‘Dex’ is where he belongs

When Al Groh reshuffled his Virginia coaching staff, his decision to move running backs coach Anthony Poindexter to the other side of the football was hailed by the program’s faithful.

As any Wahoo worth his salt could tell you, Poindexter was one of the all-time greatest players to wear the orange and blue. A two-time, first team All-American safety, he was the fiercest hitter that many ever saw during his UVa career from 1995-98.

What sportswriters remember most about him — other than the obvious — was that Poindexter, known to us as “Dex,” took practice more seriously than most. He treated practice like a game. For Poindexter, it was a dress rehearsal, and if he left the field after practice and didn’t get just a little bit better, he was upset with himself.

That’s how you become an All-American.

The next generation

Now his goal is to help current Cavalier defensive backs be all that they can be. He has some pretty good ones to start with, big, fast, corners like Chris Cook and Ras-I Dowling, both with experience behind them, and safeties like Rodney McLeod and Corey Mosley.

“Let’s put it this way, it was a good time to take over the defensive backfield,” Poindexter said during a lunch break between two-a-days on Thursday.

Because he has coached running backs since joining Groh’s staff in 2004, there were some reservations by critics who wondered if the assignment was too much for the young coach, who had been away from the secondary for so long. After all, Poindexter was replacing the retired Steve Bernstein and the retired Bob Pruett, who had nearly 80 years of coaching experience between them.

While Pruett was UVa’s defensive coordinator, his expertise on that side of the ball was the secondary, and Bernstein was the defensive backs coach.

No regrets from Groh

Groh didn’t hesitate to make the move. He loved Poindexter’s fire, his passion.

“He’s doing a fine job with those guys,” Groh reported recently of his new secondary coach. “He’s got the right attitude and he certainly commands their attention. He works hard and Anthony is looking for more answers all the time.”

Groh, who officially took on the added responsibilities of defensive coordinator this season, has been working with Poindexter on the nuances of coaching defensive backs, while linebackers coach Bob Trott, who has a warehouse of knowledge on the secondary, is helping out as well.

The head coach likes the chemistry, and that’s usually a good indication that things are running smoothly.

“Defense just makes sense to me and I was excited about it when Coach Groh gave me the opportunity to move over there,” Poindexter said. “I eventually wanted to coach in the secondary and I’m thankful for the opportunity. Coach Groh, coach Trott, coach Pruett and coach Bernstein have all been helpful to me.”

A stronger emphasis has been placed on making game-changing plays in the secondary this season, and the players Poindexter inherited appear to have the capabilities of being difference-makers.

Cook and Dowling, both at 6-foot-2, are a bit unusual in that they are taller than the safeties. Usually the corners are shorter, faster guys, but this duo has good speed and the reach to match. McLeod seems to deliver eye-popping performances in practice on a daily basis and Mosley impressed everyone as a hitter last season.

If it’s aggression Groh wants, he chose the right candidate to teach it in Poindexter, who gained a reputation for delivering jolting hits with little regard for his own well being. He was also a highly-charged, emotional player that kept his teammates juiced.

“Coach Dex is an intense guy,” Cook said. “He brings a lot of emotion and everyone feeds off of him. When he gets emotional, we all get emotional. It gets crazy.”

Poindexter, who has always been a modest guy as a player and coach, doesn’t know any other way.

“It’s an exciting game, and if I don’t have energy out there, how can I expect the kids to have energy?” he said. “If I don’t have the passion to coach it, how can I expect them to have the passion to play? That’s just my personality. Coach Groh always preaches positive energy and I’ve got plenty of that.”

A lot has been made of the notion that this secondary could be Virginia’s best since the days that names like Poindexter and Ronde Barber roamed the turf at Scott Stadium, but the coach isn’t going to get caught in that trap just yet.

“Only time will tell,” Poindexter said. “You hate to put that kind of pressure on a unit. I think we have really good talent back there, but the secondary is only as good as the defensive line and linebackers. If we’re good on the back end, that means we’re really good on the front end.”

Yes, only time will tell, but early on the prognosis is good for certainly the strongest secondary of the Groh era and its leader, who probably wishes he could slip on that No. 3 jersey one more time.