May 11, 2004

By Lee Pace

Carolina's 15 sessions of spring practice provided some hope that the Tar Heels' defensive performance from the last two years is now just a bad nightmare. Carolina has gone from playing the best defense in the nation six short years ago (209 yards allowed per game in 1997) to playing one of the worst last fall (505 yards allowed in 2003).

A couple of snippets from Navy Field in March stand out:

Head coach John Bunting is watching from the sideline as sophomore defensive back Kareen Taylor breaks on a pass to a running back out of the backfield, positions himself, charges from his hips and lays the receiver quickly on the ground.

Bunting smiles.

"When's the last time we've seen that?" he wonders.

Defensive line coach Brad Lawing is sending his players through a post-practice conditioning drill. The players must charge around a plastic hoop on the ground, the hoop representing about the size of a foul circle on a basketball floor. They run two at a time around the hoop, the man to the rear attempting to catch the one ahead of him. A towering freshman named Khalif Mitchell never gets caught if he's in front and always catches the other guy if he's to the rear. His agility and burst are remarkable.

"When is the last time you've seen a 300-pounder move that fast?" asks Lawing. "Someone named Ellis maybe? Or Holliday?"

Everyone on defense is smiling a little more now that players legitimately evoking the memories of all-stars and eventual pros like Greg Ellis and Vonnie Holliday have arrived. Two players you can count on to be on the field when William & Mary comes to Chapel Hill on Sept. 4 are Mitchell and Taylor.

"The talent level on defense is the best we've had since 2001," Bunting says. "The leadership is as good as it's ever been. It's been a frustrating two years. I've never been through anything like it.

"But it can turn around quickly, though, if you've got the key guys."

Bunting has made getting those key guys his top priority as he seeks to restore the Tar Heels to competitiveness on the eve of the ACC arrival of Virginia Tech and Miami.

Two significant acquisitions are new co-coordinators on defense-John Gutekunst from South Carolina and Marvin Sanders from Nebraska. The new staff has given every player a clean slate from which to begin and has simplified the Xs-and-Os. In attempt to compensate for a lack of speed last season, Carolina employed a scheme that was quite intricate and called for frequent and mass substitutions. As the season evolved and the Tar Heels still couldn't effectively pressure the quarterback and had to pull back on the stunts, pressures and blitzes he called.

The Tar Heels started a different lineup in 23 of 24 games over two years-testament to problems with youth, injury, discipline and desperate groping to find something that would work. Hopefully they'll develop a solid core of players in 2004 and substitute more judiciously.

"That madness we did last year I don't think will ever happen again," Bunting says. "We were trying very hard to get the fastest team out there. Now with the direction we're going, we will have 90 percent of the people we need out there all the time. We will make maybe one or two substitutions, but not seven people for seven people."

The defensive staff is taking a "less is more" schematic approach, preferring to do a few things well than lots of things haphazardly.

"The scheme is way more simple," says sophomore linebacker Fred Sparkman. "Last year we might have one call and three or four different assignments for every formation. This year we have one or two assignments for every play. It gives everyone a chance to play fast, to not have to think as much."

Mitchell and Taylor are certainly two newcomers who can indeed play fast. Taylor played on special teams in 2003 as a true freshman and this spring played both safety positions as well as cornerback and nickel back. Mitchell will likely start at left end. Not only are both outstanding athletes, but they share a level of seriousness and a desire to learn beyond their age.

"Kareen is a great young man," says Bunting. "He has great football instincts. He's a fierce competitor. He had two interceptions in the spring game and on a couple other deep balls, he was right there with his receiver, covered him, turned, found the ball and knocked it down.

"And we're just scratching the surface with Khalif. He has all of the physical attributes, and he gives you everything he has on the practice field."

Taylor will find a spot in the secondary either as a starter or as the nickel back. Also starting will be Gerald Sensabaugh, the transfer from East Tennessee State. He played both No. 1 strong and free safety this spring. Mahlon Carey and D.J. Walker also were first-team safeties at different times during the spring. Jacoby Watkins is one of the fastest Tar Heels and played first-team corner along with Lionell Green for much of spring. Quinton Person also played first-team. Cedrick Holt saw limited action this spring as he continues to recover from a broken foot.

No matter who plays in the secondary, though, indications are they will tackle better than last year's unit. That's the thing that Bunting focused on most following the Blue-White Game April 3.

"I am really excited about the way we tackled in the secondary," Bunting said after the game. "That's as good as we've tackled in the secondary at least since 2001, maybe even better. I'm excited about that."

"We're going to continue to emphasize attacking the football and getting more interceptions," says Sanders. "And we're going to continue to emphasize tackling. We're the last line of defense. We have to become better tacklers. I really believe you get what you stress. We've stressed the importance of tackling. I really believe we will get better."

This will still be a young defense, no matter that it will be far more athletic. Two tackles sure to play extensively are sophomores Isaiah Thomas and Shelton Bynum. Two potential starting linebackers are sophomores Sparkman and Larry Edwards. A third potential starter at linebacker is Tommy Richardson, who has just moved to the position from safety. Red-shirt freshman Kyndraus Guy, who projects at defensive end, played on a limited basis this spring following shoulder surgery.

"Eight of 10 linemen, seven of nine linebackers are new," says Gutekunst. "You forget Larry Edwards is still a true freshman. But one thing we've asked for is great effort, and we've gotten that. And they all have pride. They are running hard and trying hard because, one, it's demanded of them, and two, they want to please. They don't want to loaf in front of their teammates. When you get to the point where they play hard because it matters so much because of the people around them, then you have a chance to be good."

Putting this defense back to 1997 standards is a complex equation. It's part talent. It's part scheme. It's part practice time and how it's allocated.

And it's certainly a function of the maturity and mental strength of the individuals being pounded 60 snaps a game. That mental toughness was a hallmark of those great 1996-97 defenses and of the ones Bunting has known as a player and coach at Carolina, Philadelphia as an NFL player and Kansas City, St. Louis and New Orleans as a linebackers coach.

"That's what this whole thing is about," Bunting says. "We have to develop more mental toughness on defense. People get tired of hearing me talk about it. But it's what this game is all about. You can have all of the physical talent in the world. You can be in the right place on the field. But if you're not mentally tough, you're not going to play well.

"Consistency is a part of that. Are you strong enough mentally to do things right-over and over and over again? I'm seeing signs of that now."

Welcome words for sure to legions of victory-starved Tar Heel fans.