The Wolfpacker: An Independent Magazine Covering NC State Sports
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Football 2013 "We've still have a lot of work to do at the linebacker position, but I'm very excited about the guys that I am working with and where I think we can go and end up at that position. "In the back end I really like our corners. They gave us good solid play throughout the spring and should be a real good strength for us. At our safety position, depth is a little bit of a concern there. The two positions that I think are a depth concern are our end and our safety positions." "That they play hard, and they play tough. That it has guys that play hard, play fast and play tough, and beat people up. That they are fundamentally sound and technique sound. That they are where they are supposed to be, doing their job, but they are doing it fast and they are doing it hard." Do you like coaching on the field or prefer being in the box? "I've been both. There's advantages to both. Up in the box you've got better vi- How big a change is your approach for the defense? "Terminology is always the first difference. What they called this, we call that. That's always the first difference. The personalities of coaches is a difference — players getting used to our personalities and us getting to know them and their personalities. I'm sure that there are a lot of technique differences. "From a schemes standpoint, there is some carryover. There are some things that are done different from what they have done. I don't think it's probably as big a change defensively in the transition as there was on offense." Were you pleased with how much you were able to get in during the spring? "Yes. We got the base foundation of our package put in, and I think the guys have a pretty good understanding and knowledge of that. Now we can continue to move forward and grow." Position-wise, do you feel like the guys are in the right spots and the depth chart has formed, or do you feel it's still a fluid situation? "I think that we now have the right guys in the right spot of where we think they fit into our system. As far as the depth chart and first string, second string, third string, we ended the spring with 15 practices with a pretty good idea of who is going to be in that first defense when we come back in August. "But every day that we practice in August in that fall camp there is competition. It's back on, and guys have got to earn that right to play." photo by ken martin As a defensive coordinator, what do you think is the biggest challenge today for defenses in college football? "The athleticism of the offensive players is so good now. There are so many threats on offense. It used to be that you stopped a running back, and you were doing a good job. The quarterback run game is so big now, and those quarterbacks are so athletic running the ball and throwing the ball. The skill players, the wide receivers, including tight ends, they are just so athletic. "There are just so many good athletes on the field and so many good threats that you've got to be able to defend." "I'm very excited about the group of guys that we have to work with. We had 15 practices, and the guys came out and worked hard. I feel like they were into it and excited about what we're trying to do." Did you find any leaders stepping up on defense? "Within positions there are probably some leaders. As for one guy that just jumps out that's going to be our leader on defense, I think we are still looking for that guy. Hopefully some of the things that our strength coaches are doing down in the weight room this summer develop that leadership. "With some of the things that Coach [Dave] Doeren is doing within the program with our leadership council, we can start developing some leaders over the summer months here, and those guys can stand out in the fall." sion, and you can see things a little bit better, but you're further removed from the game and the players. Down on the field, I think you get a little better feel for the players and what the look is in their eyes. "If you've got some good people in the box, and I have great assistant coaches here on our side of the ball that I am very excited about, that can give you good information, then I enjoy being down on the field and being around the players." In a perfect world, when someone describes a Dave Huxtable defense, what do you hope they talk about? Has it been settled whether you will be on the field? "I haven't decided that, yet." ■ Huxtable Do you feel pressure on defense to be ready to go at the start of the season since a new offense is being installed? "No, I know Coach [Matt] Canada and Coach [Dave] Doeren are going to have the offense ready to go just like we are going to have the defense ready to go. I don't really feel any added pressure that we've got to do more because the offense might not be ready to go. "I don't feel that. I know Coach Doeren is going to have this team ready to play." Lastly, how does it feel to be back in the Triangle? "I love it. I love the area here. The people here are just phenomenal. All the Wolfpack fans that I've met, they just believe in this program. I'm very excited to be a part of it. I look forward to getting to meet and know a lot more of them, and I am anxious for the season to begin." ■ 40 ■ the wolfpacker 38,40.Defense Q&A.indd 40 7/1/13 9:29 AM