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University of Minnesota Athletics
Football Preseason Camp Blog
8/11/2008 12:00:00 AM | Football
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GopherSports.com will provide a daily blog from the beginning of fall camp until the season-opener with Northern Illinois, set for August 30 at the Metrodome. Check back here often for updates from throughout preseason camp. Associate Athletic Communications Director Andy Seeley will be providing most of these blogs. If you would like to ask a question about fall camp, a request for something you’d like to see in the blog or just a comment on the blog, feel free to send Andy an e-mail at aseeley@umn.edu.
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Day 9 - August 10
7:56 p.m.
Change of plans ...
I mentioned in this morning’s entry that the team was slated to go with full pads this afternoon/evening. Coach Brewster changed the plan, as the Gophers practiced in helmets and shoulder pads Sunday.
More on practice in a minute. I wanted to talk about something that is always nice to see ... a high-profile coach supporting another high-profile coach and his team. That’s what happened tonight following Minnesota’s practice.
Gopher head basketball coach Tubby Smith addressed the football squad for about five minutes following today’s workout. Coach Smith told the team how much he admired and appreciated what they were out there doing. He said he has always had a real fondness for the sport of football. Smith even coached high school football for a time at the beginning of his career.
He mentioned that when he played football he “thought he was a tailback. Because every time I’d get up near the sideline, the coach would say Tubby, get your tail back.’” He drew a good number of laughs from the team with that line.
Coach Smith also told the team that he and the men’s basketball program are big fans. He was at every home game last year and plans to be at every home game again this season. Coach Smith got a big round of applause from the guys, who genuinely appreciated that he came out to spend some time with them.
As for practice today, once again the defense had the upper hand ... at least in the early-going. But the offense came back and made some plays, with some big gainers in the team session just prior to the workout ending. Duane Bennett had a nice run, along with a couple big plays in the passing game from the arm of QB Adam Weber.
One more note on Fan Fest, Coach Brewster told us that he and the team really appreciated the support they got from the event.
“I thought Fan Fest was really great,” Brewster said. “The crowd was good and I thought the support they showed for our football players was really neat.”
Don’t forget tomorrow morning, the Big Ten Network will be at the Gophers’ practice. They will produce a show from tomorrow morning’s workout, which will air tomorrow night on the BTN. For you Gopher fans with access to the BTN, don’t miss it. It will be a nice inside look at a Minnesota football practice.
4:20 p.m.
The 2008 version of Gopher Nation Fan Fest wrapped up recently. It was a beautiful day, probably the nicest day all summer, for Fan Fest and the Gopher faithful were out in force. For the players, a number of them told me it was a nice break to their camp routine. In fact, a couple of them even mentioned that an event like Fan Fest provided them motivation for the rest of camp, knowing that there were so many people out there pulling for them.
We've got a 2008 Gopher Nation Fan Fest Photo Album on-line and ready for viewing. If you weren't there and want to get a feel for the event. Or if you were at the event and want to see if you made the GopherSports.com Preseason Camp blog, please click on the link above.
The Gophers will be back out on the practice field this afternoon/evening for their eighth practice of fall camp. It will also be their second practice in full pads. We'll see how much Coach Brewster turns them loose and try to give you a report after the session.
Had a question from Minnesota grad Tim, who was wondering if there will be a "big recruiting weekend" this year, much like what the Gophers did last year for the Ohio State game. Nothing is set in stone right now, as far as I know. But if I were a betting man, I would put my money on the weekend of Nov. 8, when Michigan visits the Metrodome for a good number of recruits to visit the Twin Cities.
One other item to note. I got an interesting e-mail a couple days ago with a press release saying that four Golden Gophers had been nominated for the 2008 College Football All-Name Team. Apparently, a California investment banker named Dan McClory, who played college football at Eastern Michigan, was watching a Nebraska-Louisiana Tech game in 2006 when this idea was hatched. The names Zac Champion, Marlon Lucky and Maurice Purify were all a part of that game and a discussion about those names led him to develop a 2007 All-Name Team. This year, he is taking the All-Name Team national with a website where fans can vote for the 2008 All-Name Team. There are even categories - All-Name, All-Presidents, All-Apostrophe and All-Initials.
