Coach Tranquill On The Offense: Part I

May 22, 2001 | Football

By: UNC Athletic Communications

By: Joe Bray

TarHeelBlue: Could you please give a brief discussion of each position grouping and the progress each one made during spring practice?

Coach Tranquill: "Let's start with the wide receivers. I think that position should be one of our strengths. We've got pretty good size out there, and overall we've got pretty good speed.

"I think Bosley Allen and Sam Aiken and Kory Bailey all have enough experience for their performance level to be pretty high. I think Bosley could be a premier performer. He's got size, he's got speed, and he's got excellent ball skills. We'll have to figure out some way to get him the ball. He's got good run after catch ability, also.

"That position is in good shape. We've got a couple of freshmen coming in, and if there's a place a freshman can play early on on offense, it's wide receiver. We'll look for one of those guys to maybe help us out in certain areas. We'll just have to wait and see on that.

"As for the running back position, I think Willie Parker, Andre' Williams and Michael Harris had pretty good springs. They came on once they got a grasp of the offense and understood things. They've all three got toughness, and they've got a little bit of shake and a little bit of burst.

"We'd like for them to be a little bit better catching the football than they are, but that's something they can work on and improve over the summer. We didn't have Brandon Russell during the spring, so I can't really comment about him, but those other three tailbacks should help us.

"The fullback position is a concern. We've got James Faison and Madison Hedgecock, then we moved Kitwana Jones back there later in the spring. He's a physical fullback, and that's what we're looking for, somebody that can lead plays in there and block linebackers.

"We also want fullbacks to be good pass receivers, because fullback's a good matchup. You usually have an inside linebacker covering the fullback. If you've got a guy who can run and catch a little bit, you can put a little pressure on some people by getting them the football through the air."

TarHeelBlue: I had wondered what you felt about Kitwana's performance.

Coach Tranquill: "He did all right, he was feeling his way around. We didn't put him over there until about the 11th practice, so that makes it hard. I think he'll help us, he'll go in there and block people. He's got very good speed."

TarHeelBlue: Is that a permanent move?

Coach Tranquill: "I don't know, we'll have to wait and see. But, there's no experience to speak of at that position. It's pretty hard to play with somebody back there who's not sure what's going on, but I think all three of those players have a chance to be pretty good.

"Hopefully, they'll continue to improve as we go through two-a-days in the fall.

"As for the quarterback position, I was pleased with what Ronald Curry did. We didn't have him for the whole spring, but he's very talented. I think he made a really good effort to try to understand some new things and some new terminology. He had his ups and downs, but I look for him to have a good year.

"He's got to be our leader, he's got to take control. He obviously has the experience to do it, and we'll try to create some things that suit what he's able to do best. Hopefully he'll stay injury free and have a good year.

"Luke Huard is experienced, a pretty smart guy who understands some things, but we'll just have to wait and see. Then the two freshmen, Aaron Leak and Darian Durant, had rocky springs, up and down. It wasn't because of new terminology, because anything would have been new, since they didn't get much work last year. Those two guys need a lot of snaps.

"Those three are pretty much even as to who will backup Curry.

"I do think Durant and Leak's performance level went up during the spring game. They had some good moments and some bad moments, but I think that overall their performance in the spring game was much better than they had practiced to that point.

"The tight end position is a major concern. There's relatively no experience there. Doug Brown and Zach Hilton haven't played very much. We moved Richard Moore there. He's kind of a jack-of-all-trades. He's got pretty good ball skills, he can catch the ball, but he's never been a tight end before. We had him at fullback early, but we decided we needed some help at tight end and moved him over there.

"Doug and Zach need to spend the time this summer to do all the things they have to do to get better. That's a concern position.

"As for the offensive line, I think we're fairly solid at center. We've moved Isaac Morford over there as a backup to Adam Metts. I think Metts is a good, solid, tough football player. A little bit undersized, but he's got a high motor. His intensity level is always high, he performs well, he's tough, so I was pleased with that move.

"I was pleased with the move of Morford. He can be a swing guy, he can be a guard and a center. He's one of the few back on the offensive line who has experience.

"Metts, of course, started last year. He's the one who has to take control up front and be our leader.

