For The Record

As some of you might now, Tom at Gopher Nation has been diligent this season in keeping track of all the football picks made by members of the Big Ten bloggers group. I bring this up not because I'm winning this esteemed contest. I'm not. I rode the Tim Brewster bandwagon to far too many losses earlier in the season.

Still mathematically alive in the contest, I made the following selections this week. Here's the email I sent to the group.

Ohio State over Michigan
PSU over MSU
Indiana over Purdue
Minnesota over Wisconsin (Timmy Brewster gets his first conference win!!!)
Illinois over NW
Iowa over WMich

Whew.

PJS

I bring this to your attention because the Gophers are one half away from pulling the upset against Wisconsin and, I imagine some of you who insist I'm too hard on Tim Brewster would have never believed I made this call.

I will say I was impressed with this: Mike Dunbar came out in the first quarter, already down 3-0, and decided to run the football. The Gophers marched down the field--keeping our inept defense on the sidelines--and tied the score. I hope to see more as the second half goes on, and maybe, just maybe, Brewster will have the Gophers crawling back into the locker room with an axe on their backs!

** 4th Quarter/Harold Howell Update: The Gophers offense did the job it had to do, marching down the field. Ernie Wheelright came out of his shell. Adam Weber was throwing with confidence. Then, the defense came up with three stops. The Gophers were going to be in a position to drive the field for a game-tying store with the axe on the line. But it wasn't to be. Harold Howell, who has made me cringe all season, looked like an 8th grader on an attempted punt return, muffed the catch, and gave the Badgers the ball in the redzone with about 5 minutes left. The Badgers, of course, quickly converted for 7.

Brewster had paid a big price this season as he's played kids like Weber, Howell and basically an entire secondary filled with underclassmen. In this instance, it would have been wise for Brewster to put a veteran out on the field for that punt return like Eric Decker. This has been an entertaining game. And I'm sorry to see the Badgers take control late after a boneheaded play by Brewster's prize recruit Harold Howell.

Tubes Connected, Finally

Thanks to my friends at Verizon, I finally have the band of tubes connected to my new home. What a tremendous development.

So, since I still haven't seen the Minny-Purdue shootout on the BTN, I'll instead today take everyone on a little journey through the dark band of tubes. Here goes.

** My hero, Tubby Smith, did a Q&A with the BTN Wednesday and said he wants the Golden Gophers to play up-tempo. That's good news. He also talks about the origin of his nickname and said the Gophers need to improve on ball-handling from a year ago. He also said he expects Gopher fans to be patient. I think all of us will be patient this year so long as the recruiting batles go our way. And right now, that means possible commitments from Ralph Sampson III and Verdell Jones.

** Speaking of RSIII, many news outlets are reporting the Gophers are at or near the top in his recruitment. The biggest challenge at this point seems to be Georgia Tech. RSIII, as many of you know, is a center/forward who Tubby Smith has been after before his stock began to rise. Like the recruitment of coveted point guard Verdell Jones, the recruitment of RSIII could pit Tubby up against his former employers in Kentucky. The Wildcats are after both players.

** Verdell Jones is described by MidStateHoops as a "scoring guard with outstanding basketball knowledge and instincts." He is 6'5 175 from Champaign, Ill. He has received offers from Kentucky, Tennessee, Minnesota and others. Jones is a 3-star recruit according to Rivals but is also considered to be one of the top point guards stilll available for the 2008 class.

** Don Lucia's squad is ranked #2 in a preseason WCHA poll. I note this to bring to your attention my desire to bring on a contributor to write about hockey. I watch the Gophers hockey team but I've never played hockey and will be the first to admit I can't talk intelligently about the game. So, if you're interested, my email is on the right sidebar. Shoot me a note and we can discuss.

On to Gopher football. I had hoped to avoid discussing football considering I'm increasingly discouraged by our 1-3 start.

** I'll start with this tidbit from a notes section from the Detroit News. They quote Tim Brewster saying:

"We've played extremely well in the second half of all our games. We've been a 60-minute football team. I'm extremely proud of the way our kids have responded. Our kids' attitude and effort has been outstanding."

Um, really, Tim? The Gophers have been a 60-minute team? Really? That surprises me because it has seemed to me, and judging by the reports from the Purdue game, the Gophers were once again thorougly dominated in the first 30 minutes. Now, I'll say that I've been impressed with how the football team has come back in the second halves, but to say the Gophers have been a 60-minute football team is failing to notice the travails of every first half through four games.

** Thankfully, Boston isn't a hotbed for the athleticism the Gophers are trying to recruit. This Boston Herald piece absolutely slams Brewster and the Gophers. Here's a taste:

After Minnesota squandered a huge second-half lead and lost 44-41 to Texas Tech in last year’s Insight Bowl, the school’s powers that be couldn’t wait to fire veteran coach Glen Mason.

Forgotten was the fact that Mason had turned the program around during his tenure, and that the Gophers were no longer a Big Ten doormat but a team that went to a bowl every postseason.

But this year the only bowling Minny will be doing is at the campus alleys.

Despite a soft early schedule, the not-so-Golden Gophers sandwiched losses to lightweights Bowling Green and Florida Atlantic around a win over lowly Miami of Ohio. And they needed two overtimes to gain the victory. Conference play began last week with a 45-31 loss to Purdue

There was more harshness but I'll leave it at that.