Two Golden Gophers are up for All-Name team status -- Ralph Spry and Deon Hightower. Meanwhile, Cedric McKinley and Joel Monroe are both up for inclusion on the All-Presidents squad. Let's see if our blog readers can influence things and get these four Minnesota players a spot on their respective teams. Click on the link in the above paragraph to visit the website and vote for your Golden Gophers who have been nominated.
Oh, and since Minnesota punter Justin Kucek isn't on the ballot, please give some consideration to my favorite name in the nominations - punter Britt Barefoot of Southern Mississippi. Although if I find out he doesn't punt bare-foot, I might be disappointed enough to change my allegiance to Auburn punter Bryan Shoemaker. At the very least, the two of them should both be on the team just because they go together so well.
Enough tomfoolery, it's almost time for today's practice ... we'll be back later!
-AS
Day 8 - August 9
8:47 p.m.
The defense continued to have a good couple days, playing well once again in Saturday afternoon's session. We had a reader ask about the fact that the defense was doing so well. Dan in Minneapolis asked if the defense was significantly better or if the offense is worse. Coach Brewster actually addressed this topic with the media following practice.
"The defense is ahead right now," Brewster said. "But the offense has a chance to redeem itself. I'm pleased with what I've seen from the defense so far."
I'd say the defense is better than last year, Dan. But that's a pretty subjective opinion, since I wasn't here last year to see that defense. But from everything I've heard around camp, the returning guys on defense are much better this year and the newcomers the team is counting on are living up to at least some of their expectations so far.
Coach Brewster also said it was normal for the defense to be ahead of the offense at this point in camp.
"Our offense is very timing-oriented," the head coach said. "And they're still getting the timing down. It is not uncommon for the defense to be ahead at this point in training camp."
In addition to his talk about the defense as a whole, Brewster went out of the way to praise transfer cornerback Traye Simmons.
"Traye has really jumped out at me the last couple days," he said. "He's been playing with tremendous confidence and ability to break on the ball."
Speaking of jumping, check out the photo above and to the left of wide receiver Ralph Spry. Those are some serious hops. Thanks to football staff member Jordan Heighway for the great photo.
Coach Brewster gave his guys a nice treat midway through this afternoon's practice. During their normal water/sports drink break, Coach had some of his staff break out popsicles for the guys. The popsicles were a big hit. In fact, most of the specialists (kickers, punters, long snappers) enjoyed two of the treats.
Don't forget Gopher Nation Fan Fest is tomorrow. Come on out to the football complex from 1-3 p.m. tomorrow for interactive sessions with players and coaches, autographs and other fun events.
-AS
12:30 p.m.
Saturday's morning session, which included the first fully live work of this year's preseason camp, wrapped up a little while ago. It was interesting to see some live 11-on-11 work. But the most entertaining session of Saturday's morning workout may have been the "compete" segment.
For this portion of practice, Coach Brewster had the equipment managers set three large rings out on on the field. There would be sumo-style battles between offensive and defensive players. In ring one, the wide receivers and defensive backs battled. In ring three, it was the tight ends and running backs vs. the linebackers. But the center ring was the center of much of the attention. That was where the big fellas got after each other. We have photos in the Day 8 Photo Album of some of these epic battles.
It was another good day for the defense. Freshman defensive back Tim Dandridge took an interception back to the house for a score during the live 11-on-11 work. In a battle of the two top units, the defense held the offense out of the end zone on four straight goal line plays as well. Linebacker Nate Triplett had an interception and a pass break-up on back-to-back plays during 7-on-7 work as well.
The guys will be back out on the practice field again later this afternoon/evening. We'll file another report following that workout.
-AS
Day 7 - August 8
7:47 p.m.
As mentioned earlier (and as evidenced by the photo to the left), today was the first day for the Gophers in full pads. We also mentioned this morning that Coach Brewster was going to pull back on the reigns for one more day. However, he’s going to loosen those reigns a bit tomorrow.
Saturday will be the first of six two-a-days throughout fall camp. The morning session tomorrow will feature full pads and most of the day will be full go. There were some pads popping today, but it will be very interesting tomorrow.
