Funaki #1 QB now, Mike Washington shows leadership

About being the #1 QB on the team now, Inoke said:
“It’s good pressure. It definitely has me on my horse, working a lot harder than I ever have before.” (HA)

HA Note: “Funaki, who will be a junior in the fall, was the No. 3 quarterback behind starter Colt Brennan and Tyler Graunke last season. Brennan completed his NCAA eligibility at the end of the Jan. 1 Sugar Bowl, and Graunke is suspended from team activities after breaking team-oriented rules. Funaki, who will turn 25 next month, is on track to enter the March 31 start of spring practice as the No. 1 quarterback. He is at the top of the depth chart for the first time since December 2001, when he led Kahuku High to the state football championship. After serving a church mission in the Dominican Republic, Funaki rejoined the Warriors as a 22-year-old freshman in 2005. He redshirted that season, then spent the next two years as the No. 3 quarterback.”

About how he has more motivation now, Inoke said:
“Before, I worked hard, but a lot of times you feel you’re in the back, and it’s hard to get out of that situation. There’s definitely more motivation now. The best thing I can do is work hard, don’t hold back, give it my all. It’ll help elevate the level of play for everyone else.” (HA)

HA Note: “Funaki acknowledged that his easy-going demeanor might be misinterpreted. He is a youth leader in the Mormon church. He also has a playful side, sometimes roller-skating between the athletic complex and the practice field.”

About how he wants the job without a doubt, Inoke said:
“I definitely want the job. Nobody wants something handed to them. You want to have the spot because the coaches have trust in you, and they know you can do the job. That’s why I’m working very hard.” (HA)

HA Note: “Funaki, who is 5 feet 11, said he weighs between 200 and 205 pounds — his range during last season. But he said he is in better shape.”

About how he’s in better shape than he was last season, Inoke said:
“I’m putting in that little extra when I work out. When I run, I try to do a little bit more. Everybody looks to the quarterback. Even if he doesn’t want to be the leader, he’s the guy the team looks to. I want to set an example.” (HA)

HA Note: “Funaki said he receives special tutoring from Vince Passas, Saint Louis School’s noted offensive coordinator. Passas, a former Crusader standout, has tutored quarterbacks Tim Chang, Jason Gesser and Darnell Arceneaux.”

About how Passas has been helping him, Inoke said:
“He’s been a big help, with all of the little fundamentals. At Kahuku, we were like this [he motions as if to hand off] and not into the other stuff. I never had a coach tell me, ‘Oh, get that elbow up, follow through,’ or ‘get some rub to get better rotation.’ ” (HA)

About how his goal is to reduce his time in the 40-yard dash, Inoke said:
“I’ve never been able to break 4.7 (seconds) in my life. If I can get somewhere in the 4.6, that will be good for me. If I can do that, I’ll bring it down more. Baby steps.” (HA)

HA Note: “For three seasons, Michael Washington had the misfortune of sharing the same position as two of the Warriors’ best receivers, slotbacks Davone Bess and Ryan Grice-Mullins. In 2005, Washington and Bess were first-year Warriors, and Grice-Mullins was a second-year freshman. Bess and Grice-Mullins seized starting jobs that year. Washington was not good enough to beat out either player but was too good to redshirt. After last season, Bess and Grice-Mullins decided to relinquish their senior seasons and apply for the 2008 National Football League draft in April. That opened the way for Washington. Now Washington has emerged as a leader, organizing passing drills for the receivers three times a week. The coaches named Washington as one of 10 workout captains.”

About leading their workouts, Mike Washington said:
“This is my senior year. I’m trying as hard as I can. Me and Yoda (slotback Aaron Bain) want to instill what we’ve learned to the younger players.” (HA)

Washington said that he deferred to Bess and RGM the past 3 years but is taking over now because:
“I don’t want this season to be a three-and-out.” (HA)

Colt gets to answer his critics

About how he always responds to his critics, Colt said:
“Whenever I get criticized, I always seem to prove them wrong in the end.” (HSB)

About how he’s been trying to gain weight before the combine, Colt said:
“Basically, calories. I’m being encouraged to eat a lot. I eat healthy three times a day, and then a lot of In-N-Out (burgers) and a lot of Philly cheesesteaks.” (HSB)

HSB Note: “Meals are delivered to Brennan by the Sunfare Diet company. Snacking is encouraged very much.”

