Eyes on Albert
The UVa offensive lineman is moving up on NFL draft charts.
Doug Doughty

To believe some NFL draft projections, Virginia offensive linemen Branden Albert will be one of those early picks whose every movement is televised as he accepts congratulations from his family, strides across a stage to shake hands with commissioner Roger Goodell and dons the hat of his new organization.

The TV cameras might be looking for Albert but they're not going to find him, not unless they're set up for a remote broadcast.

Albert will be in Edgewood, Md., at the home of his older brother and "father figure," Ashley Sims, a former University of Maryland linebacker.

Albert is the quintessential "late riser" in this year's draft, a player whose stock has jumped so quickly that he was not included on a list of early picks who were invited to New York for Saturday's festivities.

"Not going to New York, I'm not mad at that," Albert said Tuesday. "That's fine with me. Why would it would it bother me? When I was coming out of school, people had me projected as a second-round pick or maybe a third-round pick.

"If I go top five, I'll be happy. If I go top 10, I'll be happy. If I go top 20, I'll be happy."

Albert (6-foot-7, 316 pounds) announced following Virginia's appearance in the Gator Bowl that he would not be returning for his final year of eligibility. While he was optimistic that he would play at the next level, there were other factors involved in his decision, including his age (23).

"I knew I had the potential to be a first-round pick," he said, "but, coming out as a junior, you never know if people are really paying attention to you. I thought I might go in the second round or late first round, but to be where I am right now, no, I didn't think so."

Albert became a household name when ESPN draft analyst Mel Kiper listed him at No. 5 on his "big board." He is one of two Virginia players expected to go in the first round, along with his UVa co-captain Chris Long.

Long was mentioned as the possible first pick overall until it was announced that the Miami Dolphins, who own that selection, had reached agreement with University of Michigan offensive lineman Jake Long.

Draft analysts figure the first team that could pick Albert would be Kansas City, which has the No. 5 pick overall and has serious needs on the offensive line.

Albert started all 35 of Virginia's games in his three years in the Cavaliers' program. Thirty-three of those starts came at left guard. An injury to Eugene Monroe prompted UVa to move Albert to left tackle against Pittsburgh and Middle Tennessee State.

Those two games provided NFL scouts with evidence that he wasn't strictly a guard and could play elsewhere on the line.

"That's one of the really attractive features about Branden," UVa coach Al Groh said Tuesday. "The reason he was a guard here was that he and Eugene were in the same [recruiting] class and Eugene had been a left tackle. So, Branden moved to guard, but he has tackle skills."

Albert moved from Rochester, N.Y., to live with Sims in Maryland before his senior year in high school, which was his first season of varsity football. He had always been a basketball player and says that his pass-blocking skills came from playing post defense in basketball.

"It's a wonderful story," Groh said. "His brother said, 'If you're going to live here, you're going to play football.' It was toward the end of the recruiting process that we came across some long-range, grainy tape. He was really raw, but we brought him for a visit and, in talking to him, he sold us."

Albert did not become an academic qualifier until he spent the 2004-2005 school year at Hargrave Military Academy, where he played for coach Robert Prunty.

"Hey, listen, I'm just being straight up with you," said Prunty in a December 2004 interview. "Branden Albert probably is going to be the best player I've ever coached. Ahmad [Brooks] was a great player, but he's [Albert] got so much growth in him. He can be so good, it's scary. He's big-time, trust me."

Albert has visited with Chiefs officials in Kansas City, but that's only one of 10 franchises who have hosted him for visits since his impressive performance at the NFL Scouting Combine in February. He said he has not received any hints that the Chiefs might take him.

It wouldn't bother him to play for the two NFL franchises closest to his adopted home. The Baltimore Ravens draft eighth and the Washington Redskins select 21st.

Chances are that Albert will be gone by the time the Redskins pick -- they could always draft up -- but veteran 'Skins offensive-line coach Joe Bugel is a personal favorite.

"I met him at the combine, he came to my pro-day workout [in Charlottesville] and then I went to Washington for a visit last weekend and he's just a genuine guy," Albert said. "After dinner, he dropped me off at the hotel and he talked to me like a friend, not a coach. He's a legend, too. He impressed me the most.

"That would be very cool if I got to play for the Ravens or Redskins."

