• last year
Transcript
00:00 Welcome to the Gary Cronicles, the people show.
00:11 Checking the pulse of Husker Nation brought to you by DPS Concrete Construction, your
00:15 local concrete experts.
00:17 Check them out at dpsconstruction.net.
00:20 Now I've got a pretty awesome guest today, but before I officially bring him on, in case
00:23 you missed my past couple of interviews, go back and check it out with the great, the
00:28 one and only, the GOAT, Tom Osborne.
00:31 Also my former Washington commander, the team, Redskin, teammate, let's just say we had a
00:36 whole lot of fun, Roy Halou.
00:38 And the upcoming interviews are Mr. Governor and former Husker himself, Jim Pillen, and
00:43 then Offensive Coordinator, Marcus Satterfield.
00:46 Now smash that like button if you're excited for any of those interviews, and especially
00:51 the man I'm bringing on today, which is Nebraska's new Defensive Coordinator, Coach Tony White.
00:56 How you doing, Coach?
00:57 Hey, I'm doing awesome, just getting ready for the guys to come back, scripting.
01:01 It's that time of year, you know?
01:04 Now as we were chatting before the interview started, you talked about how the practices
01:08 are going to be a little bit different than what you've done in the past.
01:11 So the immediate question that pops into my mind, what is a little bit different about
01:15 these practices?
01:16 Yeah, you know what?
01:17 Being around, everybody in college football, you know, talks about development, you know,
01:22 and developing players and all that stuff.
01:24 This is one of the few places I've been where the emphasis really meets the road, so to
01:30 speak, where you see actual practice in it.
01:34 Which means, you know, we have practiced a lot of times, you know, Adam, from your time
01:39 playing ball from when you were a kid to the pros, you know, when you go team, let's say
01:47 you got offense, one team out there on offense, one team out there on defense, and everybody
01:51 else watching.
01:52 You know, well, here, you know, the emphasis is trying to get as many reps for the guys
01:59 as possible.
02:00 You know, so while one team might be doing offense versus defense, another team is over
02:05 there doing seven on seven.
02:07 And then the third team is in there doing perimeter drill.
02:10 And then it's a circuit where guys are consistently moving, they're getting reps, they're getting
02:16 live reps, active reps in the offense and in the defense.
02:20 And what better way to actually develop guys than to put them on the grass and let them
02:22 do what they do, you know?
02:23 So as opposed to, you know, maybe one or two teams going and a bunch of guys standing around,
02:28 basically everybody is moving, everybody is getting better at all times.
02:32 Which to most fans at home might sound like, "Why don't you do that all the time?"
02:36 I'll offer a thought, because it's a lot more difficult and challenging.
02:40 So the fact that you guys are taking the time and the effort to do that speaks volumes,
02:44 because most coaching staffs either won't or just don't have the time to do that.
02:49 So my next question, alright, I guarantee you've been asked this, it's been asked a
02:53 ton, it's the most logical question that immediately comes to people's minds, which is why I'm
02:57 going to ask it.
02:58 Alright, the 3-3-5 defense gives you more speed and versatility on the field on defense.
03:03 How do you utilize that against bigger teams, and is that a concern at all when you go against
03:08 power running football teams in the Big Ten Conference?
03:11 You know what, I get asked that a ton, as you can imagine.
03:18 And I was at an event with Coach Ruhl, and he put it a great way.
03:24 You know, whether you are a 3-4 defense, whether you're a 4-3 defense, back to the old Chicago
03:30 Bears, 85 defense, all that kind of stuff.
03:33 You know, there's an element of what you're doing that's really, really important, but
03:38 I think the most important thing is how you do it.
03:41 You know, the mindset and the physicality that you bring on defense.
03:47 There's one consistent theme on great, great defenses, whether you're talking about the
03:52 Baltimore Ravens defense back in the day with Ray Lewis, the Pittsburgh Steelers, the Black
03:57 Shirts of old.
03:59 Those guys were physical, they were aggressive, and they played together.
