North Carolina State University Athletics
Red & White Preview: Linebackers, Tight Ends
8/15/2008 12:00:00 AM | Football
Editor’s note: Throughout the preseason, GoPack.com will present a Q&A with one player from each position on offense and defense to talk about the personalities and players within that group. Today, juniors Ray Michel and Matt Kushner talk about the linebacker and tight end positions, respectively. Look Monday for the next preview.
Matt Kushner was thrown into action last season as the Wolfpack’s No. 2 tight end when Anthony Hill went down with a knee injury. He performed well, and is the Wolfpack’s only returning tight end who caught a pass in a game last year. His best game was against
| Linebacker Ray Michel |
| | Position: | Middle linebacker |
| Jersey: | No. 44 | |
| Size: | 6-0, 224 pounds | |
| Class: | Junior | |
| Hometown: | Fort Myers, Fla |
Michel: They are doubting the linebackers because we are young and inexperienced. Nate Irving has the most snaps from last year and I had some as well. We just moved Robbie Leonard to linebacker. We went through a good spring and right now we are just trying to lock everything down and get our plays together.
GoPack.com: You have been waiting your turn to contribute for a few years now. Are you ready?
Michel: I am. I have been behind some great players like Oliver Hoyte, Stephen Tulloch, LeRue Rumph, James Martin, Ernest Jones. I learned from watching those guys play. They gave it their all and I am out here trying to do the same thing. They taught me the game, and it time to make them proud for what they taught me.
GoPack.com: Let’s talk about some of the personalities among the linebackers. Start with Robbie Leonard, who was converted to linebacker from safety.
Michel: Robbie is not a new face to the system. He just moved down from safety. He got a little bulked up, trying to fit into that linebacker mold. He should do all right. He is a good coverage guy and he can also play the run. He’s a got a good mix to his abilities. He’s a hybrid safety and linebacker.
GoPack.com: What about Nate Irving?
Michel: He is a real physical guy, who adds a lot of toughness to the team. I am not going to lie about that. I hate going one-on-one against him, because I know he is going to give me a nice little shot. But what he brings is a little bit of nastiness to the game. He keeps his cool, but there is definitely some nastiness to him.
GoPack.com: Give me your impressions of some of the other linebackers.
Michel: Thomas Barnes played last year as a true freshman. We didn’t have many guys do that. I think he will do very well this year. Freshman Sterling Lucas is going to be a great player here. Even though he is young, he has already shown some traits of being a strong leader. He should do very, very well here. Dwayne Maddox, another freshman, reminds me of
GoPack: So you obviously don’t buy into some of those doubts people have about NC State’s linebackers?
Michel: I don’t like it. We will see when we play
GoPack: Who is the funniest linebacker?
Michel: Thomas Barnes. He’s got jokes for every day, every situation.
GoPack: Who is the most serious?
Michel: I would have to say me. I don’t like jokes, since I am the one who gets cracked on by Thomas all the time. I just don’t like jokes, period. I don’t smile that much. I just don’t like it.
GoPack.com: Who is the quietest?
Michel: Nate Irving. He does all his talking with the way he plays on the field.
GoPack: Who is the best teammate among the group?
Michel: That person is Ryan Goodman. He’s been a good wrestler here for several years. He’s been a good leader on the football team too, playing on special teams. He gets everybody hyped and ready to go.
| Tight End Matt Kushner |
GoPack.com: What specific trait defines the tight ends as a group? Position: Tight end Jersey: No. 89 Size: 6-4, 265 pounds Class: Junior Hometown: Bethlehem, Pa.
Kushner: I would say versatility. We can all do a little bit of everything. If they need us to line up in a double-tight ends formation, or at full back or split out wide, we can all be put in any position. [Tight ends coach Jim] Bridge tells us that we run a pro offense and we need to know everything that is going on at every position of the offense. So we have to be versatile.
GoPack.com: You and Marcus Stone were kind of thrown into the fire last year when returning starter Anthony Hill was lost for the season with a knee injury. Do you feel a little more comfortable this time around?
Kushner: We had to learn the entire offense from scratch going into last season. We understand it so much better now. No matter what defense they throw out there at us, we know the offense so well, we can make adjustments on the field. We are so much more comfortable with playing in this offense. And I thought we did pretty well last year. Marcus had, what, 35-40 catches? [Stone had 36 receptions for 452 yards.] And I had 10 catches [for 72 yards], which is quite a feat for me. Before that, I never caught a ball.
GoPack.com: Talk a little about Anthony Hill returning to action.
Kushner: Anthony is a great athlete and he can run just about anything. He’s a great leader. He’s a good guy with a great personality. He always works his hardest to do what he needs to do to put the team in a better position. He is always trying to get people to work harder. He wants to win games. He is busting his butt, being a great leader, showing people what it takes to win. He’s got great skills too.
GoPack.com: What have you learned from him?
Kushner: I knew a little bit about blocking, because I played some tackle in high school. But I didn’t know anything about running routes and that’s something Anthony helped me out with. Since I first moved over, he’s been a real big help to me. He taught me a lot of things that I never knew about the position.
GoPack.com: Describe your game.
Kushner: I can do the same things Anthony can, though maybe not quite as well right now. I think I add some run-blocking skills, because I like getting in there and mixing it up with people. I can also catch the ball out in flats. I am a lot better at running routes now. I am a lot more versatile now and feel like they are comfortable putting me in any position to help the offense.
GoPack.com: How about redshirt freshman George Bryan, who was the star of the spring game?
Kushner: George is a big guy. If he keeps on working the way he’s working, he can do anything. He is working hard to learn everything and you can see him starting to get it. You can see that since we have started fall practices. He can do anything he wants if he works at it.
GoPack.com: Go through the other guys at tight end.
Kushner: We have sophomore Eric Weaver, who is something like 6-7. He is very tall and athletic. It’s really surprising to me well he can move and catch the ball, given how tall he is. And he’s fast. He can definitely help the offense. Junior Loid Atkinson IV is going to be a lot better blocker this year. He can run routes and catch balls, but he has been doing a real good job getting his hands in there and blocking. And freshman Mario Carter [who has yet to practice because of a knee injury he suffered as a high school senior at Charlotte’s Independence High], we can’t for get about him. I haven’t seen him out there much yet. But he is working hard and just from seeing him run, he looks like he can be a good tight end. He has put on some weight so I think he can handle the blocking. He’s a strong kid.
GoPack.com: How would you describe tight ends coach
Kushner: He’s a maniac in a good way. He gets on us and lets us know what we are doing wrong, every single time,k over and over again. He wants us to do things perfectly. To win games, you have to eliminate all mistakes and he lets us know what we are doing right and what we are doing wrong.
