Post by WVUfanPHILLY on Aug 15, 2007 0:26:50 GMT -5
WVU coach sifting through six cornerbacks
By Dave Hickman
Staff writer
MORGANTOWN — To say that Tony Gibson has the toughest job among the West Virginia coaches this month might not be entirely accurate. Then again, it’s hard to argue the point.
Yes, newcomer Greg Frey is charged with rebuilding perhaps the key to the offense, the line. And Rick Trickett’s shoes are big ones to fill.
Another newcomer, Tony Dews, has to find and develop four or five wide receivers so that the passing game is good enough to take some pressure off the runners. That’s no walk in the park, either.
In fact, all of the assistants have their crosses to bear in one form or another.
But is there a bigger question mark surrounding the Mountaineers than this: Will the secondary be able to stop anyone from throwing the football?
Well, if nothing else, Gibson has more talent and experience from which to choose than he did a year ago, when West Virginia ranked last in the Big East and No. 109 nationally in pass defense. In fact, his toughest job right now is sifting through it all.
“Right now, I could flip a coin and be just as effective as trying to pick the right guys,’’ said Gibson, who coaches the cornerbacks and free safeties. “It’s that close.’’
Usually by the time preseason camp starts, a coach will have a good idea who his starters probably will be. Camp is merely the time to prove it and get ready.
But Gibson has six cornerbacks competing for two starting positions and not much at all separates any of them. For lack of a better ranking system, alphabetically they are sophomore Guesly Dervil, junior college transfer Ellis Lankster, senior Antonio Lewis, sophomore Kent Richardson and seniors Vaughn Rivers and Larry Williams.
“The good thing about it is the more depth you go into it with, the better,’’ Gibson said. “If we’ve got six guys who can play — and I feel comfortable with six of them right now — we can be all right. I’ve never had six guys in the seven years I’ve been here.’’
Through the first week and a half of the two-week preseason camp, Gibson has rotated all six in and out of the No. 1 defense. Then he watches film and evaluates and grades them every day.
“The first day we walked out on the field, I started Larry Williams at the field corner and Kent Richardson at the boundary,’’ Gibson said.
“Well, then Ellis Lankster started making a bunch of plays, so he went up there. Then Vaughn and Antonio and Richardson and Dervil have all moved up and down.’’
For the most part, Gibson has the corners in pairs, with some minor tweaking. Lately those pairings have been Williams and Lankster, Rivers and Lewis, Richardson and Dervil. Some days one pair will work with the No. 1 defense, the next with the No. 3 unit. But even that will change.
“I have to do a better job of splitting them up and playing both positions and seeing how they work together,’’ Gibson said.
Still, despite the apparent depth and competition, four of the six played in what was a bad secondary last year and five (including Richardson, who saw time mainly on special teams) were in the program. The only newcomer is Lankster. So can the corners be dramatically better with essentially the same personnel?
© Copyright 1996-2007 The Charleston Gazette
By Dave Hickman
Staff writer
MORGANTOWN — To say that Tony Gibson has the toughest job among the West Virginia coaches this month might not be entirely accurate. Then again, it’s hard to argue the point.
Yes, newcomer Greg Frey is charged with rebuilding perhaps the key to the offense, the line. And Rick Trickett’s shoes are big ones to fill.
Another newcomer, Tony Dews, has to find and develop four or five wide receivers so that the passing game is good enough to take some pressure off the runners. That’s no walk in the park, either.
In fact, all of the assistants have their crosses to bear in one form or another.
But is there a bigger question mark surrounding the Mountaineers than this: Will the secondary be able to stop anyone from throwing the football?
Well, if nothing else, Gibson has more talent and experience from which to choose than he did a year ago, when West Virginia ranked last in the Big East and No. 109 nationally in pass defense. In fact, his toughest job right now is sifting through it all.
“Right now, I could flip a coin and be just as effective as trying to pick the right guys,’’ said Gibson, who coaches the cornerbacks and free safeties. “It’s that close.’’
Usually by the time preseason camp starts, a coach will have a good idea who his starters probably will be. Camp is merely the time to prove it and get ready.
But Gibson has six cornerbacks competing for two starting positions and not much at all separates any of them. For lack of a better ranking system, alphabetically they are sophomore Guesly Dervil, junior college transfer Ellis Lankster, senior Antonio Lewis, sophomore Kent Richardson and seniors Vaughn Rivers and Larry Williams.
“The good thing about it is the more depth you go into it with, the better,’’ Gibson said. “If we’ve got six guys who can play — and I feel comfortable with six of them right now — we can be all right. I’ve never had six guys in the seven years I’ve been here.’’
Through the first week and a half of the two-week preseason camp, Gibson has rotated all six in and out of the No. 1 defense. Then he watches film and evaluates and grades them every day.
“The first day we walked out on the field, I started Larry Williams at the field corner and Kent Richardson at the boundary,’’ Gibson said.
“Well, then Ellis Lankster started making a bunch of plays, so he went up there. Then Vaughn and Antonio and Richardson and Dervil have all moved up and down.’’
For the most part, Gibson has the corners in pairs, with some minor tweaking. Lately those pairings have been Williams and Lankster, Rivers and Lewis, Richardson and Dervil. Some days one pair will work with the No. 1 defense, the next with the No. 3 unit. But even that will change.
“I have to do a better job of splitting them up and playing both positions and seeing how they work together,’’ Gibson said.
Still, despite the apparent depth and competition, four of the six played in what was a bad secondary last year and five (including Richardson, who saw time mainly on special teams) were in the program. The only newcomer is Lankster. So can the corners be dramatically better with essentially the same personnel?
© Copyright 1996-2007 The Charleston Gazette
