Dawgman Radio: A Washington Huskies athletics podcast

The guys from Dawgman.com - Kim Grinolds and Chris Fetters - dissect what they saw on day 10 of UW fall training camp, and also what needs to happen for certain players that have been held out and what they need to do to show that they're ready to go.

You're starting to get to that stage in camp where coaches are going to have to start making decisions. Special Teams Coordinator Chris Petrilli said by the end of the week he'll have a much better idea of who they will be targeting as their returners.

The same thing will be happening on both sides of the ball. Kim and Chris go through the positions, starting first on the offensive side of the ball and then the defense, talking about the players that have emerged, the players that have been held out, and where the position battles need to be joined before the Huskies really get after their Apple Cup preparations starting next week.

The Mac and Mounger Show brought a guest to this week's episode, inviting the expertise of Dawgman's very own Scott Eklund. The mission for this episode was simple, yet challenging: draft the best team possible using the current Washington Husky Football roster.

The trio picked their teams using a snake draft format. Each individual had to draft one running back, one receiver, one tight end, two offensive linemen, and a flex player on the offensive side of the ball. For defense, team's were filled out with one defensive tackle, one edge player, one linebacker, one cornerback, one safety, and a defensive flex player.

Is the best strategy to take the best player available? Or should one target a position of limited depth to make sure their advantage at that spot is substantial? Listen along as Jack, Luke, and Scott think through these questions live, justify their answers, and fill out their rosters.

Also, let us know in the comments who you think drafted the best team of the group. 

The guys from Dawgman.com - Kim Grinolds, Chris Fetters, and Scott Eklund - gathered around the microphone Saturday night after Washington's 125-play scrimmage to talk about the things they loved and the things that need work.

And there was plenty to talk about on both scores.

To start the podcast, the guys went down the list of the players that did not participate in the scrimmage. Every player, minus CJ Christian and Jordan Washington , suited up and went through the pre-scrimmage warmup, but then that's when a number of them went to the east field to do individual workouts and conditioning drills.

But when it came to the players that did stand out, there were a number on both sides of the ball. We started on the offensive side, and then moved over to the defense.

We also got to see the punters for an extended period, and also got to see Tyler Robles go 2-3 on field goal attempts on the night.

Near the end of the podcast, the guys talked about safety Rylon Dillard-Allen, the play that resulted in him getting bounced from a live period and then what UW Head Coach Jedd Fisch said about RDA after practice. It was pretty interesting stuff.

They finish the scrimmage recap with some final thoughts, some things that maybe didn't go that well to balance out all the positives that took place Saturday night, and then what the fall camp schedule looks like for next week.

And after next Saturday's Mock Game, the media will not be allowed to watch practice.

The guys from Dawgman.com - Kim Grinolds, Chris Fetters, and Scott Eklund - sat through day seven of fall training camp, which ended up being part clean up work, part special teams focus, and more competitive work as the Washington players honed in on their first big scrimmage of fall, set to start at 5:45 pm Saturday night inside Husky Stadium.

But before the scrimmage, the guys talked about what they saw, who was back in the mix as far as the cleanup work was concerned, who was still held out for more conditioning, and everything else the team did before practice finished roughly 150 minutes after it started. 

Scott offered up a quick recruiting update, including how having the Apple Cup on a Sunday is going to help UW bring in a lot of visitors for that particular game. 

To finish up the podcast, the guys talked about what they expect to see from Saturday's first big scrimmage. 

The guys from Dawgman.com - Kim Grinolds and Chris Fetters - were on hand Thursday for day six of Washington's fall training camp, and we're at the point now in camp where the days start to bleed into one another and you not only lose track of what day of fall camp it is, but also what day of the week it is.

The easiest way to remember is that we're just two days away from Washington's first big scrimmage of fall, which will take place Saturday night (5:45 pm) inside Husky Stadium. Hopefully a ton of UW fans will be able to make it.

Today's practice was very much in service of that upcoming scrimmage. There was more competitive periods inside Husky Stadium, and we got to see the first 'live' snaps taken by the Huskies so far this fall, meaning defenders could take the ballcarriers to the ground.

