University of North Carolina Athletics
Lucas: Davis Likes Yates' Progress
May 12, 2008 | Football, Featured Writers, Adam Lucas
May 12, 2008
Today TarHeelBlue.com begins a series of offseason football updates. Check back on Thursday for a story on the current happenings inside the football office, including Butch Davis's thoughts on the NCAA's latest recruiting rule. More with Coach Davis can be found in the summer issues of Tar Heel Monthly.
By Adam Lucas
As he tried to stay warm on the sidelines during the season finale against Duke, T.J. Yates knew something was wrong.
Actually, that was exactly the problem--he couldn't get warm. After every Tar Heel drive, the quarterback would return to the sidelines, where he'd grab a ball and throw in an effort to loosen his shoulder. It never happened, and Yates ended the day just 11-of-24 in an offense dramatically scaled down by John Shoop to compensate for Yates's discomfort.
"I just thought I was fatigued from throwing six days a week throughout the season," Yates says. "The Duke game was the first time I felt actual pain in my shoulder. I figured something might be wrong then, because I felt some sharp pains in my shoulder."
Yates figured right, and a month later he underwent surgery to repair the labrum in his throwing shoulder. Now, five months after the surgery and after missing all of spring practice, he's only a few weeks away from being medically released to resume all normal quarterback activities.
Tar Heel doctors placed the Marietta native on a 14-step recovery plan. He began throwing again at the close of spring ball, and by June 1 he could be eligible to be cleared.
"T.J. is making very good progress," head coach Butch Davis said this week. "He's throwing three days a week and he's throwing between 40 and 60 yards. They've got him on a pitch count, kind of like with a baseball pitcher. He's throwing between 45 and 70 balls a day, with varying velocity and distance."
Yates was part of a sizable contingent of Tar Heels who watched spring practice from the sidelines. Most of them--including Trimane Goddard, Darrius Massenburg, Kevin Bryant, Kyle Jolly, Jonathan Smith, and LaCount Fantroy--are expected back at full speed when players report for training camp on July 31.
However, the road to recovery won't be as speedy for Linwan Euwell, who suffered a serious knee injury in practice last year.
"Linwan has responded very well, but we have to remember that he had a serious knee injury," Davis says. "Out expectations are for him to possibly participate on a limited basis with absolutely no contact during training camp. At some point in the first month of the season, we'll reevaluate how far he has come and whether he can play in some of the later games."
The prognosis is better for Yates, who set the school single-season passing yardage record (2,655) as a freshman. Although it was frustrating for him to watch all of spring ball from the sidelines--a typical day included offensive coordinator John Shoop shouting, "They're getting better, TJ!" as he worked with backup quarterbacks Mike Paulus and Cameron Sexton--the rising sophomore tried to use the break from on-field activities as an opportunity to improve in other aspects of the game.
He scheduled daily meetings with Shoop and the duo would regularly watch at least an hour of film.
"We've only scratched the surface of what T.J. and our quarterbacks can do," Davis says. "A whole new offense is a lot for them to learn, and we ask a lot of them mentally. The longer they are in this offense the more productive they will be."
"Coach Shoop always says that the smart take from the strong," Yates says. "I couldn't do any throwing during the spring, but I could work on my footwork and I could get in the film room. I want to get as smart as I can football-wise this summer."
All parties involved agree that more film study will help correct the one negative from Yates's freshman season--his 18 interceptions. Already, he shakes his head as he reviews some of them, pointing out bad reads of the defense or poor choices on when and where to deliver the ball.
In about three weeks, he'll find out if the progress he's made while unable to throw translates to on-field performance.
"He'll have plenty of opportunities over the summer to get into some competitive situations and throw to some receivers," Davis says. "Our ideal scenario is for him to have all his confidence back with no worries about a setback by the first of August. And when we get into training camp, he'll be ready to go."
Adam Lucas is the publisher of Tar Heel Monthly. He is also the author or co-author of four books on Carolina basketball.
