Category: State of the Program

2022 Season – Restitutor Orbis

Any top ten of Roman Emperors usually includes some combination of Augustus, Trajan, Hadrian, Marcus Aurelius, Diocletian, Constantine, Vespasian (or his son, Titus), Septimius Severus and, of course, Aurelian. Coming from very humble circumstances, Aurelian found Rome broken, fractured and falling apart. In five short years, Aurelian reunited the entirety of the empire, put it on stable footing and set the stage for Diocletian and Constantine to permanently end the Crisis of the Third Century. This, in turn, allowed Rome to continue in the East until the Fall of Constantinople in 1453. Aurelian’s unprecedented string of success prompted the Roman Senate to give Aurelian the title “Restitutor Orbis”, or “Restorer of the World.” As Mike Duncan said, Aurelian lived in an age of iron. And Aurelian was a man of iron.

Much like Aurelian, Coach Elko found Duke football in a state of disrepair. The team was broken, adrift, lifeless. Despite those monumental challenges, the Blue Devils are one win away from a bowl after being just eight games into a season that some of us (me included) thought would end with a losing record. Duke is 5-3* (you know why the asterisk is there) and is very close to being 8-0 after losing three games by a combined 13 points. Had the ball bounced a little differently, and the refs not stolen a touchdown against UNC (hence the earlier asterisk), this team could be leading the Coastal. While the program may not be ready to compete for conference titles, it is relevant again. The Blue Devils are competitive, hardworking and able to win and compete in each game they play. Put another way, this program is back to where it was from 2012-2018. The world is, in that respect, restored.

Not just that, but with four games left, Duke has an opportunity to go 3-1 (and, just maybe, 4-0 if Sam Hartman finally returns to the realm of the mortals) with games against Boston College, Virginia Tech, Pitt and Wake Forest. Most of us would agree that 7-5 is highly likely and that 8-4 is a possibility for the Blue Devils. Could Duke win 7 games? 8? Sure, it’s possible. 9? Um, let’s not get into that just yet. But why is it that this is possible? Why is it that a team with the same corps of players who put up 5 wins over two seasons is playing so much better this season and could win 8 games this year? Well, it all starts with Coach Elko and his staff.

To begin with, this team is in better shape than previous iterations. We’re seeing an ability to control the lines of scrimmage on both sides of the ball, receivers who can get separation and a running game that puts up more than 200 yards per game. In addition to the improved conditioning, the ability to complete is the result of a mindset that Coach Elko and his staff instilled in the team. The GRIND mentality, similar to Aurelian’s “sword-in-hand” reputation, has taken hold of this team. The players don’t quit, they don’t get overwhelmed and they don’t get down on themselves. We saw it when the Blue Devils battled back against Georgia Tech and UNC. We saw it when Miami took two leads only to watch Duke storm back and win big after two straight close losses.

Offensively, we’ve seen Coach Johns get a lot out of this team. He’s found a way to take a young quarterback and play to his strengths. Put another way, Coach Johns is asking Riley Leonard to do a lot, but only what Leonard is capable of doing. It’s similar to what we saw when Thomas Sirk became quarterback. Now, Leonard is a better passer than Sirk, but Coach Johns is smart enough to let Leonard run and to use Jordan Moore and the tight end position in a way that opens up running lanes and deep routes (which we’ve actually seen this season). Like all good generals, Coach Johns, much like Hannibal during the Second Punic War, is doing his best to pick the battlefield and fight on his terms. It’s worked pretty well so far as this unit is putting up more than 34 points per game.

In a similar fashion, the defense is doing a great job of bending, but not breaking. While spectacular against Miami, this unit is susceptible to giving up a lot of points and a lot of yards. But not so many that the game gets away from them. They get plenty of stops at big moments. Remember when the Blue Devils got a stop on 4th and goal against Kansas on the opening drive? Or how about when the defense locked Georgia Tech down in the 4th quarter? This unit is capable of rising to the moment and, most important, never giving up. It reminds me of what we used to see during the height of the program under David Cutcliffe (2012-2015). They may give up a lot of yards, but not so much that the offense has to abandon the game plan to get back into it.

