Michael Deiter – May 10, 2019
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Friday, May 10, 2019
OL Michael Deiter
(Is it a little warmer than Wisconsin?) – “Yeah, slightly. A little bit. I’ll tell you what, I’m going to have a good tan though, so a little payoff.”
(How exciting is it to get back to actual football instead of just prepping for the draft?) – “Super exciting. (I’m) done with the underwear Olympics, done with all of that. I need to get into football shape. I definitely felt the wind a little bit today, but I’m super excited to play football again, put a helmet on and just do what you’re meant to do. No more interviews, no more running in spandex. It’s good to play football again.”
(Head Coach Brian Flores said there is going to be a lot of teaching. How much was just fundamentals out here today and how did you feel?) – “It was pretty much all fundamentals. A ton of indy (individual drills) and then a little bit of team (drills); but the team was slow, just making sure everyone was on the same page. The biggest thing is you don’t want MA’s (missed assignments) on a day like today. (You want to) make sure everyone is on the same page. The proper technique will come and then the speed of the game will come. It’s just early.”
(On draft night, we talked to you about all of the positions you played; but I think they want to kind of steer you on guard here. Is that what the bulk of your work was today?) – “Yeah. I took a lot of guard reps today, but I don’t know where I’m going to play on the o-line. It’s still up in the air. I don’t really know. The biggest thing is to just get better at wherever they put me and wherever I fall in is wherever I fall in. I’m not quite sure where I’ll play yet.”
(Did they start you out on the left side because that’s where you’re most comfortable?) – “Yeah. I played left guard today.”
(Does it feel like the NFL or because it’s all rookies and young guys here, does it still feel a little bit like college?) – “It definitely feels like NFL. I know what you mean by rookies and stuff but they have the talent to be here or they wouldn’t be. Guys are trying to make statements, so you’re getting people’s best. Although we’re not in pads and you can’t hit, it’s still a little bit physical and it’s fast. It’s super fast, so it definitely feels like NFL football.”
(How long do you think it’s going to take you to get used to this heat? It’s not even really summer yet.) – “Everyone keeps saying this isn’t hot. It’s definitely going to take a little bit to get used to, but it will be fun to grind through it. It’s not going to be easy, but it’s going to be something that I have to get used to if I want to be a good football player down here. It’s just something I have to suck up and work at.”
(How much of an adjustment would it be if you had to move to the right side at any point?) – “It wouldn’t be that much of an adjustment at all. It would just be kind of the stance is different. It’s still offensive line. It’s all similar with hands and footwork, it’s just you have to kind of flip it in your mind. It wouldn’t be a big deal at all.”
(How much pride do you take in having that Wisconsin brand on you as an offensive lineman?) – “You take a lot of pride in it. All it really is is the way you work. It’s not like you go to Wisconsin and you’re magically a good offensive lineman. It’s just kind of a formula of shutting up and working, and then if you keep doing that year after year, you’ll get better each year and you’ll end up being a good player. I have to do that here as well. Every day get better and compete and learn and I’ll be where I want to be come the end of training camp.”
(Do you take pride in the fact that your school has produced a tremendous amount of good offensive linemen and you have the most starts in anybody in Wisconsin history?) – “Yeah. That’s definitely something that’s cool. It’s really just something that I was lucky I never got hurt. Thank God I never got hurt. I was always able to be out there. It’s something I definitely take pride in, but anyone could’ve done it if they were just lucky enough to never get a serious injury like I was. Really, I was just kind of lucky. I’m happy, but it was luck.”
(What do you think are the challenges you’ll face in the NFL trying to sort of win that starting spot?) – “The biggest thing is come in and learn. You have to learn what the offense is and although it’s similar, the verbiage is a lot different and there’s definitely way more that you have to know. Then, the competition is way better. Every day, you’re going against probably one of the best you ever saw in college and that’s a day-in and day-out grind. You still have to earn the trust of the guys in the locker room and the guys around you. It’s different because there is a constant competition. In college, there’s less competition so guys can be a little more friendly; but here I want to be friends with everyone, compete with everyone and make it a friendly competition. The biggest thing is just going to be the playbook and then competition.”
(Anything your peers tell you about the NFL to give you guidance and help you out?) – “The biggest thing I got is don’t make it more than what it is. It’s football at the end of the day, and I think that’s a really cool piece of advice because it is just football. It’s a game that kids can still play but there’s just a lot more that comes along with this side of it. I think if you can just kind of remember that it is just a game, it still requires a ton of work and even though it is your job, it’s a game. Don’t get too high, don’t get too low and just work every day. That’s kind of been the advice.”
