From the Herald:
Some Canes, Dolphins and broadcast notes on a Thursday afternoon:
• Cornerback Corn Elder today became the latest Canes player to mention quite happily that players are required to think less in this new defensive system, and as a result are able to make more plays.
It’s “see the ball and get up and make a play,” he said. “It fits us well with the athletes we have.”
Unlike Al Golden’s approach, Mark Richt hired separate coaches for cornerbacks and safeties. Paul Williams handled both at UM; he was criticized by some high-level UM officials and is now at Illinois.
That individual attention from a cornerbacks coach (Mike Rumph) “has helped us out a lot,” Elder said. “It’s more hands on.”
When I asked Elder if UM will be playing more man defense, he smiled and said: “We got some good defenses coming in.” When Manny Navarro asked about being able to press more, Elder again smiled, declining to offer specifics.
UM played a lot of zone last year, but Mark D’Onofrio said it was less than the perception. But former players said they lobbied D’Onofrio to let them play more man. Manny Diaz said he doesn’t want to leave his cornerbacks without help, especially a group that’s so young.
• Elder, the only cornerback on the roster with a lot of experience, said he has been getting some work on returns and said he has “enough energy” to be a returner and an every-play cornerback. “I wouldn’t mind it,” he said.
• For the first time, Mark Richt said today what we’ve reported previously: That he badly wants an indoor practice facility. Richt called it a No. 1 priority. About 20 practices were delayed or disrupted or even canceled by weather last year, and UM can’t afford that.
“You need an indoor facility because of rain and lightning” and also to give players an occasional break when “it’s smoking hot,” Richt said.
UM AD Blake James wants to get this done, but a big donation is needed to finance a facility that could cost $17 million. We’ve been told Richt is willing to help with the fundraising drive.
Richt said the current plan now is to move players inside the Wellness Center for practices disrupted by weather.
• Richt wants things done a certain way on offense and he said “the good news is every so often we do it right. Are they practicing the way we want? They’re trying to…. It’s still not quite where we want them.”
• R.J. McIntosh was moved from defensive end to tackle and said he’s getting first-team work with Kendrick Norton. Anthony Moten, Courtel Jenkins and Gerald Willis have been working behind them.
• Brad Kaaya said Richt’s system has “a few different route concepts and different footwork” from the approach of the former staff. Is it a more complicated system? “I wouldn’t say more complicated. Just different."