Mitch Leidner brought a message from New Orleans Saints coach Sean Payton into the Gophers' first fall-camp practice Friday.
At Manning Passing Academy in July, Payton gave a pep talk to the Gophers redshirt junior and other quarterbacks about how leadership on the football field starts with them.
" 'When (the quarterback) goes left, the rest of the team goes right, and he flies that plane,' " Leidner recalled Payton saying. "He is confident in his game plan and his preparation leading up to that point. That is what separates a quarterback from the rest of the team.