Confidence game

GREENSBORO, Ga. — When asked Sunday afternoon which team should be penciled in as the favorite to win the ACC’s Coastal Division, Virginia tight end John Phillips pointed both of his thumbs at his chest.

It was a standard confidence-boosting gesture from players representing each of the programs in the six-member division at the annual ACC Football Kickoff.

Rampant speculation emerged, however, that once Sunday’s votes are tabulated from the members of the media present that the Cavaliers will land in a spot similar — or worse — to that of the past two seasons, when they were predicted to finish fourth.

For now, Phillips is not willing to concede — the senior is awaiting the opportunity to analyze the complete roster during training camp in August.

It was during that period last year, he pointed out, that the Cavaliers developed an identity en route to a nine-win season — albeit one accomplished in nail-biting fashion. In fact, UVa set an NCAA record by winning five games by two points or fewer.

“That was the team that we had,” Phillips said. “We wanted to keep it close the whole game and then win on the last play or win in the last minute or two. That was our philosophy and that was our team mindset.

“We defined ourselves early on in camp as a team that could be tired and still execute and I think we did a great job of that last year.”

The current collection of Cavaliers will likely need a different method of attack after losing 23 lettermen.

“Every season is tough. Whenever you look at the schedule and you have all these ACC teams, you know every one of them is going to be tough,” said Phillips, who ranked third among returning tight ends with 17 receptions and 193 yards receiving last year. “We have to define who our team is. We are going to define who our team is.

“If it’s the type of team that’s going to win it by two points five or six times, that’s fine. If it is the type of team that’s going to throw the ball 100 times or run the ball 100 times, that’s what it is going to be. We’ll be anxious to see that.”

Virginia outside linebacker Clint Sintim echoed those sentiments.

“Just preparing is the key factor,” the team captain said. “Everybody is going to have their opinions and it is not necessarily going to change how well we perform, how well we play or how bad we play.”

Sintim is fully aware that the team’s linebackers, including the inside duo of Antonio Appleby and Jon Copper, will be asked to spark the Cavaliers’ defense with the voids created by the loss of defensive end Chris Long to the NFL Draft and the departure of defensive end Jeffrey Fitzgerald, who left school and later transferred to Kansas State.

Sintim amassed nine sacks last year, which was the nation’s highest figure for a linebacker.

“That was the case, but when you have the best pass rusher in the nation [Long] and then you have Jeffrey Fitzgerald, one of the younger talents in the nation, it gave me the opportunity to come in there and sneak in the back door and make some plays,” he said. “I had some help and I don’t necessarily have the same help right now, so just making myself a better player is a big goal of mine.

“The light bulb kind of clicked on for me last year as far as what I needed to do to be successful and this year I am kind of taking that same approach because I am a captain. I do have to lead a little bit more than I did last season. I don’t have the luxury of Chris whispering in my ear. I am just trying to be as good of a leader and as good of a football player as possible.”

The results for the ACC’s preseason poll and the player of the year voting will be announced today. The preseason All-ACC team is scheduled to be released Wednesday.

All smiles

Virginia’s two players in attendance flashed huge smiles when told that Long, their former teammate and roommate, had inked a five-year deal with the St. Louis Rams late Saturday night.

Phillips is holding out hope for a new car, and Sintim admitted he had checked his own bank account in search of a deposit from his close friend.

“I looked at my account and it’s the same as it was when I started,” Sintim chuckled. “He has never changed; he has been the same guy since I have known him.

“He is really humble and his parents did a great job. He handles himself as a professional in everything he does.”

Both players were with Long in New York for the draft. Terms of the deal were not released.

Double take

After playing in seven of the first eight games last year and making three tackles, linebacker John Bivens was sidelined with a season-ending knee injury that led to surgery in November.

Apparently, the redshirt sophomore is back on track.

“Man, he has actually looked great,” Sintim said. “In Wednesday morning agility training, he has actually looked great. I almost forgot how good of an athlete that he is. He was moving great and he said he is feeling better.”

Bivens, listed at 6-foot-2 and 233 pounds, is considered the heir apparent to one of the inside linebacker spots after the departure of Appleby and Copper following the 2008 season.

“It is really exciting because he’s one of those guys that’s trying to get back on the field and you can just really see the type of playmaker ability he has when he is on the field,” Sintim added. “I am excited for him and I just hope he is able to continue this process and help our team.”

A tight squeeze

Former Cavalier tight ends Tom Santi and Jonathan Stupar are fighting to secure spots on rosters in the NFL.

Their respective departures has opened two spots on the depth chart for a program known for playing at least three tight ends.

When quizzed about the third option behind himself and sophomore Joe Torchia, Phillips noted two leading candidates: junior Crutcher Reiss and redshirt freshman Andrew Devlin.

A prized recruit in the Class of 2007, Devlin turned heads last year with his steady work with the scout team.

“He had a great opportunity to sit back and watch how it goes and watch how we play and he didn’t really have to ask questions,” Phillips said. “He could sit back and let us ask questions and pick up what was going on. He could be quiet and just absorb what was going on.”

The program also has three newcomers with the program listed as tight ends. Colter Phillips, Billy Schautz and Rod Wheeler have given one of the program’s most notable positions ample depth.

“We have a lot of tight ends,” Phillips said. “We are pretty stacked at tight end on the depth chart. I think coach [Al] Groh understands that we like tight ends, we use them well and there needs to be an abundance of them.”

A big load

With a host of new faces to learn, the returning veterans focus more on jersey numbers than last names.

Due the recent arrival of the players, Sintim had a tough time pointing out the one player that physically appeared ready for jump to college football.

After some help from the program’s newly released media guide, Sintim settled on an answer.

“Buddy Ruff is a stud. He is a big kid,” Sintim said. “He is a quiet kid, but he is a big kid.

“He is a big, thick kid and from what I hear he is incredibly explosive. We will see what happens when camp comes. We will see what Buddy Ruff is about.”

Ruff, who is listed at 6-foot-4 and 290 pounds, is expected to enter training camp at nose tackle behind junior Nate Collins and redshirt freshman Nick Jenkins. The rookie has been assigned jersey No. 91, which was worn by Long and honored before the program’s final home game last season.

“Wow,” Sintim said. “That is the number to have.”