Cook Says Intensity Level Fell Off, Causing Husky Stumbles
University of Washington football players typically participate in media interviews on Tuesday mornings following practice, handling this responsibility just once a week in the lead-up to the game and then only for a few minutes.
Except for this week's Arizona game, a mere handful of Huskies stopped to speak to newspaper and website reporters, radio talk-show hosts and assorted camera personnel.
Others requested had classes to attend, some were injured and off limits because of that, and yet others simply said no for whatever reason.
Then there was Alex Cook, the Huskies' sixth-year safety and team captain.
In his final season, he's evolved into the team spokesman of sorts. He'll hold court whenever asked. He'll say whatever needs to be said.
In this case, Cook addressed his team's lack of intensity during consecutive single-touchdown losses on the road to UCLA and Arizona State.
While assorted injuries and talent discrepancies could have been discussed, too, the 6-foot-1, 195-pound defensive back from Sacramento, California, preferred to dwell on the general mindset of this Kalen DeBoer-coached team.
"I thought we were losing our edge a little bit," Cook said. "It's human nature to get used to winning, kind of just going into the motions of everything, and kind of forgetting how you got there in the first place."
As for young players thrust into greater roles, he said they needed to step up. He reminded that injuries are part of the game for every team and there's no sense dwelling on them. Those are excuses.
Yet the mindset everyone brings to the table can be dealt with and it needs to be restored. Players didn't become complacent, he said, they just lost some of their drive.
Cook and his teammates gathered together to reset things and get it back after winning their first four games and coming up short the past two weeks.
"We had a serious talk as players, with one another, as far as we've got to get back to where we were," Cook said. "I'm not talking about the first four games of the season. I'm talking about the edge we had in summer workouts and in spring ball. We were all super hungry. We were going to get after it and make a name for ourselves."
From there, the Huskies will see if they can recapture their momentum against Arizona at home, where the surroundings always are more favorable, and where this team captain will keep reminding his teammates to step it up.
"I think there was a little back off of intensity and the intent of practice," Cook said. "I felt we thought we could just roll out in the game and just be good. That never works."
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