Photo courtesy of the University of Virginia

Clint Sintim helped UVa finish 17th in the nation in defense in 2006.

CHARLOTTESVILLE -- Much has been made of the toughness of Virginia sophomore quarterback Jameel Sewell, who started most of last season with an injury that required off-season surgery.

Actually, the Cavaliers have two players who meet that description.

Outside linebacker Clint Sintim enters the 2007 season with 24 consecutive starts, even though he was on an operating table within a week after last season's finale against Virginia Tech.

Sintim, a fourth-year junior, enters the season with 21 career tackles for loss -- only three fewer than his more celebrated teammate, senior defensive end Chris Long.

It's not preposterous to think Sintim might be on the verge of a breakout season.

"I'm not making any predictions," Sintim said, "but that's the plan. That's definitely the plan. Every year you want to be a better player."

In some respects, Sintim was a one-armed player in 2006, when he tore ligaments in his left shoulder during preseason camp and wore a harness for most of the season.

"It was somewhat frustrating, but injuries are part of the game," said Sintim, a 6-foot-3, 248-pounder from Gar-Field High School in Woodbridge. "I wasn't as productive as I would have liked, but I'm not going to sit here and say, 'Because I was hurt, that's why.'

"I'm a lot stronger this year. We've got a great new strength coach, [Matt] Balis, who's made me a lot stronger and a lot more athletic. After my injury, I wasn't cleared to lift all year, but this whole summer I haven't been limited in anything."

Sintim has seven career sacks, which puts him on a level with Long, but the outside linebacker position in UVa's 3-4 defense is the premier pass rusher. One of Sintim's predecessors, Darryl Blackstock, had 10 sacks in 2002 and 11 in 2004.

"I think that's an aspect of my game that has been lacking in past years," Sintim said. "Our system is set up for all the linebackers to make plays, but there are plays that I'm more apt to make simply because of where I'm located on the field.

"I didn't make as many plays [last season] as I'd like to. It's something that I've worked on a lot over the summer and hopefully it will translate when we get into the season. I guess I'm a greedy player. I always want to make plays."

In coach Al Groh's eyes, that doesn't always mean sacks.

"Not solely, no," Groh said. "This is such a diverse position that he plays. That would make him a valuable player, but you could be a real good sack guy and still be deficient in other areas.

"One of the good things about Clint is, he's very intrigued by all facets of the job. If he's got to walk out on a receiver and re-route him, he's very challenged by that, as much so as he is getting to the quarterback. That's why he's such a good fit for the position."

Sintim once weighed more than 250 and Groh says his "game is quicker," but a variety of factors could be involved, including an improved understanding of opposing defenses.

Sintim, who turns 22 in February, has emerged as one of the leaders of a defense that ranked 17th in Division I-A last year under first-year coordinator Mike London.

"That was a combination of him and Coach Groh," Sintim said. "They understand that sometimes you have to get risky on defense. We took a lot of chances last year. Sometimes we got burned; sometimes we made big plays.

"I really enjoy the fact that [London] gives us the opportunity to make those plays. Defense wins championships and you can't play safe all the time."