August 12, 2025 • 13 mins
UND Football Radio Color Analyst, Mike Berg, drops in to discuss some observations from UND Football's preseason fall camp.
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Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:00):
Tuesday morning on the fan, as we welcome to the program,
the Hall of Famer, the coach. It's Mike Burke.
Speaker 2 (00:06):
Morning, Mike, gentlemen. But talk about some stuff.
Speaker 1 (00:11):
Yeah, there you go. We were just saying earlier that
the high school teams are working out, and now East
grab Forks joined in on that yesterday. So everybody's rolling
the numbers good liked you know.
Speaker 2 (00:27):
I'm sorry I didn't. I didn't hear you.
Speaker 1 (00:30):
Are the numbers good?
Speaker 2 (00:31):
For Uh? Yeah? I know that the numbers at Central
are very good. They were. They started at about one
hundred and twenty kids.
Speaker 1 (00:43):
Wow.
Speaker 2 (00:43):
And I don't know what the actual numbers are at
these Grand Forks. I talked to Ryan Kosowski and he
was pleased with the turnout, but I didn't ask him
exactly how many. So those two I know about. And
I know that youth football number are way way up,
well over a thousand kids. So it's football time and
(01:07):
people know it.
Speaker 1 (01:08):
Well. Mike. When you say one hundred and twenty kids
at Central, what happens to the kids that don't get
to play?
Speaker 2 (01:17):
Well? But you're talking freshmen JV. Varsity, so you're probably
looking at twenty some seniors maybe a twenty plus a
up to thirty juniors, probably a few more sophomores, and
then I think they're freshman numbers. The last I heard,
(01:39):
I said, they were in the low forties.
Speaker 1 (01:42):
So they'll all get to play.
Speaker 2 (01:44):
They all get to play. Yeah, okay, you know, and
I mean like any other sport. But yeah, you've got
a large coaching staff, you have schedules for all the teams.
Speaker 1 (01:54):
So where you go, Wow, well that's a good things
good And you said one hundred and twenty. I thought, well,
what are the kids that don't make the original roster? Whatever?
What do they do? But they do something right?
Speaker 2 (02:08):
Well, the you know, I mean you you're playing at
eleven at a time, and I know on the younger
levels they try to actually, when they're able to, I
believe they try to start twenty two different kids. So
you know, it's not critical that you always have your
best kids on the field. It's critical on that level
is that they play. And so you go through a
(02:29):
roster pretty quick when you when you get twenty two
kids that consider themselves starters.
Speaker 1 (02:35):
Very nice. Let's switch to und where Paul's a little
concerned about center snaps to the shotgun quarterback.
Speaker 2 (02:48):
Yeah, would you say, that's that's a thought. It's a thought, always,
always has been. I mean I've never from day one
since offenses have gone to that. Even on the pro level.
It's never one hundred accurate, And so that's that's always
(03:12):
a concern. And then when you when you start getting
some injuries or putting different guys in there. I know
that you and E you'll go and watch them in
their breakdown drills when they're working independent positions. They will
at times have five guys snapping shotgun snaps to the
five quarterbacks, and so you've got guys doing it, but
(03:35):
there's a little difference when you have a guy, you know,
snorting at you and he's six inches away on the
other side of the ball. And so it's one thing
to be doing it on air and practice, and a
whole nother thing to be making the calls, understanding what
the play is and making the adjustments. And the center
does a lot of that and then have to be
(03:57):
totally accurate with that with that snap.
Speaker 1 (04:01):
It's about as important a position there is on the offense,
isn't it.
Speaker 2 (04:06):
Well, yeah, it all start with that guy. Yeah, that's
I mean, that's the one guy that has his hands
on the ball every play of the game. And the
difference between under the center and then pistol and then shotgun.
I mean, those are three different looks. So it's not
just two, it's it's three. And you need to get
(04:26):
the ball in a position where the quarterback can do
something with it in a hurry.
Speaker 1 (04:32):
Well, like I said, that's an important position. Do they
have guys that can handle that?
Speaker 2 (04:38):
Yeah, you know. I mean, like like everything else in football,
you have injuries. So that's why you have a depth
chart and you create depth. And one of the things
that that I've enjoyed about watching you and the lineman
over the years, and even it didn't matter who the
coach is, when you're an offensive lineman at U and D,
you may be primarily one position or another, your tackle
(05:01):
or your guard, but they are they try to be
interchangeable because they know very well as the season goes on,
there are going to be some times where you need
to put a kid in a ballgame and he's not
totally familiar with everything that happens there. But especially when
you go on the road and you have limited numbers.
