Dawgman Radio: A Washington Huskies athletics podcast

You've all seen them out there on social media, they're like Bingo cards. In fact, one came out in the last couple of weeks when it came to Washington Men's Basketball. You get $15 as your 'salary cap' and you have to pick your best team, picking one player from each position. Players are rated by dollar amount. Sounds easy, right? 

Well, we've taken the concept and put it to the test with Washington Football. But we're going to up the stakes a little bit. Pretend you are John Schneider, the Seattle Seahawks General Manager, and you've got a salary cap of $30M you can spend to build a team. But the team you're building is all Washington Huskies. 

Players are rated by dollar amounts, from $1m to $5m. And you have to pick a player from each position listed. 

The guys from Dawgman.com - Kim Grinolds, Chris Fetters, and Scott Eklund - all saw the lists beforehand and came up with their all-time teams. But we want to see who you decide to pick. 

As you'll find out, some went hard on skill players, others went big on the best offensive line they could afford. 

Either way, now YOU get to play GM and spend your hard-earned cash. All that's left is who you decide to pick.

Dawgman.com's Chris Fetters would normally talk to long-time local NFL draft scout Rob Rang after Washington's Pro Day to really get a sense of how the UW pro-bound prospects were doing and where they could land - either as drafted players or priority free agents.

But there was no Pro Day this year, which obviously added an undesired wrench into the whole pre-draft operation. Not only did it deny a massive opportunity for those fringe prospects who weren't afforded a coveted NFL Scouting Combine invite back in February, but also for those who did go to Indianapolis but needed another chance to show what they were fully capable of doing. Maybe they messed up their 40 time or didn't handle the position drills to their satisfaction. Pro Day is the last chance saloon for players eager to showcase their skills and embed themselves in the minds of pro coaches, scouts, and front office members.

With no Pro Day, there was no chance to talk to Rang about Washington's players, whether or not they were rising or falling on draft boards, whether or not he felt they could be even better pros than they were at Montlake. But today, we right that wrong, with Fetters and Rang breaking down all the top Husky pro prospects, how he felt they did in Indianapolis, and also whether or not he felt the two defensive holdouts - Levi Onwuzurike and Elijah Molden - made the right choice to come back to school, while the three offensive players in a similar position - Jacob Eason, Hunter Bryant, and Salvon Ahmed - all made the decision to turn pro.

They also talk about whether or not Jacob Eason has a chance to surprise and get taken in the first round, Trey Adams's health, did it appear Nick Harris, Myles Bryant, and Aaron Fuller impressed scouts while in Indianapolis, whether or not scouts take things like remote workout videos and simulated pro day workouts seriously, and also how the coronavirus pandemic has altered the pre-draft scouting landscape. With two weeks left until the draft, it felt like a great time to catch up with Rob and get his thoughts. 

Washington has the chance to bring in one of the best classes in program history in 2021, but they are facing a lot of competition for their top targets. That's nothing new for the Dawgs, but two of the top players on their board, regardless of position are local players who some think are no longer even looking at the Huskies.

Dawgman was able to sit down with 247's Brandon Huffman to get his thoughts on how things are progressing at this early juncture in the recruiting cycle and we ran down a number of Washington's top targets including local five-stars J.T. Tuimoloau and Emeka Egbuka as well as out-of-state five star wideout Troy Franklin, four-star edge player Quintin Somerville and four-star cover corner Stephen Ortiz among others.

How does Huffman see things playing out and is Jimmy Lake on the cusp of something big or a big disappointment?

To listen to the 52-minute podcast, click on the audio link above.

The guys from Dawgman.com - Kim Grinolds, Chris Fetters, and Scott Eklund - rack their memory banks in this latest DawgmanRadio to talk about the passing of a Husky legend, Jim Lambright. Lambright, the former UW player, defensive coordinator, and head coach, died Sunday at age 77.

