weed. Sorry, this is supposed to be about Boykin. He's good. He plays the run very well and he's very physical for someone his size. He'll fit in nicely with Schwartz in Detroit.

24. Pittsburgh Steelers: Cordy Glenn, OG/OT, Georgia.
Cordy Glenn projects to be a James Carpenter type who can play either guard or RT. I know Pittsburgh values that kind of versatility.

25. Denver Broncos: Kendall Wright, WR, Baylor.
Robert Griffin's go to receiver becomes Peyton Manning's new toy. He can line up in the slot and learn from the newly signed Brandon Stokley, or he can line up outside and use his speed to get open. The WR corps of Demaryius Thomas and not much else won't be sufficient for Peyton.

26. Houston Texans: Jonathan Martin, OT, Stanford.
Teams are DOWN on Jonathan Martin, I'm hearing he's projected between picks 30-50. However, at this point when stuff like that leaks, it usually means a certain team really likes him and hopes he falls to them. I believe Houston could benefit greatly from having Jonathan Martin and he's a perfect fit for a ZBS.

27. New England Patriots (from NO): Jamell Fleming, CB, Oklahoma.
Jamell Fleming has it all on tape, however he struggled in school being suspended twice. However, as a regional scout once told me "we're not paying them to go to school". I think New England believes in the leadership that they have in place to take a chance on Fleming.

28. Green Bay Packers: Shea McClellin, LB/DE, Boise State.
McClellin is a late riser who fits a 3-4 OLB perfectly. Green Bay needs someone to rush the passer on the edge opposite of Clay Matthews. I think Nick Perry could be the pick here, but he prefers to rush from the DE position.

29. Baltimore Ravens: Whitney Mercilus, DE, Illinois.
Baltimore lost 3 front 7 players this offseason, so I believe Mercilus will be a great pass rusher for them to plug and play right away I wouldn’t be surprised if the Ravens have Nick Perry rated high enough to take him here.

30. San Francisco 49ers: Rueben Randle, WR, LSU.
San Francisco will probably take two WR's in the first 4 rounds to pair with Crabtree, Manningham and a decrepit Randy Moss. Randle is the best fit out of all the WRs available. They would love Wright or Hill, but Randle is deserving of a 1st round pick. Randle blocks exceptionally well for a WR which is a necessity for Jim Harbaugh.

31. New England Patriots: Michael Brockers, DT, LSU.
I hate projecting players to New England because they rarely every actually take them so I usually just project best player available. I think that's Michael Brockers who some believe has top 15 upside.

32. New York Giants: Doug Martin, RB, Boise State.
Doug Martin is loved by all in the scouting community. I have heard some having him as high as #12 prospect overall and going to the Jets or Bengals. I see a big running back who can truck and use his speed and agility. I think New York would love to have someone to replace Brandon Jacobs.

Round 2
33. St. Louis Rams: Peter Konz, C, Wisconsin
34. Indianapolis Colts: Mohamed Sanu, WR, Rutgers
35. Minnesota Vikings: Josh Robinson CB Central Florida
36. Tampa Bay Buccaneers: Lamar Miller, RB, Miami FL
37. Cleveland Browns: Brandon Weeden, QB, Oklahoma State
38. Jacksonville Jaguars: fndre Branch, DE, Clemson
39. St. Louis Rams (from WAS): Alshon Jeffrey, WR, South Carolina
40. Miami Dolphins: Chandler Jones, DE, Syracuse
41. Buffalo Bills: Bobby Massie, T, Ole Miss
42. Carolina Panthers: Devon Still, DT, Penn State

43. Seattle Seahawks: Nick Perry, DE/OLB, USC
Seattle gets their edge rusher in Nick Perry who Cosell called the best passrushing 4-3 DE in the draft. Unfortunately when I see Perry I see more Vernon Gholston than anything. I have a late 3rd round grade on him, but I understand why others have him as a top 20 pick.

44. Kansas City Chiefs: Brock Osweiler, QB, Arizona State
45. Dallas Cowboys: Mychael Kendricks, LB, California
46. Philadelphia Eagles: Mike Adams, T, Ohio State
47. New York Jets: Greg Childs, WR, Arkansas
48. New England Patriots (from OAK): Kendall Reyes, DE, UConn
49. San Diego Chargers: Harrison Smith, S, Notre Dame
50. Chicago Bears: Jerel Worthy, DT, Michigan State
51. Philadelphia Eagles (from ARI): Vinny Curry, DE/OLB, Marshall
52. Tennessee Titans: Amini Silatolu, G, Midwestern State
53. Cincinnati Bengals: David Wilson, RB, Virginia Tech
54. Detroit Lions: Kelechi Osemele, G/T, Iowa State
55. Atlanta Falcons: Chris Polk, RB, Washington
56. Pittsburgh Steelers: Alameda Ta'Amu, NT, Washington
57. Denver Broncos: Kirk Cousins, QB, Michigan State
58. Houston Texans: Lavonte David, LB, Nebraska
59. New Orleans Saints: Forefited
60. Green Bay Packers: Josh Chapman, DT, Alabama
61. Baltimore Ravens: Kevin Zeitler, G, Wisconsin
62. San Francisco 49ers: Brandon Thompson, DT, Clemson
63. New England Patriots: Brian Quick, WR, Appalachian State
64. New York Giants: Zach Brown, LB, North Carolina

Round 3
65. Indianapolis Colts: Trumaine Johnson, CB, Montana
66. St. Louis Rams: Bobby Wagner, LB, Utah State
67. Minnesota Vikings: Mitchell Schwartz, T, California
68. Cleveland Browns: AJ Jenkins, WR, Illinois
69. Tampa Bay Buccaneers: Sean Spence, LB, Miami FL
70. Washington Redskins: Ryan Broyles, WR, Oklahoma
71. Jacksonville Jaguars: Jayron Hosley, CB, Virginia Tech.
72. Buffalo Bills: Markelle Martin, S, Oklahoma State
73. *Minnesota Vikings (from MIA): Bernard Pierce, RB, Temple
74. Chicago Bears (from CAR): Nick Toon, WR, Wisconsin
75. Kansas City Chiefs: Janoris Jenkins, CB, Northern Alabama

76. Seattle Seahawks: Jared Crick, DE, Nebraska
Yes Seattle takes 3 straight defensive players, and Crick is another DE. However, he's a completely different DE than Perry. He's more than a pass rushing specialist, and Seattle needs more than 1 DE. Crick was thought of as a 1st round pick until his disappointing senior season and his injury. I think Seattle would gladly take Crick here and use the next couple picks on a RB, OL and QB.

