March 18, 2025 • 13 mins
Tim & Paul have their weekly vist with Mike Berg. Former Grand Forks Central Head Football Coach and current color analyst of UND Football on the Fighting Hawks Radio Network.
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Episode Transcript

Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:00):
Coach Mike Berg.

Speaker 2 (00:00):
Morning, Mike, gentlemen, Good morning, Good morning.

Speaker 3 (00:04):
I'm sure coach was up early watching his Dodgers take
down my Cubbies to start the year.

Speaker 2 (00:11):
Watching no oh okay, looking for a score. Yeah kind of, ok.

Speaker 3 (00:17):
Yeah, kind yeah, but again winning streak.

Speaker 4 (00:23):
You can't win them all.

Speaker 3 (00:24):
Until you win the first one, and they did, beating
the Cubs four to one today. So the baseball season,
as you mentioned off off at the air, certainly a
little different when you start the season and with a
couple of games and then you got to take a
break again. But officially it means baseball's here and we're underway.
So and that's something to celebrate because I know you're

(00:44):
a baseball guy as well.

Speaker 2 (00:46):
It would be it would be a neat thing to
see all all of the teams that have an influence
on their roster from Japan get a chance to do
this in the future. I think it's it's a good
way to promote the game globally anyway, right yeah, Tim, sports,
we've seen it, you know in Europe, especially with the
other sports. So yeah, way to go.

Speaker 1 (01:09):
I think we had one the twins at the one
Japanese guy they paid a lot of money for it
is a short step and he was a flop, let's
put it that way. I don't even remember his name.

Speaker 3 (01:23):
But it's just like it's just like regular sports, though
you know, sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn't, and it
can be from any place anywhere. So but in this instance,
it's a it's a huge market over there. They love
their baseball, and especially what the big time players they
are throwing into the majors right now. It's it's nice,
it's nice to cultivate that even more for Major League Baseball,

(01:44):
I'm sure.

Speaker 2 (01:46):
Well, it's just it's exciting that it's this time of
year and then you kind of watch these preseason games,
not really the watching the games, but to see who's
kind of on the roster, who who's who's going to
be playing, and so it's just it's like a just
an anticipation more so than maybe to me the other sports.

(02:07):
It's just because it's you know, it's a national institution
still is I know, I know we're football and the
other sports stand, but it's still baseball something special.

Speaker 1 (02:18):
Sure, well you could have had you could be with
Virginia getting not getting picked in the.

Speaker 2 (02:26):
Mind, you know, every year it's someone in this year,
it's their turn, and no doubt the world is against them.
They didn't get in, So.

Speaker 1 (02:36):
Call the governor.

Speaker 2 (02:39):
You know when when you leave it to a committee,
I yeah, we could start pulling all the examples, not
only in this I mean this is the big deal
because of the money involved, and you know every year
this is the event, but you know, pick your sport,
go back to Division two or even Division three. There's

(03:00):
it's just as much a deal for a team that
doesn't get into the Division III football playoffs or basketball playoffs.
So yeah, it's always going to have that human element.
You can always put your finger at somebody that was
out to get you.

Speaker 4 (03:15):
Oh, no doubt. Yeah it's gonna get you. Spring football
this week.

Speaker 3 (03:19):
We talked to Eric Schmidt last week during our Hawk
Talk program and he did mention one of the things
because I asked him, you know, being a head coach
and keeping the defensive coordinator in your sphere not done
frequently currently in the college game, but there are people
doing that, whether it be offensive or defensive coordinators.

Speaker 4 (03:41):
And he just said he feels like he wants to
be really.

Speaker 3 (03:46):
Really have a say in how this install goes and
really be in the mix with this staff as far
as getting everything taught the way that they want. He
doesn't vision a day where somebody probably assumes that role,
but he just felt like, Hey, I need to be
hands on with the install of the way I view
and envision this defense. So that's pretty interesting from that perspective.

Speaker 4 (04:08):
Coach, what do you think, well.

