Backing it Up in the Back End

FORT COLLINS, Colo. – By the time spring camp had ended, Freddie Banks had a pretty good feel for his room. And he felt good about it.

The Colorado State defensive coordinator, who works with the safeties, was gaining confidence in the last line of defense. He had a good group of starters, as well as a really quality backup, any way he put them together.

What wasn't overly clear was the depth at cornerback, but through fall camp, he feels the back end of the unit is getting better with more players, and better yet, players who can fill multiple roles. It's a development in the fall which has given the players even more confidence.

"I feel like we have multiple guys in the back end who play multiple positions," Angel King said. "I feel that's really elite in my eyes, and that's going to help us throughout the season. It's a long season, and guys get hurt or whatever the case may be, we have guys who are starters who can fill another role and guys behind them who can fill that role."

King should know because he's one of them. He played cornerback for two years at Nevada, but after his first season, Banks, then on the Wolf Pack staff, felt he'd be a natural fit for free safety. The move never took place because Banks became the defensive coordinator at Montana State.

As soon as the two were reunited in Fort Collins, the switch occurred. King spent all spring at free, learning the position and growing more comfortable, to the point where people ask him if he prefers one to the other, he says both feel natural and all he concentrates on now is playing defense. The start of fall camp followed the same plan, but recently, he's also been getting some reps at corner.

It has allowed Banks to get a look at what could be his best lineup in certain situations.

"It's just getting more depth, making sure we've got the best five on the field," Banks said. "Using Angel in the red zone, being able to play man, now you have two long corners with Chigozie Anusiem and Angel. Greg Laday's had a good camp also, but when you're in the red zone and you're getting those jump balls, we can mix it up. Knowing Henry Blackburn and Jack Howell are physical dudes, it's putting dudes in the best thing they do."

To get all the information gathered has taken some time. Anusiem and D'Andre Greeley showed up at corner in the fall, but Robert Floyd, a returner, was down with an injury and has just recently returned to practice and is in line to be the backup nickel..Laday arrived this summer, and returner Brandon Guzman earned some praise for his play in the second scrimmage.

At safety, most the expected pieces were in play, but this summer's addition of Ayden Hector and his continued improvement has added the equation. Blackburn spent the spring learning both safety spots and nickel, while Howell can play both safety spots as well, and Hector is getting looks at both.

All of the variations have been together at one point or another in camp, allowing the players to develop a comfort level with whoever they are sharing the field with at the time. Blackburn really enjoys being the X factor in it all, as it has given him a better understanding of the scheme.

"I look at it as a good thing. We're able to know everybody's position and know everybody's job, which helps me do my own job, and trust my teammates and know what they're supposed to do and know where they're going to be," he said, while focusing mostly on the two safety spots in the fall. "That's beneficial to me in every position. I like being able to play multiple positions because it gives you versatility on the field. It's a long season, and a lot of guys are going to play in the back end. It's good we're able to mix it up an excel at different positions. College football is a tough sport, so things are going to happen, and guys are going to have to step up to the plate in different positions."

Banks knows what he wants available to him on game day, and the flexibility the players are providing him gives him more options to tinker with as the season opener approaches. He's had a look at the various combinations, and he'll want to see them more, especially as players continue to develop. Not just the newest members, but the guys who have been around.

Operating in a new system, there is still growth taking place.

"We always say we want eight DBs -- three safeties, two nickels and three corners -- in the back end. We think we have that in a roundabout way," Banks said. "Angel will play a little bit of corner, be our third corner, and he'll play some free. Blackburn will play all three. We always want to get out best five on the field."

Depth will allow them to remain fresh, and the versatility will only help. For those who have participated in both camps, they feel the knowledge is in place to run it well, now the focus is on perfecting the craft.

The nuances of foot and hand placement, where their eyes should be and talking about it constantly while walking off the field. It's understanding what the offense will attack in certain sets, but also how to disguise what they're really wanting to do.

The better they get there, Banks and the players feel they'll be more apt to create turnovers, too. He has them working on that as they cut up practice tape into segments of opportunities where they could have done a better job punching the ball free. Banks said 10 punches may produce two loose balls, which is completely worth the effort.

"The Mountain West has a lot of teams which throw the ball, and I think with our new defense, it's going to be a lot better at stopping the passing attack," Blackburn said. "The continuous reps we've been getting and fine tuning, that's the process we're in right now. Everybody knows their job, now we're just fine tuning the small details and that's something we feel pretty confident about."

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Chigozie Anusiem

Henry Blackburn

Brandon Guzman

Ayden Hector

Jack Howell

Greg Laday

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