Steve Sarkisian Left A Discipline Problem With Washington Huskies

When Steve Sarkisian became the head coach of the Washington Huskies, the program had hit rock bottom.

Coming off a dreadful 0-12 season and having lost any sense of competitive spirit, they had become doormats of the conference and a far cry from the perennial contender that they historically were. Sark quickly turned things around and made the Huskies competitive in the Pac-12, though he struggled to break through the seven-win ceiling. Sarkisian ultimately escaped the mounting pressure in Seattle by returning to the USC Trojans this offseason, leaving a serious discipline problem behind him.

Chris Petersen came to UW following Sarkisian’s surprise departure and looked to instill some of the same principles he had used to build up the Boise State Broncos during his incredibly successful run there as one of the premier mid-major football programs in the country. Many wondered whether his style would translate to a bigger program like Washington or if the job would end up proving Petersen was just a big fish in a little pond at BSU. While Petersen has seemed to adjust just fine to the brighter lights of the Pac-12, his biggest challenge has come from his inherited players failing to get with the program under the new coaching staff.

Since taking over, Petersen has had to suspend or dismiss eight players. Shortly after officially taking the job, he had to deal with assault charges levied against both Cyler Miles, the heir apparent to the starting quarterback job, and Damore’ea Stringfellow, a breakout candidate at receiver, following the Super Bowl in February. Both were immediately suspended indefinitely with Miles missing Spring Practice and the first game of the season and Stringfellow transferring during the summer.

That has been far from the last time Petersen has had to deal with issues off the football field as his team once again made headlines last week when they dismissed the immensely talented junior cornerback Marcus Peters. Peters has had numerous run-ins with his new coaching staff this season, including a one-game suspension following a sideline temper tantrum earlier in the season during the team’s win against the Eastern Washington Eagles. His tumultuous tenure on the football team came to an unceremonious end following yet another shouting match with the coaching staff following practice, according to reports.

The problem has stemmed from the pressure that Sarkisian faced to get Washington over the hump in the Pac-12. While his work turning around a winless program is to be commended, many around the team were growing impatient with only winning seven games a season. To get past that middle-of-the-road ceiling, Sark opened up his recruiting net to bring in the best possible football players to push the Huskies towards the top of the conference. The result was talented recruits coming into UW with some potential behavioral red flags, like Stringfellow and Peters.

Under Sarkisian, those behavioral red flags weren’t such an issue. He allowed a great deal of leniency to his players, letting a number of transgressions slide without addressing them to allow the team to continue to operate at full strength. That philosophy allowed UW to put the best team on paper onto the field each and every week and it has continued to be the way he does business at USC. He’s had just one disciplinary issue this season after Josh Shaw fabricated a story about how he suffered a pair of sprained ankles turning himself into a national hero, forcing the hand of the university.

Petersen runs things on the other end of the discipline spectrum, believing in building a team with “our kinds of guys” with a focus on character and a willingness to buy into the philosophy of the team. According to many reports, the former Bronco head coach was “shocked” at the lack of discipline and accountability rampant on the roster in Seattle and his attempts to tighten the reins on his team has resulted in many players hitting the rails and becoming issues that had to be dealt with. Petersen has answered those issues with a tough and fair approach, ending with four players now dismissed and another five serving some form of suspension.

It’s the same issue that Charlie Strong has had with the Texas Longhorns after taking over for Mack Brown. Strong has cleaned house since taking over in Austin, dismissing nine players that didn’t fit the mold of the new program that he is trying to create at UT. Tightening the leash will always result in some conflict with players who had been getting some leeway under the previous regime. The difficulty in coaching changes is determining just how dedicated they are to turning over a roster to fit their blueprint at the risk of some talented athletes.

At Washington, Petersen is determined to rebuild the Huskies with the right kind of players, no matter how it affects their chances to win immediately. The new Washington coach is more interested in building a program for sustained success more than his immediate win-loss record. Part of that process includes growing pains where those players who have been allowed to run free either being forced to shape up or ship out. In the case of players like Stringfellow and now Peters, the relationship could not be salvaged and the team had to part ways.

Many expected the Huskies to take another step forward following their success in 2013 but the team has played with uneven success so far in 2014. Part of the problem is the natural hiccups that occur after a change in leadership at the top, but the bigger hurdle facing this team right now is the conflict between players stuck on how things used to run against how they are now. That conflict takes focus away from the field and hurts the team’s ability to make positive growth on the field.

Thanks to the cavalier recruiting of Sarkisian in his final years at Washington, Petersen is being forced to clean house before he can truly put his stamp on the Husky program. Will Petersen’s tough love approach help UW rebuild their brand and become a factor in the Pac-12 soon or will the task of cleaning up after Sarkisian derail the Petersen era before it even begins?

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