North Carolina State University Athletics
Preseason Q&A: Secondary Coach Mike Reed
8/24/2007 12:00:00 AM | Football
BY TIM PEELER
“I am one of those coaches where if I ask my players to do something, I want to still be able to do it myself,” Reed said.
The 35-year-old native of
He began his coaching career at
He talked with GoPack.com managing editor Tim Peeler about the development of NC State’s secondary during preseason camp.
GoPack.com: You have one of the more experienced and deep groups on the team. What have you learned about them through spring practice and training camp?
Reed: What I see so far is a pretty deep group, some guys with a lot of experience and guys who are hungry. As a coach, that is what you want to see in your players, a hunger. Guys are doing a good job picking up the new defensive scheme. We are actually practicing better the last few days. We just have to get more consistent and we will be fine.
GoPack.com: A lot was made during spring practice of the fact that you will be playing more zone coverage in the secondary than the man-to-man coverage that was used the last few years. How big of a difference will that be?
Reed: It’s a lot o more learning. But I have heard a lot of people say that we are only going to play zone coverage, and that’s not entirely accurate. We are going to mix it up. These kids did a good job playing man coverage and by no means are we going to sit back and say forget about the old defense, because that is something they did well. As a coach, you always want to look at what you team does well and deviate too much from it. But we have also given them something else to put them in position to make plays.
GoPack.com: NC State didn’t force a lot of turnovers last year, making an ACC-low seven interceptions. What have you been working on to improve the turnover ratio?
Reed: When you play zone defense, you put your players in better position to see everything in front of you. Just telling guys to react and make plays on the ball. We aren’t making any kind of drastic changes, we are just putting them in better position where they can see the field and make plays on the ball.
GoPack.com: Talk a little bit about your cornerbacks.
Reed: The corners are a very deep group. We have a lot of guys who have game experience. It’s been a pleasure working with them. But even going into next week, I don’t really know who my starters are. I have guys who have a lot of game experience, but I also have some young guys who have shown some good things over the last couple weeks.
GoPack.com: One of the first things you did in the spring was move J.C. Neal from safety to cornerback. What did you see in him that made you want to make that switch?
Reed: When I got here and saw him run and saw what talents he possessed athletically, I said This guy should be a corner.’ He has all the attributes of what you want out of a corner. He is aggressive. He runs well. He has great hips. He is instinctive and he is smart. He has done a tremendous job.
GoPack.com: With Neal and Jeremy Gray you have two of the bigger cornerbacks in the ACC. What is the advantage of having bigger corners?
Reed: A lot of teams are cracking down on the safeties in terms of run support, which forces your corners to make a lot of tackles. Having bigger corners means they are more apt to make more tackles. They are also able to stand up to the beating and pounding of the running game.
GoPack.com: Can you talk a little bit about some of your other corners?
Reed: Levin Neal has done a tremendous job. He is very smart and athletic. He is also very competitive. He is one of the guys you have to pull the reins in sometimes because he is so competitive. Jimmie Sutton III, other than Miguel Scott, has more game experience than any other guy in the secondary. He is coming off a sore ankle that slowed him down a little that slowed him down some. But he will be in the mix. It will be hard for me as a coach to select who will start and who won’t. But they are all going to play.
GoPack.com: How many guys will you rotate at the corners?
Reed: You basically have to play it by ear. Right now, I will rotate by series. But I am one of those type of coaches that if a guy is in The Zone,’ I am not going to take him out of it. I am going to let him stay in there as long as he is making plays. I won’t mess with him.
GoPack.com: Have you settled on your safeties?
Reed: Miguel Scott, our free safety, is a great talent. He is the quarterback of our defense. He lines guys up. He is athletic. He reminds me a little bit of a Brian Dawkins, in that he can go out and play on wide receivers man-to-man. At strong safety, we have DaJuan Morgan, who is a very physical player, as well as Javon Walker, who is pushing for the starting position. But we also have some guys who are starting to pick things up, like Robbie Leonard and Bobby Floyd. It is a good group, though there is not quite as much depth as we have at the corners.
GoPack.com: In man-to-man coverage, safeties are usually enforcer types, with the rover back used almost like a fourth linebacker. How does that change when you are playing more zone coverage?
Reed: There is a lot more thinking involved in being a safety, because there are a lot of calls and checks to make and lining people up. But I like to coach all of my guys to play like cornerbacks. That means they can all cover everyone like a cornerback and they can play like safeties. I don’t want to do a whole lot of substitution when teams are going four- and five-wide. I like to say My guys, corners and safeties, are just as good as your wide receivers. Bring it on.’ That’s the competitiveness in me.
GoPack.com: You were drafted out of
Reed: I have always loved the GoPack.com: What intrigued you about returning to college football after spending the last five years coaching in the NFL? Reed: A lot of people have asked me why I would leave the Philadelphia Eagles to come to college football. For one, it gives me the opportunity to coach the entire secondary. With the Eagles, I was basically the assistant to the assistant. I really didn’t have much of a voice. Coming here has allowed me to be the voice of the secondary. It has opened up a lot of opportunities for me, because my dream is to be a college head coach one day. And what better way for me to learn than from a guy like Coach O’Brien, who has been so successful for the last decade. GoPack.com: What does your experience of playing and coaching in the NFL bring to this team? Reed: I think mostly what I bring is a certain amount of credibility about playing in the defensive backfield. When the players look at you, they can tell that what you are asking them to do, you have actually done yourself. What I teach my guys are drills, fundamentals and techniques that I have done myself and they were what got me to play in the NFL. So I am going to pass them on to the players. You may contact Tim Peeler at tim_peeler@ncsu.edu.