77. Philadelphia Eagles: LaMichael James, Oregon
78. New York Jets: Ronnell Lewis, OLB, Oklahoma
79. Oakland Raiders -- used on Terrelle Pryor in Supplemental Draft
80. San Diego Chargers: Marvin Jones, WR, California
81. Miami Dolphins (from CHI): Juron Criner, WR, Arizona
82. Arizona Cardinals: Cam Johnson, DE, Virginia
83. Dallas Cowboys: Jeff Allen, G/T, Illinois
84. Tennessee Titans: Casey Hayward, CB, Vanderbilt
85. Cincinnati Bengals: Josh Kaddu, LB, Oregon
86. Atlanta Falcons: Zebrie Sanders, T, Florida State
87. Detroit Lions: Brandon Washington, G, Miami FL
88. Pittsburgh Steelers: Isaiah Pead, RB, Cincinnati
89. Denver Broncos: Demario Davis, LB, Arkansas State
90. Houston Texans: Joe Adams, WR, Arkansas
91. New Orleans Saints: Coryell Judie, CB, Texas A&M
92. Green Bay Packers: Derek Wolfe, DE, Cincinnati
93. Baltimore Ravens: Chris Givens, WR, Wake Forest
94. San Francisco 49ers: Ben Jones, G, Georgia
95. New England Patriots: George Iloka, S, Boise State
96. New York Giants: Ladarius Green, TE, LA-Lafayette

Patton's 2012 NFL Mock Draft v 1.0

By Patton Richard



Normally I don't feel comfortable doing mock drafts until I know the draft order, but I'm starting to get excited for the draft. I don't project trades in my mocks, and this isn't what I would do, but what I think makes sense for the teams given rankings of players.

1. Indianapolis Colts: Andrew Luck, QB, Stanford
There is no possible way the Colts trade out of this pick or don't take Andrew Luck. I think they hold onto Peyton Manning for at least one more year before Luck takes the reign.

2. Carolina Panthers: Matt Kalil, OT, USC
Matt Kalil is on the same level as Jake Long and Joe Thomas in terms of prospects coming out of college, and it doesn't hurt that his brother is the center for Carolina who just signed a long term deal.

3. Miami Dolphins: Matt Barkley, QB, USC
I have Matt Barkley only slightly below Andrew Luck in terms of overall ability. He reminds me so much of a stronger, more accurate, Matt Ryan.

4. St Louis Rams: Justin Blackmon, WR, Oklahoma State
St Louis needs wide outs who can actually catch the ball. Justin Blackmon has the largest upside out of any WR in the draft.

5. Minnesota Vikings: Jonathan Martin, OT, Stanford
Minnesota is very disappointed that Kalil isn't available to them, but they take the next best OT to help their aging line.

6. Washington Redskins: Robert Griffin III, QB, Baylor
The John Beck/Rex Grossman experience obviously isn't working, and Shanahan loves these toolsy QB types. Griffin's got incredible athleticism and throws the best deep ball in the class.

7. Arizona Cardinals: Riley Reiff, OT, Iowa
Arizona needs offensive line help however this seems like a reach. I think Reiff should be picked in the 15-20 range, but Arizona will reach to take the best OT on the board. This may playout like Levi Brown v2 (and missing on Adrian Peterson, or in this case, Trent Richardson).

8. Jacksonville Jaguars: Morris Claiborne, CB, LSU
Claiborne is the best CB in this draft and the Jaguars need a lot of help everywhere.

9. Philadelphia Eagles: Zach Brown, OLB, UNC
Eagles desperately need to improve their LB unit. Zach Brown has seperated himself from the rest of the OLB in this class.

10. Cleveland Browns: Landry Jones, QB, Oklahoma
The Colt McCoy experience has been a disaster, and although I'm not a fan of Landry Jones I think someone in the top 10-15 will reach for him. He does terrible in the face of pressure and I don't believe he has the arm strength to do everything he needs to do to succeed in the NFL.

11. Seattle Seahawks: Trent Richardson, RB, Alabama
Last year I mocked Mark Ingram to the Seahawks, and this year I'm mocking the next Alabama RB. Trent Richardson can run between the tackles, take a swing pass and go the distance, and run crisp routes. He's the purest RB I've ever scouted (moreso than Adrian Peterson), if this was 2003 Richardson might be the #2 overall pick, but the dynamic of the NFL has changed so much that Richardson drops. Marshawn Lynch hasn't been a disappointment (in my mind), but he is a free agent after this year and the Seahawks still lack playmakers on the offensive side of the ball. It was between Richardson and Quinton Coples.

12. Kansas City Chiefs: Quinton Coples, DE, North Carolina
Kansas City is last in sacks in the NFL. Coples is the top DE in the draft, but he's puzzling to say the least. He loves to hit people super hard, but when he gets hit back he shuts down. He's very ineffective in about 50% of snaps I've seen, and I mean give up on the play level ineffective.

13. San Diego Chargers: Dre Kirkpatrick, CB, Alabama
Best player available, big physical corner who I would love to be on the Seahawks. I like him slightly more than Claiborne, however most people I talk to have Claiborne rated higher.

14. Tampa Bay Buccaneers: Alfonzo Dennard, CB, Nebraska
Alfonzo Dennard has been playing like the best CB in college football since he has returned from injury. Tampa will be drafting a CB in either round 1 or 2 of this draft.

15. Denver Broncos: Alshon Jeffrey, WR, South Carolina
Denver has many holes including WR. Eric Decker looks like he could be a probowler in the future, but Adding Alshon Jeffrey could give Tebow a chance to complete more than 2 passes a game.

16. Tennessee Titans: Michael Floyd, WR, Notre Dame
Tennessee needs another WR opposite of Kenny Britt. Some have Michael Floyd as the #2 WR in the class. His off the field troubles should go right along with Kenny Britt's.

17. Dallas Cowboys: Janoris Jenkins, CB, Northern Alabama
Janoris Jenkins would have been the #2 corner behind Patrick Peterson last year, but after getting kicked out of Florida and transferring to Northern Alabama his stock has dropped.

18. Cleveland Browns (From Atlanta): Luke Kuechly, ILB, Boston College
My favorite LB prospect, he's going to have over 200 tackles this year. He's very technically sound and rarely makes mistakes.

19. New York Jets: David DeCastro, OG, Stanford
We seem to hear that this years guard prospect is the best to come out in a long time. We heard it about Iupati, we hear dit about the Pouncey's, and now we're hearing it about DeCastro. I trust the scouts that say he's an all-pro waiting to happen.

20. Buffalo Bills: Vinny Curry, DE, Marshall
Vinny Curry has shown to be the most consistent pass rusher in the draft. I thought about him over Coples, but decided against it.

21. Cincinnati Bengals (From Oakland): Vontaze Burfict, OLB, Arizona State
Everyone's favorite crazy in Vontaze Burfict, he has the highest upside out of everyone left in the draft. He could be an all-pro in year one and I wouldn't be surprised.

22. New England Patriots: Courtney Upshaw, OLB/DE, Alabama
New England is going to be going very heavily on the defensive side of the ball this year and Upshaw is the next player from the SEC to join Belichick

23. Cincinnati Bengals: Chase Minnifield, CB, Virginia
Cinci takes the last CB I have a first round grade on.

24. Baltimore Ravens: Manti Te'o, ILB, Notre Dame
Baltimore is hard to read on who they want, I'm guessing at somepoint they'll need to address their line backing corps in the draft.

25. New York Giants: Dont’a Hightower, ILB, Alabama
The Giants have been looking for better linebackers for years, now they get one that falls to them in the draft.

