Cook hungry to redeem himself
The corner missed the 2008 season for academic suspension.
By Doug Doughty

CHARLOTTESVILLE -- When four Virginia football players were placed on academic suspension following the 2007 season, the name that stood out was Jameel Sewell.

Sewell was the quarterback of the Gator Bowl team that won nine games, but he wasn't the only starter in the bunch.

Chris Cook had been a contributor for the Cavaliers going back to his freshman season in 2005, and his return as a fifth-year senior this season should not be overlooked. Cook, a graduate of Heritage High School in Lynchburg, has been working with the first unit since the first day of preseason practice.

"I'm hungrier than I've ever been before," said Cook, who started 19 games during his first three seasons. "All I thought about while I was gone was playing ball.

"I think I watched maybe two games while I was gone because it kind of made me sick, knowing that I should have been out there playing."

Accountability is an admirable trait for any athlete, especially a cornerback. Cook makes no excuses for his absence in 2008, when the Cavaliers finished 5-7.

"Who else can I blame?" Cook said. "I mean, it was nobody's fault but my own."

In all fairness, defense wasn't the cause of Virginia's undoing in 2008. UVa was able to deal with Cook's absence thanks to the development of sophomore Ras-I Dowling, redshirt freshman Chase Minniefield and freshman Rodney McLeod.

They paired with veteran Vic Hall, but Hall moved to quarterback for the final game of the season and has remained on offense during spring and preseason workouts. Dowling came into camp as the starter at one corner, with Cook ahead of Minniefield at the other.

An injury prevented Minniefield from completing spring workouts, while Cook was available from start to finish.

"Luckily, Coach [Al] Groh didn't tell me to sit out the spring," said Cook, who resumed classes in January. "I thought that maybe he was going to sit me out, but he didn't. It helped me focus."

There was some speculation that Cook, a 6-foot-2, 210-pounder might move to safety. Instead, McLeod (5-10, 185) made the move, where he has joined 5-10, 200-pound Corey Mosley on the first unit.

The cornerbacks are Cook and Dowling, a 6-2, 200-pounder, which is "a little bit the reverse of what you used to see," Groh said. "Everybody prefers bigger corners, but sometimes that takes a back seat to athletic ability."

Historically, safeties are taller than cornerbacks "but the days of the in-the-box or 'low' safety are coming to a close," Groh said. "The ability to cover the deep ball is the most important skill. You need speed back there."

Virginia has never approached a season with as much depth at defensive back -- quality depth -- than it has this year. The secondary also has a new position coach in Anthony Poindexter, a former All-America safety for the Cavaliers who had worked with the running backs until this year.

On the first day of preseason practice, Cook returned an interception for a touchdown and Mosley scored on a fumble return. Poindexter chased after them, squealing in sheer delight.

" 'Dex' is a very intense guy," said Cook, referring to his fellow Lynchburger. "I met him when I was a junior in high school. We had a relationship before I even got here.

"I always wondered why he wasn't the secondary coach. When I found out that he was moving to defense, I couldn't wait to get out there and be working with him."

Spectators at early Virginia practices may have been surprised to see Cook fielding kickoffs, which has not been one of his primary duties until now.

"That's not an experiment from what I know," he said. "I'm the starting kick returner as of now. If I keep doing my job the way I know I can do it, that should be what's going on."

Cook isn't one to judge how this secondary stacks up against its UVa predecessors, "but we're not weak on the first team or second team," he said. "We all trust each other and, if we keep up that trust, the big plays are going to come."
 

Hokie, Cavalier coaches shows will gain by losing callers
Posted to: Bob Molinaro Sports
Bob Molinaro
Virginian-Pilot sports columnist
The Virginian-Pilot
© August 12, 2009

When Frank Beamer and Al Groh take to the air later this month for their Monday night coaches' shows, something will be missing from the radio gabfests: fans.

After years of inviting audience participation, the radio networks for Virginia Tech and Virginia have decided that callers are no longer welcome.

