[gstelmack]

Wolfpack Fans Anxious for New Season
Staff Writer gstelmack
RALEIGHT - As a new season gets underway, fans of the N.C. State Wolfpack are anxious to see how the Athletic Department manages to turn things around. There are some concerns that the new era is getting off to a slow start, as much of the original coaching staff remains intact. "Troy Brooks is a nice guy, but being a nice guy leads to an awful lot of 4th-and-7s" said one student interviewed on campus. "And Larry Duffy doesn't even have the nice guy thing going for him".

On the plus side, there are some solid players on the roster. There are some holes for next year at Defensive Tackle, Offensive Guard, and Cornerback, but the staff is working heavily on some promising recruits. The rest of the lineup is at least solid. There's a lot of interest in this years crop of Running Backs, nicknamed "The Young Jedi" in what appears to be an inside joke (no current players would comment, although there was lots of snickering and mention of a "flag" and a "split"). The LB core has some solid depth. And there appears to be a major QB controversy shaping up, which can be both a good and a bad thing.

The real tale for this new Department Staff will be shown next year, when they start acquiring their own recruits and have had a year to evaluate the staff. The fans may give them a honeymoon year, but the controversial decision to take it slow on the staff may come back to haunt them. A few wins will make that decision a distant memory, however.