Coming Together – For the D-Line, Nothing Guaranteed, Everything Earned
Pete DiPrimio | IUHoosiers.com
BLOOMINGTON, Ind. - Philip Blidi shrinks a room just by entering it. He is listed at 6-3 and 295 pounds, but those numbers only hint at the reality.
“Phil is a powerful guy,” Indiana head coach Tom Allen says about the Texas Tech defensive line transfer. “Very strong. Big and tough. He has such a high care factor. An awesome person.”
Blidi is talking defensive-line physicality in the Memorial Stadium Team Room. It’s a huge priority as the Hoosiers prepare to change the narrative of the last two seasons, regain their winning mojo, and become a defensive force once again.
“We’re the big brothers of this team,” Blidi says of the defensive line. “A lot of guys look up to us. We’re the first line of defense. That’s an emphasis. Everybody follows us. We have to do our job. We have to dominate up front. As we go, the team goes.”
Allen’s message is clear and non-stop, even while running with his players at the end of practice -- the big guys must set the tone.
“We’ve challenged our D- and O-lines to lead the way,” he says.
Blidi and the rest of the defensive line, which includes five other college transfers, are all in.
“Every day, we talk about it,” Blidi says. “We know who we are. We’re the defenders.”
Adds Allen: “We’ve gotten bigger and stronger there. I’m encouraged by that group.”
And then, in case the message is missed:
“They have to lead the way.”
IU’s attack defense features three defensive linemen, so leading comes with this competition-heavy reality -- nothing is guaranteed, everything is earned.
Defensive line coach Paul Randolph drives that message home with intensity and enthusiasm.
“Competition breeds greatness,” he says. “We have six new guys fighting for three spots. It will be heightened every day. We grade every day.
“They have grown into a close brotherhood. We are going to help each other be the best, but we are also competing to play. We love you, but we’ll compete. That’s where LEO (Love Each Other) comes in.”
Defensive-line dominance starts with linemen forceful enough to engage multiple offensive linemen. That will free up linebackers to make plays.
“It’s two for one,” Randolph says with a smile. “I tell our guys, ‘Mrs. Randolph loves two-for-one sales. We love to go 2 for 1. If we do that, the linebacker will be great.”
Greatness, in this scheme, can be shared.
“At some point,” Randolph says, “(the linebacker) will pull one of (the offensive lineman) off of us. Now we have to be ready to make the play. We are athletic enough to make the play when it’s presented to us.”
And it will be presented, Randolph adds.
“All of our guys are bigger and more athletic. I tell them, we will make plays through our responsibility. If you are straining through your responsibility, you will make the plays you’re supposed to make.”
Opportunity goes beyond that.
“If you want to be an All-American,” he says, “you have outstanding fanatical effort to make plays on the sideline.”
That gets to the heart of what separates good defensive linemen from great ones.
“It’s attitude and effort early, and trying to be the standard,” Randolph says. “It’s the mindset -- physical, violent, aggressive. Then finish. We call it break the stack. When the ball is outside of my area, I am breaking the stack to the ball.|
“Energy. Effort. Physicality. That’s who and what we want to be. It’s the finish, the burst, break the stack, and burst to the ball.”
IU hit the transfer portal last winter with a defensive line emphasis.
“We wanted mass and length and ability to have twitch,” Allen says.
Translation -- explosiveness.
Ideally, you want unblockable guys, guys who are so disruptive, even in practice, that offensive coaches send them away so they can actually work on the offense.
For instance, at 287 pounds, Marcus Burris Jr. can play defensive end and defensive tackle.
“It's crazy because he moves like he is 250,” Randolph says.
“My nose tackles can play three technique (defensive end) and my three techniques can play nose. That’s how we’re building depth.”
Pass rushing is another priority. Disrupting or sacking the quarterback without blitzing is key to the takeaways and three-and-outs so important to Allen’s defense.
“The pass rush has come a long way,” Blidi says. “We get together in the afternoons and do pass rush work, perfect our craft. It will be special this season.”
It comes down to technique and effort, he adds.
“If you watch the NFL, those guys are scratching and clawing to get a sack. It’s who wants it more.”
The Hoosiers want it, insists Western Michigan transfer Andre Carter, who has been the most impressive of the transfers. This is his sixth August camp.
“I’ve been in a lot of camps, and this is my favorite. Coach Allen is a great guy. He takes care of us.
“The biggest difference is the mindset we come to work with. We all know the goal and the mission we have to complete. We give our all every snap, every play.
“We’re always striving, never arriving. We’re working our tails off. Hopefully everything keeps coming together."