Author: David Shama

The Minnesota Vikings have four quarterbacks on their roster,Tarvaris Jackson, Brooks Bollinger, Tyler Thigpen and Drew Henson.  All are 27 or younger, with a combined 12 starts in the NFL.  Is there a likelihood the Vikings will try to add a more experienced quarterback before the season begins?

Former Viking Mike Morris, who follows the team closely now as a talk show host on KFAN Radio, said lack of experience at quarterback is an issue.   He thinks the Vikings “would welcome the opportunity” to add a veteran quarterback “if things weren’t working out for the four games of the pre-season.”

Such a player, according to Morris, would be a reserve, not a starter, an experienced NFL veteran ready to mentor, teaching on and off the field.  Morris said the Vikings are committed to Jackson and Bollinger.  “They’ve got a couple  of kids that they like and if they play within themselves and within the system you might have something, but you have to find out what that is right now,” he said.  “(If) you have an older guy in the room that can help them along that would be fantastic.  They won’t be looking for anything else as far as full time work.”

Speculation is Kelly Holcomb, 34, could be cut by the Philadelphia Eagles and picked up by the Vikings.  The Eagles have two other veteran quarterbacks in Donovan McNabb and A. J. Feeley, plus they used a No. 2 draft choice on Kevin Kolb, a rookie from the University of Houston.

What does Morris think of Holcomb?  “I don’t,” he answered. “I try not to think of Holcomb as being any sort of upgrade or help to anyone in that room (the Vikings). … I think you’re looking for someone with a little more experience, a little more knowledge of the game.  I wouldn’t mention that name in that list. … I can’t think of a name I would rather not have here.”

Holcomb only has 21 career starts in 11 seasons.  He did complete 67.4 percent of his passes starting 10 games for Buffalo in 2005.

Morris said the Vikings could benefit from a veteran quarterback like Kurt Warner, the former Super Bowl quarterback now in Arizona.  He also mentioned Drew Bledsoe who announced his retirement in April.   A visitor even offered up the name of 40-year-old Jeff George.  The former Viking had the “strongest arm I‘ve ever seen,” according to Morris, and as recently as last year attempted a comeback with Oakland.             

“I would take him right now above Holcomb,” Morris said. “He can still throw the ball.  I know that would still work. …”

The guess here is that newly arrived 21-year-old Gerald Green will soon be known as the best athlete ever to play for the Minnesota Timberwolves.  The 6-foot-8, 200- pound Green was provided that label by a basketball expert who didn’t want his name used.   There may soon be a long line of people willing to give Green the designation.

Green was born during halftime of the 1986 Super Bowl and perhaps that was an omen regarding his athleticism.  His jumping and running ability have been attracting attention since high school.  He didn’t even play high school basketball until he was a junior but by his senior season some experts thought he was the best player in America.  After averaging 33 points as a senior in Houston, Green played in the McDonald’s High School All-Star game and won the slam dunk contest. 

In two NBA seasons with Boston, Green hasn’t yet been another Tracy McGrady, an athletic super star to whom he has been compared.  But Green has dazzled with his athleticism, winning the NBA 2007 slam dunk contest and having his dunks shown on ESPN’s SportsCenter.

Of course, former Timberwolf J.R. Rider won an NBA slam dunk contest, too, and few in these parts want to remember Rider for his athleticism or anything else.  Green, though, seems more determined to succeed than Rider and he told Sports Headliners that he’s working to improve his game.  Known for his flash and scoring ability, Green has been labeled as a player who needs to become better defensively.

“I want to be a defensive stopper,” Green said. “That’s one of the things I want to do.  I think all the great players, Michael Jordan, Kobe Bryant, those guys play tremendous defense.  …”

Was Green a below average defensive player in Boston before being traded to Minnesota earlier this summer?  “I don’t think so,” he said.  “I think I have a little bit of work to do.  That’s the one thing I am working every day on in the summer time, working on defense. …”

How effective of a scorer can he be with the Wolves? “Well, we’ll have to see,” he said.  “I averaged 10 .4 points last year.  I have gotten better in my mid-range (shot) and my ball handling has gotten a lot better but it still needs to be worked on. That’s one of the things we’ll have to wait until the season starts to find out.”

