By Denny O'Brien
©2009 Bonesville.net
All Rights Reserved.

There has been plenty of banter about East Carolina’s schedule this fall. Regionally and nationally, there is no shortage of interest in athletics director Terry Holland’s scheduling philosophy.

That’s because most athletics administrators would never subscribe to it, while the casual football observer would advise against it. Even in an economic climate that dictates the need for sellouts and financially forgiving road trips, few have taken the Pirates’ ambitious approach to selecting non-conference opponents.

If you survey the schedule of schools with automatic qualifying access to the Bowl Championship Series, you’ll find a dramatic increase in opponents from the Football Championship Subdivision. North Carolina and N.C. State, for example, are padding their win-loss records with two FCS schools apiece.

Meanwhile, the pundits are pontificating how the Pirates’ non-conference schedule could be the road block that prevents them from experiencing a special season. Considering it is lined with a trio of contenders for BCS conference titles, it’s a reasonable assessment.

But the schedule is hardly the biggest obstacle ECU faces. Given the Pirates’ personnel upgrades under head coach Skip Holtz’s direction, along with the experience of beating higher-profile opponents, there aren’t too many programs for which ECU would be considered a gimmee.

Or vice versa. And this year is no different.

Though the margin for error has widened significantly for ECU, it hasn’t reached the point where a C-plus effort would be sufficient for ensuring a victory — including the season opener against Appalachian State.

Likewise, you won’t find a game on the schedule that the Pirates won’t have a reasonable expectation of winning.

Including games at West Virginia and at home against Virginia Tech.

Though both are established, traditional powers, neither presents the biggest obstacle in ECU’s path this fall. Facing the Mountaineers’ spread offense or the Hokies’ swarming defense is no easy task, but the Pirates already have shown the ability to resolve both with essentially the same personnel.

Positively answering the following unknowns is perhaps the bigger challenge:

— Will the Pirates avoid the injury epidemic that nearly derailed the special start to 2008? Though it’s hard to imagine a repeat occurrence this fall, injuries in this violent sport are inevitable. And there are certain positions at which ECU can’t afford any attrition.

— Can ECU avoid the disciplinary issues that it experienced last year? While the program is far from renegade status, last year demonstrated that East Carolina isn’t immune to off-the-field distractions. The mid-season suspensions of Jamar Bryant and Jonathan Williams severely altered the offensive profile.

— How will the Pirates respond as a targeted bunch? Last year they followed a near defeat at Tulane with surprise losses to underdogs N.C. State and Houston. With plenty of hype surrounding them entering the season, you have to wonder if inflated egos will be present when Appalachian State visits.

— Will ECU avoid critical special teams blunders? That essentially cost them the Liberty Bowl and to a lesser degree the game at Virginia. A shanked punt and missed field goal nearly gift-wrapped Marshall a win.

— Can the offense shift out of neutral? There should be plenty of playmakers to make the offense more dynamic, but it could be tempting to remain conservative. Even so, ECU must demonstrate an ability to stretch the field vertically, and try to avoid winning games almost exclusively with defense.

At least the off-season message has been reassuring.

From all accounts the players seem focused on improving themselves both physically and mentally. Senior leadership seems to be at an all-time high, injuries have healed, and those who were suspended appear on a path to returning.

That’s an important message with the start of fall camp just a couple of weeks away. And it’s a message that must proliferate throughout the fall.

Because the last thing ECU can afford is to get in its own way. Injuries aside, that was a contributing factor preventing the Pirates from reaching double-digit wins last fall.