University of North Carolina Athletics
EXTRA POINTS: Off-Field Bonding Crucial to Heels' On-Field Fortunes
August 29, 2005 | Football
Aug. 29, 2005
by Lee Pace, Extra Points
CHAPEL HILL --In the late afternoons of June and July, the Tar Heels did pass-offense drills and individual throwing, catching, cutting and jamming reps. While coach John Bunting was fishing in the woods of Maine in July, the linemen worked on stances, explosions and handwork. They sweated as pairs and seven-on-seven. They dissected game tape of themselves from 2004 and as well as from Georgia Tech, Carolina's opening opponent on Sept. 10.
Frequently they'd repair in the evening to the lawn outside Ehringhaus Dorm or the pool at The Verge Apartment complex on the outskirts of Chapel Hill, where chef Tommy Davis flipped burgers, roasted franks and sausages and basted chicken in his favorite Cattleman's barbecue sauce over a charcoal fire--"Charcoal over gas for me. The gas doesn't give it the flavor of charcoal," he says.
"They eat my chicken up," Davis says with a smile. "By the time I finish cooking, all that's left for me are hot dogs. But that's okay ... as long as the guys enjoy my cooking."
And all of this, it's important to note, is voluntary.
Not voluntary, wink wink.
Voluntary as in doing these things in addition to the running and lifting sessions under strength and conditioning coach Jeff Connors as allowed by the NCAA.
Voluntary as in fueled by a taste of victory in 2004 and ignited by a thirst for more. This off-season initiative was dubbed WTA--for "Winning Team Activities" as established by senior quarterback Matt Baker, who's taken the mantle as one of the key leaders on this 2005 team.
"We've tried some things in the past, some summer practices, but it's never come together like it did this year," says Baker. "Ever since the Peach Bowl year (2001), there've been some guys who didn't want to buy into the system. Now Coach Bunting has all his players here, and everyone's been weeded out who doesn't want to play football at Carolina.
"We won some games last year and are hungry for more. Everyone on the team bought into the summer program, and it's been great for developing team chemistry."
Baker's teammates agree.
"We've never had cook-outs before with just players and no coaches," says Jarwarski Pollock. "The unity on this team is much better than any time in the past."
"There are no individuals on this team," Davis says. "I'll give up my body as long as Tommy Richardson makes the tackle. He'll do the same thing. It's not about personal glory. It's about winning."
"We built a lot of camaraderie over the summer," adds Chase Page. "We got the younger guys involved, and the earlier you can get them involved and feeling like part of the team, the sooner they'll play better in the fall--either in games or on the scout squad."
When the Tar Heels opened training camp on August 11, all 20 incoming freshmen had entered the second session of summer school in Chapel Hill, thanks to new NCAA rules that allow an early acclimation period. The upper classmen had retained much of what they'd learned and drilled in spring practice through their diligent summer activity. It made for a smooth and productive first two weeks of camp--all the better to prepare for another difficult schedule.
"It's the best training camp we've ever had," Bunting says. "It's a direct result of the kids in summer school organizing on their own about two dozen practice sessions after spring ended. From individual drills to group drills to pass skeleton to special teams. They did all that.
"So when we came back to start camp, we didn't have to start over. We installed almost the entire offense and defense in a week. That's hard to do."
The 2005 season opens with a distinctly different feel than the last few Tar Heel teams. No longer is the load of the team on the offense and its record-setting quarterback, Darian Durant, while the talent hole on defense was restocked. The defense has matured enough that it should be able to shoulder some control of a game while Baker and new starters at center, tailback and fullback get their bearings early in the season.
This is still not a deep team. The Tar Heels have had more than their share of discipline, health and personal issues the last two years, robbing the roster of some ballast. But most positions on defense have experienced players and a second-team guy with some ability.
"We've got an attitude on defense," says sophomore tackle Kyndraus Guy. "We're mad at the world right now. Last year, we didn't have enough guys who knew what to do. Now we have experience and depth. Everyone's picking us near the bottom of the league--we're sick and tired of hearing that. We have the capability of doing better than that."
"We're going to be pretty feisty," says Page, who returns to the field after missing 2004 with a hand injury. "We've got a lot of guys who like to hit and talk. Not `chirp talk,' but guys with an attitude about them. I haven't seen that in a couple of years. I think it will be fun."
Since the departures of Julius Peppers and Ryan Sims to the NFL following the 2001 season, the once-proud Tar Heel defensive line has been relegated to a mish-mash of players too young, too thin, too small, too slow or too hurt to effectively pressure the quarterback and stop the running game. Today a starting group of Davis, Page, Guy and Brian Rackley should be stout. And three of the best players are sophomores playing backup roles--Mitchell, Kentwan Balmer and Hilee Taylor.
"The front is going to be fantastic," says linebacker Tommy Richardson. "They'll be the difference between winning games and winning championships. They're two-deep and they can run."
Special teams will bear enormous responsibility in this A.D. era (after Durant). The kickers will be fine (punter David Wooldridge and place-kicker Connor Barth), but it's time for the return and coverage units to add some voltage to the scoreboard and field-position battle.