** Some quick stats for fun. The Gophers are giving up almost 545 yards per game (almost 410 through the air) and almost 40 points per game.

** The Ohio State Buckeyes, who have a chance to pad their offensive stats this weekend, aren't giving Tim Brewster's squad any bulletin-board material. Quarterback Todd Boeckman said the Gophers have solid defensive players. Running back Maurice Wells added this gem: "Minnesota's a great defense." Um, OK, Maurice. Even Jim Tressel gets into the act in this AP piece.

On Tim Brewster

It didn't take long for the excitement of a new Gopher era to wash away. As Tim Brewster's Golden Gophers melted away in the south Florida sun, many Gopher fans, including me, turned away from the television (actually computer) in disgust.

The emails and comments on message boards have run the gamut. Some have suggested that the dismissal of Glen Mason was a bad move. This argument is likely coming from at least some of the same folks who called for Mason's head. Others won't go quite that far, but are quick to question if Brewster has any coaching ability. He wasn't pitched as a coach, they argue, but as a recruiter. And recruiting, they say, will be difficult with a one-win team.

Others are ringing a more positive chord. They argue that installing the spread offense takes time, and that Mason left the cupboard bare in terms of talent. They point to a secondary filled with kids and the loss of Dominic Jones to 'Let's Videotape Our Illegal Sex Acts Gate.' These apologists point to coaches like Iowa's Kirk Ferentz and suggest that it takes time to build a winning program.

My opinion on Tim Brewster's disappointing 1-2 start lies somewhere in between those two points of view. I believe the following:

** Tim Brewster and his coaching staff are not adequately preparing for opponents. In Minnesota's three games they have been dominated in the first half before making solid adjustments to stem the opponents' tide. In two cases, the halftime adjustments haven't been enough. That tells me that Brewster and company are doing a poor job of gameplanning. With suspect talent on the roster, Brewster and company need to have the lads prepared from the opening whistle. Brewster has failed to do that. He accepted the blame for the loss at FAU. Rightly so.

** In his zeal to be the new cool kid on the block, Tim Brewster hasn't played to Minnesota's strengths. Because the spread offense is the new hip offense to run, Brewster has run away from the things the Gophers have done, and can do, well. I believe Glen Mason would be 3-0 right now because he would have pounded the ball on the ground, controlled the clock and kept a suspect defense off the field as long as possible. With the Brewster/Mike Dunbar offense that hasn't happened. I'm not arguing that the spread is a bad thing in the long run. Some people have called the offense the "great equalizer" in college football. But until Brewster has the pieces to operate it effectively, and that includes a competent defense, the spread should have been phased in to allow for the current crop of Gophers to do what they know how to do best.

** Having a good PR man only gets you so far. It was good to hear high expectations coming from our new coach. It was good to hear that Brewster wasn't going to fall back on the tired excuses of the Mason era. At the same time, that hefty dose of public relations is what is hurting Brewster now. He talked up the ability of this current team so much, that he is now being hammered by the same people he was trying to convince to support the team. Brewster needs to add a dose of honesty to his rhetoric. As one Gopher fan, I am willing to rebuild if you're honest with me about it. Brewster hasn't been honest.

** Brewster has made the right decision at quarterback. Adam Weber, while he has made mistakes, can realistically grow into a very, very good Big Ten quarterback. He has all the tools to run the spread offense. If this season is wasted while he matures, so be it.

** Brewster's jockeying in the secondary is troublesome. Two senior starters have been benched in exchange for freshman. I'm not saying those were bad decisions, but Brewster should have went with the kids from the first day. Again, if this season is wasted while the young secondary matures, so be it.

** Finally, the jury is still out on whether or not Tim Brewster was the right choice to replace Glen Mason. But it was the right decision to dump Mason. Many fans more in touch with the recruiting situation at the U than I am have told me privately that the Gophers under Mason were becoming increasingly lackadasical in the recruiting department. Brewster's public persona may be beginning to wear on some Gopher fans, but his track record for recruiting remains strong and I have no doubt that he will pursue that task with vigor. We can't make a sound judgment on Brewster until after the upcoming offseason at the earliest. By then, we'll have a chance to see if he has done what he was brought here to do: bring top level talent to Minnesota. If he can't do that, than all of us can use our 20-20 hindsight and publicly kick Joel Maturi for not hiring someone like Lane Kiffin.

Your Usual Saturday Links To Gophers Stuff

Starting next week I'll be going over what I see as the positions of concern for your 2007 Gophers football team. I'll discuss the quarterback battle, the wideout position, the secondary, and perhaps more.

Until then, there has been an assortment of news to catch up on.

** In the best news I've read in months, the Pioneer Press' Charley Walters informs us that it is unlikely Glen Mason will call any Minnesota games for the Big Ten Network. Something tells me Mason will be lobbying to call as many games possible that include Ohio State.

** In Shooter's column, we also learn that Andrew Brommer, who verbally committed to Dan Monson's Gophers before rescinding when Tubby Smith took over, apparently has new offers. Monson's Long Beach State 49ers have offered and so have Colorodo State, Wisconsin-Green Bay, Valpariso and Dayton. The scuttlebutt on Brommer was that Tubby wanted to go in a different direction and that the Rosemount youngster could find a better situation elsewhere. With the schools that are in the mix for Brommer, it would seem Tubby made the right call ... that is if he can convince more talented kids to come to Minnesota.

