University of North Carolina Athletics
A Q&A With Coach Hal Hunter: Part II
March 15, 2002 | Football
By: Joe Bray
TarHeelBlue: Which is tougher, run blocking or pass blocking?
Coach Hunter: "Run blocking. Everybody thinks pass blocking is, but that's a myth.
"Both run and pass blocking are two of the most unnatural things that you can do. That's the dilemma.
"Natural is throwing the ball, catching the ball, playing defense, grabbing a guy and throwing him to the ground. What is unnatural is going into reverse and trying to pass protect. What is unnatural is getting on a guy and staying on a block. Those things are really difficult to do. They take a lot of technique.
"It takes a lot of technique to stay on a guy in run blocking and stay on the block until the running back goes past. It's not just a bunch of big guys coming off the ball, snorting and breathing fire.
"The nuts and bolts part of line play is still one of the most mysterious parts of football. That's also a good thing, because people who don't understand your business tend to stay out of it and let you do your own thing."
TarHeelBlue: Does it take any different mental or physical traits to be a center, guard or tackle?
Coach Hunter: "I'll tell you one thing that is really interesting. I saw some criteria recently about what was required for offensive line play. It had centers and guards 6'3" plus, offensive tackles 6'4" plus.
"When you go out recruiting you may have several coaches sitting around talking to a high school coach. The high school coach will say 'I've got this great offensive lineman, he's really tough and good, but he's a little small, he's about 6'1" and 270 pounds.'
"Then I'll hear somebody who coaches another position go, 'My offensive line coach doesn't want anybody that's not at least 6'4".' (Laughing) I'll look at that guy and say 'You know what, your offensive line coach must not know what the heck he's talking about.', because that would eliminate about half the guys who are playing in the NFL right now.
"That would have meant that the greatest center who ever played in the NFL would have never gotten the opportunity to play. Mike Webster of the Steelers played in the league for about 15 years and was all-pro for 10 or 11 of those years. He was 6'0" and 260 pounds.
"All of your guys have to be athletic. You can't just march these huge guys out on the field who look impressive. If you can't move your feet, you're not any good. You've got to have some strength, you've got to play with some leverage.
"Sometimes the best centers and guards are anywhere from 6'1" to 6'3" because the defensive tackles are all about 6'1" or 6'2". If you can't get underneath their pads, you don't have a chance.
"Your tackles are generally a little bit taller only because that gives them a little bit better arm length and a little bit better range of pass protection off the edge. But to say that a 6'2" guy can't play offensive tackle is ridiculous.
"Sometimes you can be too big. Some guys are so big and tall they can't change direction quick enough. It's a game of movement on both sides of the ball. Just as you can be too small to play the game, you can be too big to play the game."
TarHeelBlue: Is the offensive line the most cerebral position?
Coach Hunter: "No, the quarterback is the most cerebral position because there's so many things that have to go on mentally. The offensive line's the second most cerebral position.
"You have to be smart to play offensive line because the defenses have become so multiple. There's so many things that the defense does to confuse you.
"If you can't be a dumb, grunt offensive lineman, then you can't be a dumb offensive line coach. When people look at me they must think I'm a DB coach or something, because I don't look like an offensive line coach, I don't act like an offensive line coach.
"I told the guys the other night to think about the guy who's coaching some Olympic athlete, for example, a discuss thrower. Do you think the guy who's coaching a world-class athlete is some guy who is going to grab the guy and scream and tell him to throw that discuss farther.
"No, he's going to be very analytical. He's going to video tape that guy. He's going to understand that guy's body mechanics. He's going to coach that guy at a high level to get him to perform at a world-class level. So why should I coach an offensive linemen any different than an athlete who would perform at that level?
"I believe that the players adapt to your personality as a coach.
"If you're one competitive, enthusiastic, driving personality, like I think I am, your players will respond that way.
"My guys are trying to figure me out now. I'm not an easy guy to figure out, but they're working on it. I asked them if they remember the day and age when a football player was a tough guy, and you showed it both on and off the field.
"I told them those days are over. Off the field you should keep a low profile, you should have good manners, you should be respectful. Then, when you get on the field, you better be a tough, mean player. You better get after it with some tenacity, some aggressiveness and some competitiveness. You need to be able to switch it on and off.
"I told them they've still never seen me coach on a field yet. I told them they'd be surprised, that they would see a little bit different type of guy. Off the field you're one way, on the field you're another way, both as a coach and as a player."
TarHeelBlue: How do you get the most out of your players?
Coach Hunter: "There's a lot of ways to do that. But there's nothing ever accomplished in this world that's not been done in a positive, enthusiastic, upbeat manner. Society has changed. Remember the old days of blind obedience to authority?
"Well, you don't raise your kids like that anymore. People don't respond to blind obedience to authority anymore. Back in the old days when someone asked the question 'Why?', that was being disrespectful.
"I've turned that all around. If a guy understands why you're asking him to do something there's a better chance he'll be able to do what you're asking him to do. He'll have a much better chance to grasp the concept. The best way to teach a player is conceptually.
"I teach by concepts. I think the game is conceptual. If you understand the entire concept of a play, then you'll have a better idea what to do if the defense doesn't line up the way you thought they would.
"That's the way you teach in school now. That's the way you've got to teach the game of football. These guys are relearning the game of football.
"It's a different direction that we're headed in now."
TarHeelBlue: You've obviously watched a great deal of film. Do you know much about your players from that, or is it going to take getting out on the field in spring ball?
Coach Hunter: "You learn a little bit from film. You learn where a guy's at. You've got to coach a guy from his lowest common denominator. You've got to go down to where they are to bring them up.
"When you take a new job and watch film, it so you know where they are fundamentally and where their starting point is.
"I don't care if a guy's already an all-american. If he is, then your job is to try to make him an Outland Trophy candidate or to get him to win the Jacobs Award. You're always trying to take a guy to the next level.
"We've got guys here who have never played in a college football game, guys that we're trying to get ready to play next year. How soon we get to the next level is as much up to them as it is to me. They've got to do their part."
TarHeelBlue: Do players and coaches share the responsibilty for motivation?
Coach Hunter: "Yes, it's the responsibility of both. They've got to be excited about what they're doing. You're never going to accomplish anything if it's drudgery.
"You've got to be enthused about what you're doing. I don't care if it's football, business or medical school, if you don't have a great passion for what you're doing, you're never going to be very good.
"You have to get as close as you possibly can to a player, but there's still a line between a player and a coach. You can't cross that line. There's always got to be some separation, and if there's not some separation, you're doomed to failure. But, you've got to work together. You're not going to ever accomplish anything without working together.
"There's also a sense of appropriateness involved with being a good coach. If a guy's out there giving great effort, and he happens to get beat by a guy who's made a great spin move, I'm not going to chew him out when he comes to the sideline.
"But, if a guy gets beat because he's been a little lazy, then that is a different story.
"I've talked to my guys about this, about what kind of coach I am. If you're busting your butt, if you're out there working hard yet still struggling, we're going to continue to coach you to develop some success.
"But I tell them that if they come to practice not ready to go and they give a half-hearted effort, then I'll be on their case. It's their responsibility. It's part of being a man.
"The sooner these guys understand me, the sooner we can get to work, because that's the bottom line. We can talk in my office, we can talk in the film room, but there comes a time when we've got to get out on the field and get to work."
