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Pirate Notebook No. 46
Wednesday, January 30, 2002

By Denny O'Brien
Staff Writer and Columnist

Any way you slice it, East Carolina is facing a critical period in its football history.

Thought prior to the 2001 season by many observers to be the state's flagship football school, ECU's status took a major hit last year. Instead of solidifying its position at the top of NC's gridiron pecking order, the Pirates limped home with a mediocre 6-6 finish, including three-straight losses to close out a frustrating campaign.

Meanwhile, cross-state rivals North Carolina, North Carolina State and Wake Forest all notched marquee victories en route to posting winning seasons. What's more, ECU was beaten by both Wake and UNC last fall, games in which the Pirates were figured to be solid favorites during pre-season drills.

State's 7-5 mark wasn't a surprise to most, given the Pack won eight times the year before. Losing two key elements from its offense, receiver Koren Robinson and coordinator Norm Chow, State struggled to find chemistry early on, but improved steadily as the season progressed.

Pack Pride got a major boost late in the season with a victory in Tallahassee, serving Florida State its first home loss since joining a basketball-first league that is making sudden strides in football . A narrow loss to Maryland one week later put a roadblock in State's path to a New Year's Day bid.

Carolina and Wake far exceeded expectations, each doing so with new faces at the helm. Unknowns John Bunting and Jim Grobe emerged from relative obscurity to make indelible impacts this past fall.

Bunting did so with a no-nonsense approach in Chapel Hill, something that was sorely missed during the Carl Torbush era. Reporting to camp a few biscuits overweight wasn't an option in Tar Heel Town, as former backup quarterback Luke Huard quickly discovered.

Overcoming an 0-3 start, Bunting, a former Tar Heels linebacker, guided his alma mater to an impressive eight-win, Peach Bowl championship finish against one of the nation's most imposing schedules. Included was an impressive 41-9 thumping of the Seminoles, in addition to several national telecasts and a brief stint in the national polls.

Grobe conjured up the perfect mixture of power and deception, leading the Deacs to a surprising six wins on the year. Perhaps most impressive about Wake's victory total is the four that came at the expense of in-state foes. That's a scary thought, considering the once-hapless Deacs were a field goal away from sweeping right through the Old North State.

Though the success of the Pirates' in-state foes shouldn't trigger panic Down East, it is definite cause for concern. Some of ECU's pigskin perception has been enhanced by the on-the-field woes of the Deacs, Devils, Heels and Pack and the revolving doors of their respective coaches' offices, but if last season's trend continues in 2002, it could be an indication that times are changing.

Already, the Pirates may have suffered effects on the recruiting trail, with signing day just a week away. Two of ECU's verbals — offensive linemen Daniel Inman and defensive back Jacoby Watkins — withdrew commitments in recent weeks. Though it would be unfair to speculate the reason for the defections, it's hard to imagine either taking an about face had the Pirates delivered on what many had predicted — a Top 25, C-USA championship finish.

East Carolina cornered the recruiting market in this state from the mid to late-90s, plucking many of the players it most coveted. With the exception of a few head-to-head battles with out-of-state big boys, the Pirates rarely lost wars waged on the recruiting front. Over the past two seasons, though, ECU has seen several renege on verbal agreements, choosing instead to play west of I-95.

In what is clearly a positive sign for the Pirate faithful, Coach Steve Logan and his staff have exercised enough recruiting clout as signing day approaches to perhaps more than offset the defections with key commitments from a superb quarterback from the Sunshine State, James Pinkney, and a pair of gifted defensive tackles closer to home, Richmond County's Eric Terry and Warren County's Shauntae Hunt.

Logan will be the first to attest that programs aren't defined by a season. Nonetheless, with new life evident at three of the other four NC schools, East Carolina will have to work much harder to retain its place atop the state's football heap.

In Amato and Bunting, State and Carolina have secured alumni lifers. True to their schools and die-hards at heart, even Redskins high-roller Daniel Snyder would have to do some serious wining and dining to tempt either Chuck the Chest or the Great Buntini.

Grobe, himself, has never been a job-shopper, evident by his six-year stay at Ohio. The 49-year old country boy transformed a struggling Bobcat program into a perennial MAC contender, and is convinced he can win consistently at Wake Forest of all places.

The supporting casts at each school are impressive enough, too. By not demanding high-profile salaries for themselves, Amato and Bunting were given the cash to reel in a 'Who's Who' list of worthy assistants. Sure, Amato has already lost three members from his original staff, but there is little reason to believe he won't adequately backfill any vacant slots.

Grobe, on the other hand, brought in his group from Ohio. These guys aren't nearly as touted, but boy do they mesh.

Evaluating a program extends much further than the men that lead it, however, as facilities count, too. Wake Forest has a decided disadvantage in that area, but the same can't be said about Carolina and State.