When you're home, you have the whole crew suited up.
(05:24):
But when you go on the road and you have
limited numbers, a kid might have to play guard and
tackle or center and guard or whatever and be able
to go in and you can't lose anything. So yeah, yes,
do it? Yes? Are they all as good as the
best guy?
Speaker 1 (05:41):
No?
Speaker 2 (05:42):
But that's why you practice.
Speaker 1 (05:45):
Have they narrowed it down to the best guy?
Speaker 2 (05:48):
I would say no, I would well, yeah, I would
say I would say in their staff meetings they for
the public to hear it, or for even the media
to know, even the guy that goes to practice every
day to know, I would say no. For the coaches
(06:08):
to know and to have a depth chart in their
mind and in their office. Absolutely, they know who they
want and there are positions being worked out. But I
think when they tell you that we really haven't come
to that decision yet, I think you have. But I
think you know you're doing you're saying the right things,
(06:29):
and you're doing the right things, and it's probably pretty
well determined. So but that's not for us to know.
We'll get it. We'll get it too deep when they
think it's time.
Speaker 1 (06:40):
All right, Mike full pads yesterday, how'd that look?
Speaker 2 (06:44):
Yeah? You know, one thing is the players I think
when they're trying to earn a spot, the full pads
brings a little bit different energy level anytime you're out
there in shorts or just in shells as they call
them or whatever. H it's a little it's there's I'm
not going to say less intense, because they they do
(07:05):
expect high intensity. Every time you go on the field.
There is there's nobody slugging around out there. But when
you something about football, and I don't know exactly what
it is, but those guys like putting on the full gear,
there's something about being a football player. You're sitting at
that locker and you're pulling on all the gear and
all the pads. You walk out that door, there's just,
(07:28):
I don't know, you breathe a little deeper, and you
snort a little louder, and you want to play. And
then that that's what such football players apart from football
players pads that foball that well, you know, it's it's
(07:50):
they're two different games.
Speaker 3 (07:51):
Yeah, I've a I've also seen some sliding tackles that
have shattered some legs in soccer that are absolutely horrific.
So I'm not gonna say one against the others.
Speaker 2 (08:01):
So a NASCAR guy fall off his car and bang
his head the other Yeah, so that happens too. Yeah,
they all have their place. I watch a watch a
college your NBA basketball game nowadays also aren't exactly the
no touch rules.
Speaker 3 (08:16):
Yeah, so I don't know. I'm not downplaying either. I'm
not going to stand there on a soccer pitch with
the ball and have one of these defensive midfielder's come
clatter into me with with his legs with my foot
planted and just have that. That's terrifying.
Speaker 2 (08:35):
That happens. Also happens when somebody slides and doesn't make
contact with him, you still go down holding onto your ankle.
Speaker 3 (08:42):
Not disagreeing with that, it's that's that's very true. Uh,
there is something to be said about that because unfortunately
they they've now realized that sometimes when you do get
clattered into, there's no call. So now you got to
make a mountain out of a molehill, uh, out to nothing.
So that's basically now, I agree, that's ridiculous. So, but
(09:05):
we've also seen in college football where players have pretended
to be hurt so that they can slow down offenses.
Speaker 1 (09:14):
Have we not.
Speaker 2 (09:15):
Exactly exactly, and there are rules against that, and they
are more stringent about that all the time. And I
put that on these coaches that teach their players to
do that, expect them and practice to do that, and
hey it's time for you to take an injury here,
stay down, And yeah, there's they do. They will try
to manipulate things, and unfortunately, yeah, there are always those
(09:41):
out there that want to go into that gray area
or go over the line. And the perfect example of
that is the old Houston Feeding Astros, who I still
am resentful about. And so they're out there. They're always
going to be people that try to take advantage instead
(10:02):
of just respect the game, respect the rules, respect your opponent,
respect the history of the game, and do it right.
Speaker 1 (10:08):
So whatever, Well, now you don't Mike when you talk
about the Astros. Now we've even seen it. I don't
know if you've seen it, but in the Little League
World Series, yeah, there's stopping beams to talk about guys
on second base to quit flashing signs or whatever. Yeah,
at twelve.
