Cool it with Carl
Malamute, 1 April 2006

Shame on offensive coordinator Tim Lappano for publicly scolding Carl Bonnell; Carl has the quickest release and nimblest feet of any of the UW quarterbacks, an affinity to star if given a slice of a chance. If Lappano doesn’t watch out, he’ll have another Craig Chambers on his hands. One playmaker gone and one to go, line them up, two in a row.

If Coach Willingham really wants a West Coast Offense, and we’re talking about the Bill Walsh variety, then Bonnell’s his man. He can time his release to the feet of his receivers better than any of Lappano’s quarterbacks. His rapport with a receiver is like particle communication in John Bell's non-local world, obeying the law of angular momentum. Well, not quite, but...Lappano can implement his power running game with the zone blocking and straight ahead power that Don Coryell featured with his teams; after, all Coryell matriculated at the Dub.

A couple of big cats pushing ahead towards the goal line, as did Joe Toledo and Khalif Barnes. They were chained to the ankle like a couple of dudes at San Quentin. Any parallels on this year’s team? Can Kirton block? “I’ve got a 280 pound running back,” Gilby told me proudly, his face beaming like a new papa's. What a waste of talent.

A public airing of Bonnell’s work ethic was not necessary. "He (Bonnell) needs to understand that playing quarterback in this system takes a lot of work and a lot of film study," Lappano reportedly said of his would-be star.

Film Study!! Hey, Lappano you’re no Sid Gillman – who, years ago, filled his garage with miles and miles of celluloid.

Having three talented quarterbacks pulling the sled is one of the few strengths of the 2K6 Dawgs. 

Don't get me wrong, Isaiah Stanback is still the number one quarterback in my book; you go with your senior quarterback in the Pac-10. But don't throw the baby out with the bathwater, to wit:

The Cause: Now we’ve got a whole thread on dawgman.com lambasting Carl, some posts suggesting that he lose his scholarship.

And the Effect:  Down to two helmsmen, both hurt late in the season, with Montlake Jake having opted for baseball. Where have they all gone, Tim?

The fact the laundry was hung out to dry in front of all the neighbors instead of using the indoor drier is what bothers me. To be sure it was a mild criticism, and I'm sure that Lappano meant well, but people tend to embellish, as they did on dawgman.

Remember back when, when all the beat writers were picking Bonnell to play the majority of the minutes available to the quarterbacks in 2004? I watched them tell that to Softy, one by one.

The latest quantum of verbiage out of Montlake, not recently noted for its loquaciousness, designed to motivate Bonnell, breeds uncertainty, as in Heisenberg. You know, suddenly an electron is in another place and you don’t know how it got there.

As for limiting the media to just the first 25 minutes of practice, Willingham doesn't need any concerned visitors holding mirrors under the proboscis of his flat-lining patient, who desperately needs mouth-to-mouth resuscitation.

Eighteen members of the 2003 class, Rick Neuheisel's last, figure to play significant roles in the year's effort, all listed on the two deeps going into the spring. Bonnell was part of that class. Other members of that class, Craig Chambers and Bobby Whithorne, who both have left the team, figure to contribute at Montana and UCLA, respectively. MIke Mapuolesega and Jon Lyon have graduated. The 2003 class was ranked eighteenth in the country by scout.com.

Twenty of the 24 starters (including specialists) listed for spring practice were recruited by Neuheisel. 

You can say a lot of things about Rick, but don't tell me he couldn't recruit, especially when they gave him half a chance. He signed Bonnell, didn't he? For that, and the others seeking their destiny this spring, the ghost of Rick hovers over Montlake.