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El Huddle: University of Pittsburgh Lineman Matt Goncalves!

April 2, 2024·19 min·1 clip

Matt Goncalves compares chess to football, then admits his older brother still beats him.

1. Split Ends' El Huddle episode features University of Pittsburgh offensive lineman Matt Goncalves before his pro day and NFL draft process. 2. Hosts Will Selva and MJ Caso Ruiz interview Goncalves about his injury recovery, Pittsburgh career, and preparation for professional football. 3. Goncalves argues that offensive-line performance depends heavily on preparation, estimating "ninety percent" comes from classroom and film work. 4. A plantar-plate injury kept Goncalves from participating at the combine and began a four-to-six-month rehabilitation process before his pro day. 5. Missing games taught Goncalves how much he loves football and led him to mentor younger University of Pittsburgh offensive linemen off the field. 6. He identifies run blocking as a key part of offensive-line play and describes moving defenders from "point a to point b" as a rewarding task. 7. Goncalves says linemen must reset after sacks or mistakes because "the only thing that matters is the next play." 8. He discusses a 30 visit with the Steelers in April and explains why playing in Pittsburgh would be especially meaningful after attending the university there. 9. Goncalves compares chess with football because both require anticipating moves, and he calls chess a way to reduce stress despite regularly losing to his older brother. 10. College-football fans, NFL draft followers, and offensive-line students.

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