[Shoddy iPhone photo via me]

Bullets:

• Durkin wants to play multiple fronts and thinks they have the athletes to handle that
• Greg Jackson is working more with the safeties and Mike Zordich is working more with the corners
• Everyone has an opportunity to earn snaps based on what they do from spring on; how much a player played last season is irrelevant
• It’s too early to tell if there’s a player who didn’t play much last season who’s going to get significant playing time this season or who the leaders of the defense will be
• Durkin’s goal is to know what the defense is good at, what needs to be improved, and what they can handle schematically by the end of spring
• Jabrill Peppers will be moved to several spots during spring to “find the best fit and the best mix for everyone”

What does a defense look like under you? Everybody wants to know with scheme, etc. What does it look like? What is a DJ Durkin defense?

“I’d say I want it to always be a blue-collar, competitive group. Play hard and compete for everything you get. Scheme-wise and all that, we’re a little different from game to game and a lot of it’s based on our personnel from year to year, too so we’re multiple with what we do schematically, but I just want a group of guys that are going to play hard, be blue-collar, and always compete for everything they do.”

How much can you tell after two days?

“We haven’t had pads on yet and that’s obviously a huge part of the game, so we’ll see. I’m reserving judgment for all that. Our guys have worked hard. I like their approach to the game, to practice- they’re locked in. I like their approach to meetings so I’m encouraged by all that and we’ll see as we get going with the pads on.”
When you watch the film what stood out to you? Were there individuals that stood out in particular?

“The film from practice?”

The past, getting ready for this and I guess the last few days.

“Yeah, but what I want to do is make sure all these guys, and I told them this when we met with them, that they have a clean slate to start from. It was good. I came in and watched some games and tried to see where our needs were for recruiting, but in terms of one by one, individuals, I want guys to know that maybe you’re a guy who hasn’t played much- you have an opportunity to do that. Maybe you’re a guy that’s played a lot, but it’s not just going to be given to you- you have to go earn it. That way I think the whole room understands they have equal opportunity to go earn some snaps on the field.”

Is there anyone in particular that fits that bill of somebody who hasn’t played much that you’ve seen and been like, ‘Oh, I didn’t expect that. Maybe we have something here.’

“Yeah, I mean, it’s too early to tell that. I have been encouraged by a lot of guys. I think, like I said, I like our approach to practice and what we’re doing. I think the guys have a good energy and enthusiasm about it, so when we get the pads on and keep going I’m sure some of those guys will emerge.”

How long does it take you as a coach to figure out what you have?

“I don’t know. I’d like to say by the end of spring we can sit back and have a really good idea, ‘Okay, these are the things we’re good at. These are the things we need to keep working on. This is what we’re going to be talking schematically.’ That’s the goal, by the end of spring to have a lot of things answered. We’re going to go through and install quite a bit and a lot of stuff that I’ve done before and then, like I said, we’ll just sort it out and see what we’re best at.”

[Hit THE JUMP for the rest]

Generally speaking, are you pleased with the conditioning?

“Yeah, they’re in great shape. Kevin Tolbert and his staff have done a great job and guys…we’re on the field for four hours and they’ve done a great job finishing practice and doing well so conditioning’s been good.”

As far as getting a feel for the individual guys, how much do you talk to Greg Mattison with all the experience that he has around here?

“Yeah, a bunch. Greg is a great coach, great person, [and] great friend. Obviously he’s been here a while. He knows these guys really well. It’s an opinion I trust and I’ve trusted for a long time. I’ve been close friends [with him] for a while.”

What types of things have you been able to glean from him that have allowed you to get a jump start?

“I think more than anything just to hear his thoughts on different guys. You know, we had to start out with some sort of depth chart to go from and all that and he was helpful in that. Really more than anything just getting to know the kids as people. You watch them on tape, you go to practice- my whole thing, and our staff, is let’s get to know these guys as people.