04:04 They played relentless.
04:06 And whether they were 3-4, 4-3, 3-3-5, you know, that's the thing I think that's the
04:10 most important, is that our guys know exactly what to do, they know how to do it, and they
04:16 do it in a way that can overcome some of those other things.
04:21 And obviously, schematics helps.
04:25 In the 3-3-5, we were at Arizona State, we played Michigan State twice and got a chance
04:31 to go up against them there.
04:33 And then, you know, last year we were playing Purdue at Syracuse and got a chance to play
04:40 them there and held up well against the run.
04:42 So again, I think that the defense has seen the power run games before, so it's just a
04:49 matter of making sure we know and we take care of what we want to take care of, and
04:53 that's mindset, how we're going to do things.
04:56 Now, the defensive line obviously plays a huge role in any defense, but I would imagine
05:01 especially a 3-3-5 type defense.
05:04 Our defensive line, just guys coming back, not quite as experienced as maybe some of
05:07 the previous years.
05:08 You've got a guy like Ty Robertson, who's played a lot of ball, and some other guys
05:12 who've played some snaps here and there as well.
05:14 But how do you approach maybe a little bit more of an inexperienced type defensive line
05:19 as a defensive coordinator as you prepare for this upcoming football season?
05:23 Yeah, great question, man.
05:25 You know, because it always starts off rough.
05:27 And everybody, I mean, you look at the best defensive lines at college football, and there's
05:32 a common theme there that the size, the athleticism, it matches the experience.
05:38 And we have some guys up there who are uber, uber talented, I mean, like you said, Ty Rob,
05:44 Nash, Blaze, and then we've got an influx of these new guys, whether transfer or recruits,
05:52 Prince Will, Cam Lenhardt, Elijah Judy.
05:56 I mean, you've got guys up front where they have the ability to do it.
06:00 So then it goes back to the previous question in terms of, it's our job to make sure that
06:04 they know what to do and they feel confident in doing it.
06:07 And then, you know, with the lack of experience is the opportunity for somebody new to take
06:12 stage, you know?
06:13 I mean, there's going to be a name or two that pop up front that you're like, "Wow,
06:17 I had no idea he could do that."
06:19 Well, that's because he just, he wasn't given the opportunity to.
06:22 So, you know, we see it as, we see it as opportunity for those guys that have not had a chance
06:28 to extensively play.
06:30 And plus those newcomers, it gives them a chance to say, "Hey, I'm competing."
06:33 That means that they're going to study hard, they're going to practice hard, they're going
06:35 to put themselves in a position to where now they can compete and want to get on the grass
06:39 and play.
06:40 Now, I know one of the biggest things the Husker fans would like to see an improvement
06:44 on, regardless of if we were 4-3-3, 4-3-3-5, 10-1-1-10, it wouldn't matter.
06:50 We've got to get better when it comes to tackling on a consistent basis.
06:54 What are the biggest ways you guys are trying to focus on improving the tackling as an overall
06:58 whole?
06:59 I think it's twofold.
07:00 You know, it's identifying how you want to tackle, number one.
07:04 You know, there is an art to it, especially with guys being so big and so strong and so
07:10 fast.
07:12 Player safety is president.
07:15 You want to make sure our guys know how to do it so that they take care of themselves,
07:19 number one.
07:20 But number two, it goes back to the identity on how we're going to do things.
07:24 So everything we do, the first thing we do defensively-wise is our tackling circuit,
07:32 every single day.
07:33 That's the first thing we do, all levels, because especially in a 3-3-5 defense, defensive
07:38 backs are tasked with coming up there and stopping the run, period.
07:42 You ain't playing defense if you can't come up there and tackle ball carries and throw
07:48 it up in there.
07:49 So you ain't playing, period.
07:50 So all levels have to be able to tackle.
07:54 And so that's the first thing we do every day as a defense as a whole.
07:58 And then the really cool thing about being with Coach Ruhl as well is, you know, he's
08:03 a defensive guy at heart, man.
