News, Analysis and Opinion from Bonesville's Denny O'Brien

Pirate Notebook No. 155
Tuesday, November 11, 2003

By Denny O'Brien
Staff Writer and Columnist

Fresh Links On Bonesville Today (11.11.03)
Denny O'Brien: Pirate Notebook No. 155
— Pinkney deserves keys to offense
Bonesville: Frogs push BCS envelope
Bonesville: BCS Standings
Nuggets: Notes from ECU and beyond
Cable 7 Audio: The Brian Bailey Show
— Basketball talk with guest Bill Herrion
Pirate Radio 1250 Audio: Sportsline with Patrick Johnson
— Segment featuring Denny O'Brien & Mike Dement
Greg Vacek: Daily Web Headlines Roundup

Well, that should settle it. Maybe now the year-long quarterback debate can be laid to rest.

What began last spring as a two-man race between Paul Troth and Desmond Robinson took a climactic turn Saturday in the Pirates' 38-37 loss to South Florida. Redshirt freshman James Pinkney — the bystander in what has become an emotional tug-of-war within the Pirate masses — made a strong case in his first start that he may be the answer first-year coach John Thompson has been seeking under center.

"I thought he just played with so much poise," Thompson said. "I thought he had control of the game the whole time. He never got shook."

"I kept telling him, 'Hey, relax.' And he kept looking at me like, 'Yeah, I am.' He just handled the whole game very, very well. He read his checks, got us in the right formation, got us in the right plays... did everything."

What he did was add a playmaking dimension that has been missing from the Pirates' offense since David Garrard left campus in 2001. Comfortable in the pocket, rolling out, or in the open field, it was obvious from the second series that Pinkney has the repertoire of skills that, for more than a decade, has made East Carolina a program commonly identified with producing NFL-caliber QBs.

Perhaps even more impressive was the calm demeanor and unshakable presence with which he performed in his first college start.

"The first couple of plays, I had a few butterflies," Pinkney said. "After I took the first hit, I was all right."

Against a South Florida defense loaded with heavy hitters, Pinkney was the recipient of more blows than a Friday night prize fighter. More often than not, though, he stood tall, found an open receiver, and delivered a dead-aim strike before getting knocked to the soggy turf.

Not once did Pinkney flinch under pressure. Now the heat is heavily on Thompson and first-year offensive coordinator Rick Stockstill to make the right call against Tulane, an opponent against whom the Pirates can realistically hope to notch a second win before the season runs out.

"I believe you don't ever lose your job when you get hurt," Thompson said. "Now, you've got to come back and retain that job when you come back.

"Hey, Pinkney did a good job and I was real proud of James. But that was Desmond's job, and if he's healthy, he gets first shot at it."

True, that generally is the rule of thumb when the injured starter has solidified himself to the point that no one would question such a decision. Had Robinson been lighting the scoreboard with regularity, the job should be unquestionably his. But by no measure has he proven himself worthy of being the undisputed starter.

Though incredibly efficient in the short passing game — Heck, who isn't? — Robinson has suffered all season from physical deficiencies over which he has no control.

At only 5'11", he has trouble seeing over the line. With his lack of arm strength, the Pirates are unable to stretch the field. Though built like a top-flight option QB, Robinson is deceptively slow.

The end result has been an offense handcuffed by turnovers and a limited menu of effective plays.

With Pinkney, the often-criticized playbook can add a few pages and keep opposing defenses more honest. And if the play breaks down, Pinkney's wheels can still make positive things happen.

"Hey, best man wins (the starting job)," Pinkney said with a grin after his outing against USF.

After Saturday's effort, that decision should be much easier. It already is tempting enough to suggest that the quarterback situation has been fumbled since the opening of fall camp.

With little more than pride on the line and the future now the primary focus, it makes the most sense to give Pinkney the ball.

One of East Carolina's glaring deficiencies the past few seasons has been the play of the secondary. Slowly but surely, the Pirates are showing signs of improvement.

Much of that has been due to the play of freshman cornerback Erode Jean, who seized a starting spot midway through the season and hasn't looked back.

"I'm really catching on to the speed of the game," Jean said. "I'm really reading receivers. Terrance (Copper) gives me a really good look in practice."

Jean saved his best effort for Saturday, collecting seven tackles and forcing two crucial fumbles that changed the complexion of the game.

The first occurred in the second quarter when he viciously hammered Bulls quarterback Pat Julmiste on a cornerback blitz deep in USF territory.

"Coach just called my number," Jean said. "I tried to step around and make it look like I was in man (coverage). I came free and I just put my head on the ball and the ball came loose.

"I was looking around for it, but I couldn't get to it. I just saw the big pile, and I was like, 'Yeah, my boys got it.' "

With the game tied at 21 with 9:43 left in the third quarter, Jean was whistled for pass interference, despite being shoved to the ground by Bulls receiver Huey Whittaker. Several replays revealed that Jean slowed up, but did so to make a play on the underthrown ball.

"I was going to pick it off," Jean said. "I think I had really good position until he pushed me down."

When asked about the call, Dave Blackman, the technical adviser of the game's officials, offered no comment, other than to say he would have to review the tape.

Pirates kicker Cameron Broadwell entered Saturday near perfect, converting 10 of 11 field goal attempts and all but one of his extra point tries.

That's what made Saturday's one-for-four effort on field goals and a missed extra point so surprising.

"I told Cam that I love him," Thompson said. "We wouldn't be in that situation without him.

"You know what? That just happens. That happens. That's part of the game. Cam is a good kicker... great kicker. I told him and our players told him, that was just one play. I'm not disappointed in Cam. Not one bit."

Two of the kicks — a 41-yard field goal attempt and the deciding PAT — were blocked. A 54-yard try late in the fourth quarter fell just short.

"I'm not sure that his rhythm wasn't a little off all night long," Thompson said. "We showed a lot of confidence. We tried a (54-yarder) there late in the second quarter. I really believed he was going to make that. I think he just got out of rhythm, maybe like a golfer."

If that's the appropriate comparison, Broadwell's performance thus far would be more than worthy of making the cut.