“We weren’t here to recruit them. When you’re at a place where you’ve recruited all the guys you know their family, you know everything about them. We don’t know that yet. Greg knows that about all those guys, or most of those guys. That’s really where it’s been helpful for me.”

You had said you recruited Jabrill [Peppers] and obviously he’s here. Do you see the same stuff that you recruited on the field now after him being out a year?

“Yeah, Jabrill’s a high-energy guy. He’s very talented. He’s explosive, he’s sudden, he’s all the things you’d want a guy to be. Like I said, when we get the pads on we’ll start seeing how he fits and all that, but I think we have high expectations for Jabrill but I think most importantly Jabrill has high expectations for himself. Anytime those things match together I think it’s a good combination.”

Is he going to play just safety in spring, or are you going to play him at corner or all over the place?

“We’ll move him around. Again, to find the best fit and the best mix for everyone he’ll play several spots.”

Talking about getting to know the guys a little bit more, how do you weigh that versus installing during the spring? What’s the bigger priority for you?

“We’re going to do both. We’re going to install. Every day I want our guys coming into meetings with the approach of, ‘I’ve got to sit down and be locked in and learn football.’ So every day, whether it’s small or big, we’re going to be installing new defense with those guys to get them used to that. What we do, we play multiple scheme and our guys, I think it’s good to learn football and be in a classroom setting where they have to take notes and learn some stuff.”

You have a defense where you get a lot of starters back from a unit that was pretty good most of the year last year. How do you balance throwing new guys in there and getting some competition going versus sticking with what worked last year?

“Like I said, for all those guys it’s new. It’s a clean slate for everyone so if there was a guy who was a starter and played a lot he’s not guaranteed that spot.  A guy that didn’t play, he has every right to go get a spot so that really doesn’t come into it at all. We’re rotating guys. Guys are getting equal reps at practice and we’re getting a look at everyone so we can create our own opinions from what’s going on at practice.”

From the little that you have seen or evaluated, what are some areas that you think will become things you guys want to focus on to improve?

“I don’t know if I can quite answer that yet to say what it is. I just think all in all for our guys to learn and grasp the scheme will be big and, again, just figuring out what we’re best at. We have guys who are really attentive in meetings. So far I can tell they’re good learners. They’re active in what they’re doing. They want to learn the game and so it’ll just be a matter of, ‘Okay, these are the things we’re better at than these. Let’s focus on these and get really good at them and go play it.’ Hopefully, like I said, by the end of spring we’ll have that figured out.”

In the MGoBlue video it appeared that Royce Jenkins-Stone was working with the defensive line. Is that where you’ve got him at?

“Royce has been playing a little bit of both. We play some 4-3, some 3-4; we have several guys that are moving around right now. That’s something we’ve always done. We as in where I’ve been defensively and that’s something coach Harbaugh’s always done as far as playing guys in multiple spots and figuring out what our best combination is to get our best guys on the field.”

With two starters gone at the defensive end position, has that been a focus finding the new guys there?

“I think we had a good group of guys that are candidates for that and we’re working several of those guys in and we’ll get settled in at some point and figure out what the depth is, but right now we’re just rolling guys through.”

Do you see enough versatility in this group to be truly multiple? I know it’s early but can you sense that?

“Yeah, absolutely. I think I like where we’re at that way. Our guys, they like the idea of that, of playing a couple of different fronts. I think you develop, you learn football. Like I said, it’s a challenge that’s good. It keeps guys locked in in meetings and we’ll keep going through it. I do. I think we’ve got the right players to do it.”

You mentioned trying to look at a little bit of your team to figure out recruiting needs. When you look at the roster and the bodies that you have do you feel that there are some certain needs you’ll have to address very quickly?

“I think- again, that was something in the immediate, when we got here in January and we had about two weeks of a contact period to get that done. Now I think it’s a bigger picture type [of] deal, so in recruiting right now we’re just looking for guys that fit the right profile of great people, great students, great football players. They play the game the right way, meaning they play physical, they play competitive, they play tough. They’re hard-working guys.