U.Va. guard is a hot prospect no one saw coming
Posted to: College Football Sports
Branden Albert
By Ed Miller
The Virginian-Pilot
© April 23, 2008

Two games do not a career make, but it appears they're about to make Branden Albert a lot of money.

Albert started 35 games at guard for Virginia over the last three seasons. He was voted All-ACC in 2007 after being named an honorable mention in 2006. It's two games he played at left tackle, though, that have helped turn Albert into one of the fastest-rising prospects in the NFL draft.

At 6-foot-7 and 315 pounds, Albert is built like a tackle. With his basketball background and agile footwork, he moves like a tackle. Not until starter Eugene Monroe went down with an injury in October, however, did Albert get the chance to show how seamlessly he could make the move to tackle.

Those games, along with Albert's impressive performance at the NFL combine and in individual workouts since, have made him a likely first-round - and possible top 10 - selection in Saturday's draft.

"It helped me out a lot, those two games at left tackle," Albert said Tuesday, in a conference call with reporters. "You can't really evaluate a person from that, but you can see their potential."

Albert oozes it. At 23, he's been playing football for only six years. His raw talent and ability to play either tackle or guard have sent him rocketing up many mock draft boards. Mel Kiper of ESPN has Albert going No. 5 to the Chiefs. The Associated Press predicts he'll go No. 7, to New England.

That's heady stuff for a player who said after the season, when he opted to leave Virginia with a year of eligibility remaining, that he merely hoped to be picked in the first two rounds.

For a guard, even one as accomplished as Albert, that was an ambitious goal. Just two guards were selected in the first two rounds last year, and none went in the first 28 picks. Guards generally don't merit the high picks and big salaries that go along with them. Tackles - particularly left tackles, who are charged with protecting the blind side of most quarterbacks - are another story.

"He's got tackle skills," Virginia coach Al Groh said Tuesday. "The reason Branden was a guard here is because he and Eugene Monroe came in in the same class. Gene was a high school left tackle, and we put him where it was a comfortable fit for him."

Albert was immediately a comfortable fit at left guard, starting as a true freshman in 2005, alongside All-American tackle D'Brickashaw Ferguson, the No. 4 pick in the 2006 draft.

Albert was arguably the biggest surprise of Virginia's recruiting class, a little-known player who became an instant starter.

Many Cavalier fans know the story. How Albert's mother, wanting to get him out of a rough neighborhood in Rochester, N.Y., sent him to Glen Burnie, Md., to live with his older brother. How Albert's brother, a former Maryland player, convinced the hulking youngster to go out for football in the 11th grade. How Albert, initially a better basketball prospect, gave up hoops and blossomed on the football field during a prep year at Hargrave Military Academy.

"Branden's a wonderful success story," Groh said, "a player who didn't have a lot of hype. He's just been diligent and resolute in pursuing his career and development."

Albert's making up for that lack of hype now. He said Tuesday that it's "kind of crazy" hearing what draft mavens are saying about him. Four months ago, some of them probably barely knew his name.

Invitations to attend the draft in New York went out before Albert's stock began to climb, so he won't be joining former teammate Chris Long - a probable top-five pick - at Radio City Music Hall. Instead, Albert will watch the draft at his brother's home in Maryland.

That's fine with him. Albert said he'll be thrilled to go anywhere in the first round. Meanwhile, he says he's not putting too much stock in what he sees and hears in the days before the draft.

"You can't believe what's going on right now," he said. "The time to believe something is when they call your name on April 26."

 

He's long on talent, and pedigree
Chris Long, son of Hall of Famer Howie, made a name for himself at Virginia. (Michael Conroy/Associated Press)
By Christopher L. Gasper
Globe Staff / April 22, 2008

University of Virginia defensive end Chris Long isn't Howie Long's son in Charlottesville, Va. In the idyllic college town 69 miles northwest of Richmond, he is the celebrity.

more stories like thisVirginia retired Chris's No. 91 before his final home game. At St. Anne's-Belfield School in Charlottesville, Chris, who led the school to a state title, is regarded as a patron saint for private school football. A local deli named a sandwich after him - it has steak, Provolone cheese, bacon, and horseradish, among other ingredients. All that's missing is a sign put up by the Chamber of Commerce: "Welcome to Charlottesville, home of Chris Long."

"I hate the word celebrity," Chris said. "Maybe in Charlottesville people know what I look like, but nowhere else. That's the way I like it."

