Florida DC Todd Grantham names 3 ways Gators can improve their ailing defense
By Adam Spencer
Published:
The Florida defense has been awful at times this year, and DC Todd Grantham is (understandably) taking some heat for that.
As the Gators prepare for a versatile Mizzou offense this weekend, Grantham was asked about his defense and ways to improve.
Grantham cited 3 ways, starting with physicality, that the Gators can improve on his side of the ball (via 247Sports):
“I think the biggest thing when I look at everything, we want to play to the standard that we have the last two years,” Grantham said Tuesday when speaking with the media. “No. 1, we have to improve our physicality, and I don’t just mean in the front. I’m talking about across the board in everything we do. That means tighter coverage, contested, physical at the point. Just really improve our physicality as a defense in general.”
Second, he said, the Gators have to be able to make plays in one-on-one situations:
“As opportunities present themselves, we’ve got to make plays,” Grantham said. “You can say play zone, play man. At the end of the day, as routes distribute, everything becomes basically a one-on-one deal. So, we have to be able to make plays in our one-on-one match-ups. When opportunities present themselves, we’ve got to make plays. As you’re not really playing to maybe the standard that you want, you’ve got to make sure you do your job. I’m saying you can’t start trying to do too much. Do your job and do what you’re expected to do.”
Finally, he cited the need for hard work and effort, which he says the players have been doing a good job of so far:
“The last thing is play with energy and effort,” he said. “When our guys look at everything that we’ve done, those things they’ve really bought into. I’ve been pleased with the two days of practice that we’ve had. And just try to emphasize the physicality, making plays when they’re there to make. And just doing our job and always playing with the effort and the physicality that we’ve kind of set for the last two years to be successful. That’s really what we’ve got to do, to continue to do those things, and as we do those things, plays will come.”
Will Grantham’s defense turn things around against the Tigers? Tune in on Saturday night to find out!
Adam is a daily fantasy sports (DFS) and sports betting expert. A 2012 graduate of the University of Missouri, Adam now covers all 16 SEC football teams. He is the director of DFS, evergreen and newsletter content across all Saturday Football brands.
