UW football: Young cornerbacks' inconsistency has tested coaches' patience
Be patient, Kerry Cooks has reminded himself over and over this spring.
Easier said than done.
Like the time a few weeks ago when the secondary coach for the University of Wisconsin football team couldn't resist the urge for a, ahem, strong teaching moment; he got in Otis Merrill's face after the freshman cornerback blew an assignment during a scrimmage in practice. Cooks got so close to Merrill as he screamed at him, the only thing separating their noses was Merrill's facemask.
Afterward, Cooks reflected on that and other moments that have tested his patience over the past month.
"It's just frustrating, because you want those guys to get it," he said. "One day they'll get it, and the next day they don't; it's like you never even taught the technique or the coverage scheme.
"And I understand that's the process that they've got to go through. But as a coach, you've got to keep pressing them and keep putting pressure on those guys to get better. So they are improving. I'd just like to see the improvement be a little bit more consistent."
Still, Cooks anticipated a stressful spring because he knew he'd be without the Badgers' top three cornerbacks from last season. Jack Ikegwuonu left school early to enter the NFL draft, while Allen Langford and Aaron Henry are recovering from ACL injuries.
Cooks is optimistic that Langford and Henry will be healthy come fall, but he's preparing for life without them. Prior to the beginning of spring practice last month, Cooks informed the others they'd need to step forward and form a two-deep in the event Langford and Henry don't return to form.
That group includes three players (Merrill, Mario Goins and Prince Moody) who have never played a down at UW, one (Niles Brinkley) who is still learning the position after making the transition from wide receiver a year ago, and one (Josh Nettles) who is the most experienced of the bunch but can't be counted completely on until he gets his academic house in order.
Cooks said Goins, who redshirted last season as a freshman, has been the most consistent of the group.
"Knock on wood, the way he's playing right now, he's definitely been the guy that's stepped up to the forefront," said Cooks, who recruited Goins out of Copperas Cove, Texas. "Not that he's doing everything right, but he just goes and plays ball. He doesn't worry about making mistakes or anything like that. He's been consistent in his alignments, and he's communicating well."
Goins was 162 pounds when he arrived in Madison and now weighs in at 185. He welcomed the coaches' decision to redshirt him and then took advantage of the time to bulk up.
"I knew coming in that there was a good chance I was going to redshirt," he said, "and I kind of wanted to because I didn't want to get thrown around."
Cooks said Merrill might have the most raw talent of the group, which helps explain Cooks losing his patience at times. Even UW coach Bret Bielema has singled out Merrill as someone who has the tendency to do what is asked of him on two out of every four plays, instead of all four.
"Talent-wise, I think Otis is neck-and-neck with Jack, with the exception of maybe his speed," Cooks said, referring to Ikegwuonu, a two-time, first-team All-Big Ten performer. "When you talk about being fluid, talk about a guy who understands the game, using his hands and good man-to-man skills. Across the board, he's probably the best natural corner that's here now.
"But he doesn't always do that. He doesn't always compete the way I want him to compete. Doesn't always finish plays the way he needs to finish plays."
Merrill may have contributed as a true freshman last season had it not been for a shoulder injury. While Goins made the most of his redshirt season, it appears Merrill didn't.
"I think when he came here and he had his injury, he sat out last year and he kind of took it easy a little bit; he didn't really understand what the coaches wanted and what we expected," Cooks said. "Now he's trying to get his work ethic back and understand that we're going to demand a lot of those guys. It's not just every other play, it's every play. It's about being consistent."
To his credit, Merrill didn't pout after the aforementioned tongue-lashing from Cooks.
"I understand it," Merrill said. "I know he just wants me to get better. I don't take it in a negative way at all."
It helped that Merrill had been in that position before. After all, he played for a tough coach, Ted Ginn, at a powerhouse program at Glenville High School in Cleveland.
"I'm kind of used to it," Merrill said. "You've just got to respond to it."
Cooks isn't the only one whose patience has been tested at times this spring.
"It's really frustrating when you know you can play but you just don't have the techniques down," Merrill said. "You're thinking so much, it's hard for you to play."
File photo
Wisconsin football secondary coach Kerry Cooks has to remind himself to be patient with younger players.
