The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports
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That, and ways to keep offenses guessing. Peppers can be used differ- ent ways in various personnel groups so quarterbacks can't be sure what he's going to do when he's out there. "That's the beauty of it," Brown said. "We had a package in when he's in technically as a linebacker. You may think you're getting one alignment but we can do completely different stuff, because who said he has to be there playing that position? Today he was — in two days he may not. That's how we roll. "He's sharp. He's fun to work with. He's got juice. I like guys like that. It gets you excited going to work every day." Brown compared him to the Seat- tle Seahawks' Kevin Pierre-Louis, a player he coached at Boston College, but said Peppers was even "a little dif- ferent because he's a little better at pass coverage and faster. "We'll see how that goes, see where it takes us," he added. PIECING THE PUZZLE TOGETHER As for the rest of the unit, there won't be wholesale changes from a year ago. Last year's group finished fourth nationally in total defense (280.7 yards per game) and pitched three shutouts in a row. It allowed only seven points to Florida in the Cit- rus Bowl with defensive line coach Greg Mattison in charge following Durkin's departure, and eight starters return. "It's all similar stuff," senior inside linebacker Ben Gedeon said. "There's some carry-over in all defenses. Coach Brown has similarities and differences. I think we're all kind of helping each other; even the young guys, we're all learning together. This time down here [in Florida] without school going on and all the distractions, we'll really be able to dive in and learn all the installs. "I think it's coming together faster than Coach Brown even thought it would. These guys, we've learned three different defenses now, so we're used to catching on fast. These long practices allow us to really grab onto the concepts." Those concepts have included blitz- ing and attacking at all of Brown's stops, from Massachusetts, Maryland, Boston College and everywhere else he's been. Gedeon said he and his teammates have embraced that men- tality. "He's definitely an aggressive guy," Gedeon said with a laugh. "His motto is, 'Solve your problems with aggres- sion.' Last year we were a pressure team as well, so it's not a huge change. We'll be getting after it a lot with the pressures." Brown has shown he'll bring it from anywhere on the field, senior corner- back Jourdan Lewis added. That level of trust in his secondary has made him a favorite among the defensive backs. "We're pretty much doing the same thing on the back end, though. We're getting put out on an island; that's what our defense is built for," Lewis said. "Last year we played a lot of man, so we should be quick to do that this year. "We just do what we did last year and use the same techniques mostly. We've got new technique in man, what