North Carolina State University Athletics
Tony Haynes: Can We Just Play Some Football?
8/2/2006 12:00:00 AM | Football
By Tony Haynes
The summer season is nice, but really, can we just move on? I mean, we’re told that the World Cup is the greatest event on the planet, yet the winner is decided by this thing called a shootout. C’mon. Great story on Floyd Landis. Well, it was great until he tested positive for abnormal levels of testosterone. In baseball, Barry Bonds has surpassed the Babe and is now chasing Hammerin Hank,’ yet no one is taking his quest seriously. I guess what I’m getting at is this: Can we just play some football? It just can’t get here soon enough. On Thursday, appetites will be wetted in the Wolfpack Nation when coach Chuck Amato’s 7th NC State football team reports for preseason workouts. The journey begins with a morning practice on Saturday.
Given the fact that the Pack must replace six legitimate stars off of a defense that has been dominant the last two years, it’s really not shocking that NC State was picked to finish fifth in the ACC’s Atlantic Division.
Linemen Mario Williams, Manny Lawson and John McCargo were first round picks. Linebacker Stephen Tulloch and cornerback Marcus Hudson went in the draft as well. And while linebacker Oliver Hoyte wasn’t selected in the draft, he was a really good football player for NC State, especially the last few years of his career.
Critics took lazy potshots at Amato over the summer, asking the question “how can a team with three first round picks on the defensive line win a combined 12 games in two years?”
It was criticism without merit simply because all of those draft picks played for defensive units that were ranked 1st and 8th , respectively, in the nation over the last two years. In other words, there never really was anything wrong with the defense. Unfortunately, NC State’s draft presence on the offensive side of the ball hasn’t been nearly as dramatic, which better explains the won-loss record. The last time the Wolfpack had a first round talent at one of the skill positions on offense, quarterback Philip Rivers was putting up 37 points and 470 yards per game in 2003.
Since his departure, the Wolfpack attack has sputtered.
Good news, however, may be on the way. With Andre Brown and Toney
Obviously, opposing defensive coordinators will put everyone in the box except the mascot in an effort to stop Brown and
The offensive approach Stone was asked to engineer was a run-oriented, low-risk attack. It was a strategy that worked, primarily because NC State had a dominant defense that didn’t yield a lot of points in the second half of the season. During those final six games, the offense was simply asked not to lose the game.
This year will have to be different. With so many new parts on defense, it is unrealistic to expect coordinator Steve Dunlap’s unit to be as stifling as it was the last two years, meaning the offense will have to be more productive.
Not only will the offense have to score more points for the Pack to be successful, it will have to do a much better job of staying on the field for longer periods of time to give the defense a break. Last year’s offense converted only 25 percent of its third downs and held the ball for an average of 29 minutes per game. Convert a higher percentage on third down and time of possession will usually take care of itself.
With those six starts under his belt, Stone expects to be a more consistent and more productive passer. And everyone on the offensive unit should be more comfortable in second-year coordinator Mark Trestman’s west-coast scheme.
During his tenure at NC State, Amato has had success convincing players that it would be in there’s and the team’s best interest to switch positions. Sean Locklear and Shane Riggs come to mind when they moved from the defensive line to the offensive front. Brian Williams was an All-ACC caliber safety before becoming just as good at cornerback. Marcus Hudson went from corner to safety back to corner.
This season will be no different. With the Pack stacked at running back, Darrell Blackman has agreed to switch to wide receiver. Reggie Davis is making an even more dramatic move from running back to linebacker. Both changes figure to make NC State better.
Speaking of changes, Carter-Finley Stadium is perhaps the only 40-year old in the world that looks like a newborn. With its concrete now shimmering and the addition of an enclosed north end zone section, the facility is hardly recognizable, even to those who have been watching games there since 1966. Happy Birthday Carter-Finley and congratulations on finding the fountain of youth.
Summer is hanging on but it won’t be long now. Can we just play some football?
