Cook all business as camp wraps up
By Jerry Ratcliffe
Published: August 14, 2009

The last image many Virginia fans have of cornerback Chris Cook came from a television crew’s video back in December of 2007.
Cook had shown up, all packed and ready to board the Cavaliers’ bus to the airport for a trip to the Gator Bowl. Problem was, Cook had been declared academically ineligible and the video showed him dejectedly left behind.
In actuality, Cook said after Thursday’s two-hour afternoon practice that it was his fault that he didn’t make that bowl trip. Team officials had attempted to reach him and left him messages, but he never checked. Consequently, he sat out the entire 2008 season on academic suspension, also a result of not carrying out his end of the deal.
A changed man
That’s just the way Cook operated back then. He admits that he wasn’t the most committed guy around and paid the price. But that was the former Chris Cook.
Fast forward to yesterday’s practice, drenched by a burning August sun. Cook was everywhere, playing his familiar cornerback spot, returning kickoffs, putting forth maximum effort and looking like a man attempting to pay back a debt.
This was the new Chris Cook.
He’s wearing No. 2 for a couple of reasons, the most minor of which is that he’s always loved that particular numeral, the same one he wore at Lynchburg’s Heritage High School. Main reason though is that the “2” represents a second chance.
New attitude“I explained to Coach Groh that this truly was a second chance for me when I asked him if I could change my number,” Cook said. “He liked that reason, especially when I told him I wanted to prove to people that I was a different person and that my whole mentality has changed.”
Cook will be the first to confess that he owned a lax attitude in terms of his studies and being an athlete. It’s not like he wasn’t somewhat committed because he played some pretty good football most of the ’07 season before running into academic issues.
“I just didn’t realize the advantages of graduating from UVa and playing football in Division I,” he explained. “My mom told me, ‘I don’t know what you were thinking,’ and I don’t even know what I was thinking. Sometimes you don’t realize what you’ve got until it’s gone and that’s what happened to me. I woke up and realized what I was losing and what I could possibly have if I worked hard, and became more mature in what I was doing.”
Although the senior was told several days before, Groh announced publicly on Thursday morning that Cook had been voted by his teammates as one of the squad’s captains. The choice represented quite a journey — from standing in that parking lot with bags packed to nowhere to being a team leader.
That thought wasn’t lost on Cook as he reflected on his metamorphosis.
“That’s a huge accomplishment and compliment for me, coming from where I was and being named a team captain,” he said proudly. “These guys must really trust me and look up to me, coming off suspension and being elected a team captain. It means so much to me.”
Cook is part of a Cavaliers secondary that has been described as the best defensive backfield since the Ronde Barber days of the mid-1990s. Barber is still a star corner for the NFL’s Tampa Bay Bucs.
Along with junior starter Ras-I Dowling at the other corner, and experienced safeties Rodney McLeod and Corey Mosley (both sophomores), and some depth behind them, it is without question the most talented and fastest secondary during the Groh era.
“While we have played satisfactory defense over the last three years, what we haven’t created is enough non-offensive scores,” Groh said. “Chris Cook and Ras-I Dowling have the skills to create those type of plays, being two accomplished players with game experience.”
Cook has three career interceptions, one of which he returned for a touchdown, and a fumble recovery that he also scored on against Miami. Dowling has five career picks and has broken up 20 other passes.
“It’s great to hear those comparisons to the Ronde Barber secondary, but we have to go out and prove ourselves just like they proved themselves,” Cook said. “I do look around our secondary and think that we’re pretty good. I trust them all and everybody can play. Even with mistakes, sometimes speed makes up for it.”
Cook said coaches have strongly emphasized game-changing plays in practice and Groh confirmed that in film critiques of those workouts that coaches have pointed out potential opportunities to create a turnover, a strip sack, a fumble recovery, an interception that could turn into a momentum-swinging six points.
“We’re all trying to get our hands on the ball a lot in practice,” Cook said. “We’re having a competition right now to see who finishes camp with the most [he’s second right now]. But mainly, I just want to get better every day and push myself to improve every play, every practice.”
That’s the way that new secondary coach Anthony Poindexter used to do it and it made him an
All-American. Coach Dex moved over to the secondary in the offseason after having coached running backs the past few years.
“Coach Dex is an intense guy and he brings a lot of emotion to practice,” Cook said. “Everybody feeds off of him. When he gets emotional, we all get emotional. It gets crazy out there.”
Cook has also shown some skill at returning kickoffs in practice, something he used to do at Heritage and asked new special teams coordinator Ron Prince if he could try.
So far, so good. After all, he is Vic Hall’s cousin.
This time, should Virginia make it to a bowl game, it is safe to say that Cook will be on board. His bags are still packed, but with a new attitude.

