You have probably already heard about football coach Al Bagnoli's decision to switch two key running backs from last year's team onto the defensive side. If not, check out this story in today's DP on senior co-captain Bradford Blackmon and junior Matt Hamscher making a successful transition from the backfield to the secondary.
Hamscher in particular impressed me a lot in the Lafayette game. He was all over the field and showed tremendous instincts on the sack, which came at a key time in the game. I've known Blackmon is a tremendous athlete from the story I wrote on him last year, so his ability to play both ways wasn't as much of a surprise.
For two reasons, this storyline of the 2010 season resonates deeply with me, because it demonstrates exactly what Penn football is all about — running and defense. First, it shows the type of running back Bagnoli loves, and how important the position is to the team. Second, given the importance of Penn's running backs, the fact that Bagnoli could afford to take two of his best players out of the mix there and move them to defense not only reinforces the notion that running back is Penn's most talented and deep position but also speaks to the paramount importance of the defense.
The ability of two running backs, especially a more physical runner like Hamscher, to be successful as defensive backs is a testament to the type of athlete that the Quakers consistently recruit to man their ground game. I was talking casually with one of the players last week and I mentioned how impressed I was with Hamscher. He told me that Hamscher might be the best athlete on the team. It's nothing against Hamscher, but if I was told that before the season started, I would have been shocked. Yet after seeing what Hamscher and Blackmon could do in the wildcat last year, and seeing what they're doing now in the secondary, it's clear that Penn's best athletes reside at running back. And it's not only about the quality but also the quantity. As Cal wrote in a column today on the impact (or lack thereof?) of losing Lyle Marsh for the season, the Quakers always have great depth in the backfield.
That's what I really find incredible. Blackmon and Hamscher were second and third on the team, respectively, in rushing yards last season. But with talents like Mike DiMaggio (when healthy), Jeff Jack and Brandon Colavita among others, Penn is so loaded at running back that Bagnoli could feel comfortable having two of his top three guys at a key position switch to a new one. To do something like that you need, of course, great talents like Blackmon and Hamscher who can make the transition, but you also need plenty of depth behind them as well. To have enough of both of those things is just ridiculous. And even then, you risk major consequences if the injury bug hits, so you have to have a very good reason to do so.
And that's where my last point comes in. Taking talent away from arguably your most important offensive position to bolster the defense shows that the latter is the more highly valued aspect of the team. Bagnoli wanted to be absolutely sure that his defense could remain the best in the country, so he took his two best athletes and flipped them across the line of scrimmage. He can certainly switch them back to offense if necessary (read: more injuries), but that decision at the start of the season was made for one reason and only one: defense wins championships. Sure, you could say that Bagnoli just wanted to get the best talent on the field as often as possible, and having depth behind Blackmon and Hamscher allowed him to do that. He gets the best of both worlds, a revamped secondary and a still-potent ground game. But that doesn't change the fact that he made a calculated decision based on the priorities of the team, which are defense always first and foremost.
Even further, Blackmon's and Hamscher's willingness to give up their favorite positions for the good of the team, agreeing with Bagnoli that a seamless defense was more important than a slightly deeper backfield, confirms what Penn football is all about: Defense first. Ground game second. And then everything else.
