I'm back from Las Vegas and ready to focus on Cougar football. Spring practice is over and the opener (against Oklahoma State in Seattle) is a little more than four months away. According to the players and coaches I've talked to, there is still a lot to learn before then.

I talked about the no-huddle offense briefly before I left for my trip (my previous blog Spring Football (To Be Continued)). I can't tell you how excited I am about the new style (I was giddy like a kid on Christmas when I was at practice). Brandon Gibson was running through quarterback drills, there was all sorts of motion, and even the option (Gary Rogers at 6'6" moves pretty darn good). I'm not saying that means the Cougars are going to go out and torch teams for 500 yards and 50 points a game, but it's definitely different than anything the Cougar faithful has seen before (and I love every second of it).

I talked to offensive lineman Vaughn Lesuma about the new offense the other day (it's going to be tough on the big boys up front...they're going to have to be ready to run the field). He said the no-huddle definitely tests your character and it is weeding out the guys who really want to be there and the guys who don't. He also added that it's not a question of if they'll be ready by the season opener...it's that they have to be ready (they only get about a month in the fall to make sure the final pieces are in place).

As for the defense, the Cougars are going to run a 4-3 similar to Bill Doba's. When I talked to Paul Wulff about the defense he told me that most of the differences will be with technique and coverages. He also said that his defense will be more versatile (I can't think of a better word right now) because they'll be able to adjust to the different offensive styles in the Pac-10. Andy Mattingly, recently moved to defensive end, told me that the transition has been easy because on defense "you find the ball and go after it."

NOTE: I'm going to call it right now...Jason Stripling is going to have a big year. The guy looks like Greg Trent, but bigger and he even seemed faster (quicker might be a better word) when he was running through drills. If I was an opposing running back I'd be scared to see him coming at me. He'll need to find playing time after missing all of last year because he was academically ineligible, but if he does...watch out!

Mattingly is not the only guy who changed positions during the spring. Andy Roof, formerly an offensive lineman, moved to the defensive line (he missed all of last year because of personal issues). Alfonso Jackson and Chima Nwachukwu flip-flopped. Jackson is now a corner and Nwachukwu moved to safety (I thought Nwachukwu was an upcoming star last year...I think he'll excel at his new position).

The Cougars main weakness is depth (that's been the case the last few years). WSU could hardly hold a final spring scrimmage because they had only one healthy running back (Joe Campbell from Tri-Cities Prep...all 5'10" 170 lbs. of him). If starters fall to injury...this team could find itself in trouble. Obviously, we'll learn more about the incoming freshman when they get to school, so don't give up hope just yet (teams always seem to find impact players in the fall...like Kendrick Dunn, Nwachukwu, and Jeshua Anderson last year).

It's a different era in Cougar football and I can't be more pumped. Again, all of the changes won't necessarily translate into wins, but at least there is a new look out there (something Wazzu has needed for awhile).

P.S. The NFL Draft is next weekend (April 26th and 27th). Alex Brink appears to be the most likely to go (his profile on NFL.com says he could be a second day pick). Jed Collins and Husain Abdullah could get looks as well, but probably as free agents. I'll go more in depth with this as the draft approaches.

P.S.S. WSU baseball continues to struggle. They lost two out of three to No. 2 Arizona State over the weekend (I guess winning one over the Sun Devils is an achievement). Wazzu has lost eight of its last eleven...they're now tied for last in the Pac-10 with Arizona. The Cougars and Wildcats go head-to-head this weekend in Tucson.

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