Five With Coach Papuchis
June 23, 2017 | Football
- You first became a defensive coordinator at the age of 34. Now, 5 years later, you were named defensive coordinator for the Tar Heels. How did you feel when Coach Fedora named you the new defensive coordinator, and if you could go back in time, what advice would you give to your younger self in taking that role? – "The first time you go through any experience like that it's always an opportunity to learn. I don't think I would change a lot of things in terms of the effort given and the attention to detail. The advice I would give is just the knowledge I've gained since then in terms of creating a game plan and calling a game. I've had a chance to work with great defensive coaches, and they all have some differences in philosophy so I've been able to pull ideas from different sources. My defensive philosophy has evolved over the years and so it's the extra knowledge that I've obtained since then that I would want to share with him. I don't think you can ever stop learning as a coach. And in terms of how I felt getting this position here at UNC, you know, it all happened so fast. Of course, I was always hoping for an opportunity like this if the scenario presented itself. But it happened so fast that there really wasn't a chance to think about what it all meant and reflect on it at all. We were welcoming some new staff members and about to get started with spring practice so we were off and running at that point. I'm definitely excited and I've enjoyed every minute of working at UNC, so I'm looking to make the most of this opportunity."
- Speaking of new staff members, these are guys you've known for a long time. Timing is everything when you're trying to find and hire new coaches. How did it feel when you realized getting this group of coaches together was becoming a reality? – "It was perfect. The first guy on board, Deke Adams, has done a great job with our defensive line. I just think he's great at what he does. Then we had to fill our other two openings with the linebackers and the secondary. We were able to get two guys, Terry Joseph and Mike Ekeler, that I just have a tremendous amount of respect for and that I consider really good friends. I coached with both of them at LSU and at Nebraska. If you had told me six months ago that we would be able to bring both of those guys in I wouldn't have believed it. But it all fell into place how we needed it to in terms of timing and what those guys wanted to do at that moment. So I couldn't be more excited to work with these three guys this season and moving forward. We had a lot of fun this spring working together. We all clicked right away and the transition was as seamless as it could have been. These guys know what they're doing and are great teachers, so I feel really fortunate to have those guys in our room. All three of them of tremendous coaches, but they're also just great people."
- Looking back at spring practice, what are you most excited about from what you saw or accomplished as you head into the offseason and then on to fall camp? – "More than anything I loved their consistency and their attitudes. Spring ball can get long and wear on you. You look at it and only see 15 practices, but there's also all of the meeting time on every off-day. There's a lot to do and a lot work being done over the course of a month and a half. So I really liked the team's attention to detail and their ability to stay focused and engaged throughout the spring. It tells me that we have strong leadership in our room. The players held each other accountable and they pushed themselves to get better. Instead of allowing themselves to get complacent they stayed hungry. I feel strongly that if that attitude carries over to fall camp then we will put ourselves in a great position to do great things this season."
4. Is there anything coming out of spring practice that has you concerned or keeps you up at night? – "Honestly, nothing is keeping me up at night in terms of the progress we've made and the work we're doing here. Maybe one thing I keep thinking about, because it's an unknown, is the other coaches and I working together as a unit on Saturdays. Included in that is how the players and these coaches work together and interact on Saturdays. How will all of that play out? For instance, for myself, will I be on the field or in the booth? I've typically been an on-the-field guy, but it's something I have to think about as well in all of this. You really can't simulate that true game experience. So until we get to that point and build that comfort and continuity between coaches and between players and coaches, that will be the biggest hurdle for us heading into the season."
5. You mentioned deciding between coaching on the field and coaching from the booth. How will you decide that? – "I haven't figured it out 100%. Right now I'm leaning more towards being on the field. But that's what I've always done and I'm trying to keep an open mind because I think there can be solid arguments made on both side of that question. I do think you impact the players more when you're on the field. But then I think the quiet environment of the booth allows you to think and see things from a different perspective because you're not caught up in all of the emotion and intensity that the sideline provides. So we haven't figured that out yet, but we'll experiment with it during fall camp. There will be no experimenting once the season begins. I'll make a decision on what works best for us before the first game."
Extra Point: What do you see now with this team on the defensive side of the ball compared to when you first arrived in Chapel Hill? – "Two things. First, I think we're more athletic now then we were then. Second, I think we have better depth than we did then. Right now, across all positions, I think there's going to be some intense competition in fall camp to see who will be starting at multiple positions. For the first time since I've been here we have a real quality second group. There shouldn't be a dramatic drop-off when the first guy comes off the field during a game. When the second guy comes in we know he's going to be able to play. That will be huge for us as the season goes on because you'll never make it through the whole season without guys getting injured, and it's not realistic to play a guy 70 snaps in every game. If we have quality depth, and I think we do, we will be in position to take that next step as a unit. The leadership and the players we need to be great are in that locker room."
