'No poodles': Why LSU football defensive coordinator Blake Baker doesn't want poodles
BATON ROUGE – Blake Baker doesn't want any poodles.
Poodles are show dogs. Poodles prance when they walk. Poodles are prim and proper.
The new LSU football defensive coordinator, tasked with fixing a unit that statistically had one of its worst seasons in recent memory last season, has been looking for players on his defense who have personal accountability as well as holding their teammates accountable.
Physicality is a must in Baker's scheme and only guys who exude the right qualities will play for him.
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"Poodles. That's a lack of physicality or trying to show up your teammate," Baker said.
As preseason practice rolls on, LSU held its eighth session Saturday morning — the third straight day in full pads and just second day the team completed tackles, Baker said he monitors his defensive players' body language.
How his players approach contact, or his players' reactions to making a good play matter to him.
"A big thing to me is body language. If a guy gets beat deep and he puts his palms up, that's a poodle. If we turn down a hit, that's a poodle," Baker said.
"We don't want poodles."
Baker said the defensive staff is looking for more consistency from LSU's defensive players and is in the process of building depth to a 24-, 25-, 26-player unit as it's worked in several guys and mixing and matching groups. The Tigers will practice for six straight days next week and Baker believes the depth chart will start to materialize following that.
"We'll start pairing it down and figuring out who is our guys who will be ready to compete," Baker said.
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Cory Diaz covers the LSU Tigers for The Daily Advertiser as part of the USA TODAY Network. Follow his Tigers coverage on Twitter: @ByCoryDiaz. Got questions regarding LSU athletics? Send them to Cory Diaz at bdiaz@gannett.com.
This article originally appeared on Lafayette Daily Advertiser: Why LSU football DC Blake Baker 'does not want poodles'
