March 3, 2005

By Adam Lucas

As he enters his second spring practice as a Tar Heel, Joe Kedra has been placed on a very strict diet: any food he sees, he's supposed to eat.

"I eat every chance that I get," Kedra says. "If I walk past food, I eat it. I started at 233 a couple weeks ago and I'm already up to 238."

That five-pound weight gain means he's made about 20 percent of the progress toward the goal Carolina coaches have set for him. They would like to see him add 25 or 30 pounds before training camp opens in August.

The bulking up is part of a spring experiment that saw Kedra move from linebacker to defensive end. He's played linebacker throughout his career, but his 6-foot-4 frame looks capable of holding the extra weight. His quickness and agility might not be optimal for the linebacker position, but if he can gain the weight and pick up the nuances of the new position, they'd be a natural fit at end.

"We wanted to give him the chance to rush the passer and do some zone dogging," John Bunting says. "We felt like he could fit into our 3 package and we want to see how that looks. It's not necessarily permanent but it's a good start."

That's the beauty of spring practice, as Carolina went through their third session Wednesday afternoon on a bitterly cold Chapel Hill day. Several players are being given the opportunity to try new positions in a lower-pressure atmosphere than they might face during the season. If they don't make satisfactory progress or aren't comfortable at the new slot, it's much less traumatic to return them to their original position now than it would be during a game week.

Kedra's move comes four months after he finished a frustrating 2004 campaign that he thought would be extremely productive.

"When I came in as a freshman, I wasn't ready to play mentally or physically," he says of his 2003 efforts that were limited mostly to special teams. "But the summer after that I spent a lot of time studying my playbook and really tried to learn from the older guys. I was ready to earn a position."

But a meniscus tear derailed him during training camp, and by the time he was ready to return to game action, it was determined it might be more beneficial for the New Jersey native to take advantage of his redshirt year.

His return comes at a potentially advantageous time--because of an injury to Tommy Davis, Kedra is seeing significant snaps. Carrying less weight is beneficial when he's trying to navigate his way around offensive linemen, but even speed can't completely compensate for a player still trying to learn the nuances of his position.

"I understand the assignments but physically I'm not where I would like to be," he says. "Coach Lawing is being very patient with me and teaching me the steps, and the other guys are helping me. I'm trying not to get frustrated and keep my head up.

"As a linebacker, you could see the line movements and get to react. But as a defensive lineman, if you don't react off the snap you're too late. That's the frustrating part. As I learn I'm going to be a step too late or a step outside when I need to be inside."

Learning the end position has become a completely immersive process. Almost every waking minute is devoted to the new position, from the extra weightlifting he tries to squeeze in with fellow linemen Chase Page and Kenny Price to the constant thinking about steps and technique. And, of course, the eating--always the eating.

It's all part of a spring designed to make Kedra a more productive player and meet the goal Bunting says will determine whether he stays at end: "He has to rush the passer. If he can get around the edge, that's what we want him to do."

Adam Lucas is the publisher of Tar Heel Monthly and can be reached at alucas@tarheelmonthly.com. His book on Roy Williams's first season at Carolina, Going Home Again, is now available in bookstores. To subscribe to Tar Heel Monthly or learn more about the book, click here.