Speaker 2 (10:28):
Years old, I haven't heard the trash can banging yet
in the Little World Series. But yeah, you know, I
I know, I'm old school and there's always been people
trying to steal signs or get an edge, find a way.
You know, if it's if it's not called, it's legal,
and you know it's just you know, if you teach
(10:48):
a kid how to hold without getting caught. I know that,
And there's there is that line. I just I have
too much respect for whatever the sport is, for the
tradition of the sport itself, respect the game, and play
by the dogone rules. And you know, I know you
can get away with things, but I don't know, I'm
(11:10):
getting too old for this, for this goofing around anymore.
Speaker 1 (11:13):
Let's just do it, right, don't you think though that?
I mean, stealing signs in baseball has been going on
forever and if you can do it, good for you, Right.
Speaker 2 (11:25):
That's a great art. Yeah, if you ever tell. I mean,
I think some of the great guys out there doing
that are these first and third base coaches in the
major leagues. I mean, you scratch your leg in a
certain spot, they pick up on it and they they
got you. So No, that's that's a whole lot different
than using the camera to pick up the minds and
(11:46):
then sending a signal or you know whatever. And I
know the leagues are well aware, the umpires, the league
officials that try to minimize that. But there's always somebody
out there on any level, Little league, too, high school too,
you know, major league is going to try to get
away with something.
Speaker 3 (12:05):
All right, well, alright, well play.
Speaker 2 (12:09):
It's not a negative, no reality, No, it's just you know,
we those of us that watch this all the time,
we prefer a good straight game. Let's let the best
team win and the best players perform, and let's do
it that way. Don't have to cheat, spend spend the
time that you are preparing to cheat, actually getting better
by doing it the right way, and maybe we'll have
(12:31):
better contests.
Speaker 3 (12:33):
All right, Appreciate the insight there, and I actually like
that what we just went down. There'll be more room
for that another time. I think a lot of different
ways we can go. Appreciate it. Coach, you have a
good rest of your day and enjoy some practice and
we'll talk to you next week.
Speaker 2 (12:47):
Okay, we'll do it, guys, Thank you.
Speaker 3 (12:49):
Okay, there you go. Mike Berg, color analysts North Dakota
football on the Fighting Hawks Radio Network. Heard out of
these stations here locally and across the state wide network
as well. During the season
Tuesday morning on the fan, as we welcome to the program,
the Hall of Famer, the coach. It's Mike Burke.
Speaker 2 (00:06):
Morning, Mike, gentlemen. But talk about some stuff.
Speaker 1 (00:11):
Yeah, there you go. We were just saying earlier that
the high school teams are working out, and now East
grab Forks joined in on that yesterday. So everybody's rolling
the numbers good liked you know.
Speaker 2 (00:27):
I'm sorry I didn't. I didn't hear you.
Speaker 1 (00:30):
Are the numbers good?
Speaker 2 (00:31):
For Uh? Yeah? I know that the numbers at Central
are very good. They were. They started at about one
hundred and twenty kids.
Speaker 1 (00:43):
Wow.
Speaker 2 (00:43):
And I don't know what the actual numbers are at
these Grand Forks. I talked to Ryan Kosowski and he
was pleased with the turnout, but I didn't ask him
exactly how many. So those two I know about. And
I know that youth football number are way way up,
well over a thousand kids. So it's football time and
(01:07):
people know it.
Speaker 1 (01:08):
Well. Mike. When you say one hundred and twenty kids
at Central, what happens to the kids that don't get
to play?
Speaker 2 (01:17):
Well? But you're talking freshmen JV. Varsity, so you're probably
looking at twenty some seniors maybe a twenty plus a
up to thirty juniors, probably a few more sophomores, and
then I think they're freshman numbers. The last I heard,
(01:39):
I said, they were in the low forties.
Speaker 1 (01:42):
So they'll all get to play.
Speaker 2 (01:44):
They all get to play. Yeah, okay, you know, and
I mean like any other sport. But yeah, you've got
a large coaching staff, you have schedules for all the teams.
Speaker 1 (01:54):
So where you go, Wow, well that's a good things
good And you said one hundred and twenty. I thought, well,
what are the kids that don't make the original roster? Whatever?
What do they do? But they do something right?
