Armstrong is a "speed development specialist" by trade and hasn't had much experience working specifically as a collegiate strength and conditioning coach. Much of his work to this point has been done with professional football guys as well as draft-eligible collegiate players looking to train for the NFL Combine.
According to an article published by Gentry Estes of Dawgs247 ($), Armstrong is a former All-American sprinter for the University of Illinois track team and would be brought in by Georgia's strength staff to help increase speed as well as assist in strength development.
"My primary role is to help our athletes get faster, loosen their hips up and pretty much improve the team's overall speed at every position...That's the No. 1 goal. And then to also assist Coach T and the staff in helping our athletes develop strength."
Armstrong's professional training philosophies key in on technique, speed, and proper running mechanics. He specifically studies the way an athlete moves vs. the way he should be moving and uses that knowledge to help his players improve their skill-set at a given position.
That said, the fact that he's also a former track star should be an advantage for Georgia.
Over the last several years, the Bulldogs have signed a lot of "track" guys who play football (think Todd Gurley, Justin Scott-Wesley, and Branden Smith). And while all are very talented and accomplished athletes in their own respects, applying their track skills to the football field can be a process.
A fair number of players who have run track, and now play football full-time, often rely upon their quickness and speed to get them out of situations. However, that can sometimes come at the expense of things like technique and form. And as you will hear Armstrong say below, it's one thing to be fast, but it's another to truly understand how to use that speed in conjunction with proper fundamentals.
Below are a few clips I found that emphasize specific elements of Armstrong's philosophy and training approach. I found a few of them very relevant to Georgia's players and included my thoughts after each clip.
Clip #1: Lateral Movement
You can't help but wonder how much this will help defensive backs coach Scott Lakatos' efforts with his guys—particularly Branden Smith who is still coming into his own as a corner.
Clip #2: Proper Running Mechanics
The Georgia running backs haven't been nearly as successful over the last few seasons as the talent-level would imply they should have been. If McClendon and Armstrong are able to come together with a plan of action for molding these young tailbacks into more consistently productive runners, it would be a game changer for the offense.
Clip #3: Defensive Backs
The last part where Armstrong discusses his philosophy on 4th quarter preparedness stands out the most for me. One of the things I noticed about the secondary last season was a tendency to get more vulnerable to the big pass play as an offensive series rolled on. The defensive front of Georgia was so dominant last year that the secondary really didn't get tested as much and, while that's not necessarily a bad thing, that did make the deficiencies that were visible that much more glaring. Keeping that in mind, it will be good to see more focus put on the fundamentals of playing defensive back as opposed to just playing in coverage.
Last one...
As Georgia went into this off-season, a lot of chatter surrounded the "toughness" of true freshman running back, Isaiah Crowell. Despite his ability to nearly eclipse the 1,000 yard mark and the fact that he did garner SEC Freshman of the Year honors, many wondered if he had what it took to be an every-down back (EDB) over the long-haul given what was seemingly becoming a penchant for injuries. Crowell downplayed many of the questions and made it known that his focus would be on "getting his wind up" so he could be more productive in 2012.
Armstrong's statement about fatigue being a factor in the above drills as well as his goal of getting his athletes to push through that wall while still maintaining proper form—thereby limiting their injury chances—is something that will certainly bear keeping notice of where Crowell is concerned.
In the end, I'm a realist. I understand that miracles aren't going to start happening the moment Armstrong steps into the Butts-Mehre building. But, I also know that a strategic hire like this one can propel a strength program to that next level if incorporated properly.
So far, at least from what I've seen and read, I like what Armstrong brings to the table for Georgia, and I'm looking forward to seeing how his contributions help improve the S&C program in 2012.
