By Denny O'Brien
©2008 Bonesville.net
All Rights Reserved.

There is a silver lining behind the stormy week that East Carolina just endured. In case you haven’t noticed, that doesn’t happen that often anymore.

At least not since Terry Holland and Skip Holtz hopped aboard. Since their arrival, the Pirates have experienced relatively smooth sailing as the football program has ascended from the bottom depths of Division I-A to an annual postseason threat that now fills Dowdy-Ficklen Stadium regardless of the opponent.

Still, there is no denying that the past seven days have been frustrating Down East. And with the mounting frustration of consecutive upset losses and a midweek AD squabble, there is no shortage of questions — fair and legitimate ones — that warrant pondering.

Here are a few to gnaw on:

Did Quentin Cotton make that much of a difference?

There is no question that Cotton was a difference maker for the ECU defense. He was an emotional leader who led both verbally and with his play on the field.

But at this stage, there should be a steady flow of capable backups to help fill the void, especially when you consider the experience of ECU’s regulars at linebacker.

Cotton, Pierre Bell, Jeremy Chambliss, and Nick Johnson have all been significant contributors for three years running. That means each played a meaningful role as freshmen or sophomores in 2006, a year that marked one of the most impressive defenses in ECU history.

There is no reason why the Pirates shouldn’t have enough capable bodies to help fill that void. The ECU staff is filled with proven recruiters with a track record for developing players to reach their potential.

Why the Pirates are in a position where a walk-on — Matt Pick — started on Saturday is a mystery.

What is ECU’s offensive identity?

That’s too hard to tell. Last year it was a tale of multiple personalities, all depending on the trigger man that ECU had under center.

With Rob Kass in the huddle, the Pirates adopted a true drop-back approach that included a healthy dose of play-action passes and vertical throws. Under Patrick Pinkney’s direction, ECU took more of a spread approach and included some elements of the read option to take advantage of his mobility.

Having decided on Pinkney as the starter in the off-season, it seemed the Pirates might subscribe more to the same principles they used last season against Memphis and Boise State. In both cases, ECU used a spread approach and took advantage of Pinkney’s greatest physical asset — his nimble feet.

Instead, the Pirates have gone a more vanilla route that perhaps over-emphasizes the bubble screen and inside power running. As a result, opponents are growing more comfortable defending an ECU offense that seems reluctant to take its shots downfield.

Where are the playmakers? In the NFL isn’t a sufficient response. Granted that Aundrae Allison and Chris Johnson carried the majority of the offensive load the past couple of seasons, using them as an excuse for ECU’s offensive struggles this year would be overlooking the point.

In Dwayne Harris, Jamar Bryant, Davon Drew, Jonathan Williams, and Norman Whitley, there is no shortage of playmakers who can move the chains in a variety of ways. The problem is that, aside from Harris, the Pirates aren’t figuring out enough ways to get the ball into their playmakers’ hands.

Take Drew and Whitley. They provided much of the offensive spark against N.C. State, with each scoring from long range.

Against the Cougars, the two combined for three touches, all Whitley runs. Add to that the fact that Bryant and Williams heard their names called only four times combined.

Meanwhile running back Brandon Simmons logged a season-high 19 carries and hauled in a team-high five catches Saturday. While Simmons’ passion and determination are refreshing, he is the least likely member of the ECU offense to dial long distance.

Is the emotional tank dry?

It shouldn’t be. It’s true that it has been an emotional journey to open the season, but is it really that much different than 2007?

The Pirates opened last season with a trio of emotional outings, giving Virginia Tech everything it could handle in Blacksburg before returning home to face rivals North Carolina and Southern Miss. All three came down to the final moments before the outcome was decided.

The major difference this year has been the amount of attention the program received following victories over Virginia Tech and West Virginia. It brought with it many distractions that perhaps overwhelmed a roster of players who are unaccustomed to the spotlight.

Even so, it’s hard to rationalize the Pirates being emotionally and mentally unprepared Saturday. Though the loss to N.C. State was no doubt disappointing, there was still plenty for ECU to play for.

The goal of winning that elusive Conference USA championship was still well within reach and the fourth largest crowd in Dowdy-Ficklen Stadium was on hand. Seems like that should have provided plenty of competitive fire.

Does ECU have the horses to win C-USA?

It’s too early to tell, but Saturday wasn’t an encouraging sign.

C-USA offenses are designed to spread out defenses and dictate the tempo by throwing the ball. That is ECU’s glaring weakness defensively, which was first exposed in its league opener at Tulane.

If ECU is going to represent the East Division in the league title game, it will likely need to win a shootout or two. That means the Pirates have a lot to do during the bye week to find some offense to compete with their gimmick-heavy foes.

Is it time to panic?

Not even close. Holtz and his staff are worth every penny that ECU is paying them, and there is no reason to believe they won’t right the ship.

Sure there are frustrations and legitimate questions that must be explored. But if those questions are being asked from the press box and in the stands, you can rest assured even more are being asked from the sidelines.

Holtz fixed a much bigger mess when he arrived in Greenville. Something tells me he can handle this one.