Green considers himself more of a shooting guard than a small forward but is comfortable with either position.  With several players on the roster able to play those positions, including No. 1 draft choice Corey Brewer and leading returning scorer Ricky Davis, Green will have lots of competition for playing time.

Coach Randy Wittman told Sports Headliners he isn’t locking any players, including guard Randy Foye and forward Al Jefferson, both potential stars, into starting positions just yet.  “They all have jobs,” Wittman said  “What that job is, they’re going to determine to me. “

With Green, the coach will know he has an athlete but he will have to learn whether he has a basketball player.

Gopher football coach Tim Brewster has a special connection to the Rose Bowl.  In 1984 he and his Illinois teammates were in southern California for the Rose Bowl.  He proposed while on the trip to his girlfriend and now wife, Cathy.

The “Tyler Thigpen” era officially began with 13:02 to play in the fourth quarter of Friday night’s opening pre-season game against the Rams. Thigpen, the seventh round rookie quarterback, roused the crowd with a 12-yard scramble for a first down on his first series.  Fans love to gravitate to the newest of quarterbacks and Thigpen stirred up some of the loudest crowd noise Friday evening.  Fourth team quarterback Drew Henson didn’t play and he seems the likely roster cut when the Vikings go from four quarterbacks to three.

Rookie cornerback Marcus McCauley, a third round pick, is reportedly among the Vikings’ most impressive rookies so far.

Lester Bagley, a key executive for the Vikings in the pursuit of a new stadium, told Sports Headliners the organization hasn’t determined the appropriate time to resume its stadium drive because of the 35W bridge disaster.  Bagley, executive vice president of public affairs and stadium development, said there will be a special legislative session within a few weeks to deal with the bridge issue but the Vikings won’t pursue the stadium matter.

The Vikings’ new marketing theme, “You Made The Team,” will likely be used for a few years, according to Bagley.  The message relates to both the Viking tradition and present day.  Part of the campaign is to tell the stories of individual fans and what the franchise means to them.

Tickets were on sale at the Metrodome Friday night for the home season opener with Atlanta on September 9.  A ticket booth seller had lower level end zone seats available for $81 each.  Tickets for $113 per seat for the pre-season opener Friday night were being sold by street hawkers for $50 each or less.   

Ken Lien, who for years was chairman of the Minnesota Mr. Basketball Committee and has coached local youth teams, is impressed with 6-foot-9, 240-pound center Colton Iverson of Yankton, South Dakota and has seen him play three times this year.  “I like his frame, I like his aggressiveness,” Lien told Sports Headliners.  “He knows his way around the basket.  He plays big.”  Iverson has recently become a highly recruited player with the Gophers reportedly among schools in pursuit.

Lien coached Ryan Wittman, son of Wolves coach Randy Wittman, on a Minnesota Select team for three years (2003-2005).  Ryan was the Ivy League Rookie of the Year last season playing for Cornell, averaging over 16 points per game.  Lien, who owns a local awards and promotions company, said former Iowa coach Steve Alford had interest in Ryan while at Eden Prairie High School but not enough to offer a scholarship. 

The Detroit area, including Ann Arbor, is ranked the No. 1 sports town in America in a recent listing of the top 99 cities in the country by SportingNews.  Minneapolis-St. Paul is No. 10, preceded by Detroit, New York, Dallas-Fort Worth, Chicago-Evanston, Los Angeles, Boston, Denver-Boulder, Phoenix-Tempe and Philadelphia.  Our neighborhood rivals ranked like this:  Madison, 40th,  Milwaukee, 47th, Green Bay 51st , and Iowa City, 90th.  The rankings are calculated annually and based on a lengthy list of criteria including wins and losses, post-season participation, appeal of athletes and event attendance.