University of North Carolina Athletics
A Q&A With Coach Ken Browning: Part I
July 18, 2003 | Football
By: Joe Bray
TarHeelBlue: Let's take a look at your tight ends, starting with obby Blizzard.
Coach Browning: "Bobby Blizzard had an excellent spring, I think he's going to have an outstanding senior year.
"He's working very hard to improve his physical condition this summer so he can play more plays this fall. He's a pretty fast kid for a big guy, and last year he was aware that there were times when, late in the game, he didn't have quite the speed he had earlier in the game. That's one of the things we wanted to address with Bobby with his running program over the summer. Coach Connors has really emphasized his running program.
"He's continuing to build strength, but he has a lot of natural strength. He has some functional strength that shows up on the field that doesn't always show up in the weight room. He's got really good hip strength. He has really long arms, so it's kind of hard for him to be a great bench presser.
"He plays with his hands real well, he's become a very effective blocker. I think he'll have a good year both blocking and receiving. He understands the offense very well now. He can play tight end, we can flex him out, we can put him in the backfield.
"I think Bobby presents match-up problems for most teams because of his size and how well he runs routes. When he's up against a smaller guy he's got separation right off the bat, and he didn't have to run any to get it.
"Bobby has also become a more effective leader team wise, both on the field and off. He's set some pretty good goals for himself. I enjoy Bobby. He's a good kid and a pleasure to coach. He's mature, and he's mentally tough."
TarHeelBlue: Who will be Bobby's backup?
Coach Browning: "John Dunn finished the spring as backup to Bobby. I'm really proud of John's development. He asked to be moved from quarterback to tight end a year ago last spring. He'd never played at tight end in high school, just at quarterback.
"He's got good ball skills, he's not super fast, but he plays faster than you think he would. He's got very long strides, he's a smart kid. He's really bought into trying to become a player, not just some guy who's on the team.
"He's improved a lot as a blocker, but he still has a long ways to go. I know he gets frustrated at times, but I think he's made miraculous progress with only having been at tight end for a year. He will help us out this fall. In some sets he will play like a tight end, and in some sets he winds up playing more like a fullback.
"We move our tight ends around a lot. Sometimes they're in the backfield like a fullback. They know most of the fullback's blocking assignments for the running game. We run drop-back protection with them, where they pass protect like a back would.
TarHeelBlue: Who else have you got at tight end?
Coach Browning: "Our other two guys were freshmen, Lewis Burnham and Justin Phillips. Lewis broke a bone in his wrist in the spring but he kept on plugging, he didn't miss any time. He's got some toughness about him.
"He's a young kid who's still developing physically. He actually had a pretty good spring catching the ball. In fact, he caught a touchdown pass in the spring game with a cast on his wrist.
"He's not a real deep threat at this point. He's put on some weight, and at his age it takes a while to handle 20 or 30 extra pounds. He competes pretty well physically, I like the way he's learned to finish plays in terms of battling people.
"I was really proud of Justin. He's another guy who had been a quarterback in high school. He really made progress this spring. He's getting bigger and stronger through hard work. I think he's about 230 now.
"I don't know whether or not he is strong enough yet to battle some of our competition. I do know that there were times this spring where he competed as hard as anybody on that football team.
"He's got some aggressiveness about him, he's not intimidated by the challenge. He welcomes the opportunity to go up against anybody.
"We've got a very talented freshman coming in who will wind up being a good player. He's about 6'4", 250 as a freshman and actually looks kind of skinny. He'll have to learn the tight end position this fall.
"I was pleased at the development of my whole group this spring. We worked them hard and we worked them fast, because we asked them to do so many things. Just as they made strides in the spring, there's time to take another big step when we start camp in August. They're smart enough to know what's going on. They just need reps.
"Three of my guys aren't necessarily elite athletes. They're hard-working, blue-collar type guys. They'll work hard, and they won't make many mistakes."
