UNC puts dismal season in the past
February, 19, 2015
11:00AM ET
By Andrea Adelson | ESPN.com
After an uninspired bowl performance punctuated a disappointing season, several North Carolina players lashed out in frustration, describing a locker room divided between players who cared, and players who did not.
In the aftermath, coach Larry Fedora held a team meeting when the players returned to campus following winter break. He asked each player and coach to write down what he thought the biggest problems were on the 2014 team. Then he asked them to discuss in one big, group vent session.
"I wanted to make sure every guy in that room had a voice, that every guy in that room got to say what he believed the problem was, and there was a variety of problems," Fedora said in a telephone interview with ESPN.com.
Fedora declined to discuss the specific problems that were addressed, but admitted the team had issues to resolve before it could look ahead to 2015.
"Any time you don't have success, it magnifies the issues that you have," he said. "It was very important we talk about them, and recognize the problems and the issues that each guy on the team felt like we had, and then we felt it was very important to own those problems and try to recognize what caused those problems, so they don't happen in the future.
"There were some guys that were very frustrated at the end of the season and rightly so because we weren't playing the type of ball we needed to be playing.
North Carolina went into 2014 as favorites to win the Coastal Division. But instead, the Tar Heels finished 6-7 and ended up with one of the worst defenses in school history. They were maddeningly inconsistent. Example: They showed up big against Duke, but failed to show against NC State the following week.
"I'm responsible for the whole thing, so I had to own all the problems that all our players and staff felt like we had last year," Fedora said. "I was not successful last year. But I owned all those problems and put them to bed and we're moving forward trying to make sure we don't have those same problems this year."
Fedora made big changes to his defensive coaching staff as a big step toward fixing the biggest on-field issues. Former Auburn coach Gene Chizik is in as defensive coordinator, leaving his job as a television and radio broadcaster for a shot to revitalize a talented but underachieving group.
Former Nebraska defensive coordinator John Papuchis has also joined the staff. Fedora also has reportedly hired former Nebraska assistant Charlton Warren, and could be losing defensive line coach Keith Gilmore to Notre Dame.
North Carolina will switch to a base 4-3 defense, hoping that alignment will provide better results. The Tar Heels return 10 starters on offense, so if the defense shows improvement, North Carolina could be a team to watch. Plus, Fedora believes the vent session lifted a weight off his players. "It was really good for everybody," he said. "We worked through all those issues, and I think they're just excited about getting started again in this new year."
Will a new year mean heightened expectations but disappointing results? This team must prove it knows how to play -- and win -- consistently. That has not been the case the last two seasons. A unified locker room and defensive staff changes are two major steps toward getting there.
"I don't know what everybody on the outside world is going to think," Fedora said. "I know inside, we believe we have the ability to win the Coastal Division and that's going to be our goal for this upcoming year."
February, 19, 2015
11:00AM ET
By Andrea Adelson | ESPN.com
After an uninspired bowl performance punctuated a disappointing season, several North Carolina players lashed out in frustration, describing a locker room divided between players who cared, and players who did not.
In the aftermath, coach Larry Fedora held a team meeting when the players returned to campus following winter break. He asked each player and coach to write down what he thought the biggest problems were on the 2014 team. Then he asked them to discuss in one big, group vent session.
"I wanted to make sure every guy in that room had a voice, that every guy in that room got to say what he believed the problem was, and there was a variety of problems," Fedora said in a telephone interview with ESPN.com.
Fedora declined to discuss the specific problems that were addressed, but admitted the team had issues to resolve before it could look ahead to 2015.
"Any time you don't have success, it magnifies the issues that you have," he said. "It was very important we talk about them, and recognize the problems and the issues that each guy on the team felt like we had, and then we felt it was very important to own those problems and try to recognize what caused those problems, so they don't happen in the future.
"There were some guys that were very frustrated at the end of the season and rightly so because we weren't playing the type of ball we needed to be playing.
North Carolina went into 2014 as favorites to win the Coastal Division. But instead, the Tar Heels finished 6-7 and ended up with one of the worst defenses in school history. They were maddeningly inconsistent. Example: They showed up big against Duke, but failed to show against NC State the following week.
"I'm responsible for the whole thing, so I had to own all the problems that all our players and staff felt like we had last year," Fedora said. "I was not successful last year. But I owned all those problems and put them to bed and we're moving forward trying to make sure we don't have those same problems this year."
Fedora made big changes to his defensive coaching staff as a big step toward fixing the biggest on-field issues. Former Auburn coach Gene Chizik is in as defensive coordinator, leaving his job as a television and radio broadcaster for a shot to revitalize a talented but underachieving group.
Former Nebraska defensive coordinator John Papuchis has also joined the staff. Fedora also has reportedly hired former Nebraska assistant Charlton Warren, and could be losing defensive line coach Keith Gilmore to Notre Dame.
North Carolina will switch to a base 4-3 defense, hoping that alignment will provide better results. The Tar Heels return 10 starters on offense, so if the defense shows improvement, North Carolina could be a team to watch. Plus, Fedora believes the vent session lifted a weight off his players. "It was really good for everybody," he said. "We worked through all those issues, and I think they're just excited about getting started again in this new year."
Will a new year mean heightened expectations but disappointing results? This team must prove it knows how to play -- and win -- consistently. That has not been the case the last two seasons. A unified locker room and defensive staff changes are two major steps toward getting there.
"I don't know what everybody on the outside world is going to think," Fedora said. "I know inside, we believe we have the ability to win the Coastal Division and that's going to be our goal for this upcoming year."