A couple highlights from this afternoon’s practice. The defense got the better of much of the team work. Kevin Mannion made an outstanding play in the first 11-on-11 session, tipping a pass and then catching it on his way to the turf for an interception. For the first time in camp, there was some work on the two-minute drill. The offense had two possessions and was turned away both times. On the second possession, freshman running back Shady Salamon had a nice catch and run to get the offense into the red zone. But the drive stalled at around the 15-yard line.
One of the offensive highlights was Jack Simmons once again. It seems as though every time I look up in the 11-on-11 sessions, Simmons is catching passes. A big sure-handed target at tight end is definitely a nice weapon for Adam Weber and the rest of the Gopher quarterbacks to have in their arsenal. I asked Simmons about it and he said it was luck. Personally, I think there is some skill involved as well. Maybe it has something to do with his switching from #80 to #15, the same number his father wore when he donned the Maroon and Gold.
Hopefully we’ll have plenty of photos of tomorrow’s action. It will most likely be the most physical day of practice so far in camp.
I received one question this afternoon that I wanted to answer in this post. 13-year-old Cody from Faribault wants to know what the reason behind the jersey change is and who was responsible for it. The jerseys (and the entire uniform) were changed by Coach Brewster. He had the team involved in some of the decision-making as to how it looked, etc. The jerseys are a new fabric being made by Nike and Minnesota is one of the first teams to wear it, from what I understand. One of the changes was to go to a more traditional, darker maroon with the new uniforms as well. Thanks for the question, Cody.
I’ve gotten a lot of questions about where people stand on the depth chart, etc. I’m not going to be able to answer a lot of these questions, at least not right now. Many, many positions are up for grabs right now and there are lot of different combinations of guys working together right now. Maybe when we get closer to the Northern Illinois game, we’ll have more of an idea how that sort of thing is going to shake out.
-AS
5:53 p.m.
The beauty of technology...the Golden Gophers still have about 40 minutes left in their practice on Friday night, but we have your first look at the squad in full pads. Click here to watch video of practice.
Couple of other items. Andy will have a recap of tonight's practice/media session per usual. Video of Coach Brewster's media availability will be available in the Gold Zone shortly after 7 p.m.
Also, at some point next week, we're going to seek the help of Golden Gopher fans. We want you to vote for the top moment from the 25 years of football in the Metrodome. We'll have a list of top plays or games and once those results are compiled, the top seven will be counted down at each of the last seven home games this fall. We'll let you know when online voting begins.
-JR
11:31 a.m.
These morning posts have started to become an opportunity for me to answer many of the questions we’re receiving about the team. This morning will be no different. I’m going to try to clean out some of the inbox today.
But first, a quick note about today’s practice. The Gophers will don the full pads for the first time today. But Coach Brewster indicated the team wasn’t going to be doing too much full contact stuff today. It sounds like the first big contact practice will be Saturday morning’s workout.
Also, for those of you in the Twin Cities area, don’t forget Gopher Nation Fan Fest Sunday afternoon at the Football Complex. The event begins at 1 p.m. It will include demonstrations and interactive drills with Gopher players and coaches for kids and adults alike. There will also be an autograph session.
Time for some mailbag items. Let’s start with an easy one. A reader asked if the color of the helmets was darker this year. They are. With the new uniforms this season, the helmet will more closely match the maroon in the team’s uniforms. In addition, there is a gold flake in the paint on the helmets, giving them a metallic look. See the photo to the left for an up-close look at the new headgear.
Another question pertained to Anthony Jacobs and where he’ll play on the defensive line this season. Although Jacobs is listed as a defensive end, I’ve seen him lined up inside a lot throughout the early portion of camp. We’ll keep an eye on that in this afternoon’s practice, as well. The same reader wanted to know about David Pittman’s role in the offense. Pittman was originally listed at quarterback, where he played in junior college. Coach Brewster has said Pittman will be a wide receiver first and foremost. However, Pittman will line up in a number of places, hopefully giving defensive coordinators an extra headache and forcing them to game-plan for him.
Back after practice ...
-AS
Day 6 - August 7
9:19 p.m.
