Holt revs up defense

Aug 12, 2009, 12:00 AM

UW football fans should hope first-year defensive coordinator Nick Holt can coach as well as he can talk. Holt, asked at Friday's press conference preceding the beginning of fall practices if there were advantages to returning most of the players from a defense that gave up 39 points and 452 yards per game last season, didn't dance around the question. Instead, he answered it the same way anyone who watched this team play last season would have - which is odd because he didn't have to watch any of it. The 0-12 record told him all he needed to know. "The 0-12, quite honestly, means they were terrible," Holt said. "The guys that did play, OK, they've been in a D-1 (Division 1) football game. They've played in a big stadium. They've played in front of 70,000 people. They've been booed. They've had water thrown on them. They've been in the fire. Have they done well? Obviously not. So we need to find the guys that can do well in that atmosphere." That's the challenge facing head coach Steve Sarkisian, Holt and the rest of the Huskies' brand new coaching staff this season. That task began Monday with the beginning of fall camp, a 29-practice period that will determine who will play where, who has improved, and who is going to attempt to lead the Huskies back toward respectability. For now, though, they'll settle for winning a couple of games. That's a process that was set in motion during spring practices - the only 15 times Sarkisian has seen this team on the field, but he's glad to be back out there. "They've obviously had a great summer of conditioning," Sarkisian said. "A lot of guys have changed, and I'm trying to go in as a head coach with an open mind. It's open, the competition's on, and in my opinion, the cream is going to rise to the top for our football team." Some of that cream seems to already be in place. Jake Locker will run the offense and is the natural leader of this team heading into his third season as the starting quarterback. Chris Polk, who started the opener last season as a true freshman before suffering a season-ending shoulder injury in week two, is considered the guy to beat out for the starting tailback spot. And the linebackers - Donald Butler, Mason Foster and E.J. Savannah - seem pretty well set and could be the most solid unit on the team. But the secondary - save for cornerback Quinton Richardson and strong safety Nate Williams - will see a lot of competition, as well as the offensive and defensive lines, with the exception of defensive end Daniel Te'o Nesheim, who will likely compete for All Pac-10 honors. "How good they really are, you don't know," Holt said. "But now, we're really going to find out because we have some numbers and it's for real. It's not just giggles and playing spring ball and having fun. We're getting ready to win football games." Offensively and defensively, there are question marks in nearly every department because that's what happens when you're coming off an 0-12 season. But perhaps the most interesting and important progression will be the one Holt will attempt to make with the defense. Locker's presence on the field this season will boost the offense on its own, and it has been the defense that has fallen under the most scrutiny the past couple of seasons. Look for more energy and speed, Holt said. "These guys are having fun out there, flying around," he said. "That's what you can expect from this defense. Whether we'll stop anyone, I don't know that yet. But they'll have fun." Reach reporter Christian Caple at news@dailyuw.com.

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