DeBord: Urgency is the Key for Indiana's Offense
3/7/2017 3:27:00 PM | Football
By: Charlie Duffy
IUHoosiers.com
BLOOMINGTON, Ind. – Day three of spring football is in the books. For the first time in over three months, the Hoosiers strapped on the shoulder pads.
"When you put the pads on you really find out who the contact players are," offensive coordinator Mike DeBord said. "This is a contact game, and we told our guys ahead of time that this really starts to define who we are. I thought today was a good day."
Coach DeBord was appointed as the head coach of the offense after a highly successful stint with the Tennessee Volunteers. He will also be tasked with coaching the tight ends group, a position that returns many of last season's key contributors.
"My expectation is that at all times they play fast," DeBord said. "They have to do a great job of finding work when they do not have the ball. When they are blocking, they have to be great blockers. The tight end position requires a unique skillset. You have to be a guy that can run, catch and get in the line of scrimmage and run block."
Being in charge of the offense and a specific position group can be tough to balance, but DeBord has full faith in his supporting cast. He knows that head coach Tom Allen has surrounded him with excellent offensive minds, making DeBord's job easier to manage.
"When we are on the field with position drills, I coach the tight ends all the time," DeBord said. "It is my responsibility to make sure they execute what we are trying to do. Obviously when we are in team situations, I am calling the plays, but I am keeping an eye on them. We have outstanding coaches here, so I do not watch the line or the quarterback, I watch my guy if I am watching anyone in particular. Our coaches do a great job of coaching."
Obviously, the biggest task for the offensive staff is installing the playbook. With just three practices down, the staff is easing the new scheme in. The objective is to not overload the players, focusing on quality over quantity.
"Day one we only installed one run play with some variations off of that play," DeBord said. "The second day we put another run in and today we added another play. Right now we only have three runs. What we wanted to do was execute those plays, execute the fundamentals of them and have our players understand the assignment and technique."
Once the plays are installed, Coach DeBord wants the offense to play with a sense of urgency. DeBord knows the Hoosiers are capable of big things offensively this season, especially when they start playing fast and efficiently.
"We have talent, but talent alone does not win," DeBord said. "We have to really define our tempo. We are pushing it as fast as we can go. I think we took a step in the right direction today."
IUHoosiers.com
BLOOMINGTON, Ind. – Day three of spring football is in the books. For the first time in over three months, the Hoosiers strapped on the shoulder pads.
"When you put the pads on you really find out who the contact players are," offensive coordinator Mike DeBord said. "This is a contact game, and we told our guys ahead of time that this really starts to define who we are. I thought today was a good day."
Coach DeBord was appointed as the head coach of the offense after a highly successful stint with the Tennessee Volunteers. He will also be tasked with coaching the tight ends group, a position that returns many of last season's key contributors.
"My expectation is that at all times they play fast," DeBord said. "They have to do a great job of finding work when they do not have the ball. When they are blocking, they have to be great blockers. The tight end position requires a unique skillset. You have to be a guy that can run, catch and get in the line of scrimmage and run block."
Being in charge of the offense and a specific position group can be tough to balance, but DeBord has full faith in his supporting cast. He knows that head coach Tom Allen has surrounded him with excellent offensive minds, making DeBord's job easier to manage.
"When we are on the field with position drills, I coach the tight ends all the time," DeBord said. "It is my responsibility to make sure they execute what we are trying to do. Obviously when we are in team situations, I am calling the plays, but I am keeping an eye on them. We have outstanding coaches here, so I do not watch the line or the quarterback, I watch my guy if I am watching anyone in particular. Our coaches do a great job of coaching."
Obviously, the biggest task for the offensive staff is installing the playbook. With just three practices down, the staff is easing the new scheme in. The objective is to not overload the players, focusing on quality over quantity.
"Day one we only installed one run play with some variations off of that play," DeBord said. "The second day we put another run in and today we added another play. Right now we only have three runs. What we wanted to do was execute those plays, execute the fundamentals of them and have our players understand the assignment and technique."
Once the plays are installed, Coach DeBord wants the offense to play with a sense of urgency. DeBord knows the Hoosiers are capable of big things offensively this season, especially when they start playing fast and efficiently.
"We have talent, but talent alone does not win," DeBord said. "We have to really define our tempo. We are pushing it as fast as we can go. I think we took a step in the right direction today."
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