"As for the guard position, I think Jupiter Wilson has a chance to be good. He started out the spring playing real well, but I think he kind of leveled off about midway, then I don't think his performance level went up. Physically, he has a chance to be a good player.

"David Stevenson can be a very good football player, but he's too heavy. He knows it, Coach Connors knows it, everybody knows it. He's just too heavy. He's got a ways to go. If he's going to be a productive player for us, he's got to get his weight down where he can sustain an effort over the course of a ball game. He's got to work his tail off this summer.

"Marcus Wilson is a good, tough player who started out the spring as a backup center. We moved him to guard, I don't have any doubts he can play either position. My only concern with Marcus is that he's a little bit undersized. He's a tough guy, a little bit like Metts in that respect. He gives you tremendous effort.

"At tackle, Jeb Terry was on the right side, and he has very little experience. I thought his spring practice was pretty good. He got banged up a little but came back. I think he's got a chance to be a good player.

"Greg Woofter is at left tackle. He's probably the best athlete up front, but he's a little bit undersized. He's tall and can move his feet. He's got to have a good year for us. His performance level has to catch up to his ability.

"Then we've got a few other guys, Skip Seagraves, Justin Barton, Willie McNeill, all of those guys have never played before. I think they made some progress. They've all got a chance, but it's a matter of time with all of them. Hopefully, we can get one or two of them ready to be backups when we get going with the season."

TarHeelBlue: The first time I talked to you, you said you wanted the offense to be as wide open as possible. Do you think you can be?

Coach Tranquill: "We may have to be. We may have to play with more four wideout sets, maybe some no-huddle stuff to keep people off balance a little bit. That's not saying we're never going to be in a two-back, tight end set, but as I mentioned two of our biggest concerns are tight end and fullback.

"We may have to spread it out and be a little junky on offense, pick and choose and try to get the ball to people who can make plays. I certainly think the wide receivers and the tailbacks can make plays. That may be the way we'll have to go."

TarHeelBlue: You mentioned that wide receiver may be a spot where freshmen could play, but we're very deep in that position.

Coach Tranquill: "Innate ability comes into play more than mental ability and learning at the wide receiver position. I'm not saying that wide receivers don't have to know anything, but they're out there on air, basically one-on-one, being able to read and distinguish a coverage. If you can use your individual ability to run and catch, I think it's a lot different than, say, learning to play the offensive line.

"The second position is running back. When you've got the ball in your hand, innate ability takes over. Obviously, there's more to it than that, you have to learn pass protections and other things, but with natural ability at the wide receiver and running back positions, I think you have a chance to play earlier.

"Tight end is hard, the offensive line is hard, the quarterback position is hard, there's too many things going on on every play that are a little bit different. When you're out there at the wide receiver position going one-on-one with a guy all day, if you can't beat him one-on-one, you've got problems.

"It's not like an offensive lineman who has got to block inside, outside, go off to the linebacker, pass protect, do all the things they have to do."

TarHeelBlue: You clearly have a lack of experience in three areas.

Coach Tranquill: "We have no depth on the offensive line, plus the guys who are starting haven't played much, other than Metts. The tight end position and fullback also have basically no playing time."

TarHeelBlue: There's much more experience on defense.

Coach Tranquill: "Yea, plus I don't want to say that defense is easier to play, but offense is controlled, and on defense you can play with maybe a little bit less technique and a little more aggressiveness than you can on offense.

"You know you get a corner out there who's a great athlete, and you wire him up man-to-man on a wide receiver, there's not as much learning, it's innate skill. Now you have to play other coverages than just man all the time, but I think corner is a position that's similar to wide receiver and running back in terms of young people being able to help you sooner."

TarHeelBlue: Is there any particular area that you feel like made more significant progress than others?

Coach Tranquill: "I think that overall, each area made improvement. The offensive line made improvement, I know the young quarterbacks did. The receivers were about what I expected, and those two running backs (Parker and Williams) came on as the spring went on and were productive.

"We still have a long way to go, but I think we're on the right track. Hopefully we can go through preseason and not get anyone banged up, and they can learn and understand and practice.

"There's no substitute for game experience, but they're going to have to get ready to play in a hurry."

Look for Part II on Wednesday, May 23.