Alas, listeners to the weekly coaches' shows won't have the pleasure anymore of hearing hosts instruct confused callers to turn down their radios.

An era has passed. And none too soon, most likely.

With few exceptions, coaches' shows are painful experiences for anyone but die-hard fans of the schools. Piped into Guantanamo Bay, they'd be branded as an enhanced interrogation technique.

The shows, after all, are promotional tools for the athletic programs. They're intended for the listening pleasure of only the most rabid loyalists - or in many cases, masochists.

The shows truly turn torturous, though, when fans get involved. The callers can range from obsequious homers to wise guys who think they know more than the coach. Too many fans are likely to say, "Great win, coach. Keep up the good work. We're all behind you."

Static is preferable to that.

Bill Roth - voice of the Hokies and the host of the new "Tech Talk LIVE!" - told The Roanoke Times that interviewing coaches, players and former Hokies is bound to be a better use of the airwaves than "talking to 'Bob in Bonsack.' "

"The show needed a new spark to pick up the pacing," he said. "I thought it was getting a little stale."

Fans still will be able to get through, just not by phone.

During Beamer's two-hour show from the Bull & Bones Restaurant in Blacksburg - it begins airing on WNIS-AM 790 at 7 p.m. Aug. 24 - Tech's coach will entertain e-mail questions. He'll also take questions from fans at the restaurant.

Groh's show, produced in the McCue Center on campus, will handle e-mail questions. His one-hour Farm Bureau Insurance Coach's Corner debuts at 7 p.m. Aug. 31 on WTAR-AM 850.

Naturally, people assume that Beamer and Groh are attempting to screen out fans that called to give them grief.

Last season, Beamer was so riled by an exchange with a caller who disparaged his offense and assistant Bryan Stinespring that he dedicated his next day's news conference to addressing what he felt was unfair criticism.

Roth, though, said it was his decision, along with that of the show's production company, to alter the format, and that Beamer didn't ask for the change.

Of the two coaches, Groh might benefit most from the new policy. A 5-7 record last season invited callers to make life uncomfortable for him and his program.

"Obviously, human nature being what it is, negativity of any type affects people," Groh said this week, "but most particularly it affects a team."

Coaches are paid very well to accept the abuse. But let's face it, negativity drives many callers. Groh noted that after U.Va.'s best games, his show received the fewest calls.

"So now," he said, "we're sitting there with an hour of, 'Everybody seems pretty pleased. How are we going to keep this thing going?' "

U.Va. and VT intend to enhance their radio outreach programs with better production values and a wider range of guests.

Roth said Beamer's show will move faster; questions will be asked and answered briskly, without interference from callers who "want to schmooze with the coach."

The coaches might be insulating themselves from the occasional broadside, but within the narrowly focused audience that is content to listen to these shows, there is a smaller sampling of boors who can't resist blathering on the phone.

To almost everyone's regret.

Will they be missed? Probably not.

If you don't think that eliminating callers is addition by subtraction, you have never listened to a coaches' show.

Consider yourself lucky.
 

White: Conrath Poised For Big Season
Courtesy: VirginiaSports.com Release: 08/11/2009
By Jeff White

