Linebacker Joe Brandau is savvy beyond his years

This article appeared in the Tampa Tribune on Aug. 16, 2003.

By ANDY STAPLES

NEW PORT RICHEY - Gulf High linebacker Joe Brandau rubbed his hand along the 2-inch scrape under his left jaw.

``Oh this?'' he said. ``That's just football.''

Brandau is a sophomore who talks about the game like a senior - a college senior. That's why Buccaneers coach Keith Newton had no qualms about letting Brandau call defensive plays in the huddle as a freshman.

When Brandau moved up from junior varsity in midseason last year, Newton thought the youngster could fill in a few plays. He got more than that.

``He's very, very football savvy,'' Newton said. ``He was as savvy a ninth-grader as I've ever seen.''

So Newton left Brandau at the starting middle linebacker spot. Brandau also backed up Jordan Stewart at fullback. Shortly after Brandau entered the lineup, he made 14 tackles to help Gulf to its only victory of the season.

Brandau said he needed only a few varsity snaps to realize he had nothing to be nervous about.

``I was nervous at first, but only until I knew there were only a few minor differences between varsity and JV,'' Brandau said. ``There are a little bigger sizes, and it's a little faster, but all in all it's still the same game.''

Brandau's maturity has made him a team leader at 15. Wrestling has made him one of the best-conditioned Bucs. In other words, Brandau is a prime example of what Newton wants for his streamlined team - a smart, two-way player with the stamina to outlast his opponents.

And Newton believes Brandau's knowledge of the game can help defensive coaches make adjustments during the game. He said Brandau can diagnose what is and isn't working on the field.

``He knows when things are going wrong. He knows what's the matter out there,'' Newton said. ``If somebody's getting killed on the front line and he's getting killed, he knows where it's coming from.''

To Brandau, all that knowledge is nothing special. It's just football.

CUTDOWN LOOMING: Newton said that while the Bucs will carry only about 33 players on varsity, Gulf's junior varsity will make cuts next week to reach a more manageable number.

Newton said 60 players came out for junior varsity, and a week of conditioning-only practices has whittled that number to about 56. Next week, junior varsity players are required to attend all four practices, and a cut list will be posted Friday.

``Besides being cramped in that locker room, we're very, very short on equipment,'' Newton said. ``We also don't have playing time for that many kids. It's very difficult to get that many kids into the game.''