** Gopher Nation unveiled earlier this week it's Top 16 recruits they'd like to see Tim Brewster land. I pretty much agree with what Tom at GN argues. I will add though, that it will be highly disappointing if Brewster fails to land Cretin Derham Hall wideout Michael Floyd and/or Eden Prairie standout Willie Mobley.

** In other Michael Floyd news, the Cretin wideout reportedly phoned the Star Tribune Friday to tell the newspaper the Gophers are in his final five. He also told the newspaper he would not be doing anymore interviews until after his senior season. Tim Brewster has his work cut out for him. Minnesota joins Florida, Notre Dame, Michigan and Ohio State in the wideout's final five.

** Mike Lucas of The Capital Times in Madison penned a thorough Minnesota football preview this week. He touches Brewster's energy (who knew?), the changes we'll see on offense and he mentions in passing that Glen Mason was always "patronizing" to Joe Paterno.

** Earlier this week the Star Tribune had a nice article about the start to college football practice. Chip Scoggins tells us a few things of interest: the Gophers are installing a new option play that Adam Weber at least thinks is "cool," the quarterback competition is on and no cell phones or computers are allowed as preseason practice continues.

** The St. Cloud Times has a good profile of defensive end Willie VanDeSteeg, who apparently has taken after Tim Brewster.

** The Dayton Daily News previews Brewster's squad here.

** Women's hockey coach Laura Halldorson reportedly resigned after 11 years and three national titles with the Gophers. She was 278-67-22 during her stint here.

Blah, Blah, Bloggers Hating On Minnesota

In my continuing goal to provide you the Minnesota football previews penned aroud the blogosphere, I bring you previews today of varying quality.

Let's start with a preview that clearly includes little to no research. It's from Rumors and Rants. Here's there take on the maroon and gold. They pick Minnesota to finish 11th in the Big Ten.

They are switching quarterbacks because Brian Cupito graduated and their receivers are a question mark because, well, they never passed the ball before. Any step away from the old system is a good step, we suppose. Also, their defense was terrible and, though they are switching schemes and coordinators, still has the same personnel. If they play their absolute best, Minnesota can win five games. They could also lose every single one of them except for Florida Atlantic. Minnesota fan can find consolation in the fact that one day, the team may again be at least decent. Hopefully not too decent, Indiana could use the win.

A few points here. First, the idea that the Gophers football team may some day be decent is a misguided statement. The Gophers have been decent, consistently decent, during the Glen Mason era. An overabundance of average football is what got Mason canned. It's possible the Tim Brewster-led Gophers will be less-than-decent this year, but that would be a step backwards. Secondly, to say that Minnesota never passed the ball, and I realize this was sarcasm, is silly when you consider Bryan Cupito is the school's all-time leading passer. It's true that Mason was a run-first guy, and he did that with success. But it's a mistake to believe the Gophers never passed. The blogger rightly points out our receiving corps appears weak on paper, but the blogger apparently didn't pay too much attention to offensive coordinator Mike Dunbar's statements that he would take advantage of Mason's personnel and run more this year than he might like to. Spread offense doesn't equal 90 percent pass.

A week or so ago, fellow Big Ten blogger Brian at Mgoblog penned another negative Minnesota preview. The difference here is Brian put a boatload of effort into his analysis and most of it I tend to agree with. The blogger's take on Minnesota fans' giddiness over Brewster's arrival is top-notch--unless of course you are like most Minnesota fans and want to read only how Tim Brewster will take the football team to Pasadena.

The gift of gab is the key to Brewster's ascension. He's scandalously light on actual coaching accomplishments but has a reputation as a "monster recruiter." Assuming that he will raise the level of talent Minnesota brings in is a dubious proposition based on fine work he did under Mack Brown's tutelage. Recruiting Vince Young to Texas is an entirely different matter than recruiting him to Minnesota. The Gophers have made a serious misstep by bringing in a neophyte with a rep as a recruiter instead of someone who can spin straw into gold. Because Minnesota, recruiter or no, is going to see lots of straw.

I don't disagree with Brian that recruiting in Minny is a far different task than in Texas. And I've said previously that Brewster will need to coach, something he doesn't have a track record of, if the Gophers are going to improve.

The blogger goes on to predict a best case scenario of 6-6 and a worst case scenario of 0-12. I think the latter is a little far-fetched. And what does Brian really think? He lays out his thoughts after taking Sunday Morning Quarterback and yours truly to task for suggesting Minnesota was medicore last year, and that it was doubtful the Gophers would go from OK to awful.

Ah, if only Minnesota had actually been mediocre last year. They were not. They were outgained by their opponents by 50 yards a game, and the true Lovecraftian depths their defense descended to were masked by an outpouring of opponent generosity that will not repeat. The three best player's on last year's offense are gone. There are no suitable replacements at quarterback, and the run game that has long been the rock Minnesota planted its flag upon has been discarded.

