Things Discussed

• The offensive line's progress
• Warinner's zone blocking philosophy
• Warinner's relationship with Mark Dantonio
• Warinner's experience being a GA at Michigan State
• How Michigan will counter crowd noise

[After THE JUMP: Just make this guy offensive coordinator already]

 

What were you most pleased with about the offensive line on Saturday?

 

“Just the consistency of how they played, and our ability to go in at halftime, kind of make some adjustments and really get rolling in the second half, with improved play and more consistency. So we were able to just run the ball consistently against a really good defense. So that was very pleasing, and just the style.”

 

What were some of those adjustments that you made?

 

“The adjustments are just, what are they doing and what are the best plays in our library — plays we have ready for the game — to run against them? So it’s really, this is what they’re doing, this is our library of plays. Which ones are gonna work best against them? And then use those. So, not really changing anything. Just saying, ‘We’re gonna go with these assortment.’ Cause you carry a library of plays into every game, and the defense dictates which ones you use. Or how they’re playing the defense.”

 

How many of those plays do you maybe hold back to see what the other team is doing early on?

 

“Teams like that, you don't hold anything back. You decide what you want to start the game with, and you say, ‘This is what we think they will be.’ And then once the game starts, once the opening kickoff starts, everything’s about adjustment. Prior to the opening kickoff, it’s all about preparation based on what you know. Once the ball is kicked off and the first play starts, now it’s about adjusting to what is really going on. And so, you make those adjustments throughout the course of the game, but I think, what adjustments or what things we decided to focus on in this second half worked out well for us.”

 

From the night at Notre Dame to last Saturday night, what jumps out at you about this line that has really gotten a lot better?

 

“The number one thing is just how they prepare. And because they’re preparing well, with focus, with great practices, with physicality in practice that’s showing up on Saturday. So every week, they continue to do that, and every week, they’ve continued to get better. So I really like that about them. I would just say that each one of them have improved in areas they needed to improve in, but collectively, like yesterday when we practiced, I’m standing there and I like what I’m seeing. I like how they practice. I like how it looks. I like how it feels. I like how it sounds. And when that happens, then I know good things are headed in our direction. So we’re starting to do things like that. So, just that consistency of the level we want to play at, they’re doing it during the week. So then in the games, the games are easier because they’re practicing like they’re preparing.”

 

What’s been the main reason for more — these guys seem to be a good zone line at this point. Maybe last year they weren’t as much. What’s been the change, or what’s helped them in that area?

 

“The focus of what we do more of in practice.”

 

Hammer those concepts more?

 

“Yeah, I mean, I’m a zone guy. I grew up in zone concepts. Zone concepts block all defenses. I mean, you get multiple looks from people, so zones are really good against all different looks and all different blitzes. So, you have to have a certain assortment of those in your pocket.”

 

Do you think any type of lineman, like big linemen, fleet of foot linemen —

 

“I like athletic, tough linemen. Athletic guys that are tough, that play really hard and have a certain football IQ to them, that they can progress along and you can do some schematic things with them.”

 

Michigan State has a tough run defense. What is the challenge that they bring?

 

“Oh, they have a very solid run defense. They have a very good defensive staff. Very good defensive coaches. They’re well-coached. They understand their defense very well. They understand the adjustments they need to make in their defense. If you’re attacking them like this, they have answers that they get to quickly, and they haven’t steered away from that defense. So they have banked reps, cumulative knowledge of it. So you have to be really good at what you’re doing. Cause they’re gonna play physical, they’re gonna play technique, they’re gonna make good adjustments. And you have to match that. The same thing, great physical play, great technique. And you have to make your adjustments and do your things and try to stay ahead of them.”

 

Do you need a nasty streak in a game like this?

 

“Oh, I think to play in the Big Ten, you have to have a nasty streak to be an offensive lineman, yes. But in rivalry games, it’s just about the will to win, and competing every snap, and finishing. Cause these games come down to the fourth quarter. And they come down to a play here or a play there, a stop here or third down conversion, or whatever. A goal-line stand. A lot of that is about how you’re trained and are you mentally and physically — physical and tough enough to fight your way through those situations and win them? Cause it’s gonna come down to, players are gonna win this game. It’s not gonna be, the coaches win this game. The players are gonna win. The guys who jog out there on the field and play are gonna win the game. And it’s gonna be matchups and it’s gonna be 1-on-1 battles, and it’s gonna be situational football. And who gets the job done better in those situations will come out ahead. But yeah, you better be strapped up to win the Paul Bunyan.”

 

Ben Bredeson mentioned after the game, having all the former All-American linemen, captains last week — did you get a chance to pick any — I think a couple of the guys spoke to the linemen on Friday night?

 

“Yeah, that was really a great opportunity for me to meet a bunch of the former greats that came back. We got to meet some of them that Friday, after our practice. Then of course I saw them on the sideline before the game. Some of them got to go out there for the coin toss, and it was very emotional to them. They were very excited to be here. They were very — they just love Michigan. And they’re tough guys who gave their hearts and soul for the program, won a lot of football games. And they were just back here to support us and support the offensive line especially. And our guys didn’t want to let them down.”

 

Ben also mentioned his pride in the low number of penalties that the offensive line has had this year. How do you emphasize that and enforce that when mistakes are made in practice?

