Jon from Bleed Scarlet and I did the Blogger Q&A this week.  You can read my responses to his interrogatories.

Here’s what he had to say in response to my queries.

Obviously Rutgers has to lead with its defense (I’ll get to the offense in a minute). In the last 3 games, the defense has held WVU, Cinci and UConn to all of 17 points in the second half (versus a collective 30 in the first half). This after the defense just appeared to wear out in the first two games. How has the defense been able to stay so strong — even look stronger — in the second half of games, given the amount of time it spends out on the field. Is it simply halftime adjustments or something else?

A lot of the defense’s effectiveness owes to the poor gameplanning or execution by opposing offenses. The way to wear them down isn’t much of a secret – the defensive line averages 260 lbs. The rush does a very good job of getting after pocket passers, but if an opposing team commits to running between the tackles, they’re certain to wear down in the second half, even with Greg Schiano’s constant use of subs on the defensive line. It’s pretty much exactly what RU’s gameplan was on offense during the past three seasons.

As you pointed out, the offense (and some horrific special teams play) have really put the defense in some nearly impossible situations this year. I’m surprised they have been effective as they have been to this point. The defensive line, led by another undersized DT with a big motor in Pete Tverdov, have usually been effective in generating pressure on opposing QBs. The linebackers look far improved this year, and a major reason has been the return of Ryan D’Imperio at MLB from injury. He’s excellent against the run, which has freed up the ouside linebackers to make more plays on the edges.

As good as the front seven has looked at times, the secondary has been a major disappointment. Jason McCourty in particular has made many mistakes in coverage, seemingly biting on every pump fake or double move. Subsequently, the defensive backs have been giving opposing receivers a little more cushion, which let teams like Cincinnati dink and dunk down the field. Safety Courtney Greene has been a little miscast in coverage. That was really the forte of graduated senior Ron Girault. Both Greene and the team’s other top safeties; Lefeged and Kitchen, are all more-suited towards playing inside the box. When the secondary is playing zone coverage, Greene has frequently missed assignments. More importantly, he hasn’t had the freedom to come up with as many big plays as he has in the past. That’s really been a problem for the whole secondary, as they have consistently failed to generate turnovers this year.

On defense, Rutgers lives or dies with the pass rush. If the opposing offense can hold their own in pass protection, it’s a question of when, not if, the coverage downfield will break down.

On offense, going into this season the doubters wondered if Mike Teel could handle the pressure of being the primary offensive threat with Ray Rice gone. So far it has seemed that Teel has wilted under the pressure. Is it all on Teel? From what I’ve seen of Rutgers, Underwood has been planning his NFL career while on the field (at Pitt, we call that pulling a Greg Lee) so he has looked completely unfocused and prone to inexcusable drops when he’s actually going for the ball. Kenny Britt has just looked frustrated by the inability of Teel to throw near him without risking decapitation. Kordell Young doesn’t seem to be giving much at the tailback. Is the offensive line in complete overhaul? I guess, broadly put, ‘Dude, what’s up with the offense?’

It’s important to point out that Rutgers didn’t just lose Ray Rice on offense. Starting ’07 tackles Jeremy Zuttah and Pedro Sosa were tremendous linemen.

I don’t think Rice leaving is the sole reason for Teel’s struggles. There were times early in 2007 where RU was having some trouble running the football, albeit not to the extent that they have been this year. Teel has always been inaccurate and good for a handful of cringe-inducing decisions a game, but he was never this bad. I’m really at a loss as to how an experienced senior that knows every page of the playbook could still be making the same mistakes that he made as a freshman. One has to wonder whether his stellar performance in the spring and during fall camp was merely a result of how badly the secondary has regressed. Redshirt seniors should not be blindly staring down receivers, or lack any semblance of timing with their receivers. I recall how many near misses Teel has had on long passes down the field and shudder. At some point, the team’s offensive coordinator (John McNulty) has to realize that the Go routes aren’t working, and take them out of the playbook.

That being said, it’s not 100% on Teel (as quite a bit has gone wrong), even though he is the primary culprit for the team’s struggles to this point. The coaching staff has done a terrible job preparing the backups to be a legitimate threat to Teel’s starting job. It’s a self-fulfilling prophecy; if players like Dom Natale and Chris Paul-Etienne never get a chance, they never will be successful.

As you pointed out, Tiquan Underwood has completely fallen off the map this season. Underwood’s troubles really go back to early in 2007, even though they were glossed over at the time. He has a very thin frame that can’t take much abuse. After a point last year, he started hearing footsteps, and started dropping what should have been run of the mill catches. Mike Teel leaving him out to dry all the time is part of it, but it’s really astounding to watch a once-competent receiver collapse before your eyes. Another excuse for Teel is that it’s hard to expect him to be that effective when the offense’s possession receiver can’t catch anything. Defenses know every throw is probably going to Britt. And you know what? That may be the offense’s only chance at this point, as he still is capable of keeping them in games single-handedly at times.

