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.

Big Vikings Decisions May Await Wilfs

Posted on December 31, 2018December 31, 2018 by David Shama

What does the Vikings ownership do now with their football leadership?

Staus quo?

Does the Wilf family even think about changing head coaches and/or general managers?

Zygi Wilf’s stated goal is a Super Bowl and before the 2018 season started the Vikings were among the NFL favorites to play in the big game next February. Yesterday the Vikings finished one of the most frustrating seasons in franchise history when they didn’t qualify for the playoffs and earn the opportunity to play in Super Bowl 53.

In five seasons as head coach Mike Zimmer has a 47-32-1 record. His clubs have won two NFC North Division championships. The Vikings reached the NFC title game about a year ago. That’s a better resume than a lot of franchises achieve over a five-year period.

Zygi Wilf has long been an admirer of former NFL coach Bill Parcells who also happens to be close with Zimmer. The Parcells influence reportedly was a factor in Zygi wanting Zimmer to be the coach. It might be difficult for the Wilfs to be emotionally invested in Zimmer and now consider parting ways.

Zimmer has mostly fulfilled expectations as a defensive coaching authority. There have been times when his units were among the NFL’s best. There have also been big moments like the NFC title game against the Eagles in January of 2018 when the defense didn’t show up in a 38-7 loss.

And late in yesterday’s game Minnesota needed to defeat the Bears to make the playoffs but the defense was subpar. Never was this more evident than in the fourth quarter when the Vikings trailed by three points, 13-10, but couldn’t stop the Bears from driving for a long touchdown and making a two-point conversion.

The Vikings haven’t found sustained offensive success during the Zimmer-Spielman partnership. The last few years have been a revolving door of offensive coordinators and quarterbacks. This season (8-7-1 final record) ended with an offense that lacked identity and productivity, and played a major role in the club defeating just one team with a winning record at the time the Vikings played them.

Spielman, who has been involved with player personnel decisions for the Vikings for 13 seasons, has struggled to put together an offensive line that is consistently successful. This season’s version played mostly mediocre football and sometimes awful like yesterday when the Bears just pushed Minnesota’s offensive linemen around on too many plays.

It was Spielman and Zimmer who decided spending a guaranteed $84 million last offseason on quarterback Kirk Cousins was a next step to a Super Bowl. Perhaps it will work out but so far Cousins, who often appears too deliberate in processing while in the pocket, has only added to his reputation of not being able to defeat winning teams (4-25 record).

Spielman has made many correct personnel moves over the years including draft choices like wide receiver Stefon Diggs, running back Dalvin Cook, tight end Kyle Rudolph, defensive ends Everson Griffen and Danielle Hunter, and safety Harrison Smith. He has helped shape the franchise with free agent signings like defensive tackles Linval Joseph and Sheldon Richardson. He has also enhanced his roster with hard to find talent among undrafted college free agents (cue the music for wide receiver Adam Thielen).

Spielman is a high character guy who presumably has a solid track record of communications with the Wilfs. It’s hard not to like Spielman who counting his time with other NFL clubs has nearly 30 years of experience in player personnel work.

Since the Wilfs began operating the franchise in 2005, the value has increased dramatically. Zimmer and Spielman have played a major role in that monetary gain with Forbes now valuing the franchise at $2.4 billion. The Vikings, for whatever their season records, have been mostly entertaining and so popular in the state that no other sports entity is even worth mentioning in the same breath.

Yet during the Wilf era the team has won just two playoff games. Twice the Vikings have advanced to the NFC title game but didn’t advance to the Super Bowl. During the last five years the Vikings have missed the playoffs three times, with 2018 particularly frustrating and at times chaotic.

If the Wilfs were to change their football leadership, who would they turn to? There are many individuals who would love the opportunity to lead the franchise but the Wilfs know what they have in Zimmer and Spielman. Is that good enough for them?

Worth Noting

Fox TV analyst Troy Aikman talking yesterday about the Bears-Vikings game: “It will be a long offseason for Kirk Cousins and company.”

If Gophers junior wide receiver Tyler Johnson wants to apply for the 2019 NFL Draft, he and other underclassmen must do so by January 14. The draft is April 25-27 in Nashville.

Look for the Vikings to continue their interest in hosting a future draft.

