Groomed for Success
Fourth-Year Starting Linebacker Sintim Has Leadership Qualities That Could Help the Cavaliers Cope With Long's Departure

By Zach Berman
Washington Post Staff Writer
Thursday, August 28, 2008

CHARLOTTESVILLE -- Clint Sintim appeared beyond the end zone of Scott Stadium earlier this month with a freshly shaved head. One can interpret the haircut as an act of vanity. It might just be an act of deception.

The linebacker is among a group of Virginia defenders bound to command more attention. With the departure of all-American and No. 2 NFL draft choice Chris Long from last season's surprising 9-4 squad, Sintim undoubtedly will become a focal point of offensive coordinators' scouting reports.

Sintim is aware of the newfound attention. The new haircut was not specifically part of the plan to combat the onus that falls on the linebacker, but it is nonetheless symbolic.

"That was just a spur of the moment," said Sintim, who elected the new look while sitting in class this summer. He then went to roommate and starting safety Byron Glaspy for the cut and quickly determined it is not something he wants to make permanent.

Either way, Sintim is bound for recognition. He enters his fourth season as a starting outside linebacker for Coach Al Groh's 3-4 defense, a system that Groh insists Sintim is ideally suited to play.

"The defense fits him to the T; he fits the defense to the T," Groh said. "He can play with power, play with space, is a good pass defender."

A touted defensive end recruit out of Gar-Field High School in Woodbridge, Sintim was recruited by most colleges to play the line for traditional 4-3 base defenses. Groh watched Sintim play defensive end and tight end and saw skills that would easily translate into his system. As an outside linebacker in the 3-4, Sintim can utilize his push-rushing abilities while maintaining the freedom to roam the field.

In 2007, Sintim was fourth in the Atlantic Coast Conference with nine sacks, which ranked tops among linebackers, yet he also registered 77 tackles.

"It's the perfect system for me," Sintim said. "It gives the perfect versatility."

New defensive coordinator Bob Pruett watched Sintim in high school when Pruett was the head coach at Marshall. Pruett once coached Gar-Field and immediately realized the type of player Sintim could become. Pruett viewed Sintim as a fit in any defense, although Sintim said he would not have been able to cover the pass as a linebacker in a 4-3 defense when he arrived at school.

Seeing Sintim now, Pruett is most impressed with the off-the-field intangibles that become particularly significant in Long's absence.

"What I see is the great leadership, the great knowledge of the game," Pruett said. "He is so much more advanced than a younger player. He understands completely when he gives the answer."

Jon Copper, a fellow redshirt senior who starts beside Sintim as a middle linebacker, witnessed the development of those attributes. Copper said Sintim lacked such qualities when he first arrived in Charlottesville but has worked to develop them since.

Glaspy, who has been close to Sintim since they arrived on the campus, has witnessed similar development over the past four years.

"When he first got here, he was a little lazy; he was out of shape. In the team runs in conditioning, he wasn't always able to do it," Glaspy said. "Something happened to that guy where he became real hungry, and he became one of the hardest workers on the team and he just made it."

Glaspy credits Sintim's close friendship with Long as a catalyst for his maturation.

Groh views the leadership evolution as a product of a design. He said the coaches have a list of underclassmen who show the potential to emerge as leaders. A player must have a natural inclination to take on that role, Groh said, and he must have the respect of teammates. Like the mantle passed from Long to Sintim, it will continue down the line.

"You just don't suddenly tap a guy on the shoulder after they've been here for three or four years and say, 'Okay, next year, you're our leader,' " Groh said. "They have to grow into that role."

So it is that Sintim has the chance to take on the increased responsibility both on the football field and in the locker room. The departure of Long has the potential of reverberating either positively or negatively, depending on how players such as Sintim respond.

As should happen, Sintim has improved every season in Charlottesville. Now entering his final season, he will command attention more than ever.

A haircut will not help him sidestep the spotlight. Sintim has no choice but to embrace it.

"You've been in the program for so long," Sintim said, "you want to establish [yourself] as someone who they can depend on."