Author: David Shama

David Shama is a former sports editor and columnist with local publications. His writing and reporting experiences include covering the Minnesota Vikings, Minnesota Twins, Minnesota Timberwolves and Minnesota Gophers. Shama’s career experiences also include sports marketing. He is the former Marketing Director of the Minnesota North Stars of the NHL. He is also the former Marketing Director of the United States Tennis Association’s Northern Section. A native of Minneapolis, Shama has been part of the community his entire life. He is a graduate of the University of Minnesota where he majored in journalism. He also has a Master’s degree in education from the University of St. Thomas. He was a member of the Governor’s NBA’s Task Force to help create interest in bringing pro basketball to town in the 1980s.

Bet on Jim Harbaugh for Viking Job

Posted on February 1, 2022February 1, 2022 by David Shama

University of Michigan head football coach Jim Harbaugh will interview in Minnesota Wednesday for the Vikings’ job to replace Mike Zimmer. That meeting became public news earlier in the week and indicates how serious Harbaugh is about the Vikings.

“Serious? I don’t know why if you’re the head coach at Michigan—I don’t know why you would do it (the interview) unless you had the job.”

Those words are from former University of Minnesota head coach Glen Mason who spoke with Sports Headliners this morning. Mason spent 19 seasons successfully leading programs at Kansas and Minnesota and was an authoritative voice for years on the Big Ten Network. He said Harbaugh’s interest in the Vikings comes with “ramifications” back in Ann Arbor—involving colleagues and bosses, the Wolverines’ fan base and high school recruits (Wednesday is college football National Signing Day).

All of it sends a message.

To Mason, the interview indicates “you want the job, you want to leave Michigan.” Harbaugh reportedly had an exploratory phone interview with the Vikings’ leadership last Saturday. It’s more than a good guess the conversation and details that followed have been so favorable Harbaugh is willing to risk his reputation with the Michigan job to travel here tomorrow.

Perhaps to sign an already agreed upon deal with the Vikings.

“Jim Harbaugh is a pretty smart guy,” Mason said. “You wouldn’t think that he would leave himself vulnerable there (at Michigan) unless he thought he was at least going to be offered the job. Why would you take that risk?”

Harbaugh gives up a lot of credibility if he returns to Michigan, his alma mater. “I think you would have a heck of a sales job going back to Ann Arbor,” Mason said.

The other finalists for the Vikings’ job reportedly are Rams defensive coordinator Raheem Morris, Rams offensive coordinator Kevin O’Connell and Giants defensive coordinator Todd Graham. Morris and Harbaugh are the candidates with previous NFL head coaching experience. Morris was coach of the Bucs from 2009-2011 and was the league’s youngest head man during his first season.

O’Connell is in his second season with the Super Bowl-bound Rams. He was an assistant with the Washington Football Team before joining the Rams and he had a five-year NFL career as a quarterback (ending in 2012). Graham has more than 10 years of pro coaching experience and was a recent candidate for the Giants’ head job, since filled.

Harbaugh, 58, has a coaching resume that is among the most extensive and accomplished in the country. For starters, he is the only coach ever to lead teams to the Super Bowl and the FBS college football playoffs.

As head coach of the NFL 49ers from 2011-2014, he led teams to three NFC championship games. He had an overall record of 49-22-1 and was 5-3 in the postseason including a Super Bowl loss to his brother John Harbaugh of the Ravens.

Harbaugh’s seven-year record at Michigan is 61-24 and is among the best in school history. Prior to the 49ers, he was a young whiz as head coach at Stanford and San Diego. “His resume is pretty darn impressive,” Mason said.

Harbaugh also brings credibility because of his playing career as an All-American quarterback at Michigan and his on-field accomplishments with various teams including the Bears and Colts. Both his coaching and playing background could be advantageous in teaching and motivating Vikings players.

