University of North Carolina Athletics
Monday Practice Notes
August 20, 2007 | Football
Aug. 20, 2007
By Adam Lucas
Butch Davis put his team through a morning workout on Monday. The early practice session will give the squad what seems like an enormously long hiatus from the practice field--there's no Monday evening practice and no practice Tuesday because of the first day of classes...Monday morning marked the return of tailback Anthony Elzy, who missed most of last week, to limited work. Elzy is in a multi-player battle at that position with Richie Rich, Ryan Houston, and Johnny White. "I won't punish him for being hurt but at the same time he has some catching up to do," running backs coach Ken Browning said. Once Elzy is completely released by the training staff he will be back in the four-back rotation that Browning says he would like to whittle to three by game week...
Their running ability is the obvious part of the tailback decision-making process, but in John Shoop's offense it's also essential that they understand pass protection. "Right now, Richie Rich has the most experience because he is the oldest," Browning said. "He recognizes it a little more quickly. For Ryan (Houston), it's probably the newest to him but he is making progress."...
That crowded tailback situation prompted the move of true freshman Matt Merletti from tailback to safety, where he has quickly challenged for a spot on the two-deep. He got some work Monday with the first team when the Tar Heels were drilling their six-DB late-game prevent defense in which Trimane Goddard moves down to a quasi-linebacker position. "I was at free safety first, then I moved to strong, and today I moved back to free," Merletti said. "Coach Davis said I had a better chance at playing earlier at safety, and I was completely for it."...It's very interesting to watch the Tar Heel offense go through their two-minute drill. When they were focusing on getting down the field in 1:20 Monday morning, every offensive coach was carefully eyeing their position, offering insight in a calm manner that belied the fact that the clock was rolling. The enhanced instruction has led to better success--at least in practice--in that phase of the offense...
Davis has a reputation as an outstanding recruiter, but he also had good success at Miami taking lesser-known players like Merletti--who said he would be a walk-on at Ohio State right now if he hadn't received a scholarship offer from Carolina--and turning them into contributors. Even if he doesn't crack the safety depth chart, Merletti figures to see action on special teams, where he is working with the onside kick team, the hands team, and as the punt protector. "It's unusual how much time we spend on special teams," Merletti said. "Head coaches usually aren't hands-on with special teams. They just play it off. But Coach Davis is huge on that part of the game. He knows you only get a couple chances during the course of a game to succeed on special teams and he wants to take advantage of it."...
Davis is hands-on all over the field. While watching the defensive backs go through a drill, he pulled Brian Gupton aside. "You've got to work a little bit harder than everyone else because of your height," he told the 6-foot-3 Gupton, who is unusually tall for a corner. "You have to get a little lower than everyone else."...Tar Heel pass-catchers received a history lesson along with their route-running on Monday. "This route here is The Catch!" the high-energy John Shoop said. "This is what the 49ers ran when Dwight Clark caught the pass! This is the exact route. You're doing it!" In case they didn't get the ramifications, the receivers were treated to Charlie Williams doing his best Clark impression from the famous play in the 1982 NFC title game...It's been a big week at the mailbox for Rams Club members. Last week season-ticket holders received their tickets, and parking passes began arriving over the weekend. The Tar Heel Monthly football preview also began hitting the mailboxes of Rams Club members last week. Tar Heel fans who aren't members can still get the preview if they subscribe within the next seven days. This year's preview includes an exclusive Q&A with Butch Davis, position-by-position previews, Lee Pace's insights, and a behind-the-scenes look into the significant changes taking place for Tar Heel football gamedays.
Adam Lucas most recently collaborated on a behind-the-scenes look at Carolina Basketball with Wes Miller. The Road To Blue Heaven will be released on September 1. Lucas's other books on Carolina basketball include The Best Game Ever, which chronicles the 1957 national championship season, Going Home Again, which focuses on Roy Williams's return to Carolina, and Led By Their Dreams, a collaboration with Steve Kirschner and Matt Bowers on the 2005 championship team.
