Football: position breakdown

As the depth chart was released to the media, Penn football fans get a chance to see how their team is shaping up. There are not too many surprises here, but it is subject to change. So here is the abridged version, with a few comments.

Quarterback: Robert Irvin returns as the starter after winning the job as only a sophomore. The team hopes he's learned enough from that season to be more effective in 2007. Last year he went 174 for 312 and 2,128 yards, but threw for only 10 touchdowns compared to 12 interceptions. With new offensive coordinator Bill Schmitz trying to open up the offense, Irvin said he put the most effort into being able to run this season. His shoulder surgery shouldn't be too much of an issue come the start of the season, but he can feel a twinge in it once in a while.

Running back: The 1,000-plus yard back Joe Sandberg returns as a fifth-year senior. Last season he ran for 104 yards per game, 5.0 yards per carry and 15 total touchdowns. He is clearly the most dangerous weapon on offense. Kelms Amoo-Achampong backs him up.

Wide receiver: The receiving corps loses Matt Carre (697 yards), but should be a solid unit in 2007. Braden Lepisto, who netted 625 yards last season, will start along with Dan Coleman. The 6-foot-2 Coleman had 85 yards in the opener against Lafayette, but finished an injury-plagued season with only 109 yards.

Offensive line: This will be a real question in the upcoming season. Guard Sean Estrada (signed by the San Francisco 49ers) and tackle Marko Grzan will leave a big hole in the line, which returns two starters from last season -- center Brian Brazinski and right guard Jesse Rigler. Right tackle Chris Kovalcik has played in four games in his college career, and left tackle Harry Kenning was a defensive lineman last year, but is slotted as a starting offensive lineman this year. The 6-foot-5 285-pound lineman is certainly big enough to be a tackle, we'll see if he can play.

Nose guard: The man who drew the praises of Columbia coach Norries Wilson during his tirade last season and first team All-Ivy defensive tackle Naheem Harris returns. At 6-foot 285 pounds he can plug the middle, grabbing seven tackles for loss last year.

Defensive tackle: The major difference between a 3-4 defense and Penn's 5-2 is probably the fact that the linemen to the left and right of the nose guard are tackles instead of ends. Here Penn starts 270-pound senior Tom Stone and 255-pound junior Guillermo Ruffalo. At end, Mike Marinelli and Sam McGarity weigh 245 and 236 pounds, respectively, just as much linebacker dimensions as defensive end.

Cornerback: With junior Tyson Maugle and senior Greg Ambrogi returning as starters, this might imply that the Quakers are set at this position, but that's not exactly the case. While the 2,247 yards, 13 touchdowns and 11 interceptions doesn't seem bad, the team had to take away men in the box from the stellar run defense in order to help the passing game. Still, Maugle was better than expected last year, grabbing three interceptions and earning honorable mention All-Ivy honors.

Kicker: This is where it gets reeeeal interesting. On the depth chart Lepisto is penciled in as the starter, but coach Al Bagnoli said he will definitely not start. Derek Zoch backs him up, but even Bagnoli said it will be a new guy. Zoch was surprisingly respectable in 2005 (11-for-17 on field goals, a long of 39 and 87 percent on extra points), but was awful last season, going 4-for-10, many misses coming in close games. Zoch didn't get much public support from Bagnoli, who had him split time with Lepisto last year. Three freshmen -- Trevor Charlston, Dave Kuncio and A.J. Nobile (Bagnoli called him a freshman, but he's listed as a sophomore) -- essentially compete for the starting spot.