University of North Carolina Athletics
Spring Football: Competitive Practice
March 28, 2003 | Football
March 28, 2003
Thursday's Practice Photos | Lewis' Offseason Conditioning | Carey's New Position
by Adam Lucas
Tar Heel Monthly
John Bunting's new practice philosophy may have sparked the first use of instant replay in Carolina spring football history.
Tar Heel coaches have introduced a new competitive element into each practice session this spring. To say that it has been a hit is like saying that Dexter Reid is a pretty good tackler.
Every practice, the Heels go through some type of individual drill after the flex (stretching) part of practice. Whether it's 1-on-1's, 2-on-2's, or 3-on-3's, it sets the type of tone that Bunting wants from his team.
"I had a long time to think between the end of our season and the bowl games," he said after Thursday evening's session at Kenan Stadium. "Our football team needs to become more competitive and do more competitive things. But at the same time, we're low in numbers at some positions and can't scrimmage every day. The drills we do at the beginning are set up so that there is less chance of guys getting tangled up and seriously injured."
After completing a regular practice session, the final period of each day is devoted to a full-competition scrimmage situation. The winning team gets the enjoyment of watching the losers go through a conditioning drill.
Thursday, the end-of-practice challenge was for the offense to score in the red zone while the defense tried to force a turnover or stop the Carolina offense on downs. Michael Harris got the defense off to a good start with an early interception in the end zone, but although the defense also picked up a fumble, the offense got a pair of touchdown catches from Jarwarski Pollock and another from Danny Rumley to claim the day's victory.
The offense's victory was their first after losing the first two competitive periods of the spring to the defense. Not surprisingly, several defensive players had made their offensive counterparts well aware of their winning streak.
"They've got some lip smackers out there," senior receiver Brandon Russell said. "Dex [Reid] is always good for a line or two, but they've got some other ones besides him."
That made it especially enjoyable for the offense to take a knee and watch every defensive player go through the lizard drill. It sounds tame, but it's actually extremely taxing, as players have to crawl across the width of the football field and back using only their arms. It may sound like kid stuff, but go ahead and try it on the floor of your office and you'll see that not using your legs is a significant impediment.
"Everybody hates losing," Russell said. "So it was a lot of fun to watch them doing drills."
Sometimes, the day's winner can be open to interpretation. When the team practiced at Navy Field on Monday, senior offensive lineman Jeb Terry vocally protested a ruling during an end-of-practice drill requiring the offense to pick up four yards on first down. A question regarding the correct spot of the ball sparked Terry to protest to the two practice referees-an unsympathetic Bunting and strength coach Jeff Connors.
Terry took his complaint to the film room, as he loudly informed bystanders that he planned to review the practice tape to determine what error had been made.
And upon further review?
"I was very anxious to look at the replay," said a smiling Bunting. "I knew I was correct on my call."
The videotape proved him correct, that the offense had been a half-yard short of their goal. But given the competitiveness of every practice, it's probably a good idea to keep the cameras rolling for any future challenges.
Spring Notes
