With the 2016 season right around the corner, The Chronicle's football beat writers break down each of the nine major position groups: running backs, quarterbacks, receivers, offensive line, defensive line, defensive backs, linebackers, kicker/punter and punt/kickoff returners to prepare you for the regular season.
It’s no secret that the fate of Duke football’s offensive success this season lies under center, but the position still carries a lot of uncertainty for the Blue Devils less than two weeks before their Sept. 3 season opener. Returning starter Thomas Sirk ruptured his left Achilles tendon back in February, and although the redshirt senior has made a swift recovery, he still has not participated in any live-action drills in fall camp.
Sirk will almost definitely step in as the starting quarterback as soon as he is fully recovered, and there is reason for optimism that he can replicate impressive passing and rushing stats from 2015. But Sirk will be facing a slew of tougher defenses this fall and will have to adapt to new offensive coordinator Zac Roper.
Key Players Lost: None
All of the Blue Devil quarterbacks return in 2016, creating an impressive lineup under center. The increasingly healthy Thomas Sirk is expected to hold the top spot, but redshirt freshman Daniel Jones has impressed the coaching staff in fall camp and an experienced Parker Boehme is expected to see time as a wildcat quarterback. Redshirt freshman Quentin Harris will likely only see the field during mop-up duty, but could be a dangerous dual threat under center in the future.
Cutcliffe on the quarterbacks
We’ve got to look like we’re ready to play a game whether Thomas gets back or not. Thomas is the most experienced, Thomas is the most knowledgeable, but Thomas has to be well. He’s doing amazing, but I’m not going to put him on the field if he’s not able to protect himself.
The Tuesday of game week, which is the first real practice, I’ve got to see [Sirk] cut, change directions, be able to run in the range of what his 40 time is… It’s going to be nip and tuck right now as to whether he makes it back to that level.
I saw a comfort in [Jones] just in seeing the field. I know he’s extremely talented. It doesn’t take a sharp eye to see that, but he played with a poise... He didn’t beat us. You don’t have to make every play, but you can’t turn the ball over.
Parker knows our offense backward and forward. He’s talented and he’s tough. That’s a great thing to see as a coach. I’m not signing it over to Parker, but I’m so relaxed and comfortable that it is Parker as an option.
When the field shrinks, coverage becomes easier, now they are a little tighter to the line of scrimmage. Using the quarterback enhances our ability to still run the football.
Projected Starters
It is still unclear whether Sirk will be healthy enough to start against N.C. Central, but all signs point to him being ready to play at some point early in the season. What makes Sirk so dangerous is his dual-threat ability. He ran for a team-high 803 yards and eight touchdowns last season and will continue play a key role in goal-line situations in 2016.
Through the air, Sirk had a solid season in 2015, but there are plenty of opportunities for him to improve. He threw for 2625 yards and 16 touchdowns last season while tossing just eight interceptions. Sirk completed 58.8 percent of his passes last year and will look to create more big plays finding his receivers downfield in 2016. The Glen St. Mary, Fla., native has proven to be accurate on short throws, but often overthrew or underthrew open receivers on deep routes. This is an area of concern heading into the fall, as he had little practice in the spring and summer, but look for Sirk to become more comfortable making long passes as the season progresses.
Dark Horse: Daniel Jones
If Sirk is not be ready to go on opening day or sustains another long-term injury, Jones may be called on to lead the team in his absence. Cutcliffe has not set a public depth chart yet, but it is possible that Jones has leapfrogged ahead of Boehme with impressive performances in spring camp and the first few weeks of practice in the fall. During an intra-squad scrimmage Friday night, Jones took most of the first-team snaps and completed 6-of-10 passes with two touchdowns. The Charlotte native is a poised pocket passer that made several accurate downfield passes during the scrimmage.
Jones is not expected to be much of a rushing threat, meaning Boehme might also have an important role in short-yardage and wildcat situations. The redshirt junior rushed for 181 yards on 45 attempts and registered five touchdowns last year, demonstrating how dangerous he is in the run game. If Cutcliffe and new offensive coordinator Zach Roper have enough confidence in Boehme, we could be in store for some exciting trick plays as well.
Be sure to check in tomorrow to see how Duke's deep running back corps will set the tone for the offense this season.
Hank Tucker contributed reporting.
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