Defensive coordinator Lance Anderson
What has been your first impression of the guys coming out of winter conditioning?
"I think it's natural for the first two days, but I've seen a lot of energy from guys, a lot of desire from guys. I think coming off of last season there is a lot of focus, a lot of determination. Let's get this thing right. Let's get this thing fixed. I've seen really good effort so far. Guys are really locked in.
"There are still things we have to clean up. There is always teaching involved. That's spring, especially for guys who haven't gotten a lot of reps. I think a lot of guys physically are in a good place. You can tell they've worked hard. They're strong, athletic and moving well. And I think they're getting healthier, too."
Jacob Mangum-Farrar is still out but his classmate, Ricky Miezan, is back practicing. What was he able to accomplish while he wasn't playing? Have you seen any of that yet?
"Some of the guys who have been injured or who have not played a lot, you still see those guys are a little rusty. You see that they need those physical reps. A lot of them really tried to stay focused mentally and learn what we're doing, but there is nothing like the physical reps. You see guys like that, he jumps to mind.
"caleb Kelly, Tobe Umerah -- who missed a big stretch after he came in and played well against Washington -- you see those guys are a little rusty. They need the reps. That's what spring ball is all about."
Were you able to take some time to look back at last season? What does the review process look like for you?
"This year we spent a lot of time reviewing that. I had a lot of extra time with no bowl. I have watched and rewatched. I've watched what other people are doing. As a defensive staff over the last month or so we have done the same thing. We've watched everything, discussed things.
"What we're trying to do is we're trying to match our system to the personnel that we have the best that we can. It's still a work in progress to identify what our guys do best and what in our system best fits what they do. We're working through that right now. We have taken a few things out. Right now we're working on the things that we think fit best. We might introduce a few new things that might fit well.
Can you give any examples of who you look at to get ideas?
"Obviously, a source I always go to is Vic Fangio and the stuff with the Broncos because it is so similar and I talk to Vic so much. That was my first place. I spent a lot of time watching their stuff and talking to Vic and seeing if there are things they're doing that maybe we add. Maybe they're doing some things different than what we are and we can tweak some things. That's a great resource for me.
"There are also some schools in the conference that I think do a great job with certain things. Having this extra time has given me a chance to really watch some things that they do on defense. It has been good."
What has been your first impression of the guys coming out of winter conditioning?
"I think it's natural for the first two days, but I've seen a lot of energy from guys, a lot of desire from guys. I think coming off of last season there is a lot of focus, a lot of determination. Let's get this thing right. Let's get this thing fixed. I've seen really good effort so far. Guys are really locked in.
"There are still things we have to clean up. There is always teaching involved. That's spring, especially for guys who haven't gotten a lot of reps. I think a lot of guys physically are in a good place. You can tell they've worked hard. They're strong, athletic and moving well. And I think they're getting healthier, too."
Jacob Mangum-Farrar is still out but his classmate, Ricky Miezan, is back practicing. What was he able to accomplish while he wasn't playing? Have you seen any of that yet?
"Some of the guys who have been injured or who have not played a lot, you still see those guys are a little rusty. You see that they need those physical reps. A lot of them really tried to stay focused mentally and learn what we're doing, but there is nothing like the physical reps. You see guys like that, he jumps to mind.
"caleb Kelly, Tobe Umerah -- who missed a big stretch after he came in and played well against Washington -- you see those guys are a little rusty. They need the reps. That's what spring ball is all about."
Were you able to take some time to look back at last season? What does the review process look like for you?
"This year we spent a lot of time reviewing that. I had a lot of extra time with no bowl. I have watched and rewatched. I've watched what other people are doing. As a defensive staff over the last month or so we have done the same thing. We've watched everything, discussed things.
"What we're trying to do is we're trying to match our system to the personnel that we have the best that we can. It's still a work in progress to identify what our guys do best and what in our system best fits what they do. We're working through that right now. We have taken a few things out. Right now we're working on the things that we think fit best. We might introduce a few new things that might fit well.
Can you give any examples of who you look at to get ideas?
"Obviously, a source I always go to is Vic Fangio and the stuff with the Broncos because it is so similar and I talk to Vic so much. That was my first place. I spent a lot of time watching their stuff and talking to Vic and seeing if there are things they're doing that maybe we add. Maybe they're doing some things different than what we are and we can tweak some things. That's a great resource for me.
"There are also some schools in the conference that I think do a great job with certain things. Having this extra time has given me a chance to really watch some things that they do on defense. It has been good."