Downside? Harbaugh has a reputation for being a stern boss and Zimmer had that label, too. How would Harbaugh’s style go down with Viking players? Difficult to predict but there will be questions about every coach going into a new job, regardless of accomplishments.

Don’t discount Harbaugh’s ability to adapt, though, and learn from his stops at Michigan, the 49ers and elsewhere. “I am sure he’s had time to reflect on the things that he did real well… (and) things that he would do differently,” Mason said.

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Timing Looks Right for Vikes-Harbaugh

Posted on January 30, 2022January 30, 2022 by David Shama

Jim Harbaugh as the next head coach of the Vikings? The timing looks right if the money and security are in place.

The 58-year-old University of Michigan head coach has been linked this month to NFL jobs with the Chicago Bears, Las Vegas Raiders and now the Vikings. Authoritative sources report there is preliminary interest between Harbaugh and the Vikings’ ownership and management.

Harbaugh could be more than restless in Ann Arbor where his relationship with athletic director Warde Manuel is suspect. A year ago Manuel cut Harbaugh’s $8 million compensation in half after the Wolverines finished the pandemic impacted 2020 season with a 2-4 record. A legendary coach was reduced to an annual salary among the lowest in the Big Ten Conference.

In 2020 some Wolverines fans were howling for Harbaugh’s dismissal after yet another season ending loss to hated Ohio State. Manuel retained Harbaugh but the message sent by the pay cut seemed clear: get things turned around…or else.

Backed in a corner with presumably a bruised ego, the combative Harbaugh delivered a comeback season in 2021. Michigan won its first Big Ten title since 2004, earned a first-ever spot in the College Football Playoff—and ended a nine-game losing streak to Ohio State.

What about a revised contract now for Harbaugh who has been at Michigan since 2015? Not yet and perhaps talks between Harbaugh and Manuel are less than amicable. Earlier this month Detroitsportsnation.com reported former Detroit radio personality Gregg Henson said the coach and AD had a “heated discussion” because Harbaugh hasn’t signed the contract being offered by Michigan.

Maybe Harbaugh is using NFL rumors as contract leverage, but then again after seven seasons on the job his interest in moving on from his alma mater could be genuine. His record is 61-24 and among the best in school history. He has revived the program at college football’s winningest school.

He has also had a front row seat to the challenges.

Competing in the Big Ten with Ohio State can lead to ulcers. The Buckeyes, along with Alabama, Georgia and Clemson, are in a different league than everyone else in college football. Those schools have a tiresome chokehold on the sport and it starts with monopolizing the best talent.

Recruiting? It’s a safe guess most head college football coaches dislike the 365-days per year grind of convincing pimple-faced teenagers to play for them. It wouldn’t be surprising if Harbaugh, four years away from Social Security eligibility, has had enough of recruiting and its various demands.

Harbaugh might have the energy and will to coach another 10 years, and he could consider a return to the NFL a better fit than staying at Michigan. As head coach of the NFL 49ers for four seasons, he led the team to three NFC Championship games. He had an overall record of 49-22-1 and was 5-3 in the postseason including a Super Bowl loss to his brother John Harbaugh of the Ravens. Competing for a Super Bowl win is the kind of goal that makes the heart race fast in fiery coaches like Harbaugh.

Harbaugh has been a winner wherever he has coached including his first assignment with the San Diego Toreros of the Pioneer League. After three seasons and a 29-6 record, it was on to Stanford. Upon arrival he said: “I vow I will attack this endeavor with an enthusiasm unknown to mankind.”

Wow.

The Cardinal was 1-11 before Harbaugh arrived. In his fourth and final season Stanford finished 12-1 including an Orange Bowl win.

A fallout with then 49ers GM Trent Baalke prematurely ended Harbaugh’s era in San Francisco. It’s an under statement to say Baalke, now the Jacksonville Jags’ GM, doesn’t have a resume to match Harbaugh who soon signed on with Michigan.

