The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports
Issue link: http://read.uberflip.com/i/835590
46 ■ THE WOLVERINE 2017 FOOTBALL PREVIEW said. "Now I'm just having a blast with this group. It's a tremendous group of young men to coach." There's talent, but it's young talent and many of them are still learning. And even the most gifted have to be quick studies in order to make an impact. Sophomore defensive end Rashan Gary, the nation's No. 1 recruit last year, spent countless hours learning the playbook, the steps, etc., and is part of the reason Brown says he's "not nervous" about entering the season with 10 new starters. Gary's ready to reward his confidence. "Coach Brown's defense, once you get it, it's full speed ahead," Gary said. "Nothing's going to change. All you've got to do is learn it. Once you learn it, it's a defense made for people to fly around, make plays and have fun with it." It also helped with the offense. Redshirt junior quarterback Wilson Speight said he couldn't have been better prepared after enduring the array of blitzes, pressures and looks Brown threw at him in practice. "During the quarterback battle last fall, we were going against the best — and if not the best, the second-best — defense in the country, and the defensive backs across the board were tops in the country," Speight said. "That prepared me well to come out versus Hawai'i [in the opener] and throughout the rest of the year. I would always fall back on, 'Look, if I did this in camp and completed this in camp, why can't I do it coming up?' "They were just reloading [this spring] with a bunch of young guys who are extremely talented. It was good work for us." Brown didn't hold back this spring, evident even during the spring scrimmage when he scaled it back just a bit. The pressure on Speight was relentless, forcing two turnovers, including a 101-yard interception return for touchdown by redshirt sophomore viper linebacker Jordan Glasgow. His array of different looks, including several up front, keeps opposing coordinators g u e s s i n g . M i c h i g a n p a s s i n g g a m e coordinator Pep Hamilton, for example, has seen it all, having coached in college and the pros, but he was impressed with what he faced during his first spring going head to head with Brown. "It's a headache. It's a headache," he stressed. "From day one you're preparing for things that are extreme, should I say. "At the same time, iron sharpens iron, and it gives us a great opportunity to test our roles, test our protections. It forces us to communicate and solve problems on the fly." No Tourists, No Traitors It's not just scheme, though, that makes Brown's defense so effective — it's the delivery. The veteran coach demands a few things from each of his players that are non- negotiable, and he shared some of them during his AFCA presentation. "If you're not running to the ball, you're a traitor. You might as well go play for the other team," Brown said. "If you're not running, you're a traitor. You look at everything. "No tourists on defense. Nobody get on the bus for a free ride. Coach Harbaugh has a great line … 'No steak-eaters on the bus,' where you show up, get your steak and get on the bus. No steak-eaters on the bus. You've got to earn your steak." They monitor every rep of every player in every practice, he noted, to ensure nobody is cheating his teammate. "I know that's difficult to do. I'm not saying it's not," he said. "But if you're on the scout team and you took six reps … steak-eater. Coach knows everything. He knows how many reps each guy is taking — offense, defense, kicking. If you're the freshman linebacker and think you're going to hang out, that's not going to happen." Led by senior defensive end Taco Charlton's 9.5 sacks and 13.0 tackles for loss, Brown's attack was the only one in the country to average more than three sacks and nine tackles for loss per game. U-M finished second nationally with 9.3 tackles for loss and fourth with 3.54 sacks per contest. PHOTO BY PER KJELDSEN