“That’s the profile, and obviously by position there’s different traits they’ve got to have to do that. As we get through spring and into the summer and all that, I think that sorts out a little bit more of, ‘Okay, specifically by position these are the needs that we have to address.’ It’s too early to tell that. We’re just looking for the guys that fit the bill of what our needs are as a person.”

Has anything surprised you about this job or Ann Arbor in general since you’ve gotten here?

“Surprised me? Uh…no. Everything’s been great. I’m familiar with Jim. I had worked with him before at Stanford, so how things work in terms of our staff I’m familiar with. Everything’s been great. It’s a great place. It’s what it’s cracked up to be. It has a great reputation throughout the country both academically and athletically within our profession and it’s definitely lived up to it, so it’s been great.”

As far as getting back with Jim, a decent amount of the staff was at Stanford. Has it been sort of just like jumping back in to the way it was in Palo Alto?

“Yeah, yeah, yeah, in a lot of ways. It’s good to be back together. All good people, good guys, good coaches. It’s always good. You never know when you’re going to have that opportunity again in this profession. It’s crazy a lot of times so it’s good to get back with those guys, for sure.”

How are the roles in the secondary going to break out? Are they both doing corners and safeties or is one going to do one position, in terms of the coaches?

“The coaches? Uh, Greg Jackson’s working more with the safeties and Michael Zordich is working more with the corners. A lot of that, we’ll cross train throughout practice and all that. Just the way we divided the field and we’re watching practice and reps and all that, it’s a group effort from everyone. But that’s who they’re working with more positionally.”

Can you sense leadership on this team yet? Do you sense guys starting to talk a little bit?

“Yeah, but we’ve been more about with our guys let’s not talk, let’s get to work. Let’s go get on the field and show us. That stuff finds a way to emerge as we keep going. It’s too early to tell that, but leaders rise to the top and that’s what we’re looking for. Let’s not talk about it, let’s be about it and see what happens.”

In terms of install, you’ve got a lot to install. You said you think that’s a good thing that makes them learn it. Do you want to flood them with info and see how quickly they can keep up with it at this point?

“I think in spring, in training camp, it’s good to challenge them that way and keep them attentive and keep them learning. When we get to gameplan weeks and all that, now you narrow the focus and it’s a smaller gameplan you’re going in [with]. Now it feels almost like relief to them, like, ‘Oh yeah, I’ve got this. That’s all we’re doing.’ That’s the thought behind it, and so we’ll keep doing that throughout spring [and] we’ll do the same thing when we get to fall camp.”

What’s different this time around than when you were at Stanford?

“What’s different? The weather. I’d say that’s different. Again, we’re two practices in. I think a lot of it’s the same. Jim is really good about how he challenges the guys and builds that toughness and that mentality with the team and I can see the same steps being taken here and it’s a fun thing to be a part of, and we’ll keep going with it.”

There was a lot made of the way he built that toughness into Stanford and the different methods he used. Has there been a similar sort of building process here?

“Yeah, yeah. Again, it’s early but yeah. You can draw back and think of the same point there at one time and yeah, he’s got it. That’s what makes him great. He’s got a great ability to do that. He’s got a knack for it and he thinks outside the box, and we’re doing a lot of the same right now.”

In terms of Mattison, is it overly tempting to pick his brain on players or do you want to find out on your own about these guys?

“Yeah, it’s both. Like I said, I think it’s more that he helps us get to know the guys, gives you more background of the guy, his family, and what his background story is.”

But he’s not out there saying, ‘This guy should be-’

“No, we’re out there talking every day, from workouts and then practices. I mean, we sit there and talk about personnel until the wee hours of the morning of each guy and what our thoughts are on them. We go around the room a little bit and just kind of sort it out that way.”