Pro Football Hall of Fame defensive end and Fox NFL analyst Howie Long has been conspicuously quiet when it comes to his son. Make no mistake, he's a proud papa, but Chris can stand on his own and his play speaks for itself. He doesn't need anyone pumping him up.

"It's testament to the fact that he's such a great guy and such a humble guy," said Chris. "It's not his style to want to steal the spotlight from his sons. I have two little brothers [Kyle and Howie Jr.] and he does the same with them. He takes the back seat. Everybody has a time and this is our time. I've said, 'Dad, you're an old man now. It's not your time anymore.' He has done a great job with that, and I am grateful. I've matured to the point that now I am comfortable sharing that spotlight."

The spotlight has been squarely on the square-jawed son (just one of the many traits he shares with his father) leading up to this weekend's NFL draft, where he is among the contenders to be selected with the first overall pick, held by the Miami Dolphins. The 6-foot-3-inch, 272-pounder, who played for former Patriots defensive coordinator and New York Jets coach Al Groh at Virginia, is considered one of the safest selections in the draft. His pedigree, ceaseless drive, and flawless technique have made him anything but a long shot to become an impact player at the next level.

"You're not going to find many guys that play harder on a consistent basis, and that says a lot for production in the NFL," said former NFL general manager Charley Casserly.

There is no doubt Chris is the local boy making good in Charlottesville, but he could have been the pride of Cohasset instead.

After Howie Long's 13-year career with the Raiders came to a close, he and his wife, Diane, looking for a better setting to raise their three boys, moved to Charlottesville in 1994. But before the Longs decided on Virginia, they also considered moving closer to Howie's Massachusetts roots - Howie was born in Somerville, spent his formative years in Charlestown, and played football at Milford High.

Groh, who was with the Patriots at the time and living in Hingham, remembers getting a call from late Globe sportswriter Will McDonough, who had hooked Groh up with real estate agent Martha Gentry.

"He said, 'You know what Martha is doing right now? She is showing homes to the Longs in Cohasset. They're thinking of moving to either Cohasset or Charlottesville, Va.,' " recalled Groh. "At the time I'm thinking, 'Cool, I hope he comes to Cohasset.' The thought that the Longs and the Grohs would both end up in Charlottesville was remote. I didn't give it another thought."

Groh, who graduated from Virginia in 1967, crossed paths with the Longs when he became the coach at his alma mater in 2001.

Groh befriended Howie, the bond of pro football forging their friendship. When the Cavaliers offered Chris a scholarship during his junior season, some assumed it was a favor to Howie. They couldn't have been more wrong, and the thought only stoked Chris's desire. He played for the Cavaliers as a true freshman.

Sure, Chris took his lumps early on, matching up against offensive tackle D'Brickashaw Ferguson, who was selected fourth overall in 2006 by the Jets, but that just made him hungrier, too.

"It's humbling when you get beat every day in practice," said Chris. "I was always very fortunate and appreciative not only of the type of player Brick was, but also for how he approached practice, which forced me to raise my game and my level of intensity."

"No sense of entitlement, no silver spoon," said Groh. "Chris has a very strong built-in desire to achieve whatever the circumstances."

In the 3-4, defensive ends often have to do grunt work and don't put up big stats. But scouts were noticing Chris, and last season Groh turned him loose in sub-packages. Long responded by finishing with a career-high 79 tackles, 14 sacks, and 19 tackles for a loss to earn Atlantic Coast Conference Defensive Player of the Year and the Ted Hendricks Award as the nation's top defensive end.

Casserly, now an analyst with CBS Sports and the NFL Network, said the question is which position Long belongs at in the NFL.

"He can't play his full-time position as a 3-4 defensive end at the next level," said Casserly, who feels Long would be best suited as a 3-4 outside linebacker. "As a 4-3 end, he has the strength, but I think bigger, long-armed guys give him a problem. In talking to teams, I think everybody likes him. The guy has good intangibles."

Groh said Long is more athletic than his father, and Casserly noted he has a "terrific first step, as good as anybody I've ever scouted."

One NFL general manager with a top-10 pick described Long as "a guy that has all the traits you want: top-notch character, drive, work ethic. He is a safe pick, but that is being deemed as not having a lot of upside. I don't think that's fair."

Doubt Chris Long at your peril. He's been proving people wrong all his life. Outside of Charlottesville, he's still viewed as Howie Long's kid, but that's about to change.

