On preparing to face teams running tempo
Practice it, prepare for it, anticipate it, have a really good focus on when they substitute versus when they don’t substitute. It’s something we’ve worked on a lot this year. We haven’t been perfect in that regard. But definitely just prepare and practice for that stuff and know that they’re going to attack us that way.
On whether he's watched film from last year's MSU game
Oh yeah. A few times.
On the strategy with 50/50 balls
I think they have really good receivers, they have a quarterback who trusts his receivers, especially on those deep, deep down the sideline throws. Whether it’s a deep ball or back shoulder throw, they excel in those areas. It’s something that our guys are prepared for. But also, it’s mixing and matching coverages, and not always giving them the one on ones that they’re looking for. But also know, at times, like those guys are going to be one-on-one, and they’re going to have to hold up their end of the bargain. I think our guys are primed and excited about the challenge. For us, we just got to do a good job mixing up the looks and giving them help at times and knowing that they’re gonna be on their own at times. Those guys are really, really good players that have elite ball skills and size and speed. Kind of two different body types, but both are very capable of making big plays. So definitely something high on our radar.
On his education on the MSU rivalry
It’s something that guys have talked about a lot. I think here, it’s—I think you approach every game with a high level. One thing I’ve been impressed with is our guys’ ability to approach every week—there was a nonconference schedule the Big Ten schedule—with that same intensity. But I think rivalries are part of college football, they’re really fun. There are certain teams that you think about more. You think about them in the offseason, you prepare for them maybe at different times of the year. I know this is a game that both programs circle and looking forward to the first opportunity of playing them.
On the linebackers struggles in coverage
I thought they played well against Penn State. I think it’s been a work in progress for them to improve in certain areas of coverage. Something they continue to work on, harp on. This particular team runs some plays that will challenge our linebackers and we look forward to showing progress and continuing to get better. Hopefully, we can defend those types of plays when they run them.
On where Makari Paige has excelled
He’s just continued to play really well. He’s really big, fast, athletic, can match up on people and man—really smart. I think he’s just a guy that, going into the season, hasn’t played a ton. I think anytime you play and you have some success, your confidence grows. Not only your confidence, but your teammates’ confidence in you, which I think is a big, big factor, in helping players continue to get better. Now that guys look at Makari may be different, in a real positive way—that hey, you have to prove yourself over and over again and so when you make plays in games, you gain that trust and excitement from the other guys. I’m really happy with how he’s been playing.
On Mike Morris' emergence
I think he’s just a phenomenal human being who I think over the course of the season has sort of just evolved into the guy that we all thought and hoped he could be. He knows how to use his strengths and he’s a very unique athlete. That combination of height, length, power, athleticism, savviness as a dropper even at times. I think he’s a very unique player. He’s one of those types of guys he’s good at so many things. I think at some times, it’s like, ‘Oh, we can do this with him, we can do that with him.’ But he’s also a really good one-on-one rusher and I think that’s what he’s proven to me. I think the most (he’s improved) is he has a great ability to win one on ones using his tools and what he’s good at a really consistent level. Couldn’t be happier with how he’s been playing.
On the inception of the 'get-to' coach
We have some pillars of things that are really important to us as a defense, effort being the first one. I forget which game it was, but it was just one of the areas we still want to continue to evolve in is getting the ball more, getting the ball off, people getting more takeaways. I really think it’s just about getting around the ball. So coach brought that up about ‘get-to’ and I thought it was a really good, good way to just like—every play, there needs to be 8, 9, 10, 11 guys to the ball. When you get to the ball, good things happen. So something we talked about, definitely appreciate him harping on that and continuing to push that message for us.
On whether he's a 'get-to' coach on game days
Not on game day. Everybody’s got their own focus on game day and certainly focused on trying to put the guys in position to make the next call. So we got a really good group of guys that brings energy and brings that attitude to the sideline.
On what the onus is when teams go tempo
I think what they want is for you to simplify your defense. So it’d be interesting to see what we’re able to do. Certainly, they want to get you on base defense, and they keep you in base defense into a third down. But also sometimes, it works both ways. For our team to stay in two tight ends and two receivers on a third-and-8, that’s sometimes—that’s OK, and we feel okay about those matchups. Just try to have as many answers as we can for whatever method they try, whether it’s staying in one personnel and going fast or trying to get us into certain personnel, keep us in that personnel. But I think it goes both ways. So, when they go tempo, a lot of times you shorten your menu, you shorten your plays you’re running, there are certain things that you’re trying to do, that’s what they want us to do. So we just got to try and combat that and when you stop it, a lot of times it doesn’t show up as much. So that’s the goal.
