New DC aims to put Rice in attack mode
Smith will mix alignments with idea of putting pressure on QB
His blitz-happy schemes have earned Michigan coordinator Don Brown a reputation as one of college football’s finest defensive minds.
When Mike Bloomgren took over as Rice coach in December, he knew he wanted someone with Brown’s mindset to run the Owls’ defense. But the 62-year old Brown, one of the highest-paid coordinators in the country, had rejected an offer to coach in the SEC just a week before Bloomgren was hired. Besides, in his first head coaching job, Bloomgren was partial to a coach with whom he had more history.
In December, he selected Brian Smith, the man he considers Brown’s protégé.
Smith, Michigan’s secondary coach under Brown, embodies many of the philosophies of his former boss. Smith and Bloomgren are hoping the Owls begin to resemble the Wolverines, who have fielded one of the top five defenses in the country each of the last three seasons.
At Rice, Smith intends to employ many of the same aspects of Michigan’s defensive philosophy.
“We’re going to be multiple, and we’re going to base it around our players and what they can do,” he said. “The beauty of the scheme is that you can get into different fronts.”
Viper on the loose
Sometimes Smith’s defenses will show a 3-4 look. Other times, they’ll have four or five down linemen.
At times they’ll utilize a viper, a “position similar to what Jabrill Peppers did at Michigan,” Smith said. “The big thing is that we’re not going to try to fit a square peg into a round hole. We may not be able to do exactly what we did at Michigan based on the players that we have, but we’re going to be able to adjust.”
Said Bloomgren of Smith’s defensive philosophy: “That’s another situation where I’m anxious to learn more as we go.”
Bloomgren had plenty of time to learn about Smith when they shared an office as quality control specialists for the New York Jets in 2007. It was there where Smith learned more about pressure packages from Rex Ryan and situational defense from Eric Mangini.
Prior to working with Brown at Michigan, Smith was a three-time All-Atlantic 10 defensive back for him at Massachusetts. He had a brief stint with the San Francisco 49ers, picked up as an undrafted free agent.
“The defense will be an aggressive, attacking style of defense. We’re not going to sit back and give up underneath stuff. We’re going to be aggressive, and we’re going to get in your face and go after the quarterback,” Smith said. “I think it starts in the secondary. You have to have guys who are going to be able to cover and put their hands on people and stop them from getting down the field. We have to have good pass rushers, guys who can win one-on-one battles up front.”
Big task for corners
Opposing receivers could see a lot of press and man coverage on the perimeter. That allowed Brown to diversify when and how much pressure he brought.
“Our corners (at Michigan) did a great job,” Smith said. “They were out on an island one-on-one a lot of times, so it helps to have good corners with length who can get their hands on people.
“On offense, it always starts with the quarterback, and so on defense, our philosophy starts with getting after the quarterback and rushing the decision-maker into bad situations.”
Between recruiting calls and hotel stays, Smith has found time to watch film from last season. He is encouraged by some of what he saw but said next year’s starting spots will be earned this spring and summer.
“I don’t want to get too much into specifics, but I did see some things on tape that were exciting,” Smith said. “I don’t want to base (the starters) too much on what they did last year.”
Smith is ready to take the reins of his own defense. It’s the height of a career in which has coached linebackers, defensive backs and even receivers — having mentored another Massachusetts alum named Victor Cruz.
“Now, it’s about orchestrating the whole defense, so it’s exciting,” Smith said. “I’ve been waiting for this opportunity for a long time. I’m fired up about it. It’s a dream come true.”