26. Chicago Bears: Kelechi Osemele, OG, Iowa State
Chicago's offensive line is terrible, Osemele is an instant starter.

27. Detroit Lions: Mike Adams, OT, Ohio State
People thought the Lions would take an OT last year when they went with Nick Fairley, now they cannot wait any longer.

28. New England Patriots (From New Orleans): Mark Barron, S, Alabama
Mark Barron is the highest rated safety in what is considered the second consecutive week safety class. Barron is a hard hitter who can help that defense.

29. Pittsburgh Steelers: Jared Crick, DL, Nebraska
Jared Crick had a top 10 grade coming into the year, and then hurt himself and didn't end up showing that potential. Pittsburgh takes a chance on a big player with big upside.

30. San Francisco 49ers: Brandon Thompson, DT, Clemson
San Francisco has been the biggest surprise of the year, they'd love to get a CB, but Thompson could upgrade the DL that could use it.

31. Houston Texans: Alameda Ta'amu, DT, Washington.
The Houston Texans have made a seemless transition into a 3-4 defense. However, they really need a nose tackle to anchor that D. We are well aware of Ta'amu's inconsistencies, however he can dominate if he applies himself correctly.

32. Green Bay Packers: Peter Konz, C, Wisconsin
Konz would have been selected 10 picks earlier if he didn't injure himself last week. There seems to be one center prospect worth a first round pick every year, this year it's Konz.

Round 2:

1. Indianapolis Colts: Mohamed Sanu, WR, Rutgers

2. Carolina Panthers: Jeff Fuller, WR, Texas A&M

3. Miami Dolphins: Lamar Miller, RB, Miami

4. St Louis Rams: Dwight Jones, WR, North Carolina

5. Minnesota Vikings: Jerel Worthy, DT, Michigan State

6. Washington Redskins: Chris Polk, RB, Washington

7. Philadelphia Eagles (From Arizona): Andrew Datko, OT, Florida State

8. Jacksonville Jaguars: Stephon Gilmore, CB, South Carolina

9. Philadelphia Eagles: Kendall Wright, WR, Baylor

10. Cleveland Browns: Dontari Poe, DT, Memphis

11. Seattle Seahawks: Ryan Tannehill, QB, Texas A&M

12. Kansas City Chiefs: Bruce Irvin, OLB, West Virginia

13. San Diego Chargers: Zebrie Sanders, OT, Florida State

14. Tampa Bay Buccaneers: TJ McDonald, S, USC

15. Denver Broncos: Nick Perry, DE, USC

16. Tennessee Titans: Cordy Glenn, OG, Georgia

17. Dallas Cowboys: Josh Chapman, DT, Alabama

18. Atlanta Falcons: Dwayne Allen, TE, Clemson

19. New York Jets: Brandon Jenkins, DE/OLB, Florida State

20. Buffalo Bills: Nick Toon, WR, Wisconsin

21. New England Patriots (From Oakland): Whitney Mercilus, DE, Illinois

22. New England Patriots: Omar Bolden, CB, Arizona State

23. Cincinnati Bengals: LaMichael James, RB, Oregon

24. Baltimore Ravens: Cyrus Gray, RB, Texas A&M

25. New York Giants: Marvin McNutt, WR, Iowa

26. Chicago Bears: Mike Brewster, OC, Ohio State

27. Detroit Lions: Levy Adcock, OT, Oklahoma State

28. New Orleans Saints: Ryan Broyles, WR, Oklahoma

29. Pittsburgh Steelers: Lucas Nix, OG, Pittsburgh

30. San Francisco 49ers: Robert Lester, S, Alabama

31. Houston Texans: Casey Hayward, CB, Vanderbilt

32. Green Bay Packers: Cliff Harris, CB, Oregon

#7 Stanford thrashes #22 Washington 65-21 to remain undefeated!

By Kshell

The #7 Stanford Cardinal(7-0,5-0) for the second straight season defeated the #22 Washington Huskies(5-2,3-1) by over 40 points as they won 65-21. This is the type of loss that has raised plenty of eyebrows at Montlake as the Huskies defense allowed a staggering 615 yards of total offense including 446 on the ground. The Cardinal rushing attacked averaged 9.3 yards per play and 10.1 yards per carry average. The Cardinal had two guys rush for over 100 yards and a third break 90 yards. Heisman trophy candidate Andrew Luck didn't need to do much as he threw for only 169 yards but did complete 76.2% of his passes with two touchdowns. This was a good all around butt kicking as the Huskies received a harsh smack of reality check. This was also the first time the Huskies were held under 30 points and quarterback Keith Price's six game streak of at least three touchdown passes was snapped as well. The Cardinal offense punted once the entire game which was late in the fourth quarter as they have beaten the Huskies 106-21 the last two seasons.

The game started off beautifully for the Cardinal as they won the toss they chose to receive. Starting on their own 24 yard line the Cardinal ran a reverse to Chris Owusu for a gain of 45 yards to the Huskies 31 yard line. After a short run Stepfan Taylor busted a 17 yard run to the Huskies 13 yard line. A five yard penalty set the Cardinal back to the 18 yard line when Andrew Luck finally attempted a pass as he completed back to back passes for 16 yards to the Huskies two yard line. That is when the Cardinal  gave the ball to their fullback Jeremy Stewart for the two yard touchdown to give the Cardinals a 7-0 lead. On defense the Cardinal after allowing a third down pushed the Huskies offense back forcing the Huskies to punt. The Huskies knew they were in for a buzz saw as their offense couldn't protect Keith Price while defensively the Huskies were pushed back despite having a potential first round pick in Alameda Ta'amu at defensive tackle. The Huskies were forced to punt the ball to the Cardinal offense as they took over on their own 27 yard line leading 7-0. That was the first time the Huskies had trailed in nine quarters.

On this drive the Cardinal decided to feature Luck which almost cost them. Luck started the drive by hitting Griff Whalen for a gain of 32 yards to the Huskies 41 yard line. Luck then hit Owusu for a gain of 12 yards to the Huskies 29 yard line. Luck on the next pass almost gave the Huskies a gift but they couldn't take advantage. There was a miscommunication as Luck threw the ball in the right endzone with just Desmond Trufant there who dropped the interception. Luck would complete an eight yard pass to Owusu to set up a third and two. Luck hit his tight end but Huskies safety Sean Parker knocked the ball out of his hands preventing the long pass. The Cardinal would settle for a Jordan Williamson 39 yard field goal giving the Cardinal a 10-0 lead and for the season had outscored their opponents 60-0 in the first quarter. The Huskies were suddenly facing a must score if they had any chance at keeping this a game.

The Huskies offense like they had done all season long would respond. Price facing the rush would hit Chris Polk for a gain of two yards giving Polk three receptions early in the game. He would hit Jermaine Kearse for a gain of five yards as the Huskies faced a critical third and three from their own 27 yard line. Price completed a pass to Devin Aguilar that was short of the first down but Aguilar trucked his defender then ran for a gain of 13 yards to their own 40 yard line. Back to back runs went nowhere setting up a third and six as Price would hit Aguilar again for a key first down for a gain of 10 yards. After Price threw an incomplete pass Steve Sarkisian had a great play call as the Cardinal kept blitzing. The Huskies called a draw play to Chris Polk who busted it for a 46 yard touchdown untouched to cut the lead to 10-7. That was the first score the Cardinal had allowed all season long in the first quarter.

