Good afternoon. Appreciate you guys being here.
We're going into our 13th practice today. Made a lot of progress. Still developing depth. Three more practices to go and can accomplish a lot if our guys can focus.
Where have you improved the most this spring? I think moving the linebackers around. Moving Bower back inside and moving Niemann. Jewell went back to MIKE. He can play both. The depth at LB has helped. DEs have really improved, Ott and Meier. Matt Nelson has made a lot of improvements. Jaleel Johnson has taken a step forward. Bazata is starting on the other side. All moving forward.
What did you learn from the bowl? We didn't show up. We didn't play Iowa football the way we're used to playing since I've been here.
Perimeter defense struggled last year, people want to switch the scheme, you're trying to do what you do but do it better? We've just got to be better prepared and have some answers for that. I think it all starts with fundamentals. Make sure you've got your eyes where they need to be.
How did bowl game motivate your guys? I don't think we approach anything differently. We're still going to coach the way we've been coaching. But it hurts, disappointing, so you've got to get up and do better. Not going to change the way I coach.
Was it maybe inexperience at certain positions in Nebraska game and bowl game with Josey and Bo? Other guys too, but it's hard for a young guy. Experience is going to help them. As they grow, you've got to build from it and learn from it.
Minnesota and Tennessee see something in scheme or personnel that allowed them to go to the perimeter more? I think there's a lot of people - Michigan was doing same thing to us 4-5 years ago - trying to give you misdirection keys, outrunning certain guys. I think we've improved on that. Happy in the direction we're going.
Increased pace on defense? It really comes down to basics. You have to make sure you're getting lined up and have your keys and progression. Most important thing to me is effort to the ball. You've got to make sure when you're tracking a guy, you've got your eyes on him. If you just take off running, you get in trouble. You lose the ball. The one thing I'm looking for is effort. If you make a mistake, that's going to happen, but what's your effort.
Was effort an issue in bowl game or just not executing? I think both. I don't think we were loafing, but they hit us on some plays and got up and it started snowballing.
Safety depth? We've been moving them around a little bit. I think Snyder and Gair are trying to figure that out, looking at one at free and one at strong. I like what I've seen from Brandon Snyder.
Is Miles Taylor starting SS if you played Saturday? Still got a couple more days. Today he might go out and start, but we're going to rotate some more. Right now, he's lined up there if we played today.
Corners? We've got 3-4, maybe 5 guys that can help us. Reese Fleming has really made some strides this spring. There's 3 that are above the other guys with Mabin, King, and Fleming. Then Draper is coming along and Rucker has picked it up a little bit.
Seth Wallace working with corners? He's been around and worked with me before, so it helps. Gives us another set of eyes back there. Gives me an opportunity to watch different things at practice.
We're going into our 13th practice today. Made a lot of progress. Still developing depth. Three more practices to go and can accomplish a lot if our guys can focus.
Where have you improved the most this spring? I think moving the linebackers around. Moving Bower back inside and moving Niemann. Jewell went back to MIKE. He can play both. The depth at LB has helped. DEs have really improved, Ott and Meier. Matt Nelson has made a lot of improvements. Jaleel Johnson has taken a step forward. Bazata is starting on the other side. All moving forward.
What did you learn from the bowl? We didn't show up. We didn't play Iowa football the way we're used to playing since I've been here.
Perimeter defense struggled last year, people want to switch the scheme, you're trying to do what you do but do it better? We've just got to be better prepared and have some answers for that. I think it all starts with fundamentals. Make sure you've got your eyes where they need to be.
How did bowl game motivate your guys? I don't think we approach anything differently. We're still going to coach the way we've been coaching. But it hurts, disappointing, so you've got to get up and do better. Not going to change the way I coach.
Was it maybe inexperience at certain positions in Nebraska game and bowl game with Josey and Bo? Other guys too, but it's hard for a young guy. Experience is going to help them. As they grow, you've got to build from it and learn from it.
Minnesota and Tennessee see something in scheme or personnel that allowed them to go to the perimeter more? I think there's a lot of people - Michigan was doing same thing to us 4-5 years ago - trying to give you misdirection keys, outrunning certain guys. I think we've improved on that. Happy in the direction we're going.
Increased pace on defense? It really comes down to basics. You have to make sure you're getting lined up and have your keys and progression. Most important thing to me is effort to the ball. You've got to make sure when you're tracking a guy, you've got your eyes on him. If you just take off running, you get in trouble. You lose the ball. The one thing I'm looking for is effort. If you make a mistake, that's going to happen, but what's your effort.
Was effort an issue in bowl game or just not executing? I think both. I don't think we were loafing, but they hit us on some plays and got up and it started snowballing.
Safety depth? We've been moving them around a little bit. I think Snyder and Gair are trying to figure that out, looking at one at free and one at strong. I like what I've seen from Brandon Snyder.
Is Miles Taylor starting SS if you played Saturday? Still got a couple more days. Today he might go out and start, but we're going to rotate some more. Right now, he's lined up there if we played today.
Corners? We've got 3-4, maybe 5 guys that can help us. Reese Fleming has really made some strides this spring. There's 3 that are above the other guys with Mabin, King, and Fleming. Then Draper is coming along and Rucker has picked it up a little bit.
Seth Wallace working with corners? He's been around and worked with me before, so it helps. Gives us another set of eyes back there. Gives me an opportunity to watch different things at practice.