"I'm not afraid of any situation or any burden with the name. I've been dealing with this stuff my whole life," he said.

 

Jake Long signs $57M deal with Dolphins, will be No. 1 pick
By STEVEN WINE : AP Sports Writer
The Associated Press
Apr 22, 2008
DAVIE, Fla. --

Jake Long seemed at ease in his new role as the NFL's No. 1 draft pick, leaning into a news conference microphone to talk about his mean streak while his mother sat in the corner, nodding as she smiled.

The Miami Dolphins were grinning Tuesday, too. They signed the Michigan left tackle to a five-year contract with $30 million guaranteed, and they'll select him with the top pick in the draft Saturday.

The deal allows the Dolphins and Long to avoid a possible holdout.

"It's really important for us to know Jake is going to be on the field for us on time when training camp begins in July," coach Tony Sparano said. "That was critical."

Long's total contract package is for $57.75 million, said a person familiar with the negotiations who didn't want to be identified because the Dolphins declined to reveal terms. Last year's top pick, JaMarcus Russell, signed for $61 million with the Oakland Raiders but missed all of training camp before reaching a deal.

Long becomes the highest-paid lineman in the NFL and a 6-foot-7, 315-pound cornerstone in a rebuilding project for the new Dolphins regime led by Bill Parcells. Last season Miami went 1-15, and the offensive line has been a chronic problem in recent years.

"Jake was our guy from the beginning," general manager Jeff Ireland said. "Jake Long was on the top of our board for a long time. There wasn't a whole lot of debate. We thought it was a very good fit with the Miami Dolphins."

With many other needs as well, the Dolphins were interested in trading the top pick for multiple lower choices. When no suitors surfaced, they began negotiations last week with Long's agent, Tom Condon.

"It's such a great honor to be the No. 1 pick," Long said. "I don't think it has sunk in yet. It's something every kid dreams about. I'm just real excited that it happened. Now I'm coming to a great place."

Long flew to South Florida with his parents Tuesday morning for the news conference. The Dolphins said they didn't conduct contract talks with any other potential picks.

"It was a very straightforward negotiation," Condon said. "They didn't leverage us with other players, and we didn't tell them we wanted to be on some different team or any of those kinds of things."

Reaching a contract agreement before the draft isn't unprecedented. The Houston Texans signed defensive end Mario Williams as their No. 1 pick on the eve of the 2006 draft.

Condon, who represents several top prospects, said there's enough time for the Rams to reach a deal with a player before they make the second pick Saturday.

"My understanding is St. Louis is on the clock," Condon said with a smile.

The only other offensive lineman taken with the No. 1 choice since 1970 was Ohio State tackle Orlando Pace, who made the Pro Bowl seven consecutive times after joining the Rams in 1997. The Dolphins would be thrilled with a comparable achievement by Long.

"Jake has all the qualities we're looking for in our linemen," said Sparano, who coached the offensive line with the Dallas Cowboys. "He's very tough, smart and disciplined. Those are the people we want to surround ourselves with here."

Long said he's glad he'll be reporting to training camp on time, because he'll need to adjust to the faster speed of the NFL game.

Temperament won't be an issue, he said.

"I'm mean on the field," he said. "I'm a very nice guy off the field. When I buckle up that helmet, I change. It's football mode. I go out there and try to bury the guy and make sure they don't touch the quarterback or running back."

Long started 40 games at Michigan and was Big Ten offensive lineman of the year in 2006 and 2007. He finished second to LSU defensive tackle Glenn Dorsey in balloting last season for the Lombardi and Outland trophies.

Lloyd Carr, who coached Long at Michigan, said he had several conversations with Parcells in recent weeks.

"I know this: Jake Long is his type of player," Carr said. "Jake is passionate about the game, and I don't think there is anything that he lacks."

The Dolphins decided to use the top pick on offense rather than take Dorsey, Virginia defensive end Chris Long or Ohio State linebacker Vernon Gholston. It turns out Ireland's comment last week about drafting "a pillar of your defense" was a slip of the tongue -- or a smoke screen.

"That's for me to know, and you to guess about," Ireland said with a smile.

The drama may be missing, but Long still plans to fly to New York on Wednesday and attend the draft. The Dolphins have eight other picks and four of the first 64, and they remain in the market for more offensive linemen, a quarterback, a receiver, a tight end, cornerbacks, defensive linemen and linebackers.

