By Denny O'Brien
©2010 Bonesville.net
All Rights Reserved.

If you're mining for nuggets of encouragement in East Carolina's 42-17 loss at North Carolina, there are at least a few gems worth harvesting. As in the Virginia Tech game, most of those can be traced to the first two and a half quarters when the Pirates were competitive against a quality BCS Automatic Qualifier foe.

In both games, ECU's much-maligned defense displayed signs of improvement early, before wilting against the powerful rushing attacks of the Hokies and Tar Heels. The offense also seemed to follow suit with sprint-like starts before limping to the finish.

You have to figure that against most Conference USA defenses, the Pirates will be more consistent offensively. At least they should be. In a league where the top talent is isolated to the offensive skill positions, there aren't many — save for maybe Central Florida's — smothering defenses around.

The question now is can ECU make the necessary improvements defensively to defend its consecutive C-USA titles?

If you wanted to get more philosophical, you might be asking how the Pirates became such a defensive pushover so quickly? Because clearly Virginia Tech and North Carolina are mediocre offensively when compared to many other BCS AQ opponents.

Is the explanation for ECU's shortcomings as simple as the loss of nine defensive starters? Or does the dramatic shift in philosophy also fit into the equation?

The answer is probably both. For starters, consider the Pirates' regulars on defense:

• ECU's rotation at defensive end is filled with undersized personnel. That's putting it mildly. Two of them — Justin Dixon and Marke Powell — were recruited as linebackers and converted during the offseason. Derrell Johnson, a true freshman, is also built like he belongs with the LB's. As a result, opponents have found a ton of success this season running off-tackle.

• Outside of Michael Brooks and Josh Smith, there isn't a lot of experience at defensive tackle. Injuries have limited both Antonio Allison and Robert Jones throughout their careers and Maurice Mercer is essentially learning the position.

• Of the Pirates' defensive tackles, Brooks was the most celebrated returnee. However he still doesn't appear to be 100 percent from an injury that held him out of spring practice. He also isn't juxtaposed with Linval Joseph or Jay Ross to help take on blocks.

• ECU's opening day depth chart at linebacker was an all-out indictment on the recruiting shortcomings of the previous regime. Dustin Lineback is a former walk-on, as is Wes Pittman, who is a converted scout team receiver. Considering that middle linebacker Melvin Patterson was recruited as a safety, the Pirates opened 2010 without a single starter who signed a Letter of Intent to play the position.

• Steve Spence was used almost exclusively last season as a pass rusher in long yardage scenarios. This season he has rarely seen the field, and when he has it has been at middle linebacker. Would he perhaps be better utilized in his former role?

Beyond the Pirates' decline in talent and experience, you have to factor the significant shift in philosophy, which is a complete 180 from the mentality under Greg Hudson's watch. Back then, the Pirates primarily played zone coverage and rarely sent more than the front four after the quarterback.

The intent was to keep everything in front and limit the big play. If opponents were going to score, they'd have to do so by methodically marching down the field and not make any mistakes.

ECU's defense under new coordinator Brian Mitchell has a much different approach. There is a lot more emphasis on man coverage and more opportunities for linebackers to blitz. That often puts members of the ECU secondary on a lonely island — and it's the reason why you've seen so many opposing quarterbacks take shots deep.

Just consider this: Had Tar Heels quarterback T.J. Yates delivered the deep ball with more accuracy Saturday — normally his strong suit — North Carolina would have flirted with the 60-point plateau.

Pretty sobering thought when you are evaluating the current condition of the ECU defense. And with the Pirates now one-third of the way through the 2010 campaign, you have to wonder how much of this can be fixed.

It's hard to imagine the Pirates even remotely resembling the dominant bunch they often were with C.J. Wilson and Nick Johnson patrolling the huddle. Too many key losses and too many systemic shifts make that improbable.

While targeting some of the criticism at the current staff would only seem logical, it's unfair to pin all of the blame there. It's pretty clear that the previous staff played a role in ECU's defensive demise.

It could take a while for the Pirates' new regime to rebuild the area of the program that was the centerpiece for consecutive title runs.