September 28, 2016 | Football, Mike Lucas
Chemistry and communication have an unselfish Wisconsin defense clicking
Taking credit is a foreign concept within Wisconsin's defense. Sharing — or even deflecting — credit? There's plenty of that going on among an unselfish unit that has bought in big time to the idea of the whole being greater than the sum of its parts. So far, that formula has added up to low point totals and high confidence for a group that clearly is in this together. | From Varsity Magazine
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BY MIKE LUCAS
UWBadgers.com Senior Writer
There are many positive signs for the Wisconsin defense through four games.
Only three offensive touchdowns allowed, one on the ground.
Nine takeaways, including six interceptions.
Eighteen three-and-outs on 46 possessions.
Then there is this sign: Excellence without arrogance.
It's posted in one of the meeting rooms.
"It's OK to expect success as long as you earn it," explained first-year defensive coordinator Justin Wilcox. "And you earn the right to expect success by the way you prepare and work. It's not bravado. I think there's some of that in the world today — how you outwardly act."
Confidence should not be mistaken for arrogance. Nor is it a byproduct.
"You have to earn your confidence through your preparation — through the week and through the offseason," Wilcox said. "You have to earn the right to be a confident player, a confident defense and a confident team and you do that through preparation."
Excellence without arrogance.
"It means being great without being cocky," said Wisconsin head coach Paul Chryst, who's also a stickler for preparation and getting the most out of a practice. "It's doing all you can do to be the best you can be. If you're arrogant, you just think that it's going to happen."
Based on their interpretation of the words, it can mean different things to different players on the defense, though it carries the same weight. That goes for defensive end Chikwe Obasih from Brookfield Central and outside linebacker T.J. Watt from Pewaukee. Both are redshirt juniors.
"It means each day is not given," said Obasih. "We have worked and prepared for everything we've done. The excellence is being good or better for a consistent period; doing the little things no one else is doing; taking each day with the same approach: You have to keep working for it."
"We're going to do great things," said Watt, "and when we do, don't get cocky, don't forget where you came from. At the end of the day, you've got to be humble and know it's one week at a time. Anything can happen in college football. You can get beat anytime so you can't expose yourself."
In a way, they did at Michigan State. There was a cautionary tale to come out of the victory. The Badgers were guilty of unsportsmanlike conduct on three occasions. "That led to penalties that Wisconsin usually doesn't get," Obasih said. "It got away from us and we had a talk on the sidelines."
Chryst made sure that it was addressed.
Confided cornerback Sojourn Shelton, "We talk a little trash here and there."
And he reasoned, "We're trying to create our own label."
Within reason, of course, he agreed.
Obasih noted, "The players like to have fun, especially when we make plays."
There has been a lot of that going, play-making, with a young team that is now 4-0.
It's another sign of growth. Especially on defense. Linebacker Vince Biegel took it literally.
"We've got signs all over," he said of the motivational wall hangings. "Phrases that embody what Wisconsin is all about. It's nice to go to your position meetings and to have those daily reminders on what is the goal and what is the focus. Smart, tough, dependable."
That would be the holy trinity of Wisconsin football.
"We've had that drilled into our head," said Shelton. "But that's the way our defense is playing right now. We're playing smart. We're playing tough football, which is our style of football. And we're being dependable. Everyone can depend on the secondary doing their job."
He was speaking for the DBs. But the message is the same for every position group.
"You look at a lot of the guys returning — guys who have played in games — and it's just a matter of us doing our job," said Shelton, a four-year starter. "A lot of us have been in so many of these situations that we know the plays are going to come.
"So there's no reason to try and force anything or to be a hero. They're going to happen and you just have to be ready and in the right spot to make them. It doesn't matter, either, who makes a play when we need a play. Whoever makes them, we're excited for them."
That could be a sign of many things.
"They like each other," Chryst suggested. "They play off each other."
Shelton cited an example.
"If Biegel and Watt are getting to the quarterback, we're able to make plays in the secondary," he said. "And if we're able to hold receivers a couple of extra seconds here and there, it just gives them time to do what they do best, which is get after the quarterback."
They feed off each while not worrying who gets the credit.
"It's the body of work," Biegel said, "that has made us who we are right now."
• • • •
There are more pleasurable exercises in life than running the Camp Randall Stadium steps, especially during the heat and humidity of summer.
On one such day, there was less patience than usual between some teammates, not an unusual hazard given the amount of time they spend together during offseason workouts.
"A couple of guys got jawing," Watt said.
What happened next was out of character for Watt, who had heard enough.
"I gathered everyone," he recalled, "and I said, 'Listen, we're a team …"
He went on to point out why it was important to always keep that in mind regardless of any differences that might surface among individuals.
"Let's not argue with each other," he implored them. "Let's all be one. Let's be a family."
Watt also knew "Things like this have to happen in order to build good chemistry."
While reaffirming that little disagreements between players are typical — "We're together for the whole summer and you get competitive with each other" — Watt's reaction was still out of the norm.
"For me, it was the first time I stepped up as a leader vocally," admitted Watt. "I've always wanted to grow my role as a leader. But I've always kind of felt it wasn't my place."
