It's been fun covering Kevin Steele the past two seasons. He enjoys sitting down and engaging us media types, and we almost always learn something from him.
He's a big boy who's been around the block of big-boy football. He's worked for Bobby Bowden, Tom Osborne, Nick Saban, Dom Capers and Johnny Majors. Lotta wins and championships among that group, and you have to think those men have played a major role in shaping Steele as a coach and maybe even as a person.
Steele was open and informative yesterday as he sat down to chat with reporters before Dabo Swinney's media golf outing. The most interesting thing that came from his session was his complete willingness to say some of his freshman linebackers are good enough to play right now.
He actually corrected a reporter who used the "if" qualifier with regard to these linebackers' chances of making an immediate impact.
“We say ‘if’ with those young guys at linebacker. I think it’s a little bit stronger than ‘if.' We’re going to put them out there and they’ll learn the stove is hot.”
Good stuff, and stuff you don't often hear from coaches who are talking about celebrated freshmen in late July. We'll have more on that topic a little later, but here are some other notable things taken from the conversation with Steele:
-- Steele and his defensive staff spent a lot of time this offseason watching film of NFL teams, including the Packers and Patriots. The Packers' defense, of course, is run by his old boss Capers. And New England's Bill Belichick is close friends with Saban, from whom Steele learned a lot in two years at Alabama.
Steele is looking for more effective ways to defend spread stuff. He's also looking for more stops in the red zone after last year's group allowed opponents to score on 35 of their 40 red-zone trips (21 touchdowns, 14 field goals). Steele said he also looked at tape of TCU's defense, which finished first nationally in total defense last year.
-- Steele also weighed in (for the first time, if I'm not mistaken) on some of the drawbacks of Clemson's hurry-up, no-huddle offense.
"The thing we need to really be careful of – because we’re in a non-traditional offense now – is that we create and simulate on the practice field at the right time what Maryland, what B.C., what Florida State, what Virginia Tech does -- as well as the Georgia Tech (offense). So that’s going to be real key too in the process. Because you just can’t go out there and practice all through two-a-days against what we do. Because they get into the Virginia Tech-Florida State realm and it’s not going to be the same. So there’s another learning curve there."
-- As excited as he is about his freshmen, clearly Steele is a bit uneasy because of what he lost from last season. It all starts up front, and the Tigers have some issues to work out as they try to avoid weaknesses in both pass rush and run-stuffing.
"We were pretty fortunate last year because we could generate things in an even-man front easy just because of the four guys we had. Jarvis and Brandon were going to command doubles. Now you had singles on the outside. And if they didn’t get doubled, they were going to wreak havoc."
-- Another thing that's probably occupying Steele's mind: lack of experience. When you go through spring with your two backup defensive ends not just freshmen, but early-enrollee freshmen, you're going to lose a little sleep praying everyone stays healthy. And there's little experience in the middle behind Thompson and Rennie Moore, a big difference from last year when Moore and Miguel Chavis supplied solid backup help.
"I’m excited about it, and it’s a fun challenge. But probably the biggest thing ... We’re very talented, and we’re way inexperienced. So we're going to have to make sure we grow very fast. Whereas last year we had a lot more experience across the board."
-- If Bashaud Breeland isn't in the starting mix sooner rather than later, Steele will be among the surprised.
"He’s got ice water in his veins. That’s a key component for it. He can be what you’re looking for."
LW
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