Reason #1: Ty Willingham

Well, I was going to write about something a little more abstract to start this endeavor but my hand was forced.

Ty Willingham, coach of my beloved Washington Huskies, you have let me down. Time and time again, I have defended your honor, your integrity. I loved the discipline. I loved how you never smiled on the sidelines. You were the definition of a bad ass.

Well, until the games actually started.

Now, after making Tavita Pritchard look like John Elway, after making Sam Bradford look like Jesus, you are my first reason that a Seattle sports team will never win a championship. You are 11-29 over the last four years. The Huskies have been outscored in the 2nd half by so much during your tenure, I don’t even have the heart to look it up. What do you do in there? Give them horse tranquilizers?

And worst of all, you are making Jake Locker wish he played baseball every time he has to play a team like Oklahoma or USC or Ohio State that are foaming at the mouth to take his block off because we have absolutely no one to help him out. See evidence:



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Where’s J.R. Hasty, Ty? Where’s the kid I saw run all over De La Salle High School for 271 yards to break their 151 game win streak? Your crown jewel recruit? I don’t see him in the backfield. I don't see him on the sidelines. Don't even see him in the stands. Oh right, that’s because he now plays at CENTRAL WASHINGTON, and probably soon to be joined by his ex-high school teammate and your leading tackler for last year, E.J. Savannah. Nice discipline, Ty. Way to keep the players in check.

How clueless is Ty? Once upon a time, UW had a quarterback named Isaiah Stanback. Isaiah Stanback could run the 100 meters in 10.4. Isaiah Stanback could not pass the ball. At all. So of course, let’s not run the option. Let’s not encourage him to pull it down and run as much as possible. Let’s make him a pocket passer. And let’s lose. A lot.

After watching Stanback and company choke it against Air Force in 2005, I wrote in to the paper saying Ty wasn’t going to fix anything and we should get rid of him sooner than later. It was the first game of his tenure. Now, I’m no Nostradamus but after games like a 35-28 loss to Stanford, I feel pretty close. Bet you wish you ran that letter now, huh, Seattle Times?