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Storm nose guard McGill toils amid porous defense

By Keith Niebuhr, Times Staff Writer
In print: Saturday, April 26, 2008

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Storm assistant Pete Kuharchek is as well-traveled a coach as you will find. During a coaching career that began in 1969, he has had stints in college, the Canadian Football League, USFL and NFL Europe, where he spent five seasons as coach of the Rhein Fire.

In other words, he has seen his share of studs.

And he puts Storm nose guard Tim McGill near the top of that list.

"He probably has," Kuharchek said, "more talent than any guy I've worked with."

Seriously?

"He's so strong and quick," Kuharchek said. "And he's got good speed. He has total body strength. He's almost a freak, really."

Not only that, but McGill can play.

On a defense that has allowed 58.9 points per game (13th-most among 17 teams) for the 2-5 Storm, the 6-foot-3, 330-pound McGill has been nothing short of sensational.

"He is the bright spot," coach Tim Marcum said.

McGill, who has four sacks this season, typically can be found in the center of the action. In last week's 66-47 loss to New York, he had eight quarterback pressures and caused two fumbles (neither recovered by the Storm). He pressured the quarterback eight times the previous week.

"He's causing havoc in there," Marcum said.

Acquired in a trade with Nashville last season, McGill finished 2007 with six sacks and three forced fumbles. Now, Marcum said, he's playing even better.

There is no magic formula for McGill's success. He's an incredibly strong player (he says he once bench pressed 590 pounds) who is agile, quick and plays the game with intelligence. And in the words of Marcum, "he's got a motor."

"Take all that and mix it up," McGill said. "It's all those things."

When Kuharchek says McGill, 28, has NFL ability, it's more than talk. It's fact.

McGill, who finished his college career at Illinois in 1999, has spent time in the NFL in one form or another with the Packers, Dolphins and Jets. He says he left the NFL by choice largely because he wasn't playing enough. Finding the field no longer is an issue, and McGill is making the most of his opportunity.

"He can really raise hell in there over center," Kuharchek said.

As one might imagine, playing nose guard isn't a picnic. Many in the game say it's as physically demanding a position the sport has. And McGill doesn't disagree.

"It's the only position you're guaranteed to get double-teamed every play," McGill said.

A good nose guard keeps two offensive linemen occupied so his teammates can make plays. A great one beats both blockers and makes plays himself, which is precisely what McGill has been doing.

"A win is if I'm in the backfield — 2 or 3 yards in the backfield," McGill said.

More often than not, he's winning.

"I'm not just trying to suck up space out there," McGill said. "I'm trying to get back there, too. Some guys, they'll take on double teams and stop or whatever. But I'm still going. I've got a pretty good motor for a big guy."