After less than a one-year stint quarterbacking the San Diego Fleet of the now-defunct Alliance of American Football, Mike Bercovici returned to Tempe. It was time to start the next phase of his football journey -- at the same place it garnered the most notoriety.
Before the AAF and before short stints with the Los Angeles Chargers and Arizona Cardinals, Bercovici enjoyed a five-year career at Arizona State. Though he started games for about a year and a half, his name will always be synonymous as the man on the delivering end of the Jael Mary.
And because of that, he is forever part of ASU lore. Now, though, he’s part of its coaching staff, named a graduate assistant on Herm Edwards’ staff in May. Bercovici, in his first year on staff, was granted lofty responsibilities in the coaching and development of Jayden Daniels and the other ASU signal-callers.
In a conversation with Devils Digest, he spoke about that responsibility as well as how he got the job, his conversations with Daniels, the relationship he formed inside the QB room and more.
When you talk to the quarterbacks, how much do you speak about your past experiences at ASU?
“Not necessarily here, it could be about my time anywhere I’ve played football. Obviously, because I played here, there’s a natural connection to this school whether it be media, fans, anything. I’ve kind of lived through that. A lot of what we talk about … we actually watch a lot of NFL tape. We watch Tom Brady. (Jayden) is a huge Deshaun Watson fan. It’s good because those are the dreams those guys have and there’s no reason that you can’t emulate what those guys are doing because they’re doing it at a high level.”
Because of those past experiences, especially at ASU, how does that help you as a GA?
“What’s interesting about the situation is when you show up out of nowhere and you have to introduce yourself to people, there’s a huge trust wall that you have to break down. Just the fact that I played here, that wall breaks down quicker. Because I’ve been on teams that have played at Utah. I’ve been on teams that have played in the Colosseum. They come to me for advice, which is my favorite part of this whole thing.
“Beyond the X’s and O’s, when they ask honest questions about, ‘Hey, what is it like when you step on that field in Utah for a night game,’ or whatever the case may be. Now that I know so much about the Pac-12 after playing in it for five years, it’s amazing to go back in the mind of a freshman. The thing I do is try and instill confidence in them. ‘People say it’s loud. It ain’t that loud.’ Think they appreciate those types of things.”
When you first arrived, did they know who you were and about your football career?
“Well (freshman quarterback) Joey (Yellen) pulled up my Madden rating the other day. My awareness was a 48 (out of 100), that’s about as low as it gets. That’s the information this generation looks at these days. That’s how they know me.”
Do you ever catch them dreaming about their football future and feel like, ‘OK, I’ve been in the position you want to be and I can guide you through it and here are some of the things you need to do now that will set you up for it?’
“Exactly. And that’s what’s cool. We have a unique group of freshmen and they’re here to get degrees and obviously go to school, but they have a vision of playing in the NFL. I had that vision but I didn’t articulate it. I almost wish I did because speaking things into existence is a powerful thing. We don’t get a ton of time, this isn’t the NFL where you meet all day. So with the little time we do, it’s critical.”
Are there a lot of kids sometimes hesitant to verbalize those things?
“Yeah, absolutely. I think some people think the NFL or playing professional football, you don’t want to think about that while you’re playing here. I don’t believe in that. Having role models is something I’m a big believer in. I’ve always had role models in life and even in my role today I’ve got role models in coaches and looking up to coach Herm. I strive to do things the same way he does. The big thing with that is you don’t want to get content with our QB room. We’re competing against (Clemson quarterback) Trevor Lawrence and Tua (Tagovailoa) from Alabama. I try to give them that mindset.”
You mentioned Herm, was he the one that brought you in?
“Yeah, absolutely. In January, I was in training camp for the AAF football league and I was able to connect with him through coach Likens to see if this was something that I could potentially do. The worry for me was that I needed to leave right then and there. What Herm assured me is you can take as much time as you want as long as you’re here for game one, metaphorically speaking. He did a good job of expressing his patience right off the bat. It wasn’t about him. He just wanted me to be here for the quarterbacks when the time was right and I just thought that was my first learning curve right there.”
So when you were playing in the AAF, did you think that you should reach because you knew you wanted to get into coaching after this?
“I first reached out to coach Likens and I was actually first talking to him on Twitter because I had never met him because he wasn’t here when I was. We instantly had (a connection), he’s very easy to talk to. He was just a great person and he kind of sold me on the opportunity and was gung-ho about it once I got that first call.”
