By Lee Pace, GoHeels.com
The conditions Sunday afternoon in no way spoke to anything resembling springtime—35 degrees, gray skies, mounds of snow piled to the extremities of the Navy Field practice turf, some cold mist and drizzle the second hour. Nonetheless, Tar Heel coach Larry Fedora convened his team for the inauguration of spring football 2015. Only the onset of lightning, the fourth-year head coach said, would have grounded a team anxious to return to the field after a long winter.
The defensive half of the field included three new coaches and at least one player in a new position. Jason Tudryn, a former high school head coach, are working with the linemen.
Senior Joe Jackson in the defense’s new 4-3 alignment.
Sophomore quarterback Keith Heckendorf:
“My goal for Mitch is for him to know all the answers, not just know what[/I] we’re doing but know why[/I] we’re doing it. The biggest challenge is pushing Mitch to be able to recognize things pre- and post-snap at a faster pace so he’s able to anticipate. He should know where the ball’s going, where it needs to go two or three steps before the guy ever gets open. That’s the level I want him to be at. He’s anticipating[/I] guys being open, not waiting[/I] for them to get open. That’s a key part of taking his game to the next level. This is Mitch’s opportunity to show the team what he can do.
“Quise will be pushed in his mental capacity harder than ever been before. He’ll miss the physical element, but when you take something away, you can add somewhere else. We’re going to challenge his mental endurance this spring. How long can he stay focused? We’re going to ask him to lock in mentally on every snap—I.D. coverages pre-snap, verify coverages post-snap. I want him telling me where he’s going with the ball every single play. I want him to get as much out of spring ball as anyone. When he walks off the practice field I want him to be exhausted mentally from concentrating on every read and every play on every progression on every defense.
“Kanler and Caleb will both get more reps than they would have otherwise. It’s a great opportunity one of them to assert himself as to who is that next guy? My message is, ‘Your job is to beat Mitch out this spring. Mitch’s job is to try to separate from you guys.’ The idea is to create that constant competition in the room to make everyone better at the end of the day.
“I am anxious to see what Anthony can handle, what can he do mentally and physically? What is his character when things get tough and there’s a lot flying at him? How is he going to respond? I’ve told him, ‘Shoot, you should be taking reps at No. 2 this spring. Fight to take more snaps, show the team why you should be getting more snaps.’”
The Tar Heels were in shorts and helmets on Sunday and, according to NCAA contact rules, cannot go to full pads until their third practice session. The team will practice again this week on Tuesday and Thursday before taking a week off for spring break.
Notes:
• Number changes this spring: CB Taylor Vippolis from 29 to 87; CB Jalen Dickerson from 21 to 25.
• In addition to Chizik, Papuchis and Warren, the Tar Heels' defensive staff also includes Gerald McRath and quality control Dustin Landry. McRath played for Fedora at Southern Miss and was drafted by the Tennessee Titans where he spent four seasons. Landry worked with Chizik at Iowa State and Auburn.
Chapel Hill writer Lee Pace ([/I]leepace7@gmail.com[/I]) in his 25th year writing “Extra Points” and 11th reporting from the sidelines for the Tar Heel Sports Network. His unique look at Tar Heel football appear regularly throughout the year. Follow him on Twitter @LeePaceTweet.[/I]
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This post was edited on 3/3 10:32 AM by Tedensky
The conditions Sunday afternoon in no way spoke to anything resembling springtime—35 degrees, gray skies, mounds of snow piled to the extremities of the Navy Field practice turf, some cold mist and drizzle the second hour. Nonetheless, Tar Heel coach Larry Fedora convened his team for the inauguration of spring football 2015. Only the onset of lightning, the fourth-year head coach said, would have grounded a team anxious to return to the field after a long winter.
The defensive half of the field included three new coaches and at least one player in a new position. Jason Tudryn, a former high school head coach, are working with the linemen.
Senior Joe Jackson in the defense’s new 4-3 alignment.
Sophomore quarterback Keith Heckendorf:
“My goal for Mitch is for him to know all the answers, not just know what[/I] we’re doing but know why[/I] we’re doing it. The biggest challenge is pushing Mitch to be able to recognize things pre- and post-snap at a faster pace so he’s able to anticipate. He should know where the ball’s going, where it needs to go two or three steps before the guy ever gets open. That’s the level I want him to be at. He’s anticipating[/I] guys being open, not waiting[/I] for them to get open. That’s a key part of taking his game to the next level. This is Mitch’s opportunity to show the team what he can do.
“Quise will be pushed in his mental capacity harder than ever been before. He’ll miss the physical element, but when you take something away, you can add somewhere else. We’re going to challenge his mental endurance this spring. How long can he stay focused? We’re going to ask him to lock in mentally on every snap—I.D. coverages pre-snap, verify coverages post-snap. I want him telling me where he’s going with the ball every single play. I want him to get as much out of spring ball as anyone. When he walks off the practice field I want him to be exhausted mentally from concentrating on every read and every play on every progression on every defense.
“Kanler and Caleb will both get more reps than they would have otherwise. It’s a great opportunity one of them to assert himself as to who is that next guy? My message is, ‘Your job is to beat Mitch out this spring. Mitch’s job is to try to separate from you guys.’ The idea is to create that constant competition in the room to make everyone better at the end of the day.
“I am anxious to see what Anthony can handle, what can he do mentally and physically? What is his character when things get tough and there’s a lot flying at him? How is he going to respond? I’ve told him, ‘Shoot, you should be taking reps at No. 2 this spring. Fight to take more snaps, show the team why you should be getting more snaps.’”
The Tar Heels were in shorts and helmets on Sunday and, according to NCAA contact rules, cannot go to full pads until their third practice session. The team will practice again this week on Tuesday and Thursday before taking a week off for spring break.
Notes:
• Number changes this spring: CB Taylor Vippolis from 29 to 87; CB Jalen Dickerson from 21 to 25.
• In addition to Chizik, Papuchis and Warren, the Tar Heels' defensive staff also includes Gerald McRath and quality control Dustin Landry. McRath played for Fedora at Southern Miss and was drafted by the Tennessee Titans where he spent four seasons. Landry worked with Chizik at Iowa State and Auburn.
Chapel Hill writer Lee Pace ([/I]leepace7@gmail.com[/I]) in his 25th year writing “Extra Points” and 11th reporting from the sidelines for the Tar Heel Sports Network. His unique look at Tar Heel football appear regularly throughout the year. Follow him on Twitter @LeePaceTweet.[/I]
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This post was edited on 3/3 10:32 AM by Tedensky
