Tarheels in the NFL Draft

Nine North Carolina Tarheels were drafted in the 2011 NFL Draft over the course of the past three days. That was the highest total for any college. The draft didn't come without its share of surprises.

The Tarheels marquis players all went in the first two rounds. Robert Quinn, Bruce Carter, Marvin Austin, and Greg Little were all drafted by late in the second round. It would have been interesting to see where they all (with the exception of Bruce Carter) would have been drafted if they had been on the field last year.

There were a few players that I was kind of surprised that were drafted. Johnny White in the 5th round to the Buffalo Bills was a little bit of a surprise but his versatility in returning kicks and playing Special Teams worked in his favor. Ryan Taylor going in the 7th round to the Green Bay Packers also was a surprise to me but his versatility on Special Teams and the fact that he had played Linebacker earlier in his career helped him as well. I had read before the draft that his stock was rising and he had interviews with several teams. T.J. Yates went in the 5th round to the Houston Texans, going ahead of big name Quarterbacks Greg McElroy of Alabama and Tyrod Taylor of Virginia Tech.

Quan Sturdivant did not go until the 6th round to the Arizona Cardinals and I believed he would go in the first couple of rounds, the 3rd round at the latest. Almost all of the draft publications that I viewed had him rated as the #1 or #2 Inside Linebacker prospect.

The three players that did not get drafted also kind of surprised me. Deunta Williams, Kendric Burney, and Zach Pianalto are all going to have to go the free agent route if they want to make it into the NFL.

Williams broke a bone in his leg in the Motor City Bowl at the end of last season may have had something to do with his not being drafted. USA Today NFL Draft 2011 had him listed as the #3 Safety coming into the draft. Pianalto also had injury problems throughout his career at North Carolina. He played about half a season every year and then he was done due to some freak injury.

I can't wait to see all of them wearing pro jerseys on Sundays and I hope those that weren't drafted get at least a look as free agents. With the current labor situation in the NFL right now, all of the players, drafted and free agent alike, will have a tougher time of it this season.

A 7-5 Regular Season

The Tarheels held off Duke yesterday in the final game of the regular season to give them a final record of 7-5 and guaranteeing them a winning record for the third year in a row. I can't help but think it could have been so much more but that is all in the past.
The Tarheels racked up over 500 yards of offense yesterday but left too many points on the field. They had a good combination of rushing and passing, had several long drives but one ended with a field goal and another ended in a missed field goal, both were very short attempts.
The 'Heels got contributions from quite a few people that have not appeared too much in the boxscores this year. Tight Ends Nelson Hurst and Christian Wilson made contributions both blocking and receiving, reserve Linebacker Herman Davidson had a key second half sack, and Wide Receiver Jheranie Boyd made a guest appearance with a catch and two rushes for 41 yards although he did drop a sure touchdown pass. It might be because they haven't thrown to him in so long but that might be the reason why they haven't thrown to him.
The Tarheels stars played solid games as well. TJ Yates had another solid game with 264 yards and a touchdown to Wide Receiver Joshua Adams, Wide Receiver Dwight Jones had 11 catches for 121 yards and has become the "go to guy", senior Anthony Elzy had one of the best games of his career with 116 yards rushing and a touchdown.
The bowl destination has yet to be decided but I have heard speculation that it might be the Music City Bowl in Nashville against possibly Tennessee, Georgia, or Kentucky. Those would be good but very difficult matchups for the 'Heels especially Tennessee. Todd Bray, the Freshman QB has really been throwing the ball around with quite a bit of success. Any of those matchups would be popular in the South as well.

a tough Tarheel week

This was a tough week in Tarheel sports. The 'Heel football team lost one more time to the NC State Wolfpack. TJ Yates had yet another 400 yard passing game but once again, they left too many points on the field. They had a breakdown on special teams at the wrong time and could not get over that hump. There have been flashes this year from some of the underclassmen that gives you hope for next season but, as a Tarheel fan, I am about the here and now. Donte Paige-Moss finally showed me something against State and he might actually have a chance to live up to the hype of being one of the top ranked prospects when he came out if high school as Dwight Jones is finally beginning to show. The potential is definitely there although the NCAA could still rain on that parade.
It looks like the basketball team is only going to be slightly above average again this year. I have to be honest. Harrison Barnes has really not shown me anything. He is forcing shots, his shooting percentage is very low, and he is making bad decisions. I am probably expecting to much as he is only a Freshman but he is not ready to be the number one draft pick next year. The rest of the team is playing worse. The starting guards are only averaging 12 points a game and I can't remember a Tarheel team ever having a starting shooting guard only averaging 7.4 points a game after five games. They don't have any of the traditional senior leadership and Junior Tyler Zeller looks like he is the only one that comes to play every night. He just doesn't appear to be a vocal leader. As a team the Tarheels are only shooting around 40 percent and they are not getting many easy baskets from their transition game. The fast break is a rarity on this years team. It looks like it may be another long year. When does the Tarheel baseball season start?

