Gophers offense adjusts to new look in spring football practice

Demry Croft wore wrist bands on each arm Tuesday, during the Gophers' first spring practice, but not for play-calling purposes.

Maybe he wanted to wipe away sweat. Maybe he just likes the look. But the sight of a Gophers quarterback, standing in the huddle, staring into his wrist band while delivering the play call has vanished.

It's just one of the subtle changes the Gophers are making under coach Tracy Claeys and new offensive coordinator Jay Johnson.

"I believe the quarterback has to be in charge in the huddle," Claeys said. "He has to be looking in peoples' eyes. So he'll be more like a true leader, rather than reading something off a wrist band."

Claeys acknowledged that the new systems slowed things a bit Tuesday, as the team allowed more time between plays to make sure players understood the terminology and assignments.

Before long, the Gophers expect to speed things considerably. Claeys likes the idea of being a no-huddle team. That doesn't mean the Gophers constantly will play up-tempo, like Oregon and Texas Tech.

Claeys cites Ohio State as a team that doesn't huddle but gets set quickly so it can read the defense. Instead of routinely playing fast, he wants to play at different speeds because he knows how that kept him off balance as a defensive coordinator.

In January, shortly after being hired from Louisiana-Lafayette, Johnson outlined his to-do list for the Gophers offense.

"It's going to be everything from scratch," he said. "As a staff, getting in there and putting this thing together. … It's taking that terminology, and then obviously taking it to the kids.

"We're going to start with what we're calling a formation, what we're calling defenses, what we're calling coverages — everything. And put that down, and put a good package together and then continue to mold it and evolve it as we go."

Early in Tuesday's practice, the Gophers quarterbacks, running backs, receivers and tight ends lined up in five rows, spaced evenly apart, each with a football. Running backs coach Pat Poore demonstrated how to squeeze the ball tight, and the players mimicked their running motions — in unison. The ritualistic exercise is designed to emphasize ball security.

Later, Claeys said, the receivers did a "frame the catch drill," as the Gophers look to cut down on dropped passes.

The Gophers invited the media for the first 30 minutes Tuesday, but the next three practices will be closed. By March 10, when the public gets its first peek, fans probably will see basic tenets of Johnson's system — the pistol formation, read option plays, play action, short passing schemes.

Croft ran the offense Tuesday after serving as Mitch Leidner's backup last season. Leidner is recovering from foot surgery, but he threw some passes and was on the field, in a helmet and jersey, studying Johnson's terminology.

Running back Shannon Brooks was limited after twisting his ankle on campus, and true freshman quarterback Seth Green had to miss practice because he was ill.

"I'm just as disappointed as you are; I wanted to see [Green] practice today, too," Claeys said. "It wouldn't have been fair to him with the way he was feeling, so we will try again on Thursday."