Author: David Shama

Brett Favre made the national headlines yesterday for breaking Dan Marino’s NFL career record of 420 touchdown passes but there was a lot of conversation inside and outside the Metrodome about rookie running back Adrian Peterson after Green Bay defeated the Vikings 23-16.

Green Bay’s 37-year-old Favre threw two touchdown passes to move his career total to 422 while the 22-year-old Peterson tied a Viking rookie rushing record with his third 100 yard rushing game of the young season.  Peterson tied the record by Chuck Foreman and A.P. even accomplished it by halftime of his fourth NFL career game.  Peterson ran for 108 yards on 10 carries in the first half.

What had fans wondering, though, was why Peterson’s role was limited to two carries from scrimmage in the second half.  Although it was a close game, 10-6 starting the third quarter, and 13-9 beginning the fourth, the Vikings moved into passing mode with quarterback Kelly Holcomb and away from running the football using the league’s second leading rusher (Peterson’s 383 yards trails only Oakland’s LaMont Jordan, 424).

Green Bay defensive tackle Ryan Pickett talked like a member of the Adrian Peterson fan club after the game.  He said Peterson, who averaged 9.3 yards per carry, might have played better against the Packers than LaDainian Tomlinson, regarded by many as the NFL’s best running back and a player Green Bay had faced a week earlier.

“Peterson is a heck of a back,” Pickett told Sports Headliners. “He’s explosive, big. Man, he’s got great vision on the field. Any time you give him an inch, he’s going to take it. …”

Peterson doesn’t play like a rookie. “He looks like an experienced veteran out there,” Pickett said.  “He’s just running the ball hard.  He’s gonna be a force to reckon with this year.”

Tomlinson rushed for 62 yards against the Packers, compared with Peterson’s 112. “He might be the best back we’ve faced so this year and that’s saying a lot, playing against LaDainian and all.” Pickett said.  “He’s up there and he’s got a good future ahead of him.”

Be good or be gone. Timberwolves owner Glen Taylor told Sports Headliners recently that he has expectations about proper behavior by his players and also for team leadership.  The Wolves, led by coach Randy Wittman, will trade or release players who aren’t team oriented, Taylor said.

Taylor, who traveled with the team over the weekend to training camp in Turkey, is anticipating a different locker room this season than in the past.  “The last couple years we just put up with some behaviors we shouldn’t have,” Taylor said.  “And if I had known about it, we probably wouldn’t have. …”

Asked to offer an example, Taylor said players were “degrading” others in the locker room.  Years ago Wolves players like Sam Mitchell and Ervin Johnson would stop that kind of behavior, Taylor said. Although he wanted Kevin Garnett to be a verbal leader, the super star forward, now traded to Boston, didn’t fit the part.

“We just found out that wasn’t the type of leadership that K.G. had,” Taylor said. “I think a lot of people looked to him then, and by him not saying anything it almost like condones it. …It wasn’t what he meant but he just didn’t see it as his place or appropriate for him to step into that.  So his type of leadership was I’ll go out on the floor and play hard, and you guys should play hard. …We found that out too late and then we didn’t have the other people (to assume leadership). …”

Taylor expects some of the leadership role to come from 34-year-old Juwan Howard, acquired during the off-season in a trade with Houston.   After the Garnett trade, Howard asked to leave the Wolves for another team and that could still happen.  Either way, Taylor has already told second year players Randy Foye and Craig Smith, along with Al Jefferson, a fourth year key player acquired in the Garnett trade, that they need to step up as a “collective” leadership group.

With past behavior problems and the fact the Wolves have eight players 24 or younger on the 17-man training camp roster,Taylor is going to be pro-active this month.  On the overseas trip (the Wolves will play an exhibition game in Turkey and another in London) Taylor plans to meet individually or in small groups with all the players.  His two topics will be community service and being team oriented. Taylor wants his players to be good citizens off the court, giving to the community with the many opportunities available to high profile pro athletes.

The Wolves owner also wants to “reinforce” a message from Wittman to be a solid teammate.  “The importance of being a team member, and that we can’t say that in a meeting we’re going to be a team member and then go out on the floor and act somewhat different, be critical of other people, be selfish on the floor…,” Taylor said.

He also said the franchise’s long range goal is an NBA championship. This season is important, he explained, for determining who will become the team’s leaders and best players.  It will be a process as the Wolves find out if Foye, Smith, Jefferson and whoever else are the ones they need to return this franchise to championship contention.  Others who may emerge include Gerald Green, also acquired in the Boston trade, and No. 1 pick Corey Brewer.

Joe Montana talking about Brett Favre breaking Dan Marino’s record for most career NFL touchdowns:  “I honestly thought Danny’s records might never be broken.  What Brett has done is a tremendous accomplishment.  Congratulations you old fart!!!”

Terry Bradshaw also talking about Favre: “Brett Favre is the best I have ever seen.  And I’ve never said that about anybody.  He’s simply the best.  He’s got the strongest arm, athleticism, field presence, leadership, poise and tenaciousness.  He plays hurt, he’s fun, he’s infectious.  He has everything I want to see including the game-time decisions, the strengths, and all the ingredients.”

Timberwolves president Chris Wright said the team could probably sell 60,000 tickets for the one Boston Celtics-Kevin Garnett game here on February 8.  Wright expects that through full and partial season tickets the game will sellout in advance (no single game tickets available).  Tickets for single games go on sale Saturday, October 13.

Wright said security precautions by the NBA have been extensive for the team’s visit to Turkey, a nation that has had terrorist attacks. The Wolves are in Turkey this week for the early days of training camp, visiting a country that shares a border with Iraq.  NBA commissioner David Stern will attend the Timberwolves exhibition game against a Turkish team in Istanbul on Saturday and also on Wednesday, October 10 in London against the Boston.  Wolves owner Glen Taylor will be on the trip with his wife Becky.

Minnesota’s version of “Midnight Madness” will be “Tubby’s Tiipoff” beginning at 9 p.m. on Friday, October 12 at Williams Arena. The event will celebrate the start of the Tubby Smith coaching era.  Activities will include a three-point slam dunk contest and scrimmage.  Admission is free and the building opens at 8:45 p.m.

A former Big Ten Conference assistant coach who asked for anonymity predicts the Gopher basketball team will finish among the top five schools in the Big Ten Conference.

Tom Sakal, captain of the 1967 Gopher Big Ten championship team, was in town last week for 40 year reunion activities and said all 22 starters earned college degrees.  Many of the players, including Pro Football Hall of Famer Charlie Sanders, played professional football.

Hockey fans can enjoy some memories today by attending a book signing for Minnesota North Stars: History And Memories With Lou Nanne from 4 to 7 p.m. at Barnes & Noble, 801 Nicollet Mall.  Nanne and local author Bob Showers collaborated on the book that is a celebration of the Minnesota North Stars’ 40^th anniversary.  Among the North Stars celebrities expected to attend the book signing event are Al Shaver, Glen Sonmor, Brian Bellows, J.P. Parise, Brian Lawton, Pete LoPresti, Tim Young, and Don Beaupre. For more information on the 272-page coffee table size book visit www.northstarshistory.com.