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July 29, 2010

Louisville, Ky.- As the Cardinals gear up for the 2010 football season, which officially begins next Thursday (Aug. 5) when the Cardinals open up fall drills at 6:10 a.m., offensive coordinator Mike Sanford gave his assessment of the Louisville offense.

The offense is an experienced group, which returns nine starters on that side of the football, including five players who made five or more starts on the offensive line. For a football team to be successful, they must be big and physical up front, and the Cardinals appear to be solid there.

In the spring, the Cardinals installed their version of the "Spread Offense" and Sanford stated what he envisions his offense to be this fall when most of the play book has been installed.

"What I want to see us be, is an exciting offense that scores points, and doesn't make mistakes," said Sanford. "I want an offense that protects the football and moves the ball down the field and scores. I want to be good in the red zone; You have to be good in the red zone if you are going to be a good offense. We have to have explosion plays, which are big runs and big passes. Those are the things that I want to see happen."

Sanford has over 30 years of experience coaching on the offensive side of the ball and liked what he saw from the Cardinals in the spring. He liked the physicality and experience of the offensive, while he was also encouraged about the strength at running back. which features senior Bilal Powell, junior Victor Anderson and red-shirt freshman Jeremy Wright.

Led by sophomore center Mario Benavides, the Cardinals could have one of the best units in the BIG EAST.

Senior Mark Wetterer is a veteran at the left guard position and looks to have solidified that position. Wetterer started all 12 games and has been a mainstay at that position for the last couple of years. Red-shirt freshman Kamran Joyer is a tough, athletic lineman, who will also push for playing time.

The Cardinals are solid at tackle with senior Greg Tomczyk at the right spot and seniors Jeff Adams and Byron Stingily at right tackle or left tackle. Tomczyk started most of the games last season and is coming off a solid spring, according to the coaching staff. Adams has added some bulk and came off a solid spring. Stingily is also in the mix after starting 11 games in 2009, and physically looks ready to take over.

As the Cardinals try to establish an identity on offense, there is no secret what Sanford wants to do on offense despite being a spread attack.

"Ideally, I want to be a good running team," said Sanford. "I want to run the football. We need to be good at running the football. We want to be balanced, but we have to be good on first down, added Sanford. "We need to be more in the direction of a running team, but I still say I want to be balanced." Added Sanford, "when I was at Utah, we led the nation in offense, but we were 10th or 11th in rushing, and right about the same in pass. I want to be a good running football team"

The question most commonly asked around town these days is who the starting quarterback is going to be. Head coach Charlie Strong has played it close to the vest, and has yet to name a starter. It looks like a good competition will play out for the start of fall camp, which is fine with Sanford, who likes the depth at that position.

"We have play three guys who have played games and have experience," said Sanford. "We have two seniors who are good football players. You have Adam Froman, who is a good athlete and was involved in the spread in junior college. He is comfortable in it," stated Sanford. "We also have Justin Burke, an intelligent guy who also fits in with what we are doing offensively," said Sanford. "We also have Will Stein who has a huge heart and plays hard. He thinks he can conquer the world. He overcomes his physical stature."

Careful not to tip his hand, Sanford isn't opposed to playing a number of quarterbacks and has done so through out his history as an offensive coordinator.

"While I was at UNLV, I played two quarterbacks a lot for the most part," said Sanford. "I was also at USC, where we rotated two guys. It depends on the situation and depends on how the whole thing evolves."

The biggest question mark that keeps Sanford up at nights is the wide receiver position, where inexperience is the major problem. The Cardinals are thin at that position for the first time in many years.

Louisville does have Doug Beaumont back, who caught 38 passes for 650 yards in 2009, but behind him, there is very little experience, which is why the Cardinals signed six wide outs in the 2010 recruiting class.

"I think its a wide open situation right now," said Sanford talking about the wide receiver position. "We need someone to step up between the guys who have been here in the spring, and the new guys we signed," said Sanford "First guy, is Beaumont. He is a guy who is a receiver, but is a guy who we will utilize. We want to get him the ball in a variety of different ways," said Sanford. "Andrell Smith has gotten better this spring and summer. Troy Pascley is a guy we need to step up. He has had a lot of injuries and health situations. He needs to step up," added Sanford. "Josh Bellamy, Michaelee Harris, Kai Dominguez, Jarrett Davis and Stephan Robinson are a good group and will have to step in right away. We are expecting a lot of the new guys."

Heading into the start of camp, there are plenty of things that Sanford hopes to see and accomplish in practice, but he also has things that are a source of concern.

"I think we have to finalize our starting lineup and depth on the offensive line," said Sanford. "I'm anxious to see how the tight end position works itself out. We need to see who rises to the top in that group," added Sanford. "I'm anxious to evaluate the receivers because its a young group. I'm concerned about health at quarterback, depth on the offensive line and inexperience and youth at receiver. Those are the things I'm worried about."

But whatever the concerns are and the questions that linger, there is a new-found optimism in there air with the start of a new season and of course, a new staff. However, the offense has a lot to be excited about because of the experience that returns on that side of the ball.

"I'm really excited about the offense," said Sanford. "I'm a glass half-full guy. I'm expecting the best, and looking for the best. I try to be as realistic as I can. I'm excited about this group. I'm excited about their enthusiasm and their attitude. I think guys have made a great effort on their own to get better and learn their position."