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The "Sark" attack
However, as far as I know, no one knows how to print the fourth dimension in various denominations, other than accelerating near the speed of light. The hiring of Steve Sarkisian highlights the use of Occam's Razor to solve complex problems. Needing some wins to mitigate the impact of a 0-14 record dating back to last season -- this in the minds of recruits and fans -- seems complex enough to me. Sifting through a myriad of potential coaches and finding the right one required some common sense. As it turned out, finding the safe part of the green without burying in a sand trap was all that was needed. Sarkisian has California recruiting connections, is enthusiastic and well-liked. Unfortunately, many fans will expect him to be another Jeff Tedford, who was hired by Cal out of the coordinator ranks. Tedford took over a team that had been 1-10 in 2001 and, in his first season with the Golden Bears in 2002, led them to a 7-5 record. As far as troubled times go at Washington, we need to go back 51 years in time to establish a more reasonable metric for Sarkisian. A cacophony of backbiting, countercharges and unrest set the scene for the 29-year old Jim Owens when he was hired in 1957, as the fifth coach in 10 years’ time, following "Pest" Welch, Howie Odell, John Cherberg and Darrell Royal. (*) An apathetic and negative shroud covered the UW athletics program back then, much like the pall of today. As in the Owens era, "Sark" will be the fifth coach over a ten-year period, following Lambo, Neu, Gilby and Ty. As shown by Table 1 below, the winning percentages during the two periods of time preceding Owens and Sarkisian were nearly identical (43% against 44%, respectively). Table 1. Ten-year periods (11 seasons) preceding Jim Owens (43%) and Steve Sarkisian (44%)
After a slow start, Owens went on to win the 1960 Rose Bowl against Wisconsin. For Sarkisian, going to any bowl after two seasons will be good enough for me. (#) He's taking over a 0-12 team, whereas, Royal left Owens with a 5-5 outfit. Washington AD Scott Woodward and school president Mark Emmert should be commended on their hire, for not sitting around twiddling their thumbs by wasting their time with coaches who were already satisfied with their jobs and looking to leverage their bosses for better contracts. Instead, they signed Sarkisian before another school got in the way. The NCAA's role and incompetency in the Washington debacle can't be emphasized enough, and vice versa. As offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach at USC, Sarkisian has done an outstanding job of tutoring Mark Sanchez and, most notably, without the grandstanding of a certain coach across the city. Going into the season, his offensive line needed rebuilding while he needed to keep multi-talented star Joe McKnight happy. His offense ranks second in the conference in scoring offense (38.8), second in total offense and first in passing efficiency offense (159.8). McKnight had wide smile on his face after his 55-yard TD run against Notre Dame. A prolific passer when he played for BYU, Sarkisian is guaranteed to turn Jake Locker into a better thrower. Locker's repaired broken thumb should heal much quicker now and be ready for spring ball under the ameliorating balm of Sarkisian. To succeed at UW, Sarkisian, 34, will need the work ethic of Tedford, who is known for keeping a refrigerator and sleeping bag in his office -- and using them overnight. Having a loyal wife and young children to feed at home -- like the 29-year old Jim Owens had -- can be a heck of a motivator for a young coach. He will be expected to win on the field, without Owens' death march, and steer players along the road to graduation. He will need a gift of gab, charisma and fund-raising skills. He will need to leap to the fore when called to attention, but be his own man when the chips are on the line. He must donate time to the present to provide for his family's future. When he retires, he can better his golf handicap.
“They’d be
lucky to get him,” USC coach Pete Carroll said last month, when
Sarkisian’s name was first mentioned in connection with the Washington
job. “Whenever you have a chance to hire a guy that brings a major
aspect of the team like the offense, that’s huge, because you know what
you’re getting." His task is enormous, and he will need the cooperation of all us fans. ----------- (*) Note that Reggie Root coached one year due to the illness of Odell. (#) Both Jim Owens and Don James were helped significantly by NCAA rules changes that limited the effect of population as applied to recruiting. Sarkisian won't have that advantage. Richard Linde, aka Malamute can be reached at malamute@4malamute.com |
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Taking the coordinator's route was the logical path to
go,
considering the tattered state of the Washington program. During
the job search, other
than Lane Kiffin, who ended up at Tennessee, it was all about finding the right coordinator. The notion of hiring a big-name, BCS coach was never
more than a pipedream, as was the rumor mongering that went on
with Jim L. Mora, which burned a lot of thought processes and
stole time from Einstein's bank of relativity, which for most of
us needs a government bailout. (Photo credit, Bobak Ha'Eri).