Speaker 2 (02:08):
Well, the you know, I mean you you're playing at
eleven at a time, and I know on the younger
levels they try to actually, when they're able to, I
believe they try to start twenty two different kids. So
you know, it's not critical that you always have your
best kids on the field. It's critical on that level
is that they play. And so you go through a
(02:29):
roster pretty quick when you when you get twenty two
kids that consider themselves starters.
Speaker 1 (02:35):
Very nice. Let's switch to und where Paul's a little
concerned about center snaps to the shotgun quarterback.
Speaker 2 (02:48):
Yeah, would you say, that's that's a thought. It's a thought, always,
always has been. I mean I've never from day one
since offenses have gone to that. Even on the pro level.
It's never one hundred accurate, And so that's that's always
(03:12):
a concern. And then when you when you start getting
some injuries or putting different guys in there. I know
that you and E you'll go and watch them in
their breakdown drills when they're working independent positions. They will
at times have five guys snapping shotgun snaps to the
five quarterbacks, and so you've got guys doing it, but
(03:35):
there's a little difference when you have a guy, you know,
snorting at you and he's six inches away on the
other side of the ball. And so it's one thing
to be doing it on air and practice, and a
whole nother thing to be making the calls, understanding what
the play is and making the adjustments. And the center
does a lot of that and then have to be
(03:57):
totally accurate with that with that snap.
Speaker 1 (04:01):
It's about as important a position there is on the offense,
isn't it.
Speaker 2 (04:06):
Well, yeah, it all start with that guy. Yeah, that's
I mean, that's the one guy that has his hands
on the ball every play of the game. And the
difference between under the center and then pistol and then shotgun.
I mean, those are three different looks. So it's not
just two, it's it's three. And you need to get
(04:26):
the ball in a position where the quarterback can do
something with it in a hurry.
Speaker 1 (04:32):
Well, like I said, that's an important position. Do they
have guys that can handle that?
Speaker 2 (04:38):
Yeah, you know. I mean, like like everything else in football,
you have injuries. So that's why you have a depth
chart and you create depth. And one of the things
that that I've enjoyed about watching you and the lineman
over the years, and even it didn't matter who the
coach is, when you're an offensive lineman at U and D,
you may be primarily one position or another, your tackle
(05:01):
or your guard, but they are they try to be
interchangeable because they know very well as the season goes on,
there are going to be some times where you need
to put a kid in a ballgame and he's not
totally familiar with everything that happens there. But especially when
you go on the road and you have limited numbers.
When you're home, you have the whole crew suited up.
(05:24):
But when you go on the road and you have
limited numbers, a kid might have to play guard and
tackle or center and guard or whatever and be able
to go in and you can't lose anything. So yeah, yes,
do it? Yes? Are they all as good as the
best guy?
Speaker 1 (05:41):
No?
Speaker 2 (05:42):
But that's why you practice.
Speaker 1 (05:45):
Have they narrowed it down to the best guy?
Speaker 2 (05:48):
I would say no, I would well, yeah, I would
say I would say in their staff meetings they for
the public to hear it, or for even the media
to know, even the guy that goes to practice every
day to know, I would say no. For the coaches
(06:08):
to know and to have a depth chart in their
mind and in their office. Absolutely, they know who they
want and there are positions being worked out. But I
think when they tell you that we really haven't come
to that decision yet, I think you have. But I
think you know you're doing you're saying the right things,
(06:29):
and you're doing the right things, and it's probably pretty
well determined. So but that's not for us to know.
We'll get it. We'll get it too deep when they
think it's time.
Speaker 1 (06:40):
All right, Mike full pads yesterday, how'd that look?
Speaker 2 (06:44):
Yeah? You know, one thing is the players I think
when they're trying to earn a spot, the full pads
brings a little bit different energy level anytime you're out
there in shorts or just in shells as they call
them or whatever. H it's a little it's there's I'm
not going to say less intense, because they they do
(07:05):
expect high intensity. Every time you go on the field.
There is there's nobody slugging around out there. But when
you something about football, and I don't know exactly what
it is, but those guys like putting on the full gear,
there's something about being a football player. You're sitting at
that locker and you're pulling on all the gear and
all the pads. You walk out that door, there's just,
(07:28):
I don't know, you breathe a little deeper, and you
snort a little louder, and you want to play. And
then that that's what such football players apart from football
players pads that foball that well, you know, it's it's
(07:50):
they're two different games.
Speaker 3 (07:51):
Yeah, I've a I've also seen some sliding tackles that
have shattered some legs in soccer that are absolutely horrific.
