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One-on-One with the
Pirates
Monday,
August 13, 2010
By Ron Cherubini |
By
Ron Cherubini
©2012 Bonesville.net
All rights reserved.
Dependability is a heck of a reputation for a football player. While Damon
Magazu’s name tends to conjure up memories of the 2010 win over N.C. State,
what often times is lost when it comes to the tough, smart man in the middle
of the secondary is that he plays as if he has been in the lineup for three
or four years.
It is almost hard to believe that Magazu has two years left to roam the
secondary for the Pirates. He appears to have the soul of an old school
ballplayer and his play has been as consistent as the sunrise. You just
expect him to make the right decision and make the right play. And most of
the time, he does. You could see why Coach Ruffin McNeill took him to the
Conference USA Media Day event. Magazu is a leader on this defense and has
been a foundation piece for Brian Mitchell’s rebuild of the once proud
Pirate D.
Beefed up and ready to play, Magazu will be counted on to bring together a
secondary that will see three new starters in the lineup in 2012 and will
most certainly be attacked by opponents. How the unit fares against aerial
assaults will largely be on Magazu’s shoulders, so he will be taking
practice efforts and game day performances of his new secondary mates quite
personally. He will be asked to lead not just the secondary, but the whole
unit which seems poised to make noise this year.
Damon was kind enough to sit down for a chat with Bonesville to share his
insights on the upcoming season.
Damon Magazu in action
(ECU SID photo)
One-on-One with Damon Magazu
Q: You sounded pretty
serious at C-USA Media Day. [Is it] safe to say
that, as a representative of the team, this group is
ready to make some noise this season?
A: Yes, definitely.
Right now, we are really focusing on ourselves as a
team, on putting in the work each day. We have a lot
of great athletes out here and I think that for the
defense, last year lit a fire under us. We were not
happy about how it went, not getting to a bowl game.
We have all — everyone of of us — had a great
off-season under Coach C (Jeff Connors) and we are
exciting to bring more speed, strength, all of the
things we worked on this summer into this season.
Q: You look around the
secondary and while there are familiar faces, you
are the only one with starter’s experience. What do
you see in this group as, say, compared to the trio
that just left the program?
A: The thing is that
even though these guys didn’t start last year, they
all have a lot of playing time, so the experience is
there. The most noticeable thing in the secondary is
that we have a lot of depth now. Coach (Brian)
Mitchell has stressed to us that the biggest thing
is for each of us to know what is going on as a
unit. Each of us has to know every little in and out
of the defense and I think that we have guys who
know that.
Q: Turnovers, or lack
thereof, a year ago was perhaps the only big mark in
an otherwise nice turnaround last season from 2010.
While you did your part with 4 INTs, what do you
think is the difference between last year and this
year in regards to ability to force the turnover? Do
you think adjusting to a new scheme had anything to
do with it?
A: As a team, we are
assignment sound now. We know what our jobs are in
this system. So I think that with all of us running
to the ball on every play, we will create more
opportunities to create turnovers, ripping the ball,
the second or third guy in jarring it loose, and
having everyone there to jump on a loose ball. That
will create a chance to increase the turnovers. I
believe that our team speed is noticeably better
this season because of what we did this summer with
Coach C.
Q: What player on this
team do you most respect and why?
A: On and off the field?
There are a lot of guys, you know — Jacobi Jenkins,
Shane Carden,
(Andrew) Bodenheimer,
Justin Hardy,
they are great guys who I have a lot of respect for.
We are like a family, really, and we have all bonded
on this team. To name one, I guess I would say
Jacobi. They way he works on the field and off the
field, he does every thing the right way. I really
enjoy putting in the work next to him every day.
Q: What receiver on this
offense would you hate to have to cover all night in
a game?
A: I wouldn’t want to
have to cover any of them all day. But to name one,
it would be
Justin Hardy.
He can run at the same speed all day long — he is
always on at full blast. You have to be able to keep
up the pace with him at all times. It is good to get
a chance to work against a receiver like Justin
every day in practice.
Q: Going to throw a few
names at you and would like for you to give me a
thought on each one: Jenkins? Paulk? Armstrong? Chip
Thompson? Lamar Ivey? Justin Venable?
A: Sure, go ahead.
[Jenkins:] Speed and accountability; [(Leonard)
Paulk:] Strength and power; [(Adonis) Armstrong:]
Intelligent, outstanding cover guy; [Chip
(Thompson):] Athletic with a big body; [Lamar
(Ivey):] Quick and athletic; [(Justin) Venable:]
Fast and intelligent.
Q: Do you think this
defense can be the kind that changes games, that can
carry the offense, if needed, till it gets rolling?
A: I do. As a defense,
we strive to control the game, the tempo, the
situations. So, yes, I believe we can control tempo
out there and get our offense back on the field in
good situations so that they can do what they do
well, which is score points.
E-mail
Ron Cherubini
PAGE UPDATED
08/13/12 06:04 AM.
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