The man affectionately known as 'Lambo', Lambright was part of a footballing golden age in Snohomish County that produced some of the best coaches ever in college football: Lambright, Dennis Erickson, Keith Gilbertson, and Mike Price, among others. Going all the way back to Lambright's days as Don James's defensive coordinator, the guys talk about his defensive legacy and how he changed how people look at defense. His style was aggressive and tough and was mirrored in the players he coached at the highest level.

It filtered through all of the defenses Lambright coached but started to really coalesce in 1984, with the vaunted 'Purple Reign' defense, a nickname that originated with local poster designer John Costacos. It kept going and found another high-water mark with the 1991 defense, arguably one of the best defenses that has ever been in college football.

They provide their favorite Lambright moments, from the 'Whammy in Miami' to the 'Leap at the Lake' to the Twitter and Facebook tributes that have been pouring in since the news of Lambo's passing.

At the end of the podcast, the guys recap the things they are working on and what to look for moving forward as everyone continues to shelter in place. Even though there isn't going to be spring football as we know it, there's still plenty going on.

To listen to the full podcast, click on the audio link above.

The guys from Dawgman.com - Chris Fetters and Head of Hoops Aaron Beach - catch up and hash out the Wednesday news that former Wichita State guard Erik Stevenson would transfer to Washington.

Beach breaks down what he likes about Stevenson, going all the way back to his days as a Timberline Blazer, and also how he would fit into the roster makeup for 2020. With Quade Green, Nahziah Carter, Elijah Hardy, and Marcus Tsohonis all expected back, who is the odd player out?

There's still an extra scholarship left for 2020, assuming Jaden McDaniels and Isaiah Stewart are gone and Riley Sorn is put on scholarship, joining Stevenson and USC transfer J'Raan Brooks. Does Beach think they'll try and fill it with one more transfer for 2020? Or will they wait and try and use it on a packed 2021 recruiting class?

The guys from Dawgman.com - Kim Grinolds, Chris Fetters, and Scott Eklund - may all be taking their social distancing responsibilities seriously, but technology is a wonderful thing. It can make it seem like they're all in the same room together at the same time!

Today, on St. Patrick's Day of all days, the guys break down a ton of UW-related news, both on the football field, the basketball court, and in the recruiting trenches.

Here's some of the topics discussed...

Recruiting: J.T. Tuimoloau to Ohio State?/UW Crystal balls to Troy Franklin and Steven Ortiz...

College Football: Washington hiring former Simon Fraser Head Coach Thomas Ford, who also happens to be Tracy Ford's brother...

Basketball: Former Wichita State guard Erik Stevenson coming home?/Nate Pryor de-committing from UW/scholarship numbers...

Pro Football: NFL News, Cory Littleton to Las Vegas/Desmond Trufant free agent news/Greg Gaines opportunity in LA?

We also talk about a story we'll be posting soon with help from Washington Assistant Athletic Director for Athletic Communications Jeff Bechthold about the UW Football Digital Database Archive that he's been working on. This is a great crowdsourcing opportunity to help fill in the gaps in their archive.

And we also talk about social distancing and how we're dealing with self-quarantine and the rest of the coronavirus outbreak. How are you guys handling it so far?

The guys from Dawgman.com - Kim Grinolds, Chris Fetters, and Scott Eklund - got together Friday morning for a podcast to update how the coronavirus has affected UW Athletics and what the outlook is moving forward.

Grinolds has been traveling and is now back from the Pac-12 Men's Basketball Tournament, which was subsequently canceled, so we felt it was a good time to not only update everyone on the latest with the hoops team but also what is happening with regard to spring football and whether or not it's going to take place.

What are the odds Jaden McDaniels and Isaiah Stewart come back to UW for their second seasons? The guys talk about that scenario, as well as how Mike Hopkins moves on if they both decide to turn pro.

