Spartan Football Update: Secchia Family Defensive Coordinator Scottie Hazelton Media Teleconference Transcript
3/25/2020 9:35:00 PM | Football
EAST LANSING, Mich. – Michigan State Secchia Family Defensive Coordinator Scottie Hazelton answered questions from reporters on a media teleconference on Wednesday afternoon. Hazelton talked about his coaching background, why he was excited about the opportunity at Michigan State, and his initial impressions of working with the defensive staff.
The complete transcript from the call is below:
Secchia Family Defensive Coordinator Scottie Hazelton
On style with flexibility and trusting players to make adjustments before and during the game, similar to his time at Kansas State in the Oklahoma game…
I think that that's something that you have to build into the philosophy of your defense as you go through and build the defense. Really it's about finding out what things are going to work in the league for you and as you go through and are having your film study. Having one or two things that you can that you can depend on and then if you need to change some things, you do that during the season just to make things fit, and really, really that came about, a little bit because of the match-ups that we faced, with corners versus their receivers, so we had to kind of change some things, just try to slow the game down as best we could.
On his relationship with Coach Tucker and what went into his decision coming to Michigan State…
Well, it was great, actually. Coach Tucker called me one day, I guess it was probably only about a month ago and asked me if I'd be interested and of course I was. There's lots of different reasons why Michigan State would draw a person, you know, and I've been telling this story quite a bit, but, first of all, Coach Tucker. Everybody that you know that knows him says great things about him. He's a great defensive mind and you can learn a lot of ball from him. I think that's the first thing that you say, Okay, hey that draws you to it, being in a good working relationship with a guy, a guy that knows and understands defense that you can also... it's like having another assistant coach on staff that you can pick their brains. He's been a coordinator everywhere so it's even better than that a lot of times.
The second thing, you know, when he started talking to me about it. As a football coach you track who's good and who's doing what. Michigan State has always been great on defense and that's one of the things that kind of as you go around and you can meet kids and kind of see what their pedigree is and their background and I know that, these guys are guys that run to the ball and…just try to do right and they and they strain to get through it. You can cover up a lot of mistakes with that and just be in that mentality. Even talking to the older guys on the team, they're football guys who understand ball and want to get better ball and have bigger goals in life. So, that trains younger guys and everyone comes through that. That was a very interesting thing to me just to get into their heads a little bit to see what draws them to play the sport and do that thing. So, you know, those things and then when I came up really it was about relationships with Coach Tucker, and some of the guys on the staff, the staff that had already been hired, at least all the full-time guys had been. And so just having a chance to sit down and talk to Coach Tressel and Coach Barnett, Coach Burton and Coach Els, just get to know them and just see how that room was really going to work because I think we're all mature enough guys, and kind of been in this business long enough that you would say, 'Listen, if there's going to be some personality conflicts or things like that, you know, there's gonna be some clashes.' It's a hardworking environment for anybody, but when I got up here and with the deal, you know they're all great people, you know, they're great people first, which is nice because there's a lot of good knowledge of football and there's a lot of wisdom in that room now and we can bounce ideas off each other. So, that was very attractive to me, also.
On guys like Coach Tressel, Coach Burton and Coach Barnett that have been on staff and how much they have helped him transition…
No doubt. I mean, everything from personalities. I mean there's only so much you can get off a kid from…I've been trying to call guys individually and maybe a FaceTime with them and you have some meetings with them. But just to understand the people, I think that that's where it always starts, and generally if you come in a new situation you try to get some of the guys together and just get to know who they are and let them know who you are, you know, because I think that that starts the lessons and learning. To be able to add, you know, Coach Mike (Tressel), and Ron (Burton) and Harlon (Barnett), just, Hey, who are the guys on the team that you really got to get to know fast. Hey, I got this read off this kid and is he just quiet or does he not like me or have trust. You know, having some of those things are great and then, and then also the ability to say, Hey in the scheme, how does this guy fit, what's his good qualities, what's the qualities he can do, what does he need to work on. And I think that that helps build your package.
