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On Board with DeBord? Allen is. So is Gruden.

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Hall of Famer
By: Andy Graham
IUHoosiers.com

BLOOMINGTON, Ind. -
New Indiana football coach Tom Allen is a true believer in any number of ways.

He also asks for – demands, actually – belief from his players and coaches in the immediate and future prospects for success.

And it only took a matter of hours for the evangelical Allen to gain a convert in Jon Gruden.

Gruden knew IU football as a kid when dad Jim was an assistant for Lee Corso from 1973 to 1977. But he was outside the Hoosier orbit in subsequent decades as, among a great many other things, he became the youngest coach to win a Super Bowl and, more recently, became Monday Night Football's expert analyst.

After spending April 13 back in Bloomington prior to the annual Cream and Crimson intrasquad game that capped IU's 2017 spring practice, Gruden said this:

"This is a very interesting place, this place, IU. I don't think they've won a bowl game in 25 years. I can't remember when they've had a winning season.

"That's changing here. I just have this feeling. And I'm pretty good at forecasting events in football. And I want to see the beginning of it. I'm really, really intrigued by Allen. I'm really intrigued by this program. And I want to be a part of it, honestly. Selfishly."

During a subsequent interview in his office, Coach Allen was asked about Gruden's comments, and the discussion broadened into observations about IU's offense and defense heading into Allen's first full season at the Hoosier helm. And into the fervency of requisite belief. Excerpts from the interview, for the second of two articles culled from it, follow:

AG: What factors do you think Coach Gruden picked up on during his few hours here to have him endorse the program like that?

TA: "Obviously, this is speculation, because I can't speak for him. But I think there is a feel around here.

AG: "A vibe?"

TA: "Yeah, just from the perspective of our coaches, the chemistry of our coaches – it's hard to kind of hide that. And when you're around it, you can feel it. There is a genuine excitement from the people you talk to, players included. I think there is a belief, as he kind of said, a belief that things are going to start turning.
"Maybe he sensed that from just talking to players, talking to coaches, and just kind of getting the feel from here himself. I think there is a tangible feeling.

"…I think he has a lot of respect for (new IU offensive coordinator) Mike DeBord . That has added to it. And I also think he's done it long enough to see that, whereas some coaches make it about them(selves), that was really not the case here. There is a genuine sense this about 'we' not 'me.' "

AG: Coach Gruden also noted that every first-year head coach needs 'a contingency plan' because 'not everything is going to be roses.' How do you handle people when adversity strikes? I know you've said it is crucial for them to understand you genuinely value them more as people than as players or coaches.

TA: "You go back to what you really believe, when things don't go your way. Sometimes it can cause you to question some things you believe, but I think you have to go back to the core foundational principles in which you strongly believe. And you have to hold onto those.

"And that's why I'm so big on noting that it has to be something bigger than football. Football, sometimes, doesn't go the way you want it to. But when your foundation is deeper and richer and stronger than that, then you don't crumble. You may take some steps backwards, and then have to adjust, but you don't fall apart.

"I think that's what he means by that and he's right. Because I've been at this a long time and things don't always go the way you want them to. And sometimes you have to do some soul searching about the way you're doing some things, but your core beliefs, your convictions, don't change … and it's all about building relationships with people."

AG: What have you learned about yourself that you maybe didn't realize before you became a Division I Power 5 head football coach?

TA: "Sometimes from the outside-in, even looking in as an assistant, you don't really know how handling all that stuff as a head coach is going to be. How is that going to feel? I feel it has been a lot more manageable than I had guessed. It's a lot, no doubt. But we've got a lot of great people here (to help)."

AG: "You mentioned Mike DeBord when talking about Coach Gruden. You've obviously delegated a lot of responsibility to Coach DeBord (to essentially be head coach of the offense). What can you tell us you know about him now that perhaps you didn't know before he arrived in Bloomington?

TA: "He's got a great personality. I'd always known him as just a great person, but he has a lot of fun. He's much more playful than I would have thought.

"I knew him when I was a kid, when he and my dad (Tom, football coach at New Castle) were friends. That's kind of an interesting dynamic. I'd known him for all these years, but we'd never worked together.

"He's played a huge role in how our offensive staff has come together, obviously, and he and I are more similar than I even realized. I think he's just a really good fit, for me and for what I wanted. And with his personality, he and his offensive staff have a lot of fun together, which I think is important."

