Cavaliers’ Monroe focused on right now

Eugene Monroe is more comfortable fighting off a fierce pass rush than he is in fielding questions from a bunch of media types looking for a good story.
It’s not that Monroe can’t handle the probing. He gives thoughtful answers to just about everything. However, he’d rather not talk about himself. Instead, he would prefer his game do the talking for him.
If you’re not familiar with Monroe, he’s the gentle giant of a left offensive tackle for Virginia. He just might be the best tackle in all of college football, an opinion shared by ESPN’s draft guru Mel Kiper Jr., who has the Cavalier senior ranked No. 1 on his Big Board as the NFL’s projected top pick.
Should you meet Monroe, don’t expect him to talk about it. He’s oblivious to the fact by his own admission. He considers such chatter a distraction from the task at hand: beating favored North Carolina this Saturday in Scott Stadium.
An unassuming giant
Actually, should you meet Monroe, you would never suspect that he’s so highly regarded by NFL talent scouts. His size, 6-foot-6, 315 pounds might give it away, but his demeanor doesn’t.
Coach Al Groh, who signed Monroe out of Plainfield, N.J., said people would find his big tackle as “a quiet, unassuming, great example of a kid who has absolutely no degree of entitlement,” despite the kudos passed his way.
Those who cover Virginia on a regular basis found that out in a hurry about Monroe, who was ranked the No. 1 lineman in the country coming out of high school. One recruiting service even ranked him as the top prospect at any position in the entire nation.
However, when Monroe first stepped foot on campus, he didn’t pack his credentials. He was the first to point out that all those honors were for high school, that he was starting all over and had a lot to learn.
Slowed by pains
A couple of injuries, including a dislocated kneecap, made it even a longer journey. He played half a season without full mobility but still got the job done.
If you know Monroe, then you know that wasn’t good enough. Well, maybe it was for his coaches, but not for himself.
“It was difficult playing, knowing that I could perform better if I was healthy,” Monroe said this week during his preparation for the 18th-ranked Tar Heels. “I was thankful I was able to get back to 100 percent.”
Virginia is on a two-game winning streak and one of the main reasons is the improvement of a young offensive line. Monroe is the only senior on the unit, joined by a junior, two sophomores and a true freshman.
“Finally starting to block the right people,” Monroe said of the line’s cohesion. “That’s the main thing. We’re doing now what we should have been doing at the beginning of the season.”
He pointed out that miscommunication, mental errors and getting used to playing together had been holding back the line’s progress, which in turn held back the running game and the passing game, making new quarterback Marc Verica’s job that more challenging.
As a result of the improvement, the Cavaliers have rushed for more than 200 yards in each of their last two outings, pulling off upsets over Maryland and East Carolina.
“That’s definitely an indicator of how well your team is performing,” said Big Gene the Blocking Machine. “When you can run the ball like that, it opens up the passing game and the quarterback can be more comfortable. And we have a young quarterback, so it’s even better when we can put up numbers like that.”
Verica is most grateful that Monroe feels that way.
“He’s the No. 1 NFL prospect for a reason,” the Cavaliers’ quarterback said. “He’s unbelievably talented. He’s big. He’s quick. He’s just a rare combination of size and athleticism and he’s a fierce competitor, too. I’m really fortunate for Gene to have my back like that.”
Monroe has given up only one sack since some time during the 2006 season, and that was this season, though Groh said that could be attributed more to the quarterback holding onto the ball too long than Monroe’s pass blocking ability.
For his effort last week, and a team-leading 88 percent grade for his play against ECU, Monroe was voted ACC offensive lineman of the week, a game in which he played every offensive snap.
No wonder scouts froth at the mouth when Monroe’s name is mentioned.
But that’s not his concern right now.
“It’s unavoidable to hear it each week from
teammates or family that might see it on the internet,” Monroe said of his NFL draft status. “But I’m a Virginia player right now and I have to get ready for the games each week. When the season’s over, that will take care of itself.”
Monroe would likely have been a first-rounder had he come out after his junior season, but he wanted to get his degree from UVa, something he will do in three and a half years, and he wanted to finish with his class and his classmates.
“He is a player who clearly profited by playing his full four years,” Groh said. “His skill level, his execution this season, is substantially upgrade from what it was last year.
“What I see him do one-on-one every day, dealing with twists, calling things out, well, it was the same way with Chris Long. Chris was really good as a junior, but was an awesome, off-the-charts senior. Gene is now progressing that way,” Groh said.
Just ask UVa linebacker Clint Sintim, who is the national leader in sacks by a linebacker, about Monroe. He figures if he can beat Monroe in practice, then he can beat anybody.
“Every Wednesday, we go into our one-on-one pass rushing drill, and that’s really my day to try to work him over,” Sintim said with a smile. “It doesn’t work as often as I’d like it to.”
By the way, Sintim did scan the room just to make sure that the massive tackle had exited before he made that statement.
“Gene definitely makes me a better player,” Sintim said. “It’s extremely hard to get around him and a lot of the moves I try on him don’t work as well as they do in a game.”
Sintim might appreciate it if someone lets Monroe know that he said good things about him, so maybe the talented tackle will take it easy on him next Wednesday.
But first, Monroe’s got work to do. He’s got Carolina on his mind.