08:07 He's a physical guy.
08:09 He wants the line plays.
08:10 He wants the physicality.
08:11 He wants that.
08:12 So when you practice like that as a team, I think that you're getting way more reps at
08:19 doing those things where you can be physical in practice, you can be physical in the drills,
08:23 you can be physical in everything you do, so that way it translates better.
08:26 Because everything is about taking reps, right?
08:28 You need to take reps.
08:29 Well, it's hard to be a good tackling team if you don't actually do it in practice, you
08:33 know, full speed, let 'em go.
08:35 So I think everybody saw spring game, Coach went out there and made all the quarterbacks
08:40 live.
08:41 That's something that's unheard of, and that's just what we do.
08:44 So physicality is something that we're bringing, period, from the start with the top down.
08:49 Yeah, I love that, when they were live as a defensive guy, I hate it having to do two-hand
08:54 touch on the green jersey guys.
08:57 I bet, you were back there a lot, so I can imagine.
09:04 I've never shared this story.
09:05 So for those who remember Kurt Dukes, he came in as a highly recruited quarterback out of
09:10 North Carolina.
09:11 He was here for a year or two, ended up transferring, I think, to Duke.
09:15 We had a spring game, and I went to tackle, and then I realized it was a green jersey.
09:20 So I stayed higher, because I wasn't supposed to tackle him.
09:25 I grabbed a handful of, I don't know how else to say it, it was a ball but not a football,
09:32 and I didn't mean to, and he started screaming and yelling at me, and I'm like, "Dude, you'd
09:37 be in much less pain if I could have just hit you."
09:39 And he just started laughing.
09:40 Well, he wasn't laughing yet, but he laughed eventually later on about it.
09:44 Exactly, see, I mean, exactly.
09:46 Exactly my point, man.
09:48 I've never told that before, and I didn't ever plan on it, but it just kind of happened.
09:52 Hey, real quick, ladies and gentlemen, all right, soon, soon, the Carriker Chronicles,
09:58 August 15th, the website.
10:00 Gonna be a whole plethora of stuff.
10:01 You got merchandise, you got the Chronicles show, you got the Big Ten show that I'm doing
10:05 with my co-host Jeff Turn, where the H is silent.
10:07 You got 93.7 the ticket, you got a whole bunch of stuff.
10:10 We got Carriker's crew with Ashley Spitznagel's art, she's a phenomenal artist, gonna be putting
10:15 stuff on there, John Johnston of Corn Nation, who is highly entertaining and definitely
10:19 not boring, and you got Connor Hayden of the Corn Craze YouTube channel, he's built a monster,
10:24 he's gonna be doing some stuff.
10:25 We got our highlight tapes we've been putting out throughout the summer, from the '09 defense
10:29 to Amir Abdullah to some of the top recruits who've committed, we've put together highlight
10:32 tapes.
10:33 They're all gonna be on the Carriker Chronicles website, August 15th, it's almost here.
10:39 All right, last couple of questions, I appreciate your time, Coach, I know it's a busy time
10:44 of year for you, but you mentioned some guys may emerge.
10:48 So I'm curious, so far, who are some guys who've emerged so far throughout this offseason
10:53 as potential leaders on defense, and maybe some surprise players on defense that fans
10:59 should keep their eyes out for?
11:01 Yeah, let me see, since we've been here, I thought, starting up front, Blaise Gunnarsson,
11:10 he's done a really nice job, man, I mean, he's, again, athletically, all that you want,
11:14 can do anything, just needed the opportunity, I think he's gonna do a really nice job.
11:20 Nash, I mean, this guy, I mean, just being around him every day, you're rooting for him,
11:27 you know, he does everything the right way, fun to watch him, fun to be around.
11:32 And then, like I said, you got a whole bunch of young guys up there, I know Prince Will
11:38 and Cam, they really put on a show there in the spring and did some really nice things,
11:43 and Corey Campbell and his staff in the weight room have done a really nice job of getting
11:47 those guys bigger, stronger, faster, and so we expect good things from them, they continue
11:53 on what they did in the spring.