With the backfield, I think the problem has been less with the corps of backs, and more with the run blocking. RU was young to begin with on the offensive line this year, losing three experienced starters, and making several major position changes. During the past month, the starting lineup on the OL has been shuffled a couple times, and they have actually gotten worse in run blocking (outside of Navy, who they could easily push off the line of scrimmage). Compounding this is the fact that all three of the team’s tight ends are former wide receivers, and the team’s best blocking fullback is in Schiano’s doghouse right now.

Young has battled injuries this year, but when he’s had adequate blocking, he hasn’t looked all too bad. Jourdan Brooks had a few decent games earlier in the year, but he hasn’t seen much playing time since Young returned. Schiano and McNulty seem to forget that Brooks and Mason Robinson exist at times. For some reason Schiano does not seem to believe in platooning backs. Even when one is receiving a heavy workload, or a situation (e.g., Brooks in short yardage) seemingly demands a substitution. I’d like to see a couple of them see more consistent playing time instead of getting jerked around from week to week.

Back to Mike Teel, it seems that Rutgers has no choice but to stick with Teel. What with the best named back-up in all of college — Jabu Lovelace — out for the season (and yes, I know he was not much of a thrower, but I just can’t pass up an opportunity to type Jabu Lovelace). Or has there been any serious consideration of Natale or Paule-Etienne getting a shot? Is this just a case of hanging on until Tom Savage arrives next year?

Natale finally did see a series against UConn. Despite the homecoming crowd booing Teel every time he stepped on to the field, Natale didn’t see any further action outside of a few direct snaps to the Young. From reading in between the lines of what the beatwriters are saying, I expect Natale’s role to slowly increase during the rest of the season, although there isn’t much of a chance of him overtaking Teel this year.

Teel has always been a close favorite of Greg Schiano, and it’s difficult to imagine any him losing the starting quarterback job under any circumstances. On the other hand, even if any of the other quarterbacks had been given a legitimate chance to challenge Teel, it’s not clear that they would have seized the opportunity. Jabu Lovelace is an option QB that can’t run a pro-style offense. Dom Natale has the best accuracy of the group, and can scramble a little, but he’s been battling back from a serious arm injury. Paul-Etienne has Teel’s big arm with more mobility, but he’s dealt with injuries and some off-the-field issues too.

I’m neutral between Natale and Paul-Etienne, but one of them should get a shot. Natale has recently taken over the #2 spot on the depth chart, and as Teel has looked absolutely terrible this year, it’s time to find out whether Natale can be the team’s starting QB next year (and possibly longer if the NCAA gives him a waiver). He could very well fail. It’s not realistic to expect Tom Savage to come in and start from day one. True freshman D.C. Jefferson will need a lot of time too. Both are probably too raw to contribute in 2009.

What has the whole stadium expansion,cost issues and financial aspects of Rutgers Athletic Department — including a new oversight/watchdog — been like from the fan’s perspective. I doubt it has meant much to the team, but it generally wears on the fans. From the outside, it seems that there is a lot of confusion over the nature of big time college athletics and Rutgers trying to make the jump. At the same time, a lot of sloppiness and arrogance from the RU Athletic Department in dealing with the issues when they arise.

It’s beyond frustrating. As a fanbase, Rutgers fans need to keep a collective cool head and try to separate the facts from the fiction, and try to keep a positive attitude that’s also grounded and realistic. Obviously, the squeaky wheel gets the grease – the Rutgers community and the locals are still behind the team.

What’s absolutely true is that the Rutgers athletic department is far from competent, and its level of oversight has been severely lacking. At the same time, the state and Rutgers University are in a tremendous fiscal crunch that predates the current financial crisis, and football should not be immune from feeling the pain.

In short, the series of reports over the past few months regarding the Rutgers athletic department have been mostly the byproduct of major infighting between RU’s athletic director and an influential member of the university board of governors. The latter was responsible for a series of leaks to the local press; several of which, regarding a buyout in Greg Schiano’s contract and the disclosure of certain payments to Schiano, were incorrect. The national press picked up on a lot of those stories, and the school’s image took a beating in terms of public opinion. The inner workings of the university have always been in utter chaos, and cannot function with grown men acting like complete children. Hence, it should not have been a major surprise that their dirty laundry would eventually get out and come under the microscope.

At the same time, I am happy that any potential problems were not swept under the rug. New Jersey obviously has major issues with transparency and good governance. It’s just unfortunate that RU’s fledging football program is still fragile enough that it cannot afford to take too many more major blows. Rutgers has really only been investing in major college athletics for the past three decades. As a fan, sometimes my frustrations boil over and I’m probably too critical in not giving the higher-ups more of a pass for what is still a major learning experience. Still, major fundamental changes need to be made, and it doesn’t do any good to be a demagogue on either side of this thorny issue.

Stadium expansion is still going to happen in some form next year. It’s going to be scaled back for certain – a lot of amenties will be cut, perhaps it will be pared down by a few thousand seats to lower construction costs, but it will still happen. Not expanding leaves a lot of future revenue on the table, and sends the worst possible message about the future of the football team. Raising all of the necessary revenue is going to be a major challenge, especially with the economy tanking. Still, one good sign is that fan support has remained strong during the past two seasons, despite Rutgers not matching its 2006 win total.

