More On Don Brown, Coach/Dude
Brown is reportedly beloved by his players.
After news broke of Michigan's now-official hiring of defensive coordinator Don Brown yesterday, reactions poured in from various corners of the internet, and I've yet to see anything that even approaches a negative take.
Boston College blogger Bill Maloney is in the bargaining stage:
Michigan fans: if you want we will trade Brad Bates and a extra Hockey National Championship trophy if you give us Brown back.
— Bill Maloney (@bcatleagle) December 20, 2015
Brian would take this trade. I'm a little less inclined, as podcast listeners could guess. Maloney was kind enough to email Brian some more detailed thoughts on Brown:
BC fans were pretty familiar with Brown prior to him coming to Boston because he had coached all throughout the region and on teams we faced at UMass and Maryland. His 2007 UMass team gave Matt Ryan a tough time by blitzing from everywhere.
My one criticism the first two years was that he sort of square peg/round holed Spaz's roster into what he wanted to do. Spaz ran a more traditional 4-3 cover two and his DBs were almost undersized LBs who were asked to tackle a lot. This led to BC giving up some late leads when the other team figured out the different looks and the DBs got exposed.
What made this year different is that he finally had great DBs, especially at corner. This allowed him to do all sorts of twists, stunts, blitzs and allow the LBs to focus on run stopping. The DBs were asked to play lots and lots of man. And they played it physically. Brown also sort of coaches a "be really physical on every play because it is not going to get called Pass Interference every time." Maybe that will change if he has elite talent at Michigan, but he did that at UMass and UConn too.
Brown also has good eye for the type of players he wants. I don't know of any Midwest recruiting ties, but if he can find elite corners out of low level, small town New England teams, I think he can adjust.
This is a big loss for BC. I hope he fits in with Harbaugh and Michigan since it it probably his last stop.
Brown should have no issue deploying his more aggressive schemes with a defensive backfield featuring Jourdan Lewis and Jabrill Peppers.
Card Chronicle gentleman Mark Ennis is happy to see Brown go:
RIP Big Ten. Brown is a mad scientist. https://t.co/8vOCiBuDFl
— Mark Ennis (@MarkEnnis) December 20, 2015
Crazy thing about Don Brown's defenses is even going back to UConn they've been insanely good and never paired with even a decent offense.
— Mark Ennis (@MarkEnnis) December 20, 2015
Everyone can have their own opinion but I don't think there's a better defensive coordinator in college football. https://t.co/FuKWGBFFU3
— Mark Ennis (@MarkEnnis) December 20, 2015
As a Lousiville person, Ennis had to put up with Brown during both his UConn and BC days. A former Clemson blogger for PhilSteele.com piggybacked off Ennis' comments to say he's as good any anyone in the country:
Just to reiterate what @MarkEnnis has been saying, Don Brown is that good. I'd take him over Venables, Smart, anyone. He's the best.
— M. Ryan Hayes (@mRyanHayes) December 20, 2015
There are many more testimonials from various sportswriters in a post on the board.
247's Clint Brewster passed along this note from a coach who's gone against Brown:
"Very unconventional. Aggressive defense. Really good third down packages. Attacks protections well. BC had the best defense we played against the past couple years"
Yes, a dollar says that coach is Tim Brewster, the FSU tight end coach who watched as BC held Dalvin Cook to easily his worst game of this season.
Despite his Bad Cop countenance, Brown has an engaging personality and is apparently beloved by his players:
BC player that tipped us on Don Brown to #Michigan: "We loved him. He was by far my favorite coach. Definitely a father figure."
— Sam Webb (@SamWebb77) December 21, 2015
Since Brown has spent the entirety of his coaching career at recruiting nonentities—save, I guess, a two-year stint at Maryland—that's as good an indicator as any about his potential impact in that area.
There's ample evidence that Brown will be a very easy coach for fans to support, too. He'll hopefully get active on Twitter again, as his account is internet gold:
CAMP SEASON IS FINALLY HERE AT THE HEIGHTS!!! #FUTUREDUDES pic.twitter.com/FSwxNbftRB
— Don Brown (@FBCoachDBrown) June 1, 2015
During camp he acknowledges a daily #DUDEOFTHEDAY and an occasional #GUYOFTHEDAY; it appears that a GUY is someone who has yet to become a DUDE.
"Be a dude" served as BC's mantra for the last couple years due to Brown's influence:
It started with defensive coordinator Don Brown.
"That's his saying all the time, be a dude," Addazio said. "And what being a dude is is being a baller. You know? Just being a real baller. Just being a dude.
"Be great. Be a baller. Be great at what you are. Just don't be average."
That message found a receptive audience in the Eagles' locker room.
"It just resonated with our team, you know what I mean?" Addazio said. "It just started kinda, 'Hey, be a dude, man. Be a dude.' And then we got going with recruiting and it kinda really caught on."
