Most football experts would likely agree that the reason Joe Lee Dunn, Memphis' newly-hired defensive coordinator, is considered one of the game's best is because of the 'old-school' work-ethic he instills in his players.
It is the biggest difference between this year's defense and last year's, which was run over by opposing offenses more than a traffic cone on the highway.
Memphis' only All-Conference member, linebacker Derrick Ballard, couldn't be happier with Dunn taking over on defense, but to Ballard 'old-school' translates to 'more work.'
"As long as we're out there doing what we're supposed to be doing, then he can be a great guy to get along with," Ballard said. "But, if any of us screw up he can get on you tough."
Dunn's arrival has been well received to say the least and head coach Tommy West said Dunn was one of his best recruits this season.
In his 31 years of coaching Division I football, Dunn has coached some daunting defenses.
When he was at Ole Miss in 1993 Dunn's was the top-ranked defense in the nation. In 1999, his Mississippi State defense repeated the feat. While at Arkansas in 1995, the Razorbacks defense was the best in the South EasternConference.
With that track-record and given the year the Tiger defense had last season, Ballard is willing to do anything Dunn asks of him.
"He's a great defensive coordinator and he's a great guy to play for," Ballard said. "He's a lot like coach West (in that) he's a player's coach."
Blitzing has always been Ballard's specialty and with Dunn's system he'll get to blitz more often.
"I just love it, I love everything about (Dunn's system)," Ballard said. "Besides all the blitzing, it's the schemes, it's the variety of things we run and the way we camouflage it."
In the off-season Dunn is in the hot sun all day, no socks and all, working his players into shape with the efficiency of a boot camp drill instructor.
"He's kind of tough with a lot of running and that stuff," Ballard said. "But, we need that in order to get Memphis defense back to where it was."
Getting Memphis defense back to where it was is a common slogan being tossed around this summer. Last year's seems light-years away from the 2000 squad which ranked in the top-5 nationally.
"I felt like we were to inconsistent last year," the senior linebacker said. "We let people that shouldn't have been able to run, run right though our defense."
Tennessee Tech is the first game on the Tigers' schedule, but most players are eyeing a September 6, meeting with Ole Miss and highly-touted quarterback Eli Manning.
The game will be in the Liberty Bowl on national television and Ballard, along with most of the Tigers' defense, thinks it would make a great coming-out party.
"Any guy that's saying they're not thinking about the Ole Miss game, I don't believe," Ballard said. "We got Eli Manning coming here. There will be a big crowd, national TV. It's our chance to show them that Memphis defense is back - that Memphis is back."