Now, with all that said, you probably think that I’m ready to crown Coach Elko the Duke equivalent of Aurelian and give him the title “Restorer of the World”. Well, not quite yet. Here’s why – first, Coach Elko is awesome. Do we all agree on that? We do? Good. But, second, just being awesome and having a good start doesn’t always end in long-term success (see Goldsmith, Fred). The real test comes over seasons two, three and thereafter. If the Blue Devils remain relevant over the next several seasons, and we see Coach Elko successfully overcome things like staff changes (unlike the prior head coach and what we saw during the Goldsmith era), then we can talk about what historical title to give to Coach Elko. And, third and final, the main reason I’m not ready to turn Coach Elko into Aurelian is that Aurelian only ruled for five years before he was inexplicably assassinated and betrayed by his staff. I think we all could agree that we don’t want to see Coach Elko leave Durham after five years and we certainly don’t him to get Herm’d if he does decide to leave.

To conclude, I’ll say that I’m very, very happy about where the program is right now. The new regime has pressed all the right buttons and returned the program to relevance. The challenge for me the rest of the season will be to sit back, enjoy the ride and not think too far ahead to next season or the following one. The challenge for the team will be to not get too confident and overlook any of its remaining opponents. But, challenges aside, I’m hoping that Coach Elko’s early success means that Duke will remain relevant over the coming seasons and that the Blue Devils will become a significant ACC player again. I’m also hoping that Coach Elko is here for a long, long time.

That’s it for the post. Let me know what you think about what I think in the comments or on Twitter.

As always, Go Duke!

Interview – Eli’s Back!

Listen here.

We aren’t getting to my “Where this team stands after eight games” post because Eli Pancol is back! Eli and Duke are in the midst of an outstanding 5-3 season with four games to go.

During this nearly forty minute talk, after covering the fact that I’m the Legal Mamba, we get into the Blue Devils’ mindset, what’s responsible for the turnaround this season, the Slideouts and what we can expect from the Blue Devils the rest of the year. If you take the time to listen, you’ll learn a lot about how important Coach Elko, Coach Feeley and the rest of the staff have been in righting the ship. Eli also updates us on his NIL deals and how NIL arrangements are helping players. And, hey, look at that – you can get some Eli merch here! Follow Eli on Instagram to learn more about his merch.

Wait, what’s that? Eli talks about the Hellraisers? And the icy whites? What does he think about them? You have to listen, folks!

As always, Go Duke!

Interview – Steve Wiseman

Listen here.

It may not be a game preview or a game recap in the traditional sense, but we have a bonus interview with Steve Wiseman! Steve is a reporter for the Durham Herald Sun and the Raleigh News & Observer. He’s covered Duke Athletics since 2010 and recently started co-hosting a podcast on the Bleav network, Bleav in Duke, with The Landlord, Shelden Williams.

After a discussion about Steve’s background and the changing landscape of local and regional sports journalism, we recap the Blue Devils beating UVA, the upcoming game against Georgia Tech and talk about what to expect during the remainder of Duke’s schedule. We get into the current state of the Coastal, dissect what is going on at UVA and Miami and talk about Coach Elko’s rehabilitation of the Blue Devils. We discuss what it will take to keep Coach Elko in charge of Duke football going forward and what the fans need to do to show him their support. HINT – SHOW UP AT GAMES. Seriously – the Blue Devils are having a great season and the turnout last Saturday was awful.

And, before you ask, we have another guest picker. I won’t reveal the person’s identity here, so you’ll have to listen to find out who it is!

This was a great talk with a top-notch reporter. Thanks again, Steve, for stopping by. Let us know what you think about what we think in the comments or on Twitter.

As always – Go Duke!

2022 Game Previews – The Elko Era Begins

September 2, 2022. 7:30 p.m. Brooks Field at Wallace Wade Stadium. Duke takes on Temple to start the Elko Era. I don’t know about you guys, but I can’t wait.

Coach Elko is ready to lead the Blue Devils to victory.

In trying to put together a game preview for Temple, I realized that I can’t rely on my trusty trends from last season because, well, there are no trends for this incarnation of Duke football. We have a new head coach, new coordinators, new staff, new running back, new quarterback and, well, you get the idea.

Well, what about the opposing team? Surely there are some trends for the Owls, right? Not really, Temple is in the same boat that the Blue Devils are – a new coach looking to turn around a program that has fallen from prior heights. Dating back to 2006 when Al Golden took over at Temple, the Owls had done pretty well under four different head coaches (Golden, Steve Addazio, Matt Rhule and Geoff Collins) until Rod Carey came to town and the bag broke when COVID hit. After an 8-5 season and a loss in the Military Bowl in 2019, Temple went 1-6 in 2020 and 3-9 in 2021. Not great. And not that different from our guys in Durham.

