THE FRONT ROW WITH MARK NELKE: Sunday, April 26, 2015

Lots of kids spend time in the summer with their dads.

But few end up being surrounded by the type of football knowledge that Idaho sophomore quarterback Matt Linehan does.

"I'm going to go back this summer, hang out around my dad's office a little bit, just train and work out and get ready for the season," Linehan said Friday night at the Kibbie Dome, after the Idaho Vandals completed spring practice with their spring game.

Of course, his dad is Scott Linehan, offensive coordinator for the Dallas Cowboys, and a former Idaho quarterback. And while in Big D, Matt has been able to hang around Tony Romo, the Cowboys quarterback. Romo's going to be a little busy this summer, with the Cowboys trying to win a Super Bowl and everything. But ...

"If he (Romo) wants to help, I'm more than happy to let him," Linehan said with a laugh. "He's got a pretty big season coming up, and he doesn't need to worry about me, but if he wants to help, I'm more than grateful for that."

DAD, IN fact, was at Idaho's spring game - along with Matt's brother, Michael, a linebacker who has signed with the Vandals, and will be in camp this fall.

What kind of advice did Scott have for Matt before the spring game?

"Be confident in your ability, instill that confidence in others, and continue to make plays on the field," according to Matt. "He said, you're not a freshman anymore, you should be confident."

Linehan, named the starter just before last year's season opener, passed for 2,540 yards and 11 touchdowns, but also threw 18 interceptions in a 1-10 season. He showed signs of brilliance last year, but also showed signs of ... well, being a freshman.

"I feel way more confident than I did last year, because last year, I hadn't got a chance to see what it was like," Linehan said. "I had a couple good games to start out last year, then I hit a little bit of a wall after I got hurt (a concussion).

And it was something, I need to stop trying to force things, understand what the defense is doing. This spring, learning the offense better and learning what defenses are doing, I feel way more confident than I did at this point last year."

Idaho coach Paul Petrino said experience is the best teacher.

"He's just very confident in himself," Petrino said. "That's 90 percent of playing well in any sport."

AS FOR the rest of the offense, the questions remain from last year - will the offensive line be able to keep the quarterback standing, and will the Vandals be able to run the ball with senior Elijhaa Penny, sophomore Aaron Duckworth and freshman Isaiah Saunders.

One thing's for sure - it's nice for the Vandals to have Dezmon Epps back at receiver, after missing last year for a team rules violation. In 2013, he caught a team-high 79 passes for 980 yards and four touchdowns. Apparently his running joke with Linehan is that he is open on every play.

"I'm starting to believe he might be," Linehan said. "He just brings positive energy to our team. With him on our team last year, probably a couple games go our way, just with his energy and his fight."

The Vandals are 2-21 in two seasons under Petrino - with one win each season - and the defense has struggled long before that, especially getting killed by the big play.

But Idaho appears to be pretty strong on the defensive line and at linebacker, with Quinton Bradley, Ryan Edwards and Leonard Hazewood, among others, on the line, and Marc Millan, Broc Westlake and Kaden Elliss, among others, at linebacker.

"Our front seven are going to be really good on defense," Petrino said. "I think we're fast enough (in the secondary). We've improved our speed, and we've just got to really get down what we're doing, get a pass rush and tackle better and we'll be in good shape."

SO WE'LL see. Spring is all about optimism. Fall is where the truth rises. This fall, the Vandals enter their second season in the Sun Belt, where they went 1-7 last year.

"We've got a chance," Petrino said. "We've got a chance to be good. We've just got to have a great summer, and continue to improve."

Mark Nelke is sports editor of The Press. He can be reached at 664-8176, Ext. 2019, or via email at mnelke@cdapress.com. Follow him on Twitter@CdAPressSports.