Post by Purple Pain on Aug 25, 2021 16:01:02 GMT -6
Purple Insider: Phil Rauscher, in the words of others
Link:
purpleinsider.substack.com/p/phil-rauscher-in-the-words-of-others
“Somebody make a play!” a voice bellows at a recent Vikings practice. “Get us outta here!”
The Vikings are running 11-on-11 drills with the offense at its own 1-yard line, stuck in the shadow of the goal post, and it’s easy to spot the source of the urging voice.
New offensive line coach Phil Rauscher stands behind the offensive line and watches the next play unfold — it’s a passing play. The line protects well and Kirk Cousins leaks the ball out to Dalvin Cook in the flat for some nice yards after the catch. The quarterback seemed the most fired up, turning to Rauscher with a colorful exclamation and a response, “We got outta there, Phil!”
Rauscher is exactly how you’d cast an offensive line coach in the movie: Large in stature and high in volume. It’s hard not to feed off Rauscher’s enthusiasm, whether you’re the franchise quarterback or a rookie offensive lineman just trying to make his way into the league. His approach isn’t dissimilar from many college line coaches, who have large groups to instruct and need to be loud to be heard.
“It's something that I'm used to and like getting coached like that,” said third-round rookie guard Wyatt Davis. “It kind of fires you up. It puts you under a lot of good stress because that stress makes you better. The game is going to be 10 times the amount of stress he puts on us, so he's just trying to get us prepared for that.”
The idea behind Rauscher’s boisterous nature is simple: Bring energy to a “non-excitable position,” as Rauscher put it during training camp. While most yawn at offensive line minutiae, Rauscher gets energized by executing double teams and blocking 3-techniques.
And every rep provides a learning opportunity. Rauscher is quick to offer correction, which may target a single player in the moment but applies to everybody. After all, it’s easy to hear Rauscher’s opinion since his booming voice carries hundreds of yards.
“He’s aggressive and tough and gets those guys going,” said head coach Mike Zimmer, “so I like it.”
Dakota Dozier says Rauscher brings “a little flair” to the coaching position. Offensive coordinator Klint Kubiak calls it “bravado.” .
“He doesn’t change for practice,” said Kubiak, who remembers Rauscher’s intense work ethic back in Denver. “That’s just him, and that’s what the players want. They want you to be your genuine self and help you get better, and I think that’s one of his strong suits.”
In addition to his distinctive voice, Rauscher has brought a couple of post-practice traditions into the mix. While other position groups dissolve into the locker room after practice, the offensive linemen stay together for one more drill. Somedays they have to hit a punching bag to work on their hands; other days they work on their speed and balance with resistance bands, or “bungies.”
“We want to be the hardest working group on the team and do all this extra stuff,” said backup center Mason Cole. “Just hitting the [punching] bag five times. Just little stuff that all adds up. We usually get out here early before practice and are doing stuff. ... Phil brought a lot of these tools with him from other coaches and I think they've been a big help for us.”
Rauscher has worked for four colleges and three pro franchises, which have helped shape his coaching style. One of his bigger influences was Rick Dennison, a mentor for him in his days in Denver and the team’s head offensive line coach until July, when he was demoted to advisor because of his vaccination status.
Just because Rauscher is Dennison’s former assistant, though, he’s not trying to copy his old boss.
“He's definitely one of the different ones we've ever been around, as far as energy wise,” said running back Dalvin Cook. “We just had Rico (Rick Dennison), and Rico would just chill — that's just Rico. We're going to come out here and get our work done, and he's going to make sure everybody knows what their assignment is, but Phil is just that guy. You're going to hear him before you see him.”
Running backs coach Kennedy Polamalu complimented Rauscher for the fresh ideas he’s brought into meetings, while sixth-year veteran tackle Rashod Hill said he’s learned plenty of new things from Rauscher. Cole said multiple times how much fun the group had in meeting rooms.
With Rauscher, the scheme is a continuation of Dennison’s wide zone. It’s the coaching technique that is different.
“Phil’s doing a great job, man,” Hill said. “Phil showed me some stuff I haven’t done in a long time. But I feel like it’s going to be great for us. We come out early before everybody practices. We leave after everybody.”