Optimism growing
By Aaron McFarling

CHARLOTTESVILLE -- Jeremy Rinaca would prefer Duke fans never get another chance to heckle him. At least not after a football game.

The depressing scene unfolded last year for the 28-year-old Charlottesville resident and die-hard Virginia supporter. He was walking out of Wallace Wade Stadium in Durham, N.C., the pain of a 31-3 defeat still sinking in, when the Blue Devils fans let him hear it.

"What can you say?" Rinaca said. "They had lost 25 straight in the league, and they pound Virginia. It was one of the more embarrassing moments.

"I mean, really, what can you say to a Duke fan at that point? You know you've hit rock bottom when you lose to Duke."

Here's what you can say: We'll get you next year.

And thankfully, next year is almost here.

The past 12 months have not been easy for UVa fans. Their football team went 5-7. Their men's basketball coach got fired after one of the worst seasons in decades. And their rivals down in Blacksburg might be more loaded than they've ever been heading into a season.

But the great thing about being a sports fan is that the calendar always turns, and with it the expectations. For Rinaca and the roughly 300 others who showed up to UVa's final open practice Thursday, the widespread changes in Charlottesville have restored their optimism -- if not entirely removing their reservations.

"I think there's a lot of excitement around the program," said Rinaca, watching the Cavaliers run 11-on-11 plays out of the spread formation installed by new offensive coordinator Gregg Brandon. "If Virginia starts off with a 3-1 or 4-1 record, I think the excitement will start to build around the entire fan base. You won't see such an empty Scott Stadium during the season like you did last year."

John Ritchie has seen the stadium full, empty and everywhere in between. The 1954 UVa graduate has been attending Cavaliers football games for nearly 60 years. After a disappointing 2008 campaign, he was pleased to see them replace Mike Groh with a proven coordinator in Brandon as well as give senior Vic Hall a full-time shot at quarterback.

"They've done enough to create hope again," Ritchie said, leaning over a railing as practice raged below. "If you don't have hope, you don't have much at all. And I think there's hope that things could turn out well."

These are the people coach Al Groh must please. It's not the media. It's not the voters. It's these people in the stands who live and die with each play.

Dave Leitao lost those people this winter. That's why Tony Bennett is now the basketball coach instead of Leitao, a man athletic director Craig Littlepage hired and greatly admired.

Groh's defenses have regularly performed well. But it's offense that excites the masses, and his job security hinges on the success of Brandon's spread.

"I think the biggest thing they've done is that Groh is perhaps recognizing that he doesn't have a grind-it-out, dominant kind of team on offense," said season ticket holder Ed Barber of Charlottesville, a retired book editor who stopped by practice Thursday. "Aside from all-star left tackles and so forth, it's been a very ordinary offense.

"He's got to do what the guy at Wake Forest did: Spread the field, and try to get a quarterback that both can run and pass and that can hit the side of the barn. Run some more tricky plays; not just four yards and a cloud of dust. That hasn't been working."

Practice can be dry, but there were some crowd-pleasing moments Thursday. Like when receiver Raynard Horne caught a quick pass from Jameel Sewell in traffic, split two defenders and zipped to the end zone. Or when Mikell Simpson made some nifty moves on special teams, an area of intense focus for Groh this spring and fall.

Groh is at his best here, in practice. Players argue he works as hard as any coach in the country, and he seems to have their attention throughout.

But again, the players aren't the folks he has to please. Not this year.

"Everybody in this town is so bandwagony on him," said Charlottesville's John Meade, a high school freshman who attends every home game. "I mean, if he loses a game, everybody wants him out. If he wins a game, everybody wants him to stay and thinks he's the greatest coach ever. So I really don't know what to think."

