Less Meetings, More Work Has Defense Trending Up

FORT COLLINS, Colo. – With a new system, teaching is required. But not all students learn the same, so it's up to the teacher to find a way to reach the students.

Colorado State defensive coordinator Freddie Banks changed his approach around the bye week, and it's paid dividends as the Rams have entered Mountain West play.

"I think we're playing fast now. We stopped doing as many meetings and we made meetings real short and went straight to walkthrough so we can learn; I think we learn better in walkthroughs," Banks said. "In meetings, we show them it, we show them real quick, a 20-minute meeting and then a 20-minute walkthrough and we walk through the thing we just showed them. I think that's helped.

"We'd make a correction in the meeting room and then we'd go out and get it wrong, and it's a simple correction. Now we make the correction in the meeting room real quick, then we go out in the walkthrough, and they usually get it."

In conference play, the Rams are allowing just 15.5 points per game, a drastic cut to the opponent output. As a unit, they are creating more turnovers and making bigger plays. They have performed better on third down and are giving up fewer explosive plays.

Defensive lineman Grady Kelly believes the new approach has been a catalyst to their recent performance, which they'd like to further improve against Hawaii this Saturday.

"It definitely helps. On pen and paper, you can only learn so much," Kelly said. "When we get out on the field, we go over our base calls and learn our installments. When you can be on the field, walkthrough and see how stuff is actually going to break down before you get out to practice and go at it full speed, it helps you be able to recognize the play a lot faster and react to it better.

"We started doing that Nevada week. We cut back and really started to hammer on walkthroughs."

The changes have allowed the Rams to pick up the new system, which Banks said has not tweaked much at all during the season, and perform it at a higher level. Less thinking, more seeing and reacting. It makes a team faster, which in turns, leads to a more aggressive approach.

The simple task of being in the right place at the right time is happening more often, and it's taking place on a unit which is shuffling players in and out of the lineup. Injuries have forced some of it, but Banks wants to use a lot of players as a rule, even the younger ones. As they improve their play, they earn more reps.

"Honestly, it's execution. The system's been the same from week one to now," cornerback Chigozie Anusiem said. "Games and repetitions in games obviously helped us mature fast as a group. Making sure of execution and having guys that actually want to play Colorado State football has definitely helped.

"With us being with a new staff and new players, it took some time to jell, clearly. I think those growing pains … You're not seeing the same mistakes from the earlier weeks, so I think it helped."

The early and consistent rotation of players has started to pay off. Banks is getting improved contributions from more players, and more are being added. He used defensive end Clay Nanke as an example, as he played 10 plays in the Utah State game and executed well.

Those plays lead to briefs stints of rest for somebody else, who can then be more active in the fourth quarter.

"We're going to play as many players as we can, period, that are ready to go, especially D-linemen who are talented," Banks said. "At the beginning of the season, the reps weren't high, but they got better and better and realized I'm not playing 40-50 snaps, I'm playing 30 snaps, and those 30 need to be full speed and with a high level of execution. They bought into it, so the D-line, it's a real unit and they love each other. It's like they tag, you're it and the guy goes in and does it. Everybody is getting their work."

From Norvell's view, it didn't hurt the defense had some talented players to begin with, be it returning performers, transfers and even some younger players who had not been given the chance to earn their stripes yet.

Mohamed Kamara leads the Mountain West in tackles for loss with 1.67 per game, 10.5 total. He's also second in sacks with .75 a game, 4.5 on the season. Jack Howell leads the conference in tackles per game at 12.2.

"I just think we have really good defensive players. The guys we brought in, Chigy and CJ Onyechi and Greg Laday and the different players who were brought in here along with the younger guys like Grady and Mukendi Wa-Kalonji and the different young players who are making a contribution," Norvell said. "We brought in Ayden Hector and Angel King. These are guys who have come in who have really accepted their roles, are listening to the coaching and they're stepping up and making plays.
I think we can be the top defense in the conference if we continue to improve and get better."

Part of the defense coming together on the field as been the bond it has formed in the locker room and is carrying out to the field. Kelly knows a bond has formed among the defensive line, with the veterans helping to bring along the younger players and the younger players pushing each other to make plays as they gain experience.

The secondary has been another group where it's been important considering the injuries in the back end. They've grown to rely on each other during the week and carried it into games. Banks can see that firsthand as the safeties coach.

As it's been clear to see, the results have the Rams trending in a direction which has them all encouraged.

"I am so happy and extremely excited about the path we're on," Kelly said. "I think it's only exponentially going to go up from here. We have been getting better and better and better and we've been more reactionary, and that's turning into making more big plays. You can see it in practice and in the games."

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