On how long it takes to get to know guys and when you start feeling comfortable with them in year one…
You know, I think it's a process with each set, the group that you work with the most, of course you're gonna get to know them better. The leaders on a team, you try to hit some of those guys first and get to know them. Because a lot of times they'll do some of the job for you. You can get up in a defensive meeting and they'll tell a story or do whatever and you make a little connection with guys. But to really get to know everyone on the team, it takes some time now, and you hope that you can … that's the benefit of having the guys who've been here before, is they can point out some guys, Hey you really need to get to know this guy because he's gonna have an impact on the next five. And if you get eight guys that you start to build a good relationship with, they're gonna affect 40, then you say, Okay, now we've got a chance to get everybody moving in the right direction.
On how difficult it is to get guys up and running with schemes and things without having spring practice with the current situation…
Well, I'm in Kansas right now, and it's kind of crazy, but it's actually going smoother than I thought it would when I first heard we're going to do this. It's a deal where it's great to be able to at least get them in a classroom setting. I know that they're all over the place, as coaches we're all over the place, but even if you meet as the staff, you know, you can watch it together you can go through and you can talk ball with the position group or the whole defense. We have the ability to do that. I'm not that tech savvy of a guy, you know, to be real, but it's been a lot smoother than I thought it would be. I think that everyone has this challenge and I think that, here right now, I hope that we're making the best of it. I feel like we're starting to get in a position where we can talk ball with the guys, and they understand what we're saying. And a lot of football, let's be real, a lot of football is the communication they use with each other, and then we use with them and if we can get that down, then it's been a step ahead for whenever we do get on the field.
On adjustments going into fall camp and evaluating guys…
I'm sure it will be, depending on the time we get with the guys. Coach Tucker brought up the best example of this what's happened to him in the past when they had the lockout year (in the NFL). He had to have a schedule for, 'Hey, if we started this day, this is the defense we're going to put in. If we started this day we can put in a little bit more. If they give us spring ball back, we can put a little bit more,' and you kind of go through that. And so as a staff, we're preparing like we're going to have everything, also knowing that, you know, there's some things that just are going to be on your menu right away that you can't possibly get to maybe until a bye week or you might even say you know we're going to push it back to the next spring. Just because you have to have the things that you need to be able to play fast, and the guys have to learn those things. So, you know, the amount of reps you're going to get if you do lose a spring ball or if fall camps are cut short or whatever. As coaches, we have to be smart and limit what we call, so that we can get really good at something that we can do and play fast.
On his thoughts on how he wants the defense to look…
You know, the philosophy, the overriding philosophy is really about how the players can play, do what they're good at, try to use their skills in a way that is going to showcase what they're very good at, and really it's about getting the guys to play as hard as they can, because you know as you get into it, if you want to talk scheme, but really just get into it really the bottom line is, when guys are playing hard and they are running they are going to cover up for each other, I mean, when they're relentless getting to the ball and doing all those things. You know, you can be four down, three down -- cover one, cover two. It really doesn't matter, as you go through. When you get guys to the ball, and they have that in them already and you got to keep reading that, then they cover up mistakes that they know what they're doing, and they play fast together, they know what they're doing. They know how to do it. They know the offense's tell, then they're gonna play faster and you get them playing where they're excited for each other and they're having fun and we know and you know, football's an emotional game and when you can get on that roller coaster it'll be fun. As for scheme, I think that, of course we've been four down here for a long time, and we've recruited to that so we'll probably see a lot more of that.
On what he has learned from defensive line coach Ron Burton on the defensive line and what he seems from them so far…
Well you know I mean, they're guys that they grind and they work hard, we have some guys that we have to develop, so I think inside, the two defensive tackles, the nose and the tackle that we had there have played a lot of snaps of football. And I think with every defensive line it's a little bit different, you know, I mean, you can even look at the defensive end in between, Jacub (Panasiuk) and (Drew) Beesley, there's a lot of snaps there. So I know that we lose some good players and I know that but I think that's the case everywhere, every year, you know, you're going to lose one or two guys and then we'll look at the production. Well, look at the production the guys who stayed and have played a whole bunch of football that's, that's the one spot that you probably rotate more than any other. And so, between the guys up front, you would say, yes, we lost some but we also have quite a bit coming back and it gives the opportunity for the next group you know, the third teamers last year now become backups and now they're going to get some reps and step into it. So, I think with what we're looking at doing is it's going to be an okay transition, you know, sure you'd like to have everybody back and have all your pass rushers back and all your sacks back you know on the stat sheet and stuff like that. It's finding the right guys, and really Ron's (Burton) been a great help of finding out like, 'Hey, this guy can play the run, this guy is really good at playing the run, this guy can run and pass rush, and trying to find those slots and then, and then on game day they'll be about, Hey let's try to make a good decision. If it's third down we want our pass rushers out there. If we get a second and long, we're thinking pass, let's do that if it's a run situation, let's look and see how much we can substitute depending on the speed of the offense we're playing.