Rinaca does: Start with beating the Dukes of the world and erasing the memories of last season.

"It was a tough year because I thought we were a better team than that," he said of 2008. "But somehow as Virginia fans, we always remain overly optimistic that they can do a lot better.

"I guess we'll see what happens."
 

U.Va. names six football captains for this season
Nearly half the seniors on U.Va.'s football roster have been voted by the team to serve as captains for this coming season.
Quarterback Vic Hall, who was also a captain last season when he played cornerback, offensive tackle Will Barker, defensive tackle Nate Collins, cornerback Chris Cook and linebackers Denzel Burrell and Aaron Clark were all voted into the coveted captain roles. All six players are seniors, and U.Va. has just 14 seniors on its roster.
"They are very good selections - all of them," U.Va. coach Al Groh said. "This was the first time we had so many guys on one side of the ball - offense or defense - wind up with virtually the same vote count. We checked our voting machines and didn't find any hanging chads. We just went with the results.
"I think it is a real honor to be chosen by your teammates to be the captain. It is also an indication of what they think and the respect they have for these players. It was too close to deny any of these players the honor of being captain and to separate them from the core leadership structure. The players did a really good job of understanding the investment these kids have made and what it means to them and the example they have set."
Perhaps it's a little surprising to see guys like Rashawn Jackson or especially Mikell Simpson not included in the lengthy list of captains, while a player like Cook (who wasn't even enrolled at U.Va. last season) was included. Of course, that's not to say Cook didn't deserve it. As most folks that have played team sports can attest, these votes can often be popularity contests. There's no question Cook must be a well-liked guy on this team.

Posted by Norman Wood

 

Slade gives Cavaliers a voice
David Teel
August 13, 2009

Central casting could not have created a better sideline reporter for the University of Virginia's football broadcasts.

Former player: check.

Name recognition: check.

Terminal chatterbox: checkmate.

Say hello, again, to Chris Slade.

"For me it's just a great opportunity at the right time," he said. "I think it'll be a good time."

Slade, 38, had good times aplenty as an All-American at Tabb High and U.Va., and a Pro Bowl linebacker with the New England Patriots. He was part of championship teams at each stop and remains Virginia's career sacks leader.

So when ex-Cavs quarterback Tim Sherman resigned the sideline gig recently to coach his son's pee-wee soccer team this fall (can you blame him?), Slade surfaced immediately as a potential replacement.

"He was receptive from the get-go," said play-by-play man Dave Koehn, who first approached Slade last month.

"I've always wanted to get back to U.Va. and work in some capacity, to give back to the school and community," Slade said. "Charlottesville has always been a dear place to me, even dating back to my days at Tabb. I've always had a big place in my heart for Charlottesville and the University of Virginia."

And the roots of Slade's affection? After all, the Cavaliers of the late 1980s — Slade graduated from Tabb in '89 — hardly compared to his other college finalists: Alabama and Ohio State.

Slade credits then-assistant coach Tom O'Brien, now head coach at North Carolina State.

"He started recruiting me in the ninth grade, and he was just a classy guy," Slade said. "He and Gerry Capone, who was then the recruiting coordinator, I just developed a liking to them. I always felt like that from the first time I set foot on grounds."

Fans fell for Slade, too, and with good reason. During his four seasons, the Cavaliers won their first ACC title (1989), ascended to No. 1 in the polls (1990) and earned three bowl bids. His No. 85 is among the program's 10 retired jerseys.

Slade ventured back to Charlottesville last week for an interview and audition.

He and Koehn sat in a studio, watched tape of last season's Virginia-Virginia Tech game and simulated a broadcast.

Why not pick a contest the Cavaliers won?

"They would have to go too far back in the archives," Slade said, well aware that Virginia lost its final four games to finish 5-7.

The line is Slade in capsule. Quick, impulsive, occasionally impertinent.

He was that way as a player, too, a magnet for reporters hunting insight and/or comic relief. During his time with the Patriots, Slade co-hosted weekly radio and television shows, making pocket change and business connections.

But as an in-house announcer, Slade will have to learn to temper his impulses. Analysis is fine. Criticism not so much.

