Todd Grantham’s defense revolves around the pursuit of, as he so boldly put it in February, “make (quarterbacks) play bad.” If his prior defenses are any indication of what he’ll do at Mississippi State, he’s going to lean most on linebackers to make that happen.
In Grantham’s first spring at MSU, linebackers have been soaking yet another new system and an abundance of playmaking opportunities.
Junior linebacker Gerri Green remembers his first experience with Grantham, in which he outlined a fast, physical and aggressive defense filled with blitzes. He called it, “music to your ears.”
For his linebackers, Grantham’s system has been more than music: it’s turned into money.
In his last seven years as a collegiate defensive coordinator — four at Georgia and three at Louisville before coming to MSU — Grantham has produced two linebackers taken in the first round of the NFL Draft and two more taken in the third.
His third-rounders both came in the 2011 draft, when the Chiefs selected Justin Houston 70th overall and Akeem Dent was drafted 91st overall by the Falcons. Dent remains on the roster for the Texans while Houston has turned into what many consider to be one of the NFL’s best linebackers. Houston –a two-time All-SEC selection and one-time All-American at Georgia — has now been to four Pro Bowls and owns the Chiefs single-season record for sacks (22).
Grantham’s claim to Houston and Dent. Jarvis Jones, however, is all Grantham.
Jones was the 17th pick in the 2013 NFL Draft after being a consensus All-American and All-SEC pick as both a sophomore and a junior. His behind-the-line production highlighted the Grantham way: in his sophomore season, only seven players in the nation had more tackles for a loss; in his junior season, he led the nation with 24.5 tackles for a loss.
Alongside Jones was Alec Ogletree, going 30th in the same draft, and none of that is to mention potential draftee Devonte Jones after six sacks in his senior season.
Having now practiced in Grantham’s system, it is easy for MSU’s linebackers to see how those players created their high draft stocks with NFL franchises — and how they can do it themselves.
“We just have to be those guys, be versatile in what we do,” Green said. “Whatever the game calls for, we have to be versatile and do it.”
More than the consistency throughout his career, advanced statistics suggest Grantham’s linebackers are putting up big numbers on more than just talent: they do so by design.
An advanced statistic expert for SB Nation, Bill Godfrey, maintains a defensive statistic called havoc rate, or the percentage of plays in which a defense records a tackle for a loss, forces a fumble or defenses a pass. The statistic is also broken down by position group, allowing for comparison of position groups against one another both within a defense and of the same position group with others across the nation.
In the last two years among linebacking corps, Grantham’s at Louisville have ranked third and ninth nationally.
Senior linebacker Traver Jung has an idea of who might be creating the most havoc for MSU.
“The person who’s going to make the most plays defensively is probably going to be the Buck (position),” Jung said, “and Gerri is there right now.”
Jung also compared the position to the Viper that was in last year’s defense under Peter Sirmon.
Green said he has enjoyed his time at Buck, noting that the one-gap techniques for defensive linemen in the scheme create opportunities for, “linebackers to flow into holes.
“You’re coming off the edge, but you still get to play tough,” Green continued. “You get to attack the quarterback.”
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