Cooter Arnold, that is. The junior safety has been suspended from the football team indefinitely. Wait a minute…you didn’t think I meant…you have a sick, sick mind, you know that?
If only someone named Wang was somehow affiliated with this team. The joke possibilities would be endless.
Yesterday the team put out their depth chart for the game against James Madison this Saturday. You can read it at Inside Carolina.
Some interesting points:
Offense:
This picture came from an image search of “Cam Sexton”. This guy looks just as interception-prone.
Defense:
At this point, I think that only three positions are set in stone, barring injury:
I’m tempted to add Tramaine Goddard to that list because of previous performance, but we’ll need to see how well he’s recovered from injury. If he can get back to his 2005 form, he’s a lock.
Special Teams:
Overall, the depth chart is not that surprising, but it will be little more than a formality. A lot of players will see action against JMU, and probably for the entire season, as Butch Davis tries to figure this team out.
According to Inside Carolina, former Southern Cal running back Emmanuel Moody is visiting the UNC campus in Chapel Hill this afternoon, and one can only hope that it’s because he wants to transfer here.
On the one hand, this could be big news. Butch Davis has yet to coach a single game here at Carolina, and already we might be snatching a player from perhaps the best college football program in the nation. Running back has been this team’s biggest weakness since the departure of John Linton (boy, that’s a flashback), and the solution may about to fall into our lap.
But I’m also a tad skeptical. Moody is just visiting; he hasn’t come anywhere close to a decision. Three other schools, two of which are powerhouses (Texas, Florida), are also on Moody’s radar. Even if he transfers, it won’t help the major problems we have this year. If a good or great running back emerges this season, we may have some big controversy if the transfer happens. And there’s no guarantee of success. We thought we had gotten the next great UNC running back when Barrington Edwards transferred from LSU. In his senior year he’s 3rd on the depth chart, at best.
Yes, Moody had some good games last year at USC, and is a very talented running back, but he’s still somewhat of an unknown entity. Still, the mere possibility of a Trojan in Chapel Hill is better news than anything that happened last season.
UPDATE: Moody is going to Florida. Can’t say that I’m very surprised.
A bit of weirdness here. I recently did an image search for “Brandan Wright”. Can someone please tell me why this photo has any relation whatsoever to the former UNC standout and the 8th overall pick in this year’s NBA Draft?
It makes absolutely no sense. Although, now that I think of it, “UNC Basketball” and “screwed over by a zebra” are not completely unrelated.
North Carolina head coach Butch Davis has chosen Yates, the redshirt freshman from Marietta, Georgia to start at quarterback when the Tar Heels open the season against James Madison on September 1st, beating out Cam Sexton and Mike Paulus.
Yates is very much an unknown entity. He hasn’t played a down in college, and he didn’t play organized football until his senior year in high school. However, the decision didn’t surprise me. While the spring game is rarely indicative of future performance, he was clearly the QB most comfortable with the offense, making good passes and allowing for yardage after the catch. He’s been taking the lion’s share of snaps throughout training camp. And after the Cam Sexton/Joe Dailey tag team of last season, almost any QB change should be somewhat of an improvement. Unfortunately, the UNC offense will rely heavily on Yates as they don’t have much of a running game, which also means he’s going to take a lot of hits…oh, so many hits. But if he’s able to get the ball to the Heels’ many talented receivers, it could open the rest of the offense.
So, was throwing Yates into the fire a good choice? I’ll give you an answer on September 2nd. In the meantime, I wish him the best of luck; he’s going to need it.
Stay tuned for some thorough UNC season previews in the coming days.
The Boston Celtics have given a one year contract to former Tar Heel Jackie Manuel. He was one of my favorite UNC basketball players. Even though he couldn’t shoot to save his soul, he always gave his full effort, and he was one of the best defenders in the NCAA. I still remember when he held J.J. Redick to four points in a game. If he’s been able to improve his offensive game, I think he can do well as a defensive specialist in the NBA. His defense should definitely help the Celtics, who ranked 24th in point differential last season, and counterbalance 3-point specialist Ray Allen at shooting guard.
Manuel will not have secured a spot on the roster until after preseason is over, and he may have to battle with Tony Allen for the second 2-guard spot on the roster. However, I think he has what it takes. Good luck Jackie!