The Cardinal would respond to the Huskies score with a score of their own. Starting from their own 20 yard line the Cardinal would pound Taylor for a gain of four yards. Tyler Gafney busted a 24 yard run to their own 48 yard line. After a short run Gafney busted another long run of 30 yards to the Huskies 21 yard line as the Cardinal were just pounding the ball on the Huskies all game long. After two short gains the Cardinal were facing a third and four from the Huskies 15 yard line. The Huskies sent Trufant on a blitz as Whalen was wide open for a gain of 14 yards as Justin Glenn saved the touchdown stopping him at the one yard line. Luck would finish the drive with a beautiful pass over the head of Greg Ducre to all-american candidate tight end Cody Fleener for a one yard touchdown to give the Cardinal a 17-7 lead over the Huskies. Once again the Huskies offense had to respond or this game would turn into a blowout.

The Huskies once again were facing a must score as the Cardinal looked like they were not going to be stopped. After a penalty by the Cardinal the Huskies began on their own 31 yard line. They continued to go with Polk who ran for eight yards to the Cardinal 39 yard line. Then another draw to Polk who busted it 61 yards untouched for the touchdown. With that touchdown the Huskies pulled within 17-14 as this game appeared to be a shootout. For Polkhe went over 100 yards for the 17th time in his career for the Huskies which tied him with Napoleon Kaufman for most 100 yard rushing performances in Huskies history. The Huskies have had plenty of great running backs led by Kaufman so that was a big accomplishment. The Huskies unfortunately wouldn't get any closer in this game as the Cardinal quickly stole the momentum right back.

The Cardinal with the ball on their own 30 yard line up only 17-14 decided to not mess around. Calling a simple run play to Taylor who busted it to the outside then went all the way for the 70 yard touchdown. That play was one of many devastating plays that turned this game towards the eventual blowout as the Cardinal led 24-14. The Cardinal at that point in the game was dominated the Huskies defensive line. Once again the Huskies offense had to respond to the challenge and try to answer the Cardinal score with a score of their own. Starting from their own 21 yard line Price hit Austin Seferian-Jenkins over the middle for a gain of 20 yards to their own 41 yard line. He then completed a seven yard pass to Kasen Williams and followed that up with a 17 yard completion to Kearse on the right to the Cardinal 35. Facing a third and 10 the Huskies called on the draw play as Polk ran for 11 yards for the first down. That is when the Huskies offense due to a questionable penalty started to stall. They would have to settle on an Erik Folk 46 yard field goal attempt which hit the goal post and was no good. The Cardinal offense would take advantage of the the Huskies missed opportunity.

Taking over from their own 28 yard line the Cardinal had a ball control offensive possession. After two short runs by Taylor setting up a crucial third and four the Huskies allowed a five yard run to Luck for a first down. Taylor would rush for eight yards then for 24 yards to the Huskies 29 yard line. Facing another third and four from the Huskies 23 yard line Luck would complete a pass to Owusu for a gain of five yards to move the chains. Luck then completed a pass to Zach Ertz for a gain of 14 yards down the middle to the Huskies four yard line. On the next play Luck would throw his second touchdown pass of the game to Drew Terrell from five yards out to give the Cardinal a 31-14 lead. With under four minutes left in the half and with having the ball first in the second half the Huskies weren't quiet yet out of the game. The Cardinal though would put the Huskies down for good on the following drive.

The Huskies were facing another must score and had a nice head start as Kevin Smith ran the kickoff 36 yards to their own 37 yard line. Polk would rush for eight yards then rush for another eight yards as the Huskies were in Cardinal territory. Price would hit Seferian-Jenkins for a gain of nine yards to the Cardinal 38 yard line. On second and one the Huskies tried Polk up the middle but he was blown up for a three yard loss. On third and four the game would turn into a laugher as Price didn't see an open Aguilar instead trying to force the ball into Kearse which was picked off by Michael Thomas for a 61 yard interception for a touchdown to give the Cardinal a commanding 38-14 lead. The Huskies still had a minute left before the half ended as Price tried to salvage the game still. Price hit Seferian-Jenkins for a gain of 11 yards to the Huskies 36. Polk ran for three yards which set up a Price completion to Seferian-Jenkins for a gain of 28 yards but the Huskies also committed a 15 yard penalty. Price hit Seferian-Jenkins again for a gain of nine yards to the Cardinal 39 yard line. With one play left Price completed the hail marry well short of the endzone to Aguilar for a gain of 30 yards as the half ended. The Cardinal outscored the Huskies 28-7 in the second quarter. Despite being only outgained 356-316 in the first half the Huskies had trailed by 24 points. The Cardinal were led by Luck who was 11-13 passing for 109 yards with two touchdowns and a strong rushing attack led by Taylor who had 130 yards rushing on just eight carries including a touchdown. The Huskies saw Price make that costly mistake but played solid going 17-24 for 186 yards with the interception. Seferian-Jenkins had five receptions for 77 yards while Aguilar had four receptions for 58 yards. The Huskies were led by Polk who had 143 yards rushing on just 10 carries with two touchdowns while catching three passes. The second half would see more Cardinal scoring as the Huskies defense had no answer.

The second half which the Cardinal are so successful at put the Huskies away. The offense went three and out to begin the second half punting the ball to the Cardinal offense. The Cardinal took the ball out of Luck's hands and still scored a touchdown. The drive began with a four yard run to Taylor, then a five yard run to Anthony Wilkerson setting up a third and one. The Cardinal called a fullback dive which went for three yards. Gaffney rushed up the middle for a gain of 16 yards to the Huskies 36 yard line. Gaffney followed up that run with 32 yard run to the Huskies four yard line. Gaffney finished off the drive with a four yard touchdown run to give the Cardinal a 45-14 lead. The Huskies offense continued to sputter in the second half as they went three and out once again. The Cardinal would then go on an 11 play 52 yard drive but would have to settle for a field goal as they led 48-14 over the Huskies. The Huskies offense went three and out once again as they punted the ball back to Stanford. The Huskies finally forced a Cardinal punt for the first and only time all game long.

The Huskies offense had one last drive in them for pride.  After Kasen Williams returned the punt 12 yards to their own 32 yard line is when Price would finish off his last drive of the game. After a short completion facing a second and 15 Price hit Aguilar for a gain of 15 yards. Facing another second and long Price hit Kearse for a gain of 29 yards to the Cardinal 20 yard line. Price hit James Johnson for a gain of 12 yards to the eight yard line. Facing a third and goal from the three Price would hit Kearse who bobbled the ball and ended up dropping the ball. After a Cardinal penalty the Huskies had new life as Price hit third tight end Evan Hudson for his first career reception which was a two yard touchdown pass which cut the score to 48-21. For Price that would be his final pass of the game as he was getting drilled all game long.

