Marcel Yates "sets it straight" for Arizona's defense in spring

The Wildcats have been largely focusing on the fundamentals through eight spring practices. For the defense, after a season in which tackling in particular was an issue and the unit struggled as a whole, it's a whole new world, particularly with the new coaching staff in place. 

More than anything for that side of the ball, the spring has been about Arizona’s players and its new coaching staff getting familiarized with each other.

One big difference that a few players have pointed out with this staff as compared to the previous one is that these coaches will get down in the trenches, onto to the field and in the thick of things.

During drills this week, wide receiver Nate Phillips even said that cornerbacks coach Donte’ Williams covered him at one point this week.

But the biggest change starts at the top, with defensive coordinator Marcel Yates.

Early on, it seems like the Wildcats are learning that Yates isn’t one to hold back what he's thinking.

After most, but not all, practices, Yates will meet separately with the defense after the team has already met with Rich Rodriguez, which is something new for the defense. 

“Coach Yates will set it straight with us,” said defensive lineman Parker Zellers. “If we got (embarrassed), he’ll tell us. If we did good, he’ll tell us. He’ll be real with us. That’s good because we can build off that.”

It seems to be working.

“Oh yeah, he keeps it real. 100 percent,” said linebacker Paul Magloire. “One practice we weren’t looking good and he let us know ‘you guys, it wasn’t looking too good’. Maybe in some other words (laughs) but he said ‘I’m going to let you guys know’. So then we came out the next practice and beat the offense, we smacked them, then (Wednesday) we smacked them again. It’s making us better.”

The Star spoke with Yates after Wednesday’s practice.

We’re at about the halfway point of spring, how has it gone so far?

Yates: “We’ve still got a ways to go. We’re still trying to learn with all the guys what they can do, what they can’t do. There’s still a lot to learn.”

How much of this spring in general has been about familiarizing yourself with this team and this staff?

“I think the comfortability now is about knowing about our style as a staff and what we want, how we want our intensity. I’m still trying to figure out Coach Rod and what he wants, where to stand on the field, where the offense/defense is, how we do pass rush, and just trying to get a feel for that. Once you go through it, it’s second nature.”

What is the mindset behind those post-practice meetings with the defense?

“It’s just to talk to the defense and kind of give them the overview of how the day went. I don’t do it every day, but just to get them to understand what we need to get better at, ‘here’s what we did well, here’s what we didn’t do well’, and just trying to have that interaction with everybody. I coach the linebackers, but I still want to have a voice for everybody and set the tone for what we have to do.”

Has anyone in particular stood out, either in terms of how they’ve played or in showing their leadership?

“Zellers has stood out. It’s just his motor. He just goes. He’s undersized and not the biggest or the strongest, but he plays with that motor.”

Rich Rodriguez mentioned the other day that he would like to have at least four solid cornerbacks in rotation…

“Tell him I’m with you. If you really want to be good in this conference, you have to be two-deep at every position. If something happens (with the starter) you want the guy behind him to step in and either be just as good or have a slight bit of a drop-off. If you can get that, you have a chance to be good but when you lose ones and you go to twos and there’s such a drop-off, that’s where you have trouble.”

The numbers are kind of low in the secondary right now, is that a concern for you at all?

“I’m a guy that feels we have what we have. We’ve got what we got. It’s spring time and I could waste time and talk about what we don’t have and what we need to get, or I can coach up what we do have and get them ready to play.”