Washington head coach Steve Sarkisian's week almost went from bad to worse, and he had no qualms about letting the Huskies know it.
Two days after losing star tight end Austin Seferian-Jenkins for an unknown amount of time to a broken pinkie finger, defensive tackle Danny Shelton leveled senior quarterback Keith Price on a careless play at the end of practice Wednesday. Shelton fell into Price's knee, even with the signal-caller in a yellow no-contact jersey, the Seattle Times reported. Sarkisian then threw down his visor and fell to the turf at Husky Stadium in an exaggerated manner. Sarkisian then chewed out the team before storming past reporters and canceling all post-practice interviews.
It was apparently an uncharacteristic error from Shelton, a junior who recorded 45 tackles and four tackles for loss last season and has been consistently mentioned by Sarkisian as a potential breakout star. But it likely represented to Sarkisian the kind of silly, unnecessary mistake that has kept Washington from amassing more than seven wins each of the last three seasons, a total the Huskies certainly cannot top with Price on the bench for any extended period of time.
It was, in the words of Sarkisian's former boss Pete Carroll, a teachable moment. Better that than a season-crippling moment.
Follow Dan Greenspan on Twitter @DanGreenspan.