Kim and Chris talked about the players that weren't able to participate in those team periods, some that were finally let off the leash a little bit, and others that stepped up to the challenge and made plays.

On offense, Kim thought Christian Moss was his standout player, while Justice Williams made the play of the day. Chris thought Gavin Day was the standout player for a goal-line interception and fumble recovery.

And finally they wrapped up the practice review with an appreciation of transfer kicker Tyler Robles. The former Texas State star went 8-8 on his kicks to finish practice, including the last two 'fire drill' kicks where the whole kicking unit had to rush from the sidelines, get in formation and quickly kick the ball because they were unable to stop the clock. They went 2-2 during the 'fire drill' kicks.

The guys from Dawgman.com - Kim Grinolds and Chris Fetters - were on hand for Washington's fifth practice of fall training camp, and it was the longest of camp by far. At right around 150 minutes, it allowed the team to get a ton of position and install work in, as well as the most team periods they've seen so far.

And they moved the last couple team periods into Husky Stadium so the fans on hand could watch them compete in the Greatest Setting in College Football.

Kim and Chris started out setting the scene. It was a gorgeous day on Montlake, perfect for a football practice. And the second biggest storyline of the day other than the length of practice was the fact that it wasn't the defense that ruled the day.

If anything, it felt like the offense got as many shots on the defense as the other way around. To be fair, the team periods were designed mostly around the red zone or just outside the red zone (drives starting at the 25-yard line going in), and the defense certainly didn't act as a sieve.

But when quarterback Demond Williams needed a play to be made down the field, he went to Dezmen Roebuck. The second-year receiver has easily become Demond's go-to guy, but Kim and Chris talked about a couple of other receivers that definitely stepped up their play on Tuesday.

And a couple of the other quarterbacks also had strong days throwing the ball, and not just inside Husky Stadium.

Now it feels like the questions that surrounded the team going into fall camp have gone from, how are they filling certain positions to, how good is this team going to look like when all their key pieces return to full health?

When it came to the team periods, there were a number of players that practiced that weren't used; Jayden Limar, Trey Cooley, Geirean Hatchett, Landen Hatchett, Isaiah Ward, Paul Mencke, and Dylan Robinson.

What is it going to look like when those players come back and the battle is fully joined?

The guys from Dawgman.com - Kim Grinolds and Chris Fetters - offered up their thoughts after day four of fall camp on the shores of Lake Washington, a day that started out a little overcast at first but then the sun burst through by the end of the two-hour practice.

And just like the weather, the Huskies' intensity continued to ramp up during their team periods. Ramping things up seemed to be the theme of the day as both the offense and defense saw players come back into view and others made their presence known.

Starting with the offensive line, they talked about Kolt Dieterich working exclusively at center and how that is having a ripple effect with both the Hatchett brothers - Geirean and Landen - out of the main competitive periods. It was good to see both of them getting some mental reps and taking more of a part in practice than before, and we fully expect their involvement to grow and grow as the week progresses.

Dylan Robinson wasn't available for the team periods, but that gave more time to the other, younger corners. Players like Kayden Greene, Elias Johnson, and Jeron Jones. Elijah Durr was doing a little double duty today as he got in his work at corner and also caught some punts.

Today was the first day we got to see some legit punting and return work, so the guys talked about what they saw out of Hunter Green and Luke Dunne.

When the Huskies did have their team periods, they were mostly done in the red zone. Kim and Chris talked about who stood out on both sides of the ball during these periods, starting with safety Alex McLaughlin, who had two interceptions on the day, both against Demond Williams on passes intended for Rashid Williams.

The guys from Dawgman.com - Kim Grinolds, Chris Fetters, and Scott Eklund - got together after a very busy day three of UW fall camp, one that saw the re-introduction of a familiar face along the Washington defensive line, and also the first time the Huskies took part in some competitive periods.