 

“We address every snap. There’s no snap that you don’t get coached. There’s no snap that, if you do something you’re not supposed to do, it isn’t addressed. There’s no, ‘We’ll just overlook that. He’s a good kid. Oh, he didn’t mean it.’ No, there’s nothing — every snap is coached. Every snap is addressed. They know that if they do something they shouldn’t do in practice, there will be a consequence, cause they need to know that. Cause in a game, there’s a consequence. It costs our team five yards. It costs our team 10 yards. It costs our team 15 yards. It costs our team a sack, a negative yard, when they don’t do what they’re supposed to do. So, they are forced and held to a standard, mentally, physically, that they have to perform in practice. That’s why I’m talking about, when I watch them now, I’m not having to coach every play as hard as I did earlier. Because I can tell, they don’t want to make a mistake in practice. They don’t say, ‘This rep doesn’t matter.’ They don’t say, ‘Oh, I’ll get it tomorrow.’ Every rep matters. And so they’re practicing like that, cause every rep matters in the game. So it’s just the standard we hold them to. I’m proud of that stat, too. That we have one holding penalty in, what, seven games. And we have three illegal procedure penalties. So we have four offensive line penalties in seven games. I’m pretty proud of that. That just shows guys care, they’re disciplined and they’re doing what we ask them to do, the right way. Hopefully, we can continue to play at that level, or those mistakes are minimized.”

 

You’ve known Mark Dantonio a long time, coached against him many times. What’s the common thread of why his teams are always the way that they are? In games like this, especially

 

“Well, he — first of all, puts together a great plaan. He’s very organized. He likes to develop players in his system, so they understand the system. They get players that fit their system. They play a very tough brand of football. They’re very physical, they know how to stop the run, which are trademarks of great teams and great defenses. Then that carries over to their offensive staff, so on and so forth. He’s very even-keeled in his approach. Very consistent in his approach. I mean, these are the things — I don’t work with them, but these are the things I know about him and just watching how they perform consistently over time. So, he’s a great leader. He’s likable. I think his players love him. And they play hard for him, and you can see that.”

 

What was he like as a roommate? Or what does your experience together as young coaches at Akron —

 

“Well, that’s a long time ago. And, so we were just two guys who loved coaching football, loved the opportunity. We were learning, we were working together. So we enjoyed that time together, and we hit it off. And had a great relationship, and that’s carried through. Obviously, our paths have gone different directions. So, we don’t get to spend as much time together, but when we are together, it’s like we haven’t been apart. And then, obviously now that I work here, that’s gonna change a little bit. But as far as, is he a good man? He’s a good man and you respect him, and you respect what he’s done. Great family guy, got a great family.”

 

When you made the choice to go to Michigan State back then, how big of a turning point was that for you, in your life and career?

 

“It was huge. Cause I was finishing up being a graduate assistant at Akron U. I got my masters degree, and I got hired as a high school coach in Ohio, and actually had signed a contract. And I got an opportunity to go there to be a college coach, and I knew deep in my heart, that’s what I wanted to do. So I had to tell a high school coach that I respect a lot, great situation at the high school level, that I wanted to go to college. And coach, and be a graduate assistant. And so I did that, and I went there. Had a great experience and worked with George Perles, Nick Saban, and learned a lot of football. And the connections I made there connected me to my next job, at West Point. And I met my wife there. So, for me, it couldn’t have been a more positive experience. The first — those two years I spent there, that started me on my journey, and connected me with a lot of people that actually helped me. Cause Norm Parker I worked with the first year up there. And Norm Parker was Bob Sutton’s head coach in high school, and Bob Sutton was the defensive coordinator at Army, who coached here with Jim Young. So, a Michigan State guy connected me to my Michigan people, who I met at Army. And I worked for six or seven Michigan — former coaches and graduates. So I worked with a great number of people that are part of this program at Michigan, at West Point. But I was connected to them through a Michigan State coach that I GA’d with at Michigan State, Norm Parker, who’s since deceased, but was a great person, great coach. So, it’s funny how coaching goes. That’s why it’s all intertwined.”

 

Obviously, you’ve been at Notre Dame, Michigan State, you’re getting Ohio State later this year. How different is it being on this side of the rivalry?

 

“They’re all the same. Cause they’re very important to the players on this team, to the alumni, to former players. They’re all important. They’re important to us. We get the significance of them. It’s a privilege to be a part of programs that have these kinds of rivalries. You turn it up a notch. That’s why you do this. That’s — these are the great opportunities that fun games — the memories you have of playing in these games, coaching in these games for me, stay with you a lifetime. So I can remember this game as a GA, 30-something years ago, coaching up there as a GA and coming down here, playing in this game and playing up there. And I can remember the same against Notre Dame, and then all the sudden, you reflect back and, ‘Man, 30-something years ago, I was coaching this game, but now I’m on the other side.’ But you never know how life’s gonna take you in your journey, you just do the best you can and keep moving.”

 

With the crowd noise, in the past, they were able to time snap counts and really had some success with the A-gap blitzes. How do you counter that, when you have to go silent?

 

“Yeah, we have to keep them off-balance. So we have to have some different tools in our snap count arsenal. We just have to be smart with that. But yeah, I mean, that’s what good defenses do. That’s what they study. They study all the details of how you operate on offense, and they try to find something that they can take advantage of. And we have to do a good job of making sure they can’t take advantage of that. Cause we played at Notre Dame, we played at Northwestern. There was significant crowd noise, for sure, at Notre Dame. We managed that pretty well. Hopefully. We practice with crowd noise out there. It makes your ears hurt after practice, so hopefully we can do a good job of managing that and not letting them have the advantage. Although there is always an advantage when you’re at home.”