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Section 112, Row 1
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Brewster has his own Percy Harvin
By Marcus Fuller on August 12, 2009 8:00 PM
Gophers coach Tim Brewster asked Vikings coach Brad Childress on how he planned to use rookie wide receiver Percy Harvin, because Brewster thinks he has a similar all-purpose threat with sophomore Troy Stoudermire.
Stoudermire, who was one of the top kick return specialists in the Big Ten last year, will be used primarily as a slot receiver this season, but he also will take direct snaps to either pass or run the ball. The Vikings are doing similar things with Harvin in a version of the Wildcat offense.
"I've talked to Brad Childress on how he's going to utilize Percy Harvin," Brewster said Wednesday. "Similar type of players. Obviously, Troy is not a Percy Harvin, but he's of that caliber, of that kind of guy. There's a lot of different ways we can use him, but we don't want to saturate him to the point where we lessen what he brings to the table. We'll do a great job going into each game of scripting his touches."
Harvin and Stoudermire aren't too different in build. Harvin was a bit bigger at 5-foot-11 and 195 pounds as a junior at Florida last year. Stoudermire is 5-10 and 185 pounds in his second college season. The Dallas native also already looks much more scuplted than he did last season. I'm sure he could put on 10-12 pounds and still keep his trademark speed and quickness. Stoudermire runs a 40-yard dash just under 4.5 seconds. Harvin was timed at 4.41 seconds in the 40 before he got drafted.
The biggest difference is that Harvin played a lot at running back for the Gators. He actually rushed for more yards (660) than he did receiving (644) in 2008. Stoudermire won't be used that much at Minnesota -- at least not right now.
The Gophers have several different players in the mold of Stoudermire. Other all-purpose threats include junior college All-American receiver Hayo Carpenter, sophomore receiver Brandon Green, freshman receiver Bryant Allen and senior receiver David Pittman.
"That's what we've tried to do with this program," he said, "Is bring in playmakers, bring in guys that can affect the offense on a single play. Bryant Allen is a guy that can do that, too. Obviously, he's young, he's never played, but you can see that talent that he's got."
Brewster added: "Hayo is really started to pick it up. He's doing a nice job. What you're really starting to see immediately with him is his foot speed. He can really run."
-- Brewster said sophomore receiver Da'Jon McKnight has had a great camp so far. It was in response to a question that was asked about quarterback Adam Weber establishing a second and third option after his go-to guy Eric Decker.
"He's really making some tough catches, earning trust on the field," Brewster said. "Ben Kuznia is Mr. Reliable kind of guy. He runs great routes, catches the ball. We've got some depth at receiver. Those guys behind Decker need to earn trust. That's what they're doing on a daily basis from an alignment standpoint, from an assignment standpoint and just catching the football."
-- Sophomore tailback Shady Salamon has been out since preseason camp opened, but Brewster said he was close to being back from a hamstring injury. Senior defensive end Derrick Onwuachi was seen walking around after practice in a knee brace but without crutches. Brewster seemed pretty excited about that.
Day 3 in the books
Posted on August 12th, 2009 – 7:33 PM
By Kent Youngblood
Here are some post-practice items I couldn’t fit into my daily story. 1. Coach Tim Brewster said receiver Hayo Carpenter is really ‘’starting to pick it up.” Carpenter, the highly-touted JC transfer, is three practices into his Gophers career. ”He’s done a nice job,” Brewster said. ”He’s understanding the offense. What you see with him immediately is his speed. He can really run.” Special teams coordinator John Butler said Carpenter might be looked at as a return man. 2. Brewster is very much looking forward to watching the team hold its first official practice in TCF Bank Stadium. That will happen Saturday morning, when the team goes to two-a-day practices. the team i s scheduled to hold a Game Day Preview in the Stadium Saturday Aug. 22, which will be open to season ticket holders. Not wanting to give any secrets away Brewster said that the Gophers will go with a limited package on that day. 3. I was intrigued when talking with Adam Weber for last Sunday’s story about how coordinator Jedd Fisch has decided to have the quarterbacks call protections rather than the center. Here are his thoughts on that: ”Some of the best offenses around do that,” he said. ”Like the (New England) Patriots and the (Indianapolis) Colts, the (New Orleans) Saints. They all have the quarterback direct the protections. We’ve coached Adam to the point where he has a great command of the offense an an understanding of the protections. One guy has his head down, the other has his head up. Why not have the guy with the head up make the decision.” Now, this isn’t exactly rocket science. It has a lot to do with knowing how many defenders are in the box, where the hot reads might be. But both Fisch and Brewster agree that if a quarterback is rote on those things as well as the offense it can only help with execution. ”The most critical thing for a quarterback in protection is to know where he can be hurt,” Brewster said. ”And only he knows that. So, him knowing the protections so well he can call ‘em, it gives him an advantage.” 4. Butler said there is a spirited competition between incoming freshman Dan Orseske and Blake Haudan for the punting job. That probably won’t be decided until right before the opener. That’s about it. Have a good night.