The Cardinal were hell bent on running up the score this game as Luck played into the fourth quarter and they were throwing passes to the endzone at the end of the fourth quarter. The Cardinal would tack on some more points. After a run the Cardinal had the ball on their own 40 yard line when Luck hit Whalen for a gain of 18 yards. Luck completed two more passes for 26 yards to the Huskies 18 yard line. Wilkerson finished the drive with an 18 yard touchdown run giving the Cardinal a 55-21 lead. Kevin Smith would fumble the kickoff as the Cardinal recovered settling on a field goal to go up 58-21. Nick Montana would come in for Price as the game was a blowout. Montana would throw an interception setting up yet another score for the Cardinal. Wilkerson on the final drive carried the ball seven times for 58 yards including his 38 yard touchdown run two minutes left in the game to give the Cardinal a 65-21 lead.

The Huskies loss was very demoralizing as it was impressive for the Cardinal. The Cardinal saw Luck complete 16-21(76.2%) of his passes for 169 yards(8.0 YPA) with two touchdowns and no interceptions. Luck also ran for 23 yards. His favorite target was Whalen who had four receptions for 76 yards. The Cardinal rushing attack was too much for the Huskies. Stepfan Taylor led the rushing attack with 138 yards on 10 carries(13.8 YPC) with a touchdown. Tyler Gaffney added 117 yards on the ground on just nine carries(13.0 YPC) with a touchdown. Anthony Wilkerson ran for 93 yards on 14 carries(6.6 YPC) with two touchdowns. For the Huskies Keith Price has seen better days but didn't play bad. Price completed 23 of 36 passes(63.9%) for 247 yards(6.9 YPA) with a touchdown and a costly interception. His main targets were Austin Seferian-Jenkins who had five receptions for 77 yards. Devin Aguilar added five receptions for 71 yards while Jermaine Kearse had four for 52 yards receiving. The Huskies rushing game was actually pretty good led by Chris Polk who ran for 144 yards on 15 carries(9.6 YPC) with two touchdowns. Then in garbage time true freshman Bishop Sankey ran for 31 yards on five carries(6.2 YPC). The Huskies loss feels like more than just one game but it is just that one game.

All in all, this is a devastating loss to the Huskies program who appeared ready for such games like this. Instead for Sarkisian it is looking more and more that he is going to have to make a tough decision regarding his friend Nick Holt in the offseason. The Huskies defense appears to be getting worse the longer Holt is there. The Huskies were hoping to make a statement this game instead they just showed how far away they really are. The Huskies are still a bowl team but the Stanford Cardinal proved there is a huge difference between a middle of the road bowl team and a national championship team. Those are the facts the Cardinal are competing for a national title while the Huskies are three years removed from 0-12. Losses like this are completely unacceptable as it shows the Huskies still have a long ways to go.

Observations:

- This was Price's worst game as a Husky quarterback this season. Shows how well he's played when he throws for 247 yards and completes 63.9% of his passes against a good defense. Price was under pressure all game long as it was pretty obvious early in the game that Stanford was dominating both lines of scrimmage. Still the game was somewhat in balance at 31-14 when Price didn't see an open Aguilar instead throwing the pick six. If the Huskies let's say trail 31-21 or 31-17 at halftime maybe this doesn't turn into quite the blowout.

 I still think Price played well enough for the Huskies to win. You aren't going to beat anyone giving up 65 points I don't care who your quarterback is. Price saw his three touchdown a game streak snapped but is still have a great season. For the year Price is completing 68.4% of his throws for 1,713 yards(8.3 YPA) with 22 touchdowns to five interceptions on the season. Not bad for a sophomore quarterback who many picked as the worst quarterback in the Pac-12 heading into the season.

- I do like the fact that the Huskies finally have a tight end to throw the ball to. Austin Seferian-Jenkins is only a true freshman but is going to be a future probowl tight end in the NFL bank on it. This guy will be a first round pick in the 2014 NFL Draft after he leaves his junior year. For the game Seferian-Jenkins had five receptions for 77 yards as he was catching passes over the middle, breaking tackles and using his speed. On the first Polk touchdown run Seferian-Jenkins had a key block which set that touchdown run up. Seferian-Jenkins has had the biggest impact freshman season for the Huskies since Reggie Williams in 2001 by far.

He'll be a freshman all-american and make some sort of all pac-12 team this year. For the season Seferian-Jenkins has 20 receptions for 321 yards(16.0 YPC) with four touchdowns. He is on pace for 34 receptions for 550 yards receiving and 6.9 touchdowns this season not counting the bowl game. Seferian-Jenkins has became a big part of this offense and as he gets older look for him to be the Huskies leading receiver.

- Chris Polk is awesome and the Huskies are going to miss him next year. I know Polk is a junior but he's had big games on the national spotlight this year against Stanford and Nebraska. He has shown he is an everydown back too as he has the speed to bust off long runs, the power to earn those tough yards plus he can catch passes out of the backfield. Against a Stanford defense which had allowed only 52 yards rushing a game Polk ran for 144 yards on just 15 carries. Had the game been close he could have gone off for 200 yards. For the year Polk has ran over 100 yards in six of the seven games. The one game he didn't was against California where he had 85 yards receiving so he has yet to have a game where he wasn't over 100 yards all-purpose.

Polk also tied legendary running back Napoleon Kaufman for most 100 yard rushing performances in Huskies history. He has still has five more games left(one against the Cougars who can't stop anyone from rushing) so he'll certainly break Kaufman's record. For the year Polk has ran for 844 yards(5.7 YPC) with five rushing touchdowns. He also has 14 receptions for 149 yards(10.6 YPC) with two touchdowns. Polk is on pace to rush for 1,446 yards in the regular season and including the bowl game 1,567 yards which is an incredible season. Polk is easily in the Huskies top five running backs of all-time and I personally would put him third only behind Kaufman(most exciting Husky ever) and Hugh  McElhenny(all-time great). The Huskies have had plenty of great running backs and Polk deserves to be high up on that list.

- The Huskies defense in year three shouldn't be allowing 65 points including 446 on the ground. Teams who are passing teams are throwing for over 300 yards on the Huskies at will. The two teams who run the ball well like Nebraska and Stanford have embarassed the Huskies. At what point does Sarkisian realize that Nick Holt simply isn't that good? It could be Sarkisian isn't recruiting well enough on defense either way the defense has been a problem and has gotten worse each year. Here are some stats that I got from KJR's Mitch in the Morning that I'll post up.

Huskies Defense in the Holt era:
Pts per game allowed: 2009 - 26.66, 2010 - 31.16, 2011 - 33.71
Yards per game allowed: 2009 - 389.5, 2010 - 401.17, 2011 - 431.28 (thru 7 games).
 Sacks per game: 2009 - 2.5, 2010 - 2.33, 2011 - 1.86 (thru 7 games)

As you can clearly see the Huskies defense is allowing more points and yardage each season while recording less sacks. I know the team has lost NFL players such as Donald Butler and Mason Foster the last two years I understand that. Still the team has Cort Dennison and Alameda Ta'amu not to mention other highly recruited players. With the exception of Sean Parker the Sarkisian/Holt guys on defense have yet to do anything. I think if the Huskies want to reach the next level they have to seriously sit down and think hard if Holt is the right guy or not.

