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CHERUBINI CHIMES IN
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One-on-One with the
Pirates
Sunday,
August 19, 2010
By Ron Cherubini |
Q&A with
Dayon Arrington
By
Ron Cherubini
©2012 Bonesville.net
All rights reserved.
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When Dayon Arrington came into the program, it was much heralded. He was a
recruit that East Carolina was very high on with a big body and a reputation
for making the tough catch. However, it was making the routine catch that
seemed to elude him. He showed real flashes of brilliance early on in his
career, but then fell off the depth chart and saw only limited action.
Where some guys heading into their final year might mail it in and succumb
to the situation, by all accounts, Arrington has instead embraced his own
accountability and has put himself into the mix to be a big part of the
offense on the outside.
So noticeable has been his improvement and ability to contribute, that
coaches and teammates alike have pointed to Arrington as a guy that the team
expects to contribute heavily in 2012.
Dayon was kind enough to sit down for a chat with Bonesville to share his
insights on the upcoming season.
Dayon Arrington in action
(ECU SID photo)
One-on-One with Dayon Arrington
Q: So, sophomore year, you have a
nice season and it looks like you are going to
breakout big-time. Didn’t happen. Now, though, you
have teammates referring to you as one of the Big
Three with Reese Wiggins and
Justin Hardy
in terms of playmaking and downfield threats. Talk
about what you have done to put yourself in the mix
in your senior season?
A: Hard work and, really, growing
up. I have been working so hard this summer for the
opportunity to show the coaches what I can do. Coach
(Jeff) Connors has us working hard every day, and
what I do is that I don’t just do the workout, I try
to go beyond and push myself harder. I really
stepped up my work ethic. I want to play and I want
to be a leader out here.
Q: How do you see your role this
season?
A: Right now, we rotate and all
of us are expected to be able to go deep, play in
the intermediate zones and be part of the quick
game. I feel comfortable in the position and I am
feeling pretty consistent right now. Like I said, I
want to be a leader. I want my teammates to see how
I work and play and respect that.
Q: What did you learn last year
about the position, about yourself, having such
limited playing time?
A: Last year, I would have liked
to play more, but one thing was that I had the
chance to play behind Lance Lewis, who was a great
receiver. He would give me tips and we would talk. I
learned a lot from him about route strategies which
I have taken onto the field this season. Also, I
have put much more into film study and understanding
how to study an opponent on film to learn tendencies
and what I need to do against certain guys. This
season, I feel good and don’t want to feel
comfortable. I don’t want to let my coaches down.
Q: We have a QB battle raging.
Can you give me a little on each of them? Rio,
Shane, Brad?
A: OK. [Rio Johnson:] Rio is a
good, good quarterback with a strong arm. He has the
system down pat right now. It is just a matter of
him making the routine plays consistently. [Shane
Carden:] Shane is real good back there. He is
consistent, good in the pocket and can run the ball.
He has a nice touch on his passes, too. He also
makes plays when things break down. [Brad Wornick:]
Brad is the most experienced and he throws a nice
pass. I think the best description is clutch. He is
a clutch guy. I think whoever wins the job will
definitely have the leadership ability with all of
us. We have confidence in each of them.
Q: What player on this team do
you most respect and why?
A: Ummm…
Jacobi Jenkins.
He’s been here four years and nothing has been given
to him. He has earned every opportunity he has
gotten and now that he finally has the job, he works
so hard, even through injuries, to keep what he has
worked so hard for. I really respect Jacobi.
Q: Looking across the ball, what
are you seeing from our secondary?
A: The defense is great…
seriously. I think the (secondary) is going to
surprise people. We work against them and they are
very athletic guys over there.
Q: How eager are you and the team
to get this season rolling?
A: I am always excited for the
season, but right now, mainly, I am focused on
continuing to do what I have been doing. I want to
keep this going and learn to be a good leader. I
know what it has taken for me to get here and I
don’t want to lose the opportunity.
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