CHARLOTTESVILLE - In a stadium packed with nearly 65,000 fans, UVa's Matt Conrath dropped into his stance and awaited the first play of his college football career.
It flashed by the towering defensive end.
Southern California gained 8 yards on first down, then 9 more on second down. The Trojans followed that with a 19-yard gain, punishing UVa's defense on a drive that soon had them in the end zone at Scott Stadium.
Dealing with the speed of a Division I-AA opponent would have been challenging enough for Conrath in his college debut. The Chicago native had to contend with the speed of the mighty Trojans.
Conrath finished with only one tackle in the Cavaliers' 52-7 loss last August. It was not an auspicious start, but he steadily improved over the course of the season. And now, as a 6-7, 276-pound redshirt sophomore, Conrath figures to be a mainstay on defense for a team looking to rebound from a 5-7 season.
He weighed around 265 pounds last season and got pushed around at times by bigger offensive linemen. Conrath, who turned 20 today, is better prepared to fight back after winter, spring and summer workouts with Brandon Hourigan, Virginia's director of football training and player development.
"The offseason program has benefited him greatly, and obviously he's got quite a few more of those coming," UVa coach Al Groh said. "So for whatever all of us - we, he - had to deal with last year with his circumstance, he's playing good ball right now, and it's pretty exciting to think about what the next three seasons are going to bring for Matt."
When Conrath enrolled at Virginia in 2007, the team's defensive ends included Jeffrey Fitzgerald and Sean Gottschalk, both of whom were expected to still be in the program in '08. Each left the program early, however, and so Conrath, almost by default, stepped into a leading role as a redshirt freshman.
He started all 12 games. Conrath recorded 35 tackles (including four sacks), caused a fumble, blocked a field-goal attempt and broke up three passes. And at season's end, CollegeFootballNews.com named him a second-team Freshman All-American.
For a freshman starter, Groh said, "there's an apprenticeship involved in that, and obviously every player is unique in how long that apprenticeship is. For example Matt was, I would say, for the second two-thirds of the season a significantly different player than he was for the first one-third of the season. He did a very good job of utilizing his exposure and experiences to really move his game along."
Conrath is taller than most defensive ends, and that can be a disadvantage or an advantage, he said, depending on his ability to gain leverage on opposing linemen.
"I guess towards the end of the season I understood how to use the leverage I had with my long arms," he said. "But at the beginning it kind of caught me off guard a little bit."
Groh said that in evaluating taller players such as Conrath, the staff wants to see how well they can bend.
"One of the things that solidified that for us in the recruiting of Matt," Groh said, "was that, through his first three years in high school, he was a pretty good high school baseball pitcher. And so quite obviously in order to pitch, coming down off that mound, a guy's got to be able to bend and get down.
"And as a result, [Conrath is] able to play low and get good leverage. So he's got the advantages of his height, without many of the tradeoffs with that.
In practice last season, Conrath lined up across from All-America offensive tackle Eugene Monroe, an experience that humbled Conrath occasionally but also accelerated his development.
Monroe is out of college eligibility, so Conrath won't benefit from those battles anymore. But No. 94 has reason to be optimistic about his prospects this fall.
"It's lot easier, I guess, just because I know what to expect," Conrath said after a recent practice. "I know the speed of the game and stuff."
 

Monroe Plays Waiting Game
Aug. 11, 2009
3:40 p.m.

CHARLOTTESVILLE - Outside, on the fields next to the McCue Center, UVa's football players are going through their fifth practice of training camp - their first in full pads.

A giant of a young man, clad in shorts and T-shirt, looks on.

The Jacksonville Jaguars are practicing in Florida, but the All-America offensive tackle they selected with the eighth pick of this year's NFL draft, Eugene Monroe, is at his alma mater, watching his college team sweat in the August heat.,

"It feels very weird," said Monroe, who's been in Charlottesville for the past week, working out with UVa's strength-and-conditioning coach, Brandon Hourigan.

This is the 10th day of Monroe's holdout. His agent, Sanat "Sunny" Shad, is negotiating with the Jaguars, and Monroe is ready to head south on short notice.

"Whenever I get the call," he said.

Monroe's holdout has frustrated Jaguars coach Jack Del Rio.

"It's getting to the critical time, where realistically how much is he going to be able to help you starts becoming a question you ask," Del Rio told the Florida Times-Union on Monday. "About 75 percent of our offensive system is put in. You're talking about a position where you've got a lot of volume, a lot of thinking, and you need to be part of a cohesive unit."

-- Jeff White

 

 

U.Va. coach Al Groh discusses grade reports, plus tight end usage in the spread offense
Virginia coach Al Groh was still awaiting Monday the final grade report from summer classes taken by several of his players, but he seemed pleased with some of the preliminary reports he had received.
"I have not had put on my desk the official grade report, but the indication that we've gotten unofficially is that we did quite well," Groh said.
Groh went on to say he wasn't ready to declare everybody eligible because there's always the chance for an unexpected situation to arise, but he reiterated his optimism.