In San Francisco there was a young man working in the front office who had the privilege of learning from Harbaugh. That was Kwesi Adofo-Mensah’s transitional opportunity moving from Wall Street to the NFL. Now as the new Vikings’ GM, his relationship is presumably an asset in a romance between Minnesota and Harbaugh.

Kwesi is affable. Harbaugh strong-minded. The chemistry could work.

It appears Harbaugh is the best opportunity for the Wilf ownership group and Kwesi to secure a high profile coach who comes with instant credibility for the fan base. And it’s a bonus that Harbaugh is known as something of a “quarterback whisperer.” The former Michigan and Bears QB impacted the careers of Andrew Luck, Alex Smith and Colin Kaepernick.

Anyone ever heard of Kirk Cousins?

Cousins and his teammates don’t collectively offer a Super Bowl worthy roster. But there is talent in place and with the right moves the Vikings could become special in the near future.

There are also world-class practice and game facilities in Eagan and downtown. Ownership has consistently shown willingness to spend money, and there is a salary cap whiz in the front office named Rob Brzezinski.

And then there is this: a source told Sports Headliners the salary-cap challenged Green Bay Packers won’t be re-signing Aaron Rodgers. A Packers team without their magician quarterback will position the NFC North to be a free-for-all race next fall.

The Vikings will have to pony up the big bucks and offer security to get Harbaugh on the sidelines. Maybe it happens. The karma is apparent.

Worth Noting

Gregg Wong is calling it quits after15 years as one of the Twins’ three official scorers at home games. The former Pioneer Press sportswriter told Sports Headliners the assignment just wasn’t “fun anymore” and seemed more like a job because of more detail needed by MLB, lengthy games and the retirement of friends he knew at the ballpark.

The well-liked Minneapolis native will continue working as part of the golf staff at Edina Country Club. “I’ll stay there as long as I live, or as long as they will have me,” Wong said.

Belated birthday wishes to Vikings hall of famer Carl Eller who turned 80 last week.

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‘Way too Early’ Script on Fleck’s Gophers

Posted on January 28, 2022January 28, 2022 by David Shama

It’s become popular for internet media sites to issue “way too early” top 25 college football rankings in January. Read later in this space whether Minnesota is drawing national attention, but right now Sports Headliners offers much more detail about the Golden Gophers than a ranking.

Here then is a “crystal skull” script on how Minnesota will do in 2022. The schedule is not daunting. Talent and experience are in place. The coaching staff, led by P.J. Fleck, Joe Rossi and Kirk Ciarrocca, is impressive. The outlook is upbeat with the prediction that Minnesota can reach 10 wins with a bowl game victory. This is how the season could go:

The season opener with New Mexico State will draw more interest because of the two head coaches than the players on the field. The Aggies’ Jerry Kill isn’t a Fleck admirer. In a 2019 satellite radio interview Kill criticized Fleck’s ego and suggested the Minnesota coach is more about himself than the players. This fall Kill will be back on the sidelines as a head coach for the first time since he was Minnesota’s head man in 2015.

The game is a “damned if you do and a damned if you don’t” matchup for Fleck and the Gophers against a New Mexico State team that figures to be about a three touchdown underdog. Minnesota, coming off a 9-4 season, is seen nationally as a program on the rise. The Aggies were 2-10 last season and traditionally rank among the 10 worst major college teams. Embarrassments in 2021 included 59-3 and 56-16 losses to Alabama and Kentucky.

If the Gophers win big, observers will yawn. If the game is close, a Minnesota victory will have the critics talking about how Fleck was out coached. A New Mexico State win? Start negotiating with Kill about returning to Dinkytown.

The Gophers begin the season with three home nonconference games: the Aggies, Western Illinois and Colorado. That should result in a 3-0 start but this comes with a warning label.

Fleck’s teams are often sluggish early in the season. The coaches appear to take a conservative approach with the offensive playbook. In 2021 the implausible happened when the 31 points favored Gophers, playing at home, lost to Bowling Green. But in non-erasable ink let’s put the Gophers down for a 3-0 start to the 2022 season and knocking on the door of a top 25 national ranking.

