Interview With: Da Beat of N.Y.
Interview With:
It should have been done a bit earlier but with the long weekend my “Interview With:” Da Beat of N.Y. is being posted now. Plenty to talk about with my almost weekly guest on The Fifth Corner, from the first game of the season to the first road game of the year. From the good looking running game to the so-so receiving core performance. From the explosive D to the sometimes faulty special teams. All of this and maybe even a basketball question! So, without further ado, here is this week’s interview with Da Beat of N.Y.
A.E.M.: Give me one sentence to describe the Tar Heels in the first game of the season?
Da Beat: Changing just a bit the famous phrase by Dennis Green: “they are who we thought they are”.
A.E.M.: Well, I have to admit that needs a bit more expanding, so you care to talk about it?
Da Beat: Sure. The defense was supposed to be a dominating force this year. If the first game of the year is any indication, they seem to be just that. The offensive line might be the weakest link of the team, and once again, they might not be the weakest, but it is about what we were thinking they were. The pre-season expectations about the wide receivers was not that great, after they dropped several catchable balls, it seems the expectations are spot on.
A.E.M.: So you think that playing such an inferior opponent can still give you guidelines to how the team played?
Da Beat: Teams schedule games like this exactly for that, to judge how their team is going into the rest of the season. Speed is speed, just don’t run faster against weaker opponents, you just seem to because they are slower. Finding the hole to run through, catching/dropping a ball, running your routes the proper way, making the blocks you should be making, ect. ect. are all things that you either do it or don’t no matter who your opponent is. Of course against a team like The Citadel you might not have to run a perfect route to get open, but that’s for the game, in video room you will be told about it, and that is how the coaching staff will grade the players.
A.E.M.: All in all is this the way that you thought Carolina would start?
Da Beat: Yes, taking away most of the first quarter, the Tar Heels looked pretty good on most fronts, with the exception of the wide receivers. If I am not mistaken T.J. Yates threw 19 times and the wide receivers dropped five or six passes. That is the thing you can do against a FCS team, not against a conference rival. Things like this are crushing to the momentum of a team, something that can turn a win into a loss. On the positive side, having watched the game you have to believe that many sports programs will talk about those young men. In college football having a defense that can play like North Carolina’s is a total plus and that can lead to wins.
A.E.M.: Let’s move to this weekend’s match up against the Huskies, what do you see that the Heels have to improve on in order to have a good showing and come home with a win?
Da Beat: Run the ball, that’s this year motto! If the Tar Heels can impose their will on the ground, with the defense they have, they could make it a long day for most opponents. You have to believe that if Carolina can run the ball as they did in week one a lot of the teams they face will have problems come the third and fourth quarter. On the other hand, if the defense can be as effective as the first game the opponents will have to rush throws, and that will turn into turnovers and good field position for the offense. To break it down quickly, if Davis is able to have his strengths led the game it should be a win for North Carolina.
A.E.M.: What do you think is the weakness to expose when it comes to UConn?
Da Beat: To cut to the chase, their experience. I see coach Edsall having them on course for a very good season in 2010, but this year they are going to be that proverbial “year away” that will give their fan base a lot of hope but also a lot of algida. Teams that are missing that slight experience, but have talent as well, have to be taken out early. The more you let a team that you should take down, the more they are going to believe they can win the game.
A.E.M.: Having said all of that, what do you see the final score being between UNC and UConn?
Da Beat: I believe that the spread as of last night was 4 points, up from 3. I am pretty sure that the Tar Heels will cover that and more. I can see Carolina coming away from this game winning by double digits, taking the game by a final of 31 to 14.
A.E.M.: Lastly, James McAdoo is now a Tar Heel, another great pick up by head coach Roy Williams for the basketball program. Any thoughts?
Da Beat: Just one: who’s next? Anyone that follows recruiting, as you and I do, can only ask who’s next? Head coach Roy Williams is a master recruiter and one of the best as far as coaching is concerned. Any player that wants to go into the National Basketball Association should be looking at UNC very closely, because it does not get much better than this, just look at what little gathering they had in the Dean Dome on Friday.
And that is it for this edition of “Interview With:”. Once again a huge thank you to Da Beat of N.Y. for getting this done as soon as the long weekend was over. Make sure to check him out every week here on The Fifth Corner. Also make sure to check out several other interviews coming up this week having to do with the UNC/UConn game.
Shortlink:
