Press conferences are often not very insightful for most football teams. The opposite is true with Texas head coach Steve Sarkisian.
Sarkisian is usually contemplative and genuine in his response to questions asked by Texas media. Out of those responses, one can gather what the second-year head coach is hinting at heading into the 2022 season.
There is not tangible proof that Texas is going through a philosophical overhaul on defense, but one can gather from his offseason statements that change is on its way.
The great offensive mind has discussed various changes in defensive mentality all offseason, but recent quotes say a great deal about the core values of his defense.
As for the offense, Sarkisian detailed on how position battles can be won. Here are a few quotes that inspire trust heading into the first month of football.
Defensive tackles “exploding” off the ball
Explosion from defensive tackles would be a welcome sight for the Longhorns defense this year. Last season, Texas was slow off the ball with shockingly high pad-level. The regression along the defensive line was staggering. After passive play up front led to an easily manipulated line of scrimmage, Texas is aiming for more aggressive defensive play. It will be interesting to see how that aggression manifests itself on the field.
Aggressive coverage
Texas played soft coverage, with a soft pass rush and a soft box last year. And while some act like scheme does not matter, coaches are paid to win a chess match every Saturday. Now it appears Texas is going to get the chess match right, playing tight coverage so that the pass rush can get to the quarterback. That’s big news for the defense’s 2022 prospects.
No quarterback coddling here
Steve Sarkisian is building a mentally tough football team, and he is doing so by raising the standard at Texas. He is not going to coddle his players. He…
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