PJ Fleck Interview new - Sunday 8-11-19

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Gopher Football Coach PJ Fleck appeared on the Sports Huddle with Sid and Mike Max.

Max: asking for Sid - is Antoine Winfield healthy? (laughs)
PJ: he's healthy.

Sid: tries to ask about Winfield. Max cuts him off.

Sid: QB situation?
PJ: Tanner is taking the most reps. Tanner will be the starter in game #1. Clark is having a good camp Kramer is doing a good job. Kirk C is helping them with their development at a rapid rate

Sid: Injured players?
PJ: Rodney, you can take him off your injured list. Take Antoine off the list. Shannon is further behind, because of the nature of his injury. he's doing a lot of individual stuff. he will be doing team stuff coming up

Sid: will any true FR play this year?
PJ: we will need some of them. will see a lot of them on special teams. provide depth at different roles. we're only 13 days into camp. lot of work to do. the FR will provide competition at different positions.

Sid: what about the red-shirts from last year?
PJ: we will need them. Dunlap starting at RG. Spann-Ford is a lot more physical. we will also need some of last years true FR - now SO. Rush, Sori-Marin, Oliver.

Max: NFL plays pre-season games. How can you simulate something in practice so you can grade out the players?
PJ: you do as much as you can. important that we're keeping healthy. no trades. can't cut guys and bring someone else in. We need to get to Saturday healthy. we will have a full scrimmage on Tuesday. We've gone live 10 minutes at a time to see what these guys can do. do controlled tackling drills. it all comes down to blocking and tackling. we'll have a period where we put ball down and let them play. other times scrimmage, take guys down to the ground in tackling.

Sid: (asks about a member of the football staff....)
PJ: I think you're talking about Marcus Hendrickson. He's a former NFL scout. He does player evaluations, big part of our recruiting. If you come to practice he's the guy who looks like an NFL GM - stands there watching and evaluating players.

Sid: is this year's FR squad good?
PJ: Very impressed. we're just 2 weeks into camp. need to look at all the guys. They're very talented. good people. they want to do the right thing. our program holds everyone accountable. need to do the right things in all four areas.

Max: kids come in January now. see a FR go through 1st training camp. Position coaches in charge of figuring that out? Stay on top of that?
PJ: it's natural. you will be homesick. based on change. change in friends, where you live. football - you used to be the star, now you're on the bottom of the depth chart. everything changes. the amount of change in every area of their lives. I meet with all FR every week. Ask them "How are you doing?" position coaches meet with players every day. We have a mentorship program -each FR is teamed up with a SR or JR. they sit with them at meals. take them places. pick them up at their dorms. get on the front end of it. I think that's part of why the transfer rate is so high. this is one of the hardest things they've gone through - away from home for the first time. may not be seeing a rapid amount of success early. I like to see the process of how they handle things.

Sid: Green at QB?
PJ: I think he looks good at WR. Getting better at wide-out. At QB, we have certain packages for him. he does those things well.

Sid: 2020 class = how many can you sign?
PJ: We think we've got a class that is very talented. we're pretty much full. but recruiting is always changing. you go through your needs, which can change throughout the year. this is our 3rd big recruiting class. we think we've got a good feel of what we need.

Sid: how do you really know about recruits?
PJ: it's a hypothesis. an educated guess. just like the NFL draft. you pick a person, sometimes it doesn't work out. maybe you took a player late, and you hit on something. you just have to get all the information you can and then you go. makes it exciting. the unknown. we feel good about our young players

Max: are there players who are just poor at practice but good in games?
PJ: I think you have to be really good in practice, and that will transform into being good in games. You have to have the respect of your teammates. respect from the leadership on your team. this idea of "I'm a baller, I just go out and play on game day," I don't believe in that.

Sid: lot of good ticket plans, cheaper than last year. Murray's
RTB, Ski-U-Mah, Go Gophers.
 

Fleck can't admit it, but he is bored beyond comprehension with Sid!
 

PJ and I agree!
I have said on here many times that I don’t think a “gamer” exists. Great answer PJ!!!

Thanks Son. I love this post each week.


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Fleck can't admit it, but he is bored beyond comprehension with Sid!

I would say "amused." I think Fleck understands what he's dealing with in Sid.

