University of North Carolina Athletics
Photo by: UNC Athletic Communications
GoHeels Exclusive: Putting In The Time
May 21, 2020 | Football, Featured Writers
By Pat James, GoHeels.com
Before the announcement was even made in November 2018 that he'd been hired to his first college coaching job as North Carolina's cornerbacks coach, Dré Bly knew he'd have doubters.
An 11-year NFL veteran and 2014 College Football Hall of Fame inductee, Bly clearly had a deep understanding of how to play cornerback. Some people, however, questioned if Bly could relate to players not of his caliber, as is often the case for players-turned-coaches.
Ultimately, such concerns proved to be unfounded, as Bly helped the Tar Heels' defense go from one of the ACC's worst to one of its best last season.
"There are a lot of people who say former players can't coach because we don't want to put in the time," said Bly in a videoconference with reporters on Monday. "But the Xs and Os part, we can do just as good as any other dude who is out there coaching. It's just a matter of us doing it.
"Once I knew I could do it … I knew I would be able to help (Jay Bateman) with what he was trying to teach and do the best I could do for my position. That's the only thing I was really focused on was making sure my corners were prepared and that those guys knew their position and knew their plays. That's the only thing I was worried about in my first year coaching."
Even though there was plenty else that could have easily concerned him.
Due to injuries and departures, UNC went through most of spring ball last year with only five scholarship cornerbacks working through drills. By the time training camp arrived, Carolina finally appeared to have viable depth at the position. But that quickly changed once the season began, as Patrice Rene played less than three full halves before suffering a season-ending ACL tear and Trey Morrison and Tre Shaw combined to miss 10 games because of various injuries.
Despite so much attrition, not only at cornerback but at safety, Bateman and Bly still managed to get the most out the secondary. True freshmen such as Storm Duck, Don Chapman, Obi Egbuna and Giovanni Biggers showed signs of promise, while veterans such as D.J. Ford, DeAndre Hollins, Greg Ross and Javon Terry each improved.
All but Ross return for the 2020 season. And although the Tar Heels will also be without Myles Dorn, transfers Kyler McMichael (Clemson) and Bryce Watts (Virginia Tech) will be eligible to play. Throw in a group of talented newcomers, as well as a healthy Myles Wolfolk, Cam'Ron Kelly and Bryson Richardson, and Carolina should have the secondary depth it so desperately lacked last season.
Bly emphasized how important that will be, allowing UNC to be more creative by employing packages with six or seven defensive backs.
"Coach Bateman and I are very excited about what that will look like for us," he said. "It's going to allow us to try different things, and hopefully it will lead to better matchups for us defensively when we're playing faster teams or teams with multiple receiver packages."
Perhaps no single cornerback could have as much of an impact on Carolina's defensive game-planning as the 6-foot-2, 208-pound Rene, who brings an added element of size to the secondary.
As a junior in 2018, Rene showed signs of becoming a lockdown corner. The Ottawa, Canada native allowed 20 catches on 50 targets, good for the third-lowest completion percentage (40 percent) among ACC corners (min. 250 coverage snaps), according to Pro Football Focus (PFF). His 41.3 passer rating allowed in coverage was also the fourth lowest among ACC corners.
Coming off such a successful season, Rene seemed destined for an even bigger year in 2019. Unfortunately, a right ACL tear in the second game of the season against Miami derailed him. But Bly is optimistic about Rene picking up where he left off.
"I think he was trending in the right direction and was going to have a great year, but he had that injury against Miami," Bly said. "But (Rene) has done a lot of great things and I think he's handled his situation with me being the fourth corners coach (in the last five years) probably better than anybody. He's done a tremendous job.
"I'm excited to see what happens for Patrice this fall because he had another setback with the ACL injury and he could have chose to go back home or give up football or do a lot of different things, but he chose to stick with it and he's been more positive than anybody about coming back and what this season is going to look like for him. … I couldn't ask for anything more out of Patrice. I'm excited what the future holds for him."
As well as for Duck.
With Rene sidelined last season, Duck was thrust into a starting role and performed admirably. The true freshman posted 37 tackles, two tackles for loss and one quarterback hurry, and finished second on the team with five pass breakups and two interceptions. All that led to a 78.7 defensive grade, the third best among returning ACC corners (min. 106 snaps), according to PFF.
