April 9, 2004

by Adam Lucas
Tar Heel Monthly

They're coming off a 2-10 season. The last time anyone saw them, they were wrapping up an embarrassing home loss to Duke. They haven't been to a bowl game since the 2001 Peach Bowl.

So why are John Bunting's Tar Heels smiling?

Spring practice can sometimes be a grind. The weather is usually less than ideal, the drills are tiresome, and games are still over four months away. But standing on the practice field this spring, most observers came away with a surprising observation: this is a team excited about playing football again.

"This spring has been the best of any that I've been here," senior center Jason Brown said. "The attitude of the whole team is higher than it's ever been before."

But why? There wasn't a huge infusion of talent, as defensive end Khalif Mitchell, Gerald Sensabaugh, Scott Brumett and Terry Hunter were the only new additions since the conclusion of the 2003 season.

There was some turnover, however, in the coaching staff. Sometimes change is good just for the sake of change, and that seems to be what has happened for Carolina. New defensive co-coordinators Marvin Sanders and John Gutekunst spent the spring focusing on the fundamentals rather than installing anything complex, and the simple approach has increased the opportunity to succeed for a much-maligned defense.

The changes created significantly more takeaways during the spring sessions. But they also had a somewhat unexpected impact on Carolina's offensive players.

"Once I saw our defense play, my whole attitude changed," wide receiver Adarius Bowman said. "Those guys are doing great. They're making plays, making interceptions, getting fumbles, and we didn't have much of that last season. It's made us a brand new team. We can't just run over the defense in practice anymore."

Secondary concern: It's not just putting players in the right spot to make plays that has been an emphasis this spring. For the second straight year, tackling has been heavily emphasized, especially in the secondary. Bunting thinks his squad made significant progress in that area, especially with contributions from some notable youngsters. Kareen Taylor moved from safety to cornerback and with a stellar spring, may have vaulted himself into contention for the starting nickelback slot this fall.

"We're a better tackling team in the secondary than we've been since at least 2001," the head coach said. "The athletes are more mature and we have emphasized that every day."

Senior leaders: With the help of Corey Holliday, Bunting instituted a leadership program for his seniors during the offseason. The Tar Heels have key seniors on both sides of the ball, including Brown and Darian Durant on offense and Chase Page on defense, who are expected to provide a steadying hand in 2004.

"We want to ensure there is a positive environment around here at all times," Brown said. "We have to have every single one of the guys buy into the program. That's going to build confidence."

Both Brown and Durant said they had made a conscious effort to spend more time around the Kenan Football Center in an effort to get to know their teammates, prompt better team chemistry, and lead vocally rather than simply by example.

Wrapping up the spring: Adarius Bowman focused on his flexibility in offseason workouts with strength coach Jeff Connors. "We spent a lot of time in the hallway outside the weight room doing the dot drill and the ladder drill," Bowman said. "I'm a lot quicker and more flexible."...Chase Page thinks Khalif Mitchell reminds him of a former teammate. "I hate to make the comparison," said Page, who thinks he had the best spring practice of his career. "But Khalif kind of reminds me of (Julius) Peppers. He's raw, and he doesn't really know what he's doing right now, but he's so physically talented."...Ken Browning praised Jocques Dumas's blocking from the tight end position and said East Tennessee transfer Scott Brumett had shown enough progress to prove that he belongs at tight end rather than another position. Browning expects to play three tight ends or more this fall...The Tar Heels will play more of the over front defensively in 2004 as they adjust their scheme to fit their personnel...Cornerback Chris Hawkins was dismissed from the team for violating team rules.