Michael Penix Jr. and Tiawan Mullen Teleconference Transcript
4/7/2020 3:32:00 PM | Football
QB Michael Penix Jr.
Q: On how much you are able to get out and do football work and stay in shape…
PENIX: I'm out training myself, personally. Coaches sent out the workout to the whole team. Everybody is out with their families but we all find gyms. If we have dumbbells, we do dumbbell workouts or bodyweight. Just different ways we can stay ready or stay in shape. That's what I've been doing myself and I've been going to my quarterback coach and I've been training and running on my own for the most part.
Q: On how the new strength staff is communicating to stay healthy and in shape during this time…
PENIX: He (strength staff) knows that everybody on the team, we all want it really bad. We all push every day and push each other. Basically, if you want it that much, then you'll go out and put in the work and all the work that you need to be able to come back and be successful. That's what all of us have been taking into consideration. I can guarantee you that all the players around have been working extremely hard and pushing themselves. We know what we want to achieve and are ready to go out and give it our all every day.
Q: On how you are handling your weight being back home…
PENIX: My mom's been cooking a lot for me. My weight's definitely been staying the same, if not going up a little bit. I'm certainly not losing any weight. That's one thing that I have to continue to make sure I push on because that's a big factor and that's something that I push myself on. I can't just go out and come back not my weight. That would be letting my team down and that's something I'm not going to do.
Q: On working with the strength staff during this time…
PENIX: He (Aaron Wellman) had gave us all workouts. He made them specific for whatever we had. He sent out body workouts if we don't have weights. He sent out dumbbell workouts. If you have a full gym, he sent us a full gym workout. He's been talking to us and continuing to tell us that working out is going to keep us in shape.
Q: On the difficulty of being a leader when not being around other guys…
PENIX: Well, I wouldn't say it's difficult. I talk to all players everyday between different group chats or any type of text messaging. It's not difficult. It's something we've always done off the field. That's what makes us strong as a team because of that connection we have and that bond that we have so we always communicate with each, even when times are hard like this.
Q: On throwing again Tiawan Mullen in practice…
PENIX: I wouldn't say I was avoiding him. Personally, I go through reads. Tiawan is a great corner. He is a great player. There were obviously plays that were made on both sides and that's something that continues to make both of us better. That's something I love to have on the team because I know having that heart and that strong mindset to be great is with Tiawan. He goes out every day of practice and gives it his all every day. It's good to have that because it's going to make it easier in the game.
Q: On how close you are to 100 percent…
PENIX: I'm very confident. I'm definitely ready. There's nothing holding me back now. Every day is a turnaround. Just working hard to get back to where I am now and I definitely feel like I'm 100 percent and ready to go.
Q: On how much you are able to grow as a player during this time and on how much you have studied Wisconsin…
PENIX: I feel like this time right now is really showing the team how bad we really want it. Myself, I feel like I've grown a lot. Whenever you have limited resources and adversity out there, sometimes people tend to change their ways. That's something I've been working on to make sure I don't do. I continue to push every day and I feel like nothing's stopped. It's all the same.
Q: On how you and the wide receivers are adapting to not being able to work together right now…
PENIX: I'm going to go back to Bloomington soon just to get with some receivers. We are always communicating. We always talk about how we want to run things and how to see the state on page and make sure we don't get off the page. Definitely, when we get back to, we're going to come right back to it. This is nothing we're really worried about. I continue to stay focus and continue to work extra hard now that we have adversity in front of us.
Q: On specific plans about coming back to Bloomington…
PENIX: No specific plans yet. It is whenever the time comes.
Q: On what types of drills you are doing without a defense…
PENIX: At the beginning of this, we were on the field. We were going basic quarterback drills, just continue to stay fresh on mechanics. As they're closing the fields down here, it's just been a lot of fractional work. Making sure that we're studying film and helping me just continue to focus and stay sharp on my game.
DB Tiawan Mullen
Q: With your workout situation, what types of things have you been able to do now that you don't have team drills?
MULLEN: I actually do all of the workouts. I've been doing field work, weight lifting. My brothers and I will work out together. For field work, I have a trainer who I work with, so I do it all.
Q: How much does it help you to have your brothers right there around where all of you need to be kind of doing the same things anyway?
MULLEN: It's great being around my brothers. It's just the principle of just being around them. I've been able to get to sit around and talk, not just about football but also about life and school. It's a been a great feeling for us to be grinding for the same thing, it's a great bond, trying different techniques from what we see and what we don't see.
Q: With the uncertainty of the season going forward now, as a player how much time do you need get back in the weight room and get practicing in order to be physically ready for a season to start in September?
MULLEN: Being back at home, I'm already running; I have access to weight lifting and field work. I'm always staying in shape so, I feel like if we had a game this Saturday, I'd be ready to play.