Expect Michigan's defensive coaches to sound unusually similar to Jeff Spicoli going forward.
MLive's Nick Baumgardner found a couple more of Brown's go-to mantras. One year at UMass he simply yelled "SMASH" at every opportunity—I'll keel over and die if he alters this to "BLUDGEON" at Michigan—and his other UMass slogan suggests he'll fit right in on this coaching staff:
"'Leave Earth' was it one year," recalls Jason Hatchell, who played linebacker for Brown from 2004-07 at UMass. "That basically meant 'don't be normal ... don't be the norm, be better than that.'
"It was on the back of our shirts."
Smash. Leave Earth. Play with your hair on fire. Be better than the norm.
If any of this line of speech seems familiar to Michigan fans, it should. Jim Harbaugh's been known to speak in catch phrases and slogans from time to time. And Michigan's head coach is also known for his intensity.
It's hard not to love this hire.
December 21st, 2015 at 4:03 PM ^
There will always be games (you hope, not many) where the offense either sputters or is turning the ball over. Defense makes up for that
This year, it took quite a while before our offense got productive enough that you/i felt confident that it was going to put up some points, in spite of not having a running game. That was all defense early in the year.
An ass-kicking defense makes your offense that much more confident. Plus you take a few more chances on offense, knowing that, even if you have to punt, it's going to be all right.
December 21st, 2015 at 4:37 PM ^
Like your comparison. One of my favorite quotes - Everybody has a plan till they get punched in the mouth.
December 21st, 2015 at 3:39 PM ^
I bear small gifts...
/slinks off to corner....
December 21st, 2015 at 4:04 PM ^
At 1:38 they show that ridiculous play from the FSU game (it's at 9:16 on WD's every snap video on the board). It's even better from this angle.
That's some Sauron shit right there.
December 21st, 2015 at 5:57 PM ^
December 21st, 2015 at 8:10 PM ^
I don't think I've ever seen anything like it. To be fair, the guard is pulling around to the right and gets caught going backward, but still.
December 21st, 2015 at 3:39 PM ^
Harbaugh speaks in catchphrases and slogans?
who knew?
December 21st, 2015 at 3:39 PM ^
Seems like a great personality and I hope he is given the chance to shine here, too. More characters on a coaching staff is always fun if they pair that personality with results(Say what you will about Borges, I certainly have, but you can't deny he was an engaging and funny interview and when things were going well added some needed life to the staff).
December 21st, 2015 at 4:17 PM ^
December 21st, 2015 at 7:24 PM ^
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December 21st, 2015 at 3:50 PM ^
I've got a good friend who is heavily involved in UMass athletics and is also good friends w/ BC DL coach, Ben Albert. My friend has personally met Brown many times and when I texted him this morning, he said:
"Unbelievable coach and even better guy. Just a great, great guy."
He went on to list all the stats and how Brown was Assistant Coach of the Year but, again, went out of his way to say that Brown is as good as it gets as a person.
Just to add to the "father figure" talk.
December 21st, 2015 at 7:11 PM ^
December 21st, 2015 at 3:54 PM ^
He sounds like a coach's coach. Re-posting my snowflake from the other thread:
He spent the first decade of his coaching career in the ivy league; in 1992 between his 5th and 6th seasons as Yale DC he spent a spring as the interim Head Baseball Coach, going 26-10 and earning a bid to the NCAA tournament. 1992 remains the last year Yale won a game in the NCAA baseball playoffs.
The next fall ('93) he was at Plymouth State (Division III) where he spent three years getting his first head football coaching experience.
From 2000-2006 he was dueling it out with Chip Kelly's New Hampshire in the FCS Atlantic 10. (3-1 from '04 to '06 incl. one playoffs matchup).
2006 was perhaps the high point, when Head Coach Brown took UMASS all the way to the FCS Championship game, losing to Appalachian State (upon their victory, App State ceremonially retired the football program and has never been heard from since).
The next two years were perhaps a bit of a let down then, 10-3 in '07 but getting bounced in the 1st round of the FCS playoffs and 7-5 in 2008.
2009 could've finally been his launching point, but he hitched his chariot to Ralph Friedgren whereupon Maryland did this to his boss:
"Before the 2009 season, many analysts projected the Terrapins to finish last or second-to-last in the Atlantic Division of the ACC, and expressed particular concern with the inexperienced offensive line. The prognostications proved accurate, and Maryland finished 2–10 for their first ten-loss season in program history. Maryland rebounded in 2010 to finish with a 9–4 record, including a win in the Military Bowl, and ranked 23rd in the AP Poll. The ACC named Friedgen Coach of the Year, while freshman quarterback Danny O'Brien became the first Terrapin ever named ACC Rookie of the Year. Citing lack of fan support, the athletic department bought out the final year of Friedgen's contract for $2 million."
When you buy out the Conference Coach of the Year in order to hire Randy Edsall, you deserve pretty much exactly what Maryland has gotten for the past 5 seasons.
