{"id":7501,"date":"2026-08-22T15:06:03","date_gmt":"2026-08-22T15:06:03","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/nextcitydigest.com\/?p=7501"},"modified":"2026-08-22T15:06:03","modified_gmt":"2026-08-22T15:06:03","slug":"stanfords-defense-takes-on-a-new-attitude-under-ex-nfl-coordinator-kris-richard","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/nextcitydigest.com\/?p=7501","title":{"rendered":"Stanford\u2019s defense takes on a new attitude under ex-NFL coordinator Kris Richard"},"content":{"rendered":"<div>\n<div>\n<p>STANFORD \u2014 First-year Stanford coach Tavita Pritchard has spent most of his football life thinking about offense.<\/p>\n<p>Read more <a href=\"https:\/\/nextcitydigest.com\/?p=7498\">\u2018Seeds of Peace\u2019 penguin on a fundraising mission in San Jose<\/a><\/p>\n<p>During the Cardinal\u2019s preseason practices, though, the former Stanford quarterback and offensive coordinator says he keeps looking across the field at a defense flying around under new coordinator Kris Richard.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhen we turn on the film, I want to see a defense that\u2019s attacking, that\u2019s relentless energy and effort. And you see that with our defense,\u201d Prichard said. \u201cAnd so, I\u2019d be lying if I didn\u2019t say my eyes wander there a lot, whether it\u2019s in individual or in team drills.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Richard, who is also the defensive backs coach, was brought in to improve a defense that ranked last in the ACC in passing yards allowed last season (288.9 yards a game).<\/p>\n<p>He isn\u2019t interested in dwelling on what happened before he arrived.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThe proverbial blank slate is real,\u201d Richard said. \u201cAll we can do is hold them responsible and accountable to what we\u2019re asking of them.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>After a five-year NFL career as a defensive back with the Seahawks and the 49ers, Richard spent 13 seasons as a coach in the NFL, including three seasons as the Seahawks defensive coordinator (2015-17).<\/p>\n<p>Stanford is his first college coaching job, but Richard said his approach hasn\u2019t changed. The defense will be fast, physical and disciplined, and effort will be at the center of it.<\/p>\n<div>\n<\/div>\n<p>\u201cEffort is a non-negotiable,\u201d Richard said. \u201cIt\u2019s an all-encompassing term. It\u2019s more than the energy you give on the field. It\u2019s the energy that you use for preparation, to study.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>The defense\u2019s most proven piece is senior inside linebacker Matt Rose, whose 106 tackles last season ranked second in the ACC \u00a0and was the most by a Stanford player since Blake Martinez in 2015.<\/p>\n<p>In Rose, Richard sees the kind of decisive player he wants throughout his defense. His philosophy can be summed up in a simple phrase: \u201cYou know, you go.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Read more <a href=\"https:\/\/nextcitydigest.com\/?p=7492\">Authorities make arrest in Redwood City elder fraud scheme<\/a><\/p>\n<p>\u201cHe sees it, he understands it, and when he pulls the trigger, he\u2019s extremely effective,\u201d Richard said.<\/p>\n<div>\n<\/div>\n<p>Behind Rose, Pritchard is particularly encouraged by the competition developing in the secondary, with returning starters such as Brandon Nicholson and Aaron Morris, regular contributors Darrius Davis and Cam Richardson, and Washington transfer Leroy Butler working alongside three-star recruits Xavier Harmon and Jason Hill.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI love where that group is because they\u2019re pushing each other, they\u2019re sharpening each other, and they\u2019re competing every day,\u201d Pritchard said.<\/p>\n<p>Richard will also move Stanford to a four-man front to take better advantage of the team\u2019s personnel.<\/p>\n<p>Richard, a Los Angeles native and USC product, said the opportunity to return home was appealing. But it was the opportunity to work with Pritchard and general manager Andrew Luck that drew him to Stanford.<\/p>\n<p>He also looked forward to the chance to coach Stanford players. He coached former Cardinal corners Richard Sherman and Paulson Adebo in the NFL, and was on the same team as Dalton Schultz.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cEvery experience I\u2019ve had with a Stanford player has been extremely positive,\u201d Richard said. \u201cYou\u2019re going to get an incredible competitive player that just understands how the game should be played.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Richard wants the combination of intelligence, competitiveness and relentless effort to become the defense\u2019s calling card. If Pritchard\u2019s wandering eyes during training camp are any indication, the transformation is off to a good start.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThere\u2019s a good amount logistically that I\u2019m involved in on offense,\u201d Prichard said. \u201cSo I have to make sure my focus is where it needs to be. But I definitely try when I can to peek over there at the defense.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Read more <a href=\"https:\/\/nextcitydigest.com\/?p=7491\">Inside Menlo Park\u2019s hidden artisan oasis<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The Cardinal&#8217;s defense has been aggressive and relentless during training camp under the first-year coordinator.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":7500,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[5],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-7501","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-sports"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v27.6 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>Stanford\u2019s defense takes on a new attitude under ex-NFL coordinator Kris Richard - Next City Digest<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/nextcitydigest.com\/?p=7501\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Stanford\u2019s defense takes on a new attitude under ex-NFL coordinator Kris Richard - 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