Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: SATURDAY, April 10, 1993 TAG: 9304100026
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: B1 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: SCOTT BLANCHARD STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: BLACKSBURG LENGTH: Long
DANGER: ROADBLOCK AHEAD
FIVE COCKY freshman defensive backs enlivened Virginia Tech's fall football practices last year with words and action. They're fighting among themselves for playing time this spring, but the group is still together and still talking. \It was dangerous country to be in, a little bit of Florida swamp-thing, a little New York swagger, a little innocent Delaware sneaking up from behind.
Then there was a road sign: Dead End.
And it was moving.
It was human.
It was Virginia Tech's five redshirted freshman defensive backs: Kenny Bailey, Danny Dunbar, Torrian Gray, Okesa Smith and Lenarick Thomas. It's their self-bestowed nickname, a promise to opposing receivers. "End of the road," Dunbar said. Only because they haven't played yet - all five spent last fall on the no-hitting-allowed scout team - it remains just a promise.
Two, Floridians Dunbar and Gray, are on the two-deep roster in spring practice; Dunbar is listed as a starting cornerback, Gray as the No. 2 free safety. Thomas, also from Florida, is right behind Gray. New Yorker Smith is No. 3 at left cornerback, and Delaware native Bailey is third at rover (strong safety), a new position for him. Rookie Antonio Banks, a second-teamer who is impressing coaches, didn't enroll at Tech until January and is a latecomer to the group.
How long before this brash tangle of ballplayers inflicts itself on the Tech public?
"About two years," Dunbar said.
And what will people say about them?
"Damn, these guys are great."
Only Tech players and coaches know how it came about last fall. Five kids, relegated to miming other teams' defenses, set for a season of boredom. When it was clear none would play, solidarity replaced competition. They named themselves, dressed the same for practice, got taped like every workout was game day, decided to keep score of their interceptions and started bugging Tech's receivers and quarterbacks like really big, really mouthy mosquitoes.
"It developed into a lot of trash-talking in the locker room: Who's going to guard who, who isn't going to make a catch," said Tech's top receiver last year, Antonio Freeman. "They enjoyed themselves while they were doing it."
You don't say?
"It wasn't easy for them," Thomas said of the receivers.
Gray: "We felt like we were just as good as the team they were going to play that Saturday."
Thomas: "We talked to the quarterback every play. If they threw an interception, we'd go to [then-quarterbacks coach Rickey] Bustle and tell him, get that guy out and bring in a backup."
Bailey: "Every day . . . It seemed like it's another show we're going to put on."
Not everyone raved, but the production wasn't panned until this spring. Freeman said no-nonsense defensive coordinator Phil Elmassian has the five "turned around in the other direction in the discipline aspect."
Tech coach Frank Beamer says he wants the Hokies "to celebrate success together, not as individuals or taunting [opponents]. But those are good kids."
No matter what the reviews, though, the five always award themselves five stars. And, of course, personal signatures for personal highlights.
"I did mine with finger action," Gray said, first digit to the sky.
Thomas: "Dunbar takes off his helmet and runs around the field. I would stand up and raise both hands like `I'm the man.' Bailey stood on the field with hands on his hips. This guy [Smith] just ran around yelling.
"Coach Beamer got mad at us one day - said, `That's enough games being played, get serious.' "
Serious? This bunch? Try this: Scout-teamers aren't supposed to hit first-teamers, but these guys were trying to prove a point. So they hit - not hard, not all the time, but their targets noticed.
Thomas: "[Bustle] told us the receivers wanted to stop being hit. [We thought] they were . . .
"Punks," Gray finished.
"Soft, put it that way," Dunbar corrected.
"We let 'em know we were there," Gray said. "We know we gave them their best shot."
Freeman said the receivers didn't go to Bustle, and said he thinks Tech's receivers were better for the quintet's antics. On Tech's 2-8-1 team last year, the receivers stood out.
The defenders say they're better, too, because of their friendship. They learned new positions and learned to play together. They made each other stay intense when they could've gone numb. And they covered each other. They had to, because they didn't robotically carry out coaches' orders.
"We lined up in their formations, but we played our defense," Thomas said.
So if somebody wanted to gamble for an interception on a short route, somebody else backed him up deep. The interception count, by the way, went: Gray eight, Thomas six, Smith six, Dunbar four and Bailey three.
That's not necessarily a performance chart. Dunbar said Tech's coaches asked him early last season if he wanted to shed his red shirt, but he declined. Now, he's scheduled to start alongside first-team All-Big East corner Tyronne Drakeford. Dunbar's reputation is just as high with his redshirted running mates, who were asked to pick the best among them and were prohibited from choosing themselves.
"I'd have to say Danny," Gray said. "I really admire his footwork. I try to learn from him."
Lenarick: "Dunbar, too. There's this drill, a one-on-one drill, it seems to be the hardest drill for me. He does it like it's nothing."
Smith: "Dunbar. He just makes his work look easy."
Dunbar: [Pause] "Okesa. I like his intensity he brings. He's, like, hyper. He makes everyone want to play."
Bailey: "Dunbar. He's an exciting player. He could have left us [when the coaches asked him about playing], but he chose to stay with us. He's the man."
Surely these rapacious guys aren't going to let their comrade off that easy.
"One thing about him I don't understand," Thomas said of Dunbar. "I saw highlight films of him in high school . . . He came up and hit a receiver like he was a linebacker. Out here, he doesn't get dirty. He will not hit you."
Gray: "He's been watching too many Deion Sanders films."
Guilty or not guilty, Danny?
"Guilty," said Dunbar, whose gold karat-count is approaching that of his hero. "I'll hit, but I'm not going looking for a hit. I ain't the type to just jump on the pile."
But you couldn't pry any of them from each other, it seems - even though they're competing more than ever now, when every practice could affect the depth chart.
"I just enjoy being around these guys," Bailey said.
"[Last fall we knew] the real challenge was going to be spring, which is now."
Thomas: "Everybody was asking, were we going to stay together as Dead End during spring?"
"Still the same," Dunbar said.