First of all, I apologize for being a little later than usual with this post. I went home and re-introduced myself to my family before blogging tonight. I doubt anyone is wearing out their refresh button waiting for this entry, but just in case I wanted to get that out there.
There are tons of people needed to run an operation like the Gophers' preseason camp for the better part of a month. There are the obvious folks -- the coaches and other members of the football staff. But there are so many others -- athletic trainers, equipment personnel, the video staff, etc. And speaking of families, the families of all the people listed above deserve a great deal of credit and a big thank you from us. I know how much I appreciate my wife and daughter putting up with my hours and keeping things going at home. And I don't put in nearly as much time as everybody else I mentioned a minute ago. There are some wonderful people who are keeping tihngs together at home right now and they deserve to be recognized.
I have just a few observations from practice today. These are just some of the things I heard and saw that stood out to me. But by no means did I see everything. I had a chance to talk with the radio Voice of the Gophers, Dave Lee early on this afternoon. He said he sees a night-and-day difference from last year's camp to this year. Dave is really looking forward to calling all the action on the Gopher Radio Network this season. I am looking forward to working with him.
There was a fair amount of 11-on-11 work done today. In fact, the squad went through two different sessions of team work. For the second day in a row, I saw tight end Jack Simmons make a big play. Today, it was a twisting one-handed grab over a defender. The catch caught the eye of just about everybody on the field and created quite a few oooh's and aaah's. The defensive line really jumped out at me today. They have been doing a really nice job of getting pressure on the quarterback and have actually knocked a lot of balls down in the 11-on-11 drills. The D-line has also been busting their tails in the drills when I've been watching as well. One other defensive line note, yesterday I said that Terrell Combs may move to the inside at some point in his career. Today, I noticed that he's already working at defensive tackle.
Quarterback Adam Weber has been pretty accurate in the team work and the drills, at least while I've been watching him. After throwing 19 picks last season, I know that throwing it to the "right color jersey" is an emphasis for offensive coordinator Mike Dunbar and his starting QB. As the first team session ended, the recipient of one of those on-target passes was freshman Da'Jon McKnight, who went up over a defender and worked the tip drill to perfection, before tip-toeing down the sideline with a nice gain. In my view, the play of the second team session went to wide receiver Ben Kuznia. He hauled in a diving catch in the back corner of the end zone.
Following practice, Coach Brewster was once again pretty pleased with the effort. During his meeting with the media following practice, he was complimentary of the running backs and their coach, Thomas Hammock. Brewster called Duane Bennett the team's "bell cow," meaning he expects Duane to get the lion's share of the carries this fall. The coach said the tailback has to be the "most physical, toughest player on your football team." He said Bennett has embraced that role. Brewster also said he likes what he has seen out of Jay Thomas and freshmen DeLeon Eskridge and Shady Salamon.
I spoke with offensive lineman Ned Tavale after practice for a Big Ten Network project. The BTN will be at Minnesota's morning practice on Monday putting together a show that will air Monday night. One of the items they plan to feature is the amount of food it takes for a guy Tavale's size to keep from losing too much weight during camp. I don't want to ruin the feature for Monday night's broadcast, but I'll give you just a little taste (no pun intended) ... Ned eats nearly a dozen eggs a day and that's a very minor portion of his daily diet. I'll get you the full details on what Ned's daily food intake is in the near future. Look for that early next week. I'm around these guy sat meal-time and it was still astonishing to me.
I have tons of items in the e-mail inbox. I'll try to get to most (if not all) of them in the morning.
-AS
10:18 a.m.
We’re now into the sixth day of camp, with the fourth practice of the 2008 campaign slated for later today. Everyone knows that the coaches and players have 2 to 2 1/2 hours of practice each afternoon. But did you know that the daily schedule for the Gophers is fairly jam-packed from first thing in the morning until long after most folks have hit the hay?
