Suggestions to give our D more "swagger."

My feeling is swagger is earned.  They can get swagger when they consistantly stop somebody.

Name tags so they never forget...

I think we should dance as obnoxiously as possible and act like we just scorred a pick 6 every time the qb overthrows a wide open recever, just like they do in the SEC

They can get a BUNCH of swagger at Walgreens.

The play you're thinking of is when JT Floyd (about 5'11", 185 lbs) stood up to Tandon Doss (about 6'4", 220 lbs).  Doss ran right through him, obviously.  But JT stood up to him and made the tackle at the ankles. 

To your question about GERG firing them up to play.  I think it is part of his responsibility, but not being hootin' and hollerin' on the sidelines.  Rather, I think putting our guys in soft coverage to avoid the deep ball takes away the Ds need to pump themselves up.  The cushion doesn't force the need for aggressive play. 

..."bend but don't break" philosophy we're using. It's reactive and more passive in nature -- like the old "prevent" defenses we've grown to despise. 

When was the last time you saw our safety blitz? I can't recall.

I think GERG's primary objective is not to let anyone get behind us. This is job one. That means playing well off the line of scrimmage and giving substantial cushion until the opposition hits the red zone. Then we're forced to tighten up and make plays -- if we can.

I'd almost rather give up a big play or two every game to see a more aggressive posture by our defense.

I want my CB to be part of a team that is 5-0.

The thing about MSU v UM (also tOSU v UM) is that we will always come out with hardcore "swagger", "boldness", or just plain more aggressive.. We just need to keep it going through the 2nd half.. The secondary will play way better when they come out pumped in front of our home crowd.. IMO i see MSU scoring little in the 1st and 3rd quarter.

The angry michigan secondary hating god has removed all of our swagger

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This is not a knock on the defense but you get swagger when you stop people and make big plays (earn it, like mentioned previously).  You definitely have to have confidence to play defense, but confidence is different from swagger.  And swagger is a slipperly slope - too much and it ends up either looking stupid and/or reflecting poorly on the school (see Patrick Peterson's heisman pose).

On that note, read what Les Miles said about Peterson:

Miles isn’t out there touting Peterson for the Heisman, but he did have this to say: “I think Patrick Peterson is as dominant a player at his position as I’ve seen.”

Note to Miles:  You must not have seen Charles Woodson play.  Peterson is definitely not as dominant as Woodson.

Once they accrue enough Moxie Points they can trade them in for Swagger Badges. Duh.

I think what would help our defense have MOAR SWAGGERZ is if we started eight billion threads about our defensive woes.

But I like the puffy shirt idea also.

Listen to Al Green playing low and smooth in the locker room before each game. The offense will just hand the ball over.

This defense doesn't need swagger so much as it does the ability to create turnovers.

Watching the Bears play the Giants last night, it struck me how Chicago often goes for the ball before the tackle. Since UM's defense has trouble tackling to begin with, they should simply start going for the ball.

They won't strip the ball on every attempt, but give the best offense in the nation 1 extra possession and they win.

start by tackling people.  That helps a lot.

I feel like there is a Ke$ha joke in this post somewhere, I just can't stand listening to that crap long enough to have something snarky enough.

Maybe on a nice suspender set

Have the cornerbacks play within 5 yards of the line of scrimmage.  They start so far off the line that they can't even see the WR's jersey # they're supposed to be covering.

I always think it looks ridiculous when a defense "swaggers" without earning it or deserving it. This seems to me exactly what Spartie does, and I want none of it. When our secondary can regularly shut down a Grade A receiver, when our DL can regularly sack and terrorize a QB, when our LB corps repeatedly stuffs the run, THEN, and only then, can our defense "swagger." I also think the best kind of swagger is to figuratively "punch the mouth" of offensive players who yap about how they'll run and catch on our defense.

I remember when Woodson et al shut down a good OSU receiving corps, there was room for swagger.

But given how we played against Indiana, I see absolutely no room for UofM to mouth off.

Hair is what makes a defense not only effective, but full of swagger and bounce.  Let's run down the list:

DC Gerg:  pert, sheen, and vitality.  HAIR OF A CHAMPION.

JT Floyd:  dreadlocks.  HAIR OF A CHAMPION.

Jordan Kovacs:  crewcut.  NEEDS MOAR DREADLOCKS.

Mike Martin:  close-cropped, curly.  NEEDS MOAR DREADLOCKS.

Craig Roh:  sexy eyebrows, hair is a little limp.  NEEDS MOAR DREADLOCKS.

Jonas Mouton:  close-cropped, buzzcut.  NEEDS MOAR DREADLOCKS.

Obi Ezeh:  meh.  NEEDS MOAR DREADLOCKS.

James Rogers:  crewcut.  NEEDS MOAR DREADLOCKS.

Cameron Gordon:  fluffy, but nondescript.  NEEDS MOAR DREADLOCKS.

Carvin Johnson:  mystery.  PROBABLY NEEDS MOAR DREADLOCKS.

Ryan Van Bergen:  crewcut.  NEEDS MOAR DREADLOCKS.

Gregaldo Bangesse:  half crewcut, half nondescript fluffyness.  NEEDS MOAR DREADLOCKS x 2.

...

Now, there's how you transform a defense into a championship defense.  BOOM PROBLEM SOLVE'D.

I think the coaches have a lot to do with it. Nobody hits like Nick Saban teams do, i don't know what he does in practice, but those guys are always nasty hitters. It's basically an attitude of "you don't hit, you don't play." I have a feeling Floyd would have been pulled after the play you referenced.

Gerg should give each of his players a shoelace with a note that says, "They've got theirs, where's yours?"

was the guy who made the touchdown saving tackle on D.J Shoemate of UCONN earlier this season. If I can recall he is at least 220pds so I would think it is safe too say that he can tackle and strip. I feel we are expecting a bit too much from a very young defense. I think the guy is playing way better than he did this time last year so lets cut them some slack. At the end of the day they are amatuers and still learning their craft. Would you like a 3-2 team with a hardcore defense? or what we have right now and be 5-0 in college football not pro ball?

You want swagger?  Forget touching the banner, let's give them Greg Robinson taking the field swagger...

If that doesn't get you fired up, I don't know what will...