So, instead of trends, I’m going to riff on my Five Things from game recaps and state the Five Things we need to see from this Duke team on Friday:

  1. A win. This is obvious, but the Blue Devils always have to go at least 3-1, if not 4-0, in non-conference play to get to a bowl game. If Duke wants to go bowling this season, a win against Temple is a must. Sure, this team may not have the toughest non-conference schedule, but you can’t say that wins are guaranteed against Northwestern or Kansas. And while there are 11 chances to make up for an opening loss, history has taught us that the margins are generally thin in Durham. If the season starts with a loss, getting back on track won’t be easy.
  2. Tough, physical and intelligent play. We can’t see both linebackers leave a running back open. We can’t continue to get beat on the wheel route. And we can’t tackle shoulders. If these Blue Devils want to win, or at least be competitive, they are going to have to be smart. They are going to have to be tough, physical and dominate the line of scrimmage. They are going to have to compete every down. And, more important, …
  3. They are going to have to hold each other accountable. Someone, really a collection of someones, is going to have to step up and lead the team. Team cohesion will be critical for this team as it tries to get out of the doldrums that have been around since that one play in 2019 we won’t mention. Accountability and leadership doesn’t happen as a result of one player running the locker room. Rather, each player will have to believe in one another. Not only that, but they will have to hold one another accountable. Each player will have to know what everyone else on the field is supposed to do at all times. That’s what it is going to take.
  4. An offense that can control the clock. And also be creative. What I’m hoping to see from Coach Johns’ offense is a hard-nosed, smash-mouth unit that runs the ball, throws to the tight end and gets creative. Our wide receivers haven’t been great at getting separation, so let’s see Jordan Moore in the slot. How about Luca Diamont, too? Be creative and take the pressure off of Jalon Calhoun and new starting quarterback Riley Leonard. And running the ball won’t only help open up the receivers, it will give the defense a chance to rest. Plus, you know the OL will love beating people at the line and opening up big holes for the RBs to run through.
  5. A competitive game. While we would all love to see Duke win by 30, I think we would all take a win regardless of the score. The blowout losses have to stop. If this team wants to win games, it will have to find a way to stay in games and keep the score close. So, even if this game isn’t a blowout, I’ll be happy to see this team play a close, competitive and physical game. And winning it would be great, too.

So, those are the five things that I want to see from the Blue Devils against Temple. Let’s hope we get those, and a lot more.

Now, while I was pretty bad at this last season, I’ll go ahead and throw in a score prediction – I’m taking Duke with a 31-27 win over Temple. While I would like to take the Blue Devils by a larger margin, I don’t feel that I know enough about this team to be able to predict with confidence. While I like everything I’ve heard from the players so far, I am going to wait until I see it to start getting bullish about this team. And, for the record, I want to see these guys do it even though I may sound a little pessimistic about things.

Now, before I close this post, you’ll see that I added a new category – “2022 Season” – to help better keep track of each season that I keep doing this.

Pretty cool, huh?

Since I added a 2022 category, you’re probably asking if I’m going to go back and categories for 2019, 2020 and 2021. To those of you who ask that I say

Sorry, I just don’t have time for that.

Anyway, tell me what you think about what I think in the comments or on Twitter.

Go Duke!

Interview – Duke Season Preview with Lee Rodio

Listen here.

Our old friend Lee Rodio returns to the podcast for his third appearance. (Listen to his first two here and here.) After he updates on us on what he’s been up to lately, we go over what it will take for Duke to have a successful season, Lee gives his picks for each game and closes with a discussion about what NIL can mean for students. Also, Lee delivers some real hot takes when he starts talking about that other school in North Carolina which all us Blue Devils will love. This is a fun talk with a great guest.

Lee just out there being awesome.

Also, we recorded this on Sunday night and by the time I got this posted, Coach Symmes’ interview hit the SEVENTY listens mark. Congrats, Coach! I know when you retire from coaching you’ll think about appearing on this podcast before anything else. Right? I mean, appearing as a guest here as to be a momentous achievement. Right? Bueller? Bueller?

Go Duke!

Interview – Carlos Wray is Back!

Listen here.

We all remember Carlos Wray from his time at Duke (2012-2015) and the Golden Era of Duke Football he was a part of. Carlos previously sat down for an interview back in 2020 and another one in 2021 to discuss the Blue Devils’ appearance in four straight bowl games.

