Fleck transcript



Last part I found interesting because it addresses the issues on defense with Howden taking Winfield's spot.




Q. Since Winfield has gone down, opposing offensive coordinators seemingly have been picking on that safety, replacing him. How do you go about fixing that with five games remaining?
COACH FLECK: Great question. What we have to be able to do is personnel. We can go a few different routes here.

As we continue to go, Jordan Howden, our freshman, has got to play. But again you're playing a true freshman who's had some ups and downs this year.

Maryland wasn't exactly the greatest game for the young man. He's got to bounce back from that mentally. He hasn't been in the weight room. You can see the strength difference between the running back from Nebraska and our guys tackling those guys.

He'll be a different player next year. But we need him now to do that. What we have to be able to do is protect that. Like I said, what we were doing was we were fixing problems to create a problem.

Well, let's stop fixing problems. Let's be us. Let's make people earn it. And let's stop saying, okay, we've got to take away this and this and this. Let's play our style of defense that we know how to play before we've got into, okay, well, this guy went down and that guy went down now we've got to protect this guy because he's not ready.

Ready or not here we come. I mean it's like red rover, red rover and we're going. Red rover send Jordan Howden over. Whether you're ready or not, we're sending you over. And our coaches will get him ready. If he fails, he'll grow. If he succeeds, he'll grow. And this is the only chance we have to make people better is by experience, because come next year they're going to have to be ready to play at a very, very high level.

And that's not to say this year they don't have to be. But frustration happens when your experience doesn't match your expectation. I don't have an expectation of Jordan Howden been an All-American right now so I'm not frustrated.

Other people are frustrated. But I'm not frustrated. He is who he is right now and that's the best he can give us as an example. There's other people in the secondary that that's their expectation because that's where they are right now.

I don't have unrealistic expectations of people who can or cannot do something. And your experience like we're having doesn't match the expectation everyone else has, that's when everybody gets up in arms and they're frustrated about it. That's not how coaches work.

Coaches work day to day, how is he better today than he was yesterday? Because over the long haul he's going to be a very special player. But it's very hard to be able to sit there and say, okay, you get to learn under No. 11. No, you don't. Now you've got to start. Because behind that there wasn't like we had 12 deep back there. For many different reasons.

So when you look at that, we have to make sure that we play our style of defense, keep a cap to the defense as much as possible. Keep everything in front of us. When they come in front we've got to tackle it because plenty of opportunities we've made but we haven't made the tackle in the back end. 18 missed tackles that's our most all year. That's why you get 53 points. It wasn't like people were like just running scot-free.

The last play was the one that -- again, freshmen bit up. And the guy went right behind him. But again he hasn't seen that before. Now he's going to understand a little bit more how to do that. I was such a horrible player my freshman year. But I was really good my junior and senior year. But I was horrible my freshman year.

We're expecting so much out of these young kids -- or let me restate that, or first-year experience players that we're having. Because it's not just youth -- youthful people. I've said youth and inexperience all year. Whether you want to call it the youngest team or most inexperienced team, they go hand in hand.

You can be the youngest team in America but you can have a ton of experience and your ton of experience is everywhere. And your youth is right behind everybody deep. We're not in that position. We're youthful and inexperienced at a lot of positions. Not an excuse. Those are facts. We've got to get it done. The expectation is to get it done we did not get it done. Again that's why it falls on me because I make the decisions to be able to build the program the way I want to build it. But this is the way that I feel the University of Minnesota has to be built. And those are decisions I get to make.

But I feel this is the way and what we need to be able to do by throwing some of these guys into the fire. But I think everybody's going to be really, really excited a few years from now and I think the conversations will be different. And I appreciate -- I want to make sure you all know I appreciate every single one of your opinions.

I read them. I look at them. I'm not one of those coaches that says I don't want to look at it. I appreciate everyone's opinion. The reason I appreciate everyone's opinion because you actually care. You care enough to want it to maybe one day be good.
But again, as you look at frustration, when your experience doesn't match your expectation but your expectations have to be realistic based on what is there, and I can't do that or I'll lose a football team. If you say, well, you should be this and you're not, we need to be better than we were yesterday. And we need to change our best on a daily basis.