Here’s a look at a typical day from this first week of preseason camp:
7 a.m. - Wake up
7:30-8:30 a.m. - Breakfast
8:45-10 a.m. - Free time
10-11 a.m. - Offense/Defense Walk-through
11 a.m.-Noon - Lunch
Noon-2 p.m. - Rest and treatment
2-2:30 p.m. - Special teams meeting
2:30-3:30 p.m. - Offense/Defense meeting
3:45-4:10 p.m. - Offense/Defense walk-through
4:25-6:45 p.m. - Practice
7-8 p.m. - Dinner
8:15-8:30 p.m. - Team meeting
8:30-10 p.m. - Offense/Defense meeting
10-11 p.m. - Team building, snack
11 p.m. - Players curfew
11:15 p.m. - Staff meeting
That’s a heckuva day and we didn’t even mention the six days when there are two practices. The players and coaches will keep this sort of schedule until the week of the season-opener. At that point, they will work their way into more of a traditional game-week schedule.
A couple items from the mailbag ...
The blog has gone international! We received a question from a St. John’s student, who is currently in Puerto Rico and is reading every day while he’s away from home. Matthew Koktan wanted to know how this year’s camp compares to last year. While I wasn’t here last year, nearly everyone I’ve talked to within the program has commented that things are going much more smoothly this year. That’s to be expected in the second year of a coach’s tenure. I’m also hearing from many people in the know that this year’s team looks much more athletic than they did at this point last year.
Another reader, Topaz, asked about Kentucky native Terrell Combs. The freshman received some praise from Coach Brewster yesterday. Brewster mentioned that he thinks Combs is going to really add more size to his already impressive frame. The coach mentioned that Combs could very well play on the interior of the defensive line at some point in his career. He’s currently listed as a defensive end.
-AS
Day 5 - August 6
7:40 p.m.
It’s beginning to sound a lot like Christmas ... at least it sure is for a football guy like me.
With the Gophers putting shoulder pads on for the first time today (see photo to the left), the sound of pads popping was finally heard on Rod Wallace Field. Here is a Day 5 Photo Album of the guys working out in shoulder pads for the first time this year.
There was also a higher level of intensity today. In fact, Coach Brewster and the staff had to try to pull back on the reigns just a little bit at times.
“I had to tell talk to them a couple times about staying off the ground and not tackling,” Brewster said. “Believe me, we’re going to give them plenty of opportunities to tackle. I think there was a real sense of guys wanting to compete out there today.”
Coach Brewster may not have gotten a chance to get his team off campus for training camp this year. But the word camp still has some meaning for Brewster. As he brought a small media contingent into his office after practice, he welcomed them to his office/bedroom. Coach has a bed made up in the corner and is spending nights at the football complex.
“I kind of enjoy being sequestered, being with my work,” Brewster said. “Even though we’re on campus this year, I can still do that a little bit. I’m a guy who likes to be at work.”
As for practice, there was a fair amount of 11-on-11 work today. With the pads on, there were a few spirited exchanges during some drills, but nothing out of the ordinary for training camp.
By the way, for those of you in the Twin Cities area, you can hear an interview with wide receiver Eric Decker on WCCO Radio (830 AM) later tonight. He'll be taping that interview in just a few minutes.
One more day in shoulder pads tomorrow. Friday, it will be full go in full pads. That will sound and look even more like Christmas to me. After that, it is just a few short weeks until Football Santa shows up for real Aug. 30 at the Metrodome. With no chimney at the dome, I wonder how he gets in? I guess that's another blog for another day ...
-AS
7:20 p.m.
Practice number three in the books. Following practice, Coach Brewster talked in depth about the impact he expects to see from new defensive coordinator Ted Roof. You can watch Brewster talk about Roof's decision to join him in Minnesota right here. More Tim Brewster comments available in the Gold Zone.
- JR
10:29 a.m.
Time for a quick morning update today. We’re really happy with the response we’ve been getting from this blog. And that response is coming from all over the country. We’re getting lots of e-mail from folks here in the state of Minnesota, but we’ve received notes from many other areas of the country, including Texas, South Carolina and California.
One of those e-mailers asked a couple questions about Duane Bennett (pictured to the left from last year's game at Indiana). In last night’s blog, I promised answers this morning. The questions were about Duane being with the No. 1 offense and if the Gophers plan to throw the ball to him out of the backfield this season. Duane has been running almost exclusively with the number-one offense through the first couple days of camp. In regard to the passing game, Bennett had at least a couple passes thrown his way during 11-on-11 work yesterday. After practice, Duane told me he definitely expects to be used as a receiver this season.