Prior to Amato's arrival, Carter-Finley was a bit of an eye-sore. With its outdated scoreboard and grassy-green hill, the facility termed 'The Carter' had a county fair feel, matching its locale across from the state fairgrounds.

With a newfound commitment to football, times have quickly changed. You can now see a new state-of-the-art scoreboard from the Wade Avenue extension, while the once-soggy hill has been replaced by red-and-white chairbacks, giving the Wolfpack's den a sudden big-time feel.

Much of the work being done in Raleigh had already been addressed in Chapel Hill. Though Carolina doesn't possess a fancy scoreboard or an up-to-date sound system, Kenan Stadium is dripping with powder-blue nostalgia.

Nestled betwixt a sea of oaks and pines with the bell tower overlooking, fall Saturdays at Carolina can be a sight to behold.

That's not to say that gamedays in Greenville are subpar by any measure, as Dowdy-Ficklen has seen its share of recent cosmetic upgrades. The soon-to-open strength facility will also add a nice touch on several fronts, regardless of its asymmetric exterior.

But with increased dedication on the campuses to the west, maintaining momentum is becoming tougher in the East. Financially, it's going to be a major undertaking for East Carolina to keep abreast, in part because of the BCS and Nike benefits reaped by its rivals.

Now, with as many obstacles as ever, the Pirates are on a quest to renew their perception as the state's top football school. That task, in the short term at least, will be a challenge of a different sort for the state's only Division I-A school with a decidedly football culture.

Both State and Wake are projected upper-division teams in the ACC next season, with each returning veteran squads. North Carolina, on the other hand, loses plenty from its highly-ranked defense. Yet, it's tough to imagine Bunting not winning with a roster loaded with blue-chip talent.

Those aren't comforting thoughts for the Pirates, who are expected to undergo a rebuild next season. With an inexperienced quarterback and question marks on defense, a fourth-consecutive trip to the post-season is anything but a lock. And any scenario that keeps ECU home for the holidays won't bode well as the coaches comb the recruiting trails.

Following the Pirates' narrow loss in Chapel Hill, Logan was asked to assess the general perception that his Pirates were the state's premiere football program

"I think you can take all five football programs in the state, and there's not a nickel's worth of difference," he said.

That may have been true then. That may be true now. But if the Pirates don't exceed expectations next fall, any microscopic gap could start to widen — in the wrong direction.

Traditionally, the road to professional stardom has started in Mobile, AL, site of the Senior Bowl. Since 1950, the college all-star game has drawn the finest seniors in the land, not to mention a throng of NFL scouts and coaches that is rivaled only by the pre-draft combines.

Throughout their week-long stay, the NFL hopefuls are probed, prodded, timed, weighed, measured and drilled, in addition to undergoing a grueling interview process designed to weed out unsavory characters. The experience can be a humbling one for some, as the tiniest of nits are exposed in the blink of an eye.

For Sam Houston State's Josh McCown and Tulane's Patrick Ramsey, the experience was a springboard up the draft charts. With solid performances throughout the week, the two unheralded quarterbacks flashed the potential to eventually become starting signal callers.

For ECU's David Garrard, a third trip to the Mobile Bay area was as unproductive as his two previous ventures. Instead of removing the "inconsistent" label from his draft sheet description, the Pirates' all-time leading passer confirmed the scouts' notions as he struggled all week.

By far, the Durham native was the strongest, most mobile QB among a group that included Fresno's David Carr and Illinois' Kurt Kittner. Yet, raw talent was often circumvented by a perceived inability to make quick reads, and the holder of the vast majority of ECU's quarterback-related records often struggled with his touch.

Those are the two main glitches that ESPN draft guru Mel Kiper, Jr., zeroed in on during the game's national broadcast. Kiper, who rated Garrard among his top five quarterbacks prior to the 2001 season, went on to predict that the Pirates' standout would fall to the sixth or seventh round, perhaps not even garnering a selection at all.

On a positive note, Garrard appeared to be in the best shape of his career, a direct reflection of his work with conditioning guru Mackie Shilstone. Garrard tipped the scales at a trimmer 240 pounds and looked especially fleet afoot en route to a game-high 39-yard rushing performance.

Garrard will have another chance to save face in the Indianapolis combine. Maybe by then, he will improve on his reads, while learning when to take a little off that whistling fastball.

Despite the disappointing performance, Garrard remained an ESPN icon. The camera seemingly followed his every move, including a halftime Q & A that gave fans an up-close view of his shiny silver helmet.

Though Garrard has lost considerable favor with Kiper, who gets paid for being unforgiving, the four-year starter had an obvious fan in the booth. Play-by-play commentator Mike Tirico showed an affinity for the affable "Buffet Killer," often mentioning his name while others were under center.

Number nine had at least one more fan watching from home, hoping for an MVP-type performance. Alas, I'll have to wait awhile longer for that to happen. Hopefully, it will transpire at the next level.