AG: Watching the spring game, I thought I saw quarterbacks doing a good job of going through their checks. Tom Brady has won five Super Bowls checking down. And who coached him in college at Michigan?

TA: " Mike DeBord and, absolutely, he believes in that. That's evident. And I just know it helps the quarterback be successful and, to me, that's the key position. That guy needs to be given the tools, the resources, the system to be able to help him succeed. We go as he goes, really.

"And I think just getting the ball in those areas (the flats, the shorter routes) puts stress on the defense, too. You have to go tackle in space, and tackling guys who are pretty good athletes in those running backs. I think that's a key thing."

AG: Richard Lagow is your returning starter at quarterback. Is that how you see his status heading into fall camp, while still having an open competition?

TA: "He's the starter. But we have to have competition in that room. And we have to have legit depth that we can count on and trust. Because things happen. Guys get injured. And he's got to play at a high level.

"We all benefit from competition. I benefit. Coaches benefit. Businesses benefit. It's a human principle to being excellent, knowing that there is somebody behind me who can take my job."

AG: And Peyton Ramsey looked like he could push Richard Lagow this spring?

TA: "Absolutely. And that's good for us. That's good for our team."

AG: "Tennessee's offense was second in the SEC in scoring and was really good in the red zone, among other things (under DeBord).

TA: "I looked at those things, too. Not only are those critical areas, they're areas we struggled in some last year. If I'm going to identify three key things (offensively) it's protecting the football, red-zone and third downs. If you kick too many field goals (in lieu of touchdowns) you get beat."

AG: You had your players list the record they expected the team to achieve, and then identify the specific wins and losses, then told them you didn't need anybody suiting up for any game they listed as an L?

TA: "I passed out 3 X 5 cards out to everybody and asked them, 'What is our record going to be?' This was during fall camp last year. I said, 'Write it down.'

"And if somebody said, '8-4,' I said, 'OK, you tell me, which four teams are we going to lose to?' So I made them write that down and had them pass them up. I started looking through them. And I'd pick out names and say, 'OK, when we go to play this team, you're not coming. You're not getting on the bus. Because you don't believe.' Or if it was a home game, 'Stay in your dorm room. Don't come. Because you don't believe.'

"I wanted to prove a point. You don't look at the schedule and say, 'Hmmm, there's one we could lose.' That's not how you do it. You have to believe. Are we going to go 12-0? That's obviously rare, but you have to believe, each time you take the field, that you're going to win. And that is the foundation to what I'm trying to get changed here."

AG: We all know the numbers. Such as your defense allowed 25 fewer TDs than the season before you arrived. And almost 130 fewer yards per game. Your unit played some good defense at times last fall. Now is it perhaps an even more daunting step to go from good to great?

TA: "That is our goal. I've stated publically that, while we dipped into the top 25 in a couple of categories, the goal is to get there in the majority of them.

"The key is depth, No. 1. When you go back and look at last season, when we did break down, it was often fatigue – our good players had just played too many snaps. We were making those plays earlier in the game but weren't making them in the fourth quarter.

"I think that ties into depth, but also execution at those critical times. There are variables that go with it, but it's that mental toughness, that ability to focus on those key things when the other team has to have it, too. How do you make those plays when both teams have to have a play? Something is going to take over. Athleticism. Execution. Focus. And just flat out 'want-to.' "

AG: Yeah, as Vince Lombardi said, 'Fatigue makes cowards of us all.' Looking at your unit last season, you had six defenders earn some form of All-Big Ten honors, the most in program history. Some key guys, such as linebacker Tegray Scales and cornerback Rashard Fant , return as seniors. How key is it to have them lead and to keep them fresh out there?

TA: "They need to elevate their game, too. You can't just assume it's going to happen again, or improve, just because it's the second year (in the system). That was the challenge I laid down to them all spring. You have to recreate it, have to have that mindset that we are going to take that next step, and here is how we're going to do it.

"What am I going to do differently to allow me to take that extra step? Extra film study? Extra reps in the weight room? A little more of this, a little more of that.

"I think sometimes success makes guys hungrier, and sometimes it makes them complacent. It has to make us hungrier."

AG: Stay hungry.

TA: "Exactly. And we haven't really done anything yet, so we don't have any right to do anything other than stay hungry.

