UNC focusing on something 'special'

CHAPEL HILL — North Carolina junior Ryan Taylor enjoyed making the switch from tight end to linebacker last spring and hopes to get in on some defensive plays this season.

But his specialty remains his hard-hitting style on special teams — a facet of the game to which the team has dedicated a third of each practice late this week.

“When I’m playing linebacker or tight end, I have to be a little bit more reserved,’’ Taylor, from Winston-Salem, said. “But when I’m playing on special teams, they just kind of give you a direction to go and say ‘go!' and you just go as hard as you can. And everybody’s going full speed – and if you miss a tackle, it’s because you’re going full speed … I like it because I feel like I can open up and just hit people, fly around.”

Taylor flew around so much last season that he blocked a punt against James Madison, leading to an Anthony Elzy touchdown. But he also remembers several breakdowns in coverage, including Demon Deacon Kevin Marion returning two kickoffs for 190 yards and a touchdown against Wake Forest.

So while coaches are still trying to determine a long snapper, holder and kicker, the Tar Heels are also working on the nuances of coverage to become a better special teams squad overall.

“[We] want to not only be able to have a good front line of 11 guys, but we’ve really got to develop some of the backup players,” head coach Butch Davis said. “And most notably, that’s where a lot of the freshmen are, especially some of the young linebackers like Zach Brown and Dion Guy.”

Taylor said it sometimes takes a while for freshman to embrace their roles on special teams, “because in high school, they started. And if you’re not a returner, it’s not the most glamorous position.

“... We call [running down the field as part of a coverage team] a dummy mission, and some people see it like that. But I think people on this team … including the freshmen, are taking special teams more seriously – because it is serious if you get a punt blocked … or if you let someone return a kick too far.”

Which is why he knows his hard-hitting job is important. While enjoyable.