Did you just send him a DM on Twitter?
“Well, he and I messaged back and forth about a potential … he actually asked me if there was anybody that I knew that wanted to do it. And I said, ‘Coach, I want to do this.’ We started talking and then it became more and more real. Sometimes I think, shoot, if we never talked … I was going to be hesitant to reach out because I just don’t want to step on any toes.”
Did you know back when you were playing at ASU that you wanted to get into coaching?
“It was something that I fought for a long time because I wanted to explore other options. I knew this was something comfortable at and I don’t want to ever be comfortable and content. Once you immerse yourself in this role there’s so much to learn -- you’re pretty much back at ground zero.”
Rob Likens said you’re very good and translating his anger and yelling from the coach’s booth to the quarterbacks.
“Having a lot of experience in the position helps filter information. With coach Likens in the booth, all the quarterbacks have a really good relationship so we kind of do our best to huddle up and draw things on the whiteboard as they come in and process. Jayden does an amazing job of giving me and coach Likens information. Part of that is one fluid communication -- it’s been getting better week-to-week.”
When Jayden comes to you on the sideline, do you talk with him more about what he sees from the defense or what he can do better?
“A lot of the things I talk to him about are feet and eyes. Those are all the things he does. basically it’s getting his mind off of them and just worrying about fundamentals. He does a really good job of listening.”
What do you mean when you say, ‘feet and eyes?’
“There’s a lot of times where your footwork can make you late on a throw or early on a throw. It makes you feel like you have to run earlier than you have to. We talk a lot about feet and he does a good job of instantly applying that. Him as a runner, I tell him, ‘I’ve got nothing for that, man.’ There’s really nothing you can coach on that. That’s just his ability. But there’s a time and place to know when to run and know when to get the ball out. He’s just a great situational quarterback.”
Do you feel because coach Likens is both the offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach that, as a graduate assistant, you have more responsibility than most GAs?
“I’m very thankful for that opportunity because coach Likens does an amazing job with giving me responsibility and I thank him daily. Not only does he trust me with the quarterbacks but he trusts me with, really, anything he needs so he can put his attention to other places. We just have a lot of fun and that fits my personality.”
Being a graduate assistant, did you have to re-enroll and ASU and take some classes?
“Yeah, shoot, I’ve taken more classes here than I need to. It’s nine credits. I’m in all online classes.”
As your coaching career develops, do you feel like this opportunity to coach such talented and highly-touted guys at ASU will be a resume-builder as you progress and start looking for non-GA jobs?
“I struggle to use the word resume because I just want it to be about them. That’s the reality. Something that has been fun is that those guys were competing not too long ago and now they’re gone -- they’re together. I want to let it naturally, organically happen and not worry about all of the rest of my career.”
It seems like the quarterback room is full of a bunch of light-hearted personalities, is that right?
“Oh yeah. I make sure I humble them when they walk through the door. No sleepy eyes. I remember being a freshman here. There are fights you have to fight -- there’s decisions and friends you have to choose. It’s not easy to come to work every day like a pro. That’s the cool thing about Herm is he makes sure every day this is a pro model, you don’t have bad days. You don’t have days when you’re tired. You don’t have bad days. We have a lot of fun.”
What can Jayden improve on?
“He’s the first person to be critical of himself. He doesn’t articulate it. He won’t say it out loud but he’s probably come away from games knowing he could be better. That’s the relationship we have. Let all the Twitter friends tell you how good you are. There are a lot of things he can improve on -- and he knows that.”
We’ve talked a lot about Jayden and your relationship with him but with Joey Yellen being the backup and you have been in that role, does it help that you to know what he’s going through?
“If you ask (the non-starting quarterbacks) Ethan (Long) and Joey and Trenton (Bourguet) and Dillon (Sterling-Cole), I’m harder on them than I am on Jayden. Because Jayden’s the one who gets all the reps. Jayden is the one who knows how to call the plays. When we sit in meetings, I put Joey on the spot because it lets everyone in the room know like, ‘Yeah, No. 5 can do it. But if you can’t, then what are we as a unit?’
“I’ve been in situations where there are five people in the room and coach is only looking at one guy, and it’s the guy who plays. I don’t need to tell these guys but look at what happened (with starting quarterbacks getting injured) at USC, at Cal, all these teams. When your number is called, the worst feeling in the world is to feel unprepared. I’d like to say in my time here, or anywhere I’ve been, there’s nobody, in my mind, more prepared than me.”
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