Meanwhile, Brewer has never coached a football team before. Everett Withers hasn't been a defensive coordinator since 1997. Mike Dunbar's terms as offensive coordinator have been under gurus Jeff Tedford and Randy Walker, who functioned mostly as their own coordinators. The offense is radically changing to a scheme no one is surprised by anymore. The defense has like 2.5 players on it.

There is one conclusion here: disaster. Minnesota blows one of its non-conference games, scrapes a win in conference, and ends up 4-7.

Then we have Penn State blog Black Show Diaries, where Mike does a thorough job breaking down the Gophers' offense and defense. He concludes like this.

Here we have a team learning a new system implemented by a coach with no head coaching experience. They are going to a spread offense while breaking in a new quarterback with only two legitimate wide receivers to throw to. Left tackle is a serious concern as is the entire defense. Heavy distractions as well as depth issues loom over this team with the dismissal of EJ Jones, Dominic Jones, Keith Massey, and Alex Daniels. The kickers are meh and nobody knows who is going to return kicks now. All of this has the looks of a train wreck about to happen. I think Minnesota will drop two out of conference games, but they'll get one back somewhere in the conference schedule. Magic Eight Ball says 3-9.

I don't disagree with Mike's analysis of the maroon and gold's challenges. But assuming that Minnesota will drop two-of-four against North Dakota State at home, Florida Atlantic away, Bowling Green at home and Miami(Ohio)at home is absurd.

Now, I'm not a homer-type. I'm not shy about criticizing our hometown teams or predicting complete and utter failure. Minny fans have taken me to task for criticizing Saul Smith, among other people. But I stand by the predicition I made in a guest blog at Hawkeye State, where I argued that the Gophs would sweep the out of conference schedule and win three Big Ten games. I'll deliver a more thorough Gophers preview here in the weeks to come.

More Negative Minnesota Football Previews

In what is becoming a weekly ritual, more highly negative Minnesota football previews are being penned aroud the blogosphere and by the typical college football pundits.

It's been hard to find someone predict the Golden Gophers, under the new tutelage of Tim Brewster, will finish in position to extend Glen Mason's bowl streak. The consensus seems to be that Brewster's first version of the maroon and gold is rotten enough to finish 11th in the Big10.

Sunday Morning Quarterback does a good job of running through what the various pundits are saying about our Gophers. Street & Smith's predicts a 10th place finish. Athlon? 11th. Phil Steele agrees with Athlon.

SMQ doesn't take a position on Minnesota's eventual finish in the B10, but it questions the logic of a total regression.

What's really interesting about the expected downturn in this fate isn't only that Tim Brewster has essentially the same set of players to guide into the Insight Bowl, but that everybody likes Brewster, and his staff. Among those who foresee the kind of doom Minnesota hasn't known in a decade, we find that Brewster's "non-stop energy and enthusiasm created a buzz around the program that had been missing" as he "reached out to the general fan base, high school coaches and recruits in a way that Mason never did," "restored the team's confidence and rebuilt a shattered psyche" and brought hope that "the program might finally elevate past mediocrity." His offensive coordinator, Mike Dunbar, is "a terrific hire...who did a GREAT job as OC at Northwestern from 2001-05," where his balanced spread led the league in total yards twice. His only effort at Cal was the highest scoring in the Pac Ten last year. Which equals...significant regression?

Yes, SMQ, many seem to think so. Count Spartan Nation among the haters. The blog wrongly points to the glorious days under Glen Mason, like in these paragraphs for example.

Oh how soon people forget. Someone forgot to tell Minnesota before Glen Mason arrived that they had a football program. The perennial doormat was horrendous with only three bowl game appearances in over 20 years and facilities that were not even on par with a division two program let alone a Big Ten squad. Glen Mason changed all of that and after placing the Gophs among the most consistent programs in the nation, he was sacked last season after a very disappointing 44-41 loss to the Texas Tech Red Raiders.

Because of the hard work of Mason and his staff, the Gophs were entering a great era with a new on campus stadium coming (thanks to Mason) and other amenities. Now they bring in a guy with no HC experience and who lastly was a TE coach with the Broncos. Minnesota should be an elite job, but evidently a guy learning how to be a head coach on the job is O.K. there.

What Spartan Nation fails to add here is that meltdowns like the one against Texas Tech were commonplace during the Mason era. Did Mason help the program take a step forward? Absolutely. Was he the guy to take another step? Gopher Nation didn't think so. He lost his job for many more reasons than the Texas Tech embarrassment.

The negative previews are coming almost too rapidly to relay to PJS readers. Armchair GM also predicts a 10th place finish. Here's the gist of what this writer believes.

The arrival of Tim Brewster has created enthusiasm and excitement surrounding the program. The former Denver Broncos tight end coach has displayed his PR skills by his promise to recruit more Minnesota-based players. Depth remains the biggest problem for the Gophers. They are extremely thin at receiver and in the secondary. These issues aren’t going to be resolved within the season. The quarterback, whether Mortensen or Weber, is inexperienced. There are just too many question marks remaining for the Gophers to become a contender in the Big Ten.

They do have a chance to become bowl eligible. They have three easy non-conference games against Bowling Green, Miami (Ohio), Florida Atlantic, and North Dakota State. Three of the four are at home and the Florida Atlantic game is at a neutral site. They also get to play Northwestern, Indiana, and Illinois. Seven wins is a strong possibility, but so are four.