11:55 Going to backer, John Bullock, he's a guy who, it's crazy, again, you talk about development,
12:00 he was a guy who we had as a rover spot, kind of the third or fourth safety, and then moving
12:06 him down to backer and giving him a chance to run around, and then, lo and behold, he's
12:10 coming out of spring as a possible starting linebacker, put on a scholarship, and again,
12:15 another guy who does everything right, you're rooting for.
12:19 Luke and Nick, I mean, those guys have proven to be able to play in college football and
12:23 lead locker rooms and do a great job there.
12:26 I think MJ Sherman, Jamari Butler, and all those Jacks and Cheap Orders, those three
12:32 guys, it's going to be fun to watch those guys run around and wreck havoc, because that's
12:37 what they do, man.
12:38 Anytime you've got a guy who just, say, they dig their cleats in the ground and just go
12:43 and attack the ball, I mean, it's fun to just turn them loose and blink, and all of a sudden
12:48 you see them in the backfield, and it's a really cool deal as a defensive coordinator.
12:52 So looking forward to those guys.
12:53 And then in the secondary, I'd say Malcolm Hartzog has been truly special back there
13:00 since we've been here.
13:01 He's a guy who does everything right.
13:03 You really root for playmaker, versatile on the back end.
13:08 Giff has done a nice job at the Rover.
13:12 Omar Brown's come on a little bit, showing what he can do.
13:16 Again, just didn't play much, but had the chance and showed out in the chances he has.
13:21 And obviously, Quinn Newsome at the corner spot has a chance for a big year and stuff.
13:27 So it's been fun, man, to watch those guys do what's expected, and then obviously with
13:34 the development in the summertime, getting bigger, faster, stronger, learning what we're
13:37 supposed to do and how to do it, and doing player OTAs in the summertime.
13:42 It's been fun and it's exciting to see what they're going to do in the fall.
13:45 Alright, Coach, last question I got for you.
13:48 I know Matt Ruhl's mentioned there's going to be three-man line, four-man lines.
13:52 I know from a 3-3-5 defense, there's more blitzing and more of an attacking style defense
13:58 as well.
13:59 But for me, a guy who wanted to hit quarterback so bad, as poor Kurt Gooch found out all those
14:05 years ago, how are we going to plan on getting after the quarterback a little bit more effectively
14:10 than we have in some of the recent years?
14:13 Yeah, I think that goes back to all encompassing, right?
14:17 Program number one, having the athleticism, putting guys, our job as coaches is to put
14:22 them in the right positions to rush and who to rush against.
14:27 T. Knight got a great staff here in terms of T. Knight and what he's done himself and
14:33 the knowledge he brings and the way he coaches those guys with Jack Potenza and Phil Simpson,
14:40 all those guys helping out.
14:41 And then for us, again, it starts with making them confident and knowing what to do, knowing
14:47 how to do it and then letting them go out there and do it.
14:50 As a player, especially now turning to the coordinator role, you've got to give those
14:57 guys the freedom.
15:00 You've got to let those guys say, "Hey man, go.
15:02 Let me see what you can do," versus trying to control them too much and thinking you're
15:06 playing Madden on PS5 or something.
15:10 Let the boys go.
15:11 Let them know what's up.
15:12 Let them be good in situations.
15:13 Let them know, "Hey man, you're free to go do it.
15:17 Go out there and play ball and have ultimate confidence in going out there and doing it
15:23 and seeing it."
15:24 And again, changing up looks, that kind of stuff.
15:27 So it's all encompassing, man, and things we're getting through right now and working
15:30 out right now.
15:31 Alright Husker fans, let me know in the comments below what do you think Nebraska's defense
15:36 is going to look like this year?
15:37 How excited are you?
15:39 What areas do you think they're going to prove in the most?
15:41 And until next time, Husker Nation, Go Big Red!
15:43 And always remember, "Throw them bones!
15:46 Let's go!"
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