The original schedule for this year had the Gophers opening the season with five consecutive home games including Big Ten matchups against Iowa and Purdue. But earlier this month the Big Ten football office modified the league schedules and the Gophers will now play Iowa at home November 19. The prior September 24 date with Iowa now has Minnesota at Michigan State.

It looks like Sparty goes into the season as a top 15 team nationally coming off last year’s impressive 11-2 finish. Home field will be the difference as the Gophers lose in East Lansing after the unbeaten non-conference start.

The next week the Purdue Boilermakers spoil Minnesota’s homecoming, with their first win over the Gophers since 2017. Dinkytown is in a panic!

Coach Ciarrocca, quarterback Tanner Morgan and the rest of the offense are imitating the struggles of 2021 instead of doing a 2019 encore. The defense is leaky after having to replace top play-makers like Boye Mafe and Jack Gibbens.

The media jackals are howling. Gopher loyalists are feeling sorry for themselves after a 0-2 Big Ten start. But during a bye week, coaches make adjustments and players vow to flip the script.

Look out because here come the Gophers who this year must play five conference road games, with four at home. Morgan brings back memories of 2019, with slant passes and long throws to wide receivers Chris Autman-Bell and emerging star Dylan Wright who in 2022 becomes a more disciplined route runner.

The running game remains dominant as it has been in Fleck’s previous five seasons at Minnesota. Mo Ibrahim, a 2020 All-American, could be among the Big Ten’s most productive tailbacks, but the Gophers will ease his workload with significant carries from Bucky Irving whose breakaway style complements Ibrahim’s power.

The offensive line with four new starters doesn’t hit its stride until mid-season but is anchored from the start by center John Michael Schmitz. He will be a top candidate for the Dave Rimington Trophy, last won by a Gopher in 2005 when Greg Eslinger was honored as the nation’s best center.

The defensive line, like its offensive counterpart, is likely to have early issues as it fills in with new players including at least three transfers from other programs. It will be interesting to see if leading play makers include highly hyped freshman defensive end Anthony Smith from Shippensburg, Pennsylvania.

The secondary, led by potential all Big-10 cornerback Justin Walley and veteran safeties Jordan Howden and Tyler Nubin, could be among the best in school history. Linebacker Mariano Sori-Marin, considered a coach on the field, is back to lead and inspire the defense.

Coach Rossi has earned the guru label from his players. His success dates back to his appointment as defensive coordinator in November of 2018 following an embarrassing 55-31 loss to Illinois. Since then the Gophers’ record is 26-11.

The defense will have help in dictating field position from punter Mark Crawford. The Aussie is skilled in dropping punts inside the 20 yard line of opponents.

Starting with an October 15 victory over Illinois, Crawford and his mates run off six consecutive league wins. Worthy of a state fair blue ribbon is the return of Floyd of Rosedale to Minneapolis. Before a raucous crowd at Huntington Bank Stadium, veteran kicker Matthew Trickett boots a last minute field goal to give Minnesota the bronze pig and its first win over the hated Iowa Hawkeyes since 2014.

The next week in Madison the Badgers stop the Minnesota win parade. Respect Badgers head coach Paul Chryst. Fear defensive coordinator Jim Leonhard who finds a way to control Ciarrocca and the Minnesota offense. Pray Leonhard doesn’t eventually become the big boss in Madison.

The Gophers finish the regular season at 9-3. For part of the year Minnesota is a top 25 team, maybe cracking the top 15 list in the polls. The Gophers could finish in that company, too, with an impressive bowl game victory.

That’s certainly higher than “the way to early” rankings in January from ESPN, CBS, Sporting News and Yahoo, who all leave Minnesota out of their top 25 teams. Stewart Mandel from The Athletic—and yours truly–believe the boys from Dinkytown deserve top 25 billing right now.

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