So day one is now a wrap, and so far, so good for the Cougs.  Lots of energy and enthusiasm, not unusual for a day one, but still, things seem to be trending towards the positive as the Cougs start to turn the page to a new year.  Some excellent recaps from yesterday, so, let's take a look.

---  Cougfan rolls out an excellent look at day one.  Among the things to take here are that Jeff Tuel looked sharp, the newcomers looked fast and eager, and the starting defensive line gave the second-team o-line fits for most of the practice.  And, the young secondary is already looking good:

THE LEVEL OF competition in the defensive secondary should make for an interesting camp if Day 1 was any indication. The entire secondary – whether the 1’s or 2’s were playing -- was blanketing receivers and showing incredible speed chasing down running backs during drills.

The first unit was CB Aire Justin, S Chima Nwachukwu, S Tyree Toomer and CB Daniel Simmons on Sunday. S LeAndre Daniels, the listed starter at free safety and Jamal Atofau both had strong afternoons.

--- Cougfan also had a photo gallery, which was cool (and also free!).  Among the pics to notice?  Jeff Tuel, from pic #1, shown here:

So fall camp is underway in Pullman, and finally, it's time.  Time to officially put the last two seasons of downtrodden football squarely in the rearview mirror.  Time to stop talking about and, for the most part, lamenting the past.  Time to march forward out of the muck and, hopefully, back to relevancy yet again along the Pac-10 landscape.  Yes, Cougs, today begins what should be a completely new, fresh, clean break from the past, and a bright, sunny trek to the future.

With that, there's lots to get to in WSU-land.  Let's check some stuff out, shall we?

--- WSU has released the fall depth chart, which you can find here. While it is still early, and there isn't a single true frosh listed, still, this is a pretty good look at the team right now.  Some items to take:

• Left tackle and right tackle both have the "OR" next to the player listings, meaning that there is no clear-cut starter at either spot.  It's going to be quite the battle between Wade Jacobson, David Gonzalez and Micah Hannam, as those three will enter the ring, but only two will survive the brawl for left and right tackle.  Early feel? Based on reports from the spring as well as dots being connected here and there, I would lean Jacobson as your left tackle, and probably Hannam at right tackle. But these tackle positions will be by far the most interesting battles to watch this spring!
  
  
• In kind of an odd one, the "OR" is next to strong safety, as Chima Nwachukwu and Tyree Toomer are both listed.  I think everyone has assumed all along that Chima, given his experience, would be the guy, but Toomer is a player the coaches have loved from day one.  If you remember, Toomer played quite a bit as a true frosh in '08, in fact he started four games, logging 34 tackles with four tackles for loss and two sacks.  But Toomer tore his pec muscle last year during fall camp (ouch!) and missed all of '09.  He's back as a redshirt frosh, completely healthy and ready to challenge Chima for the starting gig.  Early feel? Chima will probably start, but, look for Toomer to be out there quite a bit.
  
  
• Yes, Dan Spitz is still on the depth chart, listed as a third-string defensive tackle, But as you know he's out until the 11/6 game vs. Cal.  He's suspended from playing in games for now, but the good news is that he will still be able to practice and take part in team activities.  While it sucks to not have him ready to go in week one, still, you can bet he'll be a welcome addition to the team by the time November rolls around.  Nothing like adding a fresh body to the defensive interior down the stretch.  Speaking of D-tackles, still no official word on the new JC tackle, Al Lapuaho, as he still awaits word on the NCAA Clearinghouse.  They are anticipating that he will be cleared to play, but things are still in a holding pattern right now.  You can bet he'll slide right into Spitz's slot on the depth chart on game days.
  
  
• Mike Ledgerwood is opening up as the starting middle linebacker.  And you know, he's really earned it with how well he played late last year.  He started only a handful of games, but had 51 tackles, including 14 tackles in the Apple Cup (10 solo stops in that game!).  Ledgerwood moves well too, and is up to 231 lbs on his 6-1 frame, so he's looking the part of a middle linebacker.  Hallston Higgins and Darren Markle are listed as the backups, but opening up camp it's Lederwood's position to lose at this point.
  
  
• Some new jersey numbers to get acquainted with:  Alex Hoffman-Ellis now sports #17, changed from #44 last year.  Running back Carl Winston has gone from #32 to #3.  While Brandon Rankin is a newcomer, he has already switched from #97 in the spring to #5.  Oh, and "Ocho Rojo" is no more! Marshall Lobbestael has changed his number from #8 to #9 this year.  So the nickname is dead.  Hey, it was a nice run, right??

--- Ted Miller has a look at the Cougs as they open camp.  Among some things to like here:

Breaking out: Long, a sophomore, and senior Kevin Kooyman should give the Cougars a solid tandem at defensive end. Junior college transfer Brandon Rankin was impressive during the spring. Cornerback Daniel Simmons has all-conference ability, and safety LeAndre Daniels and linebacker Alex Hoffman-Ellis also will lead the defense.


Nice.  I have to agree on Simmons and Daniels.  There were a LOT of people who were buzzing about both guys last year, but both were lost to broken legs (Simmons vs. ASU, Daniels in week two vs. Hawaii) last year.  They are both healthy and raring to go this fall.

