Tag: Miles Smith

Coaching at Illinois may have helped Lovie Smith’s defense adapt to the NFL

Lovie Smith’s patented Tampa 2 defense may have benefited from being deployed in college, according to Houston Texans LB coach Miles Smith.

After the Tampa Bay Buccaneers fired Lovie Smith at the end of the 2015 season, the former 2005 NFL Coach of the Year took his defense to the University of Illinois.

Although Illinois compiled a 17-39 record during Smith’s tenure from 2016-20, the college experience may have been the booster the Tampa 2 needed to stay relevant in today’s NFL.

Houston Texans linebackers coach Miles Smith doesn’t see the scheme they deploy as being brothers with other Cover 2 schemes as much as it is cousins.

“At this point, our defense has kind of turned into something unique, and it helped out being in college,” Smith said. “We were able to see elements that were going to come to pro football a little bit sooner where we were able to adjust things a little bit. Going into my seventh year in the system, I’ll say we’re a very different defense than we were in 2015, our first year.”

The Texans defense was bottom-tier in terms of points allowed (27th) and yards (31st), but Smith, who was defensive coordinator under coach David Culley, who lasted one year, delivered on his philosophy to create takeaways. The Texans finished with 25, tied for the 10th-most in the NFL, and the only team with a losing record to finish in the top-10.

As the Texans deploy Smith’s version of the Tampa 2 for a second year, the younger Smith believes the longer the system is in place, the better it will perform.

“We did a lot defensively last year for year one, but when you’re in a system for multiple years, that’s when you’re able to build up on other things,” Smith said.

Houston had success with a bevy of defenders on one-year contracts. As the Texans work through free agency and the draft, general manager Nick Caserio’s goal is to provide more stable players who can stay in the system.

Texans LB coach Miles Smith praises Garret Wallow’s intelligence

Houston Texan linebackers coach Miles Smith has gotten to see Garret Wallow up close, and one of his biggest strengths is his intelligence.

The Houston Texans liked what they saw in linebacker Garret Wallow leading up to the 2021 NFL draft.

The Texans selected the former TCU Horned Frog with the 170th overall pick in Round 5. Houston linebackers coach Miles Smith interviewed Wallow ahead of the draft, and knew that he would be able to work with Wallow’s 6-2, 230-pound athleticism.

However, there was another aspect of Wallow’s game that impressed Smith.

“What stood out the most for him was just his intelligence,” Smith told reporters on a Zoom call on June 8. “Playing linebacker in our system, yeah, you’ve got to be a great athlete. I think everybody kind of knows that, but the second trait that we look for is just raw intelligence. Can somebody think on the fly? Can somebody, when they get a little rattled, are they still able to stay composed? He was able to do that.”

The Texans have a linebacker on the cusp of his first Pro Bowl in Zach Cunningham, who led the NFL with 164 combined tackles last season. With the Texans’ new Tampa 2 scheme emphasizing the playmaking ability of linebackers, Cunningham will get his chances.

So will Wallow, who has been learning all three of the linebacker positions in the new defense.

Said Smith: “Our linebackers are essentially interchangeable. Because of that, they need to be able to learn all three of the linebacking positions and you’ve got to be able to think to do that. I think he has grown exponentially since he’s been here so far because he has been able to rely on that great attribute that he has, his intelligence; very excited about his future.”

Wallow earned first-team All-Big 12 last season at TCU. If the River Ridge (La.) John Curtis High School product can find a way to build on that in his rookie season at a new level, the Texans’ defense may be in for a quick turnaround.

Texans LB coach Miles Smith predicts Zach Cunningham will have ‘huge impact’ on defense

Houston Texans linebackers coach Miles Smith envisions Zach Cunningham playing a big part in the defense in 2021.

The Houston Texans’ new faces on defense are some familiar faces, and linebackers coach Miles Smith is counting on one of them to be the driving force in 2021.

The first-year position coach joined Texans Radio sideline reporter John Harris, and talked about fifth-year linebacker Zach Cunningham.

“Zach is a special football player,” Smith said. “He’s able to do a lot of things that quite frankly a lot of linebackers can’t do. So, I think he’s going to have a huge impact on what we do going forward.”

The Texans are going from a 3-4 defense, which they have run since 2011, to a Tampa 2 scheme. Although the front will feature four down linemen, the reality is the defense is suitable for a player such as Cunningham to succeed.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E9cZ_rPZq28

In 2020, Cunningham led the NFL with 164 combined tackles. Smith believes the way that tackles are tabulated in the NFL “can be a little overrated,” but nevertheless believes the 6-3, 238-pound linebacker can succeed in the new scheme.

“As a whole, I think he’s shown that he’s as talented as any other linebacker in the NFL,” said Smith. “So, for us going forward, it’s nice for us to have a piece in place that you can demand on with him.”

Cunningham has played all but two games in his career, having to miss time in 2018 due to a concussion. The former 2017 second-round pick from Vanderbilt has 6.5 sacks, 22 tackles for loss, 11 quarterback hits, an interception, which was returned for a touchdown, 15 pass breakups, four forced fumbles, and three fumble recoveries for his career.

Houston Texans add Miles Smith to coaching staff, keep RB coach Danny Barrett, move Bobby King

The Houston Texans are expected to add Miles Smith as linebackers coach, shuffle Bobby King to coach the DL, and keep RB coach Danny Barrett.

The Houston Texans continue to add to their coaching staff under newly hired David Culley while also reshuffling the responsibilities of existing assistants.

According to Tom Pelissero of the NFL Network, the Texans are expected to hire former Illinois linebackers coach Miles Smith, the son of new Texans defensive coordinator Lovie Smith.

The younger Smith coached linebackers under his father from 2019 until the end of their time together in Illinois. In 2018, Smith got his start with the Big Ten program as a cornerbacks coach.

From 2014-15, when the father was the coach of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, the son was defensive quality control for the team.

The Texans will also retain coaches Danny Barrett and Bobby King. Barrett will continue to coach running backs as he has since 2018 while King will move from coaching inside linebackers to coaching the defensive line, a job previously held by former defensive coordinator Anthony Weaver.

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