Mason on front 7

[aubiefifty 18,231]

 'a kid in a candy shop'

By Tom Green | tgreen@al.com

5-7 minutes

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Derek Mason has an apparent sweet tooth that his new job has urged him to satiate.

After spending the last seven seasons at Vanderbilt, which routinely landed at the bottom of the SEC in recruiting rankings, Mason has no shortage of talent on his hands as he takes over as Auburn’s defensive coordinator this offseason. But it’s not just the talent that has Mason salivating, it’s the versatility that comes with it as he designs his multifaceted defensive scheme to fit his new personnel, especially in the front seven.

“I think it’s great when you can have an opportunity to step into a place like Auburn and look and see exactly what they have available to you,” Mason said. “I think it’s always about players, right?... I think the versatility of the front seven, OK man, is going to be huge for us just in terms of speed, size, athleticism and trying to create one-on-one matchups. For me, right now, I’m like a kid in a candy shop.”

Mason has been best known for his 3-4 defensive front throughout his career, particularly during his time as Stanford’s defensive coordinator nearly a decade ago, but his defenses don’t typically fit into one neat category. Yes, he runs a lot of three-man fronts, but he’ll also utilize a 4-3 front and even field five down linemen at times. At times during last weekend’s open practice, Auburn even employed a two-man front as part of a nickel package, with two tackles, two edge defenders and three linebackers. And that’s without getting into the different coverages and looks Mason plans to implement on the back end, given his background as a defensive backs coach.

To understand why Mason is so enamored with the possibilities that come with his newly inherited players, look no further than Auburn’s updated spring roster, which featured just three listed defensive ends, seven scholarship defensive tackles, four players at the newly introduced edge defender spot and seven linebackers. It’s a group that provides ample mix-and-match opportunities for Mason to work with.

Caleb Johnson, for example, is listed at defensive end but has worked as an edge defender behind Derick Hall already. Jaren Handy is listed as an edge defender but can play the four-technique or line up at defensive end. Chandler Wooten, Owen Pappoe and Zakoby McClain have the ability to play inside and outside linebacker or walk out in space as an edge defender. The possibilities for Mason seem limitless.

“Coming in, we’ve got all different types,” Mason said. “We’ve got big guys; we’ve got long guys. So, for me, it’s a nice smorgasbord of players, man, who have different skillsets.”

The group whose versatility may have the biggest impact on Auburn’s defense in Year 1 under Mason, though, is the edge defender position. In years prior, under former defensive coordinator Kevin Steele, these players mostly fit into the Buck position — speed rushers off the edge who often lined up standing up in Auburn’s four-man front but were seldom asked to drop into coverage.

But in Mason’s system, these edge defenders will be asked to do more. They can line up with their hand in the ground as part of a four-man front; they can start off the line; they can come off the edge as pass-rushers, and they’ll also be counted on to set the edge against the run and drop into coverage as needed.

“It’s just going to add to their resume,” linebacker Owen Pappoe said.

As Hall, who was listed as a Buck last season and finished third on the team in sacks, put it this week, “it’s completely different” from what those players were asked to do under the previous coaching staff. The position will have more fluidity and won’t be as stagnant, which could produce more opportunities for the likes of Hall, Handy, Johnson, T.D. Moultry and Romello Height, as well as fall additions Eku Leota and Dylan Brooks.

“We’re able to put a lot more stuff on film that we’re not used to — well, that we haven’t had a chance to [have] exposure to, being able to show what we can and can’t do as far as different aspects of the game,” Hall said. “I think it’s pretty significant for us and the defense as a whole with what we’ve got planned.”

No matter what they’re asked to do on any given down, though, Mason’s mission statement for them — the mantra that the group has already adopted — remains the same.

“Wreck anything that I see — run, pass, it doesn’t matter,” Mason said. “If there’s movement, I’m going to hit it, so let’s go.”

With a lot being asked of the group, Mason believes the players will get smarter as a result; they’ll have a more well-rounded understanding of the defense and of how to read opposing offenses — and they’ll also have the chance, as Hall noted, to showcase a wider array of skills, even if there are some hiccups as they adjust to the new scheme.

“That’s one of the things about these guys — everybody wants to do everything, and I told them, as long as you give us the effort in terms of what we’re doing, I don’t care about the mistakes right now,” Mason said. “We’re going to make mistakes; football is not a perfect game, and we’re going to make our mistakes, but let’s sure we’re making them fast and making them physical.”

Tom Green is an Auburn beat reporter for Alabama Media Group. Follow him on Twitter @Tomas_Verde.

[DAG 34,754]

Our fans freak out about this stuff but this man is coming from Vandy and Stanford, places notoriously who do not have the athletes we have. Smart coaches will be excited with the players that previous coaches had no idea to maximize 

[AuburnNTexas 7,317]

I love the line:

“We’re going to make mistakes; football is not a perfect game, and we’re going to make our mistakes, but let’s sure we’re making them fast and making them physical.”

 

[Sully to Beasley 643]

Coach Mason was the best hire made by Bryan Harsin IMHO. I am real excited about the prospects of a Mason coached defense on the Plains.

[JuscAUse! 1,673]

I remember watching an Auburn replay, I think the coach was tater tot..(I know, I know) but he showed a play 2-3 times where a LB blew up a blocking RB on a fake. He said, if you're gonna screw up, do it full speed and hurt someone. Or something similar. 

[AuburnNTexas 7,317]

I remember James Owen was asked to play Linebacker against bama about a week before the game. He didn't know much about what he was supposed to do since he had about a week to learn the position but I remember hearing somebody said the coaches said something about just get into their backfield and hit somebody and mess things up. That is what he did.