University of North Carolina Athletics
GoHeels Exclusive: Cross Talks Defensive Line
May 10, 2019 | Football, Featured Writers
By Pat James, GoHeels.com
Once the owner of a 1979 Ford Bronco, North Carolina defensive line coach Tim Cross used to regularly come across newer cars that he couldn't help but wish were his.
He'd then get back in his Bronco, which lacked air conditioning and featured windows that wouldn't roll down. It wasn't much, he said. But it was all he had. And as such, he did everything to ensure that car stayed in the best possible condition.
"I'd be like, 'This is what I've got. So guess what?,'" Cross said. "'I'm going to keep it clean. It's going to be the best Bronco you've ever seen. And it's mine. And if it's mine, I'm going to love it and take care of it.'"
Similarly, with potential starters Allen Cater, Tyrone Hopper and Jason Strowbridge sidelined throughout spring practice with injuries, Cross told his players to focus on those who could practice and to not dwell on those who couldn't. By doing so, they displayed the quality that Cross is most encouraged by entering the 2019 season.
"I think what I like most about (the defensive line room) is that they're 100 percent behind each other," he said. "Right now, Aaron Crawford had a great spring. Jahlil Taylor really improved. All of those guys made strides to get better.
"As far as some of the guys who aren't there, just like I told them, you can't worry about who isn't there until they get there. They had a great time of learning what was going on with the new scheme and learning personnel and learning different fundamentals. So they're growing and they're coming."
Over the last four seasons, UNC has primarily run a 4-3 defense. But under new defensive coordinator Jay Bateman, the Tar Heels will employ multiple fronts in an effort to test the opposing offensive line on every snap.
Because only so many techniques and alignments exist, Cross said how he coaches a multiple-front defense is no different than how he teaches a 4-3 or 3-4 scheme. A defensive lineman still ends up playing an inside shade, an outside shade or head up.
"I think you find out what each guy does best and put him in that position," Cross said. "As far as the issues it gives offenses, there are so many different things (they can do). It's an offensive world, so they can run down field and throw the ball, they can do all kinds of stuff. So as many things as we can give them to think about, I think it benefits us."
With so many moving pieces up front – including players such as Tomon Fox and Dominique Ross being asked to line up as a stand-up end and rush the quarterback and to also drop into coverage – communication is paramount. That's especially true for the interior linemen.
"Whatever call is signaled in, everybody echoes it," Cross said. "If there's some kind of a check, you'll see them tap their leg like, 'I've got it, I've got it.' The guys in the middle can sometimes be the forgotten men when it comes to the talk. But what they have to do is one guy hears it and he echoes it down the line."
Having a player of Crawford's experience will surely help in that area.
Despite playing just seven total snaps last season because of an injury, Crawford is tied with Charlie Heck for first on the team in returning career starts (22). Previously, he predominantly lined up on the inside shoulder of the guard. Now, he'll line up directly over the center, where he said he's most comfortable and has flexibility in his pursuit.
"He is a big, physical guy who has a very, very high motor getting to the ball," Cross said. "But even more impressive, he's a graduate and his football IQ is really off the chart. It's unbelievable what he knows instinctively, what he wants to know scheme-wise and how he's able to implement it from play to play. He's an impressive young man."
Crawford said the main challenges he and his teammates have faced in the new defense have been getting used to the terminology the coaches use and how they want them to line up. But, he added, "ball is ball. There are only so many defenses you can run. You can change up the people who are coming and you can change where you line up. But at the end of the day, you're either in a four-man front, a five-man front or a three-man front."
One aspect of the defense that's different from past years, though, is Bateman's aggressiveness. And that certainly appeals to the players along the defensive line.
"Every single play, we're going," Crawford said. "I know my first two years we were more of a react team as far as playing on the line of scrimmage and holding the gaps and everything like that. But now, everything is upfield and we're attacking every single play.
