In preparation for the 2021 season, Arizona State defensive line coach Robert Rodriguez is looking for consistency in his group. With a solid foundation built in during his first year on staff – following his departure from the Minnesota Vikings – Rodriguez told reporters Wednesday that ASU’s defensive line group has the pieces in place to be great.
“There’s another level to pass rush to having second, third, fourth moves that are ready to go,” said Rodriguez of what he hopes to implement in his second season on Herm Edwards’ coaching staff. “There’s a lot more that we can do in terms of our pass rush in games and things of that nature. There’s always another level that you can reach.”
For Arizona State, reaching that level will come down to consistency. Great defensive line play was something the Sun Devils saw in spurts during the 2020 season. Some of Rodriguez’s teaching tape was updated due to the play of Arizona State’s defensive line in his first year in Tempe.
“The biggest thing, though, is consistency,” Rodriguez said following a four-game stretch last fall which saw the Sun Devils rank 64th in the country with 2.2 sacks per game. “We did some stuff that I’m going to put on my teach tape because we did things the way it’s supposed to be done. I don’t care if you’re the Minnesota Vikings or Valley View Middle School. That’s how you want it done.
“The problem is it needs to be more consistent. It needs to look like that more consistently, and that’s what I’m really looking for. Doing things the right way nine out of 10 instead of six out of 10 (times). That’s when we’re going to start to become the type of defensive line that passes it down.”
On an Arizona State defensive line that brings back plenty of returning production – as does all of the Sun Devils defensive groups – Rodriguez singled out freshman Joe Moore and redshirt sophomore Stanley Lambert as two of ASU’s most improved products.
“It’s a competition between who has been the most improved between Stanley and Joe,” Rodriguez said. “Obviously, with various guys who have had to miss time, young guys have had to make a jump. So, I’m really proud of Joe and Stanley in how much progress they’ve made from the last game to here. I was starting to see those steps in the last two games in both of those guys, but they’ve made progress in the right direction.
“Both of them are playing faster. They are playing with much better body lean. Their technique has improved exponentially, and the angles that they’ve taken to the football has gotten better. They are starting to implement pass rush moves; they’re not just trying to run around guys.”
In 2018, Lambert tore his ACL and MCL in his right knee. Now, Rodriguez says his mental progression has improved along with his physical development to help him improve.
“It’s a different guy,” Rodriguez said of the San Antonio, Texas, native, tipping his cap to Lambert for his off-field improvements of late. “It’s light years ahead of where he was last year. When we first got him, it was honestly ‘hey, look, he hasn’t really stuck and been able to find it anywhere else. What do you think?’ And I was excited… Stanley has had to make a lot of changes both physically, but more so mentally and emotionally.”
Coaches can view which players are watching the most film in their spare time, and Rodriguez said he could see that Lambert is one of the leaders in that department.
“You have to get your mind right to do some of the things that the defensive line is asked to do, and to do it every day consistently, you’ve gotta be a little bit tougher, and you’ve gotta be a little bit more accepting of pain and punishment,” Rodriguez said. “He has done those things. He’s a more disciplined person; he’s engaged. He’s made so much improvement. He’s earned it, and he’s getting better because he’s put in the work, and he’s sacrificing to do it.”
For Arizona State to have the success it wants to Rodriguez says the unnatural must become natural for his group. Rather than utilize a variety of drills, Rodriguez says he’s told the Sun Devils the monotonous drills he provides them with will prepare them for battle each week.
“You have to embrace the grind on a daily basis, because at the end of the day, when the ball is snapped on game day, your habits will come through for you whether they are good or bad,” said Rodriguez. “If you’re going to be a great defensive lineman in our technique, which is very fundamentally sound, then comfort and greatness are on two different roads.”
With more pressure being forced on opposing quarterbacks during the limited sample size showcased by Rodriguez’s unit last season, defensive coordinator Antonio Pierce has already set the goal for this season. Pressure in less than 2.5 seconds leads to success, he’s said. With that standard set, Rodriguez expects his group and the defense in general to have success.
“We’re expecting to win. The standard is higher, and we’re not as accepting of mistakes,” remarked Rodriguez. “I think what made us great last year was our willingness to sacrifice and do whatever it takes. That’s where we’re focused as a defensive line. But as a defense as a whole, I think we’ve got great leadership, and I think we’ve got a lot of guys that can make plays, so there’s a lot more confidence in the room.”
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Junior defensive lineman Jermayne Lole has been a mainstay in the trenches for ASU’s defense in recent years but has been away from the program for personal reasons as of late. Rodriguez said the program is unsure whether they’ll get the 6-foot-1, 310-pound Lole back by the end of spring practice, but that he is still enrolled and working on classes while home in California.
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