The late Murray Warmath, the Gophers’ 1960 national championship football coach, would have been 106 years old last Wednesday. Former players remembered the coach’s influence on their lives in email exchanges.

The Twins have one of the five most improved farm systems in baseball, according to a Mlb.com story last Thursday by Jim Callis. He wrote that shortstop Royce Lewis and outfielder Alex Kirilloff “rank among the most elite prospects in the game.”

St. Thomas Academy running back Brendan McFadden, the Pioneer Press East Metro Player of the Year, has a preferred walk-on offer from Rice where 2017 Minnesota Mr. Football award winner Antonio Montero (Eden Prairie) is on the roster. Ivy League schools are also recruiting McFadden.

Linebacker Luke Herzog, also from St. Thomas Academy, will be a preferred walk-on at North Dakota.

The University of St. Thomas football team, 8-2 last season, was ranked No. 15 nationally by D3Football.com in its final poll. That’s the 10th consecutive year the Tommies have finished among the top 20 teams in the website’s final poll. Only two other Division III programs have accomplished that, Mount Union and Mary Hardin-Baylor.

Hill-Murray alum Jake Guentzel, the Penguins forward in town Monday night to play the Wild, has reason to celebrate the New Year. The 24-year-old recently signed a $30 million, five-year contract extension. Guentzel is in his third season with the Penguins and is on track for a career season in goals, assists and points.

Former Wild forward and Virginia, Minnesota native Matt Cullen, 42, has recently returned from the injured reserve list and is a valued leader on the Penguins.

Timberwolves owner Glen Taylor talking yesterday on WCCO Radio’s “Sports Huddle” show regarding a potential trade to help his inconsistent team: “I don’t see anything that is going to help in the near future.”

The Mount St. Mary’s men’s basketball team the Gophers defeated yesterday, 71-53, is 3-10 on the season, and has played one other Big Ten team, losing to Maryland, 92-77.

Comments Welcome

Looks Like Golden Gophers ‘Rowing’ Now

Posted on December 27, 2018December 27, 2018 by David Shama

The Golden Gophers football team closed fast the last several weeks winning three of their final four games including an upset and dominating performance against Georgia Tech last night in the Quick Lane Bowl in Detroit.

The victory gave Minnesota a final record above .500 at 7-6. The game offered more evidence the players are all-in on head coach P.J. Fleck and his culture. His “Row the Boat” mantra and demanding high energy environment has generated critics among the public, media and even presumably inside the halls of the U athletics compound, but it appears the second-year head coach has won over his team and perhaps placed the program on a path of sustained success.

In surprise wins, Minnesota has defeated Purdue, 41-10, Wisconsin, 37-15 and Georgia Tech, 34-10. Those are three above average Power Five teams, and people who know football are noticing including a former prominent Minnesota high school coach who has been following the Gophers for decades.

“I think the players have bought in,” he said last night, while speaking anonymously. “There’s been a lot of criticism of Fleck, and the players hear that, but now they believe. The culture has changed.”

Another football authority, who also didn’t want his name used, agreed that Minnesota’s impressive late season rally from a poor record going into the Purdue game on November 10 is significant. “It gives hope that the program is going in the right direction,” he said.

The Gophers’ overall record before the Purdue game was 4-5 and they were 1-5 against Big Ten opponents. Minnesota finished the regular season with records of 6-6 and 3-6.

Minnesota’s performance last night can only be graded as excellent work by both coaches and players. The Gophers were prepared and they executed their plans including defensively against a Tech team that was leading the nation in rushing at almost 335 yards per game.

GT’s triple-option attack can make defenders look like traffic cones. A story by college football media authority Athlon before the game said, “Georgia Tech’s offense is nearly impossible to stop, much less slow down.”

The Gophers started the game by making Tech go three-and-out on its first two possessions. Coach Paul Johnson’s team was held to 224 yards rushing by playing assignment football and doing it with passion. The effort was part of a resurgence by a Minnesota defense that held Purdue, Wisconsin and Georgia Tech to an average of 11.7 points per game.

That success came after a period when the Gophers gave up 30 points or more to six opponents, and yielded over 40 points four times. The disaster of allowing lowly Illinois to score 55 points forced a change in defensive coordinators and philosophy—mainly making defensive assignments simpler under the direction of new leader Joe Rossi. “When kids can play fast, they can have that kind of success, thinking less and reacting faster,” one of the sources said. “Simplifying things made all the difference and allowed the players to play with a lot of confidence.”

