Spring notebook: Knowles getting better feel for Temple's defense
For Jeff Knowles’ unit, it’s been a good first couple of days.
After two practices, Temple’s defensive coordinator is trying to establish the tone for his defensive players. According to Knowles, they know their responsibilities, but it’s time for them to know it well enough that they can play fast, physically and get off blocks.
With a mix of old and new, Knowles is starting to get a better feel for how his defense will start taking shape. His unit was disproportionately affected by the coronavirus, which affected several players on Temple’s roster.
The Owls lost multiple players on the defensive side of the ball who opted out of the 2020 campaign due to COVID concerns or missed time due to the virus itself or injuries. That left Temple with a rather bare depth chart and forced inexperienced players right into the fire, while also giving way to some true freshman seeing more time than they bargained for and players playing out of position.
Temple also lost Arnold Ebiketie (Penn State), Ifeanyi Miajeh (Rutgers), Isaiah Graham-Mobley (Boston College), Khris Banks (Boston College), Linwood Crump (Colorado State) and Christian Braswell to the portal. At the same time, Dan Archibong entered the NFL draft and Kimere Brown is pursuing a pro career.
That’s a whole lot of defensive turnover, but Knowles and his defensive coaching staff actually have a spring ball this year, to get back to the basics and catch the roster up to speed.
Here are some excerpts from the media's conversation with Knowles:
Knowles on some of Temple’s opt-outs from the 2020 season:
“It’s funny, because (West Virginia transfer) Kwantel [Raines], we never got to see him play because he wasn’t in spring ball. We only had one initial practice of spring ball. He’s been a pleasant surprise so far. He’s athletic, he’s smart. As far as doing your job, he’s doing that right now. The focus for him definitely right now is he’s starting to figure out where he’s going after missing out on a ton of reps in the fall. Now, let’s play with that extra strain and effort that we’re looking for.
"Travon King’s doing a good job right now. He’s got to get that body weight up ... and get his strength back because you guys who miss a year, losing that strength training is a big part of it. He’s done a good job of getting his body weight back up and he can keep going a little. He can really run now, he’s an athletic [defensive end] and he can cause some havoc. It’s good to see him back.
"DaeSean Winston has done a really good job, too. He’s been impressive in the offseason workout and he’s playing really hard. I will say, DaeSean came back and you can see he’s missed it. He has an intensity, I think a little more than what he had last year.”
Knowles on his first impression of Temple’s transfer additions to the defensive line:
“They’re big and athletic. (North Carolina transfer) [Lancine] Turay for sure, big, real long, twitchy, just the length on him. He can be a mismatch for some people. And, then (fellow North Carolina transfer) Xach [Gill], he’s got the size, he gives us like a big body in the middle to help replace Dan Archibong and find a guy to help us there. That’s been good, and then we got (Washington State transfer) Will Rodgers on the edge. He’s a long athlete, too. He can really get around that edge and bend. Those guys are all tough guys and they help give us toughness in the middle.”
Knowles on the 2020 season:
“Last season was tough on the coaches. It was tough on the players. At the end of the day, we all want to win and that’s what we’re judged by. Guys know there were a lot of extenuating circumstances, but it’s time to move on. The question is, did we learn our lesson from that? And, I think as a coach I definitely learned from that. It’s kind of crazy when each week, you’re trying to get a new guy in there, who’s never played before to try and kind of know what he’s doing. Then, after you get him to where he knows what he’s doing, can he do it fast and with effort?
"When you’re playing with new lineups every week, it’s a scramble to make sure, 'OK, this guy’s assignment sound, he’s assignment sound, but don’t just be a robot and be assignment sound. Go play with great effort and physicality. That was a hard thing to coach through last year with the rotating lineups week to week, where you just had new guys in new spots. There was no consistency. I had Kobe Wilson play three different linebacker positions in one game as a true freshman. When does that happen?
