(Continuing a series of Q&As with Maryland position coaches. Up today: Offensive line coach Tom Brattan)
PS: How do you feel like overall the unit is going to come together?
TB: Overall, I think as a group we've had here in spring, I don't think I've had a group improve more from A to B over spring ball. Given the lack of experience and moving people around and the limited numbers that we had, I really liked our work ethic. I liked our attitude. I think we're picking up our intensity. To me, it's remarkable. If you turn the film on from Day one to Day 13. I'm really pleased with where we are, and of course we have to keep growing.
PS: I think any fan would be asking the following question. There were struggles last year; what makes you think things will be better this coming season based on what you've seen this spring?
TB: I like our chemistry. I like our attitude. We scrimmaged Saturday. On Sunday, they were all in there on their own watching the film. On their own, just kind of going over it. We've never had that here. I think that's a really good sign, in my opinion. I think we like each other, which I don't think that's been the case always in the past. I think we tolerated each other, to be quite honest with you here. I think there's a feeling of chemistry. I think we all know we better adopt a blue-collar, lunch-pail attitude when we go on the field. That's how we have to play.
We have to play nasty, we have to play with great technique, we have to play to the echo of the whistle. That's the only way we're going to succeed as a group. I see flashes of that. Saturday's past scrimmage, there were certain plays where you pull these plays out and say 'This is a clinic. This is how you want to do it.' At the same time, I think we have to be mature and understand that's how we're supposed to do it on a daily basis, not once in a while. That's the transition that we're in right now.
PS: This might be --- and I mean no disrespect when I say this --- your most anonymous unit.
TB: That's fine with me. We're always anonymous heroes. That's the nature of this position. I guess the Denver Broncos [o-linemen], they don't even talk [to reporters]. I've got no problem with that. Just go play. I'm big into your actions speak louder than your words. All that chirping stuff and beating on the chest, that's fine. But I don't know if that's an offensive lineman's mentality. You guys better be, excuse the analogy, five guys in a foxhole. That's what you'd better be, and you'd better have each other's back and respect each other and trust each other.
As corny and as old as that might sound, that's still the nuts and bolts of it.
PS: Let's move from left to right, position by position ---
TB: Left tackle is Justin Gilbert right now, and he's done a very nice job in my opinion. He got X amount of reps last year and I think there were times last year where there were stars in the eyes being on the field. He's playing arguably a very difficult position and done a nice job. Is he a finished product? No. But I think he wants to work at it and is willing to do what he's got to do to get better, and I can live with that.
PS: Over to left guard with Andrew Gonnella. Is he a guy you look at and say "OK, we invested however hundred number of snaps it was --- 400, 500, whatever --- and he took his lumps last year but he's going to end up better for it?"
TB: Marked, marked improvement. Marked improvement. Just having been there and knowing the technique and knowing what I can do, what I can't do. Knowing the calls, being in the fray. All those things are a real positive.
PS: What are you seeing out of him?
TB: Just a certain confidence. Footwork, technique. It isn't like last year where 'OK, your foot has to be here. No, your foot has to be here. No, your landmark is here.' Now, it's [snaps fingers]. Now I think he understands why it has to be that way, whether he's had to learn by experience --- because if I take this step, I'm not going to be able to take this step. Now, it's 'Oh, OK, this is what they mean by this.' So much of it is technique and strength for up front. He's seen all this stuff. He and Gilbert are developing some chemistry over there, and we see a lot of stuff from our defense. They're just kind of sorting it out and playing hard.
PS: Paul Pinegar moves over to center. How's he handled that?
TB: Very, very well. Much better than I thought he would. It's not an easy position. From the mental [standpoint], you have to coordinate both ends. What's going on on one side and what's going on on the other side? Where's this guy? Where's that guy? Make the line call. You've got to snap the ball, listen to checks and the guy is six inches off your face and is going to try to blow you up. It's not an easy position. He's done nice. He's done very nice.