This would be a time where the UW Football staff would be hosting recruits on campus, and they've done a bunch of that to date, but now all recruiting for all sports, on or off-campus, is suspended until mid-April, meaning even if spring football were to happen they couldn't host recruits for at least half of spring. And what does UW's self-imposed measures for sporting activities and events until the end of March mean for Washington's combine day and pro day? 

Scott Eklund also talks about a few of the latest prospects to be offered by the Huskies, including former Inglemoor start Quentin Moore. 

The guys talk about all of the ramifications of the coronavirus and how it's going to be a very long spring at Montlake while the various sports look to pick up the pieces and figure out how they can salvage their seasons, if at all, and also what the NCAA is doing about restoring eligibility for those student-athletes who have been affected the most.

Seemingly dead in the water a week ago, the Washington Huskies are back on top of the wave again, ready to pull off the shocker of all shockers; win four games in four days to take the Pac-12 Tournament.

Oregon did it last year, so why not UW right now?

The Huskies play Arizona Wednesday at 2:30 pm on the Pac-12 Network, an ironic matchup considering UW just beat the Wildcats 69-63 Saturday night in Tucson. UW has found a spark and things came together in the desert, as they also beat Arizona State 90-83 two days earlier.

But how? And why now, of all times? In some ways, Washington has always been close to winning a lot more games this year, but in the way they pulled out close games last year en route to the regular-season Pac-12 title, they found more than enough ways to capitulate late in games this season. Whether it was not making key shots, either in the field or at the foul line, not getting stops down the stretch, turning the ball over, losing composure, etc... it's usually been a combination of all of those things.

The last two games has shown the conference why the Huskies were picked third in the media preseason poll. They have the pieces in place, and the chemistry is starting to gel at the right time.

Dawgman.com's Chris Fetters caught up with the undisputed Head of Hoops, Aaron Beach, to talk to him about the last couple of games and the momentum generated as Washington heads to Vegas with hopes of doing the improbable. It's the only way they get to a post-season tournament, so why not?

They talk about the maturation of Jaden McDaniels, the steady hustle and flow of Isaiah Stewart, the ability of Nahziah Carter and Jamal Bey to find buckets and impact the game, as well as the emergence of Marcus Tsohonis and Elijah Hardy when it comes to running the team and getting them going in the half-court.

But with the possibility of Quade Green being available to play (we talk a little about the hypotheticals involved, but we have no news as to whether or not he'll be cleared to play at any point during the tournament), how does that aspect throw a wrench into the works? And if he does play, who would he line up with best?

Finally, we talk a little bit about Washington's road to the final, which would have to go through Arizona, USC, and most likely Oregon in the semifinals. Could Washington avenge their 20-point championship final loss from last year? If there was ever a time Oregon could be ripe for picking, it just might be now.

He's seen it first hand. Whether it was Oregon last year going on a run to win the Pac-12 Tournament, or even going as far back as 2006, Mike Hopkins witnessed Gerry McNamara's heroics as Syracuse became the first Big East team to win four games in the Big East Tournament to earn a ticket to the Big Dance.

With McNamara, it was a running one-handed three-pointer to beat Cincinnati at the buzzer, followed by an improbable upset of then number-one Connecticut. Wins over Georgetown and Pittsburgh followed, giving the Orange one of the craziest league tournament titles of all-time.

All it took was a spark. But currently at 3-13 in the league, the Washington Huskies need a lot more than a spark. They need an electrical storm the likes of which we have never seen before.

But it's been a crazy year, and to not expect more craziness would be even weirder, because it's named March Madness for a reason. And this particular group of Huskies has lost close games by nearly every way imaginable - much in the same way they won those same exact games a year earlier.

Who knows if that spark can come in the desert - the unlikeliest of places for Washington - but it has to come now, or never.

Nahziah Carter, Jaden McDaniels, and Mike Hopkins spoke to the media after Washington's 78-74 loss to Washington State Friday night at Alaska Airlines Arena. The loss took the Huskies to 3-13 in Pac-12 play and 13-16 overall.