A sophomore, Bennett has a very mature attitude for a younger player. He knows he is being counted on to be the starter at running back, but he isn’t resting on his laurels either. (Watch Bennett break free against Purdue last season - JR)
“It’s nice to be the man the team is counting on,” Bennett said. “But I can’t be complacent. There is always going to be competition. We’ve got some very good running backs on this team.”
I received an e-mail from Martin Guldberg in North Richland Hills, Texas. Martin had some questions about the team, which I’ll try to get to in the near future. But I wanted to share a nice story he relayed to me in his e-mail.
Martin talked his wife into letting him bring his two boys (ages 10 and 8) up to the Twin Cities for the boys’ first Gopher game this fall. He is really looking forward to making the trip. “Having them hear the band play live (so much better in person) and see the Gophers play at home will be great.”
I’ve got news for you, Martin. If you think it will be great this fall (and it will), you better start working on your better half now to talk her into making a trip up here during the 2009 season. Experiencing game day when football arrives back on campus at TCF Bank Stadium will be an awesome experience for your family.
-AS
Day 4 - August 5
8:28 p.m.
These guys are getting ready to start hitting some people. Today’s practice had a nice tempo to it, but the intensity and tempo kicked up another notch when some 11-on-11 work came along.
“During that team period, things picked up a bit,” head coach Tim Brewster said after practice. “You can tell they are looking forward to getting the pads on cutting loose a little bit.”
It may not be full contact, but at least the Gophers will get a chance to pop the pads a little bit tomorrow. Wednesday will be the first day the team is allowed to don shoulder pads. They still won’t have full pads below the waist, so it won’t be full go. But it will be close and the guys are itching to start getting some contact going.
Coach Brewster has been happy with the effort he’s gotten through the first couple days of camp. He reiterated to the team after practice, that he’s going to take care of them. He’s going to get them water breaks when they need them, etc. But when they’re in drills, they’re going all out, all the time.
Here’s a Day 5 Photo Album.
We had a reader ask about the conditioning test from Monday morning. It consisted of 10 100-yard dashes. The team performed very well in the conditioning test, which wasn’t quite as difficult as last year’s. Coach Brewster was so pleased with the hard work put in over the summer, last year’s four 400-yard runs were replaced with the shorter sprints.
Another reader asked about the defensive line and junior college transfer Cedric McKinley in particular. I talked to defensive line coach Tim Cross about those topics briefly after practice. He mentioned that his veterans have come in ready to go and have picked up where they left off from a solid spring. Cross said the younger guys have a little ways to go to master the techniques that he’s teaching. But he is impressed with their size and explosiveness and expects a number of them to contribute this season.
As for McKinley, who is pictured to the left, Cross has been impressed.
“He’s got a great body,” Cross said. “He’s very conscientious, as well. He’s really in tune to learning the defense. Cedric’s also doing a great job of bringing guys together. He’s shown some leadership quality, which you look for in a young guy who is new to the program.”
We also had a reader ask about Duane Bennett recently. I’ll give you an update on the sophomore running back in the morning.
-AS
7:43 p.m.
Coach Brewster just wrapped up his post practice media session. He spent a good portion talking about his linebacking corp with Deon Hightower and Steve Davis leading the way. Here's a clip of Coach Brewster talking about Davis and his second year at linebacker. Coach also talked about Simoni Lawrence, who he termed a hybrid. With more and more of the Big Ten moving towards the spread offense, having a player with the athleticism to play a safety/linebacker role is paramount.
Coach also talked about the newcomers at the tailback position and singled out Shady Salamon, the true freshman from South St. Paul. "Shady is doing a real nice job out there. Football makes sense to him. You can tell him one time and he gets it. He's not making mistakes out there and when you see a freshman not making mistakes, that's exciting."
More from Coach Brewster and an interview with Hightower can be found in the Gold Zone.
- JR
10:01 a.m.
I’m going to clean out the mailbag a little bit this morning. Look for a practice report, maybe a few more photos and some more mailbag items this afternoon. In the meantime, let’s answer a few reader questions.
