Yesterday DSH featured a Utah State practice video, "Todd Orlando mic'd up" which showed the 40-year-old defensive coordinator at his animated, intense best during a full pads workout in two-a-days last summer.
The three-minute clip revealed a lot about Orlando's coaching philosophy and approach. Many of his teaching points during practice were reminiscent of a certain visor-wearing genius who went 46-7 and won three straight conference titles and used to say "pressure is what you feel when you don't know what you are doing."
The mind controls the body: Todd Orlando teaching during a game while defensive coordinator at Connecticut. The architect of two top ten defenses in his coaching career, he prefers to work on the sideline during games, constantly working with players, praising great efforts, emphasizing techniques, and making corrections.
1. Can we communicate?
2. Energy, effort and attitude.
3. Get better. Every practice. Every meeting. Get better.
4. Your mind controls your body.
5. Y'all don't go hard, you get hurt.
6. You have two things you control: attitude and effort. Every play. Get on the bus.
7. Be an athlete, figure it out.
8. You gotta run your feet a million miles per hour.
9. Booooom! Boooooom! Booooom!
10. Gotta do it gaining ground.
11. Go, go, go, LIVE!.
12. That is a straight-up booty slappin'.
13. I see ya!
14. We gotta be great in between the lines.
In 2013, the Ducks seemed to misplace the "Win the Day" mantra at some point during the season. By November they looked flat and distracted, perhaps missing some of the energy that Kelly and defensive line coach Jerry Azzinaro supplied. There were reports that the team had lost some of its discipline in practice and lacked the same intensity of preparation.
Hard to think how a Todd Orlando-coached defensive unit would ever lack intensity. He seems like a coach who would demand a fast, hard, finish, and inspire one.
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