Donald Butler

Today is also the day for linebackers in the combine. Many analysts expect Donald Butler to be one of the players who can dramatically improve their draft stock with a good performance. I have no doubt that Butler will give them the show they're looking for.

Here is what his pre-draft analysis has to say:

"Butler is a two-year starter that had an outstanding senior season. Butler has good size and strength but lacks great speed. He is a solid athlete with decent foot agility, balance and short area quickness to close in the open field. Butler should be more physical on contact but is a solid hitter between the tackles. He is inconsistent to ward off and shed blockers to the pile. He has good instincts but is inconsistent in his pursuit angles and run fits at times. Despite not having great speed, he is solid as a coverage defender. Butler has the size, strength, instincts, toughness and athleticism to contribute on special teams as well adding valuable depth to a club in his rookie season."

Here is his stat line from the combine, which I will also update as the numbers continue trickling in:

Donald Butler
Height:6'1"
Weight:245 lbs.
Arm Length:32 5/8 in.
Hand Size:9 1/2 in.

40-Yard Dash: DNP
Bench Press:35 reps, The NFL Combine website reports this as being the #1 performance for all linebackers
Vertical Jump: DNP
3-Cone Drill: DNP
20-Yard Shuttle: DNP
60-Yard Shuttle: DNP

Donald Butler is blogging about his Combine experience, so if you want to hear about what he's going through first hand, go check it out.

Daniel Te'o-Nesheim

Today is the day for Defensive lineman at the NFL Combine. He hasn't been shown a lot of love from his pre-draft analysis, this is what they had to say:

"Te'o-Nesheim has been a productive four-year starter for the Huskies defense. Te'o-Nesheim is an undersized defensive end that wins with toughness, effort, instincts and technique. He lacks great quickness, burst and agility as a pass rusher but does a nice job using his hands to counter effectively. Te'o-Nesheim will have a tough time anchoring effectively versus the run and doesn't possess the speed, quickness and agility to project to an outside backer in a 3-4 defensive scheme. His high motor, leadership skills, toughness and instincts gives him a chance but he clearly overachieved in college and is not likely to transition well at the next level."

Here is his line from the combine homepage:

Daniel Te'o-Nesheim
Height:6'3"
Weight:263 lbs.
Arm Length:33 3/4 in.
Hand Size:10 1/2 in.

40-Yard Dash: 4.72
Bench Press: 29 reps
Vertical Jump: 37 inches (Tied for second best for all D-Lineman)
Broad Jump: 10'08", best mark among D-Lineman
3-Cone Drill: 6.91 seconds, 2nd best mark among D-Lineman
20-Yard Shuttle: 4.18, 3rd best mark among D-Lineman
60-Yard Shuttle:


As his results come in I'll continue to update them. Good Luck Daniel, go prove them wrong!

NFL Combine Schedule

Saturday, Feb. 27
Group 1 (OL, SPECIALISTS)
Group 2 (OL)
Group 3 (TE)
Sunday, Feb. 28
Group 4 (QB, WR)
Group 5 (QB, WR)
Group 6 (RB)
Monday, March 1
Group 7 (DL)
Group 8 (DL)
Group 9 (LB)
Tuesday, March 2
Group 10 (DB)
Group 11 (DB)

Spring football

Ted Miller from ESPN recently broke down the key story lines for each of the Pac-10 teams spring game this year. Here's what he had for our Huskies:

Washington
Spring practice starts: March 30
Spring game: April 30

What to watch:

Unleashing Locker: The return of quarterback Jake Locker was the best news any Pac-10 team received this offseason. Locker's passing improved dramatically in just one year under coach Steve Sarkisian, so it's not unreasonable to expect him to be even better in 2010, particularly with nine starters back on offense and just about every skill player on the depth chart.

Replacing Te'o-Nesheim: Daniel Te'o-Nesheim was a four-year starter who blossomed into an All-Pac-10 performer despite almost no supporting cast. He led the Huskies with 11 sacks in 2009, which was 8.5 more than any other player. Also, opposite end Darrion Jones is gone, and the cast at the position is extremely young. Who's the next pass-rushing threat?

The Butler did it: Linebacker Donald Butler blossomed last year, earning second-team All-Pac-10 honors and leading the Huskies in tackles and tackles for loss (15.5). Toss in E.J. Savannah's failure to earn a sixth year of eligibility from the NCAA, and the Huskies have some questions at linebacker. Mason Foster is a sure thing at one outside position, and Cort Dennison likely will fill a second gap, but there's an opportunity for a young player to fill void No. 3.

Final list of 2010 recruiting class

Now it all makes sense

I try not to dwell on the past too often, but as I was thinking about the unfortunate circumstances surrounding EJ Savannah, I began to think about the Tyrone Willingham years.

I have constantly struggled to understand how somebody could be so terribly inept at their profession. I then came across this:



Now it makes a lot more sense.

EJ Savannah doesn't recieve extra year of eligibility

As has been reported, EJ Savannah has just received word that he has not qualified for an extra year of eligibility due to medical hardship. They were hoping for some leniency from the NCAA, especially with the unusual circumstances regarding his suspension from the team by Tyrone Willingham, in which he was suspended for academics while being academically eligible to play.

Another unfortunate casualty of the Tyrone Willingham era.

We feel for you EJ, good luck in your preparation, we hope to see you playing on sundays.