[Fuller/MGoBlog]

What have you seen from Minnesota on film?

“Real strong, powerful running backs. A good running game. I think we’re going to have our hands cut out for us when we get prepared for Minnesota as far as the running game is concerned.

“An the receivers are good. They have No. 9 and No. 1, which are real flashy receivers. The guys know how to get open. They have really good speed, so it’s going to be a challenge for us on the outside and also in the run game.”

What kind of a quarterback is Mitch Leidner?

“He’s a good quarterback. He manages the game real well. Not flashy, I guess because of the knee injury that he had. Probably not the same, but we’re still on the alert for him running the football. He’s a good, solid quarterback. He’s got some good receivers and he’s got a good tight end in No. 86 who can stretch the field down the middle, so…you know, I think one of the biggest things we’re going to have to be alert for is a lot of play-passes and bootlegs from these guys.

“Because one thing we have to do, we have to focus on stopping their running game first because once their running game gets going that’s when everything else opens up. They’re a strong team, so we do have to be on the alert for that.”

MGoQuestion: What happened on the 30-yard touchdown pass to Kings and the fullback wheel route against Michigan State?

“Well, it was just one of the plays where our eyes and our linebacker wasn’t focused on the play, and a lot of our guys’ eyes were in the backfield, so it’s just one of those plays that happens. You wish it wouldn’t have happened, but we’ll learn from that from this point on.

“And like I always say and always tell the guys in the back end, it’s all about eye control. If you play with good eye control those plays are going to be at a minimum.”

[After THE JUMP: I get coached up on eye control]

The players we’ve talked to have all given their take on bouncing back from how that ended. How have you seen the team respond?

“Oh, it’s been great. We had a great practice yesterday, which was unbelievable for our young guys. I think one of the biggest things is that you don’t forget the win- I mean, the loss that we had- but at the same time you build on it and I think one of the biggest things with our guys is that it’s incredible because our guys know how to forget things real quick, and that’s good for guys in the secondary because when bad things happen you have to forget about it really quickly. So, our guys have been doing a great job of that.”

How pleased are you at this point with the play of Jourdan Lewis?

“Oh, psssh. It’s been really good. It’s been great. I mean, he’s been playing above expectations. I think the sky’s the limit for him if he stays focused and continues to do what he’s doing, and he’s going to get better and better every week.”

What are the things he’s doing better now than maybe at the start of the season?

“I think just playing with more discipline and better eye control on the receiver, reacting to the balls more quickly, understanding what receivers are trying to do to him on the outside. You know, he’s putting all those things together and putting it all into one and you can see it just from him playing each and every week. I mean, he’s getting stronger and stronger each and every week.”

What was your reaction today on the news about Jerry Kill?

“I was shocked, really. Sorry for Minnesota, but we will play Saturday and one thing we’re focused on is winning the football game and playing great defense. We’re trying to get back to the way we were playing. We let one slip away against Michigan State but I think it was a great thing for us defensively to build on that. It’s been positive so far from our guys.”

He talked about the stresses of the job and not sleeping and stuff. Are there parts of this job where people just don’t realize what you guys go through?

“Yeah, it is. It is. It’s a stressful situation, but as I always tell my players, you can kill stress if you’re prepared and your players are prepared. It’s just like when we go out on the field and players feel stress and they’re nervous and you always tell them, I say, ‘Guys, if you’re prepared there’s no sense in being stressed out because what’s going to happen is what’s going to happen.’

“If you’re prepared to play each and every week that’s going to be minimized, so I mean, this is why we chose to do this. The guys love to play football, we love to coach. We love to be in situations like this.”

Have you ever worked with a coach who’s had to manage a disease such as epilepsy or multiple sclerosis?

“No. No, I have not. Never.”

Does the change today, does that change what you think you’ll see from Minnesota on Saturday?

“No, I think we’ll see the same thing on Saturday. I think one of the things is I think we’ll get a chance to see what they really are: they’re a running team. They’ve been behind a lot with opponents they’ve been playing so they’ve had to spread it out a little bit to catch up but they’re a team that likes to run the football, and they like to throw play-passes off that and that’s one thing we have to be prepared for. We have to be prepared for those running backs.”