Q: How much has Coach Wellman helped you through this process in devising workouts for you while you're at home?
MULLEN: Coach Wellman is very communicative. He keeps in touch with everybody, dishing out the workouts and things like that. He's asking us what we need to work on, how do we feel? So, when he'll communicate, even when we haven't physically seen him, he's very communicative and checking up on all the guys.
Q: You're kind of a young leader on the team. When you guys are spread across the country, how do you guys stay connected and try to maintain that leadership?
MULLEN: Coach Allen's always teaches us 'don't blink'. The guys who see me as a leader, I don't blink. I talk with them outside of football, ask how everything is going. Sometimes you do just need a leader's take in football, so are your brothers and teammates. I've been calling, FaceTiming, asking how things are going.
Q: Are there things that you want to improve upon in your sophomore year after the freshman season the you had?
MULLEN: I would like to improve on everything. There's always room to improve. I've never satisfied with how I played, freshman year I feel could have been better. I feel like I can do more for the team. Specifically, I want to know what play the offense is running each play. I want to improve on being a vocal leader. Make tops plays when they need me, things like that.
Q: How much contact have you had with the coaches or training staff, and if so, what are those interactions like?
MULLEN: They tell us to stay safe with the coronavirus going on. They've told us to try and stay I the house, keep your hands clean. They tell us, in case of anything call us so that if at any moment if you feel any type of way, call anybody on our staff at any time of the day you'll get answered. It's been great."
Q: What's the next step for IU Football, and what kind of year do you expect from Mike Penix?
MULLEN: The next step for IU Football is to keep building it. Showing everybody that we can be consistent and that after one year we're not going to go backwards. Keep moving others, keep working hard, keep buying in, everyone believing in each other. With that comes a lot. Mike Penix has a rocket for an arm. Mike is a great leader, he's a great quarterback. He's throws much stronger having gained 15, 20 pounds over the spring. So, Mike and can do it all. I feel like he is going to take us far this season.
Q: Given the momentum you guys had from last season, reaching a January bowl game, how do you continue that motivation and momentum that the program has?
MULLEN: The motivation comes from losing by one point. It's boils my stomach but not in the wrong way. When we lose by one point it's like, what could we do differently, how can we approach the 2020 season? There's always a chip on my shoulder. It's going to be a great year for us. Even though we are going through adversity right now, it's going to be great.
Q: On how much you are able to get out and do football work and stay in shape…
PENIX: I'm out training myself, personally. Coaches sent out the workout to the whole team. Everybody is out with their families but we all find gyms. If we have dumbbells, we do dumbbell workouts or bodyweight. Just different ways we can stay ready or stay in shape. That's what I've been doing myself and I've been going to my quarterback coach and I've been training and running on my own for the most part.
Q: On how the new strength staff is communicating to stay healthy and in shape during this time…
PENIX: He (strength staff) knows that everybody on the team, we all want it really bad. We all push every day and push each other. Basically, if you want it that much, then you'll go out and put in the work and all the work that you need to be able to come back and be successful. That's what all of us have been taking into consideration. I can guarantee you that all the players around have been working extremely hard and pushing themselves. We know what we want to achieve and are ready to go out and give it our all every day.
Q: On how you are handling your weight being back home…
PENIX: My mom's been cooking a lot for me. My weight's definitely been staying the same, if not going up a little bit. I'm certainly not losing any weight. That's one thing that I have to continue to make sure I push on because that's a big factor and that's something that I push myself on. I can't just go out and come back not my weight. That would be letting my team down and that's something I'm not going to do.
Q: On working with the strength staff during this time…
PENIX: He (Aaron Wellman) had gave us all workouts. He made them specific for whatever we had. He sent out body workouts if we don't have weights. He sent out dumbbell workouts. If you have a full gym, he sent us a full gym workout. He's been talking to us and continuing to tell us that working out is going to keep us in shape.
Q: On the difficulty of being a leader when not being around other guys…
PENIX: Well, I wouldn't say it's difficult. I talk to all players everyday between different group chats or any type of text messaging. It's not difficult. It's something we've always done off the field. That's what makes us strong as a team because of that connection we have and that bond that we have so we always communicate with each, even when times are hard like this.
Q: On throwing again Tiawan Mullen in practice…
PENIX: I wouldn't say I was avoiding him. Personally, I go through reads. Tiawan is a great corner. He is a great player. There were obviously plays that were made on both sides and that's something that continues to make both of us better. That's something I love to have on the team because I know having that heart and that strong mindset to be great is with Tiawan. He goes out every day of practice and gives it his all every day. It's good to have that because it's going to make it easier in the game.