So I'm not gonna say one against the others.
Speaker 2 (08:01):
So a NASCAR guy fall off his car and bang
his head the other Yeah, so that happens too. Yeah,
they all have their place. I watch a watch a
college your NBA basketball game nowadays also aren't exactly the
no touch rules.
Speaker 3 (08:16):
Yeah, so I don't know. I'm not downplaying either. I'm
not going to stand there on a soccer pitch with
the ball and have one of these defensive midfielder's come
clatter into me with with his legs with my foot
planted and just have that. That's terrifying.
Speaker 2 (08:35):
That happens. Also happens when somebody slides and doesn't make
contact with him, you still go down holding onto your ankle.
Speaker 3 (08:42):
Not disagreeing with that, it's that's that's very true. Uh,
there is something to be said about that because unfortunately
they they've now realized that sometimes when you do get
clattered into, there's no call. So now you got to
make a mountain out of a molehill, uh, out to nothing.
So that's basically now, I agree, that's ridiculous. So, but
(09:05):
we've also seen in college football where players have pretended
to be hurt so that they can slow down offenses.
Speaker 1 (09:14):
Have we not.
Speaker 2 (09:15):
Exactly exactly, and there are rules against that, and they
are more stringent about that all the time. And I
put that on these coaches that teach their players to
do that, expect them and practice to do that, and
hey it's time for you to take an injury here,
stay down, And yeah, there's they do. They will try
to manipulate things, and unfortunately, yeah, there are always those
(09:41):
out there that want to go into that gray area
or go over the line. And the perfect example of
that is the old Houston Feeding Astros, who I still
am resentful about. And so they're out there. They're always
going to be people that try to take advantage instead
(10:02):
of just respect the game, respect the rules, respect your opponent,
respect the history of the game, and do it right.
Speaker 1 (10:08):
So whatever, Well, now you don't Mike when you talk
about the Astros. Now we've even seen it. I don't
know if you've seen it, but in the Little League
World Series, yeah, there's stopping beams to talk about guys
on second base to quit flashing signs or whatever. Yeah,
at twelve.
Speaker 2 (10:28):
Years old, I haven't heard the trash can banging yet
in the Little World Series. But yeah, you know, I
I know, I'm old school and there's always been people
trying to steal signs or get an edge, find a way.
You know, if it's if it's not called, it's legal,
and you know it's just you know, if you teach
(10:48):
a kid how to hold without getting caught. I know that,
And there's there is that line. I just I have
too much respect for whatever the sport is, for the
tradition of the sport itself, respect the game, and play
by the dogone rules. And you know, I know you
can get away with things, but I don't know, I'm
(11:10):
getting too old for this, for this goofing around anymore.
Speaker 1 (11:13):
Let's just do it, right, don't you think though that?
I mean, stealing signs in baseball has been going on
forever and if you can do it, good for you, Right.
Speaker 2 (11:25):
That's a great art. Yeah, if you ever tell. I mean,
I think some of the great guys out there doing
that are these first and third base coaches in the
major leagues. I mean, you scratch your leg in a
certain spot, they pick up on it and they they
got you. So No, that's that's a whole lot different
than using the camera to pick up the minds and
(11:46):
then sending a signal or you know whatever. And I
know the leagues are well aware, the umpires, the league
officials that try to minimize that. But there's always somebody
out there on any level, Little league, too, high school too,
you know, major league is going to try to get
away with something.
Speaker 3 (12:05):
All right, well, alright, well play.
Speaker 2 (12:09):
It's not a negative, no reality, No, it's just you know,
we those of us that watch this all the time,
we prefer a good straight game. Let's let the best
team win and the best players perform, and let's do
it that way. Don't have to cheat, spend spend the
time that you are preparing to cheat, actually getting better
by doing it the right way, and maybe we'll have
(12:31):
better contests.
Speaker 3 (12:33):
All right, Appreciate the insight there, and I actually like
that what we just went down. There'll be more room
for that another time. I think a lot of different
ways we can go. Appreciate it. Coach, you have a
good rest of your day and enjoy some practice and
we'll talk to you next week.
Speaker 2 (12:47):
Okay, we'll do it, guys, Thank you.
Speaker 3 (12:49):
Okay, there you go. Mike Berg, color analysts North Dakota
football on the Fighting Hawks Radio Network. Heard out of
these stations here locally and across the state wide network
as well. During the season
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