Author: David Shama

Maturi hired Brewster who had never been a pro or college head coach, or coordinator.  In Brewster Maturi saw a high energy 46-year-old who had a national reputation as a recruiter, a badly needed job skill at a place like Minnesota where much of the roster must be assembled with players from other states.  In Brewster he also hired a coach who had been a valued assistant to elite head coaches like Mack Brown of Texas and Mike Shanahan from Denver.  “I thought he (Brewster) was the best coach that we had available to coach at the University of Minnesota,” Maturi said.

For many years college athletic departments have needed to show fiscal restraint.  It’s been rumored that Maturi, who had to pay expensive buyouts to terminated football and basketball coaches, hired Brewster because he could pay him less (about $1 million per year) than other Big Ten head football coaches earn.  “No, I hired (basketball coach) Tubby Smith shortly thereafter and we paid him a buck or two,” Maturi said in reference to Smith’s salary and incentives that have the potential to push him well beyond $2 million.

There’s a huge challenge to having a successful college football program and the initial anticipation that comes with a new coach doesn’t ensure success.  Dan Hawkins, for instance, has flopped at Colorado after making Boise State a program that emerged from the college football wilderness under his leadership.

“There’s a good example,” Maturi said.  “Hawkins at Colorado.  He’s the one who got Boise State going, right?  Would you agree with that?  Because I get a lot of people now telling me I should go hire coach (Chris) Petersen (Hawkins’ successor) and I am respectful of that.  There are no guarantees (of success).”

After three seasons Brewster still has Maturi’s confidence. “I still like what I think he brings to the table and I am still optimistic about our future,” Maturi said.

Maturi believes there are lots of positives about the Brewster era.  Among the most significant are Brewster’s efforts to establish relationships with the state’s prep coaches, Gophers football alumni and with boosters.  There also have been “no major violations” of NCAA rules, Maturi said, and Brewster has been fiscally responsible with his program.  Maturi said, too, that Brewster has been “outstanding” in the athletic department supporting “other causes and coaches, and there’s a belief that we have more better players (now) in the program.”

In fairness to Brewster, Maturi and others recognize that his head coach has only had time to deliver two recruiting classes, 2008 and 2009.  Football is a sport requiring large numbers of able players and success is often determined by both talent and experience.

Maturi said people can manipulate statistics any way they want to make a point but during the interview even he came back more than once to the Gophers 6-6 record.  If the Gophers win their bowl game they finish with a better record than in 2006 when coach Glen Mason’s team was 6-7.  Otherwise, the record (including 3-5 conference records) will be the same and that concerns Maturi.

“If we lose our bowl game, and we certainly hope we’re going to win it, we’re identical to the program we took over three years ago,” he said.  “Identical and I believe after a much tougher schedule.  And I know we all want more than that, but it hasn’t shown on the field, but it hasn’t regressed (either).”

Maturi admits the opening this year of TCF Bank Stadium, a model college football facility, has raised expectations for success.  Brewster has a conference record of 6-18 in three seasons.  The Gophers haven’t won a Big Ten title since 1967.  Every school in the conference has been to the Rose Bowl since 1962 when Minnesota last made the trip to Pasadena.

His program can do better, Maturi said.  He believes it’s reasonable to expect the Gophers to be in late season pursuit of a conference title every six years or so.  Acceptance of the program by the public will also be contingent on playing in more prestigious bowl games than the ones regularly visited by Mason’s and Brewster’s teams.  “I think that’s the hope and expectation (top January bowl games) of getting to the next level,” Maturi said.

Predictions of a drop off in season tickets for next year is something Maturi hopes he doesn’t see.  His department, already having lost considerable revenue by the alcohol ban at the stadium, doesn’t need another hit.  He believes the Gophers will sellout the stadium again next year, in part because of a marquee schedule that includes Southern California, Ohio State, Penn State and Iowa.

Some supporters of the program would argue that the job of building up Gophers football, including filling the stadium, is made more difficult by a perceived negativity in the local press.  The negativity can impact not only fans but local recruits, according to the theory.  Other Big Ten schools may face friendlier home town media.

But there’s certainly nothing negative about Brewster’s approach to his job.  If ever there was an optimist and people person it’s Brewster who treats others with respect, regardless of who they are.

“He is just the eternal blind optimist,” Maturi said.  “That’s really his being.  Everybody is the best.  Every recruit is the best.  Every assistant coach is the best.  Every this is the best.  And that wears on some people and some people don’t like to hear that but that’s really who he is.  And when you learn that about him, and you accept that about him, you kind of measure the statement and you kind of measure this and you measure that and you move on.  At least that’s just the way I am.”

Maturi, who believes Brewster has grown and improved as head coach, doesn’t want Brewster to change the way he is or the way he relates to his players who come together at the end of practices and yell, “Big Ten champs, Rose Bowl!”  Then Maturi said:  “I don’t know if he’s ever going to win a championship here.  None of us do.  But he is for real.  That is who he is.  That ain’t going to change.  And I keep telling him, don’t change.  Because he is who he is.”

The optimist will say Brewster wins his bowl game and receives an extension from Maturi in January.  With two years remaining on his present five year contract, Brewster will welcome the extension and the message it sends to potential recruits who must commit to the Gophers or some other school by early February.

Maturi was asked if the Gophers can get beyond the mediocrity of the Mason era that included a Big Ten record that was 16 games under .500.  “I am hopeful,” he said.  “Our won-loss record doesn’t indicate that yet and that’s how we’re all measured. … I believe we have more better players in our program than we have had so I believe it can happen.”

Maturi looks at the faltering offense and talks about how hard the staff is working to improve production.  He reflects on a season in which the Gophers were sometimes impressive and mostly competitive.  He looks back and talks about being a few plays, “not miles,” away from even better results.

Some day Maturi and everybody with an interest in Gophers football will make a final judgment about the hire he made in January 2007 after letting Mason go. “If it doesn’t work people will say it’s an unbelievable mistake,” Maturi said.  “I am proud of the people I’ve hired.  I still believe strongly in Tim Brewster and I still believe strongly that some people some day are going to look back and say, ‘Good hire

With a 9-1 record, the Vikings are comfortably ahead in the NFC North Division title race but it’s the conference championship and home field advantage in the playoffs that matters most now.

Division rivals Green Bay and Chicago have records of 6-4 and 4-6.   Down at the other end of the Mississippi River, New Orleans has the only NFC undefeated team, the 10-0 Saints.

The Vikings’ goal needs to be finishing the 16 game regular season with a better record than the Saints.  Playing in the raucous Superdome against the Saints with the prize being a trip to the Super Bowl won’t be the Vikings’ first choice.  Making the Saints or another NFC team come here to the noisy Metrodome is the preferred situation for the Vikings.

The Saints and Vikings aren’t on each other’s regular season schedules. The Saints’ remaining six opponents are a combined 24-26, while the Vikings’ foes are 28-22.  If the Vikings and Saints finished the regular season with identical records, various tie breakers could be used to determine home field in a playoff game involving the teams.  Among those tie breaking procedures is strength of schedule.

Cruising to a division title for certain doesn’t mean going on cruise control.  During the remaining regular season schedule the Vikings will hope to play like they did yesterday in a dominant 35-9 win over Seattle at home.

Coach Brad Childress’ team impressed offensively and defensively.  Quarterback Brett Favre, completing 22 of 25 passes for four touchdowns, continued to show that despite the presence of all-world running back Adrian Peterson no one is more valuable to this team than their 40-year-old quarterback.  The defense held Seattle to 212 net yards.

And did you know that Favre’s one Super Bowl win came in the Superdome in 1997 against New England?