Rocky Bernard says A&M defense should have 'Wrecking Crew' mentality

Former Texas A&M defensive lineman Rocky Bernard played on some stout defenses, and he hopes to see Mike Elko and Co. bring back the "Wrecking Crew" mentality, regardless of whether they call themselves that or not. Bernard joined TexAgs Radio to catch up and more.

Key notes from Rocky Bernard interview

• R.C. Slocum’s mentality was definitely that of a defensive-minded guy who understood his players. When I was in school, our defenses were pretty tough. I think that’s the mindset we’re getting back to now. We’re getting some big-time defensive guys in here, and we’re getting back to playing the game the right way.
   
• All Texas A&M defenses need to have the mentality of the “Wrecking Crew,” but I don’t know if they call themselves that anymore. The mentality was that teams weren’t going to score many points on us, and hopefully, they get back to that and the culture of playing great defense.
   
• Hopefully, Mike Elko can keep doing what he has been doing as a defensive coordinator and now a head coach. That’s the expectation that everybody has, and I think he’s a coach who can get it done.
   
• The last few years have been tough to watch. The expectations are there. We have all the resources and facilities. We’ve had great recruiting classes, but for whatever reason, it hasn’t translated to enough big-time wins. I think we have the right people in place to get that done over the next few years.
   
• During my playing career, I would say I specialized in being consistent and playing the run pretty well. I was a decent pass rusher. I was a consistent player in being in the right place at the right time. You could count on me being where I needed to be pretty much all of the time.
   
• I see this defensive line as being among the best in the country. Over the last few years, you could see it was kind of trending that way. This year is really going to be special with the guys they have. They have a lot of good pass rushers. In the SEC, first of all, you have to stop the run, but I think we’re going to get after the quarterback a lot.
   
• Back in my day, the Big 12 wasn’t SEC caliber, but we had great teams and athletes who could match up with those guys. Being in the SEC is tough, and you have to come ready to play every week.
   
• Taurean York could get to Dat Nguyen’s level someday. He’s a young player, and he's going to make some mistakes. Still, when you have those leadership qualities and can rally the troops with you, that makes you a special player. He’ll continue getting better, better and better, and hopefully, one day, he can reach Dat status.
   
• In Conner Weigman, I see a consistent player and one who can make plays outside of the pocket. The big thing is staying healthy, but when I’ve seen him play, the kid looks like the real deal.
   
• It will be great to have a creative offense. The Rueben Owens injury is going to hurt because he had big expectations coming into the year, but the good thing coming into this year is the depth A&M has had. They have a lot of guys that are going to have to step up. In this offense, you can utilize a lot of different guys in different moments to keep defenses on their toes.
   
• My favorite moment as an Aggie? Probably the game after 9/11 when we played Oklahoma State. To see how the students came together and had the whole stadium in Red, White and Blue, that was a special game to be a part of.
   
• College Station looks totally different from when I first got here in 1997. Every time I look around, I’m like, “Where did that come from?” It’s cool to see that the city has grown so much, but I wish I had gone to school when it looked like this. It’s always a good feeling when I come back here.
   
• I try to come to a game once a year and also try to come back for the spring game. With kids, it’s hard to get back every week.
   
• I have a son who is going to be a junior at Katy Tompkins this year. I’m expecting big things from him as well. He wants to play football after high school and tells me all the time that he’s better than me. I have to show him some highlights, and he still thinks he’s better than me. He plays running back, which is a lot different from me being a defensive lineman.
   
• It’s funny to see how media and highlight tapes have changed. They’ll see a game on Facebook or something, and they think it looks like I played in the 1950s compared to the quality we have now.
   
• I think we’re going to find out really quick what we have vs. Notre Dame. After that game, I think you can really judge where expectations should be. When it comes to 8-4, I think a lot of Aggies expect more than that because we have the talent.
   
• If we beat Notre Dame, the expectations would go through the roof, and we have tough games after that. The expectations of this team and the school need to be better than 8-4.