Following last spring's intrasquad scrimmage, it appeared as if the Duke football team's most secure and dependable position would be at quarterback. Senior D. Bryant was preparing for his third year as the Blue Devils' starting playcaller, and should Bryant miss time with injury, Duke's stable of young talent looked quite able to fill in for a few games until Bryant could return.
Appearances, of course, can be deceiving.
Bryant, having failed to live up to his academic responsibilities, has now been forced to leave the program, taking with him the leadership and experience that had been counted on to lead Duke to a productive season.
Enter Adam Smith and Chris Dapolito. Finding themselves in a suddenly wide open race at quarterback alongside fellow sophomore Chris Wispelway--who received a DWI in the summer--Dapolito and Smith quickly distinguished themselves in the eyes of head coach Carl Franks, and have since competed against one another for the role as starter.
"I'm very pleased with the way the competition has gone," head coach Carl Franks said. "I was very pleased with the way they helped each other, very pleased with how they got along with each other."
Competition is certainly the operative word when describing the Blue Devils' quarterback position. Words such as "battle" or "controversy" are never mentioned, neither by players nor coaches.
"We're trying to push each other but we're each trying to do the best that we each possibly can," Smith said. "We're setting goals for ourselves, we're not basing goals of each other."
Dapolito concurred, adding that he's most excited to simply return to competition after sitting out a year because of his 2001 transfer from Rutgers.
Quarterback shuffling has come under increased scrutiny in recent years as more and more coaches are forced to innovate when it comes to the position, either because a starter has gone down to injury, or because a team boasts a rich depth of quarterbacking talent.
Notorious offensive mastermind Steve Spurrier, current Washington Redskins head coach, rotated quarterbacks during his three-year tenure at Duke in the late 1980s with much success.
Other coaches loathe an unstable quarterback system. Last year's Texas Longhorns, a preseason national title contender, stuck with talented but inexperienced Chris Simms over accomplished leader Major Applewhite, with rather negative results.
Most Blue Devils, while aware of the many quarterback controversies around the country, simply don't care how or when the two quarterbacks rotate. The team's attitude is to equate the quarterback position with any other offensive role.
"It doesn't matter," starting fullback Alex Wade said. "It will be the same as me and Chris [Douglas] rotating at running back."
Indeed, when pressed to compare and contrast the two quarterback candidates, offensive lineman, running backs, and even coaches mostly just shrug their shoulders.
The consensus is that the 6-foot-3, 215-pound Dapolito is the better athlete, boasting better mobility and arm strength then the 6-5, 205 Smith. Smith is considered to be more familiar with Duke's offensive system, having been Bryant's backup last season while Dapolito sat out the year after transferring.
Their actual skills not being much in question, both players realized early in summer drills that, in essence, their competition mostly boils down to only one factor: Who can be the better leader.
"There is a leadership quality to playing quarterback in how you call the play and how you communicate in the huddle," said Franks, the man making the ultimate decision on who will line up under center. "Now that [Bryant] is not here, the mindset changes. Now, those guys have to go play and workout with their teammates with a little different mindset. They knew one of them needed to step up and be a leader."
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