Bull Frog
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I found this on the Falcons website for those who are interested:
http://www.atlantafalcons.com/team/article.jsp?id=19512
http://www.atlantafalcons.com/team/article.jsp?id=19512
Tough Attitude-Mike Zimmer
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tomson75
Brain Dead Shill
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For you lazy bumz...
Tough attitude
By Chris Pika, **.com
May 15, 2007
Mike Zimmer Coaching Bio
High Expectations: Q&A with OC Hue Jackson
Falcons defensive coordinator Mike Zimmer joined Atlanta after after spending the past 13 years coaching in different capacities for the Dallas Cowboys. During his time in Dallas, Zimmer established himself as one of the league's top defensive minds, witnessing seven teams move on to postseason play. After joining the staff in 1994, he was promoted to defensive coordinator in 2000. In seven of his 13 years with the club, the Cowboys ranked in the top 10 in total defense and pass defense.
**.com sat with Coach Zimmer and talked about his transition to Atlanta, the defensive group, what players need to be successful in that part of the game and his general defensive philosophy.
Q: What attracted you to the defensive coordinator's job in Atlanta after so many years in Dallas?
Zimmer: I had been there for 13 years and it was a great situation for me. When I heard that Bobby Petrino was getting this job, I called him. I was attracted to work with him again. I always thought he was a good coach when I did work with him. I was particular in the area that I wanted to go -- I didn't want to go to just any place. We played here in Atlanta a couple of times and I didn't know the area all that well. I figured it would be similar to Texas in some ways. The combination between the ownership, the head coach and area felt like a good fit for me.
Q: How did that transition go for you?
Zimmer: It's actually been kind of good for me. The fact is that when you have been in a place for so long, you forget about all of the little things you have to do when you move. In saying all that, it's been good. Getting to know the new coaching staff and players, seeing how another organization does things -- it's all positive.
Q: What impressed you about the Falcons facilities in Flowery Branch?
Zimmer: Obviously, we have first-class facilities here. All of the management and ownership has first class and they have all treated us very good. The practice facility, the weight room, the way they treat the players -- I think they are all positives.
Q: How do you work with Coach Petrino? You had worked with him before at Weber State.
Zimmer: It was a long time ago and we were both pretty young. We had stayed in contact a little bit. We talked after we played each other and we never talked when we played each other. I know that's how he is and that's how I am. I always respected him as a coach and respected the way that he coached and his knowledge of the game. We always got along very well. I always kept an eye on what he did at Louisville and at Jacksonville.
Q: What are the key differences between a 3-4 and a 4-3 defenses?
Zimmer: In some areas, they are a lot alike and in other areas, it's 100 percent different. The biggest thing is how the defensive front plays in the 3-4 as opposed to the 4-3. In the 3-4, you are a two-gap team. You are hitting guys head up and playing both sides of them. In a 4-3 and a gap defense, you are basically playing an edge of the blockers a lot more. In a 3-4, the outside linebackers are more of a rush-drop combination. The secondary part is fairly similar, but the front is the big difference.
Q: What kind of skills and attitude does it take for a player to succeed on defense?
Zimmer: I think, first and foremost, you have to be a great competitor. If you have guys who are great competitors and they trust in what the scheme allows you to do and where everybody else is going to be, you can be efficient defensively. Saying that, the faster, bigger, stronger and better player you are -- if you combine all of those things, you have a chance to be a great defense. We've had several defenses in the past which were supposedly not that talented that have played very well -- they were all guys who were on the same page, did things right and knew what they were supposed to do. They played with a lot of heart and effort. Consequently, there have been some defenses that haven't played as good and were more talented. They didn't have the same chemistry, competitiveness or whatever it is.
Q: Do you have a general defensive philosophy?
Zimmer: It changes based on the personnel that you have a little bit, but basically, we are going to stop the run, however we have to do it. If I have to put 11 guys out there, if I have to cheat and put 12 out there, we are going to stop the run. Obviously, we are trying to create turnovers and put pressure on the quarterback when we can do that. If you don't get the run stopped, then you don't have the chance to pressure the quarterback and you are fighting an uphill battle all day. That will be the one big thing and hopefully, if we can get teams in the situations in which we can attack them, we will be aggressive.
Q: What excites you about working with this defense?
