Blue White Illustrated

LOUD AND CLEAR John Butler keeps the defense on its toes ohn Butler peered overtop his thinframed glasses, looking out at a scrum of beat reporters with a "you've gotta be kidding me" expression on his face. He had just been asked, in jest, why he wasn't miked up to the Beaver Stadium PA system, as Bill O'Brien had been during the third quarter of the Blue-White Game. O'Brien's commentary was basically the highlight of the scrimmage, so shouldn't Butler have gotten a chance to join the fun, too? "I don't think so," he replied. It was a point of humor for Butler and the circle of media. The first-year defensive coordinator has developed a reputation around the Lasch Building as a passionate, boisterous coach with a vocabulary unsuited for the family atmosphere that Penn State seeks to promote during Blue-White Weekend. Had the Philadelphia native been miked up, his raised voice might have blown out the loudspeakers with each completed pass. Or earned the communications staff a few FCC fines. "I would have to kick myself a couple times," Butler laughed. His players said his methods are effective, and they've responded well this off-season. Said sophomore cornerback J Jordan Lucas, "When I'm [playing] right, I don't really hear him much, but when I'm wrong, it's, 'Ah, Jordan! Come on, man, that's your responsibility!' "That's how he is. That's the type of coach he is, and that's why we're jelling so well as a secondary." Butler isn't new to Penn State's staff this year, but this is his first season as the Nittany Lions' defensive coordinator. In fact, it's the first time in his career – which encompasses stops at seven schools in 18 seasons – that he's served in that capacity. O'Brien promoted the 39-year-old assistant to the post following the departure of Ted Roof, who in January took the same position with Georgia Tech, his alma mater. "Now I'm actually in charge of putting this plan together," Butler explained. "But from a coaching standpoint, to me, it comes naturally – getting out on the field and coaching football players, developing them and putting gameplans together. Personally, I've been preparing for this for 18 years. It's just a matter of this being the opportunity." After overseeing the secondary in his first season at Penn State, Butler has scaled back his position-coaching responsibilities; this year, he will work exclusively with the cornerbacks. Newly hired assistant Anthony Midget, an AllAmerican at Virginia Tech in 1999, will coach the safeties. Butler still is closely tied to the secondary, but he's also responsible for tying together the loose ends of the entire defense and putting together an overall defensive scheme. By all accounts, that scheme will have a lot of familiar elements. "The foundation, the terms, the language of the defense will stay the same," O'Brien said. Under Roof's guidance, Penn State allowed 19.1 points and 353.4 yards per game last season. In addition, it only surrendered 15 touchdown passes, second-fewest in the Big Ten. To Butler, that was the defense's most important statistical accomplishment last season. Penn State will continue to use its 43 defense this fall, but because the team has fewer experienced linebackers and more defensive backs than it did a year ago, Butler is also installing nickel and dime defensive packages.

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