At this point in the offseason, "continuity" may have become one of coach Pete Lembo's favorite words.
Unlike the last four years when coaching and scheme changes were almost expected for the Ball State football program, a foreign sense of familiarity has set in for the 2012 team.
Outside of former offensive line coach John Strollo, whose position was filled by Nick Tabacca after Strollo was hired as the Penn State tight ends coach, all coach and coordinators from 2011 are returning for the upcoming season.
That continuity, as Lembo likes to call it, could lead to the team making greater strides on the field this fall.
"When you have new coaches every year, new coordinators every year, it doesn't matter whether a guy is a freshman or a junior; it's like they're all freshman," Lembo said. "But when there's continuity of the coaches, then there's continuity in the system. And that's what allows those players to take those positive steps forward."
Any growth starts with the defense. Entering only his second year as Ball State's defensive coordinator, Jay Bateman is already a long-time veteran compared to his recent predecessors.
Jay Hood ran the defense for only the 2010 season until he was dismissed along with former coach Stan Parrish. Doug Graber was defensive coordinator for the 2009 season before he retired, and Mike Smith held the title the year before that.
Lembo said having just one year without any turnover on defense could pay off greatly, especially for the team's veterans.
"You have to keep in mind, particularly on the defensive side of the ball, that these players went through an abnormally high amount of turnover in coaching," he said. "If you think about it, I was the third head coach for a lot of these kids, but there wasn't two years in a row where any of these kids had the same defensive coordinator. That instability in the coaching staff can really disaffect a players growth from a mental standpoint."
Rather than singling out a younger player who's benefiting from an offseason he's well versed in, Lembo pointed to one of his most experienced players.
"Travis Freeman," Lembo said when asked about improving players. "I thought his growth mentally this spring was excellent."
Freeman was named to the 2011 All-Mid American Conference Second Team, and has started 35 of his 36 career games at Ball State.
With six new starters set to join Ball State's defense in the fall, a more mentally prepared Freeman could help offset the turnover at key defensive positions.
Lembo said he believes he has a grounded system from a year ago to thank for that.
"A year ago, [Freeman] was still trying to learn the system," he said. "Now he understands the system well enough that he can have more of a positive interaction with his coaches. And that makes him better and everyone else around him better."
The key for Lembo is making sure the players are more comfortable with every offseason while they continue to develop their play.
"If you're around our players, there's just a comfort level with them right now, that they know what to expect. The key is going to be every year from here on out, we need to continue to see that kind of development.
"The more we can keep the staff intact, there's a positive trickle down effect to the players."
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