- For Steve Sarkisian this was tough loss. In year three I figured these type of blowout losses were over and done with. Last year the Huskies lost four games by over 30 points and until this loss the Huskies only other loss was a competitive loss to Nebraska. I do like that after losses Sarkisian always puts the blame on him instead of the players which is nice to see. His offense is still playing at a high level as they moved the ball on the Stanford defense. The Huskies offense has moved the ball on all their opponents this year just couldn't score this game was the only problem.

I'd say overall Sarkisian is doing a fantastic job as the Huskies are still 5-2. If the Huskies just win the games they are supposed to they'll go 8-4 and just pull off one upset that is 9-3 heading into the bowl game. I think a year after losing Jake Locker most fans would take 8-4 or 9-3 just three years removed form 0-12. The defense has allowed over 20 points in six of the seven games and over 30 points in three games. Shows how successful Sarkisian's offense is that they are 5-2 with such a rough defense.

In conclusion, the Huskies aren't ready for primetime games. Someday they could be as their offense I feel is ready the defense though is years away. The Cardinal scored 65 points with Andrew Luck not having to do much but game manage. So even if Luck didn't play I suspect the Cardinal would have won in a blowout anyways. The Huskies simply can't let this loss lose them the next game against Arizona. Under Sarkisian after the six game mark the Huskies have gone on losing streaks of four games in year one then three games in year two. The Huskies lost the first game after the sixth game hopefully that trend ends this Saturday. A loss on Saturday can be devastating with Oregon and USC on the road looming. For the Huskies the offense is solid but unless the defense gets fixed in a hurry they are years away from seriously competing for a Rose Bowl. The Cardinal for the third straight year punched the Huskies in the mouth and left them without any bite. Back to back years the Cardinal put the Huskies at "rock bottom". Last year the team won four of the next five games after losing 41-0 to the Cardinal. We'll find out a lot about this Huskies team this Saturday night at home against the Arizona Wildcats.

#22 Huskies take on #7 Cardinal

By Kshell

The #22 Washington Huskies(5-1,3-0) travel to take on the #7 Stanford Cardinal(6-0,4-0) in a big matchup for the Huskies program. The Huskies who have lost three years in a row to the Cardinal including last year where they lost 41-0 at home for their first home shutout since 1976. The Huskies are hoping to put up a much better showing than they have the last two years which they have been outscored 75-14.Under third year coach Steve Sarkisian the Huskies have ended some long losing streaks against other conference opponents while the Cardinal seem to have the Huskies number. This game will feature two terrific offenses which I'll focus on in this upcoming preview although the Cardinal feature a defense that doesn't allow too many points either.

The Cardinal offense is led by heisman favorite Andrew Luck. For the season Luck is completing 71.3% of his passes for 1,719 yards(9.5 YPA) with 18 touchdowns to just three interceptions. Luck's main targets are tight end Coby Fleener who has 16 receptions for 383 yards(23.9 YPC) with six touchdowns already. He also has Chris Owusu who has 25 receptions for 309 yards(12.4 YPC) with two touchdowns. Zach Ertz and Griff Whalen each have 20 receptions. For Ertz he has 279 yards receiving(14.0 YPC) with three touchdowns while Whalen has 269(13.4 YPC) with one touchdown.The Cardinals are an offense averaging 45.8 points per game while only allowing 11.2 per game. They are a balance offense which features in the ground game Stepfan Taylor who has rushed for 547 yards(5.4 YPC) with five touchdowns. His backup Tyler Gaffney has rushed for 133 yards(5.1 YPC) with four touchdowns and Anthony Wilkerson has 119(4.2 YPC) yards with a touchdown. The Cardinal are a balanced team with 18 passing touchdowns to 15 rushing touchdowns they can beat you more ways than one. That is why it is important for the Huskies offense to match them score for score.

The Huskies have an explosive offense as well which is averaging 37 points per game. I'll start with the passing attack which is led by Keith Price who has completed 69.4% of his passes for 1,466 yards(8.6 YPA) with 21 touchdowns to just four interceptions. Price has thrown for at least three touchdown passes in every game. The Huskies have plenty of weapons on offense who are catching Price's passes. Let's start with senior wide receiver Jermaine Kearse who has been coming off after a slow start to the season. Kearse for the year has 23 receptions for 284 yards(12.3 YPC) with six touchdowns. Senior Devin Aguilar is having a nice year as well with 21 receptions for 330 yards(15.7 YPC) with three touchdowns. What has also helped the Huskies passing attack is the emergence of junior wide receiver James Johnson who has 22 receptions for 287 yards(13.0 YPC) with three touchdowns. Freshman sensantion tight end Austin Seferian-Jenkins also has 15 receptions for 244 yards(16.3 YPC) with four touchdowns. The Huskies have so many weapons on offense that when teams try to stop the pass the Huskies still have plenty of options in the run game.

The Huskies feature one of the best running games in the entire nation. They are led by Chris Polk who has rushed for 711 yards(5.3 YPC) with three touchdowns. Polk has also caught 11 passes for 142(12.9 YPC) with two touchdowns. Polk this season has already rushed for over 100 yards in five of his teams six games and the game he didn't rush for 100 yards he had 85 yards receiving. Polk has two solid backups in Jesse Callier who has rushed for 164 yards off the bench for 5.5 YPC with a touchdown on the season. The Huskies also have talented freshman running back Bishop Sankey who has rushed for 89 yards(6.4 YPC) with a touchdown this season as well. The Huskies will have plenty of offense to make this into a game as they try to revenge their embarassing 41-0 loss from last season.

In conclusion, this is the biggest game for the Washington Huskies in close to a decade. For Sarkisian a win here can put this program back on the map for the national scale. The Huskies are playing on national t.v and have a chance to make a resounding statement to the rest of the nation. For the Cardinal they are in national title or bust mode. The Cardinal know they have dominated the Huskies the last two years but they also know the Huskies are a much different team. This should be a fun game and for the Huskies you dream of games like this. The Huskies have a chance to position themselves to go to the Rose Bowl this season. You have two terrific offenses going at it so look for a ton of scoring in this great Pac-12 matchup on ABC.