Zimmer: We have some talented players. DeAngelo Hall John Abraham, Keith Brooking, Rod Coleman, Lawyer Milloy are all talented players -- that's the exciting thing. Trying to get all of the players to do it the way I want them to do it will be the challenging thing. Hopefully, we can get that done. The other thing that honestly I am excited about is that the defensive coaches have put in a lot of time this offseason -- trying to learn the new system, different terminology, putting everything together and trying to figure out the best way to get this thing going in the right direction. I am excited about working with those guys, maybe even more than the players.
Q: How have the players adapted to what you are trying to install?
Zimmer: For the most part, it's been pretty good. Some guys are a little set in their ways and you have to work with them to do it the right way. Most of them have been real responsive to everything. I am a different type of guy than maybe they've had in the past. They have to get used to my personality a little bit and I have to get used to their personality some. In the last 20 years, they've had one top 10 defense here and one of our jobs is going to be to try to create a new mindset defensively -- it doesn't matter who or how they are playing, we are going to get this thing done and not take any excuses about it.
Q: Is there a particular group on defense that stands out to you?
Zimmer: I think the linebackers, as a group, look like they have a chance to get some stuff done. I know there were a lot of big plays last year in the secondary, but they have some talented players that if we can get that big play thing settled down, we can help them. I am excited about working with these young guys.
Q: What kind of players did the Falcons draft on defense this year?
Zimmer: First of all, (Director of College Scouting) Phil Emery, (President & GM) Rich McKay and the scouts did a good job of identifying the guys and helping to hopefully get the right guys picked. That turned out really well. I like young players because they are not set in their ways and we can mold them in the way we want. Jamaal Anderson is a talented guy who has a long way to go, but is a talented player. He can do some things and obviously replacing Patrick Kerney will be tough, but that's why we picked him so he can do that. Chris Houston is a good competitor and I think you need that on the outside - a guy with a short memory at that corner spot, especially for a rookie. He is going to get a chance to get some balls. Stephen Nicholas is a guy who Coach Petrino watched for a long time while at Louisville and we targeted him right from the beginning.
Q: Will facing the offensive sets shown in practice every day help the defense?
Zimmer: There are so many things we have to work on like technique; alignment, assignments and different calls. It's about getting our side of the ball ready for the first game. The good thing about it is that they are varied offensively, so it gives us a lot of different things to look at. In the long run, it will prepare us better.
Tough attitude
By Chris Pika, **.com
May 15, 2007
Mike Zimmer Coaching Bio
High Expectations: Q&A with OC Hue Jackson
Falcons defensive coordinator Mike Zimmer joined Atlanta after after spending the past 13 years coaching in different capacities for the Dallas Cowboys. During his time in Dallas, Zimmer established himself as one of the league's top defensive minds, witnessing seven teams move on to postseason play. After joining the staff in 1994, he was promoted to defensive coordinator in 2000. In seven of his 13 years with the club, the Cowboys ranked in the top 10 in total defense and pass defense.
**.com sat with Coach Zimmer and talked about his transition to Atlanta, the defensive group, what players need to be successful in that part of the game and his general defensive philosophy.
Q: What attracted you to the defensive coordinator's job in Atlanta after so many years in Dallas?
Zimmer: I had been there for 13 years and it was a great situation for me. When I heard that Bobby Petrino was getting this job, I called him. I was attracted to work with him again. I always thought he was a good coach when I did work with him. I was particular in the area that I wanted to go -- I didn't want to go to just any place. We played here in Atlanta a couple of times and I didn't know the area all that well. I figured it would be similar to Texas in some ways. The combination between the ownership, the head coach and area felt like a good fit for me.
Q: How did that transition go for you?
Zimmer: It's actually been kind of good for me. The fact is that when you have been in a place for so long, you forget about all of the little things you have to do when you move. In saying all that, it's been good. Getting to know the new coaching staff and players, seeing how another organization does things -- it's all positive.
Q: What impressed you about the Falcons facilities in Flowery Branch?
Zimmer: Obviously, we have first-class facilities here. All of the management and ownership has first class and they have all treated us very good. The practice facility, the weight room, the way they treat the players -- I think they are all positives.
Q: How do you work with Coach Petrino? You had worked with him before at Weber State.
Zimmer: It was a long time ago and we were both pretty young. We had stayed in contact a little bit. We talked after we played each other and we never talked when we played each other. I know that's how he is and that's how I am. I always respected him as a coach and respected the way that he coached and his knowledge of the game. We always got along very well. I always kept an eye on what he did at Louisville and at Jacksonville.
