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CHERUBINI CHIMES IN
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One-on-One with the
Pirates
Sunday,
August 12, 2010
By Ron Cherubini |
Q&A with
Jeremy Grove
By
Ron Cherubini
©2012 Bonesville.net
All rights reserved.
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East Carolina defensive coordinator Brian Mitchell, coming out of spring
camp in 2011, flat out said that Jeremy Grove had the very best camp on his
defense. He said to watch out for Grove. it was almost prophetic in
retrospect. All the redshirt freshman did was burst onto the scene as a
tackling machine, conjuring up some vivid memories of the likes of Chris
Moore, Robert Jones, Danny Kepley — the monsters of ECU defensive lore.
As a freshman, Grove finished the year among the nation’s tackle leaders and
garnered freshman All-America honors. Why is he so good? Two major
ingredients: First, he is a good tackler… he puts his man down. Second, he
understands his job. In the 3-4 defense, it is a linebacker’s dream job
description: “Kill the ball carrier.” Grove was as good as it gets in doing
his job within a system predicated on freeing up the linebackers,
particularly the Mikes, to make tackles.
What was critical a year ago for Grove is that his play opened the door for
his growth as a leader on a defensive unit that is a primary key for a
successful campaign in 2012. He is passionate, he has a motor that doesn’t
stop, and his play gets his teammates whipped into a frenzy. Expect more of
the same from Grove in 2012.
Jeremy was kind enough to sit down for a chat with Bonesville to share his
insights on the upcoming season.
Jeremy Grove in action
(ECU SID photo)
One-on-One with Jeremy Grove
Q: Wow! Could you have written a
better script for yourself in 2011? What do you
believe was the biggest thing that you learned in
2011 to help you be a better linebacker in 2012?
A: Last season was great but it
was last season, and even though I put up those
numbers, it was my role, my job on this defense is
to make tackles. So I have a lot of little things…
technique… that I must continue to work on. Another
thing is that I need to very much aware of… I have
to focus more on recognizing what everyone else’s
jobs are so that I can make sure each of us is doing
what we are supposed to be doing. That is a part of
the job I think I am getting better at now.
Q: You missed spring banged up a
bit. You 100% now and ready for camp?
A: Oh yeah, I feel good. The
shoulder feels great. All set, ready to play.
Q: Last year, the defense as a
unit made an incredible turnaround to gain a measure
of respectability. Still, sack and turnover
production could be better. Why should fans expect
this defense to go from respectable to feared?
A: It starts with the fact that
we have seven starters back and a lot of other guys
who have played a lot. We have more depth than I can
remember since I got here and all the guys can play.
We are two and three deep with athletes and I think
that will show this year. We all intend to continue
(the upward trend).
Q: Do the guys have a noticeably
better handle on the defensive requirements of the
3-4?
A: Yes, we do. We area all fine
tuning it now. We’ve had the overall scheme down
coming in (to camp) and working on making sure we do
the little things perfectly.
Q: What is the defense’s mantra
this season and why?
A: I would say that all of us on
every snap are thinking, ‘Swarm to the football, no
matter what.’ This defense is athletic and fast and
we all get to the football. We all know that if
every guy gets to the football, good things are
going to happen for us. I think you will see that is
one of the (characteristics) of this team.
Q: What player on this team do
you most respect and why?
A: For me, Justin Hardy. I think
he is the best wide receiver in college football. I
work against him every day and it is a job. I know
that working to cover him makes me a lot better
every time out. My coverage skills have improved a
lot and I believe it is from having to work against
him in practice. He is good.
Q: Name a couple of players on
the defense that maybe we haven’t heard a lot about
yet, but will, come 2012?
A: I am going stay with the
linebackers on this question. We are incredibly deep
at inside linebacker. Ty (Holmes), (Zeek) Bigger,
(Daniel) Drake, (Kyle) Tudor — those are guys who
anyone of them could break out this season. Also,
then there are guys like Jake (Geary) who makes
plays. Desi (Brown) and Chip (Thompson) are tough
guys, too. But, thinking more about it, really I
think the guys who you are going to hear a lot about
are our corners, Jacobi Jenkins and Leonard Paulk.
We lost seniors on the corners last year, but I
think those two will break out big this season.
Q: Give me your thoughts on the
offensive line out there right now for the Pirates?
A: I can say for sure that Coach
(Jeff) Connors has gotten them much bigger and much
stronger and they are all physical. You put bigger,
stronger guys in there who all know the blocking
schemes really well and they are going to be good.
Not just improved, but I think they could be pretty
great this season.
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