PiPress: Football Gophers to be more aggressive on defense

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Hageman at DT makes sense, Ive always thought he was too big to be a DE. Nice to hear that Troy will stay on D, which most kinda expected after his performance last season.
 

Great, great Q&A from Fuller. The biggest thing I like about Claeys? His first answer:

I've been going down there just about every year since 1999. I usually go down there in spring ball because I like to watch them practice. I try to go to as many places as I can go during the spring. I know what coaches say in meetings and clinics, but you really find out a lot by watching them practice and see what they're telling the kids. I've been to Virginia Tech. I've been down to the University of Texas when (Auburn coach) Gene (Chizik) was the defensive coordinator. I was down to watch the San Diego Chargers when coach (Wade) Phillips was the defensive coordinator there. I spent two or three days there, and he was tremendous.
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To me, that's what helps define a great leader and coach.
 

I am curious what he meant by his K. Cooper comment about Cooper looking better "in space".

I realize that he could certainly be talking about him at OLB, but I am wondering if that might be a reference to letting him play in more space and possibly at S (probably in some hybrid S role).
 




Oh, to have a defense like TCU's...

The more you read and hear about Jerry Kill and his staff, the more there is to like. Gary Patterson has been on the cutting edge with his defenses at TCU for over a decade. His approach is much more different than it is similar to what most college football teams employ today.
At his first press conference, Jerry Kill talked about being fast and aggressive on defense. The biggest criticism Iowa fans have of Kirk Ferentz's defenses is that they are too cautious. Minnesota's new defenses are going to be anything but overly cautious.
It is so great to think about a football staff and approaches that are totally intact and in tune with on another. To go along with an aggressive defense, Kill also talked in his press conference about how effective his teams have been in the area of special teams--especially with respect to blocking punts.
How revealing is it that the Gophers new staff appears to be recruiting one defensive end prospect after another this year? I am sure they're all being told that they will be the most featured players on Minnesota's future defenses. If you haven't seen the recent Northern Illinois and TCU bowl wins, you should review the tapes to get a feel for how Minnesota will play defense in the future. As Bud Grant always said, "Defense wins championships."
If I were living in the Twin Cities, I would get as close as I could to the new Gophers' coaching staff. I would try to attend speeches they make and practices they conduct. There's a lot to learn about football from being around this group.
NOW is the time for Gopher fans to buy their season tickets. They will be harder to come by with each passing year that Jerry Kill and his staff are at Minnesota.
 

God Bless Jeff Horton.

The article points out that the new Minnesota staff is very grateful that Jeff Horton kept players red-shirted after Brewster left last fall. That will really help the Gophers for several years to come.
 

Just once

I would like to see a new coach come in and say---Our defense is going to be less aggressive this year. We are going to kid of lay back.
 



I know Kill and staff also spent a few days with Peterson and Boise State's staff about the time that Kill took over at NIU. Kill also spent some time in Manhattan, KS with Bill Snyder about the time that Kill took over at SIU in 2001 or so, re: rebuilding a program. SIU was almost the I-AA equivalent of late 1980s K-State that Snyder took over.
 

This is the 90th consecutive year we've heard about Gopher coaches (whoever they might be) promising the defense will play faster and more aggressive. I'll believe it when I actually see it happen.
 

josh087 said:
This is the 90th consecutive year we've heard about Gopher coaches (whoever they might be) promising the defense will play faster and more aggressive. I'll believe it when I actually see it happen.
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But how many have had the history Claeys does in actually doing this? His NIU defenses were definitely aggressive (sometimes to a fault), and I can only assume his SIU defenses were as well. I wouldn't imagine he'd change a whole lot now, though obviously this is an extra step up in level of football. But I gotta think they're gonna do what they're accustomed to doing at every stop.
 

Playing more aggressive is not as easy as just saying it. Ask withers. I would guess they will look slightly more aggressive, but until team speed is much higher, it will be tough to play a ton of man coverage and blitz.
 



The thing I like is that they have played a lot of Big Ten teams......this can only help, knowing their tendencies.......
 

If only seeing is believing...

If only seeing is believing with respect to Gopher football getting more aggressive on defense (or anything else, for that matter) why read a message board like this in January, let alone post on one? Why not just wait until the fall to "see" what happens?
Also, you CAN see how aggressive Minnesota's defenses will be by watching replays of NIU and TCu playing their bowl games. Finally, I kind of like knowing what the new Gopher staff is thinking about in terms of how they'll play offense and defense next year. Minnesota fans found out the hard way that Tim Brewster had no idea on earth what he wanted to do his first year, his second year and so forth on offense or defense. THAT sure worked out well for the Gophers!
 

It's all good to say it, but to make it happen is another thing.

I'd rather have a smart and disciplined defense than an aggressive one.
 

Ski U Master said:
I'd rather have a smart and disciplined defense than an aggressive one.
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I think you can have all three of those. The DC said that the ultimate goal is to be agressive without having to do a lot of blitzing. We need to be able to take advantage of spots that call for agressive plays. 3rd down defense has to be better.
 

MaxyJR1 said:
I think you can have all three of those. The DC said that the ultimate goal is to be agressive without having to do a lot of blitzing. We need to be able to take advantage of spots that call for agressive plays. 3rd down defense has to be better.
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I would say that a smart, disciplined defense allows you to be more aggressive.
 

Sounds like a future HC. If anything happens to Coach Kill, Claeys could step in and run the show, as Horton did. He's only 41, a perfect age for someone working his way up the ladder.
 


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