At left tackle, they're set.

 

Cavs rout Hoyas
By Jay Jenkins
Published: April 23, 2008

When his career comes to an end, Jacob Thompson’s program-best win total will include one that came in odd fashion and thanks to an odd scoring rule in baseball.
Attempting to give the All-American hurler an added dose of confidence, Virginia coach Brian O’Connor elected to start Thompson on Tuesday on short rest.
Despite being on a strict pitch count around 35, the junior tossed three scoreless innings with two strikeouts to help propel No. 16 Virginia to a 9-1 victory over Georgetown at Davenport Field in a game prolonged by a rain delay.
“His whole career here he has pitched on the weekends and never pitched during the week, and, quite frankly, I wanted to change something for him, try to break his routine,” said Virginia coach Brian O’Connor. “Obviously, we won’t know how successful it was until we see how he pitches this weekend [against Miami].
“But I thought he pitched with pretty good command tonight, and we will see effective he is on Saturday.”
With the win, the Cavaliers improved to 32-11 overall and 27-4 at home this season. Georgetown - facing UVa for the first time since 1994 - dropped to 14-24.
Obviously, Thompson had help. And most of it came in the second inning. In the frame, Virginia sent nine batters to the plate and scored five runs, fueled by a three-run double from Tyler Cannon and David Adams’ sixth homer of the season.
“Cannon had a big bases-clearing double and Adams stepped up and hit a big two-run home run,” O’Connor said. “Guys can go out there and pitch and attack the hitters with a lead.
“Fortunately on Jacob’s part, we were able to keep his pitch count down.”
Thompson tossed only 28 pitches, and used a pair of double-play balls to pitch to the minimum amount of batters. When a pitcher is held to a pre-established pitch count, the win is given at the scorer’s discretion.
The start came just three days after Thompson allowed seven runs - one earned - in 3.2 innings against Wake Forest.
“I was definitely very excited about the start,” Thompson said. “After Saturday’s start, a quick outing, I was shocked but exciting to get back out there and work on some things.
“Me and coach [Karl] Kuhn worked on some stuff the past two or three days and it really seemed to help. I felt a little tired, but I felt back to my old self, keeping the ball down and throwing the ball where I wanted to.”
Thompson said a lone run in the first and the offensive onslaught in the second helped. But the confidence that has remained in the clubhouse despite two losses this season easily exceeds that.
“It’s really comforting knowing that you have 35 guys in the dugout believing in you, and probably believe in you more than you do in yourself,” Thompson said.
In the fourth inning, Thompson gave way to the bullpen. Three relievers, including Jake Cowan, closed out the win.
Georgetown, which finished with four hits, scored its lone run in the seventh off junior Jake Rule.
Virginia tallied 10 hits - including three doubles from rookie Dan Grovatt - and turned three double plays.
The Cavaliers return to action tonight against William & Mary at 6 p.m.

 

Cannon drives in three in huge victory
Grovatt drives in three more runs; Thompson bounces back from recent struggles with three scoreless innings, no walks
Jack Bird, Cavalier Daily Staff Writer

With two outs and the bases loaded in the second inning, Virginia sophomore third basemen Tyler Cannon faced a full count. With the Cavalier fans clapping in time in support, Cannon drove a base-clearing double over the head of the left fielder to the warning track. These runs gave the Virginia baseball team a commanding four-run lead, two more than the team would need to defeat Georgetown 9-1 last night.

"Here, playing at home, we're pretty good," Virginia starting pitcher Jacob Thompson said. "We've got to keep that rep up."

The top of the Cavalier order got the better of the Hoyas in the second inning. Following Cannon's double, junior second basemen David Adams brought him home with a two-run homer over the left field fence.

A short rain delay in the middle of the fourth inning cooled the Cavalier bats somewhat, and Virginia scored only three more runs. Georgetown faced offensive pressure from the Cavaliers throughout the game as Virginia hitters spread 10 hits off five Hoya pitchers.

Freshman left fielder Dan Grovatt went 4-4 with three doubles and three runs batted in to lead the offensive charge.

"As a hitter you strive to be perfect," Grovatt said. "It's pretty much impossible but it works out sometimes."

Defensively, the Cavaliers held Georgetown to only one run on four hits. This was in large part because of a solid stand by the Virginia infield, which combined for three double plays.