There seem to be a few common themes in the negative football previews. As best as I can tell, the pundits and bloggers:

1) note that Brewster has no head coaching experience. This is true, but from day one he's been sold as a recruiter, and has brought in Mike Dunbar, a well-respected offensive guy and Everett Withers, who has performed everywhere he has been.

2) suggest that Glen Mason was moving the program up in the world. This is also true, but that would imply that Mason had a team he could compete with, but not Brewster. If Mason were still in Minny, would Spartan Nation predict a B10 slide? I doubt it. Mason didn't leave the cupboard bare.

3) point out that the "winnable" B10 games are on the road. We should go 4-0 in the nonconference schedule, these writers admit, but pulling off even one B10 victory, with primarily Mason's players who were able to notch a few Ws is apparently inconceivable. I don't buy that.

I'm the first one to say Gopher fans need to take a wait-and-see approach with our new head football coach. He needs to perform before we construct a Tim Brewster statute in front of TCF Stadium. When I write my Minnesota preview, I won't dare to suggest Brewster will take Mason's team to the Rose Bowl. But a 10th or 11th place finish for a team that has consistently been mediocre--not bad--is a stretch as well.

(And the photo, by the way, is to encourage Minnesota fans to think positive, in the face of tiresome negativity.)

Big Ten Network's Minnesota Football Preview

Found this 3-plus minute video today from the Big Ten Network previewing the Minnesota football season. Thought I'd pass it along. It includes Coach Tim Brewster's requisite positivity and chats with Amir Pinnix, Tony Mortensen and former backs Marion Barber and Laurence Maroney, among others.

Everett Withers: A Closer Look

The new University of Minnesota defensive coordinator has his work cut out for him. Last season, the Gophers defense ranked near the bottom of college football.

The Gophers were:

86th in scoring defense at 26 pts/gm
113th in overall defense at 426 yds/gm
92nd in rushing defense at 158 yds/gm
117th in passing defense at 268 yds/gm

Most Gopher fans remember the shocking comeback Texas Tech made against the Gophers last December. It's the job of new coordinator Everett Withers to turn those numbers--and the sometimes painful results--around.

Withers comes to the Gophers with an excellent track record. He spent the last five years as defensive back's coach with Jeff Fisher and the Tennessee Titans. Before that, Withers was at the University of Texas where he held the same position. Withers also has had a chance to run his own defense during a stint at Louisville from 1995-97. So, what to expect from Withers?

According to CBS Sportsline, Withers' philosophy is to get after it on defense.

His philosophy is the roughly the same as an angry pit bull: attack, attack, attack.

And he's had success doing it. In 1996, at Louisville, Withers had the Cardinals defense ranked fouth nationally in both total defense and rushing defense. That team gave up 235.8 yards per game and 81.1 on the ground. That same team also forced 41 turnovers, good enough to lead the NCAA.

And it was at Louisville where Withers began an encouraging stretch of developing talent. With the Cardinals, Withers helped bring along Sam Madison, who has turned into an All-Pro with the Miami Dolphins. And with Mack Brown at Texas, Withers brought along another familiar name.

At Texas, Withers helped develop cornerback Quentin Jammer into one of the Big 12's best defensive backs and helped ease redshirt freshman Dakarai Pearson into a starting role at safety.

And in Tennessee, Withers has helped Chris Hope, Tank Williams, Kevin Dyson, Adam "Pac Man" Jones and Lance Schulters, among others, progress. At Lousiville, Texas and Tennessee, Withers has improved the product he was responsible for.

During his last season in Texas, Withers had the Longhorns ranked best in the coutnry in pass efficiency defense, holding opponents to a 45 percent completion rate.

Withers guided a Longhorns secondary which ranked 75th in the nation in pass defense in 1997 (132.7 efficiency rating) to first in the nation in 2000 (88.02). Withers is credited with helping a young corps of defensive backs improve in a number of statistical categories after becoming familiar with the pro-style man-coverage philosophy.

Withers continued his success in the NFL:

From 2002-04, Withers helped the Titans defense tally 57 interceptions, which was the most for the franchise over a three-year period since 1993-95. The 57 interceptions also ranked fourth in the AFC and eighth overall during that time. The Titans totaled 21 picks in 2004, including 16 by the secondary. In 2002, Withers directed a revamped secondary that added safeties Lance Schulters and rookie Tank Williams. The new arrangement helped the defense earn a top 10 ranking and Schulters’ six interceptions were the most by a Titans safety since 1993. Withers also developed Andre Dyson into a starting player as a rookie in 2001 and helped him total 16 interceptions during his four-year Titan career, including six his final season.

Gopher fans shouldn't expect an instant turn around. While Glen Mason didn't leave the cupboard bare exactly, the 2007 defense will need to learn a new attacking philosophy. And for Withers to succeed in Minnesota as he did at Louisville and Texas, he'll need the same type of players. Brewster and the Minnesota recruiters have helped that process by getting landing some early committs for the 2008 class.