About what he’s been snacking on, Colt said:
“A lot of trans-fatty food.” (HSB)

HSB Note: “The 6-foot-2 Brennan weighed in at 186 pounds at the Senior Bowl last month. He said a flu caused him to lose weight. Yesterday, Brennan said he was sick again recently, but this time he didn’t lose weight. He declined to disclose his weight, for fear of “jinxing” himself at the weigh-in in Indianapolis. Brennan’s diet isn’t conducive to speed, so he’ll hold off on running the 40 until UH’s Pro Day on April 1 in Carson, Calif. He also doesn’t plan any other time drills or to bench press. Brennan will participate in the quarterback drills. Brennan started last season around 200 pounds. He said off-field demands contributed to a gradual weight loss during the Warriors’ 12-1 season during which the team — and Brennan in particular — was often in the national spotlight.”

About how he lost weight during the season due to all the demands on his time, Colt said:
“I was put into a tough situation. I had to make up three incomplete classes, plus three classes last fall to graduate. All the media and public demands, no one will ever understand.” (HSB)

About how morning practice, interviews, and classes affected his diet, Colt said:
“I didn’t eat before practice, and by the time my interviews were done there wasn’t any (training table) breakfast left, or I had to go to class. Sometimes my first meal wasn’t until 2 or 3 p.m.” (HSB)

About his critics who say he should have been keeping his weight up, Colt said:
“They say I obviously wasn’t thinking long-term. That’s true, because we were just trying to get through each week, one at a time.” (HSB)

About his critics that have been dropping him in their draft analysis, Colt said:
“You can look at all your Mel Kipers, but they don’t matter. Feedback I’m getting from GMs and coaches tells a lot different story. Pro Day and the Combine are huge for me. They can make me a first-day pick.” (HSB)

HSB Note: “An NFL scout who considered Brennan a late first-round pick for last year’s draft said “the fifth round is a very real possibility” if Brennan doesn’t show something before the draft.”

About how Colt’s stock dropped this season, the NFL scout said:
“After the Senior Bowl his stock definitely dropped. There’s no 185-pound quarterbacks playing. There’s also a little bit of an arm-strength question and he has to make the transition (to dropping back).” (HSB)

Comparing Colt to a QB who placed 3rd in the Heisman voting and played 10 seasons in the NFL, the scout said:
“He’s almost like a Jake Plummer. Similar in size. He’s not fast, but quick and has a lot of agility and makes plays.” (HSB)

HSB Note: “Plummer was drafted in the second round and started for the Arizona Cardinals and Denver Broncos. He was named a Pro Bowl alternate twice.”

Quotes from Clapp and McNamara

Clapp and McNamara were at Aloha Stadium yesterday:
“to keep the communication lines open.” (HSB)

About the big issues of traffic and parking, McNamara said:
“We want to make sure we’re addressing the issues that have been expressed to us by fans. We want to continue improving the fan experience by evaluating how to make it better. The stadium (officials) has done a lot and we want to make sure those efforts continue.” (HSB)

About all of the new season-ticket sales, Clapp said:
“I don’t know if I’d call it a surprise because we made sure we’d offer opportunities for people to support us. I’m ecstatic about what we’ve seen so far.” (HSB)

HSB Note: “Clapp said the issue of the $400,008 owed by former football coach June Jones to the school is a personnel matter being handed by the UH Human Resources Department. The amount is for “liquidated damages” for leaving six months before his contract expired.”

About the negotiations with JJ, Clapp said:
“I’m sure everyone involved will do the right thing.” (HSB)

HSB Note: “McNamara said there had been “unofficial interest” shown by another entity regarding the television rights to broadcast UH sports. The current contracts for both TV (KFVE) and radio (KKEA 1420-AM) expire July 31. KFVE and KKEA were given the first shot at negotiating the extension of their respective contracts. KKEA has submitted its proposal, KFVE has until Feb. 29.”

HSB Note: “Clapp said discussion continues on the pay-per-view situation but “we’re just chatting,” he said.”

Asked about the suggestion of a reduction of the PPV price for season-ticket holders, Clapp said:
“I’m not aware of any changes.” (HSB)