Offensive and defensive coaches can agree on one thing - turnovers are often the deciding factor between a good season, and a disappointing one.
At Washington State, defensive coordinator Alex Grinch and his staff have installed an interesting contraption for defensive guys to use before actually stepping foot on the practice field.
Every single defensive player has to take a swipe at that ball-on-a-spring before hitting the field for practice every day, so the message from the staff is clear - create more turnovers.
Speed D checking in! #GoCougs#CampLife#1stPracticepic.twitter.com/oWs51g9Ox6
— WSU Cougar Football (@wsucougfb) August 2, 2017
Last season, Wazzu recovered 11 fumbles, good for 28th nationally. The year before they also had 11 fumbles gained, and ranked 75th nationally.
It's not the first time a program has utilized this tactic, as I can also recall the ball-on-a-spring also being used in team meeting rooms and locker rooms before. It would be interesting to see, of teams that have used the method, who has seen an increase in turnovers during that season.
I'll be watching Wazzu's defense a little closer this fall to monitor the results, and I'm sure many defensive-minded coaches will join me.