Speaker 2 (04:10):
The defense that we have seen you and d run
since back in the Roger Thomas days when Dale Lennon
was a defensive coordinator, is this three man front. So
it's a it's a totally new install, a totally new look,
and I think that this is a very wise decision.
Now he's bringing in a staff that, uh, you know,

(04:32):
he is his handpicked to to install. Offense doesn't change
much Isaac FRICKTI State and Trevor Olsen State, but defensively
lots of changes. So Eric Schmidt has prepared for a
long time for this opportunity to be the head coach.
You want to do it right, You want your hands

(04:54):
on as much as you can do, while still I
think having your assistance give plenty of responsibility. So yeah,
I'm good with it, and I'm anxious to see it myself.
I'm totally okay with with seeing a new style of defense. Yeah,
it's just something different to look at.

Speaker 1 (05:13):
Yeah, that's what it's going to be, right.

Speaker 2 (05:16):
Well, yeah, the concepts nowadays you watch any level of
college even high school football, everybody's spread you out, you know,
one back, empty backfields, four or five wide receivers. Tough
to cover those wide receivers and slots with linebackers, and
so to get into kind of a hybrid extra guy

(05:39):
in there, and you know, whether you whatever you call him,
I think you and he's going to call him their nickelback,
kind of a hybrid linebacker defensive back. Got to be
able to run with people, but still be able to
play linebacker. You're going to have teams that come out,
they see you in a forty two, they'll come out
in a heavy set with two or three tight ends

(06:00):
and all of a sudden, guys that were now covering
wide receivers all over the field, you know, sideline, the sideline,
they're going to have to line up and play physical
in the box against heavy sets. So it's a new
era in football and interesting and I you know, Eric's
been there. He's done that with Washington, did that with

(06:20):
San Diego State. So yeah, so let's go.

Speaker 3 (06:23):
I look at a player like who continues to grow
in his role, but came in as an outside linebacker
and made some plays like a Lance Rucker, right, and
he was a kind of the prototypical looking outside linebacker.
Certainly can run, there's no doubt about that, but you know,
his role is going to be one that I look

(06:45):
at his very differently like because he was on the
very edge of the line of scrimmage in that bank
of linebackers. Now at a forty two, I'm kind of
curious to see what a Lance Rucker looks like, where
he lines up, where they line him up, how they
utilize him, because he's a special athlete, but not as
outside linebacker like you know it was envision when he

(07:08):
arrived here. That's just one example off the top of
my head.

Speaker 4 (07:12):
Coach.

Speaker 2 (07:13):
Yeah, I'm going to be curious the same way. I'm
gonna have to get the roster out and watch these
guys because kind of used to seeing some of them
new things in the past few seasons. So I am
with you and this guy going to be learning new spots,
and you know, I think I haven't had a chance

(07:33):
to visit with all the coaches. Yet they're working for
a living. They don't need to talk to me. But
you know, I think players are designated more so probably
in this defense is boundary players to the sideline or
field players to the wide side of the field, so
you'll see them playing on both sides of the field.

(07:55):
And I'm in a learning mode myself. I fact, the
last I might talk to Schmitty just last week. I said,
you know, I need to sit down with you guys
and figure out what's going on with this thing, because
I have a lot to learn.

Speaker 4 (08:10):
Tim, What do you got what else for coach? Well?

Speaker 1 (08:14):
Yeah, I mean it just raises what was said many
times before, the need for speed. If you're covering outside
stuff right from yeah.

Speaker 2 (08:26):
The border, that's where you start. If you can't run nowadays,
because they do. I mean, the field's fifty three and
a third yards wide, and you'd better be able to
run from sideline to sideline. I don't care if you're
a down lineman, you better be able to get there.
We can't get you on the field. And it seemed

(08:47):
like everybody has someone who can run on the offensive side.
So much of offense now it's just matchups, we get
our fast guy against you're not as fast guy, I
would advantage us. And so a lot of offense is
just you know, where can we get the ball to
take advantage of of a of a mismatch.

Speaker 3 (09:07):
So here here's the one quick question, the last question
I have for you today. You mentioned fifty three in
a third wide? Why the third? Why did we ever
settle on the third? I mean, did anybody ask that question,
like fifty three in a third? Like why, like couldn't
they have just rounded up to go to fifty four

(09:27):
or just stopped at fifty three? Fifty three in a third?
That just seems I've never asked that question. I always
meant to, But now that you said it again, I'm like,
why why did they decide?