On structure of defensive staff…
Well, you know, as we go through, as a staff we had a long talk about this. We kind of went through it. Some when I went up and interviewed, and some when I got back and kind of just took everybody's skills and what their jobs were, what does everybody feel comfortable coaching, what has everybody coached in the past, you know.
And I think that we came up with a plan to kind of make it, good. (Mike) Tressel has got a ton of experience all over the place, he's been a coordinator, he's been a walk around guy (going to different position rooms and coaching), he's been a linebacker coach and he's coached safeties in the past. Some of it was, him and Harlon (Barnett) have a very good working relationship. And those two guys, you know, taking the back-end together. We as a staff felt that was a good transition for everybody. Then you've got two full-time guys in the back end, plus a GA, they can get things that they need to be coached coach. Ross (Els), you know is with the special teams, so for him, we kind of felt like it was, it was good to get him in a position that he knew and he could coach and he's been around this style of defense before. So there's not much transition there and he's going to have some hats to wear with a special teams game. Ron (Burton) is able to coach the whole D-line like he has before is great, and you know, most of the time I've been spending up in the in the defensive line room with him, working with the defensive ends and he can take the defensive tackles, we can move it around however we need to that way wise too. And then, we've got an experienced GA up there that's going to work up front with him too. So, there'll be three of us, really working with the front. Ross (Els) will have the backers and they'll be three guys in the back-end, so we think it works out pretty good.
On role of special teams coach Ross Els working with the linebackers…
Yeah, he's going to be working with linebackers.
On his recruiting style…
You know, with everything that we try to do, we just try to be as honest as we can be, as you sit and talk to people I know that as we start every meeting, you're going to start that with the prospects to be able to say, Listen, here's what as coaches we can promise you, I mean we're going to promise you that we're going to be honest. We're going to tell you the truth as we coach you, our job in reality is to make you the best football player that you can be, we have all kinds of different people who are going to put their hands in: the academic people are going to make you the best students you can be, and the strength staff is going to make you the best athlete you can be and the training room is going to keep you on the field and do all those kind of things. Really starting off with just telling the truth, Hey this is how we could you fit into our package, this is where, here's some other guys, the thing that our guys so far here since we've been here, you know just talking about, and watching some NFL tape, 'Hey here's the defense that we're running and this is how it works in the NFL and this is how we see you, compared to those guys.'
The second thing is, you treat everybody with respect, they have to understand that you're not going to be a coach that yells and screams a whole bunch, you're a teacher, and if you attack them too personally they put up a wall and they can't hear, you know, the coaching that you're trying to provide. So, you go through and you say, 'hey, this is how we're gonna treat you as a person because we understand that, fight or flight. If you get challenged, or not even challenged, if you get disrespected, usually you get the fight or flight mode right away and either want to go away or you want to fight the guy that's trying to coach him, and that's not productive at all. You can tell them, about how we're determined to do the best by them, and talk about how we use different guys, who were young to have different skills and can rush or a guy who can play man and you try to showcase what they're good at, as they come in and then as they grow older and they build into it, you can show them how they become a complete player and then, and then hopefully I know the guys want to play in the NFL and have that ability, you can show them how they grow in and say, Okay, hey, here's the guy that went through this process. He's doing the same thing in the league that he did in college and he has those skills in high school.
