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Phil Miller is returning to his Big Ten roots to follow Minnesota’s football fortunes for the Star Tribune after a decade of chronicling the NBA and Major League Baseball. The Illinois native began his writing career by covering Utah football for six seasons, and still insists that 12-1 Florida stole the 2009 BCS Championship from the unbeaten Utes.
Email Phil to talk about the Gophers.
Posts about Football
Adam Weber signs with Broncos, other Gophers get deals
Posted by: Phil Miller Updated: July 26, 2011 - 11:29 AM
Adam Weber's NFL negotiations, stalled for nearly five months during the league's lockout, finally got under way Tuesday morning.
By 9 a.m., they were over, and Weber was a Denver Bronco.
"It's really crazy. I had a few good options, and I had to look at them really quickly and make a decision so I can get to work," Weber said. "Teams have different motivations that you have to figure out -- like some are just looking for an extra arm for camp -- but it wasn't hard. When I looked at the Broncos, it was kind of a no-brainer."
He'll be reunited with former Gopher Eric Decker, who caught 200 of his passes in college, with the Broncos. Weber will report to training camp on Wednesday.
More Gopher signings: Fullback Jon Hoese has agreed to a free-agent contract with the Green Bay Packers, while offensive lineman Dominic Alford has joined the Cleveland Browns.
Vikings face a Kill-coached foe tonight
Posted by: Phil Miller Updated: December 13, 2010 - 5:33 PM
Brandon Jacobs
As you watch the Vikings game tonight, keep an eye out for Giants running back Brandon Jacobs, who has had two 1,000-yard rushing seasons in his six-year NFL career. His connection to Gophers football?
He was coached by Jerry Kill.
Jacobs played his senior season in 2004 at Southern Illinois, where Kill had turned the Salukis into a Division I-AA powerhouse, after deciding he wouldn't get enough playing time behind Cadillac Williams and Ronnie Brown at Auburn.
That's probably not enough of a recruiting triumph to convince Minnesota skeptics that Kill can recruit BCS-level players; heck, the only reason Jacobs went to Carbondale was that he needed to drop down a level in order to avoid sitting out a season. But Kill got a memorable season out of Jacobs, even though he split up the ball-carrying workload with a couple other players, including former Gopher Terry Jackson.
Jacobs rushed for 992 yards and 19 touchdowns in his only season with Kill, and was drafted in the fourth round by the Giants.
When Kill was hired by the Gophers last week, Jacobs told the university's athletic communications department, "He's the perfect college coach."
Said Jacobs, who had 103 yards on just eight carries against the Redskins last week, "He treated you like a man. There was a level of respect. He treated all his players fairly. He expected the best out of you and wanted you to go out and do everything you could to win. He stood behind you no matter what."
Decker Signs with Broncos
Posted by: Phil Miller Updated: July 27, 2010 - 1:36 PMEric Decker, the Gophers’ all-time leading receiver, will report to the Denver Broncos training camp on time, after agreeing to a contract on Tuesday.
Decker, who spent much of July in Minneapolis preparing for his rookie season in the NFL, signed with the Broncos just one day before he is to report to training camp in suburban Denver. Decker was chosen in the third round of last spring’s draft, the 87th overall pick, after leaving Minnesota as the university’s all-time leader in catches (227) and receiving yards (3,119).
Training camp will be the first time Decker has participated in a live scrimmage since last October, when he tore a ligament in his left foot during a game with Ohio State. Decker, who had surgery to reattach the ligament, sat out of the Broncos’ minicamps and offseason workouts, sticking to rehabilitation drills on his injured foot.
Greetings from Ryan Field
Posted by: Updated: September 26, 2009 - 9:59 AM
Good morning.
Sitting here in the press box at Ryan Field with our football columnist Mark Craig. It's a bit hazy, but you can still see Lake Michigan. Nice campus, quaint stadium, real grass.
We did this the right way. We left very early, got here without any traffic and had time to stroll over to a breakfast place before coming to the press box. So I'm fat, fed and happy and ready for the game.
I still think the Gophers are going to win this game, but that it will be close. They say it might rain here at some point during the game, which should make things more interesting. I'll get back to you at halftime with some thoughts then.
Have a good day
Gophers recruit has a leg up
Posted by: Updated: September 8, 2009 - 10:32 AMGreetings.
You might already know, but I thought I'd pass this along. Kip Smith, a kicker from Broomfield, Colorado, has committed to the Gophers for next year.
Well, Smith kicked a Colorado state-record 67-yard field goal to help Broomfield Legacy beat Mountain Range, 29-7. The circumstances were a little odd. It was late in the first half. After a fair catch at their own 43, the Broomfield coach called a time out. According to Colorado high school rules, his team was then allowed a free kick from that spot.
Smith teed up the ball and let it go. According to a report on MaxPreps.com, Smith's kick cleared the uprights with 5 yards to spare. The national high school record is 68 yards.
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