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UNIVERSITY OF IOWA MEDIA CONFERENCE

September 29, 2011

Norm Parker

COACH PARKER: All right. What do you want to argue about? (Laughter).

Q. What did you like so far that you've seen on tape of the defense the first four games?
COACH PARKER: Really, if you went week-by-week, I think we played -- the first week, Tennessee Tech, they were hard to defend. And I think we played well. Then I don't think we made much progress from the first week to the second week. But then from the second week to the Pitt game, I think we made a lot of progress and from the Pitt game to this game last week, I think we made a lot of progress again.
So I see a young defense that's sort of learning and getting better and feel pretty good about it that way.

Q. You made a lot of changes from week two to week three after Iowa State. Is that stuff that you saw from the guys or simply that game?
COACH PARKER: You know, we were -- at the beginning, we went around back there with the safety and free safety and then the Iowa State game, Bernstine was sick. He was not even allowed to play in the game. So that hurt.
When he came back, and he's done an incredible job of a guy just turned his attention and his zest for the game around, and he's really become, from being a very insignificant leader to maybe the leader of the defense.
I mean, the guy has done a heck of a job just if you took an individual story, he's really, really done a great job being a leader. He's a smart guy. He always was, you know, the people you saw asking the question, where's Bernstine, where's Bernstine, and he always was that guy; could of been, should of been, never was. Then all of a sudden, like sort of a light switch, turn it on, and he's really done well for himself and well for the team, and it's a good story. He's really done well.

Q. Is it sort of -- you're discovering a lot about a lot of new guys imagine. You knew about Tom Nardo, but probably -- he had 12 tackles last week. You probably found out a lot about new guys.
COACH PARKER: Yeah, and he's getting more comfortable with the position. When you play like in your first game, when you're really a starter for the first time, I mean, you burn so much up, energy before the game and all that kind of stuff that it's hard to play good until you settle down and get used to playing, get used to playing. I'm sure that some of those young guys, they burn up so much energy before the game just worrying about everything. Kirk (ph) used to be the same way. He's just more relaxed that he's playing a little bit now. I think that's really helped him out.

Q. No-huddle offenses, whatever it is, do you recruit differently?
COACH PARKER: The hardest thing about the no-huddle offense is in pro football, if you have one group of personnel in the game and you put in another group, you must give the defense time to change personnel.
In other words, you can't go from a bunch of receivers to a bunch of tight ends without allowing the defense to change. In college football, you don't have to give the defense time to change.
So that's what's really happening. It's all of these different personnel groups. They are coming in from the sidelines, but by the time you figure out who is in there, you get stuck with the same guys on the field -- there's never been a rule that's been made for the defense. Really, defensive coaches sort of think it's not fair. Like pro football, you have to give them time to get their guys in the game.
So I think that's the big advantage of the no-huddle is you can't match them up personnel-wise. But I don't think you recruit any different. The no-huddle, all of that stuff sounds great, but if you go no-huddle, one, two, three downs and out, you don't have the ball very long. So that has its drawbacks, too.
But the craze in college football now is all of this no-huddle, hurry up, how many plays can you get in and try to wear the defense down. I think it's harder to physically play defense than offense. It just is. People don't believe that but it's harder.
So the more plays they can run at you, the more they can wear you down, the more they can get to you break down mentally, that's the whole thing, how fast can they go. It's fast-break basketball. Throw away the shot clock.

Q. In Iowa, your second or third string --
COACH PARKER: I don't think that's a big thing. I think you've got to be able to try to get guys in there, and the hard thing, when they get those no-huddle offenses is when they get a seven-, eight-, nine-play drive that's boom, boom, boom, and they are shuffling guys in and out and you're trying to match them with the same guys in and out. That's where they start wearing you down a little bit.

Q. We asked him, does he think -- should have time to set them up the offense?
COACH PARKER: There's never been a rule made for the defense. They like points. Who wants to watch. I think it's a hell of a game. You guys like arena ball, 60-50, that kind of stuff.

Q. The 3-4, what are you trying to accomplish there?
COACH PARKER: Everybody in the world is using all of these passing routes for running people off and dragging the guy underneath. Everybody does that. So what you're doing is you just have another linebacker that when they run guys off -- you have somebody to pick up those shells, and that's what we try to do.

Q. The young linebackers --
COACH PARKER: Really with Nielson going down literally for most of the Iowa State game and all of the last two games, we have been playing with three sophomore linebackers, and linebacker is like any other position, but especially linebacker, defensive back, you have to build up a memory bank. In other words, I've seen that before. Because you can't practice everything.
Some of the things that happen, you have to recall from games in the past, and experiences in the past. And these guys have no memory bank. I mean, everything is brand new. So after three or four games, now James Morris -- at least they are getting an, oh, I saw that one before. It's not new. It's the same old story, fool me once, shame on you; fool me twice, I'm the dummy. That's sort of what happened.
If you don't have a memory bank and when you've got young guys, there's no memory bank there. Everything is brand new. I told you it was like taking a bunch of kindergarteners to New York City: Oh, that's a big building. No kidding.

FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports

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