On looking at putting guys at different positions on the defensive side…
Sure, I mean, we talked about a little bit where the pegs are going to fit in, we kind of talked about…but right now it's all theory, as we get the guys on the field I mean that's going to be hopefully we, whatever happens with spring and fall we can get back with spring and fall but we, I mean that's going to be somewhat of a feel thing. As you might be able to think, Hey, this guy might be a defensive end and really he's a defensive tackle, or maybe there's a corner that can play nickel or, a safety might be a free or strong (safety), or whatever the case is. Some of those things are going to have to happen, as we get onto the field because with some guys, you might think, Hey, he'd really fit this slot and then as you watch him play you might say wow, he might be really good at this one instead. So, right now as we're starting to teach, we're trying to do it in a way that, Hey listen, all these guys can do these different skills, and let's teach the skills and terminology and get everybody to understand what they're doing and then how those skill sets fit into each defense, so that if that does happen once we hit fall camp, guys have the ability to switch a little bit and change and it's not too much of a shock to them if they end up playing something else.
On the wealth of experience on the defensive side of the ball with all the coaches with defensive coordinator experience…
Well, so far it's been great. There's been some discussions and things that, we all might have run the same call, basic, alignment of it or whatever you're talking about, like this blitz, we've all done this before. And the cool thing is, is that all of us have coaching points of that. And the really cool thing is, I think we're all humble enough that we might say, oh that was a really good point, or oh, that worked well. And so you can take the best of whatever everybody's saying and hopefully you can make it stronger than it's been for all of us. At each individual place, we might of done the same thing, then you put together and you could say, Hey, we had this issue and we had this issue. And y'all know the problems that you had with it. And then when we talk about it we say, Hey, this is how we fixed all this stuff and you can all talk about things that you fixed. It's really kind of cool because it's like having an offseason clinic, except, you are at work and you're doing it right now and you're building your defense, it's kind of cool.
On his coaching experience and all the places, both small schools and big schools, he has been helping him get to where he is now…
I think that it's a deal with life. I think that, God puts you in a place that He wants you in and it makes you who you are. So, sometimes just to be able to learn and listen from people, and understand and being thankful for things that you have. Some people might say, well, you got a lot of guys with a lot of opinions on staff, and you'd say, well, I've been in places where it's you're all by yourself too, or there's you and one other guy. You try to look for the positives and all those things and that's really kind of made me personally who I am. I mean I've been in Division III and in the NFL and the cool thing is, it's all ball. You learn different tricks through different guys and you play teams that were better than you and you play teams that weren't as good as you with the skill of the athletes you had on the field. I think that that's the learning level that made me and my style mine.
On what the online meetings are like right now with the players…
Right now, it's a little bit of each. Antjuan Simmons, I FaceTimed with him and when we talked about his dog and his life and where he comes from and all those kind of things. Or you get on a phone call with Shak (Shakur Brown) or X (Xavier Henderson), you're just getting to know them, and I think for us as a defense right now, that's as valuable as anything, just building a relationship where I can say a joke about somebody in a unit meeting and it makes sense. Or you can just get to know who people are and hopefully when this calms down, you can start to have them over to your house more and get them to know your family. Because I think that's important for them to see where you come from, and you want to be able to figure out where they come from. So, that would be some of the one-on-ones.
I mean we've done unit meetings where we've had, you know, 56 people all on the same video deal and that's more overview, Hey, here's the defense we're installing today, here's the strengths to it, here's why we call it, here's the weaknesses to it, this is the issues with it.
And then when you jump into things we're jumping into a position meeting, then it's a little bit of both, you're jumping in and sometimes coaches are doing the same thing. Just kind of talking through like, Hey, what are your goals, what are you looking for, how's the weightlifting going during this time, do you have a place to work out, are you eating. I like to be in those too, just to be able to get to know the guys a little bit better, like you're spying on them a little bit, you kind of feel like, you're not the same room, but you're learning the guy. And then it goes to teaching X's and O's, watching tape, watching technique, watching the scheme and trying to get them to learn it, really some of those end up being like a phase one OTA in the NFL, where you can't go on the field but you can install scheme and talk technique and talk what assignments are and things like that, and the guys are learning that. And we just got to keep reviewing it, keep watching tape, because that's the basis of all the football and communication, the techniques that you use. But right now, this is what we're doing and it's been, like I said, it's been pretty positive for us.
On personnel wise, players like Adam Berghorst that played on both sides of the ball and played baseball, and where he's penciled in on the depth chart right now...
