Belt calls Leonhard the favorite for DC

We need a poll. Do you want a "retread Ex-Head Coach or Young/new unproven guy" as your DC? I'm tired of re-treads. Have been for 2 decades.
 
stiletto said:
We need a poll. Do you want a "retread Ex-Head Coach or Young/new unproven guy" as your DC? I'm tired of re-treads. Have been for 2 decades.
Click to expand...
Leonhard looks like a good young coach to give a shot at it. He looks like he could be a good fit with our headcoach.
 
Pass2Run said:
We all know the only thing more powerful than Belt's prediction is the quadruple plat.
Click to expand...
I listen to Bobby. He has some inside reaching-- don't always love what he says but anything he does say I pay attention to because there is probably "something" behind it. A guy like that will also eat the "same cheese" the people feeding him information do, so I always take that into account.
 
What has Leonhard done other than coach D-backs? He's never called a defense. Never been a D-Coordinator at any level.

Why would anyone want Jerry to give away this defense to a badly inexperienced young buck with no more than a position experience?

Talk about major dumb.
 
America's Cowboy said:
What has Leonhard done other than coach D-backs? He's never called a defense. Never been a D-Coordinator at any level.

Why would anyone want Jerry to give away this defense to a badly inexperienced young buck with no more than a position experience?

Talk about major dumb.
Click to expand...
He was the defensive coordinator at Wisconsin and the interim head coach as well. Had a top five defense in Division One three times against elite competition.
 
America's Cowboy said:
What has Leonhard done other than coach D-backs? He's never called a defense. Never been a D-Coordinator at any level.

Why would anyone want Jerry to give away this defense to a badly inexperienced young buck with no more than a position experience?

Talk about major dumb.
Click to expand...
As Wisconsin's Defensive Coordinator (2017-2022), Jim Leonhard built one of College Football's top defenses, consistently ranking top-5 nationally in scoring defense, with his defenses allowing under 23 PPG for six straight years, and he briefly served as interim Head Coach in 2022, going 4-3 before leaving the program.

Key Defensive Highlights (2017-2022)
  • Top-Tier Rankings: Led units that finished 3rd (2017), 4th (2021), 9th (2020), and 10th (2019) nationally in scoring defense, allowing under 20 PPG in four of his six seasons as DC.
  • Record-Setting Units: In 2018, the defense set a school record with 51 sacks and led the Big Ten with four shutouts, per.
  • Elite Yardage Defense: The 2021 defense ranked 3rd in school history in total yards allowed and was one of the best in the nation at stopping the run.

Yeah he hasn't done anything like that in the NFL. Maybe we should let him try here. Talk about dumb not giving a young guy a chance. LOL!
 
I know we aren't supposed to post Ai information here but I DO believe some AI will benefit us all and also if it factually make us smarter what is the problem.

It should be in support of our collective with disclaimer at all times. Anyways, the below answer is Ai generated from Elon's SuperGrok. Form your own opinion. It is the world we live in and no malice towards the forum owners.

This is SuperGrok's (Elon's Ai) response on Leonhard. It's just for info and everyone should form their own opinion.

>>> Grok input --- Is jim leonhard a good defensive coordinator?

Searching the web
38 results

Searching on X
10 results

Grok Answer:

Yes, Jim Leonhard is widely regarded as an excellent defensive coordinator — one of the best in recent college football history, with strong early success translating to the NFL level.

From 2017–2022, as defensive coordinator at Wisconsin (his alma mater), Leonhard consistently built elite units in the Power-5/Big Ten. His defenses ranked among the nation's top performers in multiple key categories over that span:
  • Frequently top-5 nationally in total defense and top-10 in scoring defense (multiple seasons).
  • Led Power-5 teams in yards allowed per game (288.0), first downs allowed (15.4), and third-down conversion percentage (30.8%) from 2017–22.
  • Standout years included 2021 (No. 1 in total defense nationally) and multiple top rankings in rushing defense, pass efficiency, and takeaways.
These numbers made Wisconsin one of the most feared and complete defenses in college football during his tenure, earning him Broyles Award finalist recognition (top assistant coach) in his first year as DC.

After a brief stint as a senior analyst at Illinois in 2023, he jumped to the NFL in 2024 with the Denver Broncos as defensive backs coach and pass game coordinator. He was quickly promoted to assistant head coach/defensive pass game coordinator. Under his influence, the Broncos' secondary thrived — cornerback Pat Surtain II won AP Defensive Player of the Year honors in 2024, and the unit ranked highly in pass defense metrics (e.g., top-6 in fewest passing TDs allowed and strong passer rating against).

As of January 2026, Leonhard remains with Denver but has drawn significant interest for defensive coordinator roles elsewhere — including an interview request from the Dallas Cowboys for their vacancy. Multiple reports describe him as a "fan favorite," "excellent coach," and one of the most promising defensive minds in the league, with teams viewing him as a potential play-caller.