"That will definitely be the most difficult part," Slade said. "I do have a job to do, and I think the coaches and players understand and respect that. At the same time, I respect and understand what they do."

Indeed, Slade remains close to many in the program. Head coach Al Groh was Slade's defensive coordinator and position coach in New England; Virginia linebackers coach Bob Trott schooled the Patriots' defensive backs; Capone, now the associate athletic director for football administration, was in Slade's wedding last year.

Slade, his wife and their infant daughter will continue to live near Atlanta, where until recently Slade ran a smoothie franchise.

Out of football since his 2001 NFL departure, Slade was eager to reconnect, either through broadcasting or coaching.

"No better place to start than U.Va.," he said.

The sidelines vantage point offers reporters myriad material: strategy discussions; injury treatments; team moods. And Slade already is asking friends for advice.

"It's always funny for former athletes," Koehn said. "They know all these things that we fans don't, but (the challenge) is communicating them. He'll learn that."

But given Slade's gift for gab, will Koehn and color man Frank Quayle get a word in edgewise?

"That's the beauty of it," Koehn laughed. "We shut (the sideline reporter's) mike on and off, so we won't be fighting for air time."

Packer signs with Indians
By Jay Jenkins
Published: August 14, 2009

As one player departed Virginia’s baseball program prematurely, another confirmed his commitment to wear orange and blue.
In an expected move earlier this week, left-handed pitcher Matt Packer inked a contract with the Cleveland Indians, ending a stellar career at Virginia that included the honor of leading the nation in earned run average in 2008.
“It was a hard decision,” Packer said. “A couple days before I signed, I didn’t sleep much. I was talking to a bunch of people and trying to figure out what to do. I had a big decision to make and I ended up picking the one that I thought was best for my baseball career.
“Hopefully in the long run I made the right decision.”
Luckily for Virginia coach Brian O’Connor, an heir apparent, right-hander Brandon Kline appears committed to play college baseball despite being selected in the sixth round by the Boston Red Sox.
One of five incoming players that was drafted in June, Kline was the highest player selected. Infielder Stephen Bruno (26th round, New York Yankees), shortstop Reed Gragnani (27th, Boston), first baseman Robert Amaro (40th, Philadelphia) and catcher Kenny Swab (48th, Cincinnati) were also selected.
MLB teams have until midnight Monday to agree to terms with the players that they selected, but Kline does not expect another offer from the Red Sox.
“It was definitely a tough decision at the end, but in the beginning when it all started out I told them that I would most likely end up going to school,” Kline said. “That was basically my mindset from the beginning and nothing really changed that.
“It was a tough decision, but in the long run it was kind of an easy one I guess you could say.”
For now, Virginia coach Brian O’Connor remains in a self-proclaimed “wait-and-see mode” with his incoming drafted players.
It is par for the course leading one of the nation’s premier programs.
“The nature of college baseball recruiting and the draft obviously presents its challenges,” the skipper said.
Packer was assigned to the Mahoning Valley Scrapers, a short-season class A team in the New York-Penn League. He expects to make his debut this weekend as a reliever, capping off a summer that included an ACC title, a trip to the College World Series and stellar numbers in the prestigious Cape Cod League.
“It will probably hit me when I come in out the pen,” he said. “I will just be like, ‘Wow. What else do I want to throw this summer?’”
While knowing he will need a pitcher to emerge as a reliable reliever in Packer’s absence, O’Connor said he was elated that the Tennessee native could pursue his dream of playing professional baseball.
“I am extremely excited for Matt. He was outstanding in our uniform for three years as a starter and a reliever,” O’Connor said. “He has a great opportunity with the Cleveland Indians. I know he will have a successful career, but through our recruiting we anticipate losing our players after their third year.
“We prepared for this and it presents new opportunities for other players.”
Kline, who said he is 6-foot-3 and 190 pounds, hopes to become a starter on Virginia’s staff to help ease the load of losing Packer.
“As long as I get to play, that really is all that matters,” said Kline, who is from Frederick, Md. “In my mind I can be a starter or a closer, but I know that Kevin [Arico] has the closer role.
“I have always been a starter and I think that is the best spot, but we will see what they have in mind. Hopefully I can contribute and we will be even better this year and make a trip back to Omaha. That is definitely the plan.”