"That's usually my game," Thompson said. "Keeping the ball low, getting a lot of ground balls and double plays."

Thompson pitched the first three innings for the Cavaliers and held the Hoyas to no runs on two hits. Earlier in the season, Thompson had been Virginia's pitching ace, starting Friday in the number one spot; however, because of a rocky performance during recent games, he was moved down to the Saturday spot for the first time this past weekend. Following yet another disappointing showing, Virginia coach Brian O'Connor gave Thompson the start yesterday.

"His whole career here he has pitched on the weekend, never pitched in the middle of the week," O'Connor said. "Quite frankly, I wanted to change something for him, try to break his routine. But he pitched with command tonight, and we'll see how effective he is on Saturday."

With the Georgetown game behind them, the Cavaliers will face William & Mary tonight and then Miami in a three-game conference series this weekend. During the Saturday game, Thompson will once again lead the Cavaliers from the mound.

"The team has a lot of confidence in Jacob," O'Connor said. "Fortunately, on Jacob's part, we were able to keep his pitch count down [last night]. Maybe wearing him down a little bit, pitching him like we did today, maybe he won't be as live on Saturday and he'll have to pitch more."

In the balance of the Miami series' outcome are the Cavaliers' hopes to find their way back into the consensus national top 25.

"It's going to be huge for us," Thompson said about the series. Senior pitcher Pat McAnaney is "going to start us out on the right foot on Friday, and hopefully me and [junior pitcher] Andrew [Carraway] can follow up on Saturday and Sunday. But all the guys are definitely excited about that. And we know they have a great ballclub. But," Thompson added with a pause and a smile, "we've got a great team too."

 

Coale supplies intangibles for talented Cavalier team
Talented midfielder has overcome three foot injuries, inspires teammates by performing well in classroom, plans to coach and teach in Atlanta next year
Ben Gomez, Cavalier Daily Staff Writer

Kevin Coale is the kind of player every team values -- one with an infectious attitude and dedication from day one of preseason practice. Unfortunately, he has also broken his foot three times, had surgery? and been sidelined at one of the best lacrosse schools in the country. This is not what the junior midfielder? envisioned when he was recruited to play lacrosse at Virginia; however, the oft-injured Coale has viewed his injuries as an opportunity to grow as person and become a role model for the entire team.

"There are definitely times you question what you are doing, but I think it was all in an effort to get to where I am now," Coale said. "Where I am absolutely sure of what I am doing, and I am passionate about it, and I believe in it. I would absolutely do it all over again."

Despite injuries throughout his four years at Virginia, Coale has become a leader on and off the field. He has always been dedicated to his academics, junior midfielder Mike Timms said; Coale goes above and beyond by going dinner with his professors, an opportunity most students do not take advantage of. Timms noted that Coale's dedication in the classroom carries over to the lacrosse team.

"He has contributed every day," Timms said. "He is always out there working hard. In the weight room he is one of the hardest workers – never leaving on time, always spending extra time."

Coale said he will take a job teaching sixth-graders and coaching lacrosse and football next year in Atlanta, where he will help develop a lacrosse program in an area where the sport is often overshadowed by baseball and football.

"The guy who started the program I am working for played for [Virginia coach] Dom Starsia when he coached at Brown," Coale said. "So it's a program that's been around for a while, but it's not 'old' yet, so I am really excited to be part of the development of the sport down there."

Coale added that he is excited about being able to work in the South but noted he mostly looks forward to the reward of working with young athletes through their developmental stages.

Coale said his decision to become a teacher and coach was influenced by his father, who has been teaching and coaching for 30 years.

"I have a great deal of respect for him," Coale said of his father. "I think being around him, seeing how he interacted with his students and athletes, seeing that dynamic and recognizing that when you are in the classroom you see a different side of your teacher and then yet another aspect of that individual when they are a coach out on the field."

While being injured Coale has been able to observe the sport of lacrosse from a different perspective than he would if he were playing, an experience that has helped him grow as a coach. He has had the opportunity to learn from Starsia and his staff, one of the best in the country, earning their and his teammates' respect along the way.

"He is a really good guy first of all, and someone who will instill a lot of values in young kids on the field and in the classroom," Timms said. "When you think of a typical role-model coach in a movie, he's as close to that as I can picture."