NU NOTEBOOK: Minter visits Husker practice

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Minter visits Husker practice

Like many people associated with the Nebraska football program, Mike Minter initially was shocked when he learned of the Huskers' off-season coaching changes.

Now that he's had a chance to meet new head coach Bill Callahan and members of his staff, Minter says everything's going to be fine.

"You still have to look at the different people he brought in, and you begin to get excited about the future of Nebraska football," Minter said.

Minter, who played at Nebraska from 1993-96 and has two national championship rings, played in this year's Super Bowl with the Carolina Panthers. He's in Lincoln this week with his family, visiting relatives, and attended Thursday's practice with his two sons, Michael, 8, and Isaiah, 6.

He received a personal invitation after meeting Callahan for the first time earlier in the day.

"I tell you what, I was very impressed with him," Minter said. "Very personable, a guy who's knowledgeable about the game. I can tell in five minutes if you know what you're doing as far as football is concerned, and that guy, he was snapping off things. He reminds me a lot of (Carolina) Coach (John) Fox, the way he carries himself."

Minter said hiring a coach like Callahan, who gets players to believe in his system, is the first step toward pushing Nebraska back to the top of college football.

The next step?

"You've got to have players,"Minter said. "There's no other way of looking at it. We've got to get the athletes that we had back in the 90s back on the field. I think the pro-style offense and defense they're running is definitely going to attract more talent to Nebraska football. And getting off to a fast start is very important."

n PRACTICEREPORT:Although Nebraska's first two spring practices were in sweatclothes and helmets, Callahan has been looking for aggressiveness from players. And he's apparently getting it, especially from the defense. "I thought our defense really flew around the ball," he said Thursday, the second day of drills. NU practiced in Cook Pavilion because of the threat of storms that never materialized. "The defense made a lot of plays on the ball and really did excellent on their coverage," Callahan added. "Against the run, our front four was really a factor."

n ARMORALERT:Nebraska dons shoulder pads today to go with shorts and helmets. "It should be an exciting practice,"Callahan said. "We're looking forward to a lot of hitting, a lot of contact. We will not scrimmage, but we'll treat everything high and hard. That means we'll try to stay on our feet and get that type of scrimmage tempo and that type of scrimmage emphasis." Will Callahan even attempt to rein in the players' aggressiveness?"We're looking for a full-speed effort,"he said flatly. "We don't really back off. We're smart. There are parameters we put on the players . . . We're smart about the skill positions. But overall, with the physicality up front, we let that keep going."

n AMOS PROGRESS:Although Nebraska is in the early stages of spring, senior Willie Amos already has flashed potential in his move from defensive back to receiver. He caught about a 50-yard pass in Wednesday's practice. "He's learning," Callahan said. "I think he's still trying to get comfortable with the terminology and the system. But you can see his raw ability."