I know that there's a couple guys who did that were kind of flipping back and forth, and sounds like he was going to stay with the offense. But Julian (Barnett) has been in our room a little bit and he might be playing some corner and doing some stuff to get trained for that way, so we'll have to see.
The complete transcript from the call is below:
Secchia Family Defensive Coordinator Scottie Hazelton
On style with flexibility and trusting players to make adjustments before and during the game, similar to his time at Kansas State in the Oklahoma game…
I think that that's something that you have to build into the philosophy of your defense as you go through and build the defense. Really it's about finding out what things are going to work in the league for you and as you go through and are having your film study. Having one or two things that you can that you can depend on and then if you need to change some things, you do that during the season just to make things fit, and really, really that came about, a little bit because of the match-ups that we faced, with corners versus their receivers, so we had to kind of change some things, just try to slow the game down as best we could.
On his relationship with Coach Tucker and what went into his decision coming to Michigan State…
Well, it was great, actually. Coach Tucker called me one day, I guess it was probably only about a month ago and asked me if I'd be interested and of course I was. There's lots of different reasons why Michigan State would draw a person, you know, and I've been telling this story quite a bit, but, first of all, Coach Tucker. Everybody that you know that knows him says great things about him. He's a great defensive mind and you can learn a lot of ball from him. I think that's the first thing that you say, Okay, hey that draws you to it, being in a good working relationship with a guy, a guy that knows and understands defense that you can also... it's like having another assistant coach on staff that you can pick their brains. He's been a coordinator everywhere so it's even better than that a lot of times.
The second thing, you know, when he started talking to me about it. As a football coach you track who's good and who's doing what. Michigan State has always been great on defense and that's one of the things that kind of as you go around and you can meet kids and kind of see what their pedigree is and their background and I know that, these guys are guys that run to the ball and…just try to do right and they and they strain to get through it. You can cover up a lot of mistakes with that and just be in that mentality. Even talking to the older guys on the team, they're football guys who understand ball and want to get better ball and have bigger goals in life. So, that trains younger guys and everyone comes through that. That was a very interesting thing to me just to get into their heads a little bit to see what draws them to play the sport and do that thing. So, you know, those things and then when I came up really it was about relationships with Coach Tucker, and some of the guys on the staff, the staff that had already been hired, at least all the full-time guys had been. And so just having a chance to sit down and talk to Coach Tressel and Coach Barnett, Coach Burton and Coach Els, just get to know them and just see how that room was really going to work because I think we're all mature enough guys, and kind of been in this business long enough that you would say, 'Listen, if there's going to be some personality conflicts or things like that, you know, there's gonna be some clashes.' It's a hardworking environment for anybody, but when I got up here and with the deal, you know they're all great people, you know, they're great people first, which is nice because there's a lot of good knowledge of football and there's a lot of wisdom in that room now and we can bounce ideas off each other. So, that was very attractive to me, also.
On guys like Coach Tressel, Coach Burton and Coach Barnett that have been on staff and how much they have helped him transition…
No doubt. I mean, everything from personalities. I mean there's only so much you can get off a kid from…I've been trying to call guys individually and maybe a FaceTime with them and you have some meetings with them. But just to understand the people, I think that that's where it always starts, and generally if you come in a new situation you try to get some of the guys together and just get to know who they are and let them know who you are, you know, because I think that that starts the lessons and learning. To be able to add, you know, Coach Mike (Tressel), and Ron (Burton) and Harlon (Barnett), just, Hey, who are the guys on the team that you really got to get to know fast. Hey, I got this read off this kid and is he just quiet or does he not like me or have trust. You know, having some of those things are great and then, and then also the ability to say, Hey in the scheme, how does this guy fit, what's his good qualities, what's the qualities he can do, what does he need to work on. And I think that that helps build your package.
On how long it takes to get to know guys and when you start feeling comfortable with them in year one…
You know, I think it's a process with each set, the group that you work with the most, of course you're gonna get to know them better. The leaders on a team, you try to hit some of those guys first and get to know them. Because a lot of times they'll do some of the job for you. You can get up in a defensive meeting and they'll tell a story or do whatever and you make a little connection with guys. But to really get to know everyone on the team, it takes some time now, and you hope that you can … that's the benefit of having the guys who've been here before, is they can point out some guys, Hey you really need to get to know this guy because he's gonna have an impact on the next five. And if you get eight guys that you start to build a good relationship with, they're gonna affect 40, then you say, Okay, now we've got a chance to get everybody moving in the right direction.
