Eagles WR coach Gunter Brewer and Mack Hollins have a good history, and maybe a good future togetherGunter Brewer coached Randy Moss at Marshall and Dez Bryant at Oklahoma State, but even he would acknowledge that it doesn’t take much to start greatness gushing from a talent well so deep. Sometimes a football coach shows just how good he is by helping a player who was thought to be marginal become something more. Take, for instance Mack Hollins. (Philly News)
A comprehensive history of UNC football’s horrific non-conference scheduling luckIf there were a Wiki for North Carolina non-conference football scheduling this millennium, it would be a fascinating and depressing read. 2001 is an excellent cut-off date because it is the beginning of one of the stupidest streaks in sports: UNC has not won a P5 opener against a non-conference team since 2000. The Heels will travel to a Cal team on the rise to open 2018. (Tar Heel Blog)
Julius Peppers explains why he opted to keep playingWhy did Julius Peppers decide to come back for a 17th season? It’s simple, really. “I just want to keep playing. I still love the game. I didn’t feel like I was done with it.” The future Hall of Fame defensive end clarified that there are two sides to this equation. Obviously, the Panthers were interested in re-signing Peppers after his homecoming resulted in an 11-sack season. (Carolina Panthers)
Mitch Trubisky football camp will be crowded, starting June 11 at MentorThe first Mitchell Trubisky Mentor Football Youth Camp begins June 11 at Jerome T. Osborne Stadium. The camp was known for more than a decade as the Mentor Football Youth Camp, but that changed with Trubisky’s involvement. With his named attached to it, the camp’s size has nearly doubled. “Mitch loves making kids happy,” said Mentor coach Steve Trivisonno. (The News-Herald)
The love for Mitch Trubisky knows no bounds; for his sake, maybe it shouldWhat’s wrong with Mitch Trubisky? He has yet to be compared favorably to Tom Brady, the greatest quarterback of all time, and there’s only one minicamp practice left before the Bears break until training camp. I find this very disconcerting. It makes me wonder if everybody is ‘‘all in.’’ So far, players and coaches have complimented him to within an inch of his life. (Chicago Sun-Times)
Bears plan to let QB Mitch Trubisky run: ‘We’d be crazy to not use his legs’The Carolina Panthers’ Cam Newton, last year’s rushing leader among NFL quarterbacks, averaged 47.1 yards per game. In coach Matt Nagy’s system, Chicago Bears quarterback Mitch Trubisky can do better. “It is a part of what we do,” Nagy said. “[Trubisky] did that at North Carolina. But, in all honesty, he does need to be smart with that." (Chicago Sun-Times)
North Carolina Football: 2018 Tar Heels Preview and PredictionTop priorities are patching together a passable offensive line and getting consistent play at quarterback. On defense, UNC must avoid major breakdowns after allowing five runs of over 50 yards and five TD passes longer than 65 yards a year ago. With a non-conference schedule that includes two road games and a matchup with UCF, a bowl game would be a good accomplishment. (Athlon Sports)
Eric Ebron Keeping It Light For Andrew Luck, Frank ReichFormer North Carolina tight end Eric Ebron, for the first time in his career, would have a short stint on the NFL free agent market. But it didn’t take long for Indianapolis Colts new head coach Frank Reich, who envisioned a specific role for Ebron in his high-powered offense, to come calling. Ebron signed with the Colts on March 19, and he’s brought his new family. (Indianapolis Colts)
New Dolphins DE Robert Quinn bending minds with flexibilityRobert Quinn is 6-foot-4, 250 pounds and he’s strong and he’s fast and yet his most valuable asset is one coaches and players at Miami Dolphins camp have been having a hard time wrapping their minds around. How Quinn bends. You can’t just be fast. You can’t just be strong. You have to know how to contort your body. And contort Quinn does. “He’s a unique athlete.” (Palm Beach Post)
R.J. Prince Moving Up Pittsburgh Steelers' Depth ChartOn Tuesday, undrafted rookie R.J. Prince was the Steelers' No. 2 offensive right tackle. Perhaps it was by plan, or perhaps the Steelers just like what they've seen out of Prince so far this spring -- or both. But Prince is a 6-5, 311-pounder who played right guard the last two seasons at UNC, and ran third-team right guard the first two weeks this spring for the Steelers. (247 Sports)
The Keys to Mitch Trubisky’s PotentialThe Chicago Bears are amidst their first post-draft minicamp under new coach Matt Nagy, and the 40-year-old former Chiefs offensive coordinator would not be here unless management believed his system was the best fit for quarterback Mitch Trubisky. How that marriage goes will determine where both men are four years from now. (Sports Illustrated)
What can Da'Norris Searcy be for Panthers? More than just a starter at safetyHe wasn't the biggest name of the Carolina Panthers' free-agent additions this spring. But after a few weeks on the field during the team's off-season workouts, it's clear: Panthers fans should pay attention to safety Da'Norris Searcy. A seven-year NFL veteran, Searcy, 29, was drafted by Buffalo out of North Carolina in 2011. He spent the past three years in Tennessee. (Charlotte Observer)
Chansky’s Notebook: Are We Off The Charts?I hope Athlon is way off about UNC football. Want to get depressed? Pick up a copy of Athlon’s preseason ACC football guide. If you are a Tar Heel fan with a weak heart, don’t bother. Let me give you the overview. The Tar Heels have dropped from 19 wins in 2015 and ’16 almost off the charts, according to Athlon. Much has to do with last season’s 3-9 record. (Chapelboro.com)
Video: Julius Peppers UNC Football & Basketball HighlightsJulius Peppers is perhaps the greatest defensive player to ever don Tar Heel blue. The two-time first-team All-American had a stellar career in Chapel Hill that saw him win the Lombardi and Bednarik awards in 2001 and finish with 30.5 sacks and 53.0 tackles-for-loss. "J-Pep" would also lend his services to the UNC basketball team.
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Tuesday, June 05, 2018
Da'Norris Searcy transitioning well to Panthers secondaryThe Carolina Panthers’ two-year deal with veteran safety Da'Norris Searcy largely went unnoticed on a national scale. But through the early part of the Panthers offseason and three weeks into OTAs, head coach Ron Rivera said it’s already clear the difference Searcy - a player with multiple years of starting experience between the Bills and Titans - is making. (247 Sports)
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| Coastal Division | ACC | Overall |
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| (13) Miami | 7-2 | 10-3 | | (24) Virginia Tech | 5-3 | 9-4 | | Georgia Tech | 4-4 | 5-6 | | Pittsburgh | 3-5 | 5-7 | | Virginia | 3-5 | 6-7 | | Duke | 3-5 | 7-6 | | North Carolina | 1-7 | 3-9 |
| Atlantic Division | ACC | Overall |
|---|
| (4) Clemson | 8-1 | 12-2 | | (23) NC State | 6-2 | 9-4 | | Wake Forest | 4-4 | 8-5 | | Boston College | 4-4 | 7-6 | | Louisville | 4-4 | 8-5 | | Florida State | 3-5 | 7-6 | | Syracuse | 2-6 | 4-8 |
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