"Storm was a guy who came in with a great mindset, and he's smart and he worked every day," Bly said. "I was able to see growth throughout the year, from the first day to the last. I was telling my corners the other day it was a tremendous change from what they looked like in the very first game to what we were looking like the last three or four games of the year, and it was a tribute to those guys' work ethic and confidence and dedication. And Storm was one of those guys who was right at the top."
Duck and Rene figure to be the Tar Heels' primary outside corners, with Morrison expected to split his time between the outside and nickel. But McMichael and Watts will also likely be in the mix on the outside.
Watts boasts by far the most experience of the two transfers, having appeared in 25 games at Virginia Tech between 2017 and 2018, making 12 starts. Bly said Watts, 6-foot and 168 pounds, plays with a lot of confidence, runs well and possesses length. His ball skills, however, might be what set him apart.
"I think he's a guy who can make plays on the ball," Bly said. "We were able to see some of that throughout the fall on scout team whenever he was in there. I know we're all excited about seeing him having the chance to compete for a position and playing time. I know our guys who are coming back are very aware of him stepping into the lineup and him competing for a spot."
The No. 56 player in the Class of 2018 according to 247Sports, McMichael made two tackles while playing in 12 games in his lone season at Clemson. What the 6-foot-1, 200-pounder lacks in experience and production, though, he makes up for with size and strength.
"The dude is built like Herschel Walker. …" Bly said. "He's one of those dudes who when he walks in the room, all heads are going to turn in his direction because he has that appearance. Because of that, we're excited to see what he looks like. He as well had a chance to compete in the fall on the scout team, and he showed some great things.Â
"(Watts and McMichael) might be two of the fastest dudes on the team. They will be able to run with a lot of guys out there on game day. That kind of helps us with the deep ball and playing it better. We're excited about them. We can throw out any two or three guys between those two and Patrice Rene, Storm Duck and (DeAndre) Hollins and be happy with the results that we get."
Bly's biggest point of emphasis for the corners this offseason has been getting them to be more consistent in their technique. That hasn't been the easiest thing to accomplish with spring practices cancelled due to the coronavirus pandemic. But while Bly's group surely would've benefitted from that time with him, it might not be as affected as other position groups will be.
"We've pretty much got an idea of what to expect, talent-wise," Bly said. "It's just putting them all out there and figuring out who is going to be in which spots. There are no surprises. We pretty much have an idea of what we have on the back end, at my position."
Carolina fans and players alike also know what they have in their corners coach.
Before the announcement was even made in November 2018 that he'd been hired to his first college coaching job as North Carolina's cornerbacks coach, Dré Bly knew he'd have doubters.
An 11-year NFL veteran and 2014 College Football Hall of Fame inductee, Bly clearly had a deep understanding of how to play cornerback. Some people, however, questioned if Bly could relate to players not of his caliber, as is often the case for players-turned-coaches.
Ultimately, such concerns proved to be unfounded, as Bly helped the Tar Heels' defense go from one of the ACC's worst to one of its best last season.
"There are a lot of people who say former players can't coach because we don't want to put in the time," said Bly in a videoconference with reporters on Monday. "But the Xs and Os part, we can do just as good as any other dude who is out there coaching. It's just a matter of us doing it.
"Once I knew I could do it … I knew I would be able to help (Jay Bateman) with what he was trying to teach and do the best I could do for my position. That's the only thing I was really focused on was making sure my corners were prepared and that those guys knew their position and knew their plays. That's the only thing I was worried about in my first year coaching."
Even though there was plenty else that could have easily concerned him.
Due to injuries and departures, UNC went through most of spring ball last year with only five scholarship cornerbacks working through drills. By the time training camp arrived, Carolina finally appeared to have viable depth at the position. But that quickly changed once the season began, as Patrice Rene played less than three full halves before suffering a season-ending ACL tear and Trey Morrison and Tre Shaw combined to miss 10 games because of various injuries.
Despite so much attrition, not only at cornerback but at safety, Bateman and Bly still managed to get the most out the secondary. True freshmen such as Storm Duck, Don Chapman, Obi Egbuna and Giovanni Biggers showed signs of promise, while veterans such as D.J. Ford, DeAndre Hollins, Greg Ross and Javon Terry each improved.
All but Ross return for the 2020 season. And although the Tar Heels will also be without Myles Dorn, transfers Kyler McMichael (Clemson) and Bryce Watts (Virginia Tech) will be eligible to play. Throw in a group of talented newcomers, as well as a healthy Myles Wolfolk, Cam'Ron Kelly and Bryson Richardson, and Carolina should have the secondary depth it so desperately lacked last season.
Bly emphasized how important that will be, allowing UNC to be more creative by employing packages with six or seven defensive backs.
"Coach Bateman and I are very excited about what that will look like for us," he said. "It's going to allow us to try different things, and hopefully it will lead to better matchups for us defensively when we're playing faster teams or teams with multiple receiver packages."
Perhaps no single cornerback could have as much of an impact on Carolina's defensive game-planning as the 6-foot-2, 208-pound Rene, who brings an added element of size to the secondary.
As a junior in 2018, Rene showed signs of becoming a lockdown corner. The Ottawa, Canada native allowed 20 catches on 50 targets, good for the third-lowest completion percentage (40 percent) among ACC corners (min. 250 coverage snaps), according to Pro Football Focus (PFF). His 41.3 passer rating allowed in coverage was also the fourth lowest among ACC corners.
Coming off such a successful season, Rene seemed destined for an even bigger year in 2019. Unfortunately, a right ACL tear in the second game of the season against Miami derailed him. But Bly is optimistic about Rene picking up where he left off.
"I think he was trending in the right direction and was going to have a great year, but he had that injury against Miami," Bly said. "But (Rene) has done a lot of great things and I think he's handled his situation with me being the fourth corners coach (in the last five years) probably better than anybody. He's done a tremendous job.
"I'm excited to see what happens for Patrice this fall because he had another setback with the ACL injury and he could have chose to go back home or give up football or do a lot of different things, but he chose to stick with it and he's been more positive than anybody about coming back and what this season is going to look like for him. … I couldn't ask for anything more out of Patrice. I'm excited what the future holds for him."
As well as for Duck.
With Rene sidelined last season, Duck was thrust into a starting role and performed admirably. The true freshman posted 37 tackles, two tackles for loss and one quarterback hurry, and finished second on the team with five pass breakups and two interceptions. All that led to a 78.7 defensive grade, the third best among returning ACC corners (min. 106 snaps), according to PFF.
"Storm was a guy who came in with a great mindset, and he's smart and he worked every day," Bly said. "I was able to see growth throughout the year, from the first day to the last. I was telling my corners the other day it was a tremendous change from what they looked like in the very first game to what we were looking like the last three or four games of the year, and it was a tribute to those guys' work ethic and confidence and dedication. And Storm was one of those guys who was right at the top."
Duck and Rene figure to be the Tar Heels' primary outside corners, with Morrison expected to split his time between the outside and nickel. But McMichael and Watts will also likely be in the mix on the outside.
Watts boasts by far the most experience of the two transfers, having appeared in 25 games at Virginia Tech between 2017 and 2018, making 12 starts. Bly said Watts, 6-foot and 168 pounds, plays with a lot of confidence, runs well and possesses length. His ball skills, however, might be what set him apart.
"I think he's a guy who can make plays on the ball," Bly said. "We were able to see some of that throughout the fall on scout team whenever he was in there. I know we're all excited about seeing him having the chance to compete for a position and playing time. I know our guys who are coming back are very aware of him stepping into the lineup and him competing for a spot."
The No. 56 player in the Class of 2018 according to 247Sports, McMichael made two tackles while playing in 12 games in his lone season at Clemson. What the 6-foot-1, 200-pounder lacks in experience and production, though, he makes up for with size and strength.
"The dude is built like Herschel Walker. …" Bly said. "He's one of those dudes who when he walks in the room, all heads are going to turn in his direction because he has that appearance. Because of that, we're excited to see what he looks like. He as well had a chance to compete in the fall on the scout team, and he showed some great things.Â
"(Watts and McMichael) might be two of the fastest dudes on the team. They will be able to run with a lot of guys out there on game day. That kind of helps us with the deep ball and playing it better. We're excited about them. We can throw out any two or three guys between those two and Patrice Rene, Storm Duck and (DeAndre) Hollins and be happy with the results that we get."
Bly's biggest point of emphasis for the corners this offseason has been getting them to be more consistent in their technique. That hasn't been the easiest thing to accomplish with spring practices cancelled due to the coronavirus pandemic. But while Bly's group surely would've benefitted from that time with him, it might not be as affected as other position groups will be.
"We've pretty much got an idea of what to expect, talent-wise," Bly said. "It's just putting them all out there and figuring out who is going to be in which spots. There are no surprises. We pretty much have an idea of what we have on the back end, at my position."
Carolina fans and players alike also know what they have in their corners coach.
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