Aggression Without Recklessness: Joe Rossi sees balance for the Spartan defense
After MSU's defense gave up two explosive touchdown plays to Toledo in their last game, Rossi talks about aggression versus recklessness
In Spartan Stadium Friday night, the energy of the Michigan State football team was palpable. Moments of high energy can be fickle; some moments led to successes, while others lead to avoidable mistakes. Defensive coordinator Joe Rossi understands this dichotomy. His main takeaway after the Spartans' victory was that high energy should not lead to recklessness.
To Rossi, there is a turning point where aggression can escalate too far, resulting in recklessness. When analyzing film from MSU's win over Toledo, Rossi identified multiple areas needing improvement from his defense, but effort was not one.
“I thought we played extremely hard, and I thought we played very physical,” Rossi said. “I see effort jumping off the screen.”
Rather, the areas of needed defensive improvement are rooted in over-commitment. In the second quarter as MSU was leading 13-0, Toledo quarterback John Alan Richter connected with wide receiver Adjatay Dabbs, resulting in a 60-yard passing touchdown. Exactly the kind of play that can sap, and potentially even reverse, defensive momentum.
“Things I want to see us better at is the explosive plays,” Rossi said. “We gave up way too many."
Rossi identified too much aggression as the reason for the lapse.
"The big thing for me is when I look at them, we were over-aggressive," said Rossi. "We’re over-aggressive on the double move, right? We’re over-aggressive shedding out of our gap. We’re over-aggressive with the corner and then we give up the screen and go behind us."
That's not to say commitment or effort are detrimental, but if those qualities are not balanced, they can lead to mistakes. Rossi is deeply appreciative of his players' grit.