"I promise you, it is human nature to let up when you feel like (you've had some success). We had such a huge chip on our shoulder going into last season. And I think there is enough out there, enough context, for us to still have that chip. The preseason magazines won't rate us (highly). We're already 24-point underdogs to Ohio State (for the Aug. 31 season opener at Memorial Stadium). It is what it is. I welcome that. Put us as low as you want. Underestimate us all you want. Bring it on."

iuhoosiers.com/news/2017/5/30/football-on-board-with-debord-allen-is-so-is-gruden.aspx

Go Hoosiers!
 
Thanks for posting this it may have been somewhere else already but I missed it.

I love the attitude and approach now hopefully it continues to develop on the field and in results as the season moves along.

I especially like the part about teaching the quarterbacks to go through their reads and progressions. That is one flaw that I feel IU quarterbacks have always had difficulty with and Lagow especially last year. If whoever is playing quarterback gets good at that we should see an improvement in the offensive teams results over last year.

Go Hoosiers crush the Bucknuts!
 
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Thanks for posting this it may have been somewhere else already but I missed it.

I love the attitude and approach now hopefully it continues to develop on the field and in results as the season moves along.

I especially like the part about teaching the quarterbacks to go through their reads and progressions. That is one flaw that I feel IU quarterbacks have always had difficulty with and Lagow especially last year. If whoever is playing quarterback gets good at that we should see an improvement in the offensive teams results over last year.

Go Hoosiers crush the Bucknuts!
I think Lagow struggled with it because of the offensive line problems related to injuries, depth and overall talent. Hard to check down when you're under so much pressure.
 
By: Andy Graham
IUHoosiers.com

BLOOMINGTON, Ind. -
New Indiana football coach Tom Allen is a true believer in any number of ways.

He also asks for – demands, actually – belief from his players and coaches in the immediate and future prospects for success.

And it only took a matter of hours for the evangelical Allen to gain a convert in Jon Gruden.

Gruden knew IU football as a kid when dad Jim was an assistant for Lee Corso from 1973 to 1977. But he was outside the Hoosier orbit in subsequent decades as, among a great many other things, he became the youngest coach to win a Super Bowl and, more recently, became Monday Night Football's expert analyst.

After spending April 13 back in Bloomington prior to the annual Cream and Crimson intrasquad game that capped IU's 2017 spring practice, Gruden said this:

"This is a very interesting place, this place, IU. I don't think they've won a bowl game in 25 years. I can't remember when they've had a winning season.

"That's changing here. I just have this feeling. And I'm pretty good at forecasting events in football. And I want to see the beginning of it. I'm really, really intrigued by Allen. I'm really intrigued by this program. And I want to be a part of it, honestly. Selfishly."

During a subsequent interview in his office, Coach Allen was asked about Gruden's comments, and the discussion broadened into observations about IU's offense and defense heading into Allen's first full season at the Hoosier helm. And into the fervency of requisite belief. Excerpts from the interview, for the second of two articles culled from it, follow:

AG: What factors do you think Coach Gruden picked up on during his few hours here to have him endorse the program like that?

TA: "Obviously, this is speculation, because I can't speak for him. But I think there is a feel around here.

AG: "A vibe?"

TA: "Yeah, just from the perspective of our coaches, the chemistry of our coaches – it's hard to kind of hide that. And when you're around it, you can feel it. There is a genuine excitement from the people you talk to, players included. I think there is a belief, as he kind of said, a belief that things are going to start turning.
"Maybe he sensed that from just talking to players, talking to coaches, and just kind of getting the feel from here himself. I think there is a tangible feeling.

"…I think he has a lot of respect for (new IU offensive coordinator) Mike DeBord . That has added to it. And I also think he's done it long enough to see that, whereas some coaches make it about them(selves), that was really not the case here. There is a genuine sense this about 'we' not 'me.' "

AG: Coach Gruden also noted that every first-year head coach needs 'a contingency plan' because 'not everything is going to be roses.' How do you handle people when adversity strikes? I know you've said it is crucial for them to understand you genuinely value them more as people than as players or coaches.

TA: "You go back to what you really believe, when things don't go your way. Sometimes it can cause you to question some things you believe, but I think you have to go back to the core foundational principles in which you strongly believe. And you have to hold onto those.