--- Grippi crushes one with his latest, a detailed look at the start of camp.  A good read, so check it out.

--- Finally, a five-questions for WSU article from Howie Stalwick.  And not to be Debbie Downer, but Stalwick is asking some tough ones as camp gets underway.  One that stands out above the others:

Do the Cougars have enough leaders?

The Cougars have 20 seniors, but nine are transfers, two are walk-ons and at least three will play only on special teams. A program that has lost more games (22) in two years than any other in Pac-10 history needs all the leadership it can muster from players and coaches. A slow start will create more calls for the head of Paul Wulff, who has one Pac-10 win and two non-conference wins to his credit in two years on the job. New graduate assistant coach Chad Eaton, a former Rogers High, WSU and NFL standout, adds a fiery personality to the mix.

Now this is a concern, having such a young football team.  There are some good young leaders as the core of this team right now, guys like Travis Long, Nolan Washington, Louis Bland, Jeff Tuel, Gino Simone, Alex Hoffman-Ellis.  But they are all YOUNG guys, kids who still have to get more experience under their belts as they continue to fight to turn this thing around.  Will this be an actual problem this year?  Hard to say.  It's not out of the question that leadership can come from the younger kids.  And when you have a team that is lacking a ton of seniors, isn't it only natural that young leaders emerge? 

Maybe this is just another reminder of how hard it is going to be to actually win games in '10.  Maybe this just shows you yet again that '10 is all about competing at a respectible level, and 2011 is about bigger things?  You would never hear a player say that, you won't hear coaches admit to it either, but as fans, we can allow ourselves to go there, you know what I mean? 

That's it for now.  Enjoy the rest of your weekend, and as always, GO COUGS!

For most of you anyway, summer is still in full fury.  We're only what, a week into August?  Still a long way to go, right?  Well, that is, except for our Cougs.  Yep, SUMMER'S OVER!  That's right, Sunday Sunday SUNDAY(!), fall camp is here!  Hooray football.

A few things to touch on this Friday, so let's get to it.

• Coach Wulff will have a press conference later this afternoon.  No, we won't be there (what, did you actually expect us to be there?), but sir Vincent Grippi will have the details later on his blog.  Can we just say that it's great to have Grippi back from hiatus?  Here's hoping to a happy, healthy football season for all....including Vince.  Meanwhile, Coach Wulff did have an online chat at the official site, which you can catch here.  A few nuggets here and there, but I really liked this Q&A:
  
  Ryan (Kaunakakai, HI): Last year was seriously the first season I've been almost completely uninterested in Cougar football. Give me a reason to be excited this year.
  
  

  Paul Wulff: Ryan, I understand your disappointment. But, understanding the process is critical to continue to follow your team, or any team, that is in its rebuilding stages. No program has been or will be built for long-term success in only two or three seasons. A lot like Dick Bennett's first three years, Donnie Marbut's first three years, Mike Price's next three years after the '98 Rose Bowl, and June Daugherty's first three years. To win in this conference you have to have mature players with multiple years of experience and a mature program overall with consistency. Until you have that, you cannot compete for a conference title or a bowl game. Right now will be the first time you'll be able to see the future look bright and young players making the types of plays needed to win in this conference. Keep the faith.

• Grippi brought this up the other day, but it looks like some of the early betting lines have the Cougs as a 14-point dog at Oklahoma State.  No surprise there, but, as Grippi pointed out, it looks as though the line opened at 16.5 and is already down to 14.  That means money is coming in on the WSU side of things, and therefore the line goes down (but you probably know that already!).  But speaking of betting lines, VegasInsider.com has come out with the 2010 Over/Under win totals for 2010.  MOST of the Pac-10 teams are listed, except for one team (can you guess who's not listed?  Hint - area code 509).  Here's the Pac-10 Over/Under's:
  
  UCLA:  6
  ASU: 6
  UW: 6.5
  Stanford: 7
  Oregon State: 7
  Arizona: 7.5
  Cal: 7.5
  Oregon: 9
  USC: 10
  
  Gut reactions:
  1)  Take the under on ASU and six.  That seems too high for a team with so many question marks. 
  2)  Take the over on Oregon State. Even with the brutal early schedule, it isn't hard to picture at least eight wins.  And shouldn't we know by now to never underestimate Mike Riley and Oregon State?? 
  3) Finally, USC and 10??  That has under written all over it.
  
  So, obviously WSU isn't even on their board.  Where would YOU set the number?  I think an interesting over/under would be at least 2.5, or maybe even 3.  What do you think? (note - maybe there is an over/under on WSU, but I just can't find it?  If you can locate it, post a link in comments and we'll add it).
  
  Moving on....
  
  
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Happy Humpday Cougs, and happy "FAVRE-A-GEDDON" to you.  Wow, another August, another Brett-Favre-Retires story.  Apparently the ankle injury and subsequent surgery is too much to come back from, and at age 40, if you can't move?  You probably shouldn't come back.  Anyway, what a, uh, shock.  I love Favre, I always have and I always will, even if it pains me beyond belief to see him in that awful Vikings apparel (sorry Kaddy, it's a Green Bay thing).  And we'll always have WSU's Kitrick Taylor in Favre-lore, the recipient of Favre's first-ever game winning TD pass in #4's first year in Green Bay.