ESPN Pac-10 Blog

Posted by ESPN.com's Ted Miller

Early on in his tenure at Washington, a reporter asked Tyrone Willingham what he hoped to accomplish by closing spring practices.

The reporter, of course, knew there were zero valid reasons for closing spring practices. None.

	AP Photo/Elaine Thompson
	Steve Sarkisian plans to run a much more open program at Washington than his predecessor did, which should boost enthusiasm within the fan base.

The chief invalid reason is that a coach, who's most often the highest-paid state employee, doesn't want his work to be watched on the off chance something embarrassing happens.

Willingham replied at the time that he wanted a more "clinical" environment.

Word is he accomplished that. His practices, even before the 0-12 disaster this fall, were as fiery as a hospital waiting room, according to a handful of eyewitnesses who sneaked under the clinical curtain.

Then you go over to USC, where new Huskies coach Steve Sarkisian worked for five years.

It's a freaking circus, only more entertaining.

Pete Carroll knows closing practices is silly, as do the coaches of the teams that filled the top three spots behind USC in the final Pac-10 standings.

Sarkisian, Carroll's soon-to-be-former offensive coordinator, went out of his way to announce this week that he's bringing some of that USC openness to Washington. Here's a paragraph from the Seattle Times:

Sarkisian received loud applause when he told the crowd -- the news conference was open to the public -- he wanted to open up practices to fans, boosters and media. That's a contrast to Willingham, who put severe limits on access. Washington president Mark Emmert said that openness was one of Sarkisian's many attractive qualities.

What does this mean and why is it important?

For one, it speaks to one of Willingham's chief failings: He never listened to anyone else.

Athletic administrators at Washington tried to get Willingham to be more open with reporters and welcoming to boosters. He refused. Over and over again.

He thought his way was best. His way went 11-37 in four years.

Carroll once told me that he "didn't get" closing practices. He found the idea absurd that another team could help itself by spying.

Meanwhile, USC's open practices sold his team. It is impossible to watch the Trojans roll on "Competition Tuesdays" and not be impressed by the depth of talent and intensity of drills.

And the volume. It seems like everyone insists on shouting at USC. Carroll demands and cultivates high-energy at practice -- from his coaches as well as players.

Further, with so many folks watching, players almost never slack off. If a player chooses to loaf or gets knocked on his rear after a poor effort, it's often in the papers and on message boards the next day -- sometimes with a description of the rear-end chewing said player received.

That consistent intensity is impressive, and the touted collection of recruits who saunter through the gates to watch get caught up in the fun and want to join in.

Openness helped Carroll build his program.

Sarkisian, at 34, will bring youthful energy and a winning attitude he cultivated at USC. He's also far more cerebral than other former USC assistants who struggled after becoming head coaches.

But, at 34, he won't know everything. And it appears he's not going to be afraid to recognize that and listen to others.

That means hiring an outstanding staff, including some grizzled veterans, will be the most important thing he does. It's also notable that Sark immediately recognized that the Huskies strength and conditioning program hasn't been up to snuff for years, and that it's critical for him to mend fences with state high school coaches who don't like how business has been conducted the past couple of seasons.

But that's internal stuff.

Sarkisian bringing back openness will generate the most enthusiasm from the sagging Huskies fan base.

Just wait until spring practices begin. The volume of stories and coverage in general will be exponentially higher than it was under Willingham. Fans who watch practice will hit their favorite message boards typing about how impressed they were.

That will mean nothing in the opener against LSU.

Washington won't win until it gets better players. And there are no guarantees Sarkisian, who's never been a head coach, will be able to do that.

But this much is certain: Even if he fails, he'll be a lot more fun to watch.