Aug. 18, 2006
EVERETT, Wash. -
By John Sleeper, Herald columnist
To secure the best possible future for Western Washington University football, athletic director Lynda Goodrich reached into the program's past.
To replace head coach Rob Smith, who oversaw the most successful run of football in school history during his 17-year reign, Goodrich selected Robin Ross, a career assistant who directed some of the most fearsome defenses in school history from 1994 to 1995.
Who knows where this will go? Western is coming off a disappointing 4-6 season and begins its first year in the ultra-competitive North Central Conference. Add a new head coach with a new approach and a new philosophy, and the team is full of question marks.
A good sign for the Vikings: The players are buying into what the new guy's selling.
"He's really a player's coach," junior linebacker Shane Simmons said. "He wants what's best for the players and he wants to give the players what we want. He does a great job of communicating with us. It's just really good."
Ross, 51, brings instant credibility. His Viking defenses in 1994-95 still emit memories of bodies flying around on some of the most successful teams in school history. In his first season as defensive coordinator, Western led NAIA Division II in scoring defense at just 11.5 points a game. Five times, they held opponents without a touchdown. They ranked third nationally in rushing defense at 76 yards a game and fifth in total defense (260.3 yards a game). The team forced 42 turnovers, including 26 interceptions.
The next season, Western was ranked No. 1 nationally for five weeks. It finished the regular season 9-0 before falling to rival Central Washington in the first round of the playoffs.
Ross' resume includes stops at Oregon, Iowa State, Cincinnati, Long Beach State, Fresno State, Oregon State and the Oakland Raiders. This past season, he was linebackers coach at OSU. The Beavers led the Pac-10 in defense, allowing 108 yards a game.
So even though Ross is a rookie head coach, three decades of coaching at several levels hardly make him a novice at the game.
Western got a gem. Administration knows it. More important, the players know it.
Example: Why mess up fifth-year senior quarterback James Monrean by completely overhauling an offense he's played in since he came to WWU? Aside from a small tweak here and there, Monrean will run an offense he's used to and comfortable with. Not only that, but he also will largely receive instruction from offensive coordinator Eric Tripp, instead of a quarterbacks coach, an offensive coordinator and the head coach himself.
Ross is his own defensive coordinator and will largely leave Tripp with the offensive responsibilities.
"I've been working with coach Tripp since I got here," Monrean said. "Everything's pretty much the same, what we like to do. It's making things a lot easier for me, just having one coach to go to instead of one quarterbacks coach, one offensive coordinator and the head coach. It's a little bit simpler for me now."
The major overhaul comes on the defensive side, which, considering Western was ranked No.122 out of 144 teams in NCAA Division II in total defense last year (417.1 yards a game) is to be expected.
Looking at video from last season, Ross noticed a need for speed on the defensive side of the ball. Much of his recruiting centered on speed. If the incoming freshmen show they're ready, they'll see playing time. Important, too, to instill speed into the defense, is Ross' desire to turn cornerbacks into safeties, safeties into linebackers, linebackers into defensive ends and defensive ends into defensive tackles.
"That's kind of the progression we're looking at," Ross said. "That way, you can get better athletes and better speed on the field."
The big tripping point last season, Ross said, was a lack of confidence. It was easily broken last year and won't be simple to build back up.
"Unfortunately, they believe a lot of the things they hear," Ross said. "People will say, 'You're not this; you're not that because you're ranked here.' It's a mental overhaul. You are a good football player when you play hard. I think a lot of success is based on the intensity you need to play with on defense."
The challenge at Western to be competitive in the NCC is great. The Vikings couldn't have a better head guy to lead them in that challenge.
