Bruins defense is focusing on level-headed emotion

LOS ANGELES ❯❯ Every member of the UCLA defense was cheering from the sideline when defensive back Joshua Swift had an interception during team drills Tuesday morning. A similar celebration erupted a few plays later when Devin Kirkwood broke up a pass.

UCLA football has just about reached the midway point of spring football practices and enthusiasm has not dwindled, especially on the defense.

“I feel like you can't really bottle in defense,” redshirt senior defensive back Alex Johnson said. “You gotta let it flow, you gotta be free, you gotta let the energy ride.”

The defense doesn't appear to be showing restraint when it comes to celebrating, but players are focusing on keeping a nextplay mentality this spring.

Defensive lineman Grayson Murphy cited the phrase “play with emotion, don't let emotion play with you” as a mantra among coaches. As improvements are made to last season's defense, which gave up more than 400 yards of offense per game, staying levelheaded is a way of moving forward this spring.

“Our definition of mental toughness is the ability to move on to the next most important thing,” coach Chip Kelly said Tuesday. “We talk about it all the time. I talk about it to everybody. We all can get distracted. I can get distracted if there's a bad call by an official, but I have to learn to move on.”

Johnson feels like the defense's energy stems from the defensive backs. Like when Swift and Kirkwood made plays, it motivated everyone else on the defense. There are no fullcontact practices, but players are high-energy nonetheless.

“Everyone is trying to give each other a pop on the field,” linebacker Laiatu Latu said.

Developing DBs

Kelly has mentioned throughout the spring that the Bruins will be playing five defensive backs at a time this season. Stephan Blaylock and Mo Osling III, who were leaders at the position last season, have graduated. That leaves space for new talent.

Kenny Churchwell played Sam linebacker (strong side) last season and picked up 47 total tackles and 3.5 tackles for a loss, but has transitioned to safety this spring. He's been working on techniques like leverage and getting to the ball first.

“I'm a see-ball, get-ball type of person,” he said. “So whatever they throw me in, I've got great coaches, great sheets to study on so whatever they throw me on, I feel confident enough.”

New defensive coordinator D'Anton Lynn brings fresh perspective when it comes to the defensive backs as a former safeties coach for the Baltimore Ravens.

“It's .5 seconds to three seconds of full-out speed and most of it is pre-snap indications,” Churchwell said. “Having that NFLtype person … he brought more information to it.”

Churchwell indicated former walk-on Alex Johnson and William Nimmo Jr., both redshirt seniors, and Sierra Canyon product Kamari Ramsay, a sophomore, as up-and-coming defensive backs on the team. Other more experienced players on the team may develop in additional positions in the secondary.

“We're always trying to put them in the best situations for them so that they can make an impact,” Kelly said. “There may be a nickel safety that's played some outside corner that's playing some safety, but that's a DB playing one of the DB positions.”

Science of spring ball

UCLA football has been using technology like GPS and heart rate monitors since 2009 to monitor player work rate during practices and prevent soft tissue injuries like sprains and strains.

“If things are predictable, they're preventable,” Kelly said. “If you can predict that if a kid runs over 125 high-speed yards can result in a soft tissue injury, then wouldn't you want to know if he's gotten to that threshold?”

Strength and conditioning staff will monitor the work players do and their yardage during practice so they know when to dial back training or turn it up. Working the muscles the perfect amount can cut back on the risk of injury.

Players are sometimes seen running after practice not as punishment, but rather because they underworked in practice or didn't meet their required yardage. The extra running helps ensure that the player is at their optimal fitness level.

“I remember talking to Brandi Chastain with the U.S. soccer team and they were doing it in the `90s,” Kelly said. “There's a lot of technology out there and it's really what's of use to you and what's not of use to you. Sometimes you can eyeball it ... but sometimes it can reveal something that the naked eye can't see.”