Q&A with Trimane Goddard (w/audio)

CHAPEL HILL, N.C. -- Trimane Goddard, the veteran leader of the Tar Heel secondary, talked with the media on Monday ...

Listen to Audio (8:56)

On Kendric Burney:

“As a cornerback, he has great instincts as to what you need in a corner. He makes great plays on the ball, [and] he always attacking. As a kid, he’s funny – he’s one of the guys you hang out with. He’s also joking and hoping around.”

On the overall feeling of the team:

“Everyone’s excited, but it’s a different type of excitement. It’s like a new beginning. Everyone was excited before last season began, but I think this year [there are so many] different faces around, [and a] different makeover with the whole building and the whole football program. I think everyone is ready to put the past behind them and just start off with [head] coach [Butch] Davis with a better season and change how football is viewed around here.”

On how the secondary is doing with three new starters:

“It’s been pretty good. We’ve just been working together and watching a lot of film together, so everyone’s been in the playbooks real hard. We trust each one back there, so I feel like our overall progression in the secondary is going good, considering we have three guys that have never played.”

How much of a liability is having three guys in the secondary that have never played?

“I trust them, because I know that they are in their playbooks. I’m in the room with them when they’re watching film and the coaches are asking them questions, so they know what to do. So I trust them.”

What do you think has allowed Coach Davis to be so successful?

“He demands everything you’ve got from each player. He’s a big disciplinarian. From the practice point [of view], he does everything as if it’s a game situation – he wants everybody staying fast, crisp and light. He wants to push you in the most [difficult] situation that can occur in the game, so you know what how respond to it when it happens in the game. He’s just a great coach and he knows how to coach.

The difference between Davis and former head coach John Bunting:

“I think the biggest difference is the way we practice. We get a lot done in a little [amount of] time. I feel like we’re a more efficient team because of that.”

How’s this team different from last year?

“From a year ago, I guess there’s more trust around the entire team, as opposed to worrying about certain positions. We feel like we have depth at all of the positions – if someone goes down, then we have someone that can replace him so that we don’t miss a step or have to change the game plan around.”

How will it feel to play in front of a sell-out on Saturday against James Madison?

“It’s going to be great. It starts in the afternoon – I prefer afternoon games, so it’s going to be great coming out of the tunnel onto the stadium field and seeing everyone just ready to play.”

What do you about the talent level on defense?

“It’s probably the most talented team since I’ve been here. The thing about this team is that we lack experience as opposed to other teams that have more experience, but I feel like the way we practice and the way we prepare is going to make up for the inexperience.”

On James Madison’s offense:

“They’ve got a lot of speed at the skill positions. They have a bunch of shifty guys. They like to have their guys out in open space, try to keep it one-on-one in open field, so we’ve just got to contain them and just keep the yardage to a minimum.”