By Tyler Barto
Twitter: @Tyler_Barto
tbarto@trentonian.com

EDITOR'S NOTE: I'll be using this space every Tuesday to get to fans' questions about the team and other aspects of the game that you don't get to see on the Internet or in print. You can tweet in your questions each week to @Tyler_Barto or by emailing me at tbarto@trentonian.com.

Thanks to those that provided questions for our first Rutgers football mailbag! Let's get started.



Scott in Burlington County asks: How much say will Kyle Flood have in the offense? Does Ralph Friedgen have 100 percent control? Will Flood allow Fridge to make a call to bench the quarterback?

Kyle has maintained that he gives his offensive coordinator complete free will to call plays and formations, provided it remains within Flood's vision for the offense. What does that mean? Kyle has always been adept at keeping up with the times offensively while maintaining space for what he calls the Northeast brand of football.

Ralph can control how he calls the plays, but Kyle hired him for a reason: He fits the mold of the offense Kyle wants to run. As for a quarterback swap (the cynicism is strong in this one), Kyle will always have final say on roster moves.

@RUBird on Twitter asks: Will Janarion Grant be utilized much on offense? Will he be used like Jeff Demps at Florida?

I talked to Janarion last week, and he says he knows his role in the offense. What that means to the outsider is unclear. Kyle Flood has liked him so far in the slot, but different packages will call for different personnel at that position.

Now, there isn't much of a rap sheet for Janarion, but I'd be surprised if Rutgers didn't find unique ways to get a unique talent the ball.


Gary in Hamilton asks: What personality will the defense have under Joe Rossi? More reminiscent of 2012 or 2013?

Hard to say during training camp, Gary, but players love Joe's personality and praise his attention to detail. Hard to imagine the detail side will result in players being ill-fitted for certain situations in the game.

Joe told the Big Ten Network his defense will have elements of 4-3 and 3-4 fronts. That's likely to give offenses several different looks while maintaining the same responsibilities, despite the formation.

Tyler in Lumberton asks: What was the Big Ten Network's main takeaway from visiting Rutgers?

BTN analyst Howard Griffith said the team looks much different than it did in the spring. I'll be speaking with BTN's Dave Revsine later today on his thoughts.