Brewster coached with Withers at Texas and seems to be willing to hand over day-to-day defensive duties to the well-traveled coach. Brewster has given Mike Dunbar control of the offense, and his comments to an interview with the U's Goal Line Club, it appears he'll do the same with Withers. Brewster said:

He is a man who I have been able to put into a leadership position. He has deserved to be in a leadership position for a long time, he just didn’t get theopportunity. I am giving him the opportunity

It would seem Withers is qualified for the opportunity in Minnesota. He has a coaching track record that might even surpass that of our head coach. He should have success turning aroud the oft-devastated Minnesota defense. He'll just need some talent to make it happen.

This was the fourth installment of PJS' look at new assistant coaches for Minnesota's football and basketball teams. Previously, we looked at offensive coordinator Mike Dunbar and basketball assistants Vince Taylor and Ron Jirsa. As promised, we're saving Saul Smith for last, because, well, nepotism isn't cool.

Brewster's First Test

The best public relations man in Minnesota, new Gophers coach Tim Brewster, is playing host this week to the state's top high school talent, as well as a smattering of athletes from around the country.

This is a big deal for Brewster, who has a chance to take his 2008 recruiting class up several notches. I've discussed previously that Brewster already has caught the eye of some recruiting analysts for his work in landing Sam Maresh, Kevan Walker and others. But much work is yet to be done.

With words, energy and a smile, Brewster seems to have convinced Gopher football fans that he is the man to take the team to higher levels. He's done this despite a total lack of big-time coaching experience (Denver Broncos tight ends coach, Texas/North Carolina recruiting ace). Eventually, Brewster will be judged on his performance. And the Class of 2008 will be his first test. Succeeding will depend a lot on keeping the local talent home.

Three Minnesota standouts--Cretin Deram Hall's Michael Floyd and Joe Shafer and Eden Prairie's Willie Mobley--have been or will be at Brewster's camp. Brewster needs to land two of the three to consider his 2008 class a success. And considering the Gophers are turning to a spread offense under Mike Dunbar, widely recruited wide receiver Floyd needs to anchor that class.

But others are in town too. Father and coach of Rivals 5-star wide receiver Deion Walker of Christchurch, Va. is in town helping out at Brewster's camp. According to Rivals (subscription), the elder Walker is impressed with the facilities and coaching staff. He told Rivals he and his son would be back soon for an unofficial visit. Walker (pictured) is 6-4 and runs a 4.43 40-yard-dash. But while his father says he likes the U, in this Rivals article, the younger Walker doesn't mention Minnesota. Other than Florida schools, the wide receiver says he plans to visit LSU, Texas, Texas A&M, Oklahoma, OSU, Colorado, Nebraska, USC, Cal, Oregon, BC, UConn, Michigan, MSU, and Notre Dame.

While the 5-star Walker would be a coup, another high-level wideout plans to be in town as well. Again according to Rivals, which is bar none the best source for Gophers recruiting information, 4-star Robeson, Ill wide receiver Brandon Green is supposed to be in town for this weekend's camp. He's being recruited by every Big Ten school other than Michigan, Ohio State and Penn State and is ranked by Rivals as the 36th best receiver in the class.

There will be others around. Some will be high school kids trying to earn an offer from Brewster. Others will be watching Brewster and his coaching staff to determine if there is substance behind Minnesota's best PR man.

More on the three Minnesota boys:

Joe Shafer:Here is the type of player, while not flashy, that Brewster needs to keep home. At this point, it's pretty much between Minnesota and those pesky Badgers to the east. He's 6-5, 265 and would make a nice pacakage along with classmate Michael Floyd.

Michael Floyd:He's the young man that will immediately be able to make skeptical Gopher fans believe the "Tim Brewster is a recruiting genius rhetoric." Floyd is ranked by Rivals as the 8th best wideout in the coutnry, and he's being treated as such by recruiters. You name a big-time program and they are after Floyd. Florida? Check. Notre Dame? Check. Michigan, Ohio State and Miami? Check. He's more than tall enough, at 6'3, to exploit smaller corners. Make no mistake, Signing Floyd will cement the Gophers in the Top 20 recruiting classes nationwide.

Willie Mobley:This Eden Prairie defensive end may be less heralded than Floyd, but he's equally as important to Minnesota's future. One thing we can all agree on concerning the former regime is that Glen Mason's defense liked to bend and break. No lead was safe against any opponent. Recruits like Mobley, along with 4-star inside linebacker Sam Maresh of Champlin, Minn., who has already committed, will help Brewster turn the defense around. Mobley has some heavyweights--UCLA, Oklahoma and Ohio State--knocking on his door too. But according to Rivals, Mobley has been in constant contact with Minnesota coaches and has been around Brewster's camp this week on a daily basis. That should bode well for Brewster's chances.

'Punky' Brewster Says Weis is Fat, Etc....

