I hear you have Eric Decker on offense. Expand on his abilities and do you have any other threats on that side of the ball?
Eric Decker is a very good athlete and poised to be one of the best receivers in the Big Ten. In the second half of last season he became a favorite target of quarterback Adam Weber's. When we throw the ball he will likely be the first target on most plays and you should expect to see offensive coordinator move him around in an effort to get favorable match ups and one-on-ones. But before Decker comes Weber who is our biggest threat offensively. As a redshirt freshman in 2007 he set several school records. One might assume it was because were throwing the ball all the time because we were behind, but that is not necessarily the case. On the season we threw the ball about 51% of the time which isn't a crazy pass:run ratio. He is deceptivelly athletic and is capable of beating you with his legs as well as his arm.The hope here is that Weber reduces mistakes and takes big strides in leading this offense.
There is a large gap in experience between our two teams. How specifically do you think that will affect the game tomorrow?
I think that NIU's experience advantage will be negated by the fact that it is a new system for them. I watched Minnesota in 2007 take a while to adjust to their new offensive and defensive systems. Now in year two we are hearing how everyone is much more comfortable and worrying about execution rather than where to line up. I would not underestimate this for the Huskies. By the time they hit MAC play they should be executing better but I believe this will have an affect on Saturday's game. And for Minnesota it should be noted that their key offensive players and their entire defensive line are alll returners.
Again, are these new players ready to step in and play D-1 ball right away? Especially on defense?
Are they ready? I don't know. But particularly on defense they are bigger and faster than what we had a year ago. Having a revamped secondary that at least has the tools to cover people will help them tremendously. I don't know if they are ready to actually stop Big Ten caliber players but as I said they are bigger and they are faster which allows them to recover from their mistakes. I am extremely anxious to see if they are indeed ready to step in and make a difference.
Is Tom Brewster another Ron Zook-esque fellow that is only going to recruit top players and coach horribly? Is there any hope in your minds that he will succeed in the X's and O's?
Excellent question and my excellent answer is I have NO IDEA. What I do appreciate about Brewster is that from day one he said he wants to bring in top notch assistants and let them do their job. I think we have experienced and talented coordinators so if Brewster can continue to bring in talented players and if he truly does let Mike Dunbar and Ted Roof do their thing on offense and defense then maybe Brewster has a chance to succeed on the field. There is no doubt he can recruit and there is little doubt that his players love playing for him. I sincerely hope the Zook comparisons stop at some point but to date is an apt comparison.
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