Maybe Rainbows head coach Fred vonAppen played it that way in hopes that any possible University of Minnesota spies in the house would return to North America and tell new main man Glenn Mason he has no worries about this August's season opener.

Things got so bad, veteran offensive coordinator Wally English sent his hat sailing in frustration after his quarterback was sacked for the umpteenth time.

Early on, there were more sacks than completions, forcing defensive coordinator Don Lindsey to shelve his No. 1 unit for most of the midmorning affair.

"I think I was in for four plays," talented defensive back Eddie Klaneski said. "I wanted to play, but Coach wouldn't let us in."

That's because it wouldn't have been fair or safe for quarterbacks Tim Carey and Dan Robinson, who would be well-advised to get $1-million insurance policies this summer from Lloyd's of London.

To be fair, Saturday's offensive front should be much improved by fall camp with the return of injured players Shane Oliveira and Andy Phillips.

But even so, depth will be a serious problem if any of the front-line players miss significant time. Only when the overachieving members of the defensive scout team took the field did the offense manage any points.

Running backs Quincy Jacobs, Franklin Saunders and Morrie Roe had their moments, something English was looking for this spring. But pass protection was another matter.

If Robinson and Carey weren't running for their lives, they were forced to roll out to buy enough time to complete mostly short sideline routes and quick hitters to the tight ends.

Lonn Kalama continued to be a bright spot for English. The senior's shift from fullback to tight end has been a smooth one. During Saturday's scrimmage, Kalama caught two touchdown passes from Carey, and is fitting in nicely in English's schemes.

"Kalama has been performing well all spring," English said. "He has a knack for getting open quickly, something we need considering how poorly we're pass protecting right now. But we'll get better. We have to."

Despite the spotty protection, Carey and Robinson performed well. VonAppen isn't expected to name a starter until fall camp, but both can play the position.

Carey completed more passes Saturday, but Robinson was the victim of more drops, something that continues to plague the wide receivers. The top four emerging from spring ball appear to be Jason Mane, Wesley Morris, Johnny Macon and Josh Hawkins, but there must be continued improvement in fall camp.

Defensively, the Rainbows are more in tune. That's not unusual at this point in the season. Part of the poor timing on the offense can be attributed to the myriad players being shuffled in and out of the lineup at the skill positions.

But also credit Lindsey's new-and-improved defense that has several difference makers already in place. In addition to Klaneski -- who vonAppen said is the only guaranteed starter on the team -- Hawaii's defense is blessed with hard-hitting linebacker Rinda Brooks and safety Ron Wood.

Both made their presence felt during their short stints in Saturday's scrimmage. Lindsey also is pleased with the development of Brian Chapman and Kekoa Kilcoyne, who moved from down front to linebacker in the off-season as part of the switch from a basic 4-3 package to the 3-4.

"That switch isn't that big of a deal," Lindsey said. "No matter how you line up, it still comes back to taking on blockers, getting off blockers and converging on the football. I don't look so much at those schemes as are we getting around the football."

While the linebackers appear to be the strength, the defensive front and the secondary still have some question marks. Klaneski will be a starter, but it could be at cornerback or free safety. Al Hunter figures to be one of the corners, however, there are two recruits coming in this fall, who Lindsey is counting on.

Up front, Sam Collins, Ellie Kapihe and Ben Bright are the top three, but once again, the 1997 recruiting class could cause some changes in the rotation.

"We have a lot of major work to do," vonAppen said after the scrimmage. "We're inconsistent. We're not good enough at the details yet and we still have 18 guys to factor in."

Today's final practice turned into a beach party to give the players some much-needed rest. There will be some player evaluations in the coming weeks before the team breaks until fall camp begins in August at Barbers Point.