I'm not going to make any judgments on this, considering I don't know the source or its accuracy. But the following post was made on a Notre Dame forum. If it's true, we've just seen a new side to Tim Brewster. And it isn't pretty. Here is the entire post:

So I just moved into a new apartment, and it so happens that Tim Brewster, the new U of MN coach, lives in the same place. Last week there was a "meet and greet" for the coach, and he gave his spiel about how great things would be for the MN Gophers, how they were changing the program around, and how excited they were to be moving into a new stadium in '09. He repeatedly made the statement "we need to keep Minnesota players in Minnesota" and told the crowd if anybody was from Cretin-Derham, to spread that message. I went up to him afterwards and told him congrats and good luck, but that I was from ND and we might be recruiting the same Minnesota players. In what I can only describe as bizarre, Brewster basically went off on me, saying how sick he was Notre Dame and our arrogance, pompous attitudes, and fear of playing Minnesota in their new stadium. When I told him it was the collective opinion of ND fans that it was our athletic director who wouldn't budge the schedule, he went off on Weis of all people, called him a "slob, a disgrace to Notre Dame, with his dirty mouth and appearance" or something similar. He said Notre Dame could never recruit another Minnesota player until Weis was under 350 pounds. This whole time I was kind of in awe that another D1 coach could be so tactless, especially around somebody who he had never met. I should have asked him if had a Notre Dame opt out clause in his contract, like Holtz. Oh well. But now I really wish we would play them in for their first game in the new stadium.

No matter the accuracy of the post, Brewster and the Gophers are getting hammered at ND Nation because of it. Some have even taken to calling our new coach 'Punky.'

I'll make two points. One, Weis is a big, big man, as you can see above. And second, could someone seriously make that up? Do Notre Dame fans really have a reason to tear down Brewster?

Sigh...

As PJS sees Big Ten football previews focused on Brew's Crew, we plan to bring them to you. The Final Score, a Big Ten blog, predicts a 1-7 Big Ten Finish and an a rebuilding year for the maroon and gold.

Here's a quick take from the season preview, which is thorough and well-done.

At first glance, it looks like Minnesota is going back to the cupcake route that Glen Mason instituted and enjoyed success off of the last few years. However, two of the OOC foes are MAC squads fully capable of beating a rebuilding Big Ten team and North Dakota State was a blocked field goal away from pulling an epic upset in the Homer Dome last fall. I do expect the Gophers to get the Brewster era off on a nice foot, but Big Ten wins are going to be hard to come by. It will be a step back to step forward and Minnesota will be competitive, despite the predicted lapse. The bowl streak ends at five, but teams will know they’ve played Minnesota this year.

I like the last line in the pullquote, 'teams will know they've played Minnesota this year.' It seems Brewster's tenacity is being noticed outside of Minneapolis. That can't hurt. At this point, without having looked in depth at the rest of the Big Ten, I'm not willing to predict the Gophers do as horribly as this perdiction suggests. If they can go 4-0 in the nonconference season, I see no reason why they can't win at least two Big Ten games to go bowling. PJS will preview the Big Ten as we get closer to the season and after the new recruits come to town.

Mike Dunbar: A Closer Look

Say this about Mike Dunbar: He thought the spread offense was cool before all of the kids wanted a ride. No, Dunbar isn't Bill Walsh reincarnate, but his teams score a lot and college football coaches have taken note.

Dunbar came to Northwestern in 2001, a year after the 'Cats tied for a share of the Big Ten Title. In 2002, Dunbar took control of the offense. The 'Cats weren't able to go bowling, but it wasn't for a lack of moving the football. By 2004, Dunbar had the Big Ten's perennial bottom-feeder ranked 29th nationally in total offense (409.5 yards per game). Last year, after being lured out of Northwestern by Cal coach Jeff Tedford, Dunbar put together the Pac 10's top-ranked scoring offense at 32.8 points per game, while putting up more than 400 yards per game again.

Need more proof Dunbar knows offense? After serving as offensive coordinator at Toledo, Dunbar was promoted to assistant head coach in 1995. The MAC squad ended the season ranked nationally and set 21 offensive school records, according to Northwestern University.

You can argue, though I think Urban Meyer and exceptional talent had something to do with it, that Northwestern's spread offense laid the blueprint for the defending national champs.

"When we started in 2000, there were three or four teams using it," NU offensive coordinator Mike Dunbar said. "Now everybody's got some element of it." ...

There are innovators in football, but plagiarists work just as well.

When coaches see something they want to apply to their offense, they go straight to the source to see how it works. ... Florida coach Urban Meyer and Bowling Green coach Gregg Brandon both attended NU's spring practices to learn its offense. The pair coached Bowling Green at the time with Meyer as head coach and Brandon as one of his assistants.

"They came, spent two or three days and they got everything we have," [Northwestern's head coach said at the time]. "We gave them our offense.

But Dunbar's resume is not without a blemish. His stint in Cali was too brief not to over look. Tedford and Dunbar said all of the right things when Brewster brought the spread guru to Minnesota, but the numbers and press clipings suggest Tedford and Dunbar couldn't make their philosophies mesh. While the Golden Bears had the top offense in the Pac 10, the offense sputtered down the stretch, according to the Oakland Tribune.

The Bears bogged down offensively down the stretch. In the final three regular-season games against Arizona, USC and Stanford, the Bears scored a combined three offensive touchdowns.

The sluggish offense seemed to be a byproduct of two diverging styles. While it was widely reported that Tedford brought in Dunbar to add another element to his more traditional offense, in the end, the two coaches couldn't see completely eye-to-eye. "Our goal was to meld the two concepts and not to be solely a spread team," Tedford told the Oakland Tribune. "I think he is of the mind to be 100 percent in the spread. He has had a lot of success doing that." Tedford liked the spread, but wasn't in love with it like Dunbar. Tedford continued:

"We're always going to have some aspect of two backs, with tight ends involved," he said. "I liked what we were doing with the spread, and we're going to continue to do some. But we're never going to do it every down."

