Spring Practice Report #3 - Tom Allen
3/10/2020 11:30:00 AM | Football
Head Coach Tom Allen
On the level of focus …
"We saw it initially when we came back from the short break we had after the bowl game in the weight room. The comment was that we felt like we picked up right where we left off. We were so far ahead in that department. You also saw it in spring football because there is less time between the last time we did something. We had so many young guys that had all of those bowl practices that are back. I did feel that the first two practices had much better tempo and better execution than you usually have when you come back from being off this long. I think we continue to reap the benefits of having a bowl opportunity, having a late bowl game that gave us more practices, and having so many guys that were a part of the bowl that are back with us right now. It definitely showed up, on both sides of the football."
On the staff additions …
"It is kind of like what I said on Friday, I did not think that we would need a lot of time to gel. I felt like our staff had great chemistry already and I think it has showed out here on the field. The three new guys are doing an awesome job with the players. I feel like there is a connection with the guys in the meeting rooms, they are all on the same page, and they are all guys that fit with us. They understand the culture we are trying to create and understand the energy we bring in practice. I love the way Coach Jason Jones just chases his guys around and coaches them. Coach Kevin Peoples is the same way. Coach Kevin Wright coaches every single rep. They are building relationships. One of our focuses to the players is body language and eye contact and we are seeing that already as an emphasis. When you have a staff that believes in what you are doing and establishes a culture of this is how we do things at Indiana, they have bought into that and hit the ground running. I think all of these things fit into making a very seamless transition that has allowed us to have three really, really productive practices."
On Coach Peoples …
"First of all, I think the defensive line is still a young group with a lot of guys that did not get to play much last year. We redshirted several of them. To me, that is such a position of technique and toughness. The game is played with those two words and that is an emphasis for us. But that is probably most magnified on the defensive line because it is about your hand placement, understanding your footwork and all those little details. He is such a great technician. When you are a great teacher, you understand that not everyone learns one way. He is very, very diverse in the drills that he does, more diverse than any that I have been around. He is very, very creative in the way that he does things. That allows a lot of different guys to be affected in a positive way because not everyone picks everything up in every drill or by a certain way you teach. He is able to individualize the techniques of those guys and just really understands how guys learn. Where that will show up for us is with better run fits and hopefully better pressure on the quarterback. Rushing the passer is a big deal, but it is hard to create those one-on-one wins in this league because the offensive lines we play against are so talented. He will do a great job with really maximizing the hands and the feet that will allow us to get better and better every single day."
On the depth of the linebacker group …
"It is the best group, top to bottom, I agree. I love that group. They have gotten so much better since last year. I think that playing all those young guys early in the season last year is paying off for sure. It is a very deep group. They run well. They are physical. They are smart guys and are starting to understand the calls, the checks and the adjustments. They are truly doing what I have been saying since day one, which is running the defense. The year we had Tegray Scales and Chris Covington, two great linebackers, but we just did not have great depth behind them. Those guys had to play a majority of the time. Now we have three, four, five, even up to six guys that we feel like we could play in there, play on special teams. They are more physical, more confident. I have always said it, if you want to have a great defense, you better have great linebackers. So, as a group, I think it has the potential to be the best linebacker group since I have been here."
On Thomas Allen's role …
"First of all, we were commenting on film yesterday, he is running around and getting more work in. He is able to do the individual period, the non-contact period. After that, he takes off the shoulder pads and becomes a coach. He is out there coaching the guys. He cares so much. He is truly a coach on the field. He understands our defense inside and out, which he should because he has been around it for quite a few years, but he cares. He puts so much into it. He is trying to help all these guys get better. Obviously, he is learning as well. We put him at stinger, so that puts him in a position to learn both positions. He pretty much knows them both, but this gives him more reps at both. Having a mentor in that room helps speed up the learning curve for the young guys."
On the level of focus …
"We saw it initially when we came back from the short break we had after the bowl game in the weight room. The comment was that we felt like we picked up right where we left off. We were so far ahead in that department. You also saw it in spring football because there is less time between the last time we did something. We had so many young guys that had all of those bowl practices that are back. I did feel that the first two practices had much better tempo and better execution than you usually have when you come back from being off this long. I think we continue to reap the benefits of having a bowl opportunity, having a late bowl game that gave us more practices, and having so many guys that were a part of the bowl that are back with us right now. It definitely showed up, on both sides of the football."
On the staff additions …
"It is kind of like what I said on Friday, I did not think that we would need a lot of time to gel. I felt like our staff had great chemistry already and I think it has showed out here on the field. The three new guys are doing an awesome job with the players. I feel like there is a connection with the guys in the meeting rooms, they are all on the same page, and they are all guys that fit with us. They understand the culture we are trying to create and understand the energy we bring in practice. I love the way Coach Jason Jones just chases his guys around and coaches them. Coach Kevin Peoples is the same way. Coach Kevin Wright coaches every single rep. They are building relationships. One of our focuses to the players is body language and eye contact and we are seeing that already as an emphasis. When you have a staff that believes in what you are doing and establishes a culture of this is how we do things at Indiana, they have bought into that and hit the ground running. I think all of these things fit into making a very seamless transition that has allowed us to have three really, really productive practices."
On Coach Peoples …
"First of all, I think the defensive line is still a young group with a lot of guys that did not get to play much last year. We redshirted several of them. To me, that is such a position of technique and toughness. The game is played with those two words and that is an emphasis for us. But that is probably most magnified on the defensive line because it is about your hand placement, understanding your footwork and all those little details. He is such a great technician. When you are a great teacher, you understand that not everyone learns one way. He is very, very diverse in the drills that he does, more diverse than any that I have been around. He is very, very creative in the way that he does things. That allows a lot of different guys to be affected in a positive way because not everyone picks everything up in every drill or by a certain way you teach. He is able to individualize the techniques of those guys and just really understands how guys learn. Where that will show up for us is with better run fits and hopefully better pressure on the quarterback. Rushing the passer is a big deal, but it is hard to create those one-on-one wins in this league because the offensive lines we play against are so talented. He will do a great job with really maximizing the hands and the feet that will allow us to get better and better every single day."
On the depth of the linebacker group …
"It is the best group, top to bottom, I agree. I love that group. They have gotten so much better since last year. I think that playing all those young guys early in the season last year is paying off for sure. It is a very deep group. They run well. They are physical. They are smart guys and are starting to understand the calls, the checks and the adjustments. They are truly doing what I have been saying since day one, which is running the defense. The year we had Tegray Scales and Chris Covington, two great linebackers, but we just did not have great depth behind them. Those guys had to play a majority of the time. Now we have three, four, five, even up to six guys that we feel like we could play in there, play on special teams. They are more physical, more confident. I have always said it, if you want to have a great defense, you better have great linebackers. So, as a group, I think it has the potential to be the best linebacker group since I have been here."
On Thomas Allen's role …
"First of all, we were commenting on film yesterday, he is running around and getting more work in. He is able to do the individual period, the non-contact period. After that, he takes off the shoulder pads and becomes a coach. He is out there coaching the guys. He cares so much. He is truly a coach on the field. He understands our defense inside and out, which he should because he has been around it for quite a few years, but he cares. He puts so much into it. He is trying to help all these guys get better. Obviously, he is learning as well. We put him at stinger, so that puts him in a position to learn both positions. He pretty much knows them both, but this gives him more reps at both. Having a mentor in that room helps speed up the learning curve for the young guys."
Players Mentioned
LB
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