On how difficult it is to get guys up and running with schemes and things without having spring practice with the current situation…
Well, I'm in Kansas right now, and it's kind of crazy, but it's actually going smoother than I thought it would when I first heard we're going to do this. It's a deal where it's great to be able to at least get them in a classroom setting. I know that they're all over the place, as coaches we're all over the place, but even if you meet as the staff, you know, you can watch it together you can go through and you can talk ball with the position group or the whole defense. We have the ability to do that. I'm not that tech savvy of a guy, you know, to be real, but it's been a lot smoother than I thought it would be. I think that everyone has this challenge and I think that, here right now, I hope that we're making the best of it. I feel like we're starting to get in a position where we can talk ball with the guys, and they understand what we're saying. And a lot of football, let's be real, a lot of football is the communication they use with each other, and then we use with them and if we can get that down, then it's been a step ahead for whenever we do get on the field.
On adjustments going into fall camp and evaluating guys…
I'm sure it will be, depending on the time we get with the guys. Coach Tucker brought up the best example of this what's happened to him in the past when they had the lockout year (in the NFL). He had to have a schedule for, 'Hey, if we started this day, this is the defense we're going to put in. If we started this day we can put in a little bit more. If they give us spring ball back, we can put a little bit more,' and you kind of go through that. And so as a staff, we're preparing like we're going to have everything, also knowing that, you know, there's some things that just are going to be on your menu right away that you can't possibly get to maybe until a bye week or you might even say you know we're going to push it back to the next spring. Just because you have to have the things that you need to be able to play fast, and the guys have to learn those things. So, you know, the amount of reps you're going to get if you do lose a spring ball or if fall camps are cut short or whatever. As coaches, we have to be smart and limit what we call, so that we can get really good at something that we can do and play fast.
On his thoughts on how he wants the defense to look…
You know, the philosophy, the overriding philosophy is really about how the players can play, do what they're good at, try to use their skills in a way that is going to showcase what they're very good at, and really it's about getting the guys to play as hard as they can, because you know as you get into it, if you want to talk scheme, but really just get into it really the bottom line is, when guys are playing hard and they are running they are going to cover up for each other, I mean, when they're relentless getting to the ball and doing all those things. You know, you can be four down, three down -- cover one, cover two. It really doesn't matter, as you go through. When you get guys to the ball, and they have that in them already and you got to keep reading that, then they cover up mistakes that they know what they're doing, and they play fast together, they know what they're doing. They know how to do it. They know the offense's tell, then they're gonna play faster and you get them playing where they're excited for each other and they're having fun and we know and you know, football's an emotional game and when you can get on that roller coaster it'll be fun. As for scheme, I think that, of course we've been four down here for a long time, and we've recruited to that so we'll probably see a lot more of that.
On what he has learned from defensive line coach Ron Burton on the defensive line and what he seems from them so far…
Well you know I mean, they're guys that they grind and they work hard, we have some guys that we have to develop, so I think inside, the two defensive tackles, the nose and the tackle that we had there have played a lot of snaps of football. And I think with every defensive line it's a little bit different, you know, I mean, you can even look at the defensive end in between, Jacub (Panasiuk) and (Drew) Beesley, there's a lot of snaps there. So I know that we lose some good players and I know that but I think that's the case everywhere, every year, you know, you're going to lose one or two guys and then we'll look at the production. Well, look at the production the guys who stayed and have played a whole bunch of football that's, that's the one spot that you probably rotate more than any other. And so, between the guys up front, you would say, yes, we lost some but we also have quite a bit coming back and it gives the opportunity for the next group you know, the third teamers last year now become backups and now they're going to get some reps and step into it. So, I think with what we're looking at doing is it's going to be an okay transition, you know, sure you'd like to have everybody back and have all your pass rushers back and all your sacks back you know on the stat sheet and stuff like that. It's finding the right guys, and really Ron's (Burton) been a great help of finding out like, 'Hey, this guy can play the run, this guy is really good at playing the run, this guy can run and pass rush, and trying to find those slots and then, and then on game day they'll be about, Hey let's try to make a good decision. If it's third down we want our pass rushers out there. If we get a second and long, we're thinking pass, let's do that if it's a run situation, let's look and see how much we can substitute depending on the speed of the offense we're playing.
