Football Looks for Receiving Options

Now that he’s finally healthy, poor Ryan Fitzpatrick has almost no one to throw the ball to.

The junior captain, fully recovered from the hand and knee injuries that sidelined him for three games in the second half of the 2003 campaign, returned to the helm of Harvard’s offense at the beginning of spring practice to find a number of familiar faces conspicuously absent from his receiving corps. Both Brian Edwards and Rodney Byrnes, the Crimson’s top receivers just one season ago with 47 and 33 catches, respectively, will miss off-season workouts completely after leaving the College.

Edwards, whose 864 yards and eight touchdowns led all Harvard receivers, has returned to California to attend to an ill family member, but will certainly return for the fall semester. Byrnes, on the other hand, will not be taking the field any time soon, forced to withdraw from classes for one year after a substandard first term as a junior.

That leaves just freshman Corey Mazza as the only returning starter from last year’s three-receiver set, joined by junior and converted tailback Ryan Tyler, who saw limited time set out wide at the end of last year.

“We’ve developed guys like Corey Waller and Todd LaFountaine,” Harvard coach Tim Murphy said, “guys that are going to give us some real depth at the position, so there’s a silver lining there.”

Should that anticipated depth fail to materialize, however, Murphy has already taken steps to provide Fitzpatrick with a safety valve out of the backfield, if he doesn’t already consider himself one.

Freshman phenom Clifton Dawson, who rushed for 1,187 yards last season, accumulated just 55 through the air on seven catches. And that’s something Murphy would like to see changed.

“He’s had an outstanding spring,” Murphy said. “We’ve asked him to work on becoming a receiver as well just to give us that extra dimension on offense.”

The attempt to add this second dimension to Dawson’s already potent arsenal is one which has never been previously undertaken—not even during his year at Northwestern—and one which he saw as unnecessary prior to the coaching staff’s challenge this spring.

“This is a fairly new concept for me,” Dawson said. “I’ve always stressed being a running back first, and, to be honest, I’ve always kind of resented the guys who didn’t really have that ideology. Running is really important to me, then all the other skills like blocking and catching out of the backfield.”

SECONDARY THOUGHTS

Harvard’s secondary surrendered more yards passing per game, 299.4, than any other unit in the Ancient Eight last year—and that was with two first-team All-Ivy defensive backs.

Subtract departing seniors Chris Raftery and Benny Butler and, well, you’ve got problems.

“There,” Murphy said, “are going to be some holes.”

In an attempt to divert resources away from what is expected to be his strongest unit on paper come opening kickoff, the wide receiving corps, Murphy has shifted junior wideout James Harvey across the line of scrimmage, where he will eventually challenge for the free safety slot left vacant by Raftery’s graduation. Harvey had long requested the opportunity to switch to defense, a desire which became more pronounced when his snaps at wide receiver dwindled last season, and his solid performance when called upon for special teams duty cemented the move.

Right now, however, Harvey’s focus is rehabilitating the torn anterior cruciate ligament he suffered on the artificial turf at Columbia’s Wien Stadium on Nov. 8.

“There’s no question,” Murphy said. “James Harvey is not ready to play yet.”

While he continues to learn the position in the classroom, the status of the Crimson’s final line of defense is very much in the air.

Juniors Gary Sonkur and Ricky Williamson are the only two holdovers from last season’s starting lineup, at cornerback and free safety, respectively, leaving two holes should Raftery’s spot not go to Harvey.

Freshman Danny Tanner is the odds-on favorite to slide into Butler’s position after seeing time in eight contests last year, including starts when Sonkur and Butler were hobbled by injury in the second-half of the season, but sophomore Keith Howell and freshman Raffael DeLuca drew mention from Murphy as possible candidates to watch.

DAUNTING CHALLENGE

Former captain Dante Balestracci hasn’t moved on just yet, but the search to find a replacement for the four-year starter at middle linebacker has already commenced—and one of the prime candidates nixed from consideration.

Junior Bobby Everett, whose 94 tackles last season were eclipsed only by Balestracci’s 96, will stay put at strong-side linebacker, and not shift inside.

“We’re gonna keep him where he is,” Murphy said, “basically because he’s so comfortable and so talented there.”

Instead, freshman Dylan McCrory—sidelined by a broken hand last season—appears to be the likely candidate to attempt to fill Balestracci’s shoes thus far, edging sophomore Gary Garcia, whose game experience last season made him a desirable option.

—Staff writer Timothy J. McGinn can be reached at mcginn@fas.harvard.edu.