If the same questions were being asked by someone who is not 99-years-old and deaf, I think Fleck would handle it differently.
 

Great report Son and thanks for your dedication!
 



PJ and I agree!
I have said on here many times that I don’t think a “gamer” exists. Great answer PJ!!!

Thanks Son. I love this post each week.

Regarding "gamers"-
I do think there are players that might look marginally different in practice and one of those players might perform better in a game vs what the coach thought. There are also some players that might look better doing drills in practice but not be able to put it all together in games. I've seen this myself in sports I've played in or coached.

I doubt there are players that look awful in practice and then suddenly look great in games though.
 

Good to know Oliver isn’t in PJs doghouse after getting kicked outta practice!


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I would say "amused." I think Fleck understands what he's dealing with in Sid.

If the same questions were being asked by someone who is not 99-years-old and deaf, I think Fleck would handle it differently.

I think PJ has gained a bit of affection for the old man.

I used to have a certain amount of disdain for Sid. Partly because of personal interaction, partly because he hasn't dug up any real news for over 20 years.

He IS an institution, and his love for Minnesota football is unwavering. For that he gets my respect. I wish my grandparents were still around. They never ever gave up on Minnesota football. Of course, they would be 115.
 




PJ and I agree!
I have said on here many times that I don’t think a “gamer” exists. Great answer PJ!!!

Thanks Son. I love this post each week.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

You just kiss PJ’s backside at every chance don’t ya? Ha Seriously now, How can you possibly not be aware there are players who look pretty good in practice and lay down in games?
Players who look bored and inconsistent in practice and play games at a different more elite level? I promise if you coach high school or college kids this will become evident to you. Absolutely a real thing. Sports is mental!

Kyle Sloter is a current example. He has all world stats in pre season for three years in a row. He does not practice well. So, the Vikings had him at 4th team QB in camp last week.

Next you’ll tell me you don’t believe in momentum either? Sheesh ?
 

You just kiss PJ’s backside at every chance don’t ya? Ha Seriously now, How can you possibly not be aware there are players who look pretty good in practice and lay down in games?
Players who look bored and inconsistent in practice and play games at a different more elite level? I promise if you coach high school or college kids this will become evident to you. Absolutely a real thing. Sports is mental!

Kyle Sloter is a current example. He has all world stats in pre season for three years in a row. He does not practice well. So, the Vikings had him at 4th team QB in camp last week.

Next you’ll tell me you don’t believe in momentum either? Sheesh [emoji41]

I don’t believe there is anyone who consistently plays poor in practice then consistently lights it up in games. PJ doesn’t either. Assuming he is telling the truth?


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I don’t believe there is anyone who consistently plays poor in practice then consistently lights it up in games. PJ doesn’t either. Assuming he is telling the truth?

To me someone who is consistently poor in practice shouldn't even be on the team, especially if we're not talking youth sports.
 



Nice recap SON! I think Fleck is keeping any additional QB duties with Seth hush-hush.
 

He wants Seth to be proficient enough at receiver, so he can put him out there a lot, and defenses will be caught off guard when he lines up at QB. In the couple clips we’ve seen, he was either blanketed by someone in coverage or had the ball ripped out of his hands by the corner on a 50/50 ball. I suppose we just haven’t seen his good moments.


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He wants Seth to be proficient enough at receiver, so he can put him out there a lot, and defenses will be caught off guard when he lines up at QB. In the couple clips we’ve seen, he was either blanketed by someone in coverage or had the ball ripped out of his hands by the corner on a 50/50 ball. I suppose we just haven’t seen his good moments.


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Thursday night Seth looked great catching passes. In fact, he made the best catch of the night. And Winfield made the best interception.
 

I don’t believe there is anyone who consistently plays poor in practice then consistently lights it up in games. PJ doesn’t either. Assuming he is telling the truth?


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I agree for the most part. There are definitely players who look worse than others in practice but play their best in game situations at lower levels. I think that disappears the higher level you play in. I played basketball in high school. Not that I couldn’t make a shot in practice, but I was much better at shooting in game situations when I was guarded. Something about being wide open mentally messed with my shot. But I also worked my ass off in practice. And that’s low level high school. I think there are players who can be gamers at that level. College, not so much. Pros? Forget about it.
 




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