University of North Carolina Athletics
Five With Fedora: Oct. 9
October 9, 2017 | Football
By Jeff Greenberg, GoHeels.com.
1. When dealing with a lot of player turnover, one position group that can struggle due to its dependency on consistency is the offensive line. With all of the changes to that lineup, what areas of focus will be crucial moving forward for this group to progress?
"I think first, they just need to concentrate on the play that's called and the scheme we are in on that play against the front they are seeing. That means their communication needs to be sound across the board, not just one or two guys but all of them. Defenses these days don't just line up across from you and sit there in one position. There's quite a bit of movement up front and changes to the defense's alignment. So our guys have to be efficient at a few things. First, there are calls they have to make pre-snap to each other based on what they see. Then there are calls they have to make at the time of the snap. This has to happen for them to be on the same page. They have to all know what their role is within those calls for that specific play to execute the play. That has to happen to successfully execute the play. So moving forward, we need the five guys that are on the field to help each other be successful by making the right calls, and then reacting correctly to that call."
2. Coming into this season you mentioned that replacing departed players gives other guys an opportunity to step up and become household names. One guy that has begun to fit that description is Cayson Collins, who now leads the ACC in solo tackles. What has Cayson done to put himself in this position?Â
"I think he's done a few things to put himself in this position. One, he's had a lot of game reps the last two seasons, so his grasp of what the defense is trying to do schematically has grown. He's one of those guys that works hard to be better. Two, he's just really embraced his role this season and that means being able to do more things within the defense. I know Coach Papuchis and Coach Ekeler are more comfortable with adding things to his plate this season and have the confidence in him that he's going to get his job done. With Andre going down he knew it was his time to step up for this team because we need it. And he's done that more and more in each game. He was everywhere in this game all the way to the final whistle. Cayson is somebody that is playing at a very high level right now."
3. Another player that stepped into the spotlight this week was Myles Dorn. After some ups and downs he seems to be settling into his position and came away with two interceptions this week and is fourth on the team in tackles. What have you seen him do to get better each week?
"I think Myles is beginning to become more comfortable at that position and grasping what we want him to do there. You can see him getting better each week, particularly with his eye discipline. That is just so crucial for that position in order to be sound, yet be aggressive. You can tell he's not biting on some things that he would before which means he's learning every week from what he does each game and improving upon that the next time out. He's fitting where he needs to fit and I think he's more comfortable at the communication needed on the back end. As each week passes his understanding of what we need on the back end is improving."
4. Whenever a team faces the amount of adversity this team has endured and the wins are not coming yet, guys can tend to start pointing fingers. How have you been able to prevent that, keep this team together and keep them believing in each other?
"First and foremost, I'm going to give a lot credit to our seniors. These seniors have seen it all and they've helped set the expectation for this team in terms of effort and teamwork. That's what you see in the games. They refuse to give up; refuse to stop fighting. They're not going to let anybody else give up either. The job the seniors are doing on this team is what's keeping us together. For me, the main thing is staying positive with the players and staying positive with the staff. Part of that though is continuing to show them and get them to realize that we don't need to do anything special to turn this thing around. We just need to match that energy and effort with sound execution of the basics. These guys believe in each other and the staff believes in them."
5. Looking ahead to the game against Virginia, what are the keys for your team to be successful this week?Â
"I can tell you the biggest key for this team is going to center on moving the chains on offense. Both sides of the ball will benefit from us improving our success in being able to move the chains. We have to be efficient there. That means being somewhere more around 45-50 percent on third down conversions. Again, being fast isn't just about scoring fast. It's about moving the chains so that you can play faster. One way to get a better conversion rate on third down is getting better down and distance situations. That means staying head of the chains on first down. We aim to get at least four yards or more on first down so that we can be looking at manageable third down distances. It keeps your playbook open there because you can run it or throw it in those situations. First and second down success to set up better odds on third downs will be a key factor for us to win the game this week."
1. When dealing with a lot of player turnover, one position group that can struggle due to its dependency on consistency is the offensive line. With all of the changes to that lineup, what areas of focus will be crucial moving forward for this group to progress?
"I think first, they just need to concentrate on the play that's called and the scheme we are in on that play against the front they are seeing. That means their communication needs to be sound across the board, not just one or two guys but all of them. Defenses these days don't just line up across from you and sit there in one position. There's quite a bit of movement up front and changes to the defense's alignment. So our guys have to be efficient at a few things. First, there are calls they have to make pre-snap to each other based on what they see. Then there are calls they have to make at the time of the snap. This has to happen for them to be on the same page. They have to all know what their role is within those calls for that specific play to execute the play. That has to happen to successfully execute the play. So moving forward, we need the five guys that are on the field to help each other be successful by making the right calls, and then reacting correctly to that call."
2. Coming into this season you mentioned that replacing departed players gives other guys an opportunity to step up and become household names. One guy that has begun to fit that description is Cayson Collins, who now leads the ACC in solo tackles. What has Cayson done to put himself in this position?Â
"I think he's done a few things to put himself in this position. One, he's had a lot of game reps the last two seasons, so his grasp of what the defense is trying to do schematically has grown. He's one of those guys that works hard to be better. Two, he's just really embraced his role this season and that means being able to do more things within the defense. I know Coach Papuchis and Coach Ekeler are more comfortable with adding things to his plate this season and have the confidence in him that he's going to get his job done. With Andre going down he knew it was his time to step up for this team because we need it. And he's done that more and more in each game. He was everywhere in this game all the way to the final whistle. Cayson is somebody that is playing at a very high level right now."
3. Another player that stepped into the spotlight this week was Myles Dorn. After some ups and downs he seems to be settling into his position and came away with two interceptions this week and is fourth on the team in tackles. What have you seen him do to get better each week?
"I think Myles is beginning to become more comfortable at that position and grasping what we want him to do there. You can see him getting better each week, particularly with his eye discipline. That is just so crucial for that position in order to be sound, yet be aggressive. You can tell he's not biting on some things that he would before which means he's learning every week from what he does each game and improving upon that the next time out. He's fitting where he needs to fit and I think he's more comfortable at the communication needed on the back end. As each week passes his understanding of what we need on the back end is improving."
4. Whenever a team faces the amount of adversity this team has endured and the wins are not coming yet, guys can tend to start pointing fingers. How have you been able to prevent that, keep this team together and keep them believing in each other?
"First and foremost, I'm going to give a lot credit to our seniors. These seniors have seen it all and they've helped set the expectation for this team in terms of effort and teamwork. That's what you see in the games. They refuse to give up; refuse to stop fighting. They're not going to let anybody else give up either. The job the seniors are doing on this team is what's keeping us together. For me, the main thing is staying positive with the players and staying positive with the staff. Part of that though is continuing to show them and get them to realize that we don't need to do anything special to turn this thing around. We just need to match that energy and effort with sound execution of the basics. These guys believe in each other and the staff believes in them."
5. Looking ahead to the game against Virginia, what are the keys for your team to be successful this week?Â
"I can tell you the biggest key for this team is going to center on moving the chains on offense. Both sides of the ball will benefit from us improving our success in being able to move the chains. We have to be efficient there. That means being somewhere more around 45-50 percent on third down conversions. Again, being fast isn't just about scoring fast. It's about moving the chains so that you can play faster. One way to get a better conversion rate on third down is getting better down and distance situations. That means staying head of the chains on first down. We aim to get at least four yards or more on first down so that we can be looking at manageable third down distances. It keeps your playbook open there because you can run it or throw it in those situations. First and second down success to set up better odds on third downs will be a key factor for us to win the game this week."
Players Mentioned
Linebacker
/ Football
Safety
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