University of North Carolina Athletics
Football's Adam Metts At Home At Carolina
October 16, 2001 | Football
Oct. 16, 2001
By Tameka Rish
TarHeelBlue.com
His first time to play was against Florida State in 1998. He did not get his first start until the next year, again against Florida State. And his senior year, his first win could not more appropriately come against anyone but... Florida State.
He decided to commit to UNC while driving down the interstate listening to a Phish CD.
"I was just driving," Adam Metts said, "And it occurred to me that I wanted to go to Carolina. Simple as that."
It would seem that the decision where to play college ball would be fairly complex for Metts, a senior from Burlington-Williams High School who has football in his genes. His father played on NC State's "white shoes" team, which won the Liberty Bowl. His oldest brother, Carey Jr., played for Steve Spurrier at Duke and his other brother, Bryan, played for Appalachian State. Metts grew up as a Duke fan himself, so why Carolina?
"I started thinking about it more," Metts says, who was named the ACC Offensive Line Player of the Week after his performance in UNC's 41-9 win over Florida State. "I was close to home, my parents could come see me, and I had a lot of friends going to school at Carolina. I figured it was the place for me."
And Carolina would find a place for him right away, even if it were not for long. Metts did not red shirt his freshman year, even though he only played 25 plays against Florida State. It seems like a waste, one year for a few plays. But Metts does not like to dwell on the past.
"The team needed me," says Metts. "Looking back I probably would regret it. But at the time, I figured, they gave me a scholarship to play football, and for me to have a selfish reason not to play would not be doing my job. I try not to think about it to tell the truth."
Metts tries to keep an optimistic attitude about life in general. His philosophy on life is "you should always strive to do better, and if you get beat, get up and keep going." If he could be one person for a day, it would be Michael Jordan, because Jordan lives this philosophy.
"I think a lot of him because he became the greatest player at his game and no one would have expected of him coming out of high school or college. He kept progressing as a player."
Metts says that that's what separates good players from the great ones.
"You beat them, then they are going to come back and beat you again. They are going to keep on and keep on. You can take that philosophy and put it anywhere in life."
As the only senior on the offensive line, Metts is trying even harder to improve his game so that he can do his part to help win more games. Metts and his teammates on the O-line have improved each week and last weekend against Virginia helped pave the way for a season-high 477 yards, including 234 on the ground. Meanwhile, tailback Andre' Williams rushed for a career-high 147 yards against the Cavs, as UNC became just the second team in ACC history to bounce back from an 0-3 start with four straight wins.
"I'm going to learn this offense through and through," says Metts. "I am trying to get a different perspective on what the offense is from a coach's perspective. I'm trying to learn the whole scheme. We have good personnel. Jeb Terry and Greg Woofter have both been doing real well."
After the first three losses of the season Metts was not down going into the Florida State game. He was actually looking forward to playing that game, knowing that his teammates just needed to play a full 60 minutes to compete with the best.
"We have played a really hard schedule and we were able to play with them. There are a lot of things to build on from those games. It is just that we are shooting ourselves in the foot a lot of the times. We know that if we play well, good things are going to happen. It's more on our shoulders, rather than us just being beat physically."
If Metts could go back to the meeting in January when Coach Bunting called the leadership team together and proposed playing Oklahoma he would not do anything different. But he would like to go back to August 25th.
"It was a great experience," Metts says of facing the defending national champion Sooners in Norman. "I wouldn't change my mind at all. But if I could go back to the game I would so that we could replay that first quarter."
Metts sees football as a battle. Coach Bunting instills in his team that they must play hard, fast and smart for 60 minutes. Metts believes that when a team realizes that it must fight all four quarters like it is a war, that team will win.
Not only does Metts know about philosophy, but according to roommates and teammates, Danny Davis and Brent White, he enjoys art as well.
"One day he went and bought this huge piece of plywood," said Davis. "He brought
by Adam Metts. |
"He told us that he was going to start selling his art, and all he did was splash some paint," White added.
They described Metts' eating habits as a work of art as well.
"He lays down on the couch so that he is parallel to the floor," said Davis. "He gets it everywhere. We just walk by and say 'Hey crumbs, are you going to eat that?'"
"I put newspapers on the floor for him one day," said White.
Though Metts may not be able to eat well, his roommates both agreed that he knows how to cook chicken, noting a special marinated chicken recipe that he treats his friends to from time to time.
But cooking is not his only specialty. Coach Robbie Caldwell, Carolina's second-year offensive line coach, believes that Metts has the potential to be the best center in the league.
"He's probably the quickest guy that I have had in years," said Caldwell.
Metts believes that his speed could help score points if the fumble-rooskie were legal in college football. Coach Caldwell would love to see it.
"He is allusive and I think he thinks that would thrill the ladies more, seeing him run the ball."
Though fans will not be able to see Adam Metts fun the fumble rooskie, his one request is that they will come see the Tar Heels play. Carolina has five regular-season games remaining, including home dates with Wake Forest, Duke and SMU.
"There's still a lot of potential in this team. We are going to continue to pick it up. Come out and support us. It means a lot. We are fighting to get into a bowl game right now. The season is not over. We are going to finish strong."
