The new Buckeyes DC provided big updates after Monday's practice.
Ohio State defensive coordinator Matt Patricia took the podium following Monday's practice to update reporters on several key issues and shout out a couple of offseason standouts. He went in-depth on his return to the college game after a 19-year stint in the NFL, expressing his excitement for his first offseason in Columbus and why he doesn't consider leaving the professional ranks as a "backward career move."
"I'm very blessed for my NFL career," Patricia said. "I was really, really lucky. I know I can help the kids. If they want to go to the next level, I can give them a lot of good advice. But, I mean, it's Ohio State. This is the top. I'm pretty lucky to be here."
Patricia discussed the Buckeyes' defensive line depth after losing four starters this offseason and why the nickel position is integral to "multiplicity" within his defense. He also touched on meeting recruits during the contact period and the differences in scouting players for college vs. the NFL, among other things.
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Here's everything Patricia said after Monday's practice:
ON WHAT MAKES CJ HICKS UNIQUE
"He's a tremendous guy, just his energy and the excitement. He's really eager to learn everything. Skillset-wise, he's really unique. He can play off the ball. He can play on the ball. He does a good job of transitioning his vision. Sometimes, you have to adjust your vision when you go behind the line of scrimmage. He does that very well. He has explosive power. He has some great skill pass rushing on the edge. But even in the run game, he has that explosive pop. Some of the other outside linebacker and defensive end hybrids I've coached in the past had a similar type of skill set. You can use them in unique ways. It will hopefully cause the offense a little bit of confusion when you do that with those guys."
ON DEVELOPING DEFENSIVE LINE DEPTH
"I'm used to 16-game seasons. Depth is critical, and just finding out exactly what roles those guys can play within the defensive line. It's having some flexibility to be able to move guys around, and when another guy comes in, understanding what his skill set is. Maybe that changes something structurally so we can fit it to their skillset. You can have depth, but sometimes if you get guys out of position, they might be a good player, but if they're not in the right position, then it doesn't look as good."
ON WHY LEAVING NFL FOR COLLEGE ISN'T 'BACKWARD CAREER MOVE'
"I'm very blessed for my NFL career. I was really, really lucky. I've coached great, great players. I had a lot of fun. I started off as a college coach; that was where people really impacted me as a young man. As a coach, we want to teach. We want to mentor. This is a great opportunity for me to get back to that. I know I can help the kids. If they want to go to the next level, I can give them a lot of good advice. But, I mean, it's Ohio State. This is the top. I'm pretty lucky to be here."
ON HOW MALIK HARTFORD LOOKS AT SAFETY
"He's had a great spring. He's done a really good job of being consistent every day, training his body. He's improved a lot. His movement has improved. His strength has improved. He's just a student of the game. He's in here all the time, studying and learning. There is some flexibility for him to be able to play down and play back. He has great range, which is really good. Now, it's teaching a little bit of eye control and teaching where he's reading, being able to see through the uncovered lineman back into the quarterback. His work and his consistency have really been awesome. He's done a great job."
ON HOW MUCH SCHEME MULTIPLICITY RELIES ON NICKEL POSITION
"Multiplicity comes in a couple of different ways. Nickel is huge. Big nickel if you have some of those body types. Safety has always been one of those positions that's been fun to move around and put in different spots, especially when you have guys with a big skill range. I do like the flexibility of the nickel and the big nickel position. The linebackers are really critical in that, too. Guys that can play on the ball and off the ball. Getting into different structures that way is fun. The defensive backs room is a great room. There's a lot of depth there. Let's get as many guys as we can in different roles."
ON MEETING RECRUITS DURING CONTACT PERIOD
"I really do enjoy sitting down with them. A lot of them have been recruited by Ohio State for a while. A lot of that process is just getting to know my story a little bit and getting to know me. At the same time, it's understanding and learning the player and learning the kid and what he's been through. Building that relationship. That's the coolest part right now. College is great for mentoring young men. But then project that to the high school level. My parents were teachers. I'm just trying to keep my dad's voice in my head and understand these are young kids. Listening is really important."
ON THE DIFFERENCE IN SCOUTING COLLEGE AND NFL PLAYERS
"When looking at younger players, you're really looking at their physical attributes. You must understand that you have to teach them a lot of the game, which is fine. Looking at some of the raw talent has been pretty awesome. It's been a while since I've watched that level of football, and I can't believe just how good it's gotten. You have a vision of what it looked like 25 years ago. The kids are way better now than we ever were. I always like to look at little things, whether it's knee bend or ankle flex. That's a big one. Their ability to bend, keep their knees over the toes, move, break, transition and hip fluidity. We look at the raw talent, and then you can coach the other things."
ON HAVING EXPERIENCE COACHING CHAMPIONSHIP TURNAROUNDS
"One of the biggest things I try to get everybody to understand is the urgency which you need to come back at. We would always say, 'We're just behind. We're behind everybody else. Everybody else got that jump-start. Everybody's a little bit further ahead.' We're just trying to create that urgency. When you reach the top of that mountain, there's a big target on your back. Ohio State has always had a big target. Everybody is spending the offseason studying every facet of what you do. Even if you don't play that team til the middle of the season, okay, we've got four days to get ready for them. They spent six months getting ready for us."
ON TAKING HIS TIME TO LEARN OHIO STATE CULTURE, PLAYERS
"I'm just excited. I just want to teach, and I want to mentor. But really, right now, I've got to learn. I've got to listen. I've got to learn. I got to try to understand what all the great coaches here are doing fundamentally. The structural things that we did last year were really good, and I'm trying to implement all of them as we go forward. Right now, I feel like I'm the student. I'm learning and trying to take in as much as I can. And I'm really trying to learn the kids, their backgrounds and where they're from. That's really important so I can be that mentor and that teacher."
This article originates on 247Sports.
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