Carlos at work as a coach.

During our third and most recent discussion, we talk about Carlos’ coaching career, family crises, leadership and, of course, Duke football. As you would expect, we spend some time going over what it will take for Duke to win and also how to better connect the football program to the Durham community. And we both mention that we don’t like BLEEDBLUE and that DukeGang should make a comeback (or, at the least, start using DukeGRIND).

Go Duke!

2022 Season – Five Things I’m Looking Forward To

With the 2021 season in the past, I’m cautiously optimistic about the 2022 season. I’ve said it on the podcast already, and I’ll say it again here, I’m going to be patient this season and look for signs of improvement. Given the massive hit Duke took in the transfer portal, including at quarterback, we have a lot of unknowns coming into this season. And while Coach Elko is doing all the right things to get the Elkra – Elkera – Era? Forget it, I’ve got nothing good for a combo of Elko and Era. Anyway, Coach Elko is doing all the right things as far as putting his stamp on the Blue Devils and getting things off on the right foot. That said, preseason and regular season are two different things. With that in mind, here’s what I’m looking forward to this season:

  1. A new offense. Readers of the site will know that I complained a lot about how predictable the offense got over the last several years. I’m excited to see what Coach Elko and the OC, Kevin Johns, can bring to the table. Johns has a good track record having worked at both Texas Tech and Memphis. He was also on the coaching staff for an Indiana team that put up a lot of points against Duke in the Pinstripe Bowl in 2015.
  2. Moving the student section. It’ll be interesting to see the student section behind the opposing team’s bench this year. Given that the cameras are generally pointed towards the opposing team’s sideline, we always see the opposing team’s fans and colors during home games. It’s a little annoying, and I’m glad Coach Elko is taking steps to try and fix this. Hopefully the students will show up and we’ll see a lot more blue on camera this season. But, again, that depends on students showing up. Let’s hope that happens.
  3. Getting down to Durham. I checked with my dad who thinks that the following is correct, but I’m pretty certain I’ve been able to get to a home game for every coach since Spurrier. We can’t recall if we went to games for both Franks and Roof, but feel like we were there for at least one of them. I can’t wait to get to Durham this season for the first of what will hopefully be many successful seasons under Coach Elko.
  4. Players from the new coaching era on the podcast. Since Duke FB Talk has been getting guys on who are current players, I’ve taken a different approach and, with a few exceptions, tried to get former players on. That way we aren’t overlapping and doing the same thing. Blue Devil football fandom is a bit of a niche market and we don’t need to water things down by doing the same thing. That said, I’m hopeful I can get a player or two to come on who is currently on the team. I’ve had players from every coaching era since Coach Sloan with the exception of Ted Roof (I’m efforting to solve that problem, believe me) and I want to keep that streak going.
  5. Becoming relevant again. As I detailed previously, Cutcliffe did a lot for the Duke program. Perhaps most important, he made the Blue Devils relevant for an extended period of time. Unfortunately, we fell from that standard and that is why we got a new head coach. I’m really, really hopeful that this new era will get us relevant again.

What are you excited about for the 2022 season? Let me know in the comments or on Twitter.

Go Duke!

2021 Season – Additional information

This is an interesting article from The 9th Street Journal about how a series of meetings went poorly during Duke’s 2021 bye week. In brief, local law enforcement met with the team to discuss traffic stops. The meeting didn’t sit well with some of the players as there didn’t seem to be much concern for the rights of those who are stopped by law enforcement. Cutcliffe’s response to the players’ collective disinterest in the meeting wasn’t helpful. He called another meeting the following day and got on the team for being, according to Cutcliffe, disrespectful. That message, like the one before it, was also poorly received.

While there are many components to the issues that cropped up in these meetings which all merit discussion, one thing that I paid attention to was the timing of them. This is a football blog and that is the reason I am looking at the timing. The larger topics raised in the meeting with law enforcement can’t be fully and intelligently discussed on this blog. To begin with, I’m not an expert on use of force by law enforcement. Second, we would need a panel discussion and a series of interviews to be able to cover those. I’m just not set up to do that here. But I will say that use of force, and misuse of the same, by law enforcement is a very, very important issue that we all need to pay attention to.

