CONTENTS APRIL 20, 2016 ■ VOLUME 6, ISSUE 36 FEATURE STORY BRIAN MASON STARTING FIVE Wisconsin’s defense should exit the spring with a wealth of depth at inside and outside line- backer. So, how do the Badgers make the pieces fit with only four starting spots to go around? FEATURES WOMEN’S ROWING IN [FOCUS] FILLING A NEED The week's best photos UW rowing coach Bebe Bryans helps BY THE NUMBERS victims of domestic abuse by taking Facts and figures on UW in members of the family that could otherwise be overlooked. WHAT TO WATCH Where to catch the Badgers LUCAS AT LARGE ASK THE BADGERS Teammates’ celeb look-alikes FLIP THE SCRIPT BADGERING Mikey Abrahamson (M. Golf) By “flipping” some meetings this spring, the Badgers found a valuable new perspective on their positions INSIDE FOOTBALL from the other side of the hall. Badgers complete ’18 slate INSIDE -SCROLLSOFTBALL FOR MORE- Seniors showing the way Wisconsin Athletic Communications Kellner Hall, 1440 Monroe St., Madison, WI 53711 VIEW ALL ISSUES Brian Lucas Director of Athletic Communications Julia Hujet Editor/Designer Brian Mason Managing Editor Mike Lucas Senior Writer Andy Baggot Writer Matt Lepay Columnist Chris Hall, Jerry Mao Video Production Amy Eager Advertising Drew Pittner-Smith Distribution Contributors Paul Capobianco, Tam Flarup, Kelli Grashel, A.J. Harrison, Brandon Harrison, Patrick Herb, Diane Nordstrom Photography David Stluka, Neil Ament, Greg Anderson, Bob Campbell, Max Siker, Cal Sport Media, Icon Sportswire Cover Photo: David Stluka Problems or Accessibility Issues? [email protected] © 2016 Board of Regents of the University of Wisconsin System. All rights reserved worldwide. LUCAS AT LARGE BY MIKE LUCAS ■ UWBADGERS.COM Flipping staff offers new perspectives BRIAN MASON Joe Rudolph magine wide receivers Rob trying to defeat a down block.” meetings and I was picking up Wheelwright, Jazz Peavy, Reg- Imagine defensive linemen stuff (from his assistants) and I Igie Love and George Rushing Chikwe Obasih, Conor Sheehy, thought, ‘That’s a great way to sitting in a meeting room with Olive Sagapolu, Alec James and teach.’ So I had the coaches flip defensive backs coach Jim Leon- Jeremy Patterson sitting in a and they got some good energy.” hard, who’s telling them, “This is meeting room with offensive line That led Rudolph to taking a what hurts us and gives our guys coach Joe Rudolph, who’s telling seat with the D-line in Breckter- trouble.” them, “This is what we’re trying field’s room. Imagine defensive backs So- to do with this combo.” “When Joe was in my meet- journ Shelton, Derrick Tindal, Leo Imagine that? Offensive players ing,” Breckterfield said, “I’d ref- Musso and Arrington Farrar sit- meeting with defensive coaches. erenced him, showed a play and ting in a meeting room with wide Defensive players meeting with turned to him, ‘Joe, what are you receivers coach Ted Gilmore, offensive coaches. Wisconsin telling this guy …” who’s telling them, “This is what head coach Paul Chryst imag- Breckterfield returned the favor we’re trying to accomplish if we ined “flipping” his staff for a day by sitting in with the O-line. take this certain split.” ― “I always wanted to do that” ― “And when Nokes was in my Imagine offensive linemen and acted on that desire prior to meeting,” said Rudolph, “I’d ask Ryan Ramczyk, Jon Dietsen, Mi- the midway point in spring prac- him, ‘Can you talk about these chael Deiter, Beau Benzschawel tice. two-on-two games and what and Jacob Maxwell sitting in a “One of your goals is to grow you’re trying to do.’ And he got meeting room with defensive line your football knowledge,” he up and spoke about that.” coach Inoke Breckterfield, who’s directly said of March-April foot- That got Chryst to thinking, telling them, “This is how we’re ball. “I started going to different “Maybe we should do this with LUCAS AT LARGE PAGE 1 OF 4 LUCAS AT LARGE BY MIKE LUCAS ■ UWBADGERS.COM the players?” Wheelwright loved the interac- And so it came about that the “WE TELL OUR GUYS TO tion. So did Peavy, who listened receivers met with Leonhard, HAVE A PLAN. SO IF YOU intently to Leonhard breaking down coverages and leverages the DBs with Gilmore, the O-line UNDERSTAND WHAT THEY’RE with Breckterfield, the D-line with predicated on down-and-dis- TRYING TO DO, WHAT THEY’RE Rudolph, the running backs with tance. In this case, Peavy was Justin Wilcox, the linebackers TRYING TO TAKE AWAY, YOU HAVE schooled on how the corner with John Settle and so forth and A BETTER UNDERSTANDING OF might shade a receiver inside or so on ― exposing the position WHAT YOU NEED TO DO.” outside depending on the third- groups to a different perspective down situation. and voice. “They (QBs) asked about “In our receiver room, we’re al- “Coach’s whole theory is that depth and how important it is,” ways talking about what the DBs it’s good for them to hear what Wheelwright said. “He (Leon- are doing ― how they’re trying to we’re teaching on the other side hard) touched on getting that attack this and that,” Peavy said. of the ball,” Gilmore said. “We tell extra few steps. If the route is “To be in their position room and our guys to have a plan. So if you 16 yards, make sure you get 16, have their position coach telling understand what they’re trying because an extra two steps can us what they’re doing in certain to do, what they’re trying to take change the whole defense. If you situations, it just gives you a away, you have a better under- cut things short, it’s easier for the chance to play a little faster.” standing of what you need to do. defensive player.” Wheelwright and Peavy were “For example, those guys (the defensive backs) were curious about what I was teaching from a release standpoint; ‘If you run this route, what are you trying to accomplish?’ They had some great questions and all of them stem from releases. Why is he releasing this way to get here?” Shelton, the most experienced player in the secondary, had a specific inquiry for Gilmore. “There was one route that I was struggling with,” Shelton said. “We call it a ‘Hero’ ― it’s an in-and-out route. He (Gilmore) showed us what the quarterback and receiver are thinking when they’re going against us and it kind of changed my perspective a little bit on how I have to play it.” The quarterbacks also sat in BRIAN MASON with the wide receivers and had Ted Gilmore questions for Leonhard, too. LUCAS AT LARGE PAGE 2 OF 4 LUCAS AT LARGE BY MIKE LUCAS ■ UWBADGERS.COM well-versed on Leonhard’s 10- going to find a way,” Leonhard “We learned how to play running year playing career in the NFL, said. “Whether it was in the back through the eyes of a line- so they were especially attentive run game or the pass game, he backer. We learned their tech- when Leonhard talked about was going to fight you― literally nique and what they want to do. some of the elite receivers that sometimes ― but he had that “It was real beneficial actually he had faced during games or edge to him and when you have having Coach Wilcox make an practices while toiling for the that as a player you’re going to outline for us and go through it Bills, the Ravens, the Jets, the succeed … you’re not backing point by point on what the line- Broncos and the Browns. down.” backers are looking at pre-snap “There’s an illusion of what Gilmore was an assistant for ― whether it’s our eyes or it’s our makes a guy (wide receiver) three seasons with the Oak- posture or it’s our stance, if we’re special as far as what you see on land Raiders, so he could also stacked over the tackle or more TV,” Leonhard told them. “But draw from his pro experience on over the guard, a lot of stuff like when you’re competing against how receivers set up DBs. “He that.” them, day-in and day-out, year- showed us some film of NFL Linebacker T.J. Edwards, by in and year-out, you get a better guys,” Shelton said, “and their the same token, picked up tips sense of why a guy was at a top tendencies with arm or shoulder from Settle, an ex-NFL assistant. level and why he was able to stay movements when they’re about “I thought it was cool just to there.” to break their route off.” see what the running backs were Steve Smith, a 15-year veteran The insider access was price- looking for,” Edwards said. “We, and three-time All-Pro, was one less, tailback Dare Ogunbowale as linebackers, have a general of Leonhard’s examples. confirmed. idea of what they’re trying to do. “He’s so competitive and he’s “It was awesome,” he said. But it was really good to hear it BRIAN MASON Jim Leonhard LUCAS AT LARGE PAGE 3 OF 4 LUCAS AT LARGE BY MIKE LUCAS ■ UWBADGERS.COM straight from Coach Settle. It just scrimmage are no different than gave us a better understanding anywhere else. “It’s a chess “IF THE GUYS KNOW THAT WE’RE of what they’re trying to accom- match,” said Obasih. “I liked ALL IN IT FOR THEIR DEVELOP- plish.” hearing how he (Rudolph) mo- MENT AND THEIR GROWTH, NO Every player seemed to come tivated his guys and what their MATTER WHICH SIDE OF THE BALL away from the experience more mindset is before they go into ev- RUDOLPH SAID, in tune with their teammates.