Thursday, July 31, 2014

Brandon Fusco: 'I love being a physical player out there'

Daniel House caught up with offensive guard Brandon Fusco and asked him how he looks to build off of his success from last year.


Updated: July 31st, 2014 1:09pm

By: Daniel House


Brandon Fusco was a breakout player for the Vikings last season and now he is looking to continue that trend in the 2014 season. He was ranked with a + 14.5 Pro Football Focus overall grade and was bested in this stat by only two right guards last season. Fusco likes the way the team is coming together and is excited to get to work and watch the offense and defense make progress.

"It feels good to be back. Getting back in pads, getting with my teammates and getting that chemistry going that we need for the season. We're all starting to gel together as an offense and defense, so it's look good," Fusco said.

The continuity of this offensive line has been together since Matt Kalil joined the group in 2012 and Fusco believes that helps the group be more successful. He feels that this is one of the keys to being a great offensive line in this league.

"You know each others tendencies, you know you've got each others backs. We're all physical players and we just love playing with each other. We just love going out there being physical and outworking our opponent," Fusco explained.

The Vikings added a new left guard in the fifth round by drafting Stanford product, David Yankey. Yankey has had some time to work with the Vikings offensive line and Fusco likes what he sees from the rookie.

"[David Yankey is] a good kid. He's still learning the offense. You can tell right off the bat that he's a physical player. He's going to be a great player, he just wants to learn, he's a hard worker, and he has a bright future," Fusco stated.

Brandon Fusco was considered one of the top run blockers at guard last season, but he spent the off-season continually working to improve his skills in pass protection. He was working on various drills and focused on locating his punch more adequately.

"I consider myself a better run blocker than a pass blocker. I love being a physical player out there and getting after it. I mean filling the right side with a pretty physical group and I love moving guys off the ball. This offseason, just working on some technique, especially in the pass game, using my hands more, timing much punch and just aiming with my punch," Fusco added.

Brandon Fusco says he likes the energy that is exhibited by the coaching staff and is echoing how excited he is to play for a coach like Mike Zimmer.

"Coach Zimmer is great, he brings a lot of energy to the field and to the team. He takes care of us physically and he makes you want to play for the guy. He's a great coach," Fusco concluded.

To hear the audio version of this interview, click the play button below.


No comments:

Post a Comment