New MSU RB Coach Brad Salem is Making the Grade!

When Dan Enos left to be the head coach at Central Michigan, the Spartan Nation waited anxiously to see who Mark Dantonio would add to his staff. True to the

When Dan Enos left to be the head coach at Central Michigan, the Spartan Nation waited anxiously to see who Mark Dantonio would add to his staff. True to the form he has demonstrated since day one, Dantonio waited.  Despite numerous more well known assistants and some pressure to pick other candidates, he picked his guy, Brad Salem.

One of the many story lines of this spring is how Salem would do. It didn’t take long. Salem was handed perhaps the best two-freshman backfield in America.  “He is a great teacher of all the little things,” was how star Edwin “ROCK” Baker referred to his new coach.

Larry Caper went even farther when he told me, “I need to understand the entire line assignments and he really stresses that. He (Salem) is such a great teacher and makes things so simple. He wants us to know all the assignments of our line so we instinctively can understand and know where they are and what they will be doing, as well as our duties.”

Those are encouraging words. Yes, they were freshman last fall, that didn't change the lofty expectations though.  The two youngsters (Baker and Caper) at times really struggled last season.  The 'G' play which is staple in the MSU playbook demonstrated just how youthful our backfield was in 2009.  The 'G' play is when the Spartan OL stretches and the running back looks for their hole and the proper cut. There was some thought that they needed a better understanding of what everyone was doing so that they could make those cuts.  They needed a fundamental understanding of the play as well as the personnel as to trust their lineman that the hole would be open when they got there.

The speed factor is a huge adjustment for the young back.  At times in 2009, they hesitated waiting to long for the hole to open.  That was something they could get away with in high school, but not in a Big Ten Conference game. If they wait for the hole to open in the Big Ten when they see it and cut, it is closed before they get to it.

Salem told me when he was hired, “I think that what I do best is teach. Football isn’t about the screaming coach. It is about breaking things down to their simplest form and showing the guys what is expected of them and those they are playing with.”

One thing is certain; the Spartans OL in 2010 will not be held together with scotch tape as it was in 2009. This group will be young, but they will be very athletic and talented.  MSU young OL talent along with the combustible combo of Baker and Caper will surely prove to be a much improved rushing attack. Add  a pair of talented freshman in LeVeon Bell and Nick Hill and the needed backfield depth appears to be what the Spartans need.

Dantonio knows that his team has to get back to their way of football. The foundation of MSU football  is the running game. With a better-informed group of players, an improved offensive line and a leader in Salem ,that teaches every minor bit of what others would see as minutia, they will be.