Wide Right Part Whatever

UNC 37, Florida State 35. All I can say is what a game. Going in to the game, I have to admit that I was expecting the worst. Florida State was coming off a tough loss and the 'Heels barely squeaked by FCS William and Mary. It was homecoming at Florida State, they had never won there before, and the deck was stacked against them.
Offensive Coordinator John Shoop came out and did what I have wanted him to do all season long. Open it up, let TJ Yates throw the ball, and rack up some yards. Part of today's plan may have had to do with the fact that they were down to their fourth string running back, Hunter Furr, by the end of the game. He ended up leading the team in rushing (27 yards on 3 carries) but they were the most important rushing yards of the game as they were driving for Casey Barth's game winning field goal. It still took a "wide right" by Florida State to seal the deal but I'll take it. It is about time the football gods smiled on the 'Heels this season.
The real story of the game was TJ Yates and his school record 437 passing yards. Dwight Jones has become "the man" among ACC wide receivers. 8 Catches for 232 yards and a touchdown. Jhay Boyd and Eric Highsmith have all but disappeared for whatever reason. Redshirt Freshman Joshua Adams had some big time catches and his first collegiate touchdown.
The defense took on a "bend but don't break" philosophy and played shut down football in the second half. The only points they scored came off a 1 yard drive as a result of a botched snap to the punter.
What a Game!!

at least they won

The game against a very good FCS William and Mary team would fall into the category of "at least they won." I watched the game on my trusty Dell laptop on espn3.com and the first half was ugly to watch from both an offensive and defensive standpoint and the second half wasn't much better. They just didn't play with any emotion on either side of the ball so I don't know if they still had a Miami hangover or what. They will end up having to play the team managers and waterboys if they lose any more players. You could feel the absence of Zach Pianalto on T.J. Yates interception on the second series of the game as he and Ryan Taylor just were not on the same page. The Mike Paulus, the QB transfer from North Carolina to William and Mary, we saw in the first half was the player North Carolina recruited in 2006. The Mike Paulus we saw in the second half was the player that played at North Carolina. It helped the the 'Heels defensive line finally got a little bit of pressure on him to the tune of three sacks. It was just a plodding, boring game that I thought could have used some more passing and spreading the field a little bit more. Dwight Jones has started turning into the player that everyone thought he was going to be coming out of high school (8 catches for 104 yards) and Jhay Boyd from Gastonia has all but disappeared after his breakout game against LSU (1 catch for -1 yards)and T.J. Yates seems to have lost the confidence he had earlier in the season. Johnny White had another monster game (160+ yards) and it would be tough for me to imagine what the 'Heels record would be if he had gotten caught up in the NCAA mess in Chapel Hill.

Midseason report card

I have to give the Tarheels an "incomplete" for the midseason grades and I might as well give them an "incomplete" on the season as well. This grade is a direct result of the NCAA and academic mess that has become North Carolina Tarheel football in 2010. These problems are going to reach much farther than 2010. The 'Heels have been forced to play some freshmen, especially on defense, that more than likely would have been red-shirted this season. Players like Tre Boston, Jabari Price, Tim Jackson, and Kareem Martin could have used a year in the weight room but instead they are logging major minutes on the field. I must admit that coming into the season i believed that Quarterback T.J. Yates would have been supplanted by Redshirt Freshman Bryn Renner by the 3rd or 4th game. I have never been fond of Offensive Coordinator John Shoop's play calling, I think Yates holds on to the ball too long, and I don't understand half-ass play fakes on 3rd and 10, but throw in do everything back Johnny White and their offense has been better than expected. The suspensions have particularly hurt the defense but they have not played badly either. All of this basically adds up to a 4-3 record and makes you wonder "what might have been?" and I really hate that.