"We've had that drilled into our head," said Shelton. "But that's the way our defense is playing right now. We're playing smart. We're playing tough football, which is our style of football. And we're being dependable."
That all changed during spring practice when he took over as a starter; a significant milestone for a converted tight end who had battled injuries through his first two years on campus.
"As I'm finally getting more playing time — being able to be more of a leader through action — I can follow it up through my words as well," he said. "I feel like guys can look up to me."
Obasih hasn't forgotten how he was cramping on the stadium steps that day. He also remembered Watt speaking up and how it caught him a little off-guard.
"He hasn't talked for awhile," Obasih conceded.
But the fact that Watt spoke his mind and called out some people underlined how players are expected to hold each other accountable; a characteristic of many close teams, and successful ones.
"That's who we are," said Obasih. "We're a tight, close group."
There's also a trust factor. Who can you count on? Who's got your back?
"There are plenty of times during workouts, especially when guys are struggling," Obasih said, "you see other guys running out there to help them out, especially during the stadium stairs."
Shelton left that workout early to attend class. So he missed hearing what Watt had to say.
"I missed the speech," he said. "But I did hear about it. We need natural leaders like that; people who can bring us together. There are a lot of guys on this team who can do that."
Shelton singled out linebacker Jack Cichy for having the right things to say at the right time during the second half of the Georgia State game when things began to unravel on defense.
"When we were down, he was telling us to stay the course," he said. "He gave us a good speech on 'Let's just continue being us.' When we're in those situations, we have people who can step up."
Shelton is one of those people.
"I'm truly enjoying it," he said of his new role. "The guys ahead of me, Mike (Caputo) and D-Hill (Darius Hillary) prepared me for this role — to be a leader in the secondary."
Chryst acknowledged that there is no shortage of leaders on the defense. Some are just more visible and vocal than others.
"There are a number of them that are kind of leaders in their own way," Chryst said. "Conor Sheehy leads by working. Chikwe (Obasih) is a good example of that. Moose (Leo Musso) is a leader.
"You can take any one of those linebackers (Watt, Cichy, Biegel, T.J. Edwards) and if leading is getting people to follow them or impacting others, there's a bunch that do that."
"That's what Wisconsin football is all about — being unselfish."
Leaders set examples.
"It's crazy to see a guy like T.J. Watt, for instance, who's not a reserved person but a straightforward person," Shelton said
"He's telling me throughout the week, 'Every time you make a play, every time I made a play, celebrate, bring excitement, bring juice.'
"It's kind of cool when you hear that from a guy like T.J. who isn't one to celebrate much. But he's coming out of his shell and we're seeing that this year.
"You're seeing that with a lot of guys on this defense. Everybody is playing with a lot of excitement — kind of like there's a fire under them.
"That comes from the chemistry and communication aspect."
Obasih has a word for that winning combination.
"Camaraderie," he said.
Another word comes up often in discussion with how Wisconsin is playing defense.
Unselfish.
"I think it's one of the better attributes of this team — but absolutely on defense," Chryst said. "They're not worried about the stats as much as the end result.
"I didn't get a sense that anyone was upset that Moose (Musso) got the touchdown (on the scoop and score at Michigan State) and not someone else.
"They're putting the team or group ahead of themselves."
Cichy is the leading tackler. He has 23. Eight players have 10 or more. A different player has led the team in tackles in each of the first four games.
The lack of star power is more of an endorsement than an indictment.
"I feel like we take great pride having a good group as a whole," said Watt. "I don't think one guy has to make a heroic effort.
"As we all say, 'Everyone has to do their 1/11th — their one job — and we'll be a great defense.' I think it's pivotal to our success.
"We all do our job. Everyone is doing their assignment. No one is trying to do too much. There are times you have to trust that guy behind you is going to fill that gap for you."
The unselfish nature of the defense is a defining trait, according to Biegel.
"That embodies our defense," he said. "We've got guys on our defense who are selfless. Sometimes you'll be a decoy, sometimes a guy has a more favorable blitz and you have to be unselfish.
"That's what Wisconsin football is all about — being unselfish."
It's all in the details. That's another sign in the meeting room: Details.
"It's always something you stress," Wilcox said. "I think the guys understand how important they (the details) are. They understand that everything they do — the technique, the effort, the awareness — all of those things matter."
It feels like they may be just scratching the surface.
"Up to this point, we're proud of what we've put on tape," Biegel said. "But there's a lot more we can do to get better."
Added Shelton, "Right now, we're really clicking. But we're not satisfied. We know that we can do so much more and that's going to be the plan."
In this context, Wilcox cautioned, "There are going to be challenging times ahead — challenging plays, challenging drives, challenging games.
"The more the guys respect and care about each other, their perseverance will show because those times are coming and that's just part of it."
The fun part of it. Really. That's how the players are looking at their growing pains.
"The best thing overall," Shelton said, "is that we've faced some adversity (trailing in the fourth quarter to LSU and Georgia State) and when we did, we all stayed positive and never deterred from the plan or a straight path."
It was like Watt was saying earlier about how things have to happen to build chemistry.
"Everyone loves each other," Watt was saying now. "We all get along really well on and off the field. It's so much fun. We're having a blast. But we know there's a lot of room for improvement."
Excellence without arrogance.
