Michigan’s defense loses 10 starters from last year’s incredible unit, but defensive coordinator Don Brown isn’t worried.

Quite the opposite, actually.

“It’s kind of fun, to be quite honest,” he said during BTN.com’s bus tour. “We’re back coaching technique and fun with a lot of young guys, trying to get them right from that perspective. Couple that with multiple concepts … it’s just fun, fun coaching guys that are anxious to learn, want to be successful.”

There’s been no struggle to get them to pay attention, he added.

“It’s not pulling teeth. I’m not a dentist,” he quipped. “It’s just a bunch of guys excited about playing this great game.”

Last year’s veteran group blitzed at a 52-percent rate. Brown doesn’t expect to change that number this year.

“I believe in expansion. Coach [Jim Harbaugh] will always tell me, ‘more is more,’” he added. “If you have more answers in your toolbox, you can go to them throughout the season. It’s just a matter of just getting them back on recall.

“Concept is fun to teach. Guys love challenges. They love to learn. Some guys come in every day going, ‘what are we doing new today?’ That’s kind of the attitude you’re searching for. It keeps them energized. I think it’s a positive. I really do.”

Bringing an insane amount of pressure isn’t always the answer, though, even for a guy they call Dr. Blitz.

“The nice thing about a year ago is we dictated when we wanted to blitz,” he said. “If we wanted to play base, we played base. If we wanted to show pressure, rush four, we did that. If we wanted to rush, five, six, seven, we did that. It’s not the blitzing every down that’s important; it’s the threat of blitzing every down. You want that quarter to feel numbers, to feel he’s being surrounded by numbers. It’s the threat …”

But he did like last year’s percentage.

“Fifty-two,” he said. “That’s a pretty good number.”

NOTES

Brown said he would like to have 18 or 19 dependable players to rely on against up-tempo and spread teams.

“I don’t think you need to go as deep as 22, but you need to be able to rotate up front,” he said. “I think your linebackers can stay in there and play. We may need a third corner and a nickel. In our stuff we play three safeties. It’s on tape. Everybody knows it. We play a bunch of three safeties.

You want to get to that point so you have your entire arsenal in your playbook at your disposal.”