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MIKE STRANGE

Mike Strange: Vols' Bob Shoop has new faces to bring defense fresh ideas

Mike Strange
USA TODAY NETWORK - Tennessee
Tennessee defensive coordinator Bob Shoop, center, works with defensive backs last spring.

Tennessee's defensive coordinator had a problem early the other morning. He needed advice.

So Bob Shoop walked down the hall into the office of the 2011 Maxwell Football Club national and Big Ten coach of the year, the 2010 Mountain West coach of the year and 2008 MAC coach of the year.

How would you handle this, Shoop asked.

"Brady has been awesome,'' Shoop said Thursday.

Brady Hoke, Tennessee's new defensive line coach.

"For me personally, he's been a great ally,'' Shoop said. "He's been a great mentor to me, to all the players on the defense and all the players on the team.''

Shoop, beginning his second spring at Tennessee, is flexible. When he arrived 14 months ago to take over the defense, he kept all the coaches from John Jancek's staff and blended with them.

When head coach Butch Jones needed to replace two position coaches, Shoop didn't insist on getting "his" guys.

Hoke, 58, was an easy call. He's been a head coach at Ball State, San Diego State and Michigan. Instant credibility in the defensive room and in recruiting.

As for Charlton Warren, who replaced Willie Martinez with the secondary, you'll look in vain for a Shoop connection.

"I had never heard of Charlton,'' Shoop said.

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Two weeks into spring practice, Shoop considers Warren a friend and inspiring colleague.

"He's made a real impact in our defensive backs room,'' Shoop said. "Which has nothing to do with Willie. It's just that he's done a real good job.''

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So, along with linebackers coach Tommy Thigpen, Shoop is getting fresh ideas to address some serious challenges. That includes  two new quality control aides, Ryan Slowik, an veteran of several NFL staffs, and Eric Lewis, a former defensive coordinator at Eastern Michigan.

It's a bunch of new faces, but at least the boss isn't a new face anymore. This time last spring Shoop was trying to figure out which end was up.

"I notice a big difference,'' linebacker Cortez McDowell said. "He's way more comfortable.''

True, Shoop confirms.

"Compared to last year, it just feels different,'' Shoop said. "I feel like I"m taking better ownership of it.

"We walk in the room and they know what to expect.''

What can Tennessee fans expect on Sept. 4 when the Vols walk into Mercedes-Benz Stadium to play Georgia Tech? It's too early to answer to that one.

The defense was a mess last November but ended on a positive note in the bowl win. As for spring, Shoop said the defense is neither ahead of nor behind schedule. There are big vacancies to fill and more than a few candidates unavailable.

"It's not necessarily that we're playing better or worse or this or that,'' Shoop said. "What we're doing, we're doing a good job of fixing the issues that hurt us last year.''

You want names of guys who could fix some issues?

Cornerback Justin Martin: "Playing the best I've ever seen him play."

Defensive tackle Alexis Johnson: "Our expectation is he's going to be in the rotation.''

Linebacker Austin Smith: "He's lost a lot of weight. He looks fast and explosive.''

Safety Nigel Warrior: "He's probably been the best player the first third of camp.''

There are two-thirds of camp to go. Shoop isn't the newcomer any more. But he's glad to have the newcomers on board.

Mike Strange may be reached at mike.strange@knoxnews.com. Follow him on Twitter: @Strangemike44.