In short, his track record shows innovative, disciplined schemes that excel at stopping both the run and pass while generating turnovers and varying pressures — without relying on reckless blitzing. The consensus across analysts, former players, and teams is that he's not just good... he's elite, especially for someone relatively young in his coaching career (he's 43). If he lands a full DC role soon, expectations are sky-high."
 
stiletto said:
I listen to Bobby. He has some inside reaching-- don't always love what he says but anything he does say I pay attention to because there is probably "something" behind it. A guy like that will also eat the "same cheese" the people feeding him information do, so I always take that into account.
Click to expand...
He's the only one in there I can stomach, if that means anything. I was just giving the guy crap for his bold claim.

Had we fired, EverBust early on, maybe all the stars could have aligned. But it just wasn't in the cards for Eberflus.
 
America's Cowboy said:
What has Leonhard done other than coach D-backs? He's never called a defense. Never been a D-Coordinator at any level.

Why would anyone want Jerry to give away this defense to a badly inexperienced young buck with no more than a position experience?

Talk about major dumb.
Click to expand...
He was the defensive coordinator at Wisconsin and did a good job there.
 
stiletto said:
As Wisconsin's Defensive Coordinator (2017-2022), Jim Leonhard built one of College Football's top defenses, consistently ranking top-5 nationally in scoring defense, with his defenses allowing under 23 PPG for six straight years, and he briefly served as interim Head Coach in 2022, going 4-3 before leaving the program.

Key Defensive Highlights (2017-2022)
  • Top-Tier Rankings: Led units that finished 3rd (2017), 4th (2021), 9th (2020), and 10th (2019) nationally in scoring defense, allowing under 20 PPG in four of his six seasons as DC.
  • Record-Setting Units: In 2018, the defense set a school record with 51 sacks and led the Big Ten with four shutouts, per.
  • Elite Yardage Defense: The 2021 defense ranked 3rd in school history in total yards allowed and was one of the best in the nation at stopping the run.

Yeah he hasn't done anything like that in the NFL. Maybe we should let him try here. Talk about dumb not giving a young guy a chance. LOL!
Click to expand...
Wow, impressive!

Where is my burnt crow for breakfast? I stand badly corrected.

:bow:
 
stiletto said:
I know we aren't supposed to post Ai information here but I DO believe some AI will benefit us all and also if it factually make us smarter what is the problem.

It should be in support of our collective with disclaimer at all times. Anyways, the below answer is Ai generated from Elon's SuperGrok. Form your own opinion. It is the world we live in and no malice towards the forum owners.

This is SuperGrok's (Elon's Ai) response on Leonhard. It's just for info and everyone should form their own opinion.

>>> Grok input --- Is jim leonhard a good defensive coordinator?

Searching the web
38 results

Searching on X
10 results

Grok Answer:

Yes, Jim Leonhard is widely regarded as an excellent defensive coordinator — one of the best in recent college football history, with strong early success translating to the NFL level.

From 2017–2022, as defensive coordinator at Wisconsin (his alma mater), Leonhard consistently built elite units in the Power-5/Big Ten. His defenses ranked among the nation's top performers in multiple key categories over that span:
  • Frequently top-5 nationally in total defense and top-10 in scoring defense (multiple seasons).
  • Led Power-5 teams in yards allowed per game (288.0), first downs allowed (15.4), and third-down conversion percentage (30.8%) from 2017–22.
  • Standout years included 2021 (No. 1 in total defense nationally) and multiple top rankings in rushing defense, pass efficiency, and takeaways.
These numbers made Wisconsin one of the most feared and complete defenses in college football during his tenure, earning him Broyles Award finalist recognition (top assistant coach) in his first year as DC.

After a brief stint as a senior analyst at Illinois in 2023, he jumped to the NFL in 2024 with the Denver Broncos as defensive backs coach and pass game coordinator. He was quickly promoted to assistant head coach/defensive pass game coordinator. Under his influence, the Broncos' secondary thrived — cornerback Pat Surtain II won AP Defensive Player of the Year honors in 2024, and the unit ranked highly in pass defense metrics (e.g., top-6 in fewest passing TDs allowed and strong passer rating against).

As of January 2026, Leonhard remains with Denver but has drawn significant interest for defensive coordinator roles elsewhere — including an interview request from the Dallas Cowboys for their vacancy. Multiple reports describe him as a "fan favorite," "excellent coach," and one of the most promising defensive minds in the league, with teams viewing him as a potential play-caller.

In short, his track record shows innovative, disciplined schemes that excel at stopping both the run and pass while generating turnovers and varying pressures — without relying on reckless blitzing. The consensus across analysts, former players, and teams is that he's not just good... he's elite, especially for someone relatively young in his coaching career (he's 43). If he lands a full DC role soon, expectations are sky-high."
Click to expand...
OK, I'm ready for my punishment...

QJZ0p-Y.gif
 
stiletto said:
I listen to Bobby. He has some inside reaching-- don't always love what he says but anything he does say I pay attention to because there is probably "something" behind it. A guy like that will also eat the "same cheese" the people feeding him information do, so I always take that into account.
Click to expand...
EXACTLY!!
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Staff online

Members online

... and 75 more.
Total: 2,330 (members: 175, guests: 2,155)
Robots: 1,314

Latest posts

Forum statistics

Threads
471,567
Messages
14,349,372
Members
23,856
Latest member
jessicajohnn
Back
Top