North Carolina State University Athletics
Tony Haynes: Pack Has Speed to Burn
8/10/2003 12:00:00 AM | Football
Aug. 10, 2003
By Tony Haynes
Raleigh, N.C.-The word 'speed' was a big part of Chuck Amato's vocabulary when he arrived in Raleigh to take over as NC State's head football coach in 2000. Just a few days before being hired, Amato, then an assistant coach at Florida State, had once again watched the Seminoles use their superior speed advantage to capture a second national championship. Borrowing a page from FSU's successful recruiting playbook, Amato put a major emphasis on turning the Wolfpack into a faster football team at every position across the board. Entering the fourth year of his program, that mission has been accomplished.
When asked to compare the team speed of this year's club to his first team in 2000, Amato says there's no contest.
"As far as team speed, if we ran a track meet against my first team it wouldn't even be close," Amato said. "Our best defensive lineman my first year here was 6-2, he weighed 290 pounds and he ran a 5.5 (in the 40). He wouldn't even make our scout squad now. He would go to offense."
In an effort to further elaborate on the upgrade in team speed over the last four years, Amato didn't bother mentioning players at the offensive skill positions or in the secondary. He zeroed in on two of his younger players in the defensive front seven: sophomore linebacker Manny Lawson and freshman defensive end Mario Williams.
"There are all kinds of 5-10, 185-pound kids that run 4.5 or better," said Amato, "but there aren't a lot of 6-4, 230-pound youngsters that can run real fast. Manny Lawson might be the fastest kid on the football team and he's 6-6 and weighs 220 pounds. Mario Williams is 6-6 and weighs 268 pounds and he's awfully, awfully fast. Those guys can really, really run."
Stone is Solid as a Rock: Neither Amato nor the Wolfpack Nation want to ponder what life will be like APR (After Philip Rivers), but it's a fact of life that NC State's record-breaking quarterback will see his college eligibility expire after this season. But from Rivers' perspective, NC State's quarterback position should be in good hands down the road when and if rookie Marcus Stone is eventually asked to take over.
"He's going to be a good player, he really is," Rivers said. "He's already got that knack. He's big and strong and can really throw. We do a deep drill everyday and he threw one a mile. Everybody looked back and starting saying, 'who threw that one?' He also likes to learn. He asks me questions all the time about what I would do or what I would call if I wanted to check off against a certain defense. He wants to know the little things that will give him that edge and put him a little bit ahead. I would say he's an advanced guy coming in here."
Stone, a highly decorated prospect from Bishop McDevitt High School in Harrisburg, Pa., threw for over 5,100 yards and 50 touchdowns in his prep career. He was also ranked as the third-best player overall last year in the talent rich state of Pennsylvania. During NC State's annual media day on Sunday, Amato said it was still too early to predict if Stone would be redshirted this year, meaning the freshman will probably be given an opportunity to compete with Jay Davis and Chris Moore for the job of backing up Rivers.
Hall High on Offensive Weapons: When asked on Sunday if he would like to play defense against the Pack's high-powered offense, receiver Tramain Hall couldn't help but explode into laughter.
"I'm glad I'm not," Hall said before his outburst. "It will be pretty difficult to stop. The receivers are real excited and we're like one. When you have unity like that, it's tough for people to come in and beat you. What's really exciting is we're working with a Heisman candidate (Rivers) who knows the offense and will get the ball to you."
Hall, who has waited two years to play at NC State, will certainly be one of the Pack's feature weapons on offense. A versatile player who can play running back and receiver, the speedy native of Deerfield Beach, Florida will likely become a match-up headache with his ability to line-up at different spots on the field.
"The mismatch is what you're looking for," Hall said. "To be honest, a linebacker would have a tough time staying with a player that can move and is shifty like I am."
Hall showed flashes of his big-play brilliance when he won NC State's Top Newcomer Award for offense following spring drills.