"And that's why I'm so big on noting that it has to be something bigger than football. Football, sometimes, doesn't go the way you want it to. But when your foundation is deeper and richer and stronger than that, then you don't crumble. You may take some steps backwards, and then have to adjust, but you don't fall apart.

"I think that's what he means by that and he's right. Because I've been at this a long time and things don't always go the way you want them to. And sometimes you have to do some soul searching about the way you're doing some things, but your core beliefs, your convictions, don't change … and it's all about building relationships with people."

AG: What have you learned about yourself that you maybe didn't realize before you became a Division I Power 5 head football coach?

TA: "Sometimes from the outside-in, even looking in as an assistant, you don't really know how handling all that stuff as a head coach is going to be. How is that going to feel? I feel it has been a lot more manageable than I had guessed. It's a lot, no doubt. But we've got a lot of great people here (to help)."

AG: "You mentioned Mike DeBord when talking about Coach Gruden. You've obviously delegated a lot of responsibility to Coach DeBord (to essentially be head coach of the offense). What can you tell us you know about him now that perhaps you didn't know before he arrived in Bloomington?

TA: "He's got a great personality. I'd always known him as just a great person, but he has a lot of fun. He's much more playful than I would have thought.

"I knew him when I was a kid, when he and my dad (Tom, football coach at New Castle) were friends. That's kind of an interesting dynamic. I'd known him for all these years, but we'd never worked together.

"He's played a huge role in how our offensive staff has come together, obviously, and he and I are more similar than I even realized. I think he's just a really good fit, for me and for what I wanted. And with his personality, he and his offensive staff have a lot of fun together, which I think is important."

AG: Watching the spring game, I thought I saw quarterbacks doing a good job of going through their checks. Tom Brady has won five Super Bowls checking down. And who coached him in college at Michigan?

TA: " Mike DeBord and, absolutely, he believes in that. That's evident. And I just know it helps the quarterback be successful and, to me, that's the key position. That guy needs to be given the tools, the resources, the system to be able to help him succeed. We go as he goes, really.

"And I think just getting the ball in those areas (the flats, the shorter routes) puts stress on the defense, too. You have to go tackle in space, and tackling guys who are pretty good athletes in those running backs. I think that's a key thing."

AG: Richard Lagow is your returning starter at quarterback. Is that how you see his status heading into fall camp, while still having an open competition?

TA: "He's the starter. But we have to have competition in that room. And we have to have legit depth that we can count on and trust. Because things happen. Guys get injured. And he's got to play at a high level.

"We all benefit from competition. I benefit. Coaches benefit. Businesses benefit. It's a human principle to being excellent, knowing that there is somebody behind me who can take my job."

AG: And Peyton Ramsey looked like he could push Richard Lagow this spring?

TA: "Absolutely. And that's good for us. That's good for our team."

AG: "Tennessee's offense was second in the SEC in scoring and was really good in the red zone, among other things (under DeBord).

TA: "I looked at those things, too. Not only are those critical areas, they're areas we struggled in some last year. If I'm going to identify three key things (offensively) it's protecting the football, red-zone and third downs. If you kick too many field goals (in lieu of touchdowns) you get beat."

AG: You had your players list the record they expected the team to achieve, and then identify the specific wins and losses, then told them you didn't need anybody suiting up for any game they listed as an L?

TA: "I passed out 3 X 5 cards out to everybody and asked them, 'What is our record going to be?' This was during fall camp last year. I said, 'Write it down.'

"And if somebody said, '8-4,' I said, 'OK, you tell me, which four teams are we going to lose to?' So I made them write that down and had them pass them up. I started looking through them. And I'd pick out names and say, 'OK, when we go to play this team, you're not coming. You're not getting on the bus. Because you don't believe.' Or if it was a home game, 'Stay in your dorm room. Don't come. Because you don't believe.'

"I wanted to prove a point. You don't look at the schedule and say, 'Hmmm, there's one we could lose.' That's not how you do it. You have to believe. Are we going to go 12-0? That's obviously rare, but you have to believe, each time you take the field, that you're going to win. And that is the foundation to what I'm trying to get changed here."

AG: We all know the numbers. Such as your defense allowed 25 fewer TDs than the season before you arrived. And almost 130 fewer yards per game. Your unit played some good defense at times last fall. Now is it perhaps an even more daunting step to go from good to great?