The arrival of Ta'ita'i Uiagalelei to practice today was a most welcome one. The fifth-year defensive lineman is taking part because of the Colorado ruling allowing those players from 2022 that were grandfathered in to the five-for-five years of eligibility initially granted by the NCAA.

While the NCAA is appealing the ruling from the Colorado court, it's assumed those eligible under that ruling would participate and play as long as they can until told otherwise. Uiagalelei still has a long ways to go in terms of getting up to speed because of all the time he missed preparing for the NFL Draft and life as a pro, but he already knows so much of what Ryan Walters and Jason Kaufusi expect that it shouldn't take him too long to get up to speed.

When the competitive periods hit, it was clear which side of the ball was ready to go and which side is still feeling things out. Whether it was a stunning pick by freshman Jeron Jones in the corner of the end zone, a pick by another freshman - Ramzak Fruean - that he would have taken to the house, or just their play overall... the defense was heads and tails above the offense right now.

With the exception of one receiver that came out and scored a couple touchdowns today in those same team periods. It's what we expected to see out of Christian Moss during spring ball before injury put him on the shelf. But he looks fully back and set to not just compete, but to win a starting job.

At least one of the Dawgman guys thinks you can put the starting three receivers in ink; Dezmen Roebuck, Rashid Williams, and Christian Moss. They also discuss who the next three receiver would be after that.

And Ryan Walters is going to have his hands full trying to figure out which linebackers he has to keep off the field. And could some of those linebackers end up actually working their way into some extra time in the slot just outside the box? One thing is for sure; with so many experienced players coming back, as well as athletic talent, Walters is going to have a lot of tough decisions to make moving forward.

The people have been asking, so we delivered! Luke Mounger and Jack McCauley are back for year eight of the Mac and Mounger Show, talking all things Washington Football.

The podcast started with the discrepancies between the weights listed for certain players and what the coaches said they actually are. But instead of talking about that, Luke wanted to know how Jack would want his height and weight to be if he was on the roster.

Then they get to the heart of the pod, which is their thoughts of UW Football starting back up, things they're excited about and players they want to know more about as things move closer and closer to the September 6 opener versus Washington State.

For Jack, he's looking forward to hearing more about certain position groups, like the linebackers and how that room is going to sort itself out with so much returning experience and talent, or the running backs and defensive line. He's also curious about how the receiver room is going to shake out, especially the starters behind Dezmen Roebuck.

For Luke, he's also interested in the receiver room and how some of the true freshmen that stood out in spring will continue to make their mark. Could they be from game one? Kodi Greene and Derek Colman-Brusa were inserted into the first team from the first rep of spring football. Will they continue to hold down those spots? Both Luke and Jack have their favorites.

Jack is curious how Demond Williams is going to react without Jonah Coleman and Denzel Boston around as reliable pieces that helped him distribute the ball.

Luke is curious to see how the team as a whole will react to being in Jedd Fisch's system for three years. With so much coaching continuity as well as scheme and style of play, will the Huskies make as big a jump from year two to three as they did from year one to two?

The guys finish up the podcast with their expectations for some second-year players - players like RB Quaid Carr and safety Rylon Dillard-Allen.

The guys from Dawgman.com - Kim Grinolds and Scott Eklund - had the job today of recapping what took place during day two of Washington's fall training camp, and probably the easiest summation would be this; the same as day one.

There was a lot of work on position drills, as well as special teams drills. Kim and Scott talked at length about players that stood out to them on both sides of the ball. There was an emphasis on the secondary, including some thoughts on true frosh Jeron Jones and Rahsjon Duncan and also their early takes on a depth chart back there.

After a quick ad break they talked about a new Husky that will definitely have better days than he had today. Freshman offensive lineman Ah Deong Yang was on the sidelines all practice today doing conditioning after going down with cramps yesterday. He was getting a lot of encouragement from his teammates and the other strength and conditioning coaches and trainers, but we're sure he's also going to catch his share of grief as well once he makes it back to the locker room. Consider it his 'welcome to college football' moment.

And near the end of the podcast, Kim asked Scott, of all the players on the team, who would he choose if guaranteed 10 percent of their future pro earnings?