On having versatile players on defense
I think when you try to create a culture of, maybe a different guy every time or different guy in this pressure different guy this week, it creates excitement. They do get excited when it’s their number called. The thing I like, I enjoy about these guys, are they get excited when other people make plays, too. So it’s really a credit to the culture that was already in place here with Coach Harbaugh, Coach Herb, just sort of the mentality that’s been developed here, a kind of a whatever it takes. This year, in particular, with sort of the no-star situation, especially the guys we’ve lost, I think it just sort of made that even more relevant, and the guys have really embraced it. It’s been fun to be around.
On how he prepares for wrinkles in a rivalry game like this
I think you prepare for wrinkles all spring, all summer, all fall. We go against a tremendous offense in our own offense on a regular basis. I enjoy that because I think it helps prepare you for stuff that maybe that particular team hasn’t shown. So, really when teams run a trick play or a new play, especially both teams coming off a bye, we anticipate seeing things that they haven’t put on tape before, but it really comes down to like reverting to your training, reverting to your rules, trusting your eyes, trusting your instincts, trusting your technique. There’s no secret play call to stop a gadget play or a trick play or something new. So it’s really just about having the guys as well prepared as possible. Them knowing where their eyes are supposed to be, what they’re supposed to be looking at, and what their responsibility of that particular play call is. When you do that, and the guys trust each other, you have an opportunity to stop it and that doesn’t mean there might not be something crazy that happens. If there is, you bounce back and you respond and try to clean it up for the next time.
On whether narrowing Mike Morris' focus made him better
I think that’s fair. I think he’s still the guy that we love to do a lot of stuff with. He’s good at a lot of different things. But, I just think he’s proven himself and I said at the beginning of the year, if there’s a guy that proves himself as a really good one-on-one rusher, then it’s my job, our job as coaches, to continue to find ways to create matchups for that particular player. Mike’s a guy that’s done that so it’s fun to try to figure out week to week where to best utilize him and where the best to rush him from or who to match him up with. So that’s been fun and he’s certainly thriving in that role.
On what he looks for in a safety
Man, I think safety is a really hard position to recruit and evaluate. I look for the best backyard football player out there. Like when I think of a safety in today’s game, it’s about being sometimes 10-15 yards away from a guy, he’s running at you, he’s got the whole field. Are you able to be athletic enough and have the natural instinct of taking really good angles, a guy that can go up and get the ball and catch the ball high point? Those types of things. Physical enough to come down in the run game. I think natural instincts and an open-field ability are really, really important. So what that requires is really good body control, a really good blend of quickness and speed. The ability to bend and change direction and make plays. When your body is sometimes in unique positions, whether you’re running forward or running backward, or we’re going sideways. Just really the best all-around mix of athleticism that we can find.
On what Mazi Smith and Kris Jenkins do well
Those guys know how to block destruct and that is something we harp on. It’s one of our pillars of playing good defense is the ability to block destruct. I think Coach Elston has done a tremendous job with those two, their ability to build a wall at the line of scrimmage, and sometimes take on blocks, sometimes get off blocks. I think this year they’ve done a really good job of not only building a wall but also getting off blocks and making tackles. When your inside guys can play like that, it gives you some flexibility of we don’t always have to bring an extra guy down into the box. Playing a team with some really good receivers may allow you to handle those guys in different ways. Just both tremendous players, with tremendous physical ability, and tremendous development from them as young players to where they are now. Definitely excited to have both of those guys.
On where Eyabi Okie has improved
I think it’s just like fitting in here, fitting into the culture, fitting into our defense. Been tremendous just to watch and see the guy that got here, I think like two and a half weeks before the first game. We wanted to take it slow with him from a playbook standpoint. I think he’s he’s taken everything we’ve given him and gotten it and learned and he’s gotten more and more every week and his snap count has continued to rise. Not only that, but he’s also a very impactful player. He’s got the size, speed, and length combo that you look for in that position, and has a really good skill set. So it’s been a huge addition for us. Man, it’s just been fun to see him sort of dive into the Michigan culture and the guys, sort of connected with all the guys and I think he’s a tremendous teammate. He practices really hard. He’s bought into everything that we try to do here and excited to have him.
On why teams have avoided throwing at Gemon Green
He’s just playing really well. He’s sticky in coverage, he’s got good size, good length, he can run. I think he’s playing with some confidence. It’s gonna be fun to watch him because he’s gonna have some opportunities. They’re gonna throw the ball downfield on him. But I think with him, it’s just really, really cool to see his consistency and his approach. Consistency and his mental approach and how he practices, how he prepares. Like him, DJ, Mikey, all three guys, Will, it’s just fun to watch those guys prepare every week, compete and practice. Normally how you practice is how you play. So it’s being competitive play after play, down after down, and then that’s translated well over to the games recently.
