By
Denny O'Brien
©2009 Bonesville.net
All Rights Reserved.
Who can forget the mood
surrounding spring drills in 2001? East Carolina entered it riding the
momentum of a convincing victory over Texas Tech in the 2000
GalleryFurniture.com Bowl.
Most of the Pirates’
roster returned from that 8-4 bunch, including starting quarterback
David Garrard, a stout offensive line, and an abundance of talented
receivers and running backs.
Expectations were through
the roof for the Pirates in 2001. Sports Illustrated ranked them in its
preseason Top 25, while prognosticator extraordinaire Phil Steele even
listed them as a dark horse contender for the national title.
With spring drills now six
practices old for ECU, you can’t help but notice the similarities to
that ’01 team. Though the Pirates aren’t being propelled by a bowl
victory, they are the defending Conference USA champs and are expected
by many to repeat.
And there is no shortage
of parallels to 2001. The Pirates again are a veteran bunch that most
pundits will suggest have very few unanswered questions. As a result,
the expectations will likely rival ’01.
Also worth considering are
the eerie similarities with the schedule:
••••• Just like 2001,
the Pirates open the fall with an underdog opponent in black and
gold gear from Western North Carolina. In ’01, Wake Forest shocked
the highly-touted Pirates, prompting thousands of fans to b-line it
for the Tar River.
If Appalachian State
pulls a déjà vu, the mighty Tar will be unable to accommodate the
herds of Pirates who will march towards it.
••••• The last time
the Pirates played a Division I-AA opponent? That was 2001 when
William and Mary made the trek to Greenville.
ECU beat the Tribe by
a measly 15 points and surrendered nearly 500 yards of offense. It’s
unknown whether or not the Tribe was quarterbacked by someone from
Armanti Edwards’ bloodlines.
••••• The regular
season finale looks even more familiar. Southern Miss closed ’01
with a 28-21 post-Thanksgiving victory in Dowdy-Ficklen Stadium that
put the Pirates’ postseason hopes in serious doubt.
Once again, the Golden
Eagles and Pirates will close the regular season in Greenville on
Thanksgiving weekend. You can bet the outcome will have postseason
implications for both.
••••• The last time
East Carolina invaded Chapel Hill was in 2001. The Pirates return to
Kenan Stadium this year in hopes that the strange events that
occurred during their last visit don’t repeat themselves.
Brandon Rainer’s
dropped interception in the end zone (that was caught by a Tar Heel
for a TD), the phantom holding call on Brian Rimpf that nullified a
touchdown, and Art Brown’s fumble at the 1-millimeter line name just
a few.
••••• There is another
Tuesday night road game in October. In ’01, the Pirates escaped Fort
Worth on October 30 with a 37-30 victory after building what seemed
like an insurmountable lead.
This year the ESPN2
cameras will be in Memphis on October 27. It should be noted that
Memphis, like Fort Worth, Texas, is in the Central time zone.
••••• The season
schedule is again highlighted by a much-anticipated Thursday night
game in November. East Carolina hasn’t played in ESPN’s Thursday
night showcase sense it hosted Louisville in 2001 in what equated to
a C-USA championship bout.
This year it’s
Virginia Tech, and everyone remembers what happened the last time
the Hokies visited Greenville on a Thursday. At least that
nationally-televised drubbing occurred in 2000.
The chances of lightning
striking the Pirates’ docket twice aren’t great, especially if this
year’s group is tougher mentally than the one from 2001. And the odds of
Skip Holtz suddenly installing a philosophy similar to what was in place
then are even lower.
With an underperforming
defense, then-Pirates coach Steve Logan employed a quick-strike offense
that was designed to score as fast and often as it could. It was the
football version of the fast break, and defense — at least on the
surface — appeared optional.
Paul Westhead would have
been proud.
Conversely, Holtz
historically has leveraged a more methodical offensive approach in which
time of possession has been a more accurate indicator for success. With
a dependable defense — and inconsistency under center — it has made more
sense for him to prescribe a more conservative approach.
The Pirates are also more
talented across the board in 2009 than they were in ’01. There is more
NFL potential on the current roster and considerably more depth.
Many of the 2’s and 3’s on
the Pirates’ defensive depth chart would have started in ’01.
What isn’t known is where
East Carolina will stack up mentally. There was an air of
over-confidence in 2001 and a severe shortage of the killer instinct
that was required to close out opponents.
The result was a
disappointing 6-6 finish for a team that many expected would have double
digits in the win column.
There are similar, if not
greater expectations this fall. With the talent and coaching in place to
make another conference championship run, the Pirates’ mental makeup
will largely dictate how 2009 unfolds.
East Carolina can’t afford
a copycat performance in that department. Doing so could yield a
familiar disappointing result.
