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Vikes, U Need QB Depth
Ouch! The sound of broken
bones or other injuries to Brad Johnson and
Bryan Cupito
will spark anxiety among the local football populace. For the Vikings
or Gophers to lose their starting quarterbacks isn’t welcome news any
season but this year neither team has an experienced backup.
Johnson, 38 next month, with limited
mobility, faces a physical challenge to escape the 16 game season
without injury. Yes, he’s smart, experienced and delivers the ball
quickly out of the new West Coast offense, and his line has the talent
to provide protection. Still, it’s a long season and only one play
could sideline him for one or more games.
Cupito enters his senior
season with the Gophers having already been a two-year starter. Along
the way he’s missed playing time with a concussion and shoulder
injury. With a likely commitment to more passing than in the past, Cupito’s ability and luck in escaping injury may well be tested more
than ever. A respected Big Ten quarterback for his passing and
on-field command, Cupito has neither the Herculean build (6 foot 3,
205), nor the scrambling ability that can help avoid injuries.
Rookie
Tarvaris Jackson
is the guess here to replace an injured Johnson. Although just a
rookie, Jackson showed poise, touch and scrambling ability in his brief
pre-season debut against the Oakland Raiders. “I think they are
getting this young man ready to be the No. 2 quarterback,” Joe
Theismann told a national TV audience on ESPN. The former Super
Bowl quarterback said Jackson impressed him in practice, too.
Despite his lack of
experience, Jackson is 23, older than some rookie quarterbacks and he
played collegiately at both Arkansas and Alabama State, gaining
experience at two programs. At State his numbers improved
dramatically over three seasons with interceptions going from 13 to 9 to
5.
Touchdown passes increased from 18 to 20 to 29.
Tony Mortensen
played in six games last season, starting once for an injured Cupito.
If a replacement is needed for Cupito, he seems the likely choice. A
redshirt sophomore from Hutchinson, the 6-foot-3, 230- pound Mortenson
spent the summer preparing himself knowing “you are only one snap away”
from going into the game. He wants to be more consistent in his
throwing motion but is confident in his abilities.
In his game as a starter,
Mortensen completed seven of 17 passes for one touchdown. For the
season, playing limited minutes, he attempted 24 passes, completing
nine. The coaching staff used conservative playing calling and limited
his opportunities to throw the ball.
Coach
Glen Mason
said Mortensen is probably the team’s most improved player since spring
practice. |
Brad Johnson
Bryan Cupito
"I
think they are getting this young man ready to be the No. 2
quarterback."
Joe Theismann talking about Tarvaris
Jackson |
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Scouting the Gophers
With only nine seniors on
the roster, and coming off a 7-5 season, the Gophers are certainly not
generating conversation about a top 25 year and BCS invitation. Yet Minnesota is regarded as a possible surprise
team in the Big Ten Conference, capable of winning six or seven games
and making it to a bowl game.
Although the Gophers no
longer have three super star players from last season, linemen Greg
Eslinger and Mark Setterstrom, and running back Laurence
Maroney, coach Mason is optimistic about his offense. “We have
enough pieces to the puzzle that I really think we will be good,” he
said earlier this month.
The program has reached
elite status with its offensive system. Minnesota is the only school in
the country to both rush and pass for over 2,000 yards each season for
the last seven years. The Gophers have been in the top 20 nationally
in rushing yards per game since 2001 and top five the last three
seasons. Last season the Gophers were third nationally in rushing at
273.1 yards per game. The Gophers are the first school in college
football history to have two 1,000 yard rushers three consecutive
seasons.
Cuptio’s career
improvement has been impressive and Mason said his quarterback may have
a “great” season. Cupito’s development, and the presence of
outstanding receivers like Ernie Wheelright and Matt Spaeth,
plus the loss of Maroney and Gary Russell as runners, means the
Gophers are likely to pass more than in the past.
An intriguing development
for the running game was the transfer a few weeks ago of sophomore
Alex Daniels from linebacker to tailback. Daniels, 6 foot 3, 255,
intrigued Mason with his athleticism in high school where he saw him run
track and likened him to the race horse Seabiscuit. Daniels
high school experience included tailback and Mason said the Ohio native
has “all the potential in the world.”
The
defense? “Defense is the whole story, I think,” Mason said.
Prior to starting practice Mason said he was “confident” the defense
will be better. Last week he said it
again while admitting past defensive shortcomings included being
“terrible” in third down situations where repeatedly the Gophers could
not make stop the opposition. The Gophers gave up 29.0 points per game
last season and four teams passed for over 300 yards against them.
Playmakers on defense probably include stocky safety Dominic Jones (5 foot 8, 190),
hard-charging linebacker John Shevlin and sophomore end Steve
Davis who Mason said “played remarkably well as a freshman.” |
Glen Mason
Dominic Jones |
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Extra Innings
Brad Johnson has a
career NFL completion percentage of 61.9%, ranking behind Steve Young
at 64.3%, Peyton Manning at 63.9% and Joe Montana at
63.2%. Johnson has completed at least 60% of his passes for 10
consecutive seasons. After helping Tampa Bay win the Super Bowl in
2003, Johnson appeared on the Tonight Show with
Jay Leno.
Johnson’s brother-in-law is University of Georgia football coach Mark
Richt.
Rookie pitching sensation
Francisco Liriano likes the Twins organization and the city. “I
will do whatever it takes to stay here my whole career,” he said.
Twins trivia: Torrii
Hunter was the last Twins player to hit an inside -the -park home
run (July 26, 2001 at Oakland).
Former Green Bay and
Gopher running back Darrell Thompson talking about the 2006
Packer outlook: “I think the Packers are going to be better. … Those
linebackers they have signed are outstanding. (Abdul) Hodge
and (A.J.) Hawk are fabulous linebackers. … I think they
could win eight or nine games.”
Gopher quarterback Tony
Mortensen talking about former Hutchinson High School teammate
Lydon Murtha competing for a starting offensive tackle spot at
Nebraska: “They want him to put his head on straight and be the man.
They’re going to give him a shot at it and hopefully it will work out
for him.”
University of Minnesota
athletic director Joel Maturi, 61, jogs three to five miles
daily.
Bill Kuross, one of
the state’s all-time great tennis players and former football coach at
Minneapolis Washburn, made a hole-in-one recently when his 150-yard
six-iron shot went in the cup on the fly while playing No. 16 at Island
View Golf Club in Waconia. He is the former tennis pro at Minikahda
Club and started the Minikahda Tennis Invitational that for 34 years
attracted outstanding pros including a young Andre Agassi to
Minneapolis.
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Photo courtesy of
Minnesota Twins Francisco Liriano |
