Tennessee defensive back Brent Brewer catches the ball during a drill at the Vols’ first official practice of the season at Haslam Field Tuesday, Aug. 2, 2011.KNOXVILLE — As other parts continuously move and change around him, Brent Brewer remains steady in the Tennessee secondary.
“I feel pretty comfortable,” the sophomore safety said after practice Friday afternoon. “It doesn’t change a lot for me. I’m always pretty much in the box playing against the receivers — playing against the run and things like that. That’s basically what I do.”
Brewer, the former minor league baseball player who joined the Volunteers last summer and started the final six games last season, is built like a brick wall, which makes him an ideal strong safety suited to play against the run.
Even when free safety Janzen Jackson moves closer to the line to play nickelback as he’s done during the first two weeks of preseason camp, Brewer’s role remains unchanged. But he said his consistency needs to improve.
Coach Derek Dooley agreed.