Many head coaches in the NFL and major college football are in first year assignments.  They have had years of experience as assistants but now they have to lead their teams. Hall of Fame coach Bud Grant was asked to recall important experiences or lessons from his first season as boss of the Vikings in 1967.  His responses may surprise you. 

Grant said many people think so much of coaching is X’s and O’s. “That’s not it at all,” he explained.  “Coaching is evaluations and observations. (It’s) getting the right players in the right places and the right positions and providing the right defenses and offenses for those people to be productive. 

“You can’t start with the system and then get the players for the system. You start with the players and get the system for the players.  I think one of the most important things young coaches forget is that it is not what you provide but it’s what the players provide.  I will guarantee you that if you don’t have the better players you are not going to win.  I don’t care how good of a coach you are.   

“Coaching is really over rated.  Maybe a better term is that you are a manager.  You manage the people you have.  You don’t try to coach something that is not there.” 

Grant’s son Mike has coached powerhouse teams at Eden Prairie High School for years and has won four state championships.  As a youngster he watched his father coach including in training camp.  “What I learned from him was more how to deal with people and handle people,” Mike said. 

The younger Grant said players want to be individuals and it’s a “battle” making them into a team.  He said his father had a way of “defusing problems.”

Michael Cuddyer has emerged this season as a hitter who provides some of the power and run production the Twins have been missing for years.  His development as a home run hitter and RBI man batting in the clean up position has been a nice fit with Joe Mauer hitting in front of him and Justin Morneau behind.   

While Mauer makes a run at the American League batting title and Morneau draws some nods as a league MVP candidate for his home run and RBI production, Cuddyer has made his own contributions.  Sandwiched between the two left handed hitters, the right handed hitting Cuddyer has joined the 20 home run and 100 RBI club this season.  It’s a group few Twins have gained membership to in recent seasons. 

In the last 10 seasons the Twins have been without a hitter with more than 30 home runs, and three times the club leader didn’t even hit 20.  During the past 10 seasons the team RBI leader reached 100 or more only three times, and three times the leader had less than 80 RBI. 

Earlier this week Cuddyer had 22 home runs and 100 RBI, Morneau 33 homers and 123 RBI, and Torii Hunter 26 home runs and 84 RBI.   The last time the Twins had two hitters with 100 RBI or more in the same season was 1977 when Larry Hisle and Rod Carew did it.

Cuddyer, 27, came into 2006 wondering what awaited him.  In the previous two seasons he had hit .263 and had 12 home runs each year with RBI totals of 45 and 42.  In 2005 he had 93 starts at third base, 18 in the outfield, six at second base and three at first base. 

This season Cuddyer has become the team’s right fielder and take’s “pride” in being the cleanup hitter.  In the minor leagues he had been a middle of the batting order run producer and the Twins had been hoping for similar production.  “This year everything has kind of come together and I have produced the way I know I was capable of producing,” Cuddyer said.

Two defensively challenged football teams meet in West Lafayette, Indiana on Saturday when the Gophers and Purdue play in the Big Ten Conference opening game for both schools.  Minnesota’s defense has been imploding in conference games for years and continued its reputation earlier in the month with a 42-17  non-conference loss to California.  Purdue’s defense ranked near the bottom among major college teams last season and its three mediocre non-conference opponents this year have averaged 31.3 points per game against the Boilermakers. 

Here’s the point: the Gophers may have the better defense.  Minnesota has shutouts in two of its first three games, defeating Kent State 44-0 and Temple 62-0.  Purdue has defeated I-AA Indiana State, 60-35, Miami of Ohio, 38-31, and Ball State, 38-28.  The Boilermakers went into overtime at home to defeat Miami, a team that previously lost to Northwestern, 21-3, and last Saturday was beaten by Kent State, 16-14 (on Miami’s home field).  Northwestern, by the way, lost to I-AA New Hampshire at home the week after beating Miami. 

This is a circle it opportunity game for Minnesota.  Other conference road games will be at Wisconsin, Ohio State and Michigan State.  All are currently more highly regarded opponents than Purdue, a team with inexperienced players on defense including two freshmen starters in the secondary. 

Minnesota’s chances may be determined by limiting the number of big plays by the Purdue offense and by how many minutes the Gopher offense can keep the ball away from the Boilermakers and score points.  Against California the Gophers blew defensive coverages and generated a mild pass rush.  Tackling was a flop.  

Sophomore quarterback Curtis Painter threw three touchdown passes and passed for over 400 yards against Ball State last Saturday and figures to improve as the season continues.  He has explosive helpers in sophomore wide receiver (much hyped) Selwyn Lymon, junior wide receiver Dorien Bryant and junior running back Kory Sheets.    

Purdue has long been known as a passing school, Minnesota as a running program.  Unless the Gophers fall way behind in the game early, look for Minnesota to prefer the run over the pass.  Quarterback Bryan Cupito, a senior, needs to give Minnesota an edge at quarterback, with fewer mistakes, sound leadership and timely passes. 

Circle the Gophers and their fans happy after this game?