Newsstand: Michigan preaching 'positionless defense' in 2024
The Michigan Wolverines are getting ready to display a revamped defensive system under Wink Martindale in 2024 that should still retain some of the tenants of the previous looks run by Mike Macdonald and Jesse Minter.
Part of that means that players are going to have to be much more multiple in what they can do on the field, and a “positionless defense” has been an emphasis during Michigan’s fall camp.
“We want to be a positionless defense where guys can play multiple positions — whether it’s you can move a guy in on third down, they don’t know what he’s doing,” defensive backs coach Lamar Morgan said on Sunday. “I think that’s something where Coach Wink — he’s been coaching 20 years in the NFL and another almost 20 years in college. I think that’s where his specialty is, finding roles for players.”
“When we start teaching concepts, we just teach with X’s on the board. It’s not like it’s a certain position — this is the corner, this is the safety. So we try to teach the guys different techniques,” Morgan said. “If you’re a half-field player, playing man in the slot, pressing the slot, whoever is at that spot, they just know that technique already. So now when we put a call in the corner is going to be a half-field player, which safeties usually are. They know how to use those techniques.
“So I would say initially, I do think that could be a challenge for some of the players that maybe have not played a lot just because they don’t know it a lot. But I do think our best, our secret weapon here, is our players that play so much. Like Rod Moore is meeting with guys. They got questions. They go to me as a coach, I’m going to ask the guys in the meeting room how they see it. Do you see it the same way I see it? If I don’t see it the same way they see it, why am I not where’s the where’s the gap is? So I do think there’s a lot of conversation, probably more than most meeting rooms that I try to encourage, because it is a lot when you’re playing two or three different positions.”
Tweets of the day
Michigan quote of the day
“I love Zeke. Zeke’s going to be a guy that we’re going to try to move around. He’s playing high and low. He’s trying to take on that role of trying to be a leader. We have some talented guys like Zeke; they just haven’t played as much. So you’re just building confidence in those guys, reps in when they don’t feel well, when their body’s sore. But I think Zeke is probably the leader in that nickel role right now, J-Mac behind him. We’ve been playing some of the other guys behind them, but the two guys that’s been playing nickel the most at practice have been Zeke Berry and J-Mac.”
– Michigan DBs coach Lamar Morgan on starting nickel battle in camp
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