On structure of defensive staff…
Well, you know, as we go through, as a staff we had a long talk about this. We kind of went through it. Some when I went up and interviewed, and some when I got back and kind of just took everybody's skills and what their jobs were, what does everybody feel comfortable coaching, what has everybody coached in the past, you know.
And I think that we came up with a plan to kind of make it, good. (Mike) Tressel has got a ton of experience all over the place, he's been a coordinator, he's been a walk around guy (going to different position rooms and coaching), he's been a linebacker coach and he's coached safeties in the past. Some of it was, him and Harlon (Barnett) have a very good working relationship. And those two guys, you know, taking the back-end together. We as a staff felt that was a good transition for everybody. Then you've got two full-time guys in the back end, plus a GA, they can get things that they need to be coached coach. Ross (Els), you know is with the special teams, so for him, we kind of felt like it was, it was good to get him in a position that he knew and he could coach and he's been around this style of defense before. So there's not much transition there and he's going to have some hats to wear with a special teams game. Ron (Burton) is able to coach the whole D-line like he has before is great, and you know, most of the time I've been spending up in the in the defensive line room with him, working with the defensive ends and he can take the defensive tackles, we can move it around however we need to that way wise too. And then, we've got an experienced GA up there that's going to work up front with him too. So, there'll be three of us, really working with the front. Ross (Els) will have the backers and they'll be three guys in the back-end, so we think it works out pretty good.
On role of special teams coach Ross Els working with the linebackers…
Yeah, he's going to be working with linebackers.
On his recruiting style…
You know, with everything that we try to do, we just try to be as honest as we can be, as you sit and talk to people I know that as we start every meeting, you're going to start that with the prospects to be able to say, Listen, here's what as coaches we can promise you, I mean we're going to promise you that we're going to be honest. We're going to tell you the truth as we coach you, our job in reality is to make you the best football player that you can be, we have all kinds of different people who are going to put their hands in: the academic people are going to make you the best students you can be, and the strength staff is going to make you the best athlete you can be and the training room is going to keep you on the field and do all those kind of things. Really starting off with just telling the truth, Hey this is how we could you fit into our package, this is where, here's some other guys, the thing that our guys so far here since we've been here, you know just talking about, and watching some NFL tape, 'Hey here's the defense that we're running and this is how it works in the NFL and this is how we see you, compared to those guys.'
The second thing is, you treat everybody with respect, they have to understand that you're not going to be a coach that yells and screams a whole bunch, you're a teacher, and if you attack them too personally they put up a wall and they can't hear, you know, the coaching that you're trying to provide. So, you go through and you say, 'hey, this is how we're gonna treat you as a person because we understand that, fight or flight. If you get challenged, or not even challenged, if you get disrespected, usually you get the fight or flight mode right away and either want to go away or you want to fight the guy that's trying to coach him, and that's not productive at all. You can tell them, about how we're determined to do the best by them, and talk about how we use different guys, who were young to have different skills and can rush or a guy who can play man and you try to showcase what they're good at, as they come in and then as they grow older and they build into it, you can show them how they become a complete player and then, and then hopefully I know the guys want to play in the NFL and have that ability, you can show them how they grow in and say, Okay, hey, here's the guy that went through this process. He's doing the same thing in the league that he did in college and he has those skills in high school.
On looking at putting guys at different positions on the defensive side…
Sure, I mean, we talked about a little bit where the pegs are going to fit in, we kind of talked about…but right now it's all theory, as we get the guys on the field I mean that's going to be hopefully we, whatever happens with spring and fall we can get back with spring and fall but we, I mean that's going to be somewhat of a feel thing. As you might be able to think, Hey, this guy might be a defensive end and really he's a defensive tackle, or maybe there's a corner that can play nickel or, a safety might be a free or strong (safety), or whatever the case is. Some of those things are going to have to happen, as we get onto the field because with some guys, you might think, Hey, he'd really fit this slot and then as you watch him play you might say wow, he might be really good at this one instead. So, right now as we're starting to teach, we're trying to do it in a way that, Hey listen, all these guys can do these different skills, and let's teach the skills and terminology and get everybody to understand what they're doing and then how those skill sets fit into each defense, so that if that does happen once we hit fall camp, guys have the ability to switch a little bit and change and it's not too much of a shock to them if they end up playing something else.
