Veteran West Virginia linebacker highlights differences between Neal Brown and Rich Rodriguez

West Virginia linebacker Reid Carrico became the first Mountaineer player to speak with the media this spring on Thursday, and was able to shed some light on comparisons between what the program is like so far under new head coach Rich Rodriguez in comparison to former coach Neal Brown.

In terms of defensive changes, he seems not to be too troubled with the process of picking things up. He's been around the block -- he spent time at Ohio State before playing under Brown -- and believes that just about every collegiate defense has some differences, but also some similarities. You can only do a basic scheme like Cover 3 so many different ways, he insinuated.

"I've played in four or five different schemes in college now...the main thing I just learning the new terminology and going from there," Carrico said.

But when discussing one aspect of practices under Rich Rodriguez compared to his experience with Neal Brown, he highlighted what might seem like a minor difference that will likely stick out to a number of WVU fans.

"It's been a bit of an adjustment. Coach Rod runs practice a bit more up-tempo," Carrico said.

With Rich Rodriguez harping on the "hard edge" mentality and discussing this spring that some player might have a different idea of what playing "soft" means, this statement probably serves as additional confirmation to many fans and media members that Neal Brown was perhaps a bit less intense in his approach with the program than other coaches might be, and that it didn't quite seem to be working.

Carrico recorded 54 tackles in 12 appearances with the Mountaineers and enters his fifth -- and final -- season of eligibility. Many Mountaineer fans hope to see Carrico assume a leadership role on the defense as a returning veteran that earned significant playing time.