WATCH: MSU DC Joe Rossi Speaks After Fall Camp Practice
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EAST LANSING, Mich. -- Michigan State is already in Week 2 of fall camp, with a scrimmage scheduled for Saturday.
Defensively, Michigan State added some new faces all across the board, addressing some areas of need while beefing up depth and adding competition.
Michigan State defensive coordinator Joe Rossi spoke on the state of his defense when he addressed the media following the Spartans' practice on Tuesday.
You can watch below:
Below is a partial transcript:
Q: Why did you practice in the stadium for first day of pads and what did you get done?
Rossi: "It was good work. We got an opportunity to do some tackling. So, we had some different periods -- we had some pass emphasis periods, we got some run emphasis periods, first and second down. So I think, really, the decision from coach (Jonathan Smith) was just to get the guys experience in the stadium.
"We have some new people that were additions to the roster, we're going to be scrimmaging later in the week, so it was, 'Hey, get them over there in the practice, let them see what it's like, and when we go over there for the scrimmage, create the most game-like situation as possible.'"
Q: How are you juggling the tackling throughout camp?
Rossi: "The reality is there's a limited amount of times you can practice now. Coach Smith kind of goes through and picks the days and then talks to the staff about, 'Hey, what are the days going to be?' I think there's different ways to practice tackling, whether it's individual, whether it's on bags, whether it's just tagging off, but then also, you have your live days.
"So, I think the thing we do as a defense is, ' What is the day, what is the emphasis? Is it an emphasis on tagging, is it an emphasis on thudding, is it an emphasis on bringing guys down?' So, I thought yesterday was great to get some live hits. We got the ball out on the perimeter on some 'now' screens, which are the hardest tackles in football, and put our guys in those situations, so it was good work."
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