Patton's 2012 NFL Draft Big Board

By Patton Richard

As someone who now believes the Seahawks are out of the Suck 4 Luck sweepstakes we can now focus on other players and other positions. Also, I'm hearing Matt Barkley is most likely heading back to USC to be the #1 pick the following year, however he's still locked into #2 on my big board.I project the Seahawks to be somewhere in the 7-14 pick range. It's possible if Carolina or St Louis has the #1 or #2 pick we COULD trade up, but it would take a serious haul. Something like 2012 1st, 2nd, 3rd plus 2013 1st and 3rd. But, I'm going to rule out that as a possibility. Also, I’m not really into mock drafts as we still have no idea who’s picking where and what the real weaknesses of the teams are. So, this is my NFL Draft 2012 Big Board 1.0:

1.) Andrew Luck, QB, Stanford
2.) Matt Barkley, QB, USC
3.) Matt Kalil, OT, USC
4.) Alshon Jeffery, WR, South Carolina
5.) Dre Kirkpatrick, CB, Alabama
6.) Justin Blackmon, WR, Oklahoma ST
7.) Jonathan Martin, OT, Stanford
8.) Trent Richardson, RB, Alabama
9.) Luke Kuechly, MLB, Boston College
10.) Morris Claiborne, CB, LSU
11.) Riley Reiff, OT, Iowa
12.) Zach Brown, OLB, UNC
13.) Michael Floyd, WR, Notre Dame
14.) Quinton Coples, DE, UNC
15.) Jeff Fuller, WR, Texas A&M
16.) Vontaze Burfict, OLB, ASU
17.) Alfonzo Dennard, CB, Nebraska
18.) Ryan Broyles, WR, Oklahoma
19.) David DeCastro, OG, Stanford
20.) Jared Crick, DT, Nebraska
21.) Manti Te’o, MLB, Notre Dame
22.) Dwight Jones, WR, UNC
23.) Mohammed Sanu, WR, Rutgers
24.) Alameda Ta’Amu, DT, Washington
25.) Mark Barron, S, Alabama
26.) Ryan Tannehill, QB, Texas A&M
27.) Vinny Curry, DE, Marshall
28.) Andrew Datko, OT, Florida St
29.) Chris Polk, RB, Washington
30.) Janoris Jenkins, CB, North Alabama
31.) Jerel Worthy, DT, Michigan State
32.) Bruce Irvin, DE, West Virginia

Suck for Luck? Why not!

By Outsider Steve

After opening up the season in an embarrassing fashion, the Seahawks will open the home portion of their schedule this Sunday against division rival Arizona. Here is the thing, after putting together two of the worst offensive performances in recent memory, the Seahawks now have the pleasure of facing a Cardinals team that has won five out of the last eight meetings with Hawks, and has a QB that is on fire. This has the perfect recipe for a Sunday disaster. A team with no offensive motivation (Seahawks), up against a team that is coming off heartbreaking loss, and a ton of steam to blow off (Arizona). The Arizona Cardinals are clearly the better team on paper, but you know what they say. Games aren't won on paper, they are won on the field. Exactly!

Even though this game is at home, does anyone really have any faith the Seahawks can pull off magical performance on offense? In the eight quarters of football the Seahawk offense has played in, they have been shutout in six of those quarters. Have scored a grand total of 17 points, have only managed 383 total yards of offense, while going 7-17 on third down conversions. Have I also mentioned that in 22 total drives the Seahawks offense have put together, they have punted the football 15 times? So you would think Pete Carrol would want to look at this as a time to reevaluate or address this offensive ineptitude's. Think again. Instead Pete Carroll has announced that Tarvaris Jackson will be given opportunity to "grow" with the offense. In other words, Tarvaris Jackson gives us the best opportunity to get Andrew Luck with the first overall pick in the 2012 NFL draft.


At this point with the way everything stands, why not "Suck for Luck"? Have you really taken a close look at the Seahawks remaining schedule and noticed the season is very quickly getting to the point of no return? After this Sunday's loss against Arizona, the Seahawks then embark on a stretch that goes as follows; Atlanta, @ NY Giants, @ Cleveland, Cincinnati, @ Dallas, Baltimore, @ St. Louis, Washington, Philadelphia, St. Louis, @ Chicago, San Francisco, and then finish the season @ Arizona. Can you really point to a team in that schedule that you are convinced beyond a shadow of a doubt the Seahawks can consistently score upon, or for that matter just score? I can't. I really see 12 to 13 losses in that schedule. Which would put the Seahawks at a 1-15 or a 2-14 for the season. In plain english, this season will be a very bad dream, with a potentially great ending.


Here is the one point everyone needs to realize. The Seahawks do not need to tank football games to make this dream a reality. They are bad enough of a football team to accomplish this dubious honor on their own merits. And you want to know the truth of the matter? I'm actually okay with this. In the last three years we have seen the Seahawks go 4-12, 5-11, and 7-9 and completely wiff in the draft's first round. I would rather see the Hawks go 1-15 ensuring themselves the decades top prize in Andrew Luck, and have a decade long run of success with him, then be continuously mediocre. Sometimes you have to lose big in order to win big. So why not dream big and "Suck for Luck" in 2011!

Stanford shuts out Huskies 41-0; Huskies first home shutout since 1976

By Kshell

When you are attending a game you have your gameday routine whatever it might be. Well for me on the ride up it is listening to the pregame show talking to my dad about what my team needs to do to get the win. We talk about how our team must catch some breaks and in the case of this Stanford game hope for a close game. Then a big fat smack to my face happens and that smack was delivered by reality. Well that is how it must have felt for the Washington Huskies(3-5,2-3) especially the four freshman who started on each side of the lines when the #13 Stanford Cardinal(7-1,4-0) not only destroyed the Huskies but punched them in the mouth.

This was a good ole fassion butt kicking delievered by the Stanford Cardinal. Sometimes on the road a ranked team will let a team hang even if it's for just the first quarter but Stanford didn't even do that today. After the Huskies stalled on their first possesion after calling a third and six draw play which of course was stuffed. The Huskies had pinned the Cardinal on their own 14 yard line.

That was the last time the Huskies had any chance of winning the game. Stanford came out passing and with future first round pick Andrew Luck that isn't a bad idea. Luck completed his first two passes for 27 yards. After Luck hit an eight yard pass to set up a third and two Luck kept the ball on a bootleg and ran for a 51 yard touchdown untouched giving Stanford a 7-0 lead. Stanford would score another touchdown when Stepfan Taylor would run it in untouched from two yards out. The line of scrimmage was dominated by Stanford as the Cardinals runners would go six to eight yards without being touched, Luck would be hit just once all game long. While the Cardinal were putting pressure on Locker and stuffing Chris Polk while blitzing the right side of the offensive line taking advantage of the Huskies starting two true freshman on the offensive line.

Stanford after leading 14-0 and Washington amounting to nothing on offense Stanford scored another touchdown. Taylor added another three yard touchdown run giving the Cardinal a 21-0 lead. Then Stanford scored another touchdown when Tyler Gaffney added a three yard touchdown run. All said and done Stanford led 28-0 at halftime. The crowd was booing and freezing cold from the constant down pour of the rain. Many fans hit the beer line at the zone including myself because the first half was just so horrific. The Cardinal had outgained the Huskies 318-46 in yards.

Stanford dominated a Washington Husky team that appeared to be playing like they wanted to be somewhere else. The Huskies for the second straight week showed no life on either side of the ball. If someone took away the jersey numbers and names I couldn't tell the difference between if this was 2010 or any year from 2004-2008. This first half was like a Tyrone Willingham performance which unfortunetly has happened before this game.

Stanford finally punted for the first time in the second half. For two consecutive weeks the defense didn't force the other team to punt in the first half. Stanford after a Locker interception settled for a field goal giving them a 31-0 lead. Then to end the quarter Andrew Luck would throw a touchdown to Zach Ertz from three yards out to give the Cardinals a commanding 38-0 lead. At the end of the third quarter the Cardinal had outgained the Huskies 410-65 leaving little doubt as to how far these programs are. The Cardinal would add a final field goal and win the game 41-0 outgaining the Huskies 471-107.

