On what he believes the defense does really well at this point heading into the season opener
“As cliché as it may sound, I think the guys are playing extremely hard. I think at the end of the day, we’re doing a better job of understanding our fits and responsibilities within every package that we have. Now, exactly which package we run the most will be determined by who we’re playing and what they present, the challenges and opportunities we have. At the end of the day, I think for us right now we’re just doing a better job overall executing and playing extremely hard.”
On how he feels the players understand the different schemes and how many reliable pass rushers they have
“I feel good with the guys in terms of the grasp that they have of the defense. Obviously, doing it under the lights and doing it at practice, it’s another step that you’re taking, but at the end of the day thus far, I feel really good with what we’re doing.
“As far as pass rushers go, I think it’s still that work in progress. We feel like we have some guys up front that have taken some strides in that way. But we also feel like we need to generate some more pass rush. We have different ways to get that done.”
NEXT: Tim Banks provides assessment of Vols’ defense