2003 Statistics

Quarterback
ECU's quarterback play was horrendous in 2003. Three players shared the duties, combining for only six passing TDs against 17 INTs!! Ugh. As a result, John Thompson hired former Florida QB Noah Brindise to coordinate the offense. Brindise, who has been studying under Steve Spurrier for the last seven years, vows to bring a wide-open offense with multiple looks and formations. The guy operating this package will be James Pinkney. Pinkney has good size and improved arm strength from last season. He upseats last year's starter, Desmond Robinson, who's more of a threat with his feet than his arm. Florida transfer Patrick Dosh has definite ability- he's the state of Virginia's all-time leading passer- and, with practice time, will push Pinkney in the fall.

Running Back
Brindise's new offense depends a lot on the running game to accentuate the air attack. Seniors Art Brown and Marvin Townes form Conference USA's top one-two punch out of the backfield. While Brown missed last season with a knee injury, Townes stepped in and ran for 1128 yards and eight TDs, earning him second team all-conference honors. Both sat out the spring to recuperate, which allowed Bobby Tillman and Tyrece Hayden the bulk of the carries, giving the Pirates solid depth behind the line.

Receiver
Improved quarterback play will rely a lot on how far the receivers advance from last year. Starters Damarcus Fox and Kevin Roach assembled only ten catches between them, but will see much bigger roles in the new offense. Roach provides a good-sized target (6'4") and Fox has the speed to open up a defense. The Pirates will use about six or seven receivers regularly in order to keep fresh and wear out opposing defenses through the air. Lacking size, this group won't win many physical battles. They'll need sharp, quick passes, to allow them to get in the open and stretch the field.

Tight End and Offensive Line
TE Josh Coffman showed promise in his freshman season, but will have to take a backseat to JUCO transfer Shawn Levesque. Not only athletically gifted, Levesque is a smart kid who can act like a second QB on the field.

The offensive line will be given new life by taking away four starters from a pathetic unit last season. The Pirates endured 32 sacks and many more hurries than their struggling QBs could handle. Pass protection will be priority one. Senior Charlie Dempsey anchors the middle of that line, but success will bank on tackles Eric Graham and James Myrick. They'll need to sew up the outside and keep defenders out of the ears of the QB. If these five guys play well, productive results will follow.

OFFENSIVE BREAKDOWN
Noah Brindise has his work cut out for him. These players will be seeing their third new offensive system in three years, so getting them to learn and run it efficiently could take some time. "Our offense is very difficult to defend. You will see a lot of different looks offensively with a lot of different formations, getting the ball to a lot of different people in our offense". Those are pretty confident words out of John Thompson's mouth. Any offense is difficult to defend if it is run without error. If the Pirates are to succeed, they'll need to take care of two things- the football, and their quarterback. Failing at even one of those tasks would be handicapping to this unit.

Defensive Line
DT Guy Whimper, a major in construction management who ironically excels at destroying opposing blockers and ball carriers, returns for his second stint as a starter along the defensive line. He and classmate Richard Koonce will give opposing linemen troubles with their athleticism along the right side of that line. Shauntae Hunt was once heavily recruited by the Pirates and, after a couple of years of struggle, is now ready to prove to fans why he was brought to Greenville. A bit of inexperience in this area, so incoming freshmen and redshirts will get a look in the fall.

Linebacker
It seems the only thing Chris Moore can't tackle is the national budget. In two years as ECU's middle linebacker, Moore has tallied 220 takedowns, 23 of which were for loss, while roaming the field. We expect yet another stellar year in the middle. Ike Emodi and former RB, Dashaun Stephens team to take the outside. Josh Chilsom started on the outside at times last year, but was not listed atop the depth chart after spring workouts. The Pirates are switching to a more base 4-3 defense, so some responsibility will be taken off the LBs in terms of creating a pass rush, but these guys will need to pick up the slack and take advantage of the holes created from double-teaming Moore.

Defensive Back
The secondary took its lumps at times last year, but overall they performed reasonably well against the pass. Three starters return, headed by sophomore Erode Jean. As a true freshman, Jean came up with 50 tackles, while successfully defending nine passes and picking off two. He's a track star in pads, with great leaping ability and as a former receiver, he has a good sense for what his counterparts like to do. JUCO transfer Zach Baker is a solid addition to an already sound unit. The Pirates were 31st nationally in pass defense, allowing just 199 yards through the air. We expect similar (if not better) numbers this season with the help of a deeper group, especially at safety.

DEFENSIVE BREAKDOWN
Switching from a 3-3 defense to a 4-3, theoretically helps make this a stronger unit against the run, where the Pirates flat-out stunk last season (105th nationally). Through the spring, this change has brought some profit. The defense has done a good job of keeping everything in front of them, preventing the big play, and making tackles early. Working against their new offense in practice will continue to sharpen their secondary skills, while developing a better pass rush to compliment. Conference USA is slowly becoming a clone of the WAC, where defending the pass is the key to winning ballgames. In that sense, ECU will hold their own.