Here's the link on this CST article on the UW Defense:
http://www.trib.com/articles/2009/04/19/sports/uwsports/4d101f21249049f28725759c007ab78a.txt
To me, this shows Dave Christensen is not above calling on two graduated seniors who didn't even play for him to come help out on the practice field. (Keeping English as the DC probably had alot to do with this). I believe he is pulling out all the stops by asking Dobbs and Edmonds to help in trying to turn this program around.
LARAMIE -- It wasn't just the snowy weather.
Chris Prosinski made it feel like fall with some hits that were more than worthy of a game day.
And though the Wyoming safety and the defense came up short again with a 59-24 scrimmage loss on Saturday, at least they got to deliver some punishment the Cowboys have traditionally saved for the season.
Starting with a brutal shot by the junior from Buffalo on running back James Caraway that helped set the tempo for both sides at the Indoor Practice Facility.
"That was nice," Prosinski said. "I've been waiting for one of those for a while, and I just tried to throw my body around and get in there and make a play.
"This has definitely been my most physical spring since I've been here. But it's good for us. Once we get into the season, I mean, these practices seem to me to be just as hard as the games when it comes down to it. Hopefully by the time we get in the games everything will just slow down for us."
It will help when UW isn't trying to keep up with such a high-speed offense, though that's another obvious benefit of the pace new coach Dave Christensen has established this spring.
If the Cowboys can keep up defensively in practice, games should be a bit easier since they probably won't be facing the spread nearly as often as they do throughout the week.
And though the lopsided score is somewhat misleading, UW would still prefer to slow things down against itself more frequently until then.
"We're happy to see our offense executing, but at the same time we really don't like to see it against us," Prosinski said. "Yeah, defensively we might be low on numbers, but that's really no excuse.
"We've just got to come fly around, and I think for this scrimmage the big thing for us was just finishing. I think towards the end we were kind of pulling off a little bit, and we've got to finish."
Prosinksi closed out at least one play emphatically and finished with 11 tackles in all to lead the defense.
But he certainly wasn't the only one dishing out the contact.
"I thought the defense came out and played extremely well early in the scrimmage, and we were very, very physical," UW coach Dave Christensen said. "There were some great hits out there [Saturday], and I think they're starting to pick it up from a physical aspect of things."
That should come in handy when it inevitably gets cold in Laramie again.
BACK FOR MORE: The faces were familiar.
The numbers didn't quite look right though.
The shorthanded defense dipped into last year's depth chart to fill in at linebacker and allow the Cowboys to stage a 104-play scrimmage, and graduated seniors Ward Dobbs and Jake Edmunds were more than willing to help.
Even if they didn't get their old numbers and won't be getting any more eligibility back.
"They were just down on linebackers, coach gave us a call [Friday] and asked if we could help out," Dobbs said. "Why not?"
It gave them an up-close look at the new offense for the first time, and both linebackers came away impressed.
And exhausted.
"I think they're getting their rhythm and they're seeing how fast-paced they can be," Dobbs said. "It's definitely promising.
"This is the first time I've seen them this spring, and they're definitely putting in something nice just the way they're getting all their patterns down and flowing, and with the speed of it, they're going to seriously gas some defenses up here at this elevation with that offense for sure."
The Cowboys are already doing it to one.
BIG BROWN: Christensen threw down the challenge after an unsightly practice shutout on Tuesday.
For the most part, the offense responded with a balanced day and an easy win over the defense on the scoreboard to generally get back on the coach's good side.
"Well, they were a little bit slow," he said. "I was a little disappointed with their tempo.
"We've got to make some corrections and get that going a little bit faster."
That responsibility falls on current starting quarterback Karsten Sween, who admittedly had some problems with the signals and the pace on Saturday.
But he still had another productive passing day, piled up yardage on the ground and kept himself solidly at the top of the depth chart.
"He is [there], he's doing a nice job," Christensen said. "Obviously it's a lot for our quarterbacks to have put on them, but he's managing the offense."
And there was no shame in it Saturday.
STICKY FINGERS: Tashaun Gipson jumped a route deep in the end zone and got two hands on the football.
And kept them there.
Offensively, Christensen wasn't pleased with Dax Crum's forced attempt into the end zone -- but defensively the sophomore cornerback at least made it mean something positive for UW.
"Obviously from an offensive standpoint in the red-zone you've got to come away with points," Christensen said. "But when you get backed up and your back's up against the wall, for the defense to come up and make a play like that was tremendous.
"Obviously we'd like for him to down it in the end zone and not get tackled on the 2-yard line, nobody wants to get the ball on the 2. But he'll learn from that, and it was a great play on his part."