Carolina was abysmal in 2004 in covering kick-offs (No. 111 in the NCAA Division 1-A with 24.52 yards allowed), and Bunting brought in Mike Stock, a friend from the NFL and long-time special-team coordinator with the Rams and Redskins, to consult with the staff on tweaking the coverage unit. Former special teams coordinator James Webster was big on using slight-of-hand to confuse opposition blocking assignments (thus all the bobbing and weaving by kick-off cover players prior to the kick). That mindset has been shelved in favor of simplicity.
"We were 111th last year, and this year we've got to be in the top 25, at least," says Tommy Thigpen, who will supervise the kick-off cover unit while running backs coach Andre Powell serves as the overall coordinator the entire special-teams operation. "We're not into tricking people and fooling people. This is not that kind of a game. We're working to get guys who will play with unbelievable speed and control, guys who want to be out there and want to make a difference and set up field position for the defense."
Adds Bunting: "We should have many more players at the point of attack. I'll be disappointed if we're not a lot better."
The Tar Heels were No. 81 in punt returns last fall with an average of 7.63 yards. Pollock is a veteran returning kicks. Del Roberts moved into the lead job at the end of 2004. And now true freshman Brandon Tate has drawn smiles from the coaching staff with his speed and explosiveness.
"It's technique and `want-do' in your core group," says defensive ends coach Brad Lawing, who runs the punt-return team. "In the back-end, it's DNA. It's having the right guy. And Brandon Tate will be the right guy in time. He's special."
There will be less stunting and gamesmanship with this unit as well, which Pollock says will help.
"We've simplified the scheme," says Pollock. "Last year there was a lot of movement and motion and some guys got confused. I think we'll be better, and we need to be. The return game is all about `hidden yards.' We want to give the offense a short field to work with. There's a big difference starting at midfield than the 30."
The punt team ranked 66th in net punting at 37.33 yards a kick but was fifth in the nation in limiting punt returns after the catch with 4.85 yards. Powell, who supervises the punt team, will use two lethal gunners in Mike Mason and Wallace Wright to pressure the opposing return specialist, and the punt team is stocked with veteran linebacker/strong safety types who are strong enough to protect the punter but fast enough to get downfield to cover the kick. The staff is leaning more toward using veteran players on kicking teams until freshmen are a hundred percent ready; the coaches felt they leaned toward youth too much early in the 2004 season, contributing to kick-off cover breakdowns in the season's second game at Virginia.
"I love going one-on-one with the jammers," says Mason, a junior. "It's a lot like playing receiver--you take off and try to beat off the DB. But down the field, you get to hit someone."
"The punt team is fun," says Richardson, a senior. "I don't mind playing a role in the kicking game. It's a key part of winning football games. We've got the best gunners in the nation. They'll get double-teams, which will open the lanes up for the rest of us to get down and make tackles."
Winning on defense and special teams is a crucial component to the Tar Heels in 2005.
"I'd love to see us make a mark in punt returns," Bunting says. "We need more three-and-outs on defense and then do something with the punt return. That would help the offense with better field position. Field position with our punt and kick-off returns are two very important parts of our team."
Meanwhile, the Tar Heel staff has been winning over the summer in another key area--recruiting. As the Tar Heels took to the practice field in mid-August, they already had 20 commitments from high-school seniors for the February 2006 signing class and were hard at work already on the class of 2007--today's high school juniors. The commitments were falling like dominoes throughout the summer, leaving Bunting to feign exasperation one afternoon in early August by saying, "Bad day today. We didn't get a commitment."
So why all the recruiting momentum?
Carolina had some big wins last year. The University administration gave Bunting a contract extension. The staff is targeting prospects earlier than in years past, getting them in June camp and making better evaluations. Bunting has over the last two years hired younger, more aggressive recruiters.
"Any time there's a hint of instability, it makes it harder," says defensive tackles coach Kenny Browning, who's recruited for the Tar Heels during the good times of the mid-1990s and the leaner period of late. "There's a cloud hanging over you. Now people can see we have a stable situation. It's more comfortable for them."
Adds offensive line coach Hal Hunter: "We had some success and some positive things happen last year. People can see we're getting better. The fact we have an outstanding university with a lot of positive things happening make us a good choice. Plus we're doing a great job making evaluations and targeting our key guys early."
Thus there's a lot of good stuff around Tar Heel football these days. There's also enough for a sober look at 2005--unproven players in key offensive positions, decent but not great depth across the board, and a schedule that includes three outstanding non-conference teams and a stronger-than-ever slate of ACC schools.
"There's an old saying, `What brings men together? Fear and interest,'" says Thigpen, a Tar Heel linebacker from 1989-92. "There's no fear here, I'll assure you that. But there's plenty of interest. These guys love football and they love playing it together--just look at everything they did in the off-season to get better. We've got great senior leaders. They've been through a lot. They deserve to have good things happen this year."
Send your questions about Tar Heel football to Lee Pace at lpace@nc.rr.com . Please include your first and last names and hometown. . Individual replies are not possible because of volume of mail received. His Q&A column will appear each Friday during the season.
