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CHAPEL HILL – North Carolina graduate center Brian Anderson met with the media Thursday morning following the Tar Heels’ fifth practice of the spring.
Anderson was asked about the transition with new offensive line coach Jack Bicknell, his approach, what he emphasizes to improve pass protection, battling Miami transfer Corey Gaynor at center, Zach Rice, Trevyon Green, and about his own injury struggles last season.
Above is the full video of Anderson’s Q&A session, and below are some notes and pulled quotes from what he had to say:
*New OL Coach Jack Bicknell has been a part of three practices so far, so it is just a small sample size, but Anderson already has a pretty good feel for Bicknell’s style, and he certainly appreciates the accountability that is being mandated.
“Coaching Bicknell coming in, he’s a seasoned veteran in the coaching game,” Anderson said. “He’s won a Super Bowl in the NFL and coached a lot of years in the NFL. I’d say the approach he brings is one that’s very professional… He’s given everyone, even the young guys, an opportunity to treat themselves like grown men and treat themselves like professionals. That’s what we need right now.
“It’s one of those things where if people are acting up and not being professional, then we’ve got issues otherwise that he shouldn’t even he shouldn’t have to deal with.
“He brings a lot to the o-line. He’s focused on player-led accountability, but also focusing on the details that matter. He’s a technician. He’s not one that going to sit there and yell at you super bad on the first day for missing stuff a little bit, but focus on the important techniques.”
*UNC ranked No. 127 in the nation out of 130 schools allowing 3.77 sacks per contest. UNC Coach Mack Brown has made it clear that wasn’t entirely on the offensive line, there were several other important factors. However, he has also repeatedly said that must get cleaned up.
Bicknell spent last season at Louisville – his only season with the Cardinals – and guided them to a No. 22 ranking allowing just 1.54 sacks. A year earlier, the Cardinals were No. 98 nationally allowing 2,73 per contest. That’s an improvement of 1.19 per game under Bicknell.
Additionally, Louisville was tops in the ACC allowing just 4.77 TFLs per game last fall. That is the other major area of concern for Carolina’s offense.
Anderson says the emphasis on getting better in that area has been huge so far.
“Accountability,” Anderson said, noting what needs to be fixed first in the OL room with respect to the sacks. When it comes down to that; sure there are a lot of factors we can talk about: Is the play an RPO, is it something else that’s going to add to our sack numbers.
“But at the end of the say, over 40 sacks is absurd, and that’s something that shouldn’t ever be accounted for. And as the o-line, no matter what it has to be, we have to take accountability for that and keep moving forward.”
*Two true freshmen on the offensive line have stood out to Anderson. Zach Rice impresses him, and Anderson said Rice has worked with the main unit on offense. Tevyon Green has also made an impression on Anderson.
“You’ve got Zach Rice coming in, who’s incredibly talented,” Anderson said. “And he’s a guy, that when you look at him in terms of being physical and being able to strain and give good effort, that’s something you’re typically going to gauge from a player right off the bat and whether or not he’s a grinder, and he definitely is. And the technique is something that’s gonna come as he goes.
“Right now, there’s technically no depth chart, so we’ve got everything up for grabs – we’ve got to earn everything. Sometimes, he’s rolling in getting early reps against good competition against fast guys like Des Evans and Noah Taylor. And he’s a guy is holding his own and doing well, and is only gonna get better as he gets better with technique.
“Another thing I’ll say is Tevyon Green (6-foot-7, 355) is very big and he can move. He really cares about what he does. Every single optional weekend thing we had all offseason, he would text me time and was like, ‘Yo, can I get a ride, can I get a ride, can we watch some film?’ We’d do some extra drills.
“He really cares. It’s going to be one of those things, too, he’s big, he’s physical, he can move, and once he gets the technique down, which I don’t think will take very long, I think he’ll be really good.”
*Miami transfer Corey Gaynor is also a sixth-year center, so UNC has two older, rather experienced guys battling it out for the all-important position. Anderson says right now they are working at center, and while the competition is strong, they are getting along well off the field. It is a healthy battle, he said.
“Right now, he’s working at just center,” Anderson said. “Obviously, any center knows all five positions on the o-line, so if ever needed he could go across. I think the way that’s going to play out is we’re going to go the entire spring, we’re going to be practicing hard and scrimmaging hard, (and) we’re going to have the best five guys out there, whether that be me, him, or anyone else.
“If it’s a deal where both of us are playing great football, maybe there could be a scenario where we’re playing next to each other. That would honestly for me be something really cool having another center mindset next to me, because you’d have two great fields of vision, two great communicators. And at the end of the day, it’s a battle, and I think he can fit in anywhere.”