If there’s a Mr. Mankato for coaches, Rauscher wins for his August performance...
The Vikings are running 11-on-11 drills with the offense at its own 1-yard line, stuck in the shadow of the goal post, and it’s easy to spot the source of the urging voice.
New offensive line coach Phil Rauscher stands behind the offensive line and watches the next play unfold — it’s a passing play. The line protects well and Kirk Cousins leaks the ball out to Dalvin Cook in the flat for some nice yards after the catch. The quarterback seemed the most fired up, turning to Rauscher with a colorful exclamation and a response, “We got outta there, Phil!”
Rauscher is exactly how you’d cast an offensive line coach in the movie: Large in stature and high in volume. It’s hard not to feed off Rauscher’s enthusiasm, whether you’re the franchise quarterback or a rookie offensive lineman just trying to make his way into the league. His approach isn’t dissimilar from many college line coaches, who have large groups to instruct and need to be loud to be heard.
“It's something that I'm used to and like getting coached like that,” said third-round rookie guard Wyatt Davis. “It kind of fires you up. It puts you under a lot of good stress because that stress makes you better. The game is going to be 10 times the amount of stress he puts on us, so he's just trying to get us prepared for that.”
The idea behind Rauscher’s boisterous nature is simple: Bring energy to a “non-excitable position,” as Rauscher put it during training camp. While most yawn at offensive line minutiae, Rauscher gets energized by executing double teams and blocking 3-techniques.
And every rep provides a learning opportunity. Rauscher is quick to offer correction, which may target a single player in the moment but applies to everybody. After all, it’s easy to hear Rauscher’s opinion since his booming voice carries hundreds of yards.
“He’s aggressive and tough and gets those guys going,” said head coach Mike Zimmer, “so I like it.”
Dakota Dozier says Rauscher brings “a little flair” to the coaching position. Offensive coordinator Klint Kubiak calls it “bravado.” .
“He doesn’t change for practice,” said Kubiak, who remembers Rauscher’s intense work ethic back in Denver. “That’s just him, and that’s what the players want. They want you to be your genuine self and help you get better, and I think that’s one of his strong suits.”
In addition to his distinctive voice, Rauscher has brought a couple of post-practice traditions into the mix. While other position groups dissolve into the locker room after practice, the offensive linemen stay together for one more drill. Somedays they have to hit a punching bag to work on their hands; other days they work on their speed and balance with resistance bands, or “bungies.”
“We want to be the hardest working group on the team and do all this extra stuff,” said backup center Mason Cole. “Just hitting the [punching] bag five times. Just little stuff that all adds up. We usually get out here early before practice and are doing stuff. ... Phil brought a lot of these tools with him from other coaches and I think they've been a big help for us.”
Rauscher has worked for four colleges and three pro franchises, which have helped shape his coaching style. One of his bigger influences was Rick Dennison, a mentor for him in his days in Denver and the team’s head offensive line coach until July, when he was demoted to advisor because of his vaccination status.
Just because Rauscher is Dennison’s former assistant, though, he’s not trying to copy his old boss.
“He's definitely one of the different ones we've ever been around, as far as energy wise,” said running back Dalvin Cook. “We just had Rico (Rick Dennison), and Rico would just chill — that's just Rico. We're going to come out here and get our work done, and he's going to make sure everybody knows what their assignment is, but Phil is just that guy. You're going to hear him before you see him.”
Running backs coach Kennedy Polamalu complimented Rauscher for the fresh ideas he’s brought into meetings, while sixth-year veteran tackle Rashod Hill said he’s learned plenty of new things from Rauscher. Cole said multiple times how much fun the group had in meeting rooms.
With Rauscher, the scheme is a continuation of Dennison’s wide zone. It’s the coaching technique that is different.
“Phil’s doing a great job, man,” Hill said. “Phil showed me some stuff I haven’t done in a long time. But I feel like it’s going to be great for us. We come out early before everybody practices. We leave after everybody.”
If there’s a Mr. Mankato for coaches, Rauscher wins for his August performance...
Link:
purpleinsider.substack.com/p/phil-rauscher-in-the-words-of-others
... and neither is this Chris guy.