DeRosa leads with poise

The best running backs are usually stars from day one. They either have that special vision to burrow through cracks in a defense, or they don't. Great running backs rarely stumble for weeks before they blossom. Quarterbacks, though, are an entirely different story. Quarterbacks need to be nurtured and coddled. Only after they bumble snaps, leave the pocket too soon, force passes, hold the ball too long and let the play clock trickle down to zero, do they improve. That is why Mark DeRosa's performance Saturday was so impressive. He threw no interceptions. He was not sacked. He handled every snap and pitch-out. He didn't get any delay-of-game penalties. He didn't make a single major mistake. He was nervous, but he never panicked. More than a slingshot arm, dazzling speed or a brilliant mind, a quarterback needs poise. A quarterback without poise is as effective as a stuttering auctioneer. Saturday, DeRosa showed poise. DeRosa was a long way from spectacular. He completed just one pass longer than 20 yards. He danced too much in the pocket, and his arm strength does not compare to Jim McGeehan's. Look what happened, though, when DeRosa left the game. In the fourth quarter, Steve Teodecki replaced DeRosa and threw an interception under pressure. Teodecki was trying to force the action, and it cost Penn a touchdown. DeRosa didn't make those types of mistakes. A large part of the credit for that should go to the coaching staff, which kept the training wheels on the offense. When DeRosa is ready, Bagnoli and his staff will take them off. On a first and 29 early in the second quarter, Penn sandwiched two draws around a swing pass. The sequence ended with Jasen Scott scooting 19 yards on third and 17. The offensive line also kept DeRosa from making mistakes. He was better protected than a Swiss bank. He remembers being hit just once all day. Stokes chipped in as well, of course, shouldering the offensive load early. Then there was Miles Macik, whose velcro hands and balletic feet saved several sideline throws. "I always look to Miles regardless of what play is called on the sideline," DeRosa said. "His rule is when in doubt, throw it to me and throw it high, and I will go get it." DeRosa listened, perhaps a little too closely. "There was one play to Miles where I think he took it out of the stands," DeRosa said. Last year, DeRosa himself might as well have been in the stands. He watched every single down from the bench. He owned an Ivy championship ring before he even handled a snap from center. "I enjoyed last year. But when I got the ring, I felt something missing," he said. DeRosa committed himself to working over the summer and winning the starting quarterback slot. But even when he accomplished that goal early in training camp, he still was not satisfied. He didn't sleep well Friday night. His teammates ribbed him, trying to get him to relax, but it didn't really work. Running through the tunnel, the nerves reached their peak. Then he got out on the field, and?he was still nervous. Nerves either bring out poise or panic. Penn scored on its first four possessions, but DeRosa still didn't feel comfortable. "I had nerves throughout the whole first half," DeRosa said. "The first drive in the second half, I felt pretty confident after that drive. I said, 'Alright, I am the guy here now.' "