Michael Rider's memorable game-clinching interception in the 2010 Cat-Griz game
Photo by: Paul Bussi
Michael Rider Returns to Secondary as Part of Restructured Defensive Staff
2/18/2015 3:08:00 PM | Football
Rob Ash looks for 'swagger, passion' from his defense in 2015
Slowly but surely, Michael Rider has migrated back to where he is most comfortable.
First, the former Montana State Honorable Mention All-Big Sky safety returned from a graduate assistant coaching position at UNLV to his alma mater to work as assistant defensive line coach in 2013. One season later, Rider moved to linebackers assistant. And this week, with the hiring of former teammate Jody Owens to aid linebackers coach Kane Ioane, Rider moved back back to the secondary.
"It's awfully exciting for me because it's a more natural fit," Rider said of his migration, mostly complete as he prepares to coach cornerbacks when spring drills begin on March 17. "(The secondary is) what I played here so it's definitely more in my comfort zone, it's more natural."
Rider's return to the secondary comes as part of a defensive makeover that includes the elevation of Ioane to co-defensive coordinator with Jamie Marshall and the hiring of Owens, which was precipitated by the departure of cornerbacks coach Brandon North. But if it marks the closing of a circle, it is a full circle that included a year in the supremely unnatural role of assisting with UNLV's offensive line along with defensive linemen and linebackers at MSU.
Like Rider, Jamie Marshall, MSU's ninth-year defensive coordinator, coached different positions before returning to the secondary, where he played. He said Rider will find the journey beneficial.
"I think it gives a young guy like him a broader perspective," Marshall said. "Some young coaches, when they transition to coaching, get trapped into only coaching the position they played. For him to work with the offensive line at UNLV and then come back here and work with the defensive line, move to linebackers, and now to the back end, that should give him a broad perspective of what's all going on. It will make him a better coach, and us better as a defense."
MSU head coach Rob Ash is pleased with the package of moves that have reshaped his defensive staff this winter. "I'm really happy with how it will be set up," he said. "Mike Rider moves back to the secondary, where he played. He will coach the corners so Jamie (Marshall) stays with the safeties for continuity, but he'll be back where he grew up, and it will give him his own position group for the first time since he's been back. I know he's very excited about that, and it's a promotion that he's earned."
Owens' return to the Bobcat linebackers corps, Ash feels, will free Ioane up as he transitions to the role of co-coordinator while also injecting confidence and "swagger, a word I've heard a lot since we hired Jody. He will be the assistant linebackers coach, which is a perfect situation because Kane will have additional responsibilities. Jody will be able to pick up some duties, such as academics, while helping the players with personal issues, and I look forward to him coaching how he played – with confidence and passion."
Most would consider pass defense as the primary role of a secondary coach, but Rider said his most significant growth area is the function of corners and safeties in defending the run. "(Ioane) taught me a lot about what happens with the safeties in terms of their run fits," the former Billings West standout said. "As a player I knew my run fit, but I didn't see the whole picture. (Coaching linebackers) was really helpful, especially being a quarters defense relying on our safeties being run fitters, it really gave me a new respect to run fits and how the safeties fit into it."
Rider also cited the experience of coaching different positions as expanding his understanding of defensive concepts. "It gives you perspective in terms of how the pieces (of a defense) fit together," he said. "And there definitely was a learning curve for a guy who wasn't aware of (coaching) defensive line and linebackers. The learning curve was pretty big at times, but you take it a dose at a time and at the end of the day you look back and realize how much you learned and how things fit together in the big scheme of things."
One of the elements of Montana State's reconfigured defensive staff that has caught the attention of most Cat fans is the presence two former Big Sky Defensive MVPs – Ioane and Owens – and Rider, an all-league performer whose interception on the final play of the 2010 Cat-Griz game clinched MSU's Big Sky Championship. Rider, though, says that is not central to the work ahead.
"Ultimately our (playing careers are) over," Rider says. "It's not about us. But it's exciting to work with guys that are passionate about Bobcat defense. Hopefully the message sticks a little bit harder (with players) knowing that you've lived it, you have played in this defense and take a lot of pride in it. It can only help, it's not going to hurt, but at the same time we have to coach these guys hard and get them to do what we want them to do and have some fun along the way."
Much of the defensive staff's time presently is dedicated to tweaking its scheme. "We're fine-tuning what we want to do defensively," Rider said. "The spring is a huge opportunity for younger players to step up and get reps that they may not have gotten in the fall. There are older players you don't really need to see quite so much, but I think some of the younger guys will get the opportunity to play a lot of reps and show what they can do, where is their niche going to be on the team, and what piece to the puzzle they can add. That's huge in the evaluation process."
Ash said his team will likely look structurally similar to its predecessors during spring drills. While safeties Bryson McCabe and Desman Carter join the squad immediately, five other transfers expected to challenge for prominent roles next season don't arrive until the summer. "My guess is the superficial appearance of the defense will be similar. I imagine we'll be very base in the spring and try to get a read on the young guys to see where they're all at, see who has a chance to figure in. We'll emphasize what we can, particularly the two new safeties and all the young guys who have played sparingly. It will probably be a personnel-oriented spring."
The more prominent and important reshaping of his team's defense lies not in X's and O's, Ash said, but in the unit's approach. "I think Coach Ioane will keep things simpler and more up-tempo. We want the defense to play with more energy and spirit," he said, "a little more aggressiveness, to a certain extent. I see adjectives like confidence and swagger from the defensive guys, and that's what we're looking for, not necessarily attitude but confidence and passion."
