WELL, it looks like the University of Hawaii football team is going to put a little English on the ball next season. Will there be end zones
in Wally World?How about a bank shot into the corner pocket of the end zone?
Wally English is the new offensive coordinator for the Rainbows and, similarly with offensive line coach Walt Klinker, headline writers are ecstatic.
Here is one possibility that comes to mind after last season: PLAYERS HAVE TROUBLE UNDERSTANDING ENGLISH.
OK OK. Calm down.
But let's take a look at the recent juggling act by UH head coach Fred vonAppen.
Receivers coach Ken Margerum - despite an NFL background and the reputation as a valuable recruiter - was pretty much run off by vonAppen to create a position for English.
Then to make the title available, offensive coordinator Guy Benjamin - another NFL veteran - was surprisingly demoted to quarterbacks and egghead coach.
This was unfair to Benjamin because every area of last year's 2-10 team, offensively and defensively, was terrible.
And Benjamin, so far, is the only one on the staff who has been reassigned.
Plus, the biggest mistake on offense last season was keeping senior Glenn Freitas as the starting quarterback instead of someone who could pass better, like Johnny Macon or Josh Skinner.
How do you expect an offensive coordinator to put in a passing attack without a passer? And I strongly suspect that the game-to-game decision on Freitas was more vonAppen's call than Benjamin's.
At least English will have Stanford transfer Tim Carey to work with at quarterback - just for one season, though.
And maybe the new recruiting class will yield a few offensive linemen who can actually block, which will help keep Carey's head attached to his shoulders and give him a few seconds to lob the ball downfield.
On a positive note, the Trent Miles-for-Mickey Pruitt coaching exchange looks like a good one on paper - especially after Miles left town whining about everything except the lousy performance of the team.
The question fans are now asking is this: Was English hired because he is a pal of vonAppen's or because he can make a considerable and immediate impact, which is desperately needed?
UH fans are willing to concede one bad rebuilding season to vonAppen, but if the offense sputters and the defense leaks like last year, attendance will continue to decline.
ENGLISH'S long and winding track record can be interpreted in two ways: He is an experienced troubleshooter or a well-traveled journeyman with mixed results.
He has coached an impressive array of quarterbacks, but there also have been some failures at the college level.
But let's give the guy a chance.
If English can turn around an offense that finished 105th in the nation out of 111 Division I-A teams, he should be considered for sainthood.
If not, then it will appear that vonAppen provided a borderline retirement package in Hawaii for another one of his veteran football buddies.
So far, vonAppen has made a lot of friends and enemies with his continual complaining about the lack of administration support to provide a winning program.
Athletic director Hugh Yoshida has taken the brunt of the criticism in an extremely patient manner - and most of the demands have been met.
Next season, though, UH fans will be looking for results on the field, not in the redecoration of the coaches' offices.
A .500 season is a realistic expectation for the program's patient followers.
They can only hope that the hiring of English will translate into victories.