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By Richard Linde, a.k.a, Malamute Should Casey Paus have replaced Cody Pickett at QB at one time or another last season? This question has been posed on a several internet message boards, so I’ll add my two cents worth. Most fans point to the Oregon game, the ninth of last season, as a reason why Paus should have played more. Pickett suffered what looked to be a mild concussion in the first half of that game and was replaced by Paus. Down 10-7 at the half, Washington roared back with 35 unanswered points on big plays, a swarming defense and the arm of Paus, who threw two touchdown passes, completing 5-8 for 117 yards. But it was a team effort. For instance, running backs Shelton Sampson and Kenny James combined for 245 yards rushing on the night. Seemingly, the rest of the team took up the slack after Pickett went down instead of letting Pickett and his favorite receivers (Williams and Charles Frederick) do it all, as might have been the case in some of the Huskies’ losses. Last season’s disappointment wasn’t all the fault of Pickett. Blame the 6-6 season partly on inexperience and injuries to the team. Losing head coach Rick Neuheisel near the beginning of the season had to affect player morale and, perhaps, contributed to perfunctory play in a few games. But, in retrospect, there is no way that Casey Paus should have replaced Pickett as last season’s starter – neither at its start, midseason nor end. Pickett displayed God-given tools that many college quarterbacks lack, and any comparison with other college quarterbacks who will play next season or that preceded him is academic. Leadership skills, quick release, a strong arm and elusiveness were Pickett’s trademarks. But fans say Pickett played hurt last season and should have been replaced somewhere along the line, especially during the game with Arizona, which the Huskies lost 27-22. Undoubtedly, Pickett played hurt during the season. But every QB plays hurt, some to a greater degree than others. "He (Pickett) reminds me of the guy in the Monty Python movie who gets his arm chopped off and says, 'Flesh wound!'" Neuheisel said before the 2002 season. If Pickett had felt his physical condition was hurting the team, then he should have removed himself from the lineup, or Keith Gilbertson should have. Simply put, it would have been in their best interest, as well as that of the team. I doubt that Paus would have faired any better than Pickett in the Huskies’ losses, considering the youthful receivers, inexperienced running backs and numerous injuries to the team. A consistent running game was lacking. Because of that, Pickett was a dead man walking in several losses – for example, 34 yards rushing against Cal and 7 yards against Ohio State. Losing RB Chris Singleton before the season started was a blow to the gut. As a result, RBs Kenny James and Shelton Sampson made steady progress, but it would have been nice to have had more depth at RB, especially after Alexis was hurt in the Oregon State game. In Pickett’s last three games (in losses to UA and Cal and a win over WSU) the UW averaged just 71 yards on the ground, while its three opponents averaged 261.3 yards. The loss of four wide receivers from the 2002 team (Paul Arnold, Pat Reddick, Will Hooks, Jr., and Eddie Jackson) clearly affected Pickett’s statistics. Then, of course, oft-injured Justin Robbins (WR) never got things going in 2003. The true freshmen receivers failed to support Pickett for most of the season -- slowly, irritatingly coming up to speed. Gilby expressed concern about their progress at the Evergreen training camp last August. Their lack of support was clearly evidenced in the opener with Ohio State and it remained that way throughout much of the season. Pickett’s teammates seemed to give up in the Cal game (a 54-7 loss), as well as in the second half of the UCLA game when the team surrendered 39 unanswered points in a 46-16 loss. Fifteen players figuring to be in the active rotation before the season started didn’t play against Cal due to injury or other reasons. Recycled offensive lines were de rigueur in 2003 (four of them) -- injuries and limited resources (85 scholarships) being abundantly evident. In contrast, when the Huskies advanced to the Rose Bowl in 2000, only three players on the pre-spring depth chart missed significant time during the season due to injury. In 2002, Cody Pickett ran the UW’s offense nearly to perfection thanks to a stronger supporting cast with fewer injuries. Guts, desire, leadership, athleticism are the way I want to remember Cody, not as being that senior quarterback that never should have played in the lion’s share of his final season. Although some fans say Pickett will never be a Husky legend, they can always tell their grandchildren that Cody Pickett grew up on Chicken Dinner Road. Each Husky has something special to offer. Richard Linde (a.k.a., Malamute) can be reached at malamute@4malamute.com |
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