White: Kline Coming To UVa
By Jeff White

CHARLOTTESVILLE - Brian O'Connor got some big, big news last night. Branden Kline called to say he's enrolling at UVa this month.
Kline, a pitcher from Frederick, Md., signed a letter of intent with UVa last fall. But the Boston Red Sox selected Kline in the sixth round of the Major League Baseball draft in June. Kline considered turning pro but said he ended negotiations with the Sox this week.
"I'm 100 percent coming to Virginia," Kline said in a phone interview this afternoon.
"It was a tough decision, but in the end I'm happy with my decision. My parents never went to college, so I'll be the first in my entire family to attend college."
Kline, a 6-3, 195-pound right-hander, was one of five UVa recruits drafted in June. The others were infielder Stephen Bruno, a 26th-round pick of the Yankees; infielder Reed Gragnani, a 27th-round pick of the Red Sox; first baseman/third baseman Robert Amaro, a 40th-round pick of the Phillies; and catcher Kenny Swab, a 48th-round pick of the Reds.
Swab played at Young Harris, a junior college in Georgia, this year. The other four were high school seniors. Draft picks have through Monday to sign pro contracts.
Kline took summer classes at UVa, starting July 6 and ending early this month, and that experience influenced his decision. He proved to himself that he could handle the academic demands, and he quickly grew to love the environment.
"At the beginning of the summer, everything felt weird, because it was a different atmosphere," Kline said. "By the end of the summer, I didn't want to leave."
As a senior at Thomas Johnson High this year, Kline went 6-1. In 41 innings, he struck out 79 and allowed only three earned runs and 16 hits.
"Branden is a very athletic pitcher," O'Connor said this afternoon. "He's got a perfect pitcher's body frame.
"The sky's the limit for this kid. If you're trying to mold a pitcher, this is the kind of guy you would want. He's got a live arm, he's got a good fastball in the low 90s.
"Like any 18-year-old pitcher, he's got to improve, and he knows that, with his command and his off-speed pitches and things like that. But I think he's a tremendously hard worker, and I think he's a kid with great character. Combine that with his ability, and I think the sky's the limit for him."
O'Connor said he felt good about UVa's chances with Kline even after the June draft.
"I've gotten to know Branden very well, and so has Coach [Karl] Kuhn, our pitching coach, over the last year," O'Connor said. "I made a couple of trips this spring up to Frederick to meet with him and his family, and he came down to a handful of our games this spring, so we were around Branden quite a bit.
"Having him here for summer school shows his dedication towards earning his degree here, to be able to get ahead academically and get an understanding of what the university is all about, and also be able to lift with our strength-and-conditioning coordinator. I think it shows his commitment to his baseball career and also his academic career."
Kline, who turns 18 next month, said his decision pleased his parents, especially Linda Kline.
"My mom, ever since Day One, she's always wanted to see me go to school and get that degree, especially from UVa."

Former U.Va. star healthy, driven
By Steve Kelley
The Seattle Times
August 14, 2009

RENTON, Wash. — No athlete takes care of himself better than Patrick Kerney.

His diet, his work ethic, the time he spends in his hyperbaric chamber, Kerney goes about the business of physical fitness with a monk's devotion.

If you believe in the idea that your body is a temple, Kerney's is the Parthenon.

So why hasn't he been able to stay healthy?

"In this business you control what you can control," the former U.Va. star said this week. "That's what I do with my regimen. I'm controlling what I can control. If my arm gets caught in a funny position, I can't control that."

Why, in two of the past three years, has his season been cut short because of injuries? Why has he had two major shoulder surgeries in the past two years?

"I got injured the exact same way both times," Kerney said. "I was coming around the left edge, going across my body to get to the quarterback's arm. It's just a weak position for the shoulder and the odds of getting caught the same way twice in 10 games is slim.

"It's the heat of the moment. The heat of the play. You're working hard, you beat your guy. You're excited. Now you're going to do whatever you've got to do to get the quarterback on the ground or get the ball out.

"It didn't work so well, those couple of times. But I went eight out of my 10 years without getting my arm caught that way. I look to go a few more years without it happening."

