Penn State Sports Magazine
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/1254482
P E N N S T A T E F O O T B A L L >> guys believed in me. When we talk about technique, he's bought in. He knows what I've done before, and that what I'm showing them works. "That's what coaching is all about, getting them to buy in," he added. "Other coaches out there have many dif- ferent techniques, many different things. But at the end of the day, [if you're] getting your offensive line to be- lieve in what you do and how you do it, you'll be successful. If there's a coach out there who says, hey, just punch with one arm, and the of- fensive line believes in it, they would be the best one- arm punchers in the world. I don't teach that; I teach two arms. But [it's a matter of ] getting them to believe in that, and Menet is one of those guys who has. He's been buying in." Fries is another. The senior right tackle knew that Trautwein wanted his linemen to be violent with their hands, so he bought a heavy bag, set it up in his yard and sent his new coach a photo. "That's the mentality that I love," Trautwein said. "That's the mentality I want on my o9ensive line. The o9ensive line is all about development. It's all about doing the little things that no one else wants to do, and I think Will has the mindset, which I think is going to help him in football and also later in life." Fries said Trautwein won him over right away with his attitude and approach to teaching. "Seeing his con8- dence, the way he carries himself, it was easy to buy in," Fries said. "He's done it at the highest level. I think that's helpful, as well. But just knowing the kind of person he is now, it was an easy buy-in. I've learned a ton of stu9 from him – technique stu9, becoming a higher-IQ football player, learning de- fenses better. It's an ongoing process." One of Trautwein's main points of em- phasis is to make sure that his linemen are taking full advantage of their lower-body strength. Having a good base is critical, as is knee-bend. Trautwein will ask his players: Do you squat more or bench more? "Most likely, you're going to say you squat more," he said, "so let's get them to play on their legs, let's get them to play on the insteps of their feet so that they're al- ways at maximum power. Being able to do that, to get them to feel that, to play on their legs – that takes a little bit of time. VETERAN LINE Fries (left), Menet (center) and guard C.J. Thorpe head off the field following a prac- tice session last year. The three linemen are set to start again next season. Photo by Ryan Snyder