"It was challenging, but I do think we’ll be better off for it. The experience we gained, playing those games, getting to show those guys the mistakes we made, it’s gonna make us better for it...We got to take the lessons we learned from last year, but also sit and get caught up thinking about last year all day either, so, take the lesson and move on. And, right now, I think the best way to move on is to start spring ball and to start playing football again. That part’s been refreshing, it’s great to see our guys, they’re attacking it...That energy is there. Temple tough, we got to be tough, you got to be mentally tough and physically tough. We can’t let last year knock us down. That’s what we’re all about, we get knocked down when getting back up.”
Knowles on who is ready to emerge as a leader on defense:
“We have our veterans Will [Kwenkeu] and George Reid at linebacker are doing good. Amir [Tyler], he’s played a lot of football, so he’s done a great job ... on defense, stepping up and leading on the backend. George Reid is a guy, who I think has stepped up a little bit. He’s not a real vocal guy, but you can see him starting to talk more. The other thing is, not just leading, but he’s bringing the young guys with him. [He] and Will both, I think, have really embraced these younger players and helping them develop, even though there’s competition there. Kobe Wilson is trying to take George Reid’s job, but George is helping Kobe develop as a player. That’s fun to see, when you got team players working together like that, it’s big time.
Knowles on freshman linebacker Kobe Wilson:
“He’s got a contagious energy about him. There’s something about that, that he’s going to be a special player. That’s all I can tell you, other than his effort that he plays with. He’s pushing George Reid to better himself and that guy loves football. He’s the kind of guy I want to coach. He cares, he loves football, he’s a team player and he’s just got that great energy about him and I think everybody notices it, even on the other side of the ball, people notice Kobe. He’s gonna be a good one. He’s got some work to do, but he’s still young, he’s going to be a really good one for us.”
Knowles on the safeties room:
“I’d say it’s one of our deepest positions. That’s the benefit of last season, if I could find any, is that we got to play a lot of guys and those guys developed off of last season. You got DaeSean, who’s back, but because of DaeSean’s absence, Jalen Ware, Alex Odom all got playing time. Trey Blair found his way on the field last year. M.J. Griffin had a chance to come out and have kind of a breakout game at the end of the year. They’ve got good competition right now and a lot of those kids we’re seeing are good football players, it’s gonna be on us and we will find personnel packages to get some of them on the field. Obviously, in our base package, it’ll be, find the two best and get them out there to start. But, those other guys are right on them and they're gonna find other ways to get themselves reps because we got some guys who can play football in that group and we’ll get them out there somehow."
Knowles on UConn transfer cornerback Keyshawn Paul:
“He’s been great. Just in two practices, he’s visible. We got a physical presence there and he’s fearless on tackling and he competes, he really competes. I hear him talking to the offensive guys, he’s really come in and opened up. He’s just stepped right into a veteran role in a younger room. That corner room has a lot of young guys and he’s kind of stepped right in there and competed right away and kind of taken a veteran leadership role if that’s possible for as little time as he’s been here.”
Knowles on some of the cornerbacks who have stood out:
“I will say yesterday in practice, I like Jeremy Jennings. He competes, he’s fast. He’s got all the tools to be able to do it. He’s just got to learn the position. Just yesterday, I talked to [cornerbacks] Coach [Melvin] Rice about him and I was like, ‘he’s fearless and he competes,’ so I like that about JJ. Daiyaan Hawkins made a couple of nice PBUs in practice. Those guys are doing good. We’re excited to have Freddie [Johnson] back, that’s a big returnee for us.
"[Hawkins] can run, he can flat-out run. And, with him, it’s just a matter of getting in there and competing every day. That’s always it with the young guys with how fast it clicks with them. Are you gonna come in and compete or are you gonna come in and kind of hold your spot and kind of wait to gradually develop? We don’t have time for him to develop that long, we need to create depth at the corner spot, so he has to compete. Yesterday at practice with those PBUs, it was good to see him compete and break on the ball. But definitely top-end speed, he’s got all the tools. Daiyaan Hawkins has all the tools you need. It’s just a matter of getting in the mindset of competing and sometimes it takes longer for guys to get there, but we’re excited about him.”