James Franklin on Manny Diaz: Every week we get closer to playing how he wants

After being fired by the Miami Hurricanes, Manny Diaz ended up as the new Penn State defensive coordinator, replacing Brent Pry. It can take a while to install a new defense and adjust to a new coach. However, head coach James Franklin believes that the team is getting closer to where they need to be every single week.

“First off, I think the guys like and respect him, which is, I think, important. I think stylistically and visually it looks a little different than how we played in the past. Obviously, the turnovers is significantly different, especially the last two games,” James Franklin said.

“But, I think our guys are getting more comfortable and more confident each week. I think he’s getting more comfortable and confident each week, in terms of knowing who our players are, what their strengths are, what their weaknesses are, how you call a game based on knowing your personnel better, and getting more comfortable and familiar with the league.”

CLICK HERE to subscribe for FREE to the On3 YouTube channel

“I think at the end of the day, obviously, points is the most important stat for an offensive coordinator or a defensive coordinator. And then, the other two that we know that we talk about all the time is explosive plays and turnovers.”

James Franklin went on to say that he wants to see the defense cut down on explosive plays. However, he does think that they’re doing a good job not giving up explosive plays for touchdowns. Because, if they couple that with good red zone defense, they shouldn’t allow too many points.

Later in the press conference, James Franklin was asked about the defense’s pass rush, and how the Nittany Lions are getting so many different players involved in it.

“I think it’s more, again, we’re just playing a lot of guys. The other thing that factors in sometimes is when the score gets–when there’s a margin, a larger margin in the score, then people feel they have to throw more. That creates opportunities, as well,” James Franklin said.

“I think we can get better there, with tackles for loss and sacks. That’s a big part of what Manny wants the identity of this defense to be, and I see it getting closer to how we want it, how he wants it to look, which is turnovers, sacks, and tackles for loss. And every week I see signs of it that are encouraging.”

Penn State hosts Northwestern on Saturday, October 1st. It’s their second game of Big Ten play.