By Marcus Fuller on August 12, 2009 8:00 PM
Gophers coach Tim Brewster asked Vikings coach Brad Childress on how he planned to use rookie wide receiver Percy Harvin, because Brewster thinks he has a similar all-purpose threat with sophomore Troy Stoudermire.
Stoudermire, who was one of the top kick return specialists in the Big Ten last year, will be used primarily as a slot receiver this season, but he also will take direct snaps to either pass or run the ball. The Vikings are doing similar things with Harvin in a version of the Wildcat offense.
"I've talked to Brad Childress on how he's going to utilize Percy Harvin," Brewster said Wednesday. "Similar type of players. Obviously, Troy is not a Percy Harvin, but he's of that caliber, of that kind of guy. There's a lot of different ways we can use him, but we don't want to saturate him to the point where we lessen what he brings to the table. We'll do a great job going into each game of scripting his touches."
Harvin and Stoudermire aren't too different in build. Harvin was a bit bigger at 5-foot-11 and 195 pounds as a junior at Florida last year. Stoudermire is 5-10 and 185 pounds in his second college season. The Dallas native also already looks much more scuplted than he did last season. I'm sure he could put on 10-12 pounds and still keep his trademark speed and quickness. Stoudermire runs a 40-yard dash just under 4.5 seconds. Harvin was timed at 4.41 seconds in the 40 before he got drafted.
The biggest difference is that Harvin played a lot at running back for the Gators. He actually rushed for more yards (660) than he did receiving (644) in 2008. Stoudermire won't be used that much at Minnesota -- at least not right now.
The Gophers have several different players in the mold of Stoudermire. Other all-purpose threats include junior college All-American receiver Hayo Carpenter, sophomore receiver Brandon Green, freshman receiver Bryant Allen and senior receiver David Pittman.
"That's what we've tried to do with this program," he said, "Is bring in playmakers, bring in guys that can affect the offense on a single play. Bryant Allen is a guy that can do that, too. Obviously, he's young, he's never played, but you can see that talent that he's got."
Brewster added: "Hayo is really started to pick it up. He's doing a nice job. What you're really starting to see immediately with him is his foot speed. He can really run."
-- Brewster said sophomore receiver Da'Jon McKnight has had a great camp so far. It was in response to a question that was asked about quarterback Adam Weber establishing a second and third option after his go-to guy Eric Decker.
"He's really making some tough catches, earning trust on the field," Brewster said. "Ben Kuznia is Mr. Reliable kind of guy. He runs great routes, catches the ball. We've got some depth at receiver. Those guys behind Decker need to earn trust. That's what they're doing on a daily basis from an alignment standpoint, from an assignment standpoint and just catching the football."
-- Sophomore tailback Shady Salamon has been out since preseason camp opened, but Brewster said he was close to being back from a hamstring injury. Senior defensive end Derrick Onwuachi was seen walking around after practice in a knee brace but without crutches. Brewster seemed pretty excited about that.
Day 3 in the books
Posted on August 12th, 2009 – 7:33 PM
By Kent Youngblood
Here are some post-practice items I couldn’t fit into my daily story. 1. Coach Tim Brewster said receiver Hayo Carpenter is really ‘’starting to pick it up.” Carpenter, the highly-touted JC transfer, is three practices into his Gophers career. ”He’s done a nice job,” Brewster said. ”He’s understanding the offense. What you see with him immediately is his speed. He can really run.” Special teams coordinator John Butler said Carpenter might be looked at as a return man. 2. Brewster is very much looking forward to watching the team hold its first official practice in TCF Bank Stadium. That will happen Saturday morning, when the team goes to two-a-day practices. the team i s scheduled to hold a Game Day Preview in the Stadium Saturday Aug. 22, which will be open to season ticket holders. Not wanting to give any secrets away Brewster said that the Gophers will go with a limited package on that day. 3. I was intrigued when talking with Adam Weber for last Sunday’s story about how coordinator Jedd Fisch has decided to have the quarterbacks call protections rather than the center. Here are his thoughts on that: ”Some of the best offenses around do that,” he said. ”Like the (New England) Patriots and the (Indianapolis) Colts, the (New Orleans) Saints. They all have the quarterback direct the protections. We’ve coached Adam to the point where he has a great command of the offense an an understanding of the protections. One guy has his head down, the other has his head up. Why not have the guy with the head up make the decision.” Now, this isn’t exactly rocket science. It has a lot to do with knowing how many defenders are in the box, where the hot reads might be. But both Fisch and Brewster agree that if a quarterback is rote on those things as well as the offense it can only help with execution. ”The most critical thing for a quarterback in protection is to know where he can be hurt,” Brewster said. ”And only he knows that. So, him knowing the protections so well he can call ‘em, it gives him an advantage.” 4. Butler said there is a spirited competition between incoming freshman Dan Orseske and Blake Haudan for the punting job. That probably won’t be decided until right before the opener. That’s about it. Have a good night.
