MVP Texas | Wrecking Crew Getting a Makeover

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Written by Travis Pulver

Tuesday, 31 August 2010 21:20

The famed “Wrecking Crew” looked more like a wrecked crew last season under coordinator Joe Kines. Over all they had the worst defense in the Big XII (105th nationally) as well as the worst scoring defense (also 105th nationally). Texas A&M had a lot of trouble against the run (11th in conference; 90th nationally) and did not do any better against the pass (12th in conference; 106th nationally).

Going forward, head coach Mike Sherman had to make a change and did just that luring Air Force defensive coordinator Tim DeRuyter to College Station.

DeRuyter had a solid defense at the Air Force Academy in 2009. Against the run they did well ranking third in the conference and 47th nationally. However, what really got Sherman’s interest was the fifth ranked pass defense in the nation that Air Force had.

During the Armed Forces Bowl last season his defense held the #1 passing team in the nation to just 222 yards and forced six interceptions. To defeat the likes of Texas Tech, Texas, Oklahoma, and Oklahoma State the Aggies will need performances similar to the one Air Force had against Houston.

One of the first changes that the team will make on defense is to put more of an emphasis on athleticism and speed by switching from a 4-3 to a 3-4 alignment. The “Wrecking Crews” from the past featured linebackers playing in a 3-4 set.

Von Miller will definitely feature in the 3-4. Over the last three years he has accumulate 11 tackles and 22 sacks; 17 came last season when he led the nation in sacks.

Miller could have easily been drafted had he decided to leave school early, but instead opted to stay in College Station. Along with promising his mother he would graduate, he sees an opportunity to leave a winner, something that the Aggies have had trouble doing in recent years.

“The NFL isn't going anywhere. I wanted to come back and live it up one more year.”

In a 3-4 he will definitely get more opportunities to make plays and pad his stats for the NFL scouts that will likely already be watching him after his 17 sack performance a year ago.

Coach Sherman is looking forward to what the team will be able to accomplish this season:

“I thought last year we were fast enough at times, but we didn’t physically make the tackle,” Sherman said. “I think this year we’ll be physically more mature than we were a year ago…”

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