Chris Long

Anyone who follows recruiting can tell you that high school players these days are more physically gifted than ever before. Many of us assume that because a 6-3 cornerback can run a 4.3 forty, he can come in and immediately contribute to the team. The fact is, regardless of talent level, there is a tremendous amount of learning that must take place in order for a player to adjust to college football and a college lifestyle. The quickness with which a player accepts and embraces this fact determines how successful he will be.

The 3-4 defense that the Cavaliers employ is an extremely complicated system to learn. The playbook is a 20-inch three-ring binder full of everything but the meaning of life. Each basic alignment is supplemented by dozens of variations and audibles that can be added in the huddle or at the line of scrimmage, depending on the situation. This allows the defense to be very flexible, but it also requires a lot of thinking by the players on the field before every play. In order for a player to effectively use his full athletic ability, he must know how to work within this system.

“It took me three and a half years to fully learn everything,” said fifth-year senior linebacker Dennis Haley. Nothing is different for the new players today. Defensive end Chris Long , one of at least five true freshmen likely to play in Saturday’s season opener at Temple, admitted that he is “struggling to learn the plays.”

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