The rhythm of a down followed by a high-pitched screech from a whistle and then the thud of shoulder pads colliding into blocking sleds normally fills the morning air behind Memorial Stadium. Now the field is empty in the quiet morning.
Players are back home finishing the semester online after in-person classes were canceled due to the coronavirus. For IU football, the mentality has remained the same — just because the country has come to a near stop does not mean its progress has to.
While away from campus, the team dove into its preparation for the fall. While the ability to train varies from player to player, film study has been a consistent component in the Hoosiers’ offseason work.
But watching film can only go so far in preparing the players. It’s communication that leads to improvement. .
For defensive coordinator Kane Wommack, communication is critical and not having players communicate during live drills is one of the biggest losses of not having spring practices. Few things can replicate what it is like to be on a football field, processing a play then quickly communicating to your teammates, all before the ball is snapped.
“It’s not enough to just watch film and say, ‘Here’s what they’re doing and here’s what I would do,’” Wommack said during a Friday teleconference. “No, how would I actually communicate this play on the field and do that while watching the film on the computer.”
Communication is the key to Wommack’s defensive philosophy. With communication, everyone knows every adjustment being made across the field.
“Communication can cover up a lot of mistakes,” Wommack said in December. “Honestly, I believe that communication is why we’ve adjusted so well in the second half of games. Between players and coaches, we have been able to communicate exactly what is happening on the field and talk through the adjustments that need to be made.”
For inexperienced players, learning how to process information on the field and tell their teammates what they are seeing quickly before the snap is one of the hardest yet most important aspects of the game. Wommack and his staff know even though there are no spring practices, learning these skills is essential for the team’s success.
Wommack wants his defensive players to imagine they are on the field while watching film. He wants them to say out loud what adjustments need to be made on the screen and pretend to give instructions to imaginary teammates around them.
“They’re getting a little bit of extra work just in terms of how they’re watching things, how they’re communicating and as best we can just using our resources and tools to give them the best chance to communicate like they would on game day,” Wommack said.
However, the coaching staff is confident in the defensive starters' ability to communicate clearly.
The core of IU’s defense remains largely intact after losing just five significant contributors in 2019. After being a top-50 scoring defense in the country last year during the program’s best season in 25 years, the Hoosiers have high expectations for themselves as the fall season nears.
“I’m excited about some of the things we did last year,” Wommack said. “We won eight games and all that, but you have a group of players and coaches that were certainly not satisfied with our overall body of work.”