So, again, I appreciate everybody's opinion. And you are right. You're right. We gotta be better. And that's my job to get this team better and that's what we're going to do today at practice. Okay. Appreciate everybody's opinion. Sun came up today, we're rowing the boat. Go Gophers.
 
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I hope people click on this -- it was an awesome read. Some will say it's full of excuses, but I really think it represents exactly how Fleck feels.
He pretty much spills his guts in every press conference if you really listen (or read). Right now he just doesn't think the players are good enough or experienced enough. Maybe they need to coach better. Maybe they need to recruit better. Maybe they're coaching and recruiting fine, but these kids just need another year or two. I think Fleck believes the latter. I sure hope he's right.

And that's not to say this year they don't have to be. But frustration happens when your experience doesn't match your expectation. I don't have an expectation of Jordan Howden been an All-American right now so I'm not frustrated. Other people are frustrated. But I'm not frustrated. He is who he is right now and that's the best he can give us as an example. There's other people in the secondary that that's their expectation because that's where they are right now.

I don't have unrealistic expectations of people who can or cannot do something. And your experience like we're having doesn't match the expectation everyone else has, that's when everybody gets up in arms and they're frustrated about it. That's not how coaches work.

Coaches work day to day, how is he better today than he was yesterday? Because over the long haul he's going to be a very special player. But it's very hard to be able to sit there and say, okay, you get to learn under No. 11. No, you don't. Now you've got to start. Because behind that there wasn't like we had 12 deep back there. For many different reasons.

So when you look at that, we have to make sure that we play our style of defense, keep a cap to the defense as much as possible. Keep everything in front of us. When they come in front we've got to tackle it because plenty of opportunities we've made but we haven't made the tackle in the back end. 18 missed tackles that's our most all year. That's why you get 53 points. It wasn't like people were like just running scot-free.

The last play was the one that -- again, freshmen bit up. And the guy went right behind him. But again he hasn't seen that before. Now he's going to understand a little bit more how to do that. I was such a horrible player my freshman year. But I was really good my junior and senior year. But I was horrible my freshman year.

We're expecting so much out of these young kids -- or let me restate that, or first-year experience players that we're having. Because it's not just youth -- youthful people. I've said youth and inexperience all year. Whether you want to call it the youngest team or most inexperienced team, they go hand in hand.

You can be the youngest team in America but you can have a ton of experience and your ton of experience is everywhere. And your youth is right behind everybody deep. We're not in that position. We're youthful and inexperienced at a lot of positions. Not an excuse. Those are facts. We've got to get it done. The expectation is to get it done we did not get it done. Again that's why it falls on me because I make the decisions to be able to build the program the way I want to build it. But this is the way that I feel the University of Minnesota has to be built. And those are decisions I get to make.

But I feel this is the way and what we need to be able to do by throwing some of these guys into the fire. But I think everybody's going to be really, really excited a few years from now and I think the conversations will be different. And I appreciate -- I want to make sure you all know I appreciate every single one of your opinions.

I read them. I look at them. I'm not one of those coaches that says I don't want to look at it. I appreciate everyone's opinion. The reason I appreciate everyone's opinion because you actually care. You care enough to want it to maybe one day be good. But again, as you look at frustration, when your experience doesn't match your expectation but your expectations have to be realistic based on what is there, and I can't do that or I'll lose a football team. If you say, well, you should be this and you're not, we need to be better than we were yesterday. And we need to change our best on a daily basis.

So, again, I appreciate everybody's opinion. And you are right. You're right. We gotta be better. And that's my job to get this team better and that's what we're going to do today at practice. Okay. Appreciate everybody's opinion. Sun came up today, we're rowing the boat. Go Gophers.
 

Thanks a lot for posting it.

He really, really needs to get someone in that knows defense. Just not his expertise.

Again that's why it falls on me because I make the decisions to be able to build the program the way I want to build it. But this is the way that I feel the University of Minnesota has to be built. And those are decisions I get to make.

But I feel this is the way and what we need to be able to do by throwing some of these guys into the fire. But I think everybody's going to be really, really excited a few years from now and I think the conversations will be different.


Ha, I know he just yakking....but a "few years from now"?

Anyone that doesn't want to hear about youth, I suggest don't read it.
 


Also he pointed out some high points.

"When you look at our football team and what we're accomplishing, there's seven or eight, depending how you look at it, starters on offense and freshmen. Watching their performance -- and Rashad Bateman, five, six, seven catches away from the freshman record already. That's just a freshman.