Have you had a situation in your playing or coaching career where you’ve had turmoil in the middle of the week, and how difficult is it for a team to stay focused?

“It’s not difficult. I could take you back when I was with the Eagles as a player, we were 7-2 and we finished the season 7-9. You know, we lost all those games. We started off 7-2 and then lost the last seven games.

“That’s stressful, but the thing you have to tell your guys is you have to remember the game but you have to forget about it at the same time because you’re going on to the next opponent, so you have to build on the mistakes that you made to make them better.”

How’s your group been in run support? You pretty pleased?

“Yeah, I’ve been pleased. I’ve been very pleased with it. Do I think we could be better? Yes. I think we could do a lot of things better. That’s one of the things, each and every week you watch the tape there’s always something you can build on. There’s always mistakes out there, and those are all mistakes that the other opponent sees when that week comes along. So, I think our guys are playing well. Do I think we could play better? Definitely.”

How much are you sharing Jabrill with the offense?

“How much?”

I mean in practice.

“I guess you could say Coach can have him anytime he wants because it’s out of our control. He plays defense. When he’s on defense he plays defense. When he’s asked to come on offense he goes to offense. I mean, he’s a defensive player so it’s not a matter of sharing him. When they ask for him, he goes.”

But doesn’t he have to take some snaps on offense in practice?

“He does. He does. But, you know, he spends all of his time in the meeting room on defense, when he’s in the defensive room with me. I guess the couple plays he’s in he may go sit with the offense maybe 5-8 minutes and go over certain plays.”

That’s it? That’s all it takes?

“That’s it. That’s all it takes. He’s a smart guy.”

What role does Jarrod Wilson play in getting the guys lined up?

“Couldn’t do it without him. Couldn’t do it without him. He’s a quarterback in the secondary. He controls everything back there for us, and he’s done an unbelievable job during the season of just making calls, getting everybody lined up. And that’s one thing about Jarrod Wilson that you don’t see is that he’s making pretty much all the calls back there each and every week.”

Where’s his football IQ compared to some of the guys you’ve coached?

“It’s high. It’s extremely high, and I think he’s going to get better as we go along. I mean, it’s very high, and just like all our players we can improve each and every week. We can get better every week, and he’s getting better every week.”

What’s the craziest way you’ve lost a football game before last Saturday, and how did your guys respond?

“We lost when I was at Tulane on a Hail Mary against Army. I remember that the ball bounced off of the defensive back’s facemask and our other corner, who was supposed to be boxing out the receiver, came over to catch the ball. Bounced off his facemask, receiver’s over to our right just sitting there waiting on it. That’s the only game I can remember.”

How’d they respond after that? Do you remember?

“They responded pretty well the following week. I mean, our talent level wasn’t as high as it is here.”

/laughs

So the focus then has been everything you wished it would be?

“Yeah, yeah. It’s been solid. It’s been solid. Just like I said, the guys haven’t forgotten about it, but they can’t dwell on it either. We’re just trying to move on.”

MGoWootIGotInMyFollowup: You’ve mentioned eye control a few times. How do you coach that?

“How I coach it as a secondary coach is always teach the backend guys the only way you can get beat is you lose focus on what you have to do, and the biggest part of the secondary is it’s all about eye control.

“Just like I told safeties, when you have to key the tight end that’s your key read. Like a lot of times I’ve told the guys, when you let someone go that you’re supposed to cover that’s because usually guys are looking in the backfield; they’re looking at play-passes, they’re looking at who’s getting the ball. They’re not looking at the primary key.

“So, their primary key is the guy that they’re focused on. If that guys blocks, now you’re thinking about the run. If he releases for a pass, now you’re covering him. It’s simple. It’s simple to say it here, but when you get in the game it’s difficult because everything’s moving so fast.”

Dymonte Thomas is a guy who’s moved around a ton. He said earlier this week now he’s just comfortable playing safety. What are his strengths? What do you see from him?

“I see his strength as being a safety. He does a lot of things for us. He plays down low. He plays safety. I think the biggest thing with Dymonte is he’s getting better and getting more confident each and every week as he plays. I mean, he’s doing a good job for us right now and him and Delano Hill are pretty much doing the same thing, and we’re able to switch those guys out or change their positions anytime we get ready.”