SANTA CLARA – The Niners current third-string quarterback, undrafted rookie Scott Tolzien, spoke at his locker this morning.
Here’s the transcript of the interview.
Q: Has it been a hectic last few days?
TOLZIEN: Seriously. It’s crazy, I’m on a plane ride over and I’m thinking, shoot, we’ve got a game this weekend and I don’t even know who we’re playing. There first thing I asked when I got here was, so who do we got this week? But it’s been fun, it’s a cool opportunity.
Q: Have you had a chance to look at the playbook yet?
TOLZIEN: Yeah, for sure, that’s the first thing I did when I got here. I got my hands on a playbook and started studying. It’s a different offense but it’s exciting too. I get to learn more football.
Q: How similar is this offense to what you did at the University of Wisconsin?
TOLZIEN: Like anything there’s a lot of differences but at the same time it’s still football so there’s going to be a lot of overlap. That’s the fun challenge about it. You’re learning something new and you’re gaining more football knowledge along the way.
Q: Was Wisconsin a West Coast offense as well?
TOLZIEN: I don’t know how we would categorize it. I would think of it more as a play-action passing game, but yeah, there were definitely elements of this playbook at Wisconsin.
Q: Did you know quarterbacks coach Geep Chryst at all?
TOLZIEN: I didn’t know him personally but I knew of him but my quarterbacks coach at Wisconsin was Paul Chryst, Geep’s brother. I heard a lot of good things about Geep and I’m excited to work with him.
Q: During the draft were you hearing from the 49ers throughout that final day?
TOLZIEN: Yeah, they were one of the team’s I was talking to.
Q: When you made it through and you got to pick where to go was that a relief?
TOLZIEN: Yeah. Everyone dreams of getting drafted, but there are advantages of ultimately picking your team too, so it goes both ways.
Q: What was the timeline after you got released by San Diego?
TOLZIEN: After I found out I think I was on a plane four hours later, so it’s kind of, gather your things, and it was an exciting time. It’s a new opportunity.
Q: What did you do in those four hours?
TOLZIEN: Well shoot, I hadn’t done any laundry so I did that, and then I gathered my things, talked to a few of the guys I had friendships with. Had to get to the airport earlier than usual. Ran around, tried to get a bite to eat.
Q: When you went out on Thursday you were playing against the 49ers. Did it ever occur to you, gee, I might be playing for this team in a few days?
TOLZIEN: Yeah, no, it’s just an opportunity to play football I never really thought about, shoot, couple days later I might be with them. It’s pretty cool.
Q: Did you ask for No. 16? (His college number)
TOLZIEN: I actually did, jokingly. I walked in there and said, “I want 16” and they said, “No, you can’t,” and I said, “No, I want 16!” (Laughs). But I understand.
Q: Why do you think you weren’t drafted?
TOLZIEN: I don’t know, but that’s in the past and I’m not going to waste time playing the why game, so I’m here and I’m excited for the opportunity.
Q: What’s it like being chosen as the top senior quarterback in the country?
TOLZIEN: It was flattering. It’s a privilege. There were a lot of really good senior quarterbacks last year, and I was actually surprised when I found out. I was shocked just because the quality of guys that there were around the country. I think it’s just something you use as a confidence booster when you’re able to accomplish that, but like I just said that’s in the past and it’s all about today.
Q: Did you confidence take a hit at all when you weren’t drafted?
TOLZIEN: I don’t think so, because you always have to have that inner confidence about you. That’s where it all starts period. Everyone wants to say it’s a different speed of the game, it’s a different playbook, but I think really it all begins with your confidence. You’ve always got to have that. You’re going to have good days and you’re going to have bad days but you’ve really just got to stay the same guy and just try to keep getting better each day.
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