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Bailey's
Take on Pirate Sports
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From the Anchor Desk
Tuesday, July 8, 2003
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By Brian Bailey
Sports Anchor of WNCT-TV 9 |
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Let's talk football, Part I
�2003 Bonesville.net
I�ve officially joined the camp of football aficionados that are tired of
talking about, examining, inspecting, studying and otherwise being
completely obsessed with anything and everything to do with
conference expansion.
So, this week, I�m talking football in both of my columns.
Up first, we�ll talk East Carolina offense. Later this week, we�ll center
on the
Pirate defense.
On offense, you start with the quarterback. I�ve been a Paul Troth fan
since the first day that I met him. I think he can get the job done. I think
he may be more comfortable with this coaching staff and I think you�ll see
good things from Paul Troth.
Troth just didn�t� complete enough passes in 2002 and it�s hard to be
successful when you�re throwing 20 interceptions. But I think he will bounce
back.
Desmond Robinson brings a lot of talent to the table as well. Don�t be
surprised to see Robinson getting some time in several areas.
In the backfield, I love to watch Vonta Leach take the war to people. He
should thrive in the fullback position, and he should make life much better
for Art Brown. Leach rushed for 108 yards in
April's Purple-Gold Game.
Brown�s not the biggest back in the stable, but he averaged over 100
yards per game last season. Marvin Townes should also help out, if his
system can keep him in the game and healthy during crunch times.
The offensive line may be the team�s biggest strength. Two-time
All-Conference USA tackle Brian Rimpf is simply a mountain of a man. He is a
devastating blocker that should be playing on Sundays in the future.
Doug White, Charlie Dempsey, Brian Fox and Brandon Pope all return up
front. These guys seem like they�ve been at East Carolina forever. Corey
Schmidt and Hagen Mason will also provide much needed depth and experience.
At receiver, the star may be Terrance Copper, who was the best player on
the field during the spring football game. Copper has always made big plays,
both on offense and on special teams, and his talent will certainly be
needed this coming season.
The Pirates will also look to utilize the tight end position more in
2003. Tutu Moye will begin the year at that position, although there are
several other candidates, including former quarterback Kort Shankweiller,
whose Dad left the ECU staff after former coach Steve Logan was fired.
Longtime Clemson assistant coach Rick Stockstill takes over the offense
for first year coach John Thompson. If you remember, Thompson spent several
weeks on a mission to hire what he calls the �right� guy.
Stockstill gets rave reviews from any coaching staff you talk to, from
the ACC to the SEC, for his role with Clemson. Tiger fans say Stockstill
will surely be missed this season in Death Valley.
Despite the team�s problems last year, the offense performed well enough
for ECU to win more games then it did. It just seemed like all eleven
players were never really on the same page at times.
Stockstill plans on correcting the glitches in 2003. This is his chance
to be a coordinator and I think Pirate fans will like what they see with
this offense this season.
Just thinking about the season gets me going! Tune in Friday as we look
at ECU's prospects for improvement on the defensive side of the ball.
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Brian Bailey.
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02/23/2007 01:26:01 AM |
