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University of Minnesota Athletics
Coach's Corner - Ted Roof
6/18/2008 12:00:00 AM | Football
GopherSports.com had the opportunity to sit down and have a discussion with defensive coordinator Ted Roof in early June. Roof discussed a number of topics, including working with Coach Brewster and the Golden Gopher staff, his transition to living in Minnesota, his defensive philosophy and what the Gophers need to do to improve on the defensive side of the ball in 2008.
GopherSports.com: Now that you’ve gotten through spring ball and fall camp is right around the corner, how has the transition to Minnesota been so far?
Ted Roof: I’ve got to start by talking about our staff. I’ve been very impressed with the staff. The staff that Coach Brewster has assembled are quality men and quality football coaches as well. It’s a staff that I’m very excited to be a small part. The vision, energy and passion for building this football progam comes from Tim (Brewster). It has been a very good transition. Our players here are very willing. Effort and attitude are critical in anything you do. Those are the things they’ve got to bring to the table every day. I’m very excited about the possibilities here and the direction that we’re moving.
GS: How has the transition been for you personally? Has there been any culture shock moving from the South to the Midwest and coming north?
TR: A few days ago, when it was 50-something degrees in June, that was the first time I’ve experienced anything like that. It’s interesting, the people here don’t let weather affect their lifestyle. They’re going to get out and be active. This community has been a very welcoming community. It’s one that everybody talks about and says it is a great place to raise a family and I’m looking forward to doing that here.
GS: Can you talk about working with Coach Brewster and how the two of you got together when he was looking for a defensive coordinator?
TR: We had known each other since the early ’90s, when he was an assistant at North Carolina and I was an assistant at Duke. I always respected Tim. He was a relentless recruiter and worker. The things he believes in as fundamental beliefs in the game of football, I certainly agree with. He’s done a great job everywhere he’s been. When he called me about this opening, I was very excited about it. When I came up here and visited with him and saw the place and met the people, I thought it was too good an opportunity to pass up. He’s a guy that gives you some parameters as to what he wants and then lets you do your job. I certainly appreciate that.
GS: What sort of progress did you see from the defense from the beginning of spring ball through the spring game?
TR: I think that we became more physical as the spring wore on, which we should have. I also saw our level of confidence increase. We’re not where we need to be in either one of those areas. But I saw, toward the latter part of the spring, less thinking and more reacting. That delay, you could tell that it was just reaction. Like anything, football is a game of reps. For most people, that’s how they learn and that’s how they improve. That’s how you establish habits. That’s what we’re trying to. Just like in life, if you have good habits and make good decisions, good things usually occur.
GS: Can you talk about the challenge of taking this defense from where it was last year to where you want it to be?
TR: I think that it is certainly a challenge. But I think most football coaches are the types of guys who relish challenges and opportunities to improve something. At the same time, we don’t like to look back. You certainly have to evaluate things, learn from situations and gather information. But to dwell on the past is not productive, whether the past was good or bad. You have to move forward. That’s the nature of any job, I think.
GS: What areas of the defense do you see as needing improvement right now?
TR: The thing you’ve got to have is you’ve got to play good run defense. If a team can line up and run the ball at you, that’s going to be a long day at the office and a headache that won’t go away. You’ve got to hang your hat on something. At the same time, when you do that, trying to out-number somebody in the box, in theory you’re plus-one or have a player that they don’t have a blocker for. You should win those. But you can’t give up the big play in the passing game when that occurs. The explosive plays and turnovers are the two biggest factors in winning and losing football games. Limit the big plays against us and create turnovers. Those are the two things that make people earn what they get against us. Don’t give them something because we committed an unforced error.
GS: Do you expect many newcomers to come in and contribute right away?
TR: This is a much-heralded recruiting class. But to me, you think and you believe. But you never really know until they get on your campus, put your pads on and practice on your practice fields. I know this: the core of our football team was here this spring. Certainly, there are going to be some guys that will help. But that’s betting on the next card. The core of our football team and what we’re building is here with us right now. Of course, building the chemistry of the incoming players and existing players, that’s something we’ve got to work to do, both as coaches and players.
GS: What is your defensive philosophy?
TR: Attack and swarm is very simple. It’s something that when you’re bloody, you’ve been hit in the side of the head and it’s a 12-play drive, you’ve got to have someplace to call home. That’s home. Defensive or offensive calls don’t win ballgames for you. Players win ballgames. To have the foundation and the base when times are tough to go back to, to hang your hat on, to re-focus your priorities and what you believe in. That’s what our base is. I think attack and swarm are a couple simple terms. But what they encompass are characteristics of teams that play great defense. That’s what the goal is. That’s what the vision is.
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