This should tell Golden Gopher fans a couple things. First, should Brewster do as he has suggested, and relinquish all play calling to Dunbar, the Gophers should eventually be a high-powered offense. But it won't be anything like your Glen Mason, run it down your throat offenses. The tight end productivity that has helped the Gophers should fall by the wayside. Dunbar won't abandon the run, not even close, but he'll accomplish running yards by spreading the defense across the 53-yard-wide field. The Gophers won't play smash mouth, they'll explot mismatches with slower linebackers.

That all sounds splendid, if Dunbar's Golden Gophers had the personnel to make it happen. Leaving out the troublesome quarterback position, which will be addressed in depth, probably ad nauseum in the future, the Gophers have shockingly poor depth at wide receiver, perhaps the position most important to make Dunbar's spread offense thrive. USA Today's 2007 Gopher preview noticed the same thing.

Perhaps the greater challenge for new offensive coordinator Mike Dunbar, whose 2005 Northwestern offense averaged 500.3 yards per game, is rounding up enough receivers to run the spread. There are plenty of question marks after Ernie Wheelwright and Eric Decker.

Question marks is being kind. While Decker reportedly impressed during the team's spring game, both he and Wheelwright caught just 26 balls last season. Logan Payne and Matt Spaeth led the team in receptions with 59 and 47 respectivley. The rest of the receiving corps, include JUCO transfer Marc Cheatham, Lakeville sophmore Andy Metz, Plainview Junior Michael Kasten, sophomore Ben Kuznia, sophomore Mike Chambers and Rochester native Marcus Sherels. Incoming freshman Tray Herndon and Shane Potter don't project as immediate impact players.

Aside from Wheelright and Decker, Gopher receivers caught 19 balls last season--all of them landing in the hands of Chambers.

Gopher fans may come to appreciate Mike Dunbar's spread offense, but these Gophers are built for Glen Mason-style stuff-it-down-your-throat football.

All of this will be a moot point, however, when some kid named Michael Floyd decides to don maroon and gold.

This was the first in five--maybe six depending on if Tubby ever hires a recruiting coordinator/dir. of basketball operations--profiles of new Gopher assistant coaches. Coming soon: Defensive Coordinator Everett Winters and hoops assistants Ron Jirsa, Vince Taylor and some guy named Saul Smith.

Florida Atlantic, Not International.....Sheesh

A quick glance at the 2007 Golden Gophers football schedule leaves much to be desired. To be fair to Brew's Crew, the former administration—known as the Mediocre Masons—are to blame.

The conference schedule is what it is. And while the Big Ten has went away from a balanced schedule, Gopher fans can't do much complaining about facing Ohio State, Penn State and traditional rivals Iowa, Wisconsin and Michigan.

What we can complain about is the nonconference schedule. The highlight, to this observer, is playing in Dolphins Stadium. Any chance to revel in Daunte Culpepper's failures is worthwhile. But it's not like the Gophers are facing Miami, Florida State or even Daunte's alma mater, Central Florida. Nope, our rodents are heading south to play Flordia Atlantic. This would steer some viewers away from an Ultimate Fighting Championship event had it been against Florida International of brawl with Miami U. fame.

Two weeks earlier, during the Gophers' home opener, as the perhaps excited fan base feeds off the momentum that Tim Brewster has brought to the team, our rodents face none other than perennial BCS contender Bowling Green. In week two at the dome, the maroon and gold face another team that is sure to get Gopher Nation off its collective rear ends: Miami ..... of Ohio.

Yawn.....

Look forward to 2008, you say?

A to be determined MAC opponent opens the season at the dome. A week later, the Brew Crew will renew our longstanding rivalary Bowling Green. But wait, Gopher fans, it gets better. To round out the 2008 nonconference grind, our lads will face always-tough Montana State before rounding out the home-and-home with Florida Atlantic.

In 2009, the first season at TCF Bank Stadium, and presumably the first season Brew's Crew can be credited or blamed for the nonconference schedule, our rodents will host California. Decent, I suppose. Then again, the Gophers have also scheduled a mid-November tilt with border rival .... North Dakota State. For a second I thought I had called up the men's hockey schedule. Alas, I was wrong.

As a die hard Gopher fan who admittedly has suffered from waning interest in Gopher football—based almost solely on lackluster performances and poor coaching (note: punting mishap against Wisconsin, Texas Tech embarrassment etc....)—it would be nice if Brewster would schedule some intriguing opponents. It's been reported he has tried to convince Notre Dame to open the season in TCF Stadium. That isn't happening. Keep trying, Tim.

The out years of the football schedule show some improvement. The lads will face Colorodo and Washington St and Oregon St. But those tilts are a half-decade or more down the road.

For Brewster to really turn a bored Gopher football fanbase into a rabid one headed for Pasadena, we need to see more BCS schools on the schedule, less second-tier Ohio teams and please, please, no teams from North Dakota or Montana. And if we're going to schedule an also-ran Florida school, can we at least make it the brawlers from International instead of the Owls of FAU?