The first time LaMarr Woodley saw Ron English, the coach was jogging down the street sporting glasses and a backpack. The defensive end realized then and there just how energetic English can be.

Defensive tackle Alan Branch met English when the coach was recruiting Branch out of high school. The junior says English has always been the same - very intense and passionate about football.

Safety Ryan Mundy said his initial impression of English was a little less specific.

"I thought this dude was crazy," Mundy said with a laugh.

However you describe him - energetic, intense or just plain nuts - English isn't your average coach. Michigan's first-year defensive coordinator might be just the man to reinvigorate the Wolverines' worn-out defense and return it to the dominance of seasons past.

This much is certain: Thanks to English, Michigan's defense has a whole new attitude.

"Ball of fire"

Last April, at the Wolverines' first spring practice, you could hear one man screaming over all the noise in Oosterbaan Fieldhouse. It was English, yelling at his players to move their asses and getting in their faces if they didn't quickly comply.

"Coach E's just a ball of fire, really," Branch said. "He'll light one under your butt if you need it."

Added Mundy: "He always knows what's going on, so if he tells you something, you better listen."

Mundy said that as long as he's been at Michigan, the defensive coaches have always been intense. But there's something about English's combination of energy, passion and strong vocal chords that makes the Wolverines respond.

It might be the way English is upfront about his expectations. He made it clear from day one that he demands the best and won't settle for anything less.

Or maybe it's because he understands what it's like to play at a school that excels in athletics and academics, having been a four-year letterman at California.

Whatever it is, English's coaching style has struck a chord with his players.

"In the past . we kind of just did the job (and) went back to the huddle," linebacker Shawn Crable said. "Coach E brings excitement when you look over and see the coach excited as well as you. There've been days when we have practice, and we're not excited. He'll run out there, (and we'll) start getting excited about playing. It doesn't bother him if we're talking and we're talking trash. If we back it up, it doesn't bother him at all."

As intense and demanding as English is, his players also describe him as a friend and mentor who treats them as equals and isn't afraid to crack a joke or two.

During his sophomore year, Mundy found himself at odds with English. Mundy admitted he had been a "hard head" who wouldn't listen to his coach's instructions. After the season, English sat Mundy down to watch film with him, and everything clicked.

"A light finally went on in my head, like this dude knows what he's talking about, and he's basically always right," Mundy said. "Whether or not you want to admit it, he is going to be right the majority of the time. You've just got to listen to what he says."

Given how much players respected him, it was only a matter of time before English began ascending the coaching ranks.

Setting the stage

Within days of the Wolverines' Alamo Bowl loss last December, speculation started swirling that Lloyd Carr's coaching staff would undergo a major shakeup. The No. 1 target on the list of Michigan fans and media was defensive coordinator Jim Herrmann.

Not so long ago under Herrmann, the Wolverines boasted one of the best defenses in the nation. In 1997, Michigan captured a national championship on the strength of its defense, a unit that gave up just five touchdown passes and amassed 23 interceptions. Cornerback Charles Woodson snatched eight of those picks on his way to becoming the first primarily defensive player to win the Heisman Trophy.

But that smothering defense started to fall apart the following year and has been sliding ever since.

Michigan hit rock bottom at the end of the 2004 season. In consecutive games, Ohio State's Troy Smith and Texas's Vince Young exposed the Wolverines biggest flaw: containing running quarterbacks. Smith torched Michigan for 145 yards on the ground; Young almost single-handedly defeated the Wolverines with 192 yards rushing in the Longhorns' Rose Bowl victory.

Herrmann, a long-time Carr assistant, received the bulk of the criticism after the defense's meltdown in 2004. A group of angry fans even created a website, www.firejimherrmann.com, dedicated to bashing him. But Carr stood by Herrmann, appearing confident that the experienced coach would be able to end Michigan's defensive woes.