Brewster’s boss before coming here, Mike Shanahan, was fired last month after the Broncos missed the playoffs for a third consecutive season. “He’s the best coach I’ve been around,” Brewster said.
Shanahan, who was once a Gopher assistant, wants to coach again, according to Brewster. The 56-year-old Shanahan will be paid $21 million for the next three years by the Broncos if he doesn’t take another job and he won’t have to “rush” into another position, Brewster said.
Although the Gophers wore maroon jerseys and pants for their home uniforms late in the year, Brewster doesn’t consider that the team’s primary home uniform for next season. Instead, the Gophers will mix maroon jerseys with gold pants.
The Big Ten Conference finished 1-6 in bowl games with Iowa the only winner, defeating South Carolina in the Outback Bowl.
Adrian Peterson is a goal setter. He wanted to lead the NFL in rushing last season and did with 1,760 yards. In the Sporting News issue of January 5, Peterson admitted to thinking about the rushing title during the season, but the No. 1 goal is to help the Vikings to the Super Bowl. Peterson’s teams never won a state championship in high school or national title in college.
While other storylines received more attention immediately after Sunday’s playoff loss to Philadelphia, the Vikings’ special teams drew notice by close observers. Eagles’ punt returner DeSean Jackson had 109 yards on five punt returns. This included a 62 yard run that set up a field goal in the first half. A second half return of 30 yards didn’t lead to any points but the almost complete absence of initial tacklers near the sideline and Jackson was glaring.
Reggie Bush of New Orleans returned two punts for touchdowns in a Monday night game against the Vikings and almost had a third.
The Vikings were 11th among 16 NFC teams in kickoff return average during the regular season at 22.4 and 12th in punt return average at eight yards per return. Peterson, replacing Maurice Hicks, was sent out to return the last kickoff of the day against the Eagles in the 26-14 loss.
Cal Clutterbuck, 21, leads all NHL rookies in hits with 132. The 5-11, 195-pound wing joined the Wild in November and has played in 35 games.
Wild general manager Doug Risebrough said on WCCO Radio’s Sports Huddle on Sunday that he thinks both of the team’s goalies, Niklas Backstrom and Josh Harding, will have to contribute for the team to make the playoffs. Backstrom is fourth in the league in wins with 19 and tied for first in shutouts with five. Harding has played in eight games, Backstrom, 33.
Former Wild goalie Manny Fernandez is second in the NHL in goals against average at 1.96 and lost to Minnesota last night 1-0.
Six MIAC schools are ranked in the top 100 of the fall Division III Learfield Sports Directors’ Cup Standings. Carleton leads in the standings among MIAC schools with 165 points (22nd place nationally). St. Thomas in 45th place with 98 points is followed by Saint Benedict (67th place, 73 points), Augsburg and Concordia (both 72nd with 64 points each), and Saint John’s (83rd place, 55 points). Points are based on performances in various men’s and women’s sports.