All of the negative press serves to illustrate the fact that Rutgers does not know how to effectively communicate its message (however muddied it may be). There’s an alarming need in the football program to keep all details as close to the vest as possible. That undoubtedly fuels rumors and speculation, and gives outsiders the impression that there is something to hide. Rutgers first needs to figure out what the hell it’s doing, and second, needs to learn how to get that message across much better than it is at the moment.

So, um, Greg Schiano. Guess no one is too worried about him getting poached or being tabbed for the Penn State job this year? What is the pulse of the Scarlet Nation regarding Schiano at this point? I ask, because in a way it reminds me of Pitt with Walt Harris. Harris rebuilt Pitt, and got the program relevant once more. Then came interest from other schools like Ohio State and Alabama. Harris got raises and declared his fidelity, but there began rumbles of annoyance. When the team stumbled and appeared to be stagnating, it was used against him to suggest he really didn’t want to be at Pitt and/or wasn’t producing considering what he was making.

This always draws skepticism from people who aren’t fans of Rutgers football, but I never thought Greg Schiano would leave even when his star was at its brightest. That was largely the consensus opinion among RU fans, and after a point we’d get very defensive about the topic, because it was mentioned so often as to seem like any questioner was trying to intentionally rile us up.

After he turned down an elite job like Michigan, there shouldn’t have been any doubt that Schiano was in it for the long haul. He clearly does hold a lot of affection for Joe Paterno. It’s a close personal mentorship that goes beyond his friendships with Dave Wannstedt and Butch Davis. Admiring Paterno and his ability to build a successful program over the past few decades doesn’t mean that Schiano holds any particular affection for Penn State, or wants to be Paterno’s immediate successor. Indeed, he’s reportedly told boosters that he wouldn’t be interested in the pressure of that role. If anything, I’m more worried about what happens when Tom Coughlin eventually decides to retire.

One thing I have learned from following Greg Schiano and his football program the past few years is that, for all his faults, he is earnest. Clearly there are coaches who solely look out for #1. When Schiano says that he’s content, he’s been honest enough over the years that he’s earned the right to have his word taken at face value. There are some coaches who have turned down major promotions because they think they’re happy with their current situation, and he falls into that group. Schiano is deeply invested in his program, to the point of micromanagement. His fingerprints are over every conceivable aspect of Rutgers football to this point, and I think anyone would have to move heaven and earth to make him give up his baby. He’s from New Jersey, and appears sincere when he talks about being at Rutgers for the long haul. Of course, the athletic department will have to keep up their end of the bargain, but quibbling over the details is not going to be enough to scare him away.

There is some resentment over the fact that Schiano took a major pay raise following last season. There has been a lot of discontent over the team’s poor play this season. A lot of Schiano’s flaws as a coach, which were always evident, but glossed over, have been under the microscope a bit more this year. Fans aren’t drinking the kool aid as much, that’s for sure.

I understand your Harris analogy, but there are a few key differences. Pitt football was in a rut before Harris showed up, but it was nowhere near as bad as where Rutgers was under Terry Shea. To my understanding, Harris was an outsider, and failed to make much of a connection to local fans or recruits. That was Shea’s problem too, with the major caveat that he happened to be one of the worst hires in college football history. Schiano will always get more slack because he’s a local, in perhaps the same way that Wannstedt might. I’m sure Pitt fans can understand the feeling; local kid makes right, builds a fence around WPIAL, pushes back against Penn State and Notre Dame. Ultimately, Rutgers and Pittsburgh fans want the same thing.

I think we finally realize that Greg Schiano is not perfect. That doesn’t mean he’s not the right coach for this program. Any Rutgers fan who honestly thinks Greg Schiano deserves to be fired is either not serious, or does not know what they are talking about. That being said, I hope he can learn from some of his mistakes after this trying season, and make less of them in the future. He does not need to turn Rutgers into a powerhouse overnight. What he does need to do is to make sure that Rutgers puts a competitive, winning football team on the field every year, and I think more often than not, that is what’s going to happen.

Fans will always be grateful to Schiano for having the sheer force of will to make the necessary organizational changes needed to bring Rutgers football back from the dead. He may not bring them to the promised land, but he’ll always have that feather in his cap. As far as I’m concerned, he has the right to be mediocre for as long as he wants to be, if it somehow got to that point.

Great annoyance among Pitt fans outside of the ‘Burgh about the only way to see this game is via herky-jerky ESPN360.com on the computer. How’s it playing in New Brunswick and other exits?

About how you would expect. There’s rage at all sides; towards ESPN for making the game a pawn in their battles with cable companies, towards the Big East for being so toothless and ineffective as to give ESPN that right, towards the football team for not being good enough to force ESPN’s hand. There’s a lot of ingenuity too, with fans setting up group viewings in their homes or local bars, or even experimenting with various proxies and such in order to see the game. If only the athletic department was half as determined to raise the funds for stadium expansion.

Thanks again, and here’s to a watchable and injury-free game.

Great work Jon. You can read Jon’s stuff over at Bleed Scarlet where he often engages in some excellent link round-up of Big East doings.