Former N.C. State Quarterback Philip Rivers recently signed a six-year contract worth over $90 million with the San Diego Chargers. The news about Rivers brought back memories of his playing days here, and it did not take much time reminiscing about Rivers’ time in Raleigh for me to realize that for the first time since 2003, his senior season, there is legitimate reason to be excited about Wolfpack football.
I am as optimistic and easily excited as they come. I have been looking forward to September 3 since last December. But that’s just it, isn’t it? What every Wolfpack fan does every year – talk about how stacked we will be next year, the strength of our recruiting classes, or the greatness next season will surely bring. However, this year, we can finally live in the present.
The buildup surrounding the 2009 campaign has been, hands down, the most excitement accompanying the start of a season since Phillip Rivers’ senior season in 2003. The Pack returns 13 starters, similar to the 2003 team which returned 12 including a trio of stars at the glamour positions in Rivers, running back T.A. McLendon and receiver Jerrico Cotchery. Notably for State this year, the entire receiving core returns, and Donald Bowens should be healthy at some point this season, adding even more depth. State also welcomes back Toney Baker to a backfield that will include Jamelle Eugene and Taylor Gentry, not to mention ACC Rookie of the Year and first-team All-ACC selection Russell Wilson, making the offensive backs a force to be reckoned with in the ACC.
In the trenches, where football games are won and lost according to almost every coach, the team looks very solid this year. Three out of four starters on the defensive line have starting experience, and all four of them are playing their final season for the Pack. Alan-Michael Cash and Willie Young have the opportunity to be two of the best defensive linemen in the league, and are potentially high NFL draft picks. The offensive line also returns three starters.
Since taking over the head coaching position in 2007, O’Brien has cleaned up a program that was notorious for lack of discipline. O’Brien demands excellence in every aspect and takes the term “student-athlete” seriously. The cumulative GPA of the football team has steadily risen, and the team has volunteered at the Raleigh Rescue Mission and with the Marine Corps’ Toys for Tots campaign.
Experience, depth and a responsible head coach lead me to believe that unlike Rivers’ senior season, the Pack not only has the capacity to perform up to expectations, but that it will. These athletes have weathered the storm. They have been through injuries; they turned around a season that, to many, seemed doomed after starting 2-6 and did it with class both on and off the field.
Rivers’ senior squad entered the season ranked no. 16 after a huge win over no. 11 Notre Dame in the 2002 Gator Bowl. That team finished the season a disappointing 8-5 with a triple overtime loss to no. 3 Ohio State and a double overtime loss to no. 13 Florida State. I am convinced there is something special about this years’ team that the 2003 team didn’t have. This team is playing with a small chip on its shoulder, with something to prove and with an insatiable hunger to win. Tom O’Brien went 4-7 in his first two seasons at Boston College before going 8-4. If history is any indication, O’Brien and the Wolfpack are due for a season to remember.
In short, when I think of the 2009 Wolfpack football season, the only thing that comes to mind that can adequately capture my excitement is Kevin Garnett after the Celtics beat the Lakers in Game 6 of the 2008 NBA Finals in Beantown. The image is one of Garnett telling ESPN analyst Michelle Tafoya how hyped he is right now, beating his chest and screaming, ‘anything is possible’ at the top of his lungs. For the Pack this season, I agree with Garnett – anything is possible.
