Childress impressed by his Gophers counterpart

Vikings coach Brad Childress and Gophers coach Tim Brewster have been close friends for a long time, so Childress has followed the success of the Gophers this year with great interest.

"I got a particular kick out of him going back down and beating Illinois -- that was a great win for him," Childress said. "Then, obviously, to keep the thing going week in and week out is huge.

"You know, the great thing is, he's got his foundation and got his system in. They're moving the ball, and obviously, defensively, they're solid. They're talking the ball away, which is a huge thing."

Childress has been impressed by receiver Eric Decker and quarterback Adam Weber.

"That's a pretty good 1-2 combination," Childress said. "I like Decker -- I think he's a shifty guy, he catches it in the crowd, he can make people miss. I was impressed with Adam Weber last year as a redshirt freshman, just the things they were asking him to do and kind of how he held it together. He's got a good command of the football, and he's an above-average athlete."

The Vikings coach said he believes Weber could have a future in the NFL.

"Maybe -- he sure has the pedigree from the standpoint of size, strength, and based on what they're doing throwing the football, he'll know something about the pass game."

"I know of him, and I got a chance to meet him a couple times here in the offseason, and [he's] just a solid, solid guy. Solid citizen, great family man and a very, very good defensive coordinator.

"They've improved and you've got to give it to Tim for the hire first of all, and then second of all, he's rallied those kids around. That's two systems in two years and that's impressive."

Knows Wildcats well Gophers tight end Jack Simmons lived 15 minutes from the Northwestern campus, and he was recruited by current head coach Pat Fitzgerald, who was then an assistant.

"I really liked Northwestern because of their academics and Coach Fitzgerald is a terrific guy, but my heart has always been in Minnesota," said Simmons, whose father, Terry Simmons, played for the Gophers.

Jack Simmons says he has a couple of good friends on the Wildcats squad with whom he works out during the offseason.

Familiar with Kubiak Vikings quarterback Gus Frerotte played two years (2000-2001) for the Broncos under current Texans coach Gary Kubiak, who was the offensive coordinator under Mike Shanahan.

"Kubiak is laid-back, cool and confident," Frerotte said. "[Kubiak] does a great job -- he gets his guys ready and they'll be ready to play. I'm sure Mike [Shanahan] taught Kubes a lot."

Kubiak will have the advantage of knowing the strengths and weakness of the Vikings quarterback when the two teams clash here Sunday.

"[Kubiak's] a good coach, he knows what he's doing and played the position for a long time behind [John] Elway," Fre- rotte added. "He knows the game of football, there's no doubt about it.

"We had a great relationship. I got along with him and his family, and he was just a good guy. We got along well. I started some. Myself and Brian Griese were the quarterbacks.

Jottings While saying that rookie Tyrell Johnson has done a good job at safety while veteran Madieu Williams was injured, Darren Sharper said having a more experienced player on the field will improve the Vikings defense.

"Because [Williams] is going to see things and he might be a little quicker to make an adjustment, or be a little bit quicker to be in a certain area," Sharper said "So that's good to have experienced players -- the more experienced players you have that are good players, helps you out as a defense a lot."

The University of Minnesota has spent $400,000 for 43 billboards and signs advertising the new stadium and the football program. Even so, attendance at the Northwestern game could be fewer than 50,000. The Nov. 8 Michigan game has 44,000 tickets sold. The Iowa game on Nov. 22 could sell out if both the Gophers and Hawkeyes continue to win. And even though the Gophers are 7-1, student attendance is down 25 percent.

Now that Target has purchased the naming rights to the Twins ballpark, there could be some concern whether they will continue to keep their name on Target Center. The contract with Target for Target Center has three more years to go. ... The Wolves have 560 fans who have been season ticket-holders from the day the franchise originated. Currently, the Wolves have sold only 6,000 season tickets.

Former Eden Prairie linebacker Bryce McNaul is a member of Northwestern's football team but he has been hampered by injuries the past two years. ... Gophers offensive coordinator Mike Dunbar had the same post at Northwestern from 2002-05, serving on Randy Walker's staff until taking a similar spot in California in 2006. He joined Brewster's staff last year.

According to recruiting analyst Chris Monter, former Gophers basketball player Bryce Webster is expected to sign with Cal State-Fullerton in the early signing period. Webster spent last season at Irvine Valley CC. While at Irvine Valley, he signed to play for Utah State, but changed his mind. Webster will have two years of eligibility.

The Dallas Morning News is reporting that former Vikings quarterback Brooks Bollinger might get some playing time in relief of another ex-Viking, Brad Johnson, against the Giants on Sunday.

Even though Patriots quarterback Tom Brady is out for the season, former Viking Randy Moss continues to star, with seven receptions for 102 yards in last week's victory over the Rams. It was his third 100-yard game of the season. Moss has 32 receptions for 471 yards and four touchdowns. ... Speaking of the Patriots, there is concern the shoulder injury that sidelined former Gopher Laurence Maroney for the season might end his career.