Bronco On Chris Peace: He Just Works And Works And Works….

CHARLOTTE, NC – As University of Virginia head coach Bronco Mendenhall put it during Wednesday’s ACC Kickoff press conference, one of the guiding principles of the program is, “less drama, more work.”

No one on the team, according to the coach, exemplifies that motto like senior linebacker Chris Peace.

“He is that,” Mendenhall said of the Newport News native and Denbigh High product Peace, who is credited with coining the phrase, “New Standard,” another mantra that the Cavaliers have stood by over the past year, which helped lead the team to a trip to the postseason for the first time in six seasons. Mendenhall added that Peace has taught him “the power of work ethic and and example.”

“I would consider Chris Peace one of the best practice players in terms of day-in and day-out work that I’ve seen and been lucky enough to coach, and it’s inspiring,” Mendenhall confessed. “I never have to wonder. He just works and he works and he works.”

Although he still weighs in right around 245 pounds — which is about 30 pounds more than when he initially arrived on campus — Peace said he has worked on his diet in the offseason, with the help of UVa Director of Sports Nutrition, Randy Bird. He has even been recently mistaken for a wide receiver or a safety, something – he said with a grin – that offended him. Bird assisted Peace despite the fact that the two originally butted heads, according to Peace, because the linebacker didn’t like certain foods.

“I hate tuna,” said Peace, “can’t stand it. I couldn’t really stand vegetables either, but I just stuff it down my throat. If it’s going to help, I guess it’s worth it. Once you learn to start eating healthier it’s actually harder to gain weight. Popeye’s [fried chicken] – that was my thing last season – I probably ate way too much of it. I kinda miss it, it was easier to gain weight with it. But I’ve been working on some other things.”

His current diet?

“A lot of baked chicken, a lot of spinach and eggs, rice, anything with greens – you name it,” said Peace.

His new outlook should help his stamina and his coverage abilities, Peace believes, adding that he hopes to be comfortable playing on both the strong and weak sides of the ball. The American Studies major – which he said former Wahoo defensive end Andrew Brown convinced him in choosing – led all ACC linebackers with 7.5 sacks in 2017, which was good enough for fifth amongst all defenders in the conference.

“Coach Mendenhall is pretty aggressive with the play-calling and that allows me to actually get more chances to go after the quarterback, so that’s a big credit to the play-calling,” said Peace. “And the guys around me, the D-line, they help [create pressure], help the quarterback step up into me. So it all just clicks together.”

Peace said that he preaches about the new standard all the time, adding he likes to practice what he preaches. He says he’s aware that the defensive leadership starts with him, and that part of being a leader on and off the field is living up to that standard by setting an example whenever possible – especially in practice.

“The way I feel about practice is, you practice how you play,” said Peace. “If I don’t have a good week at practice, I’m not going to feel good about the game, or if I just half-half practice, I feel like I’m gonna do that for the game. So I just try to go as hard as I can every play for practice, try to steal as many reps, just so when game time comes I’m as comfortable as possible.”

Peace, who sat out most of the spring with a hamstring injury, credits Mendenhall and outside linebackers coach Kelly Poppinga with so much of what he’s learned in a Cavalier uniform, admitting that he has certainly grown in terms of character in performance since arriving for his redshirt season in 2014. He knows that he needs to be even more of a leader in 2018 following the losses of longtime defensive staples Brown, inside linebacker and leading tackler Micah Kiser, and free safety Quin Blanding, who combined for 110 starts and seemingly thousands of tackles over the past four years.

Some believe that with the departure of that trio, much more focus will be shifted onto finding a way to contain Peace by opposing coaches.

“People have been telling me that, but if it does come, that’s cool,” Peace said of the possibility of more pressure. “Just one more challenge to add to it. I look forward to it.”

When asked if he does end up getting the added attention, Peace pointed to a second-year outside LB to keep an eye on.

“Charles Snowden, look out for him,” said Peace.

But there are several others on defense that Peace is hyping up heading into September and beyond. He believes the unit is “in a way better position” depth-wise with a lot of guys gaining experience a year ago. Peace says he’s eager to play alongside fellow senior linebacker Malcolm Cook, as well as Snowden and Jordan Mack, and that second-year cornerback Joey Blount will need to grow up fast as he rotates in at safety along with Juan Thornhill, Chris Moore and ACC Rookie of the Year Brenton Nelson.

Despite the loss of Blanding, Peace is excited about the experience gained in the secondary in 2017, and added that defensive ends Mandy Alonso and Richard Burney will also need to contribute in a hurry up front, according to the 2017 All-ACC Honorable Mention selection.

Peace admits that the entire defense as a whole will have to step up collectively to build off of last year’s success, especially in terms of playing on the other side of the line of scrimmage in the run game. He said that the end of the Louisville game “made him sick,” and that the defense didn’t show up in a 49-7 loss to Navy in the Military Bowl in December. He also hopes to eliminate missed tackles and sacks this season.

“If you look back on it, that’s something I have to improve on,” Peace admits. “I missed a whole bunch of tackles and a whole lot of sacks. The year I had two sacks [2016], I probably missed about 10. Last year, I had seven or eight [sacks], but probably missed about seven or eight more if you go back and look.”

Cavalier fans are hoping that practice makes perfect this fall.