The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/641955
INSIDE MICHIGAN ATHLETICS Sitting Down With New Defensive Coordinator Don Brown Michigan head coach Jim Harbaugh got his first pick to replace D.J. Durkin (now the Maryland head coach) at defensive coordinator, naming Boston College's Don Brown to the post Dec. 21. U‑M's new defensive boss joined the Huge Show's Bill Simonson on National Signing Day. Here is the best of Brown's interview: On how long it took him to make the decision to join Harbaugh in Ann Ar- bor: "About 10 minutes. We met face to face, we had a conversation, and I could just tell philosophically he likes it aggressive, so that's right up my alley. He loves physical football; loves aggressive football. That's also right up my alley, so it was a great fit. "Coach reached out and I came to campus, we sat down and … perfect marriage. He had certainly done his homework, I could tell that. He had talked to some people we both were very common with in the business, and there was no question he had a feel for what I did schematically and how I went about doing my business." On what a Don Brown defense will look like at Michigan: "We'll start with four down guys, but we're not uniquely just a four‑down defense. We'll get into multiple substitution groups, but I'm also a big believer that you've got to stop the run … make them one‑dimen‑ sional and then chase that quarterback as hard as you can. That's really what it comes down to. "We're going to stop the run, they're going to have to solve their problems through the air, and then we're going to attack those protections and deny free access in the throw game, get up and cover people and challenge every throw, be highly competitive on every play. We're not going to take a backseat, not going to read and react." On how often he'd like to bring pressure in a typical four-down series: "The threat's going to be there every down. That's the whole thing. Sometimes in pres‑ sure you're still bringing four, but it's an overload and you're giving the presentation that there are seven potential rushers here. "You're constantly trying to put it in the QB's mind that he's dealing with pressure." Brown noted that head coach Jim Harbaugh's love of physical, aggres- sive football made it easy for him to take the job at U-M. PHOTO COURTESY MICHIGAN ATHLETIC MEDIA RELATIONS