TA: "That is our goal. I've stated publically that, while we dipped into the top 25 in a couple of categories, the goal is to get there in the majority of them.

"The key is depth, No. 1. When you go back and look at last season, when we did break down, it was often fatigue – our good players had just played too many snaps. We were making those plays earlier in the game but weren't making them in the fourth quarter.

"I think that ties into depth, but also execution at those critical times. There are variables that go with it, but it's that mental toughness, that ability to focus on those key things when the other team has to have it, too. How do you make those plays when both teams have to have a play? Something is going to take over. Athleticism. Execution. Focus. And just flat out 'want-to.' "

AG: Yeah, as Vince Lombardi said, 'Fatigue makes cowards of us all.' Looking at your unit last season, you had six defenders earn some form of All-Big Ten honors, the most in program history. Some key guys, such as linebacker Tegray Scales and cornerback Rashard Fant , return as seniors. How key is it to have them lead and to keep them fresh out there?

TA: "They need to elevate their game, too. You can't just assume it's going to happen again, or improve, just because it's the second year (in the system). That was the challenge I laid down to them all spring. You have to recreate it, have to have that mindset that we are going to take that next step, and here is how we're going to do it.

"What am I going to do differently to allow me to take that extra step? Extra film study? Extra reps in the weight room? A little more of this, a little more of that.

"I think sometimes success makes guys hungrier, and sometimes it makes them complacent. It has to make us hungrier."

AG: Stay hungry.

TA: "Exactly. And we haven't really done anything yet, so we don't have any right to do anything other than stay hungry.

"I promise you, it is human nature to let up when you feel like (you've had some success). We had such a huge chip on our shoulder going into last season. And I think there is enough out there, enough context, for us to still have that chip. The preseason magazines won't rate us (highly). We're already 24-point underdogs to Ohio State (for the Aug. 31 season opener at Memorial Stadium). It is what it is. I welcome that. Put us as low as you want. Underestimate us all you want. Bring it on."

iuhoosiers.com/news/2017/5/30/football-on-board-with-debord-allen-is-so-is-gruden.aspx

Go Hoosiers!
Good read!
 
Thanks for posting this it may have been somewhere else already but I missed it.

I love the attitude and approach now hopefully it continues to develop on the field and in results as the season moves along.

I especially like the part about teaching the quarterbacks to go through their reads and progressions. That is one flaw that I feel IU quarterbacks have always had difficulty with and Lagow especially last year. If whoever is playing quarterback gets good at that we should see an improvement in the offensive teams results over last year.

Go Hoosiers crush the Bucknuts!

I am not convinced that RL will improve materially in his ability/consistency in checking through his reads.

Our seats allow good views and he locks in on one target almost exclusively (defensive pressure or none). I occasionally move down to the NEZ for parts of games because I appreciate the perspective of play development and it is quite obvious from there.

I do hope he progresses, but I Will be surprised if he does.
 
I am not convinced that RL will improve materially in his ability/consistency in checking through his reads.

Our seats allow good views and he locks in on one target almost exclusively (defensive pressure or none). I occasionally move down to the NEZ for parts of games because I appreciate the perspective of play development and it is quite obvious from there.

I do hope he progresses, but I Will be surprised if he does.
I hear you, and others have raised this concern as well. Why, though, are you doubtful about the possibility (or even likelihood) of improvement in this area? I think, to some extent at least, this is a function of experience. Prior to last season, Lagow had never taken a snap in a D-1 game. I'm hoping that with increased confidence and effective coaching he should see gains in this area. And who knows. The dynamics for him may be better with DeBord and his staff than with Wilson, Johns et al. No guarantees, of course. He's certainly going to be tested early.
 
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I hear you, and others have raised this concern as well. Why, though, are you doubtful about the possibility (or even likelihood) of improvement in this area? I think, to some extent at least, this is a function of experience. Prior to last season, Lagow had never taken a snap in a D-1 game. I'm hoping that with increased confidence and effective coaching he should see gains in this area. And who knows. The dynamics for him may be better with DeBord and his staff than with Wilson, Johns et al. No guarantees, of course. He's certainly going to be tested early.

As I said, I hope he progresses but he was working under a very good offensive guy and made zero progress. Zero.

Let's hope his new coach figures out the disconnect.
 
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