Colorado State University Athletics
Linebackers Can Tap into Cronin's Vast Knowledge of Defense
5/15/2020 12:00:00 PM | Football, RamWire
Foundation altered by new ideas
FORT COLLINS, Colo. – Some people will tell you they like their in-laws. With Sean Cronin, you can believe him.
His move to Colorado State marks the fourth time he's worked for his father-in-law, Rams defensive coordinator Chuck Heater, and each reunion brings about something new.
"It's always great to be with Chuck. We've worked together ... this is the fourth place we've worked together," said Cronin, who will coach linebackers. "We have a lot of shared experiences and a lot of frames of reference from the past which make things easy to kind of move forward. Just to be around a guy who is as respected as he is, especially learning the back-end part of it and being involved with the pass-coverage part of it with him is an unbelievable learning experience."
The more he is around Heater, he said, the more he grows as a coach. There would be reason enough to follow him out west.
Naturally, it makes for a strong draw to join the Rams. And it's not just he and Heater coming together again to make Sunday family gatherings bigger and more accessible, it's the fact there are so many familiar coaches on the assembled defensive staff who know so much about the defense Heater runs.
To Cronin, there lies the most crucial part. Now, it's not just a meeting of like minds, each reacquaintance for all of them becomes a revitalization of what they believe in so much. There's the injection of new blood, because no matter the system, it can be improved.
It's being apart which makes coming together so great. To do it at Canvas Stadium is a major bonus.
"I don't think we've ever had facilities like this. We've worked together before, worked together in a few places before, and that's been awesome," Cronin said. "Then to go away and have different experiences and come back together with all the other things that we've learned from other places and just be able to add what we used to do and improve what we used to do, it's exciting to think about how we can get better."
The base of what the defense is designed to do is tried and true, and Cronin proves it by stepping up to the white board in his new office and highlights the key points and positions. Certain skill sets can alter the plan, but the beauty of the system is it doesn't rely on them.
What they have will work, and whatever that is they hoped to have figured out by the end of spring practice. Of course, that was cut in half, but the staff came away with a strong idea, anyhow.. What they must have, and what Cronin insists from his linebackers, is effort.
"I'll be honest. I just want them to play really, really hard," he said. "As long as they give great effort, I just want the toughest, hardest playing unit in the country. Speed and ability is great, but it is what it is. Who we have is who we have. What's more important to me is how hard they play and how tough they play."
What he doesn't want them to be is what he is right now.
He may be in a state new to him, but he'll be surrounded by coaches who are likeminded, who understand the system they are about to teach the players. He's done this before, and even with the implementation of new ideas to make it more current, it's a glove. It's a new glove, but it's one which fits.
His players, not so much.
"I think they're going to learn that I don't like them to be comfortable," Cronin said. "I'm going to constantly be challenging them, constantly making them uncomfortable. I don't want them to get complacent in any way, so I'm going to constantly be trying to keep them off guard. That also kinda keeps the meetings interesting, to change things up, so I don't ever want them to know what to expect."
By design, they will need to know a lot. They have to be tied in with the maneuvering in front of them, as well as the action behind. What he does like about the defense is his group has to be dialed in at all times, because they will have to be active.
Just like the defense they'll be taught, everything can be improved, and the time away has made the time together than much better each and every time.
"You can always get better," he said. "I'm lucky enough to have been able to coach some really good players over the years. This game is meant to be played with an edge. The second you think you have it all figured out, whether it's as a coach or a player, that's when you get hit right in the ace. No matter how good they are, there's always room for improvement."
Which Cronin says applies to him, too. A reunion in the defensive room will not simply be a rehash of the old ways, but an infusion of ideas to make the unit and his players reach their potential.
His move to Colorado State marks the fourth time he's worked for his father-in-law, Rams defensive coordinator Chuck Heater, and each reunion brings about something new.
"It's always great to be with Chuck. We've worked together ... this is the fourth place we've worked together," said Cronin, who will coach linebackers. "We have a lot of shared experiences and a lot of frames of reference from the past which make things easy to kind of move forward. Just to be around a guy who is as respected as he is, especially learning the back-end part of it and being involved with the pass-coverage part of it with him is an unbelievable learning experience."
The more he is around Heater, he said, the more he grows as a coach. There would be reason enough to follow him out west.
Naturally, it makes for a strong draw to join the Rams. And it's not just he and Heater coming together again to make Sunday family gatherings bigger and more accessible, it's the fact there are so many familiar coaches on the assembled defensive staff who know so much about the defense Heater runs.
To Cronin, there lies the most crucial part. Now, it's not just a meeting of like minds, each reacquaintance for all of them becomes a revitalization of what they believe in so much. There's the injection of new blood, because no matter the system, it can be improved.
It's being apart which makes coming together so great. To do it at Canvas Stadium is a major bonus.
"I don't think we've ever had facilities like this. We've worked together before, worked together in a few places before, and that's been awesome," Cronin said. "Then to go away and have different experiences and come back together with all the other things that we've learned from other places and just be able to add what we used to do and improve what we used to do, it's exciting to think about how we can get better."
The base of what the defense is designed to do is tried and true, and Cronin proves it by stepping up to the white board in his new office and highlights the key points and positions. Certain skill sets can alter the plan, but the beauty of the system is it doesn't rely on them.
What they have will work, and whatever that is they hoped to have figured out by the end of spring practice. Of course, that was cut in half, but the staff came away with a strong idea, anyhow.. What they must have, and what Cronin insists from his linebackers, is effort.
"I'll be honest. I just want them to play really, really hard," he said. "As long as they give great effort, I just want the toughest, hardest playing unit in the country. Speed and ability is great, but it is what it is. Who we have is who we have. What's more important to me is how hard they play and how tough they play."
What he doesn't want them to be is what he is right now.
He may be in a state new to him, but he'll be surrounded by coaches who are likeminded, who understand the system they are about to teach the players. He's done this before, and even with the implementation of new ideas to make it more current, it's a glove. It's a new glove, but it's one which fits.
His players, not so much.
"I think they're going to learn that I don't like them to be comfortable," Cronin said. "I'm going to constantly be challenging them, constantly making them uncomfortable. I don't want them to get complacent in any way, so I'm going to constantly be trying to keep them off guard. That also kinda keeps the meetings interesting, to change things up, so I don't ever want them to know what to expect."
By design, they will need to know a lot. They have to be tied in with the maneuvering in front of them, as well as the action behind. What he does like about the defense is his group has to be dialed in at all times, because they will have to be active.
Just like the defense they'll be taught, everything can be improved, and the time away has made the time together than much better each and every time.
"You can always get better," he said. "I'm lucky enough to have been able to coach some really good players over the years. This game is meant to be played with an edge. The second you think you have it all figured out, whether it's as a coach or a player, that's when you get hit right in the ace. No matter how good they are, there's always room for improvement."
Which Cronin says applies to him, too. A reunion in the defensive room will not simply be a rehash of the old ways, but an infusion of ideas to make the unit and his players reach their potential.
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