We have the second-leading receiver in the Big Ten with Tyler Johnson. On the defensive side, Carter Coughlin leads the Big Ten in sacks. There's a lot of positive things happening. 474 yards. That's the second of the -- that's the second-most in the season.

When you look at the 350 yards passing, that's the most in a decade in Big Ten play with Minnesota. So we're making huge strides, huge strides with a very, very young offense. And you'll be able to see, remember the younger you are, the bigger strides you make when you see from day to day and week to week."
 

Anyone see 23 make a play yet? I’m sorry if I’m coming down on the guy but I’ve got to hope PJ has a recruit or redshirt in the wings at safety, or a JUCO.
 


Also he pointed out some high points.

"When you look at our football team and what we're accomplishing, there's seven or eight, depending how you look at it, starters on offense and freshmen. Watching their performance -- and Rashad Bateman, five, six, seven catches away from the freshman record already. That's just a freshman.

We have the second-leading receiver in the Big Ten with Tyler Johnson. On the defensive side, Carter Coughlin leads the Big Ten in sacks. There's a lot of positive things happening. 474 yards. That's the second of the -- that's the second-most in the season.

When you look at the 350 yards passing, that's the most in a decade in Big Ten play with Minnesota. So we're making huge strides, huge strides with a very, very young offense. And you'll be able to see, remember the younger you are, the bigger strides you make when you see from day to day and week to week."

Are you like on some type of alert? Anytime anyone ever posts something in a thread about Fleck you jump right in. Amazing!
 



I thought the transcript was a good read. A little contradictory in parts, but I think he's sincere in his belief. Hope he's right.
 


Isn't he our third string forced into action? Not to mention, I think he played CB in high school and has had multiple knee injuries. What were you expecting?
Anyone see 23 make a play yet? I’m sorry if I’m coming down on the guy but I’ve got to hope PJ has a recruit or redshirt in the wings at safety, or a JUCO.

Sent from my SM-G950U using Tapatalk
 

Anyone see 23 make a play yet? I’m sorry if I’m coming down on the guy but I’ve got to hope PJ has a recruit or redshirt in the wings at safety, or a JUCO.

I'm rewatching the game.
At the point I'm watching, he wasn't a factor on the first three TD's.
First two TD's #16 misses two tackles badly.
In both cases, #21 I believe if the LB on that side who completely gets taken out of the play on one-on-one blocks he's not able to shed.
#2 tries to get an angle but can't catch the RB before a TD.


On a big run before the 4th TD, from our 35, Martinez breaks an past the line, #21 misses a tackle grabbing for his legs. #31 is the D back on that side who is being blocked by a WR. At the point he gets lose, he's taken out by the diving #21. Safety on left side at start of the play was #2 who followed the RB in motion and on the sweep. Howden takes and angle and pushes him out of bounds downfield.
Watching this play made me realize why Howden is playing because he showed the speed to cut off Martinez.
 



Sixth TD, #31 appears to be playing Morgan. He cheats up (along with #23) to stop the run. Morgan flies by both of them and catches easy lob over the whole defense.
 

We've got a Junior Varsity team playing in the B1G and this is what Fleck wanted. All the fault is on him.
So sayeth PJ Fleck.
That's the transcript in a nutshell.
Come watch the JV. Spend the big bucks watching them cause they'll compete in 2020 or 2021 whatever it takes...
All you season ticket holders must be thrilled with that speech. Build onto TCF cause there won't be enough room.
God bless us everyone. [emoji16]
 

Fleck does have some valid points. But, for me at least, the valid points get lost in all the verbiage. It's like he gets paid by the word.

It seems like a lot of his answers kind of ramble around until they get to the point he was trying to make. It's a little bit like talking to my mother. She called the other night to say she hit a deer with her car. (she's 92....) In the middle of the story, somehow it switched from hitting a deer to my sister and her daughter going to a wedding in Sheboygan. I finally had to cut her off and and ask what happened with the deer.
 

They built the defense around one player?
 

Last part I found interesting because it addresses the issues on defense with Howden taking Winfield's spot.




Q. Since Winfield has gone down, opposing offensive coordinators seemingly have been picking on that safety, replacing him. How do you go about fixing that with five games remaining?
COACH FLECK: Great question. What we have to be able to do is personnel. We can go a few different routes here.