**********************************************************************

With the installment of the spread offense at U.Va., one of the many questions raised deals with how the tight end will be utilized. Over Groh's eight years at U.Va., the tight end has been a vital function of the passing game.
Will the tight end role change - or maybe even be de-emphasized - with the spread in place? Groh believes the spread may not appear to be all that much of a foreign concept for his tight ends, but they could be placed in more wide receiver-like situations (receiving and blocking) due to the spread.
"Whatever we're doing with them right now probably isn't dramatically different than what we've done at one time or another during the previous eight years, but clearly there will be a higher percentage of open formations," Groh said. "What probably has been lost in the interpretation of what we've been doing over the years is how often we have been in spread formations. Frequently, that has involved splitting out players like Heath Miller, as I've said, Tom Santi, John Phillips, so (tight ends) will be both in-line and separated players."
There's no doubt tight ends are capable of thriving in the spread. Last season, Missouri tight end Chase Coffman played out of the spread and was one of just 12 players in the Football Bowl Subdivision to have 90 or more receptions (90 catches for 987 yards and 12 touchdowns; second among all FBS tight ends in receptions).
Though Groh still seems to have big plans for his tight ends, it remains to be seen just how much they'll be a part of the passing game. New offensive coordinator Gregg Brandon didn't utilize the tight end in the passing game much last season in his last of six years as the head coach at Bowling Green.
Jimmy Schiedler was Bowling Green's starter at tight end in six of 12 games (Bowling Green often didn't start a tight end, opting instead to start four or five receivers). He finished with just 17 catches for 150 yards, but he did score seven touchdowns, a MAC-high for tight ends.
It'd be difficult to imagine a Groh-offense without heavy tight end involvement in the passing game. Miller, who now plays for the Pittsburgh Steelers, led U.Va. in receiving yards in 2003 (70 catches for 835 yards and six touchdowns) and '04 (41 catches for 541 yards and five touchdowns). Santi, who now plays for the Indianapolis Colts, led the Cavaliers in receiving yards in '07 (36 catches for 418 yards and three touchdowns).
This season, Joe Torchia is the projected starter at tight end. His role will likely be defined by a combination of elements that were utilized to exploit the skills of past U.Va. tight ends under Groh.
"Actually, the role in which we have used those players has changed periodically over the course of the last year based on the skills of the player," Groh said. "Obviously, the scheme evolved during a period of time as the overall personnel dictated that...some of the things we did with Heath (Miller) were a little bit different than what we did with Tom Santi, and what we did with John Phillips was kind of a combination of what we did with (Miller and Santi)."

Posted by Norman Wood
 

Cast aside — for now
By Jay Jenkins
Published: August 12, 2009

From all accounts, Marc Verica is the odd man out.

After being thrown onto the field a year prior to the liking of coach Al Groh, Verica walked into training camp listed third on the depth chart.

It could have easily felt like a punch to the gut for a signal-caller that threw for 2,037 yards after the the dismissal of former quarterback Peter Lalich.

Verica, a 6-foot-3 junior, leans towards the company line, perhaps longing for the day that fellow quarterbacks Vic Hall and Jameel Sewell, both seniors, exit the program.

Experience battling players such as Kevin McCabe and Christian Olsen and Sewell on the practice field in years past has helped the veteran and continues to do so now.

Despite Hall and Sewell running 1-2 on the depth chart and consuming a majority of the practice reps in new offensive coordinator Gregg Brandon’s spread system, Verica seems at ease.

“Really, we are all used to competition and it seems like every camp that I have been in there has been some sort of competition,” he said. “I truly think we are enjoying it. We are all good friends. We all make great teammates.

“We push each other day, encourage each other and just try and get better and have fun.”

To this point, Verica has not conceded the starting job, electing to focus on what is best for the team with reps as a virtual scout player.

