Andy Avalos took over the Oregon defense in late February, just before spring practice, and did all the things new coordinators do:
He plowed through film from the previous season to understand the personnel, identify their strengths and spot weaknesses: Hours upon hours of self-scouting.
Then Avalos began tweaking his blueprint to fit the players — nothing revolutionary about that, either, save for one detail in the Avalos system:
The emphasis on the nickel back.
“We had to find the best guy, someone who could cover in man or zone, who was a good blitzer,” Avalos said.