Michigan State Spartans Insider Podcast: Fall Camp Defensive Updates
In this story:
Michigan State has an intriguing defense this season, a group that consists of veterans still looking to prove themselves, young returners looking to do the same, and newcomers.
There's depth at every position, which is making for great competition, something this staff places a major emphasis on. With each room maximizing competition within, we could see a much improved Spartan defense this season.
Michigan State defensive coordinator Joe Rossi provided some updates on Tuesday. Our Aidan Champion identifies the key takeaways from his availability on this latest edition of the Michigan State Spartans Insider Podcast.
You can watch the episode below:
Below is a partial transcript from Rossi's availability:
Joe Rossi
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."
Keep up with all our Michigan State football content when you follow the official Spartan Nation page on Facebook, Spartan Nation, WHEN YOU CLICK RIGHT HERE, and be sure to share your thoughts on this latest podcast episode when you join our community group, Go Green Go White, WHEN YOU CLICK RIGHT HERE. Don't forget to give us a follow on X @MSUSpartansOnSI as well.