Kerney, who is beginning his 11th season, is as good a guy as the Hawks have in their locker room and he is as important a piece to this season's success as there is on the team.

The good news for the Hawks is that Kerney has proclaimed himself healthy again.

"All the work that's been done in the offseason, that stuff has held up great," he said. "When I've been in there, I've been punching and pulling and slapping and ripping violently and everything's held together well. I feel fresh."

The knee jerk thought is to link Kerney with Grant Wistrom, who came with a fat contract and a broken down body.

But signing Wistrom was a folly. Signing Kerney two years ago to a six-year, $39.5 million contract was a necessity. Wistrom was almost done. Kerney still is in his prime.

Remember, that just two seasons ago, his first with the Hawks, Kerney has a career-high 14 1/2 sacks. In the 29 games he has played for Seattle, the team averaged 2.71 sacks a game. In the nine games he's missed, it averaged only 1.77.

The Hawks need Kerney, 32, nagging inside the heads of opposition quarterbacks. They need him flying off the edge and into quarterbacks' faces.

"We're being very careful with how we use him right now," defensive coordinator Gus Bradley said. "We want to make sure we're going into that first game, he's healthy. But to watch him play, the reps he's had, his mind-set going into practice, we feel it's going to carry over into games. And he wants it more than anybody."

In an effort to make his pass rush even more deadly, Kerney is being moved to the right side of the defense.

From the right end, Kerney only will be going against the tackle and will face fewer double teams and fewer tight ends and running backs chipping at his legs. It means he should get into the backfield faster, become more of a disrupter and make more sprint tackles.

"Any time we can get Patrick one-on-one with a tackle," Bradley said, "we feel pretty good about it."


 

Reynolds keeps watch from across the pond
By Whitey Reid
Published: August 13, 2009

Former Virginia star J.R. Reynolds may have spent the last two years playing professionally in Europe, but clearly he’s still a ’Hoo at heart.

“I’m looking forward to seeing how coach [Tony] Bennett does in his first season,” said Reynolds on Wednesday. “I wish him the best. We need to get back on the map, baby. We need to get back on the map.”

Reynolds has been all over the map since helping guide Virginia to its last NCAA tournament appearance in 2007. First, he played for Soresina Basket, a club in the Italian League. This past season, he played for Asvel Lyon-Villeurbanne, a squad in France’s top division that wound up winning the championship.

Reynolds, like his former teammate Sean Singletary, is currently weighing options for the upcoming season.

“The European market is just really, really bad,” said the Roanoke native. “A lot of teams are cutting their budgets and stuff. I’m just going to see what the best fit is for me.”

Reynolds, a shooting guard for much of his career — he’s 11th on Virginia’s all-time scoring list — played almost entirely at the point guard position for Asvel. The 25-year-old, whose teammates included former Pittsburgh standout Chevon Troutman, says it was an adjustment.

“I was supposed to play the ‘2’ and the ‘1,’ but as it turned out, I just played the ‘1,’” Reynolds said. “But it was a very good experience.

“You’re used to coming off screens and shooting shots — it was just different for me. You have to get everybody the ball and run the team and pick your spots when to shoot and not to shoot. I think my game got better as far as being more well-rounded. That’s good.”

Reynolds still maintains the goal of playing in the NBA. If he needs any inspiration, he can look no further than Roger Mason Jr. The former Wahoo guard played overseas for a couple of seasons before catching on in the NBA. Last summer, Mason signed a multi-million dollar contract with the San Antonio Spurs.

However, the state of the economy has been affecting how many NBA teams have done business this offseason.

“I’m not going to focus on [the NBA] this season because I know how the market is,” Reynolds said. “I’m just going to go overseas for now and see what happens next year.

“I have to create my own path. If [the NBA] happens, it happens. [Mason] is doing very well now. … I’m not giving up. It’s just finding the right opportunity, that’s all it is. We’ll see what happens.”

After being out of the country for much of year, Reynolds is glad to be home in Roanoke, where he starred at Roanoke Catholic School before transferring to powerful Oak Hill Academy. He recently helped celebrate his grandmother’s 80th birthday.

“Everyone’s doing great,” he said.