BleedGopher
Well-known member
- Joined
- Nov 11, 2008
- Messages
- 62,372
- Reaction score
- 19,166
- Points
- 113
per Randy:
As the Gophers’ first-team offense ran through a hurry-up drill, coach P.J. Fleck barked commands and encouragement through a wireless microphone into the speaker system at the Gibson-Nagurski complex’s outdoor practice field. Fittingly, the song booming in the background was Queen and David Bowie’s “Under Pressure.”
Friday night, Fleck and the Gophers gave the public and the media a glimpse of this new program during an open practice attended by roughly 400. And what was apparent right away: This team will practice under pressure.
Fleck, for example, would squirt water to distract his kicker and holder during field goal attempts. He’d try to get a punt returner flummoxed by chucking a blocking dummy at them as they fielded the ball. Such tactics are designed for players to be quick and decisive when the plays start counting for real.
“We’ve gotta get a lot faster,” said Fleck, whose team will have another open practice at 3:30 p.m. Saturday. “We condition during practice and put them in a lot of very tough positions in practice. We put them in situations that you’d like to say will be harder here than in a game.”
Players are welcoming the increased tempo so far during training camp.
“The speed is unbelievable here,” said sophomore Carter Coughlin, who has moved from linebacker to defensive end. “The speed has really kept us on our toes and allowed us to progress extremely fast. We get in 90 plays a day within an hour and 20 minutes. That tempo is honestly faster than a game tempo, so it’s preparing us for a game. It’s gonna slow things down for us in a game.”
http://www.startribune.com/coach-p-j-fleck-preaches-high-tempo-at-gophers-practice/438652713/#1
Go Gophers!!
As the Gophers’ first-team offense ran through a hurry-up drill, coach P.J. Fleck barked commands and encouragement through a wireless microphone into the speaker system at the Gibson-Nagurski complex’s outdoor practice field. Fittingly, the song booming in the background was Queen and David Bowie’s “Under Pressure.”
Friday night, Fleck and the Gophers gave the public and the media a glimpse of this new program during an open practice attended by roughly 400. And what was apparent right away: This team will practice under pressure.
Fleck, for example, would squirt water to distract his kicker and holder during field goal attempts. He’d try to get a punt returner flummoxed by chucking a blocking dummy at them as they fielded the ball. Such tactics are designed for players to be quick and decisive when the plays start counting for real.
“We’ve gotta get a lot faster,” said Fleck, whose team will have another open practice at 3:30 p.m. Saturday. “We condition during practice and put them in a lot of very tough positions in practice. We put them in situations that you’d like to say will be harder here than in a game.”
Players are welcoming the increased tempo so far during training camp.
“The speed is unbelievable here,” said sophomore Carter Coughlin, who has moved from linebacker to defensive end. “The speed has really kept us on our toes and allowed us to progress extremely fast. We get in 90 plays a day within an hour and 20 minutes. That tempo is honestly faster than a game tempo, so it’s preparing us for a game. It’s gonna slow things down for us in a game.”
http://www.startribune.com/coach-p-j-fleck-preaches-high-tempo-at-gophers-practice/438652713/#1
Go Gophers!!