University of North Carolina Athletics
Monday Practice Notes (p.m.)
August 14, 2006 | Football
Aug. 14, 2006
By Adam Lucas
Hakeem Nicks is essentially removing any drama surrounding whether he will play as a true freshman. He made a gorgeous grab Monday evening on a well-thrown ball from Cam Sexton in the red zone...The Nicks play came during a handful of periods that were very productive for the receivers. On the very next play, Joe Dailey hit Brandon Tate for a touchdown. Richard Quinn also hauled in a nice catch over the middle. Watching all the youngsters make plays apparently inspired Jesse Holley, who outjumped a defensive back for another touchdown catch. "I was getting a little jealous watching all you guys make plays!" Holley told the receivers on the sideline...
In the type of back-and-forth battle that has typified camp, the defensive backs responded with some quality play during the next 7-on-7 period. Jordan Hemby, D.J. Walker, and Brian Dixon all broke up passes...The offense and defense are so competitive that it looked like it was time to break out the instant replay cameras. Brandon Tate caught a pass over the middle on the goal line and may have crossed the goal line. "May" is the key word. Frank Cignetti immediately barked that Tate was in, but Marvin Sanders--who was behind the play--said he didn't make it. When a bystander on the goal line signaled touchdown, he was immediately greeted with jeers from the defense...Darius Powell had a solid practice both at end and making plays on special teams...
There was an egregious oversight in the morning practice notes, when Wesley Flagg's big hit during team period should have been noted. Flagg has completed his five-day acclimatization process. Just a couple days ago, John Bunting noted that the freshman's presence had already had a positive impact on an incumbent linebacker. "I think seeing Flagg come in and run around has inspired Durell Mapp," he said...
On with the questions, because there were a lot of them. The next Q&A segment will be Wednesday night, so send your questions now.
How is the quarterback competition unfolding? Do you think it will be Sexton or Dailey?
Hey, did you hear the Tar Heels have an unsettled quarterback situation? John Bunting's comments from today are as follows:
"There's an ebb and flow every day. It's fun to watch. There is no separation whatsoever. I see it as extremely competitive. Cam does some great things and Joe does some great things. In the scrimmage, each of them did not make bad decisions. We will scrimmage again this week and find out if they can continue on that same track. That's what we want them to do: make good decisions, take care of the ball, and make some plays. We have some playmakers, so they have to get them the ball, whether we're throwing it to them or handing it to them.
"I thought (the battle) would go all the way through camp and I still think the same way. The scrimmage will help this week. It will probably give us more of an idea. But if they do what they've been doing, it will be more of the same and the decision will go into the last week of camp."
Reading it on the page, I fully understand that those words can sound like coachspeak. But take it from someone who has been at every practice: they're the absolute truth. There's just not a lot to distinguish Sexton and Dailey at the moment. But almost three weeks are left before the Rutgers game. One of them will step forward between now and then. Depending on how you look at it, that's the nice part about this battle. Neither player has performed poorly enough to take himself out of the competition. Now the Tar Heels just need someone to step forward and seize the job.
Since football practice is in full swing, and now the players are doing "two a day" practices, is there any time or energy left to be hitting the weight room?
The strength and conditioning focus changes once camp begins. In the summer, it's all about getting bigger and faster. Once camp begins, though, it's about maintenance. Jeff Connors's approach will change again in a couple of weeks when he's handed a list of players likely to redshirt. He's able to do more intensive work with those players, because they're not training for game day, they're training for 2007.
During camp, all players lift for about an hour twice a week.
I am curious to see how many snaps Joey Bozich gets at FB in the fall, but will he be doing any special teams? How are the TEs shaping up? Are there any particular rivalries/trash talk battles of note?
Bozich could be in line to be the personal protector on the punt team. He's adapting to that role as well as to his new fullback position. Fullbacks traditionally fly under the radar, but Tar Heel fans should pay attention to that position--it's going to be important to this offense. Frank Cignetti has at least three good ones at his disposal in Bozich, Nick Starcevic, and Bobby Rome.
Jon Hamlett is a given at one starting tight end slot. He's caught the eye of several NFL scouts who have been in town to watch the Tar Heels practice. Richard Quinn is working his way back into the rotation after an injury. Rock Wells, who would have provided a nice veteran presence in the two-tight end sets, is also battling injury (he was upgraded to green Monday night). That could open the door for Vince Jacobs, and another freshman, Ryan Taylor, has also seen numerous reps in camp. Two-tight end sets are a part of the Cignetti offense, so there are plenty of opportunities for players other than Hamlett.
Any drill involving Larry Edwards is boisterous, and the same could probably be said for Barrington Edwards. Jesse Holley and Kareen Taylor are good friends, so they usually spice their meetings with some good-natured commentary.
How is the rotation on the DL shaping up? Can we expect many freshmen to play this season? Is there one grouping that starts more often than not?
It's probably up to the freshmen as to whether they earn a spot in the rotation. There might be playing time available if someone such as Darrius Massenburg, Greg Elleby, or Darius Powell wanted to seize it. Ideally, though, they'd be ticketed for a redshirt. One rookie who appears likely to play is Aleric Mullins at tackle. He's in the mix among Ken Browning's charges with Kyndraus Guy, Shelton Bynum, Cam Thomas, and Kentwan Balmer. Remember, John Bunting also said at the beginning of camp that he might get Balmer some work outside later in camp; we'll find out in the next couple of weeks if that is necessary.
One end who fans might not be as familiar with is redshirt freshman E.J. Wilson. He's gotten some work with the first two defenses. There's no question about his athleticism--he was a first-team all-district wide receiver and defensive back in high school.
Adam Lucas is the publisher of Tar Heel Monthly and can be reached at alucas@tarheelmonthly.com. He is the coauthor of the official book of the 2005 championship season, Led By Their Dreams, and his book on Roy Williams's first season at Carolina, Going Home Again, is now available in bookstores. To subscribe to Tar Heel Monthly or learn more about Going Home Again, click here.
