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Paul Wulff

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Chat with Washington State football head coach Paul Wulff on Thursday, April 22 at 11 a.m.

Moderator: Good morning Cougar fans and thank you for visiting WSUCougars.com and today's chat with WSU Head Football Coach Paul Wulff. Before we begin, you will notice there is a Buy 2010 Football Tickets Here! link at the top of this page. Please click on that link for 2010 ticket information. Also, we are pleased to announce that Athletics Director Bill Moos will take your questions, Tuesday, April 27 at 11 a.m., exclusively at WSUCougars.com. You can submit questions for Bill now by clicking HERE . Paul, thank you for joining us today. We have a lot of questions for you so let's get right to it.

Jeff (Des Moines, IA): Coach Wulff, Do you plan on opening up the offense more this year - if so, in what way?

Paul Wulff: Jeff, we plan on being much more consistent and explosive on offense. We must run the football more effectively for our passing game to become more explosive.

Carol Cutler, Montesano, WA: Coach, does this team have that fire in their bellies that leads them to win. I have seen it already in the Huskies since their Coach change and I sure hope we have finally found it. Losing is one thing, but not competing with PAC 10 desire to lead is another.

Paul Wulff: Carol, you can never compare programs because all programs are left in different shape. Some have experienced players returning for a new coach, while some have very little to no experience returning for a new coach. So the responses in the first few years of a new program will be different based on the health of the program. The competitive fire in our team has improved dramatically. Some of that has to do with us instilling that with the remaining players in the program and recruiting players that have that trait innately.

Dick from Edmonds: Coach Wulff our record for the past 2 yrs speaks for itself. A winning record is usually a combination of athletic talent and an effective coaching system. Please comment on the cougar talent and our football system looking both at the previous 2 seasons and the coming new year. What is goingto turn Cougar football around?

Paul Wulff: Dick, our past two seasons, with the strength of schedule that we have had, have been extremely difficult to compete competitively based on several reasons: the lack of overall talent, physical conditioning, discipline, mental toughness, maturity, coaching; all of that has to improve together for us to be more successful. I wish we could have had all of those issues resolved in a year or two. It's just not realistic. But, they are being resolved as we speak, and the results will be evident on the football field over the next three years.

Dave Kelley East Wenatchee: Paul, Where do we have the most depth in the 2010 team? And what aspect of Cougar football will we be better at in 2010 then we have been the last 2 years?

Paul Wulff: Dave, we have the most depth at running back with three seniors returning. We anticipate all aspects to be much improved: run game, passing game, run defense, pass defense, and special teams. All should make marked improvements. So far in the spring, there are signs of all of these areas improving; yet, we still have a lot of work to do between now and September.

Fred, Benton City: Coach Paul Wulff: Will James Montgomery be able to play this fall at 100%?

Paul Wulff: Fred, James is progressing very well and our hope is that he will be 100 percent.

Robert Cook: Coach, should we be concerned about the dropped passes we have been seeing over the past few weeks and what are we doing to improve on it.

Paul Wulff: Robert, yes, we should be concerned and we need to continue to practice and spend the time on the fundamentals to improve. We have several new receivers coming in this fall and the competition will force others to step up their game.

Robert Cook, Oakland: Coach, we lost a couple of players due to their academics. Do you anticipate others to be lost before the fall?

Paul Wulff: We are concerned about a few players. They have to finish this semester strong, and they are very close. Overall, our consistency in our team GPA continues to improve since we have been here. We are excited of the quality of students we have and are adding to our program each year.

Jim (kirkland): How's the Offensive Line coming together? Are you working on establishing a running game this year to take the pressure off the Quarterback? I think the Cougs would be much better off in the long run establshing the running game than trying to go for the long bomb all the time. What do you think?

Paul Wulff: Jim, our offensive line has improved. We still have a ways to go, but with our three seniors at running back, we must establish a running game. That falls on the shoulders of ALL 11 on offense.

Tory, Lake Tapps: First I'd like to say how excited I am about the upcoming season. Who's in the running to star6t at QB, or is it wide open?

Paul Wulff: Tory, Jeff Tuel and Marshall Lobbestael are the leading candidates.

James (Puyallup): Which incoming freshman do you think will automatically contribute? Also, how is the O-line doing so far under Steve Morton?

Paul Wulff: James, we anticipate a couple of receivers, running backs, defensive backs, and possibly tight ends to contribute in their first year.

Scott (Pullman): I'm expecting a big improvement on defense next year, but where do think the biggest improvement on offense will come from?

Paul Wulff: Scott, we expect to have consistency moving the football, gaining first downs, and scoring points. I am expecting a big improvement on defense as well. So far our defense is playing with more confidence, and playing faster and more physical than they have since our short time here.

Bruce (Virginia Beach): Coach - I applaud the efforts of you, staff and team for the hard work in rebuilding our program. I am convinced the results are soon to be seen on the field. Question is this: what kind of difference has the addition of Steve Morton made? Is our line ready to step up and play at a high level? Again, thanks and GO COUGS!

Paul Wulff: Bruce, Coach Morton has a brought a great level of experience and high expectations for our offensive line. So far, the players are working very hard and all of them are showing excellent signs of improvement.

Mark (Seattle): Coach, Daniel Simmons seemed to play very well before his leg injury last season. Could he be next in a long line of great Cougar DB's?

Paul Wulff: Mark, Daniel has shown flashes of excellence, but continued growth mentally and physically is a must, but I anticipate Daniel has an excellence chance to one of the fine players here.

Steve - Spokane: We heard a lot about Nolan Washington, Atofau and Carpenter this last year as one's to watch but we havn't seen much on them during the Spring. How are they progressing and do you see them starting or seeing the field much this next season?

Paul Wulff: Steve, they are all good young prospects. They still need to gain experience, strength, and knowledge of the game before they are going to be able to reach their ultimate potential.

James Mason of Tacoma: How would you rate the progress of Jeff Tuel at this stage of his career compared with some of those great QBs you had at EWU? Also, does Lobbestael still have a chance to win the job?

Paul Wulff: James, Jeff did not have the luxury to redshirt like past quarterbacks that I coached. But from an age standpoint, based on his playing experience, he is progressing very well. Marshall continues to improve and our hope is that we have two quarterbacks that can lead us to victories.

Keith Jenkins (Renton): How have you changed or improved as a coach since you came to WSU? Good luck this season. GO COUGS.

Paul Wulff: Keith, hopefully you are always changing for the better. As a coach, you improve as you gain more experience and knowledge of your athletes, as you are establishing your culture, and our culture is growing in a very positive direction.

Moderator: That's all the time we have. Paul thank you for joining us today.

Paul Wulff: Thank you for your questions. Like I said in the first few months I was on the job: BE PATIENT. COUGAR FOOTBALL WILL BE BACK AND PLAYING VERY WELL AGAIN IN THE NEAR FUTURE.

Moderator: Thank you to everyone for your questions. Remember, to get all the information about WSU Athletics, go no further than WSUCougars.com, the official website of Cougar Athletics. Please join us Tuesday for our online chat with Bill Moos.