Speaker 2 (09:39):
I'll say this, they probably said, let's make it one
hundred and sixty feet wide. Oh okay, at one and
fifty nine feet wide?

Speaker 4 (09:50):
Yeah?

Speaker 2 (09:51):
Probably, yeah, yeah, Maybe they were maybe they were measuring
by rods or something. My grandfather used to talk on
the farm about something being so the rods sure distance,
or you know, maybe they used the chain like they
did when they measured the old Oregon trail and measured
how far they were traveling by chain links. Maybe that's

(10:12):
what they did.

Speaker 3 (10:12):
Yeah, very interesting, Yeah again, yeah, and of course if
you did feet or or whatever, of course that's an
odd way of doing it because obviously if a football
fields and yards, then everything's translated into yards, but then
you end up with thirds and different things.

Speaker 4 (10:28):
And so yeah, here we.

Speaker 2 (10:29):
Are, you and I. A hundred times a year a
season we hear people talk about defending fifty yards. That's
that's wrong. Yeah, that's just bogus. No fifty yards to defend,
that's right. Yes, yeah, if we want to be jerks,
we can call them on it.

Speaker 3 (10:44):
We can't I suppose, Well, there's something to be said
about accuracy, and sometimes there's something to be uh, something
to be said about being a little too persnickety as well.

Speaker 2 (10:54):
So well that's me. I'm going to take the blame
for that. I say, fifty three and a third yard?
The heck cares.

Speaker 1 (11:05):
Else?

Speaker 3 (11:05):
Hey, college hockey most is is what two hundred by
eighty five?

Speaker 4 (11:10):
Right? Exactly? Yeah?

Speaker 1 (11:12):
Who came up with that?

Speaker 3 (11:13):
Yeah exactly? And how did they get there? And then
of course then of course you talk to Saint Cloud.
They they didn't want to do that. They wanted to
do two hundred by one hundred, and Wisconsin for years
were two hundred by one hundred and two or something whatever.

Speaker 1 (11:27):
It was ulous.

Speaker 2 (11:28):
Yeah, So when I coached eight man football in Montana,
it was a forty yards wide and eighty yards long. Oh,
there were no thirds in there.

Speaker 3 (11:39):
Are you hearing any more scuttle but about the acceptance
of the you know what we did, what would we
do six man football or whatever? Or you know, you
know up and Drayton and different things. Are you seeing
more programs in communities starting to accept that.

Speaker 2 (11:56):
The last I talked to somebody, they still don't think
it's going to be sank anytime soon. Which I think
if it were sanctioned, it'd be a great thing for
North Dakota, the small schools because you do have a
lot of co ops that wouldn't be co ops each
you know, each county school would have their own team.
And if you've seen six man football, it's a lot

(12:18):
of fun watch it really is. And so yeah, I'm
I would be all for establishing six man football and
doing away with some of the co ops because I
just think it's better for school to have their own team.

Speaker 3 (12:32):
I agree with you one hundred percent. The only person
who struggles with it, who is absolutely against is my
friend Tom Miller, sports editor of the Grand forksher Old,
because anytime I mentioned it, he's like, Paul, do you
realize what a box score looks like from six man football?

Speaker 4 (12:47):
We have to put in there?

Speaker 2 (12:49):
Well? Yeah, and he's just worried about covering all that.
He's right, Yeah, he's fighting for every bit of a
space he can get. Yeah, so he'd have more box
scores more Yeah with him.

Speaker 3 (13:02):
The in the inch is required for a box score
from six man Sometimes they're quite an entertaining But hey,
we're baseball season officially beginning today over in Japan, seasons underway,
spring football beginning this week at the Pollard. I know
you'll be a part of that a little bit as well,
and we'll continue to check in with you and discuss

(13:23):
these topics like six man football and more. Have a
great week ahead, coach, Appreciate it, and we'll talk to
you next week.

Speaker 2 (13:29):
I want to talk some hockey next week. I want
to see things go well in Saint Paul.

Speaker 4 (13:33):
Awesome. Appreciate it, coach, but yeah,

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