The original plan for yesterday included getting the pre-camp depth chart up on the blog yesterday. With a luncheon, press conference and the first day of practice, it just didn’t get done. I apologize to those of you who were looking for it. Here’s a PDF version of the Pre-Camp Depth Chart.
I've had a few questions about practices being open to the public. All practices are closed to the public. However, there are opportunities for Minnesota football fans to get up close and personal with Gopher players and coaches. Gopher Nation Fan Fest is slated for 1-3 p.m. Sunday (Aug. 10). Female Minnesota football fans will be able to take part in the second annual Gopher Nation Women’s Clinic on Aug. 22.
We received a question about the new 40-second play clock in college football. A reader wanted to know if the Gophers were practicing with the new timing rules. On day one, there were no play clocks. But you can be sure that the new 40-second play clock will be used extensively in preparation for the season-opener. For those of you who are unfamiliar with this rule, it is similar to the way the NFL handles the play clock. Here's some info about the NCAA Football 2008 Rules Changes 2008 NCAA Football Rules Changes from the NCAA.
-AS
Day 3 - August 4
7:47 p.m.
Due to the NCAA acclimitization period, the players are only allowed to wear helmets in the first two practices, so there won’t any big hits, etc. to share for a few days. The guys did have a lot of explosive work against pads and dummies today, though.
There were a couple things that jumped out at me today, though. According to Coach Brewster, it was night and day from this year to last. The familiarity of the second year in a system is probably already paying dividends.
Offensively, ball security is a huge focus. In every drill, ball-carriers are not allowed to leave the ball on the ground. They must find a manager with an official (referee) shirt on and hand it to them. If a ball-carrier does leave the ball on the ground, well let’s just say they’ll learn pretty quickly that they don’t want to do that. Defensively, the attack and swarm mentality has already started. In both some seven-on-seven drills, as well as some 11-on-11 work, defenders who wrapped up a ball-carrier raised their hand or fist in the air. At that point, every one of his teammates would sprint to that spot, swarming to the spot where the ball-carrier would be.
It was pretty sticky and warm out on the practice field today, after the rains we had last night. That was evident by the number of jerseys that were soaked and sticking to players midway through practice. Each player weighs in at the beginning and end of practice to keep track of hydration and other health measures. Nobody dropped double-digit pounds, but it was close. Two Gophers lost nine pounds, while a handful of others were in the seven- and eight-pound range. We’ll keep track of some of these numbers on particularly warm days throughout camp.
As mentioned, we’re getting good responses from folks reading the blog. To add to the post from earlier about the Jay Thomas question. I spoke to Jay after practice. In regard to still having his “jets,” Jay said he had lost a little at one point, but he’s got it back now. The photo to the left is of Jay on the bike, keeping his "jets" warm during practice.
I have a few questions and requests for information that I haven't gotten to. If you're waiting on an answer, I'll try to get to all of them either in the blog or with a reply via e-mail. One other reader requested more photos. You can find a photo album from today’s first practice by clicking here.
-AS
5:25 p.m.
More video from today. Junior captain Eric Decker meets the media following Tim Brewster's press conference this afternoon. Click here to watch.
- JR
3:29 p.m.
We just wrapped up with Coach Brewster’s pre-camp news conference. Click here to read a full transcript of his comments, which were made just hours before the first practice of the 2008 season.
In addition to Coach Brewster, three of the Gophers’ four captains were available at the press conference. Senior linebacker Steve Davis, junior wide receiver Eric Decker and senior defensive end Willie VanDeSteeg all met with the media as well. Quarterback Adam Weber was slated to appear, but got held up in a meeting. Click here to see a photo album from the press conference.
Brewster took time to praise the work of head strength and conditioning coach Mark Hill and his staff for their work with the Gophers since last season. Brewster went so far as to invite Hill to the press conference and invited members of the media to speak with him.
We’ve been receiving some good feedback regarding this blog. It is much appreciated. It’s nice to know someone out there is reading it and enjoying a little inside look at the program.
Had a question in my e-mail inbox recently about Jay Thomas’ health. The reader specifically asked if Thomas “still has the jets after two knee injuries.” I talked with Coach Hill about Thomas. Hill said Jay has “not lost any of his speed or explosiveness.” Coach Brewster also spoke about Thomas during his press conference and said the junior running back looks great and is 100 percent. I’ll try to get Jay’s take on his “jets” after practice today.