This was the Huskies first shutout loss at Husky Stadium since November of 1976 when they lost to Cal 7-0. That was Don James second season as head coach much like this is Steve Sarkisian's second season. The quarterback in that game was Pro Football Hall of Famer Warren Moon so this can happen to anyone. As Steve Sarkisian told media members in his post game news conference "We've hit rock bottom". I thought the Willingham days and the 0-12 days were behind this program. This was a hard dose of reality that has hit this program.

Last season the team rebounded from a disasterous 0-12 season that saw Tyrone Willingham fired. Steve Sarkisian was brought in and the team went 5-7 and lost four games by less than eight points. The team battled hard and never quit while changing the culture of Husky football. Then this year came around and there was high hopes probably unrealistic. The facts are this Husky team who Sarkisian guaranteed would go undefeated at home has now dropped to 2-3 at home. This year at home the Huskies have been outscored 175-111 this year at home. Not only did the Huskies not go undefeated but they have been ran out of the stadium in their home stadium twice this year.

All in all, you can't win with freshman. The Huskies going into this game I mentioned how Collin Porter and Erik Kohler are what's wrong with this team. Not that those two are bad players or that it's their fault. The fact that they were playing on Friday night lights just last year and now starting in the Pac-10 over seniors like Cody Habban and Greg Christine shows how terrible the Huskies are in the trenches. In a good program those guys would be redshirting. Had Willingham kept the home town guys like Stephen Schilling who is a captain at Michigan and David DeCastro of Stanford who is their top lineman the Huskies would be a real bowl contender. Until the Huskies get better in the trenches expect plenty of cold bowl less winters to come.

Observations:

- Jake Locker is showing why Chris Polk would be an idiot to come back. Locker had he left last season could have been the top pick overall or at the least be a top 10 pick. Now he is seeing his stock falling. John Clayton thinks going into this game Locker will be a second or third round pick. Mel Kiper Jr. going into the week said Locker is a mid first round pick who reminds me of NFL draft bust Kyle Boller of California. Everyone forgave Jake after his stink bomb against Nebraska but will they after another stink bomb? Locker was 7 for 14 passing for just 64 yards passing and two interceptions. His backup Keith Price was two for three for 24 yards passing. His counterpart Andrew Luck who after seeing Locker this year will leave early you would think was 19 of 26 passing for 192 yards with a touchdown and an interception. He would also run for 92 yards on five carries with a touchdown.

- The running game was awful. The play selection on the runs were even worse. First of all get rid of the Wild Cat out of the playbook. The Huskies have the perfect "wild cat" quarterback so it's stupid to have Callier or Polk line up as quarterback in shotgun. You don't see the Eagles taking Vick out to do Wild Cat plays. Now to the rushing stats which Chris Polk was held to a career low 17 yards on 13 carries, Locker had just one yard on eight carries and Jesse Callier had one yard on four carries. Sarkisian must trust his senior quarterback Locker and not call draw plays on third and six when the ball was at midfield. The offensive line has been horrible this year but it seems like despite everyone back from last season that they have gotton worse. The good news is going forward Porter and Kohler are freshman and Drew Schaeffer is just a sophomore.

- As you saw in my post earlier in the week this was the 10th year anniversary of Curtis Williams getting injured which led to his death. The Huskies happen to be playing the team who he was injured against the Stanford Cardinal. In a sense of irony it was down pouring today and the only difference was the two teams record were switched. The Huskies back then were 6-1 heading into the game like Stanford was today and stanford was 3-4 heading into the game much like Washington was today. You would have never known about Curtis at the game though. Not one single thing was mentioned. That is the problem when you bring in outside guys sometimes people forget about our past. Sometimes people forget we are purple and gold and never wear white pants. Ultimately it was a bad move to not even mention anything about Curtis Williams. Well Curtis I'll mention you RIP C-Dub 25.

- Mason Foster is being wasted much like his whole career. Everyone will talk about how sad it is that Jake Locker was wasted but Locker also at times holds the team back. Foster had a career high 18 tackles today, 12 were solo. He has been a tackling monster this year like he has his whole Husky career. Foster will be playing on many Sundays for years to come.

- The defense has been awful after making such strides has resorted back to the Willingham like defenses. The Huskies have allowed 273 points this year for an average of 34.1 PPG. Last year the defense showed heart and would bend but not break. I understand losing two players to the NFL draft hurts you but nothing against them but if your defense can't replace two third round picks then your program is in shambles which the Huskies program is. The Huskies over the years have been awful on defense. Under Don James in his 18 years of coaching his defenses allowed over 20.0 PPG just four times, while since his retirement the Huskies have allowed under 20.0 PPG just once and that was in 1993 the year he resigned.

- The offensive juggernut which was led by offensive geru Steve Sarkisian has taken some huge steps backwards. The Huskies have scored under 20 points in four of the eight games played this season. The Huskies this year despite returning the entire offense back has scored just 174 points for an average of 21.8 PPG a far cry from what was expected. In fact that is almost 10 points below the scoring average when Jake Locker was a freshman under Willingham.

- This team accepts losing and has no fight. This group of Huskies has never tasted success and when you are in a program that hasn't won it is hard to turn it around. First sign of trouble you get that here we go again feeling. Growing up going to sporting events I always had that feeling because as a Seattle sports fan I'm used to failure. Except one sport and that was Husky football where the attitude was Rose Bowl or bust. Jim Lambright was fired despite win 65% of his games. So when the Huskies would fall down the players, the fans, the coaches attitude was no problem we have been here before we'll just overcome it. The Huskies may have tradition but those national championships and rose bowl wins mean nothing as this current group has never tasted success.

That is the problem with these Huskies from what I'm witnessing is accepting losing. Talk to any Husky in the 90's they would be one pissed off group and take it out on the next opponent. The Huskies just got destroyed last week yet there was no life out of them, the crowd was dead as it was pouring down raining and it wasn't an attractive team, the expectations from the fans and most people was the Huskies were going to lose. When you expect to lose you accept it easier. It is a sad day going to a Husky home game where I'm hoping the dawgs can keep it close with Stanford. Stanford used to be the team that UW would destroy having won 21 of the last 27 meetings. Stanford turned it's program around with a good coaching hire in Harbaugh and just like that have beaten the Huskies three years in a row and have beaten the Huskies three consecutive trips in Husky Stadium. In fact the last time Stanford lost at Husky Stadium was 2002 when Ty Willingham was still coach.

This team has just four games left in their season and by the way they have played the last two weeks it looks like they wish it could end sooner. For the seniors it is time to show some leadership and make sure there is that fifth game. The Huskies must win three of their last four games to be bowl eligible. They'll play #1 ranked Oregon Ducks next week who score 50 like it is nothing so there could be another blowout looming. What I'll be watching for is will the Huskies show a pulse. Will the Huskies fight back and put out an effort where their opponent at least respects them. Steve Sarkisian and Nick Holt took on a bigger challenge than anyone thought but they also aren't helping the process either. The Huskies have four games to get it together or they'll be home watching the bowl games during the holidays.