Lucas: Matt Millen likes what he sees in Wisconsin
October 22, 2019 | Football, Mike Lucas
Former NFL player, now BTN expert sees Badgers’ talent
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BY MIKE LUCAS
UWBadgers.com Senior Writer
Adversity for 60-year-old Matt Millen was not knowing if he'd be around to see 61.
Not that he ever looked at it that way.
Even after being diagnosed with Amyloidosis, a rare heart disease; even after waiting nearly three months for a donor (a 26-year-old who had died from a drug overdose); even after the heart transplant on Christmas Eve, 2018, he professed to knowing something no one else did.
"I always thought I would be back doing it," Millen was saying Saturday in Champaign before taking his seat in the Big Ten Network broadcasting booth where he would provide the color analysis alongside of his play-by-play partner, Kevin Kugler.
"Back doing it" meant living, breathing and talking football.
"I just love the game," he said.
Clearly in his element, it's not that Millen appreciates what he's doing more.
"I always did appreciate it," he said. "I was always that guy."
A week earlier, Millen and Kugler were in Madison for Michigan State-Wisconsin.
"One of my favorite stops," said Millen, singling out head coach Paul Chryst. "I love the guy. He's about the kids and he's about the game. That's what we talk about. Good family guy."
Good instincts, too, Millen emphasized.
"Paul does a great job of knowing how to play the game and that's a lost art," said Millen. "There's a time to take the air out of the ball and there's a time not to. There's a time to run blitz and there's a time not to."
Citing coaches who have the instinctual command of ebb and flow, Millen said, "They take each individual game and get the feel of the game — what they can do (the opponent) and what we can do and when we've got to do it. Paul has that in him."
Because of his background — as a defensive tackle at Penn State and 12 seasons as a linebacker in the National Football League — Millen likes to engage defensive coaches on the X's and O's. Especially in countering how the offense is attacking a scheme. Point/counter point stuff.
"The thinking part," he said, "is the part that is fascinating to me."
In a short time, Millen has become a big fan of UW defensive coordinator Jim Leonhard.
"He knows who he is," he said. "He knows what he has and he knows what he wants to do."
Leonhard has enjoyed their Friday conversations.
"It's a different level of questioning than some guys give you," he said, "and you appreciate that as a coach. You understand that they see the little details within your scheme or within a certain player. They see the game a little bit different than some other people.'
In 2019, Leonhard has orchestrated a unit that leads the nation in most defensive categories. The Badgers are ranked No. 1 in scoring defense (7.6 points); total defense (193.9 yards per game), rushing defense (58.4) and passing defense (135.4). They're No. 2 in passing efficiency defense (82.3).
"One, they're very well-coached, and two, they have very smart players," Millen said. "How do you find that when you watch film? You find it when you see a lot of good communication. You see it when teams are running stunts and movement, and everybody is in the right spot.
"Very rarely do you see anybody make a mistake … it's the discipline of the scheme …. you don't see it every week. But when I watch their film, you see it all the time. That's really good coaching. That's the first thing. The second thing is that they get the most out of what they have.
"The coaching staff does a great job of knowing what they have and how to use them. You have a small linebacker like Chris Orr, so they stack him which is smart. Now a lot of teams do that. But what makes Chris Orr even better is that he's got awesome instincts and he's smart.
"He's the guy checking everything. He's the most fun for me to watch. I see him making all kinds of adjustments. I see him in the right spot all the time. Sometimes, he'll get rejected because he's not a big guy, but he's a tough little guy. Zack Baun is the same way. He gets the most out of what he has."
During one film session, Millen couldn't take his eyes off a freshman nose tackle.
"The first time I watched tape, I said, 'Who's 95? I guarantee that kid wrestled, and he did,'" he said of Keeanu Benton, No. 95, a heavyweight finalist in two Wisconsin state high school tournaments for Janesville Craig. "He just understands leverage. And he has violent hands. Very few guys have that."
Millen has always gravitated to the physical side of the game.
"That's a big part of football and it shouldn't leave and they're trying to get it out of the game," Millen said. "The one thing that you can't counter (as a coordinator) is the physical part. When all else fails, I'm going to beat the living snot out of you and what are you going to do about it?
"Every now and then, somebody can do something about it. That's called a great game."
Millen then paid Leonhard the ultimate compliment.
"Here's the beauty of Jim, he doesn't ask guys to do what they can't do," he said. "Coaching is teaching. It never matters what the teacher knows. It only matters what the student knows.
"I've been around coaches who are morons.
"They'll say, 'I went over it five times and he still doesn't get it.'
"That means you're a bad teacher. Jim is a good teacher."
Leonhard was asked Monday about the teaching points from the Illinois loss.
"You can have a great plan, but you get one opportunity to execute it on Saturdays and you have to do it for 60 minutes," he said. "That's what we learned last week: 52-53 minutes isn't enough. Sometimes it gets down to one-score games and those little details are going to be the difference.
"It's not a new message for our guys. It's very consistent, win or lose, what we preach to our guys on how you win. I liked our response — guys aren't happy, which is what you want. But it's how you respond. How do you use it? Do you use it for fuel?
"We've got a good feel for who this team is — we fight, we play hard — and we'll respond."