As we continue to go, Jordan Howden, our freshman, has got to play. But again you're playing a true freshman who's had some ups and downs this year.

Maryland wasn't exactly the greatest game for the young man. He's got to bounce back from that mentally. He hasn't been in the weight room. You can see the strength difference between the running back from Nebraska and our guys tackling those guys.

He'll be a different player next year. But we need him now to do that. What we have to be able to do is protect that. Like I said, what we were doing was we were fixing problems to create a problem.

Well, let's stop fixing problems. Let's be us. Let's make people earn it. And let's stop saying, okay, we've got to take away this and this and this. Let's play our style of defense that we know how to play before we've got into, okay, well, this guy went down and that guy went down now we've got to protect this guy because he's not ready.

Ready or not here we come. I mean it's like red rover, red rover and we're going. Red rover send Jordan Howden over. Whether you're ready or not, we're sending you over. And our coaches will get him ready. If he fails, he'll grow. If he succeeds, he'll grow. And this is the only chance we have to make people better is by experience, because come next year they're going to have to be ready to play at a very, very high level.

And that's not to say this year they don't have to be. But frustration happens when your experience doesn't match your expectation. I don't have an expectation of Jordan Howden been an All-American right now so I'm not frustrated.

Other people are frustrated. But I'm not frustrated. He is who he is right now and that's the best he can give us as an example. There's other people in the secondary that that's their expectation because that's where they are right now.

I don't have unrealistic expectations of people who can or cannot do something. And your experience like we're having doesn't match the expectation everyone else has, that's when everybody gets up in arms and they're frustrated about it. That's not how coaches work.

Coaches work day to day, how is he better today than he was yesterday? Because over the long haul he's going to be a very special player. But it's very hard to be able to sit there and say, okay, you get to learn under No. 11. No, you don't. Now you've got to start. Because behind that there wasn't like we had 12 deep back there. For many different reasons.

So when you look at that, we have to make sure that we play our style of defense, keep a cap to the defense as much as possible. Keep everything in front of us. When they come in front we've got to tackle it because plenty of opportunities we've made but we haven't made the tackle in the back end. 18 missed tackles that's our most all year. That's why you get 53 points. It wasn't like people were like just running scot-free.

The last play was the one that -- again, freshmen bit up. And the guy went right behind him. But again he hasn't seen that before. Now he's going to understand a little bit more how to do that. I was such a horrible player my freshman year. But I was really good my junior and senior year. But I was horrible my freshman year.

We're expecting so much out of these young kids -- or let me restate that, or first-year experience players that we're having. Because it's not just youth -- youthful people. I've said youth and inexperience all year. Whether you want to call it the youngest team or most inexperienced team, they go hand in hand.

You can be the youngest team in America but you can have a ton of experience and your ton of experience is everywhere. And your youth is right behind everybody deep. We're not in that position. We're youthful and inexperienced at a lot of positions. Not an excuse. Those are facts. We've got to get it done. The expectation is to get it done we did not get it done. Again that's why it falls on me because I make the decisions to be able to build the program the way I want to build it. But this is the way that I feel the University of Minnesota has to be built. And those are decisions I get to make.

But I feel this is the way and what we need to be able to do by throwing some of these guys into the fire. But I think everybody's going to be really, really excited a few years from now and I think the conversations will be different. And I appreciate -- I want to make sure you all know I appreciate every single one of your opinions.

I read them. I look at them. I'm not one of those coaches that says I don't want to look at it. I appreciate everyone's opinion. The reason I appreciate everyone's opinion because you actually care. You care enough to want it to maybe one day be good.
But again, as you look at frustration, when your experience doesn't match your expectation but your expectations have to be realistic based on what is there, and I can't do that or I'll lose a football team. If you say, well, you should be this and you're not, we need to be better than we were yesterday. And we need to change our best on a daily basis.

So, again, I appreciate everybody's opinion. And you are right. You're right. We gotta be better. And that's my job to get this team better and that's what we're going to do today at practice. Okay. Appreciate everybody's opinion. Sun came up today, we're rowing the boat. Go Gophers.

That is an excellent answer. Too bad this doesn’t come across all the time. Restores your confidence a bit.
 




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