“The chips will fall into place and I am sure that we will all have to contribute to this team this season,” said Verica, who threw 16 interceptions and eight touchdowns. “We are really just trying to get better and we will see what happens.”

Sewell said Verica has looked superb in certain spots despite working with players down on the depth chart.

“At times, he looks like the same player that helped us beat North Carolina last year,” Sewell said. “He knows the game.”

Having seen meaningful playing time, Verica is seen as a leader on a squad that has no established captains.

“The leadership was pretty strong, as strong as any time that I have seen since I have been here,” Verica said. “It is a hungry team, it is a competitive team and the upperclassmen that we have really have their priorities in order. They really set a good example for the younger guys.

“Leadership hasn’t been an issue at all. It has definitely been a strength for us.”

As far as Verica goes, he said he dropped pounds over the summer to regain extra mobility. And whatever role he is given, he will take with open arms.

Extra points

Virginia will hold its first two-a-day practice today. Thursday’s practice will be open to the public. The session starts at 2:30 p.m.
 

Wanted: Reliable kicker
By Jerry Ratcliffe
Published: August 12, 2009

Virginia coach Al Groh looks around and pines for the days that Connor Hughes’ spikes graced his practice field.

Hughes was the closest thing to automatic that Groh has had in terms of a place-kicker during his previous eight seasons at Virginia. Any coach will tell you, that perhaps behind the quarterback position, the kicker is the most important player on the squad because he can easily win a game — or, just as easily, lose one.

Hughes made more kicks and scored more points than any kicker in Wahoo history from 2002 to 2005 and Groh is hoping that the candidates currently in training camp can step up their games to give the Cavaliers someone they can count on this fall.

Sophomores Robert Randolph and Chris Hinkebein are battling it out with true freshman walk-on Drew Jarrett in camp, all hoping to be consistent enough to win the job for UVa’s opener against William & Mary on Sept. 5.

Ups and downs

So far, the kickers have impressed the coaching staff in one area, but not so much in another.

“The kickoffs, through the first three days, have been much to our liking,” Groh said. “Hang time, and the landing spot for this kickoff coverage is what we want.”

That’s where the compliments stopped.

“Placement work is going to be a full-camp project to find out where we are and who we’re going to go with,” the coach reported.

Groh believes that with the correct kickoff man and new kickoff coverages introduced by special teams coordinator Ron Prince, this certain phase of football can help change the scoreboard in UVa’s favor, along with kickoff returns, punts and punt returns. Certainly one team not far down the road has made a living off of special teams play for more than a decade.

Game-changing plays

Should some of that success rub off on the rival Cavaliers, Groh will be the first in line to salute the change.

“It’s not how far the [placekickers] kick ’em ... it’s from what spot,” Groh said. “We need to establish where they’re going to be consistently accurate from, so we can construct the game toward that spot.”

Is this guy reliable from 40 to 45 yards out, or does the ball need to be moved inside the 40? Does he have the range to consistently make kicks between 35 and 40 yards?

Those are the questions that can be somewhat answered in training camp to eliminate all the guessing on game days. No reason to burn up the headsets during a drive wondering if a kicker can be counted on for a 40-yarder if he has been inconsistent from that range all spring and all of August.

Might as well as punt it or go for it and leave the kicker on the sidelines.

Randolph came on and won the job late last season, making 3 of 4 field goal attempts, all from between 30 and 37 yards. They didn’t risk beyond 40 he hadn’t proven that he could consistently make those.

Heinkbein has a strong leg, but he’s kind of like some guys at the tee box at your local golf course. Sometimes he’ll boom one and draw oohs and ahhs from his foursome. Sometimes they’ll be hunting for his ball deep into the woods.

Jarrett, who caught the eye of former UVa assistant Bob Pruett, has been thrown into the mix to see if he can handle the pressure of a rookie. Time will tell.

Until then, Groh and Prince and the rest will keep their fingers crossed because a good, reliable kicker can be the difference between a good team or a bad one, or a good team and a great one.