Links: Clint Brewster Grabs Headlines

With a 1-11 season now in the rear-view mirror, there has been plenty of Internet discussion on Tim Brewster's first year at Minnesota. In this assortment of linkage, I'll bring you a host of takes on Brewster (Tim and son Clint), Gophers football, Tubby's recruiting class compared to Kentucky's and our standard potshot at Dan Monson.

We'll start with the Tim Brewster discussion.

** In looking for a silver lining for the 2007 Minnesota football season, PiPress columnist Tom Powers takes a few typical shots at Brewster:

You're probably wondering what good came out of all this. Where is the silver lining? After all, the team went 1-11 after the coach had visions of Rose Bowls dancing in people's heads. So you're rehashing Year 1 of the Brewster regime in search of that elusive bright spot.

Exactly.

People are thinking about Gopher football. They are talking about Gopher football. Maybe what they're saying is: "That Tim Brewster is an idiot." Nevertheless, the program is on their minds. And that's tangible progress in what had become a sea of apathy.

And ...

Some of the more jaded will insist they won't allow themselves to be suckered in by the hype again. They'll give 10 reasons why they're done with the Gophers. Then they'll give 10 more. And if no one interrupts, they'll keep talking nonstop about the disappointing season. Talking about Gopher football. Discussing Gopher football. All this, even as they are gritting their teeth.

So folks will keep on eye on Brewster's recruiting. After all, he says he's really good at it. Let's see if he is for real.

"I'm so driven to make us great again," he said.

And when they tee it up to kick off the 2008 season, everybody will be watching. How can that be terrible?

** We all have come to learn that Tim Brewster likes to talk. But I didn't learn until now that his son picked up the jabbering gene. A couple media reports indicate Clint Brewster had a little post-game altercation with Wisconsin's kicker. The STrib's report can be found here. Meanwhile Sunday Morning Quarterback and Badgercentric take the younger Brewster to task for his role in the spat. Here's a pull-quote from the STrib.

Wisconsin kicker Taylor Mehlhaff also accused Gophers freshman quarterback Clint Brewster, son of the head coach, of jawing at him after the game.

"I just went over to say good game to their kicker and this kid, the coach's son, comes over and I don't want to say what he said, but he just said, 'You guys are terrible' and this and that, we're 1-10 and we should have beat you and this and that," Mehlhaff told Wisconsin reporters. "I'm just like, 'Wow.'

"I was giving their guys high-fives ... and telling them good game. I just couldn't believe anyone would come up and be like that. And then he said, 'How many kicks did you miss today?' That's pretty bold. I just said, 'I've got to go celebrate the axe.' "

According to team policy, Clint Brewster is not available for interviews until he plays in a game.

You know, we really have to hand it to these Brewesters. They really know how to grab a headline.

** In this Scout.com article, Tim Brewster remains "relentlessly optimstic."

** In this AP article hosted by The Sporting News, I acutally like the way Brewster comes off. He expresses discontent, yet remains positive about the team's youth. His quotes in this article strike me as honest and sincere. That-a-boy, Timmy. The AP writer leads with a fact lost at times by many pundits--including myself--that his tenure started off with a public relations disaster that was completely out of his control. Think Videophone Sex Gate.

** Tim Brewster's team-worst 1-11 record also wasn't lost on Denver Post writer Terry Frei. But in this column, Frei makes a solid argument for why Minnesota fans should give Brewster at minimum 5 years. I agree, but as I've said before, Brewster needs to deliver on his recruiting promises and show growth in the coming years as our general on the sidelines.

OK, now on to other matters. ...

** It took overtime against Idaho State, but Dan Monson now has his first victory of the season.

** I've been waiting for an opportunity to bring your attention to a new Minnesota Gophers blogger. From The Barn , as the name would suggest, concentrates on the happenings inside Williams Arena. The blog is still young, but off to a very nice start. Here is the blog's latest post, in which the writer calls the Minnesota-Iowa State game tomorrow "the most important game since the Gopher’s NIT loss to Cincinnati a few years back."

** There were a few links to choose from for this final topic. But some Kentucky fans find it unfathomable that Tubby Smith's first recruiting class at Minnesota could even be discussed in the same breath as Billy Clyde's first class at Kentucky. The fact that Kentucky fans are even discussing this should be considered great news for Minnesota basketball fans. Ski-U-Mah!