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University of Minnesota Athletics
Press Conference Quotes 8.26.08
8/26/2008 12:00:00 AM | Football
News Conference Quotes
Game Week: Northern Illinois
Head coach Tim Brewster
Opening Statement:
"With tremendous participation toward Saturday night, we're very much looking forward to getting the 2008 season kicked off. We've had a great training camp with our football team; we're as healthy as we can be right now. The only injury situation we have is with David Pittman, who still isn't 100% with his hamstring, but we think there's still a chance that he'll be ready to play on Saturday night.
"It's an excellent football team we'll be facing in Northern Illinois. [NIU head coach] Jerry Kill is a guy that had tremendous success at Southern {Illinois] and he brought his whole staff with him to NIU, so that staff has tremendous continuity. I had a chance to look at Northern Illinois when I was coaching in the NFL; NIU had a running back named Brandon Jacobs and I had a chance to go and study their offense and the things that they did. I really think Jerry does a great job coaching; they are very multi-dimensional offensively. They move in and out of personnel grouping and they do a tremendous job of trying to create the mismatch. I really think that the game will be a tremendous challenge for our defense. As I've said, [the game] is more about us than it is about anybody else. Right now, it's kind of like a young kid anticipating Christmas with Saturday night as Christmas.
”As a program and as a team, we couldn't be more excited about kicking off the 2008 season. I couldn't be more confident in our players - I think confidence comes from preparation and we've had tremendous preparation throughout this spring and throughout fall camp. I think just the fact that we're in our second year here it’s given us a sense of calmness in everyone, players and coaches.”
“I really feel good about the leadership on our team. Adam Weber is our quarterback and he has had a tremendous offseason. He’s going to be one of the best quarterbacks in the Big Ten.”
“I feel good about the improvements made to our defense. I feel we’ve added a lot of solid players and now we’re bigger and stronger and faster. That was something we needed. Again, I think all of this adds up to me feeling great about the season kicking off on Saturday. I also think our players are confident in our preparation and the things we’ve done to improve as a football team.”
“Looking at Northern Illinois, I think they have one of the better running backs that we’ll face in Justin Anderson. He’s an elusive runner and he really does some nice things for them. Our running back coach coached at Northern Illinois and is familiar with the players, particularly this young man. He’s talked to our defense about the ability of Anderson. They have a receiver who’s from here in Farmington, Minnesota named Matt Simon, who’s an outstanding receiver. Their quarterback Dan Nicholson is a veteran guy. On defense, it’s all about Larry English. Larry is one of the best defensive lineman we’ll face all year. The guy can really move so we have to do a good job of figuring out where he is at all times. So we’re going to give him different looks and different packages.”
“Joe Novak was the head coach at Northern Illinois for a long time. He was a good coach and did not leave the cupboard bare. There are a lot of good football players at Northern Illinois and I’m sure Jerry (Kill) has come in and done a good job of implementing his system and his way of doing things.”
“A lot of players are going to play on Saturday. We don’t have a lot of situations where one guy is head and shoulders better than the others at their respective positions.”
Does it surprise you that certain players didn’t jump ahead in the depth chart?
“No it doesn’t surprise me. I just think we have a number of competitive situations which makes me feel good that we have so many guys ready to help out the team.”
How does the defensive line look?
“I think we have a chance to be much improved, particularly on the defensive side of the ball. I really think that Derrick Onwuachi has made tremendous improvements. Eric Smalls is a guy who’s gone from 260 pounds to over 300 pounds. Garrett Brown is another guy over 300 pounds. The big thing is that Willie VanDesteeg is healthy for the first time in over a year. I think our defensive front will be a positive.”
Will inexperience on the offensive line be a concern?
“I think until we get out there under those lights, we won’t know. Ryan Orton is a redshirt freshman, Chris Bunders is a redshirt freshman, Ryan Wynn is a redshirt freshman. These are young and talented guys and it’s going to be very interesting to me to see how they play under the lights. I’m really looking forward to seeing these young guys play but you never know until you’re in a game situation.”
Has Lee Campbell adjusted well to middle linebacker?
“Campbell absolutely has adjusted well. People forget he was a linebacker all of his life and we moved him to defensive end. So he really just went back home to his natural position. He’s playing a spot that he’s thrilled to be playing. To me, Lee exemplifies what the Big Ten linebacker is about. A big, physical guy who’s going to play downhill and be very physical at the point of attack and that’s something we wanted in that position.”
How has Adam Weber changed since last season?
“His progress has been amazing. He really has become a student of the game and has spent a ton of time studying film and doing the things a guy has to do to get better. It’s all part of the process. Physically he’s got the tools, mentally, he’s a sharp kid and a smart guy. But quarterbacks need reps. Last year, having Adam take near every snap was nothing but positive. Where he has improved the most to me is in his verbal leadership. Being a verbal leader is a thing I’ve challenged him to be and he has had a tremendous training camp.”
What kind of work has Ben Kuznia done to move towards the top of the depth chart?
“That’s something amazing to me. He’s given his heart and soul to the program and couldn’t be happier for a kid. He catches the ball extremely well, runs very precise routes. And you couldn’t be more excited for a guy who was a walk on from the state of Minnesota who will have the chance to go out on the big stage and play.”
What can be said about the recruiting class and their immediate impact?
“I think it’s a great class and it’s been proven out on the field. They’re all very athletic and have tremendous speed. I like everything about his group of kids and we aren’t going to be reluctant at all to play them. It’s all about talent, not experience. If you’re the most talented guy, we’ll find a way to get you on the field and fit the system to our best players. I don’t know how many redshirts we’re going to have this year, but it’s not going to be many.”
Has the backup quarterback situation been settled yet?
“I think both those guys have had good camps. Mike Maciejowski has had a great camp and has been a tremendous passer. To be honest, he’s a little more athletics than you probably think he would be. It’s great to have two veteran experienced guys. That’s a positive to have two guys with that kind of experience.”
Does Duane Bennett have what it takes to be remembered as a great running back?
“I think he does. As he gets bigger and stronger, I’ve challenged him to be a fourth quarter back. His investment to the game has been amazing but he’s also been outstanding teaching to the younger backs.”
Senior Defensive Tackle Eric Small
Does the familiar look of the defensive line have a different feel to it this season?
“It’s good for us. We have guys with experience and brought in more talent. Those guys competed with us throughout spring and camp and now we’re all better. They also add depth that really helps.”
What makes the team better than year?
“We’re a lot faster as a defense. Everything we’re doing out there, all the schemes, are working a lot better. We’re playing fast and not making the same mistakes as last year.”
Sophomore Quarterback Adam Weber
What has changed since last season for you as a team?
“There’s a different feel from last year on this team completely. Last year, there were a lot of unknowns heading into the first week but this year, we don’t have as much. It’s calmer for everyone since we all know what we can do and we know to minimize our mistakes. If we do that and play good football, good things will happen.”
Do you have something to prove by beating a MAC opponent?
“We’re just looking to come out and play good football. You look at last year, and we hurt ourselves too much. We tried too hard and tried to force things. We made too many mistakes and this year it’s not about our opponents. We’ll give them as much respect as we have to and then it just comes down to us executing. By the end of the fourth quarter, if we do our job, good things will happen to us.”