You’ll see from the team’s Twitter account screenshot included in the article that the meeting with local law enforcement occurred on or about October 18, two days after a blowout loss to Virginia. After this meeting, the team certainly didn’t improve. In fact, the Blue Devils went winless after this and generally only showed life against Pitt (then Gunnar got hurt and, well, we know what happened).

Following the meetings discussed in the Journal, Duke lost a series of games in an ugly fashion. While we may never know with certainty, it’s more than plausible that the meeting with law enforcement and Cutcliffe’s reaction played a factor in the way the Blue Devils continued to struggle last season. That said, we’d already seen bad losses to UVA and UNC.

Again, we may never fully know the story here, but it’s an interesting piece of information.

Go Duke!

The History of the David Cutcliffe Era – Part V, The Legacy

In part four of what was supposed to be a four part series on the David Cutcliffe era, I hinted that an additional part of the series would be forthcoming. As promised, I’ve added a fifth part that more fully discusses what Cutcliffe meant to Duke and how we, as Blue Devil fans, should remember his time in Durham. To discuss that legacy, I am going to riff on the Five Things I utilized for game recaps this past season.

So, with that in mind, let’s get to it!

  1. Bowl games. From 2012 until 2018, Coach Cutcliffe’s teams went to six bowl games and won three of them. Had it not been for the injuries in 2016, I think we see seven straight. Prior to his tenure, Duke had been to eight bowl games and won three of them – that’s the entire history of the program before Cutcliffe. Let that sink in for a minute. When the Blue Devils won the Pinstripe Bowl in 2015, it was the first time since 1960 that any Duke team won a bowl game. That’s a big deal. And I know some people may say that it’s easier to get to bowls now, so who cares about the Blue Devils going to six of them during seven seasons? Well, if it’s easier to get to bowl games and a team isn’t doing it regularly, it becomes a big deal once a coach shows a program it can be done and does it.
  2. Players in the NFL. I’m going to leave some guys out, and that isn’t intentional, but Sean Renfree, Ross Cockrell, Jamison Crowder, Laken Tomlinson, Daniel Jones, Chris Rumph, Victor Dimukeje, Noah Gray and Michael Carter were all drafted during Cutcliffe’s tenure. That doesn’t take into account the UDFAs that made it to the league and turned into significant contributors. Guys like Thad Lewis, Vincent Rey, Lucas Patrick, Matt Skura, Breon Borders and Thomas Hennessy. Ross Cockrell won a championship. Last Sunday, Duke had two guys playing to go the Super Bowl – Laken Tomlinson and Noah Gray. That’s a big deal. Especially for the Blue Devils.
  3. A division championship. Let’s just kick up our feet and remember how darned sweet that magical 2013 season was. Do we need to say anything else about how great it was that Duke played for the ACC Championship? Nope, I didn’t think so.
  4. Coaches. A lot of guys who played under Cutcliffe are now in the coaching ranks. Carlos Wray is running the DL at Crest High School. Takoby Cofield is a GA at ECU. Max McCaffrey is breaking clipboards and serving as the offensive coordinator at the University of Northern Colorado. Thad Lewis made up part of the coaching staff that saw the Bucs win a Super Bowl in 2021. Re’quan Boyette is the WR coach at ECU. Now, this isn’t a complete list and only includes former players under Cutcliffe as opposed to former coaches like Scottie Montgomery and Jim Knowles. There are a lot of former Blue Devils who will become major coaches in time. Just keep an eye out for that. When that occurs, Cutcliffe’s legacy will grow. It’s just a shame that we didn’t see a lot of these guys, and guys like Anthony Boone who tutors QBs, on staff after they graduated. That was a misstep by Cutcliffe that eventually came back to haunt him.
  5. Relevance. From 2012 until The Jump Pass, Duke was a relevant football program. For almost eight seasons, the Blue Devils were important nationally. They went to bowl games, won a Coastal, played in a conference championship game and put several players into the NFL. This program was relevant for an extended period of time in a way that it hadn’t been for too damn long. We can’t overlook just how important that was and how that has to be factored into the ultimate historical analysis of Cutcliffe. While the terrible conference record and sub-.500 win-loss record isn’t ideal, the fact that the program became relevant for an extended period of time under his watch cannot be forgotten. Given all the mess he inherited and had to unmake, it’s easier to understand why he ended with the win-loss record he did.

So, as promised, we are now done with the history of the Cutcliffe era. You can read part one here, part two here, part three here and part four here.

Let me know what you think about what I think in the comments or on Twitter.

Go Duke!