Author: David Shama

In a secondary that needs more experience and ability, Gopher strong safety Dom Barber is easy to identify as the best player.  The Gophers have given up 431 passing yards per game in three games and rank 118^th in the country in pass defense among major schools.  Pass defense is the team’s biggest weakness but coach Tim Brewster admires Barber and told Sports Headliners that the former Wayzata High School athlete (he lettered in hockey, baseball and football) is the best pro prospect among his seniors.

“He’s got all the attributes you look for in a safety,” Brewster said. “Very physical guy.  He’s got speed.  He can cover half the field.  He can cover a tight end.  He’s a blitzer.  I think Dom Barber is a real good pro prospect.”

Other seniors who Brewster said are “going to have an opportunity” to possibly make it in the pros are center Tony Brinkhaus, left offensive tackle Steve Shidell, fullback Justin Valentine and wide receiver Ernie Wheelwright.  Not surprisingly, all are offensive players except for Barber who is part of a defense that has yielded 36.3 points to three mediocre teams.

Asked to identify a player in addition to Barber that might have the best opportunity to make the pros, Brewster said perhaps Valentine.  “I think Justin Valentine has a chance because true fullbacks are really hard to find, and I think Justin Valentine can be considered a true fullback,” Brewster said.

Valentine had a more prominent role with the Gophers (primarily as a blocker) in his first three seasons before the team went to the spread formation that uses one running back, not two. Coming into this season Valentine had played in 36 games with the Gophers and had seven starts.  He entered the season with 183 career rushing yards on 59 carries.  So far in three games he has one rushing attempt and two pass receptions.

Barber, the younger brother of former Gopher and Dallas Cowboy running back Marion Barber III, was selected as an honorable mention all-Big Ten Conference player by the media last season.  He had three interceptions in conference games, one in non-conference games.

Barber was credited with a strong effort against Purdue’s explosive wide receiver Dorien Bryant last season (six catches, 59 yards).  Bryant, a first team all-Big Ten Conference pick by the media last year, is in town Saturday night for an 8 p.m. game against the Gophers.  Purdue is 15^th in the country in passing offense and sixth in total offense.

It’s easy to be positive about teams before their seasons begin but there is a legitimate sense of optimism about the Minnesota Wild.  There’s a consensus that this is one of the NHL’s better teams and season seven could be the best in franchise history.

The Wild’s identity for defense is established.  The Wild gave up just 184 goals last season and for the last four years has been among the top four defensive teams in the NHL.  An early exit in the playoffs against Anaheim after almost winning the Northwest Division of the Western Conference was a downer but the disappointment was eased some when the Ducks won the Stanley Cup.

Sports Headliners asked former Minnesota North Stars president Lou Nanne about the Wild.  “I think they’re in the top quarter of teams in the national league (NHL) and they’re fun to watch,” Nanne said. “They’re an exciting team to watch because of (Marian) Gaborik and (Pavol) Demitra and (Brian) Rolston, and (Pierre-Marc) Bouchard is a very creative guy and fun to watch.  But they’ve still got room to move up. There’s a lot of good teams in the national league so they’ve got some competition.”

That competition probably includes Detroit, Nashville, Anaheim, San Jose, Dallas and Vancouver, all teams from the Western Conference that had more points than Minnesota last season.  The Wild’s Gaborik leads the group of forwards Nanne mentioned and Gaborik’s health will have fans nervous after missing 34 games last season with a strained groin.  The Wild were 33-9-6 with him in the lineup.

What must the Wild do to improve?  “The Wild got to do a couple things,” Nanne said.  “One, they need a little more production out of the center ice position.  They got a lot last year but they need a little more depth, and they’re trying to do that with (Eric) Belanger (a free agent acquisition).  And (second) they got to tighten up defensively, (have) a good physical defenseman to go along with what they’ve got. They’re going to be a good team. …”

Wild general manager Doug Risebrough is “excited” about the coming season and said the team’s training camp roster includes more size than in the past, the result of a strategy to become bigger. Defensemen on the roster include John Scott, 6-8, 247, Andre Lakos, 6-6, 230 and Kurtis Foster, 6-5, 235.

Risebrough is expecting the “most competitive” training camp in team history as veteran and young players try to earn places on the final roster.  Part of the plan for success, too, is the coaching staff led by Jacques Lemaire, the franchise’s only head coach in its history.  “We believe our coaching staff is the best in the league,” Risebrough said.

The Wild opened their pre-season schedule last night at home, losing 6-1 to Detroit.

Viking coach Brad Childress talking about whether he miscalculated the readiness of second year quarterback Tarvaris Jackson who threw four interceptions in Sunday’s loss to Detroit: “I don’t think so. I don’t feel that way, I feel like he is more than ready. It is just a matter of him taking care of the football. I see him make a lot of good plays out there, and I see him see a lot of things and get us into the right place, but that is part of that learning curve and you can’t do those things with the football and put your team in that situation, and he knows that.”

When the Vikings (1-1) play in Kansas City (0-2) Sunday, they will see a Chiefs team much in need of a win and statistically unimpressive.  The Chiefs, who have lost games on the road to Houston and Chicago, want to win Sunday before playing at San Diego the following week.  Here are key stats with the Viking numbers first, followed by the Chiefs: points per game, 20.5 vs. 6.5; total offense per game:  307.5 vs. 250; third down efficiency, 40.7% vs. 29.6%; opponents’ points per game: 11.5 vs. 20.

The Viking defense has seven takeaways in the first two games, including three that resulted in touchdowns. Tackle Kevin Williams, cornerback Antoine Winfield and end Ray Edwards have scored touchdowns. The Vikings have eight touchdowns produced by their defense during the team’s last 15 regular season games, the best total in the NFL.

Viking punter Chris Kluwe set a club single game record last Sunday against Detroit when he averaged 57.5 yards (gross average, before returns) on four kicks. 

Heath Farwell leads the Vikings in special team tackles with five, including four solo. He was one of the team’s captains for both the Atlanta and Detroit games.

Eden Prairie high school coach Mike Grant told Sports Headliners defensive end Willie Mobley is being pursued by Minnesota, Wisconsin, Michigan, Ohio State, UCLA and other schools.  “All those schools are very interested,” Grant said.

Recruiters, Grant said, believe he is one of the nation’s top interior defensive line prospects at nose guard or defensive tackle. “He’s got great explosiveness,” Grant said.  “…If you think of that NFL nose guard, that big guy, that’s got that quickness and athleticism, that’s what he comes to the table with right away.”

Considered the state’s best defensive line prospect, Grant projects that the 6-2, 260-pound Mobley will play 30 pounds or so heavier in college.  Grant also said he doesn’t know what college Mobley will choose.

Grant’s son, Ryan, the Eden Prairie quarterback and defensive back, has already committed to Minnesota.  “They recruited him as an athlete,” Grant said.  Ryan, Bud Grant’s grandson, has skills as a long snapper and at multiple positions including linebacker and safety.

Gopher athletic director Joel Maturi said he extended a multi-year contract to wrestling coach J Robinson awhile ago but the contract hasn’t been signed. Robinson has coached three NCAA champion teams at Minnesota.

Dr. John Williams and other Minnesotans were in Las Cruces, New Mexico last Saturday visiting with former Gopher athletic director McKinley Boston.  Williams said Boston is popular at New Mexico State where as athletic director he’s directed innovations in marketing and administration.  Williams and Boston were teammates on the 1967 Gopher Big Ten Conference championship football team.