December 21st, 2015 at 10:18 PM ^
December 21st, 2015 at 4:04 PM ^
Looks like Jack Nance, and also born in Massachusetts. "Leave Earth" and "play with your hair on fire" remind me of Eraserhead. Sez here on Wiki that Nance died in 1996 under "mysterious circumstances" while Brown was supposedly coaching in New Hampshire, but has anyone here seen proof of that? Nance allegedly died near Los Angeles, CA. "Be a Dude" is an obvious reference to The Big Lebowski, which takes place in Los Angeles. The Dude is inspired from a real-life figure the Coen Brothers met in LA (allegedly Jeff Dowd, but the Dude has a moustache and Dowd does not). Production for the film began in 1997. . .
December 21st, 2015 at 7:31 PM ^
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December 21st, 2015 at 4:01 PM ^
Has spring practice started yet?
December 21st, 2015 at 4:07 PM ^
Blowin' up plays.
December 21st, 2015 at 4:12 PM ^
Anyone else reminded of what people said about Beilein when reading those comments about Brown? Pretty excited to see what he can do with a bunch of talent.
December 21st, 2015 at 4:22 PM ^
December 21st, 2015 at 4:12 PM ^
I love the fact that this guy is not going to be looking for a HC job.
You can't begrudge the fact that younger assistants are going to want to advance their careers and take bigger jobs with more responsibility.
But, there's a lot to be said for knowing that you got someone good in a position and he's not going anywhere else. It adds to the stability of the program and makes it easier to recruit when kids know that their position coach isn't likely to jump.
December 23rd, 2015 at 7:59 PM ^
December 21st, 2015 at 4:28 PM ^
I eagerly await to see him on the field.
December 21st, 2015 at 4:28 PM ^
in the latter part of your career when your salary is in the $800,000 ballpark. Welcome aboard Coach Brown.
December 21st, 2015 at 4:31 PM ^
December 21st, 2015 at 4:30 PM ^
This offer also tempts me. We can get someone else, right?
Michigan fans: if you want we will trade Brad Bates and a extra Hockey National Championship trophy if you give us Brown back.
— Bill Maloney (@bcatleagle) December 20, 2015
December 22nd, 2015 at 12:04 PM ^
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December 21st, 2015 at 4:57 PM ^
Given the mustache, I am concerned that he heard "U of M" and "Big Ten" and believes that he took the DC job at 'stache loving Minnesota. We may have to get more Dilly bars and snow flurries to keep him happy.
That said, I can't wait to see the hell he lets loose with the talent that we have. Physical DBs? Yeah, I think we got some of those around here somewhere.
December 21st, 2015 at 5:00 PM ^
Love it. Kinda hope we send some opposing offenses into the stratosphere.
December 21st, 2015 at 5:45 PM ^
This is the only thing that matters to me. I look forward to articles analyzing Coach Brown and his handling of spread teams.
From what it sounds he's a good coach and will be a good mentor to the players.
December 21st, 2015 at 6:40 PM ^
Even Chrismas card photos don't usually look this awkward.
December 21st, 2015 at 7:04 PM ^
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December 21st, 2015 at 7:29 PM ^
??? Bob Stitt doesn't coach defense.
December 21st, 2015 at 7:47 PM ^
This may the best hire since Dec 29, 2014.
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December 21st, 2015 at 8:17 PM ^
December 22nd, 2015 at 2:07 PM ^
My first thought, also.
December 21st, 2015 at 8:56 PM ^
December 21st, 2015 at 9:28 PM ^
It takes cast iron cojones to make a hire like this. Harbaugh could have picked someone he knew, such as one of his current coaches.
Instead, he picked a guy with a proven track record with whom he has no previous connections of any kind.
This is the mark of a man (JH) who has no interest in "yes" men.
Dr. Dude or Captain Kangaroo (whatever you want to call him) is gonna be great.
December 22nd, 2015 at 4:57 AM ^
I like the fact that Brown is highly regarded. I like how Harbaugh handled the hire, speaking to football royalty, taking his time, and getting his guy. I like that coach B will be here for awhile. 3 DC's in 3 years is not a good thing.
I like this hire from a scheme point of view as well. Only way you stop the spread is by dominating the LOS, getting consistent penetration (lol), good tackling in open space, and getting after the QB. Coach Brown is known for his aggressive defensive schemes and for using a multitude of fronts / blitzes.
With our defense returning mostly everyone up front and in the secondary, it will be interesting to see how good our defense can be in 2016. If the staff can produce some solid linebackers, the defense as a whole, has a chance to be better than the current unit.
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December 22nd, 2015 at 7:22 AM ^
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December 22nd, 2015 at 1:07 PM ^
December 22nd, 2015 at 1:40 PM ^
There's not much else to say about that. This jackhammer is going to make sure our entire defense is full of dude jackhammers. I love this.
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