University of Minnesota Athletics
BLOG: Big Ten Kickoff Round Up
7/29/2008 12:00:00 AM | Football
Garry Bowman (Director of Athletic Communications)
Five things we learned at media days
Head football coach Tim Brewster had a lot to say during the two-day Big Ten Kickoff in Chicago last week and gophersports.com was there for all of it. Below are a few of the more notable themes as the Gophers prepare to report for camp this weekend:
1. Brewster is serious about defense
Brewster came to Minnesota with a reputation as an offensive-minded coach after spending the majority of his career grooming players on that side of the ball. Still, football is the ultimate team game and with the difficulties the Gophers experienced on defense last season the head coach has had his eye squarely trained on the unit ever since. Plenty of experience returns with seven starters back. But when a unit struggles like the Gophers did last season no job is safe. As a result there is expected to be heated position battles at virtually all 11 spots throughout training camp.
“From the head football coach to the defensive staff to our team, we went about correcting that situation and we went out and we recruited defensive football players,” said Brewster. “We brought in guys. Twenty-one out of the 31 kids we signed are defensive football players and we really feel like good defensive football players, athletic kids, kids that can make a difference on the defensive side of the ball.”
2. Look for the Gophers to be bigger, faster and stronger
Brewster went out of his way to praise strength and conditioning coach Mark Hill and his staff and is very pleased with what the team has accomplished throughout the off-season conditioning program. There are no shortcuts in college football and from what the head coach said in Chicago it appears that Minnesota should be improved from a size-strength-speed perspective. Coach Hill’s player development program emphasizes both strength training and speed development. And from the early returns it appears that the Gophers have made strides in both areas.
3. The head coach expects the newest Gophers to contribute right away
In addition to speaking very highly of team captains Steve Davis, Eric Decker, Willie VanDeSteeg and Adam Weber, Brewster spent a lot of time discussing Minnesota’s nationally-ranked recruiting class. Much of that conversation centered around the immediate contributions he expects to see from the likes of defensive end Cedric McKinley, cornerback Traye Simmons, safety Tramaine Brock and linebacker/defensive back Simoni Lawrence. Many others were mentioned, but it’s safe to say Brewster expects the infusion of new talent to step forward in a significant way, especially on defense.
4. Brewster is looking forward to seeing what quarterback Adam Weber will do with a year of experience under his belt
Sophomore quarterback Adam Weber re-wrote several sections in the Minnesota record book during his rookie season under center, etching his name atop the Gophers’ single season lists for passing completions, yards and touchdowns. However, he also tied the school record for interceptions and would certainly like to improve his completion percentage. The experience he gained while taking virtually every snap for the Gophers last season should prove to be invaluable to Weber in 2008 and it wouldn’t surprise Brewster if he broke out as one of the Big Ten’s top signal callers. He would also like to see him become more of a vocal leader this season.
“I couldn't be more excited about the guy we've got underneath the center in Adam Weber,” Brewster said. “He took his lumps, took every snap, got banged around, got beat up every play, got back up and went back to the huddle (last season). I think the most vital position on your football team is your quarterback, and we're very fortunate to have a young guy like Adam Weber, who got the experience that he needed last year as a redshirt freshman.”
5. Brewster wants to start fast
It’s been said for years that the next game is the most important game. For nine months now that “next game” has been the Gophers’ season opener against Northern Illinois at the Metrodome on August 30th. Minnesota let its season opener get away last year in a gut-wrenching overtime loss to Bowling Green. And though the team bounced back to win in week two vs. Miami (Ohio), it never was able to recapture the type of momentum necessary to string together a series of wins. A team's psyche can be a very fragile and fickle thing and Brewster was quite clear on how important it will be for his young squad to gain confidence and play well early.
“It's really important for us that we get off to a good start in the nonconference,” Brewster said. “The most important game to us is August 30th against a Northern Illinois team that has a new coach, new staff and new way of doing things. That's all we're looking at right now. At the end of the day on August the 30th our goal is to be 1-0. That’s where our focus is right now.”
- Players begin reporting for camp Friday
The Gophers will begin reporting for training camp on Friday and will hit the field for the first practice of fall camp on Monday, August 4. Gophersports.com will be there to cover all the action throughout camp with daily blogs, practice reports and video. Watch Tim Brewster's press conference on Monday live in the Gold Zone beginning at 1 p.m.