PS: He's one of the poster children for the slimmed down approach to the line. How's that worked out for him and that unit overall?
TB: Very well. What we've become is, by having lost the weight, it's been able to bring out our athleticism. We've been able to do some things that maybe we couldn't do last year. I think we just run better as a line right now. We're not there yet, but we're getting there athletically. In recruiting, I think you're going to see the same thing. The guys we're recruiting, they're not 320s that we have to slim down to 270 and build up. They're like 265, 260, lean, big feet, rangy kids that run pretty good right now.
PS: Does that sound like the type of guy who might be able to factor in sooner --- in general?
TB: In general. It's just so hard, because it's the strength, the complexity. We had one of our guys down here last week and we went and talked to him for about an hour just on how we call defenses. He was like 'Whoa.' And that's just the first 15 minutes of the talk. We're way beyond that now. They'll be fine.
Right guard is kind of ongoing. Bennett Fulper is recovering from surgery and obviously has missed the lifting he was unable to do. He needs a great summer to kind of regain his body strength. Justin Lewis is coming off surgery, so he's worked his way in. Day by day, he does more and more, to the point I think right now he's almost there.
The guy who's really played very well is Josh Cary. He's a walk-on, but you watch tape and you say 'Is that Cary?' You say 'Whoa, that's pretty good now.' It's kind of an interesting battle out there, which is an interesting thing for a coach to have a bunch of guys you can play with and can win with.
PS: And over at right tackle?
TB: Right tackle is R.J. Dill. It's real important to R.J. There's times last year he got his nose bloodied. ACC, started the last six or seven games at tackle. Really, he has a burning desire to do well. When he gets beat or doesn't know something, it bothers him. It's real important to him. He's another guy who has slimmed down. He might be under 300 right now. He works his hind quarters off in the weight room, and he'll be very good before it's all said and done.
PS: Your redshirt freshmen --- Pete White, Nick Klemm, Pete DeSouza and Cody Blue --- which of those guys is further along at this stage?
TB: I would say all three bring something to the table and all three aren't there yet.
PS: Klemm, DeSouza and White?
TB: Yeah. Pete DeSouza is a guy who has lost a lot of weight. Big guy, with great range, real long arms and has shown flashes. You get to the point, and it's been happening the last couple practices, where these three freshmen are seeing so much stuff on defense, it's sort of like they've plateaued. They're thinking. They're not coming off the ball, so that's something we've had to work through a little bit.
Pete White has dropped 40 pounds, and he's had to do that. He's just so strong, lower body-wise. He's got very good hip pull and good feet. It's just a matter of getting him to play at the same level play after play after play, [to overcome] 'I'm tired.' Typical freshman things he's got to work through.
Nick Klemm's playing left tackle and has done a pretty nice job. Does he have things he has to work on? Yeah. But, he's done OK. Probably a little better than OK.
Cody Blue, playing right tackle and he's moved over from defense and he's finally starting to catch on to what we want and what we need.
PS: Do you feel better this year on April 20 than you did on April 20, 2009?
TB: [Laughs]. I don't know. In 2009, you're sitting there and you have in the back of your mind, 'I've got Phil Costa and I've got Bruce Campbell. So those are your trump cards, so to speak. You're going to be OK there. You kind of fill in with the other three guys. I like this group's intangibles. To me, it's more evident and not High School Harry stuff talking, but you just kind of see there's flashes of chemistry. I'm honestly a big believer in that, particularly up front. It ain't a whole lot of fun getting hit in the mouth 70 times a game. It's a different cat up there now. There's got to be a sense of intrinsic pride, I'll get the job done, I've got your back. I see that moreso in this group than I have other ones.
I guess you could say in one degree no, because you had Bruce and Phil last year. But in another degree, yes, because I like our makeup. We're far from a finished product and we have a lot of work to do. But I think if we can keep the same work ethic, we'll have a chance to be good.
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