Practice begins in about an hour. We’ll have a report from practice and some more feedback from reader questions and comments after the workout.
1:54 p.m.
Head coach Tim Brewster just completed his press conference to preview this year's training camp. Here's a clip from the press conference. More details to follow.
- John Romo
Day 2 - August 3
6:46 p.m.
I’m sure every one of the student-athletes on the Minnesota football roster is chomping at the bit to get out, run around and get practice started tomorrow. If not, then today’s schedule (especially for the newcomers) should certainly have them wanting to get out and fly around a little bit.
The newcomers spent the entire afternoon in meetings. One of those meetings was an hour-long session with Garry Bowman (Director of Athletic Communications) and me, talking about media policies, giving them interview tips, etc. Following four hours of hearing people talk, the new guys got a break for dinner. As this is being written, the entire team is in another orientation session. Don't get me wrong ... these are important meetings for all the guys to learn about how things are going to work around here, etc. But if I were them, I’d definitely be ready to hit that practice field tomorrow.
Back to the media training session we did earlier this afternoon. We had a very attentive group of newcomers for that hour. I came away very impressed with how well they picked up on what we were teaching them and how willing they were to interact, answer questions, ask questions, etc. We all know first impressions are important. This new group of Minnesota football players definitely made a good first impression on Garry and me. Heck, we even got a round of applause at the end.
Every one of the Gophers I’ve talked to (newcomers and returners alike) has emphatically stated that they cannot wait for practice to get started. Things get going with a conditioning test early tomorrow morning. The first practice will take place at 4:30 p.m.
Here’s one other note of interest. We’ve had a fair amount of Gopher players and coaches appearing in the media the last couple weeks. If you haven’t seen Coach Ted Roof’s Q&A on ESPN.com’s Big Ten Blog. In the past few weeks, Eric Decker and Sam Maresh have also been featured on this blog. We’ve had a number of coaches and staff members on local radio over the past few days. Head coach Tim Brewster, defensive coordinator Ted Roof, quarterback Adam Weber and linebackers Steve Davis and Deon Hightower have all appeared on WCCO (830 AM). Coach Brewster did a national interview on Fox Sports Radio Saturday, as well.
Davis also recently made an appearance on a segment of Good Sports on the Minneapolis Star-Tribune website. You can see that video by clicking here. One thing is for certain after seeing that piece with Michael Rand. Steve hits opposing ballcarriers much better than he hits croquet balls.
We’ll try to keep you up-to-date on Gopher media appearances here on the Preseason Camp Blog as much as we can. We’ll also list selected links to interesting Gopher-related material on the internet, as well.
An e-mail came in this morning from a Gopher fan in South Carolina, asking about the depth chart. We’ll be releasing the pre-camp depth chart to the media at a press conference tomorrow and we’ll try to include it in the blog tomorrow, as well. Keep the e-mails coming if you have questions or requests.
The real fun starts tomorrow when the guys hit the field. We’ll have an update in the early afternoon with some comments from Coach Brewster’s pre-camp press conference.
-AS
Day 1 - August 2 - 12:49 p.m.
Preseason football camp is under way at the University of Minnesota. Golden Gopher newcomers reported to their residence halls this morning. We got a few pictures of the guys having lunch at the athletic complex, after they got settled in at the dorms. Click here for a Day 1 photo album.
I also had a chance to sit down and chat with head coach Tim Brewster for a few minutes earlier today. Coach Brewster is excited that camp is finally here. He said he is “realistically optimistic” about fall camp and the upcoming season. Coach Brewster specifically pointed to what he called a “great spring” and the team being “invested” in what they have done over the summer in the strength and conditioning program.
“Without question, I really feel a realistic sense of optimism,” Brewster said. “These kids invested a tremendous amount into improving our football team through spring practice. This summer, Mark Hill has done an amazing job with our strength and conditioning program. Our players are in excellent shape.”
As I write this, the newcomers to the program are beginning an orientation session with some key people they will be working with during their time here at the U. Following that session, the group will take part in another meal and then have some time to relax before a full day of meetings tomorrow.
-AS