Q: What are the key differences between a 3-4 and a 4-3 defenses?
Zimmer: In some areas, they are a lot alike and in other areas, it's 100 percent different. The biggest thing is how the defensive front plays in the 3-4 as opposed to the 4-3. In the 3-4, you are a two-gap team. You are hitting guys head up and playing both sides of them. In a 4-3 and a gap defense, you are basically playing an edge of the blockers a lot more. In a 3-4, the outside linebackers are more of a rush-drop combination. The secondary part is fairly similar, but the front is the big difference.
Q: What kind of skills and attitude does it take for a player to succeed on defense?
Zimmer: I think, first and foremost, you have to be a great competitor. If you have guys who are great competitors and they trust in what the scheme allows you to do and where everybody else is going to be, you can be efficient defensively. Saying that, the faster, bigger, stronger and better player you are -- if you combine all of those things, you have a chance to be a great defense. We've had several defenses in the past which were supposedly not that talented that have played very well -- they were all guys who were on the same page, did things right and knew what they were supposed to do. They played with a lot of heart and effort. Consequently, there have been some defenses that haven't played as good and were more talented. They didn't have the same chemistry, competitiveness or whatever it is.
Q: Do you have a general defensive philosophy?
Zimmer: It changes based on the personnel that you have a little bit, but basically, we are going to stop the run, however we have to do it. If I have to put 11 guys out there, if I have to cheat and put 12 out there, we are going to stop the run. Obviously, we are trying to create turnovers and put pressure on the quarterback when we can do that. If you don't get the run stopped, then you don't have the chance to pressure the quarterback and you are fighting an uphill battle all day. That will be the one big thing and hopefully, if we can get teams in the situations in which we can attack them, we will be aggressive.
Q: What excites you about working with this defense?
Zimmer: We have some talented players. DeAngelo Hall John Abraham, Keith Brooking, Rod Coleman, Lawyer Milloy are all talented players -- that's the exciting thing. Trying to get all of the players to do it the way I want them to do it will be the challenging thing. Hopefully, we can get that done. The other thing that honestly I am excited about is that the defensive coaches have put in a lot of time this offseason -- trying to learn the new system, different terminology, putting everything together and trying to figure out the best way to get this thing going in the right direction. I am excited about working with those guys, maybe even more than the players.
Q: How have the players adapted to what you are trying to install?
Zimmer: For the most part, it's been pretty good. Some guys are a little set in their ways and you have to work with them to do it the right way. Most of them have been real responsive to everything. I am a different type of guy than maybe they've had in the past. They have to get used to my personality a little bit and I have to get used to their personality some. In the last 20 years, they've had one top 10 defense here and one of our jobs is going to be to try to create a new mindset defensively -- it doesn't matter who or how they are playing, we are going to get this thing done and not take any excuses about it.
Q: Is there a particular group on defense that stands out to you?
Zimmer: I think the linebackers, as a group, look like they have a chance to get some stuff done. I know there were a lot of big plays last year in the secondary, but they have some talented players that if we can get that big play thing settled down, we can help them. I am excited about working with these young guys.
Q: What kind of players did the Falcons draft on defense this year?
Zimmer: First of all, (Director of College Scouting) Phil Emery, (President & GM) Rich McKay and the scouts did a good job of identifying the guys and helping to hopefully get the right guys picked. That turned out really well. I like young players because they are not set in their ways and we can mold them in the way we want. Jamaal Anderson is a talented guy who has a long way to go, but is a talented player. He can do some things and obviously replacing Patrick Kerney will be tough, but that's why we picked him so he can do that. Chris Houston is a good competitor and I think you need that on the outside - a guy with a short memory at that corner spot, especially for a rookie. He is going to get a chance to get some balls. Stephen Nicholas is a guy who Coach Petrino watched for a long time while at Louisville and we targeted him right from the beginning.
Q: Will facing the offensive sets shown in practice every day help the defense?
Zimmer: There are so many things we have to work on like technique; alignment, assignments and different calls. It's about getting our side of the ball ready for the first game. The good thing about it is that they are varied offensively, so it gives us a lot of different things to look at. In the long run, it will prepare us better.
ATurkishSeaOtter
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I like zimmer in a 4-3 but this makes me wonder if this was the only facet of the 3-4 that he had learned.