University of North Carolina Athletics
GoHeels Exclusive: Boone on the Outside Linebackers
May 2, 2019 | Football, Featured Writers
By Pat James, GoHeels.com
In new North Carolina defensive coordinator Jay Bateman's multiple-front scheme, a premium is placed on versatility, perhaps more than any other trait.
But at no position is it stressed more than at outside linebacker.
With quarterbacks throwing the ball quicker and more accurate than ever before in an effort to get it to skill players in space, the days of defenses trying to generate pressure with just down linemen are essentially over. Instead, many coaches such as Bateman use coverage disguises and a variety of blitzes to create confusion and wreak havoc.
A key component to that is having outside linebackers who can be a stand-up end and rush the quarterback and are also capable of dropping into coverage. Such players are commonly called hybrids. And this spring, the coaching staff identified a few players who might fill that role.
Among them are Chris Collins, Tomon Fox, Jake Lawler and Dominique Ross, all of whom possess similar size, speed, strength and athleticism.
"It's kind of just bouncing around," said Ross earlier this spring. "Coach Bateman wants me to win with my athleticism, so that's what I'm trying to do. … (My reps are) split half and half (between outside linebacker and rush end). I've been playing linebacker so he just wants to see me and see what I can do with my athleticism."
A defensive end during his first three years in Chapel Hill, Fox, a rising redshirt junior, lined up with his hand in the dirt on almost every snap. During spring practice, he estimated he was standing up for about 95 percent of his snaps.
"I just have a more fluid job," Fox said. "I have a lot more responsibility in the pass game and also up front. I play interior a lot, too. I'm just very multiple."
By standing up, the outside linebackers in Bateman's scheme can use their lateral quickness more effectively against bigger offensive linemen. Having that advantage surely took some getting used to not only for Fox, but also Collins and Lawler, both former defensive linemen.
That's not all they needed to become accustomed to.
"The biggest adjustment for all those guys was the ability to play with pad level from a two-point stance," said Scott Boone, UNC's outside linebackers coach and special teams coordinator. "So that's something we work on constantly is just making sure that they can play with pad level and still accomplish the goals that we have for them from a position."
The first rule of Bateman's defense is everyone's a blitzer. But it's particularly vital that the outside linebacker can rush the passer. If you can't, he said "you get moved." Bateman also wants those players to be violent edge setters and handle pass-coverage duties, sometimes against slot receivers.
"It's hard to find one guy who can do all that …" he said. "So for me, what we try to do is instead of trying to find one guy who does everything OK, I try to have a bunch of guys who can do a lot of skills really well.
"I look at it like a bullpen a little bit. You've got to have one guy who can get a lefty out in the eighth inning. And you've got to have a guy who can close the game."
During the spring game, Bateman said there were times when Collins, Fox and Lawler were on the field together. That doesn't mean that'll be the case this fall because who plays when "depends on who we're playing and what's the best scenario for our health and all of that stuff."
In addition to taking the opposing quarterback out of his rhythm, Bateman strongly emphasizes stopping the run. One might think that the outside linebackers who transitioned from defensive end won't be as physical when they have to manage so many more responsibilities. But Boone said that's a misconception.
"I think we want our guys to be more physical than they've ever been," he said. "Just the defense we're going to be playing is going to allow those guys when they're in the run fit to be more physical because they have less things to worry about.
"We're saying, 'Hey, you're not going to have to do both. You're going to either be a run defender and your responsibility will be very clear. So you can be physical and strike and play with low pads and then react to anything else you might see other than what we've put in for that defense.'"
The opportunity to do all of that and demonstrate their versatility is one Ross and his fellow outside linebackers are embracing.
"It is (exciting) to see (Bateman) use everybody at their best ability," Ross said. "It just makes me feel more special because I can help the team in a lot of different ways and use my God-given talent."
