DENNY O'BRIEN: Pinkney still facing steep climb

James Pinkney (right) has made the cut in summer school to rejoin the East Carolina football team. The junior QB, ECU's starter last season, had been dismissed from school for academic reasons after the Fall 2004 Semester. (Photo: ECU SID)

WINDOWS MEDIA FRESH AUDIO

East Carolina coach Skip Holtz spoke with the media on Tuesday, Aug. 2, 2005, at the Conference USA Kick-Off in Memphis, touching on the status of quarterback James Pinkney, the new makeup of C-USA and other topics. Click the 'Play' control (>) on the embedded Player below to listen.

(Digitally recorded by Denny O'Brien; Photo: ECU)

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MEMPHIS — At approximately 11:00 AM central time Tuesday, East Carolina coach Skip Holtz finally received the official word. After a long summer of waiting, the message was delivered that James Pinkney, the Pirates' starting quarterback last season, will be eligible to play this fall.

East Carolina Director of Media Relations Tom McClellan got the call from the university at the annual Conference USA Football Media Kick-Off and passed the news along to the first-year Pirates' coach. For Holtz, it was the final confirmation of what he expected to hear.

"From what I've been told, from what grades that I've been told that he made, he's made it," Holtz said earlier in the morning. "But until the university says this is his GPA, it's not official, but I feel pretty comfortable in saying that I think that he's going to be with us.

"The grades were due yesterday, they ran them last night. As soon as it becomes official, I need to know. But right now I feel pretty comfortable in saying that he's going to be with us."

It's now official, and the Pinkney saga can be laid to rest. With his academics back in order, football can return to a summer diet that has consisted primarily of mastering text books instead of Holtz's playbook.

Now Pinkney can begin to digest the new offense — his fourth at ECU — and try to fend off a stable of field generals who have a head start on the incumbent quarterback. Because he missed spring drills, Holtz says Pinkney, who threw for nearly 2,200 yards last year, shouldn't expect an easy road back to the Pirates' huddle.

"I think playing quarterback is probably about 20 percent talent and about 80 percent of the mental make-up," Holtz said. "We've all had quarterbacks that have been great winners, but maybe they're not great NFL guys because they don't have the phenomenal talent to play on the next level.

"That doesn't mean they're not extraordinary college quarterbacks, because they're smart, they know the system, and they know where to go with the ball. You're talking about a quarterback that's got to make instantaneous decisions... I think it puts him at a disadvantage. Can he learn it quick enough? That's why I've said from the beginning, just because James makes it doesn't make him the starting quarterback."

Several key performers from last year's team were MIA during spring practice and must prove themselves on the field in preseason camp. Because Holtz doesn't like to let personnel decisions linger, he has devised a plan that will have his starters in place in early August.

"We've got to plan on how we're using (Shawn) Levesque, (Sean) Harmon, (Lance) Neisz, (Bobby) Good... all those guys who have missed spring practice," Holtz said. "We've put a timetable that we've got to go for about a week where we're going to treat it like tryouts.

"Then after the week, we're making our decisions and we're going with it. We can't wait any longer. That's been the hand that we've been dealt with all the guys missing spring ball."

For Pinkney, that means a short runway to grasp the new offense and prove he has the leadership tools Holtz demands out of the quarterback position.

From what Holtz has seen on film, he is impressed with Pinkney's physical tools, but isn't ready to judge on his command of the game mentally until he works with him on the field.

"He's big, he's got a strong arm, and he's tough," Holtz said. "I can tell you that for sure. I've seen that on film.

"How well does he learn our system, read defenses, and all that? That's a little harder for me to tell. So, he'll be at a disadvantage without a doubt. I think if he wants to play, his work to get eligible has just started."

It's a pretty good start given the circumstances. After flunking out following the Fall 2004 semester, there was a time when no one thought Pinkney could handle the heavy workload that was required of him over the summer.

But after a serious heart-to-heart discussion with his pupil late in the spring, Holtz said Pinkney made a complete turnaround.

"I think it speaks volumes," Holtz said. "I think he's grown up. Sometimes you have to lose something to understand how important it is to you. And he has lost something. I think the way he has responded to it has been admirable."

The next task is to see how Pinkney responds to the new staff and offense. That starts when players report to fall camp on Thursday.