Q: On how close you are to 100 percent…
PENIX: I'm very confident. I'm definitely ready. There's nothing holding me back now. Every day is a turnaround. Just working hard to get back to where I am now and I definitely feel like I'm 100 percent and ready to go.
Q: On how much you are able to grow as a player during this time and on how much you have studied Wisconsin…
PENIX: I feel like this time right now is really showing the team how bad we really want it. Myself, I feel like I've grown a lot. Whenever you have limited resources and adversity out there, sometimes people tend to change their ways. That's something I've been working on to make sure I don't do. I continue to push every day and I feel like nothing's stopped. It's all the same.
Q: On how you and the wide receivers are adapting to not being able to work together right now…
PENIX: I'm going to go back to Bloomington soon just to get with some receivers. We are always communicating. We always talk about how we want to run things and how to see the state on page and make sure we don't get off the page. Definitely, when we get back to, we're going to come right back to it. This is nothing we're really worried about. I continue to stay focus and continue to work extra hard now that we have adversity in front of us.
Q: On specific plans about coming back to Bloomington…
PENIX: No specific plans yet. It is whenever the time comes.
Q: On what types of drills you are doing without a defense…
PENIX: At the beginning of this, we were on the field. We were going basic quarterback drills, just continue to stay fresh on mechanics. As they're closing the fields down here, it's just been a lot of fractional work. Making sure that we're studying film and helping me just continue to focus and stay sharp on my game.
DB Tiawan Mullen
Q: With your workout situation, what types of things have you been able to do now that you don't have team drills?
MULLEN: I actually do all of the workouts. I've been doing field work, weight lifting. My brothers and I will work out together. For field work, I have a trainer who I work with, so I do it all.
Q: How much does it help you to have your brothers right there around where all of you need to be kind of doing the same things anyway?
MULLEN: It's great being around my brothers. It's just the principle of just being around them. I've been able to get to sit around and talk, not just about football but also about life and school. It's a been a great feeling for us to be grinding for the same thing, it's a great bond, trying different techniques from what we see and what we don't see.
Q: With the uncertainty of the season going forward now, as a player how much time do you need get back in the weight room and get practicing in order to be physically ready for a season to start in September?
MULLEN: Being back at home, I'm already running; I have access to weight lifting and field work. I'm always staying in shape so, I feel like if we had a game this Saturday, I'd be ready to play.
Q: How much has Coach Wellman helped you through this process in devising workouts for you while you're at home?
MULLEN: Coach Wellman is very communicative. He keeps in touch with everybody, dishing out the workouts and things like that. He's asking us what we need to work on, how do we feel? So, when he'll communicate, even when we haven't physically seen him, he's very communicative and checking up on all the guys.
Q: You're kind of a young leader on the team. When you guys are spread across the country, how do you guys stay connected and try to maintain that leadership?
MULLEN: Coach Allen's always teaches us 'don't blink'. The guys who see me as a leader, I don't blink. I talk with them outside of football, ask how everything is going. Sometimes you do just need a leader's take in football, so are your brothers and teammates. I've been calling, FaceTiming, asking how things are going.
Q: Are there things that you want to improve upon in your sophomore year after the freshman season the you had?
MULLEN: I would like to improve on everything. There's always room to improve. I've never satisfied with how I played, freshman year I feel could have been better. I feel like I can do more for the team. Specifically, I want to know what play the offense is running each play. I want to improve on being a vocal leader. Make tops plays when they need me, things like that.
Q: How much contact have you had with the coaches or training staff, and if so, what are those interactions like?
MULLEN: They tell us to stay safe with the coronavirus going on. They've told us to try and stay I the house, keep your hands clean. They tell us, in case of anything call us so that if at any moment if you feel any type of way, call anybody on our staff at any time of the day you'll get answered. It's been great."
Q: What's the next step for IU Football, and what kind of year do you expect from Mike Penix?
MULLEN: The next step for IU Football is to keep building it. Showing everybody that we can be consistent and that after one year we're not going to go backwards. Keep moving others, keep working hard, keep buying in, everyone believing in each other. With that comes a lot. Mike Penix has a rocket for an arm. Mike is a great leader, he's a great quarterback. He's throws much stronger having gained 15, 20 pounds over the spring. So, Mike and can do it all. I feel like he is going to take us far this season.
Q: Given the momentum you guys had from last season, reaching a January bowl game, how do you continue that motivation and momentum that the program has?
MULLEN: The motivation comes from losing by one point. It's boils my stomach but not in the wrong way. When we lose by one point it's like, what could we do differently, how can we approach the 2020 season? There's always a chip on my shoulder. It's going to be a great year for us. Even though we are going through adversity right now, it's going to be great.
Players Mentioned
DB
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