Contact sports reporter Austin Ward at (307) 266-0634 or [email protected].
http://www.trib.com/articles/2009/04/19/sports/uwsports/4d101f21249049f28725759c007ab78a.txt
To me, this shows Dave Christensen is not above calling on two graduated seniors who didn't even play for him to come help out on the practice field. (Keeping English as the DC probably had alot to do with this). I believe he is pulling out all the stops by asking Dobbs and Edmonds to help in trying to turn this program around.
LARAMIE -- It wasn't just the snowy weather.
Chris Prosinski made it feel like fall with some hits that were more than worthy of a game day.
And though the Wyoming safety and the defense came up short again with a 59-24 scrimmage loss on Saturday, at least they got to deliver some punishment the Cowboys have traditionally saved for the season.
Starting with a brutal shot by the junior from Buffalo on running back James Caraway that helped set the tempo for both sides at the Indoor Practice Facility.
"That was nice," Prosinski said. "I've been waiting for one of those for a while, and I just tried to throw my body around and get in there and make a play.
"This has definitely been my most physical spring since I've been here. But it's good for us. Once we get into the season, I mean, these practices seem to me to be just as hard as the games when it comes down to it. Hopefully by the time we get in the games everything will just slow down for us."
It will help when UW isn't trying to keep up with such a high-speed offense, though that's another obvious benefit of the pace new coach Dave Christensen has established this spring.
If the Cowboys can keep up defensively in practice, games should be a bit easier since they probably won't be facing the spread nearly as often as they do throughout the week.
And though the lopsided score is somewhat misleading, UW would still prefer to slow things down against itself more frequently until then.
"We're happy to see our offense executing, but at the same time we really don't like to see it against us," Prosinski said. "Yeah, defensively we might be low on numbers, but that's really no excuse.
"We've just got to come fly around, and I think for this scrimmage the big thing for us was just finishing. I think towards the end we were kind of pulling off a little bit, and we've got to finish."
Prosinksi closed out at least one play emphatically and finished with 11 tackles in all to lead the defense.
But he certainly wasn't the only one dishing out the contact.
"I thought the defense came out and played extremely well early in the scrimmage, and we were very, very physical," UW coach Dave Christensen said. "There were some great hits out there [Saturday], and I think they're starting to pick it up from a physical aspect of things."
That should come in handy when it inevitably gets cold in Laramie again.
BACK FOR MORE: The faces were familiar.
The numbers didn't quite look right though.
The shorthanded defense dipped into last year's depth chart to fill in at linebacker and allow the Cowboys to stage a 104-play scrimmage, and graduated seniors Ward Dobbs and Jake Edmunds were more than willing to help.
Even if they didn't get their old numbers and won't be getting any more eligibility back.
"They were just down on linebackers, coach gave us a call [Friday] and asked if we could help out," Dobbs said. "Why not?"
It gave them an up-close look at the new offense for the first time, and both linebackers came away impressed.
And exhausted.
"I think they're getting their rhythm and they're seeing how fast-paced they can be," Dobbs said. "It's definitely promising.
"This is the first time I've seen them this spring, and they're definitely putting in something nice just the way they're getting all their patterns down and flowing, and with the speed of it, they're going to seriously gas some defenses up here at this elevation with that offense for sure."
The Cowboys are already doing it to one.
BIG BROWN: Christensen threw down the challenge after an unsightly practice shutout on Tuesday.
For the most part, the offense responded with a balanced day and an easy win over the defense on the scoreboard to generally get back on the coach's good side.
"Well, they were a little bit slow," he said. "I was a little disappointed with their tempo.
"We've got to make some corrections and get that going a little bit faster."
That responsibility falls on current starting quarterback Karsten Sween, who admittedly had some problems with the signals and the pace on Saturday.
But he still had another productive passing day, piled up yardage on the ground and kept himself solidly at the top of the depth chart.
"He is [there], he's doing a nice job," Christensen said. "Obviously it's a lot for our quarterbacks to have put on them, but he's managing the offense."
And there was no shame in it Saturday.
STICKY FINGERS: Tashaun Gipson jumped a route deep in the end zone and got two hands on the football.
And kept them there.
Offensively, Christensen wasn't pleased with Dax Crum's forced attempt into the end zone -- but defensively the sophomore cornerback at least made it mean something positive for UW.
"Obviously from an offensive standpoint in the red-zone you've got to come away with points," Christensen said. "But when you get backed up and your back's up against the wall, for the defense to come up and make a play like that was tremendous.
"Obviously we'd like for him to down it in the end zone and not get tackled on the 2-yard line, nobody wants to get the ball on the 2. But he'll learn from that, and it was a great play on his part."
Contact sports reporter Austin Ward at (307) 266-0634 or [email protected].