On the wealth of experience on the defensive side of the ball with all the coaches with defensive coordinator experience…
Well, so far it's been great. There's been some discussions and things that, we all might have run the same call, basic, alignment of it or whatever you're talking about, like this blitz, we've all done this before. And the cool thing is, is that all of us have coaching points of that. And the really cool thing is, I think we're all humble enough that we might say, oh that was a really good point, or oh, that worked well. And so you can take the best of whatever everybody's saying and hopefully you can make it stronger than it's been for all of us. At each individual place, we might of done the same thing, then you put together and you could say, Hey, we had this issue and we had this issue. And y'all know the problems that you had with it. And then when we talk about it we say, Hey, this is how we fixed all this stuff and you can all talk about things that you fixed. It's really kind of cool because it's like having an offseason clinic, except, you are at work and you're doing it right now and you're building your defense, it's kind of cool.
On his coaching experience and all the places, both small schools and big schools, he has been helping him get to where he is now…
I think that it's a deal with life. I think that, God puts you in a place that He wants you in and it makes you who you are. So, sometimes just to be able to learn and listen from people, and understand and being thankful for things that you have. Some people might say, well, you got a lot of guys with a lot of opinions on staff, and you'd say, well, I've been in places where it's you're all by yourself too, or there's you and one other guy. You try to look for the positives and all those things and that's really kind of made me personally who I am. I mean I've been in Division III and in the NFL and the cool thing is, it's all ball. You learn different tricks through different guys and you play teams that were better than you and you play teams that weren't as good as you with the skill of the athletes you had on the field. I think that that's the learning level that made me and my style mine.
On what the online meetings are like right now with the players…
Right now, it's a little bit of each. Antjuan Simmons, I FaceTimed with him and when we talked about his dog and his life and where he comes from and all those kind of things. Or you get on a phone call with Shak (Shakur Brown) or X (Xavier Henderson), you're just getting to know them, and I think for us as a defense right now, that's as valuable as anything, just building a relationship where I can say a joke about somebody in a unit meeting and it makes sense. Or you can just get to know who people are and hopefully when this calms down, you can start to have them over to your house more and get them to know your family. Because I think that's important for them to see where you come from, and you want to be able to figure out where they come from. So, that would be some of the one-on-ones.
I mean we've done unit meetings where we've had, you know, 56 people all on the same video deal and that's more overview, Hey, here's the defense we're installing today, here's the strengths to it, here's why we call it, here's the weaknesses to it, this is the issues with it.
And then when you jump into things we're jumping into a position meeting, then it's a little bit of both, you're jumping in and sometimes coaches are doing the same thing. Just kind of talking through like, Hey, what are your goals, what are you looking for, how's the weightlifting going during this time, do you have a place to work out, are you eating. I like to be in those too, just to be able to get to know the guys a little bit better, like you're spying on them a little bit, you kind of feel like, you're not the same room, but you're learning the guy. And then it goes to teaching X's and O's, watching tape, watching technique, watching the scheme and trying to get them to learn it, really some of those end up being like a phase one OTA in the NFL, where you can't go on the field but you can install scheme and talk technique and talk what assignments are and things like that, and the guys are learning that. And we just got to keep reviewing it, keep watching tape, because that's the basis of all the football and communication, the techniques that you use. But right now, this is what we're doing and it's been, like I said, it's been pretty positive for us.
On personnel wise, players like Adam Berghorst that played on both sides of the ball and played baseball, and where he's penciled in on the depth chart right now...
I know that there's a couple guys who did that were kind of flipping back and forth, and sounds like he was going to stay with the offense. But Julian (Barnett) has been in our room a little bit and he might be playing some corner and doing some stuff to get trained for that way, so we'll have to see.
Players Mentioned
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