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Cutcliffe: Duke QB Situation "Unique"
3/25/2009 12:00:00 AM | Football
DURHAM, N.C. ? With only two quarterbacks -- rising senior Thaddeus Lewis and redshirt freshman Sean Renfree -- on the current roster, Duke's signal-callers are getting plenty of attention from the coaching staff and each other this spring.
"It is unique, to say the least," Duke head coach David Cutcliffe said. "In pro football, two guys get all the work. And we have eight or nine receivers getting all the work, same thing (the pros) do, and it raises the level of execution, which is one of the reasons I decided to go to it."
While Lewis represents the past, having started the past three seasons, Renfree is the future with four years of eligibility beginning with the 2009 campaign. The combination stands for the present with Lewis entrenched as the starter and Renfree the top reserve. Cutcliffe shifted Zack Asack, the backup to Lewis in 2008, to safety this spring.
Lewis relishes his second spring practice session with Cutcliffe and offensive coordinator Kurt Roper.
"You know what to expect and I know what they expect out of me," Lewis said. "I'm a senior this year, and it's my first time being in the same system two years in a row so I didn't have to learn a new system coming into spring. So it's just up to me to go out there and practice and give 100 percent in everything I do."
A product on Opa-Locka, Fla., Lewis hopes to finish off a successful career in fine fashion. A second team All-ACC pick in 2008, he enters his final season with the Blue Devils having thrown for 6,735 yards and 47 touchdowns. His improvement has been noticeably steady with a pass completion percentage jumping from .529 as a freshman, to .553 as a sophomore before reaching .620 last year as a junior. The right-handed marksman's interception totals have been on the rapid decline, going from 16 as a rookie, to 10 in his second year, to just six last fall.
A veteran of 35 games in a Duke uniform, Lewis understands his dual role of starting quarterback and leader. He serves as Renfree's best outlet in the rookie's preparation for game action.
"Thad's done a nice job with that; it's real fun to watch guys compete at quarterback," said Cutcliffe. "I'm sure they both keep each other a little bit at arm's length, it's only natural, but anyone who knows Thad Lewis knows he is probably as good a person as there is on Earth, and he'll always be there to help Sean. And I think Sean is the competitor who doesn't want to look like he's been helped too much, so it's fun to watch that dynamic."
"I challenge Sean and he challenges me," Lewis said. "We go out there and talk about what we see on the field, and who can complete the most passes because Coach always talks about competing, and the only way to get better is to compete against each other. So I go out there like my job is in jeopardy every day and he might take my job, and I want him to go out there feeling like he is going to take my job. That way we can help this team get better, because in some instances he might play this season and so we want to keep the offense rolling. We don't want to step back when Sean comes in. He knows what he's doing, he studies real hard and he's a competitor, so that's going to make this team better."
Renfree joined the Blue Devil program in the summer of 2008 after earning PARADE All-America honors as a high school senior at Notre Dame Prep in Scottsdale, Ariz. In his final prep season, he threw for 3,353 yards and 41 touchdowns against just six interceptions while helping his team to a 13-1 record and the state championship. Cutcliffe is pleased with the decision to redshirt Renfree last fall.
"This is a golden opportunity for Sean Renfree who is ready for this, and who is proving to me every day out here that he didn't waste last year redshirting," noted Cutcliffe. "His knowledge is where it needs to be, and he's had a really good start, so that's kind of the science behind it."
Cutcliffe also understands the risks of having just two quarterbacks on the spring roster.
"You're rolling the dice a little bit from an injury standpoint, but that's the stage we're in," Cutcliffe said. "If we're not willing to take a gamble right now at Duke, then things just stay status quo, and status quo isn't good enough. That's why I'm making some position changes that we've made and may look even further into our squad trying to find, not just our best 11 on each side, but our best 14, 15, 18, or whatever can play on each side of the ball. We've got to get quality football players on the field."
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