Groh heaps praise on Sintim

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Posted 2:38PM on Wednesday, August 31, 2005

CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. (AP) When No. 25 Virginia lines up in the tunnel from the clubhouse to the field on Saturday, Clint Sintim expects to be nervous. The freshman outside linebacker has reason to be, too. Not only is he starting in his first college game, but his coach clearly is expecting big things from him. ``I really hesitate to say it because he hasn't played a game yet, but he's really looking like what we're looking for there,'' coach Al Groh said of the 6-foot-3, 250-pounder, who was a lineman on defense in high school and has never played linebacker. ``He's got size, he's got toughness, he's got a real good inate football sense. He sees the game and it means something to him when he sees it,'' Groh said. ``For what he's had to learn and do in a short period of time here, he's been impressive. I would expect that he's going to be a good player this year and increasingly better in the future,'' Groh continued, before apologizing for gushing. ``I don't usually make predictions on players,'' he said, ``but I'm saying that because when I was watching the practice tape earlier this morning, I was watching a couple of plays that he was involved with and I was just smiling to myself, so I'm at a vulnerable time in terms of heaping unearned praise on somebody.'' Sintim was pleased to hear the praise, but said he'd rather earn it. ``It's all about proving yourself,'' he said. ``Right now, it's basically expectations. You're supposed to be this thing, you're supposed to be this and that, but all that doesn't really mean too much until I come out and prove it. ``After Saturday we'll really know what Clint Sintim is about.'' Virginia takes on Western Michigan at 6 p.m. in Scott Stadium. NO BROOKS: Ahmad Brooks had led Virginia in tackles the last two seasons, but he'll have some catching up to do to make it three years in a row this season. Brooks won't play Saturday night against Western Michigan. He missed spring practice while rehabbing after surgery to correct a degenerative bone problem in his right knee, and Groh said he has only recently started wearing pads in practice. The coach declined to say more about his star linebacker's progress. ``Until it looks like he's really going to play in a game, it's just a distraction from what we're trying to do, so we're going to concentrate on the guys that are going to play,'' he said. BLUE, ORANGE AND GREEN?: The Cavaliers will have at least eight players making their first career starts on Saturday night, including at least six on defense. Sintim and sophomore Jermaine Dias will start at outside linebacker, Mark Miller takes Brooks' place alongside Kai Parham at inside linebacker, sophomore Chris Long will be at defensive end and the safeties are sophomores Nate Lyles and Chris Gorham. Miller, defensive end Brennan Schmidt and nose tackle Kwahou Robinson are the only seniors in starting spots, and linebacker Bryan White is the lone senior backup. ``In a lot of ways, it's the most inexperienced team that we've had,'' Groh said. ``It'll be very interesting to see the game reaction of some of these players, not just to the competition, but how they're able to adjust to things during the game, because that's a signifiant part of the game that does not occur in practice.'' First-time starters on offense will include Tom Santi at tight end and mammouth freshman Branden Albert at left guard. He's 6-7, 310 pounds. Groh gushed a little bit about Albert, too. ``We were pretty pleased with ourselves over the course of the last year in anticipation of this player,'' he said. ``We were very enthused about his potential during the recruiting process and looking forward to his being here, particularly since this was kind of those just keep turning over the rocks kind of deals. Branden was not a highly recruited player, although he's going to play like a top player.'' Albert beat out Ian Yates Cunningham for the spot, and Groh said Cunningham, a former starter, continues to be troubled by back problems. WHO'S PUNTING?: The Cavaliers' depth chart released Tuesday showed that the coaching staff still hasn't settled on a punter. The candidates are incumbent Chris Gould, who got the job midway through last season, and fellow sophomore Ryan Weigand. ``We haven't really come to a firm decision on that because we haven't had a clear-cut difference,'' Groh said, adding it will likely take a few more days. ``A lot of what goes on out here on the practice field is like going to the driving range,'' Groh added, reasoning that most team's don't allow their punter to get hit in practice, even when the defense is working on its punt-blocking schemes. ``On Saturday, it's legal to block the kick so the pressure intensifies,'' he said. The winner in the battle will get plenty of advance notice that he's starting, but Groh is mindful of something long-time Minnesota Vikings coach Bud Grant once said. ``Never make a major personnel decision before you have to.'' (Copyright 2005 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)