The Gopher offense did its part in the Quick Lane Bowl win, too. Minnesota scored 13 points in the first half and 21 in the second with multiple players at their best including freshman running back Mohamed Ibrahim who ran for 224 yards. Ibrahim’s exceptional vision enables him to find running lanes and his determination to not be tackled to the ground is in the best tradition of recent Gopher running backs.

Junior wide receiver Tyler Johnson had two touchdown catches last night and is likely weighing a decision to turn pro. He might project as a mid-round NFL draft pick in a few months but could decide another season would benefit his draft status more in 2020. He was named first team All-Big Ten by the media after the regular season when his 74 catches ranked second in the conference.

Freshman quarterback Tanner Morgan managed the offense impressively, not only throwing two touchdown passes but by not turning the ball over. It might have been Morgan’s best game after becoming the starter last month.

What caught the attention of observers as much as anything last night was how physical the Minnesota offense was. The unit looked bigger and stronger than GT’s defensive players, with the Gophers coming up with 403 yards in total offense to their opponent’s 301. “The offensive line was fantastic,” one of the sources said.

Minnesota behemoths including Blaise Andries, Curtis Dunlap Jr. and Daniel Faalele often pushed adversaries around using superior physical size and technique. At 6-foot-9 and 400-pounds Faalele is difficult to miss. The authority quoted in the previous paragraph said Faalele has big time potential and can become stronger. “I think he’s a Sunday (NFL) player,” he said.

The Gophers earned considerable success last night despite not having many players who have been starters, and even high impact performers. Defensively Minnesota was without Antoine Winfield, Jr., Blake Cashman, Kamal Martin, O.J. Smith and Jamaal Teague. On offense the Gophers didn’t have Donnell Greene, Shannon Brooks and Rodney Smith.

The win is an indication of developing depth on the roster. That means there will be a lot of competition for starting positions going into spring practice and fall camp just before next season’s 12-game schedule. This competition will come despite most of the roster’s starters returning next season and being joined by an impressive freshman class.

The way the program closed out 2018 also means something else, according to one of the authorities. “The biggest thing is it gives you great confidence going into the offseason,” he said.

The Gophers have now played in 12 bowl games in program history. The greatest of victories include a Rose Bowl win and last second victory over Oregon. There is also a win over Alabama when that football factory was at ‘low tide.” Ranking near the top of any bowl list was Minnesota’s win two years ago against pass-happy and favored Washington State when Gopher coach Tracy Claeys designed a marvelous defense to help his suspension riddled team win the Holiday Bowl.

Is it likely that some day historians may look back and view the 2018 Quick Lane Bowl win by Minnesota as part of a new chapter of success for a program that hasn’t won a Big Ten title since 1967?

Comments Welcome

Fleck: U Recruiting Class ‘Historic’

Posted on December 19, 2018December 19, 2018 by David Shama

Enjoy a Wednesday notes column:

On National Signing Day today (Wednesday) the football Golden Gophers have another class ranked in the 30s by the 247Sports composite rankings. The 2019 class is currently at No. 33, while the 2018 class finished at No. 38, per 247.

“National Signing Day, it’s a very historic day for us,” Minnesota coach P.J. Fleck said in video footage shown this morning on the Big Ten Network. “We’re looking to sign…recruiting classes that are arguably the greatest recruiting classes back-to-back in Minnesota history (Internet era).

“Coaches get a lot of credit when you win. … At the end of the day this is a players’ game. And we’ve got to find the best players and the best people that match our culture, match our university, match our state, and match this program as we continue to move forward.”

Because of technology and the fan interest in college football, recruiting rankings have become a phenomena of the new millennium. 247 reported the Gophers’ classes of 2017, 2016 and 2015 ranked No. 59, 46 and 63 nationally.

As of today Minnesota has the No. 8 class in the Big Ten, per 247. West Division rivals Nebraska, Purdue and Wisconsin rank higher but GopherIllustrated.com authority Ryan Burns thinks Minnesota’s class compares favorably, if not better. “I would put the offer list that Minnesota has for their commits versus any team in the Big Ten West (Division), and I think Minnesota would win,” Burns told Sports Headliners several days ago.