Spring drills begin at MSU on March 17, with the Triangle Classic slated for April 11 in Great Falls and the Sonny Holland Classic April 18 in Bozeman.
First, the former Montana State Honorable Mention All-Big Sky safety returned from a graduate assistant coaching position at UNLV to his alma mater to work as assistant defensive line coach in 2013. One season later, Rider moved to linebackers assistant. And this week, with the hiring of former teammate Jody Owens to aid linebackers coach Kane Ioane, Rider moved back back to the secondary.
"It's awfully exciting for me because it's a more natural fit," Rider said of his migration, mostly complete as he prepares to coach cornerbacks when spring drills begin on March 17. "(The secondary is) what I played here so it's definitely more in my comfort zone, it's more natural."
Rider's return to the secondary comes as part of a defensive makeover that includes the elevation of Ioane to co-defensive coordinator with Jamie Marshall and the hiring of Owens, which was precipitated by the departure of cornerbacks coach Brandon North. But if it marks the closing of a circle, it is a full circle that included a year in the supremely unnatural role of assisting with UNLV's offensive line along with defensive linemen and linebackers at MSU.
Like Rider, Jamie Marshall, MSU's ninth-year defensive coordinator, coached different positions before returning to the secondary, where he played. He said Rider will find the journey beneficial.
"I think it gives a young guy like him a broader perspective," Marshall said. "Some young coaches, when they transition to coaching, get trapped into only coaching the position they played. For him to work with the offensive line at UNLV and then come back here and work with the defensive line, move to linebackers, and now to the back end, that should give him a broad perspective of what's all going on. It will make him a better coach, and us better as a defense."
MSU head coach Rob Ash is pleased with the package of moves that have reshaped his defensive staff this winter. "I'm really happy with how it will be set up," he said. "Mike Rider moves back to the secondary, where he played. He will coach the corners so Jamie (Marshall) stays with the safeties for continuity, but he'll be back where he grew up, and it will give him his own position group for the first time since he's been back. I know he's very excited about that, and it's a promotion that he's earned."
Owens' return to the Bobcat linebackers corps, Ash feels, will free Ioane up as he transitions to the role of co-coordinator while also injecting confidence and "swagger, a word I've heard a lot since we hired Jody. He will be the assistant linebackers coach, which is a perfect situation because Kane will have additional responsibilities. Jody will be able to pick up some duties, such as academics, while helping the players with personal issues, and I look forward to him coaching how he played – with confidence and passion."
Most would consider pass defense as the primary role of a secondary coach, but Rider said his most significant growth area is the function of corners and safeties in defending the run. "(Ioane) taught me a lot about what happens with the safeties in terms of their run fits," the former Billings West standout said. "As a player I knew my run fit, but I didn't see the whole picture. (Coaching linebackers) was really helpful, especially being a quarters defense relying on our safeties being run fitters, it really gave me a new respect to run fits and how the safeties fit into it."
Rider also cited the experience of coaching different positions as expanding his understanding of defensive concepts. "It gives you perspective in terms of how the pieces (of a defense) fit together," he said. "And there definitely was a learning curve for a guy who wasn't aware of (coaching) defensive line and linebackers. The learning curve was pretty big at times, but you take it a dose at a time and at the end of the day you look back and realize how much you learned and how things fit together in the big scheme of things."
One of the elements of Montana State's reconfigured defensive staff that has caught the attention of most Cat fans is the presence two former Big Sky Defensive MVPs – Ioane and Owens – and Rider, an all-league performer whose interception on the final play of the 2010 Cat-Griz game clinched MSU's Big Sky Championship. Rider, though, says that is not central to the work ahead.
"Ultimately our (playing careers are) over," Rider says. "It's not about us. But it's exciting to work with guys that are passionate about Bobcat defense. Hopefully the message sticks a little bit harder (with players) knowing that you've lived it, you have played in this defense and take a lot of pride in it. It can only help, it's not going to hurt, but at the same time we have to coach these guys hard and get them to do what we want them to do and have some fun along the way."
Much of the defensive staff's time presently is dedicated to tweaking its scheme. "We're fine-tuning what we want to do defensively," Rider said. "The spring is a huge opportunity for younger players to step up and get reps that they may not have gotten in the fall. There are older players you don't really need to see quite so much, but I think some of the younger guys will get the opportunity to play a lot of reps and show what they can do, where is their niche going to be on the team, and what piece to the puzzle they can add. That's huge in the evaluation process."
Ash said his team will likely look structurally similar to its predecessors during spring drills. While safeties Bryson McCabe and Desman Carter join the squad immediately, five other transfers expected to challenge for prominent roles next season don't arrive until the summer. "My guess is the superficial appearance of the defense will be similar. I imagine we'll be very base in the spring and try to get a read on the young guys to see where they're all at, see who has a chance to figure in. We'll emphasize what we can, particularly the two new safeties and all the young guys who have played sparingly. It will probably be a personnel-oriented spring."
The more prominent and important reshaping of his team's defense lies not in X's and O's, Ash said, but in the unit's approach. "I think Coach Ioane will keep things simpler and more up-tempo. We want the defense to play with more energy and spirit," he said, "a little more aggressiveness, to a certain extent. I see adjectives like confidence and swagger from the defensive guys, and that's what we're looking for, not necessarily attitude but confidence and passion."
Spring drills begin at MSU on March 17, with the Triangle Classic slated for April 11 in Great Falls and the Sonny Holland Classic April 18 in Bozeman.
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