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BY MIKE LUCAS
UWBadgers.com Senior Writer
MADISON, Wis. — Wisconsin's Paul Chryst understood the distinction in the inquiry — "Are you where you wanted to be or where you thought you could be at this late stage of spring practice?" — and appreciated the phrasing given the fluid nature of not only player development, but the evaluation process.
"There has been a lot of good work, productive work," he emphasized without hesitation. "With some of the guys that you wanted to see what their role could be, the picture is starting to become a little more clearer. That's one thing (roles) we've spent a lot of time talking to our team about."
Aside from six early enrollee freshmen and one junior college transfer, Chryst said, "All but those seven guys were here last fall. And, yet, every person's role is going to be different than last year. Now a starter will still be a starter, but what we're asking of him and what he needs to bring is different."
Chryst volunteered examples. One was outside linebacker Garret Dooley, a fifth-year senior.
"He has played a lot of football," he said. "But his role is going to be different."
The other example was offensive lineman Michael Deiter, a redshirt junior.
"He has started every game (27 of 27)," he said. "But his role is different."
Identifying and nurturing roles started in January and February, otherwise known as Phase 1.
"During winter conditioning, you were starting to see some leadership evolve and you're seeing voids," Chryst said. "There are fewer voids now (in April) and you're seeing stronger leadership in some and some who are starting to emerge. You can say the same for play-making ability or production."
Phase 2 will culminate with Friday night's final spring practice.
"The spring is a valuable component," Chryst said, "but just one-fourth of the development."
Phase 3 begins in June with summer conditioning. Phase 4 is training camp in August.
"What you're starting to see," said Chryst, "is the natural evolution (into roles)."
To this end, he has been pleased with the progress.
"I don't want to say it has surprised me," Chryst cautioned. "But I never want to get to the point where you take it for granted. They've had a great approach to it (spring drills). They've come each day with energy and I believe the desire to work to get better.
"That's where I would hope we're at (as a program). But you're still appreciative of it. Springs are so valuable. If you have the right approach, which they have had, you can get a lot out of it. Now, it doesn't mean it's going to be pretty necessarily. But they're learning. That's the benefit of the spring."
Once again, Wisconsin's learning curve revolves around the same position group — the offensive line. For the second straight year, the Badgers don't have a senior. "I don't know if we've ever had that here," said Chryst, pondering the oddity of back-to-back seasons with such a void in upperclassmen.
"It's not happening overnight, but I like the progress (upfront). Joe (Rudolph) has done a really good job with them and they've got ownership. If you look at all of our scholarship linemen, they all belong. There's still a lot of work to be done, it's a work in progress. But I love what they're doing.
"They're starting to emerge. You're seeing that with Deiter and (Micah) Kapoi and (Beau) Benzschawel being in the system, the type of system that we run with the strength room. This spring, Tyler Biadasz and Patrick Kasl have gotten a lot of snaps with the 1s and this is their first spring."
Biadasz and Kasl are redshirt freshmen. As is Cole Van Lanen. During his Monday news conference, Chryst mentioned Van Lanen by name. "I thought Cole Van Lanen has started to play faster in some areas," he said. "That's a product of a lot of reps, that's where spring is so invaluable …"
The defensive line — featuring three senior starters in Chikwe Obasih, Conor Sheehy and Alec James — offers a sharp contrast to the offensive line. Their roles can't be minimized, either. "Can they step up their game to help replace some of the production?" Chryst asked rhetorically.
The reference was to the holes left on defense by the graduation losses of outside linebackers T.J. Watt and Vince Biegel, safety Leo Musso and cornerback Sojourn Shelton. "All four guys will be playing football again (in the NFL)," Chryst opined. "All four meant a lot to our defense."
That prompted the follow-up, "Can you be as good on defense without them?"
"We'll be different," Chryst said. "And, yet, I wouldn't say we don't have a chance to be a good defense. We'd never say that. We're going to be different. It could look different. But I like the group. They don't have to be last year's defense. They have to be the best defense they can be this year."
Musso saved his best for last — his senior year. Chryst believes the same can be true of Dooley and Leon Jacobs, who has returned to outside linebacker. "If we're going to be good," Chryst said, "it's going to be guys like them, Leon and Dools (Dooley), seniors playing their best football."
With T.J. Edwards, Jack Cichy, Chris Orr and Ryan Connelly expected to be back at full strength in training camp, the Badgers will be blessed with a wealth of experience at inside linebacker. All four have proven to be play-makers with Edwards leading the defense in tackles in each of the last two seasons.
How does Chryst plan on utilizing them all? "I don't worry about that, shoot, we did it at tailback with three guys one year," he said. "If they're good football players, getting them on the field has seldom been hard to do. When you think about it, we need more of them (good players)."
Chryst has liked what he has gotten out of his cornerbacks: Nick Nelson, the Hawaii transfer; and Derrick Tindal, a senior and 20-game starter. "DT has had a tremendous spring," Chryst said. "His approach and attention to the details of his position and his craft is noticeable and pretty cool."
Jim Leonhard's influence on the defensive backs has also been noticeable, according to Chryst. "I think that's why there has been great growth in DT and Nick," he said, "because they know how he's teaching it, not just the techniques, but how he messages it."
Leonhard, the second-year secondary coach, is a first-year defensive coordinator. "As far as coordinating the defense, I love the fact that Jimmy is Jimmy," Chryst said. "He hasn't morphed into someone else, which is a sign of confidence, a sign that the players know who he is."
Chryst is in the midst of finding out who the players are and what this team is. Or can be.
"Each guy is at a different stage," he said, "for what they're ready to learn and grasp."
To be continued in Phase 3 and 4.