The Gophers have two four-star recruits, per 247Sports. They are Memphis defensive tackle Kristian Williams and Ellenwood, Georgia defensive tackle Rashad Cheney. Williams’ FBS offers included LSU and Mississippi, while Cheney turned down Alabama and Georgia.

Another signee, Jason Williamson, the state’s Mr. Football Award winner, will become a legend in his hometown of Owatonna if he has a big career at Minnesota. Williamson rushed for 3,009 yards and 46 touchdowns as a senior running back at Owatonna. During his career he ran for 7,009 yards and 102 touchdowns.

“Jason is an outstanding student (3.69 GPA) and a role model and leader in our hallways,” said Owatonna coach Jeff Williams in a statement after Williamson won the Mr. Football Award Sunday. “He is held in the highest regard by teachers and students alike. He is a favorite at our youth camp and in our elementary cafeterias. He is always willing to give of his time to work with the young kids in our district.”

Among Gophers signing today who could yet see their rankings increase by recruiting authorities is Rockwall, Texas quarterback Jacob Clark. The highly regarded Clark, a three-star recruit, will enroll at Minnesota soon and participate in spring practices.

The Gophers gave out their many annual awards at a banquet Sunday and senior linebacker Blake Cashman wasn’t among those honored. It’s surprising that with 19 different award categories that Cashman, who will skip the Quick Lane Bowl to avoid possible injury and prepare for the 2019 NFL Draft, wasn’t recognized with one or more awards.

The Outstanding Defensive Player Award went to junior end Carter Coughlin who led the team in sacks with 9.5. Cashman led Minnesota in solo, assisted and totals tackles with 104.

Coughlin is outstanding and could have made a difference for Ohio State this season. Coming out of Eden Prairie High School, he thought about becoming a Buckeye. His pass rushing skills would have nicely complemented the absence of OSU All-American defensive end Nick Bosa who missed most of the season for the 12-1 Buckeyes.

Junior Tyler Johnson, who won the team MVP Award Sunday, seems likely to consider declaring for the 2019 NFL Draft. Johnson was one of the Big Ten’s most productive receivers last season with 1,112 yards, 10 touchdown receptions and an average of 15.03 yards per catch.

Pro scouts, though, may question the speed of the 6-2, 200-pound former Minneapolis North athlete. Fleck and receivers coach Matt Simon could appeal to Johnson to play one more season at Minnesota to watch him mature, as did Corey Davis when he played for those coaches at Western Michigan. After Davis’ senior season he was an All-American despite generating minimal interest from college football programs coming out of high school.

Casey Mittlestadt, the former Gopher now an NHL rookie with the Sabres, has five goals and is only four goals behind the third leading rookies in that category.

Targeting 11? The Vikings had 10 sacks in their November 4 win over the Lions and possibly could top that total Sunday in Detroit. Minnesota had nine sacks, including two each from defensive end Danielle Hunter and linebacker Anthony Barr, in last Sunday’s win against the Dolphins.

The North Dakota State Bison, who play next month for a seventh FCS national title in eight years, placed seven players on the Associated Press FCS All-American teams named last week, including three Minnesotans. Hutchinson senior safety Robbie Grimsley was named to the All-American first team defense; senior defensive end Greg Menard from Lakeville North was second team defense; and junior Zack Johnson of Spring Lake Park was honored as a third team offensive tackle selection.

Grimsley and Johnson were named Walter Camp FCS first team All-Americans on Monday. Grimsley has made 51 consecutive starts, Johnson, 29, for NDSU.

Twins front office executives Derek Falvey and Thad Lavine have placed the emphasis on taking a youthful roster into 2019. Pitcher Kyle Gibson at 31 and catcher Jason Castro, 30, are the only players on the club’s 39-man roster 30 or over. Pitcher Addison Reed turns 30 on December 27.

The Twins are offering a 19 percent discount on single game home tickets for March, April, May and September of next year. Excluded is the team’s home opener on March 28.

Dave Joerger, the Minnesota native and NBA Kings coach whose team split two games with the Timberwolves in the last several days, might have been the Wolves head coach if the late Flip Saunders hadn’t wanted the job in 2014.

Comments Welcome