A last of the year column while using a notes format and featuring the Vikings, Golden Gophers and Timberwolves.
There is a missing storyline coming out of Sunday’s 27-25 Vikings win over the Packers in Minneapolis. With the victory, the Vikings eliminated a possible matchup against the Pack in Green Bay during the playoffs.
A game at potentially frigid Green Bay in January is something any Packer postseason opponent wants to avoid. Numbing temps and gusty winds could negatively impact Minnesota’s elite roster of offensive playmakers and favor Green Bay’s running offense with stud ball carrier Josh Jacobs.
The 14-2 Vikings defeated the 11-5 Packers by a total of four points in two wins this season. The talent margin between the two teams is not huge and the Vikings would be a more solid bet to win a playoff game at climate-controlled U.S. Bank Stadium.
The Vikings, of course, can host all their NFC postseason games at home if they defeat the Lions, 13-2, in Detroit Sunday. The game time has been changed to an evening kickoff, with NBC televising the match up that will determine the NFC North Division title and playoff seeding.
No matter what quarterback Sam Darnold does in the Detroit game, or in the playoffs, it appears likely the Vikings will bring him back for at least another season. The club could put the franchise tag on him for something like $40 million for one season, or possibly commit longer to the 27-year-old who before 2024 was an NFL journeyman.
Darnold, who passed for a career high 377 yards and three touchdowns against the Packers on Sunday, is the first starting quarterback in NFL history to win 14 games in his first year with his team. He is playing on a one-year $10 million deal.
“Sam Darnold is the best quarterback in the NFL,” teammate J.J. McCarthy posted on Instagram.
McCarthy, the rookie quarterback sidelined all season, was thought to be the heir apparent to Darnold next season. But Darnold is playing at such an elite level that it seems prudent to re-sign him and let McCarthy recover more from knee surgeries and sit and learn in 2025.
The 7-5 Gophers are about a touchdown favorite to win the Duke’s Mayo Bowl Friday night against 6-6 Virginia Tech. It’s tradition at the annual bowl in Charlotte for the winning coach to be drenched in mayonnaise after the game.
That prospect prompts anticipation about Minnesota coach P.J. Fleck’s fate with his bald head. “Yeah, I am excited,” quarterback Max Brosmer said of the possibility. “I am not sure how fond of mayonnaise coach Fleck is, so we will see what that looks like if we come out with a win up there at the Duke’s Mayo Bowl.
“I kind of wish he had hair because I think it would be stuck in his hair a little more. It might be easier to clean off if he’s clean shaven. …”
In one season Brosmer established himself as one of the best Gopher quarterbacks in decades. His physical skills, mental acuity and work ethic are a combination seldom seen in Dinkytown.
“I feel comfortable knowing that I didn’t take any days for granted,” Brosmer said. “I put as much effort as I could into every single day. …”
Brosmer, who transferred to Minnesota from FCS New Hampshire, is the “best processor” of information Fleck said he has ever coached. The coach said this year’s offense was probably the most “complex” he’s had in 12 years as a head coach but Brosmer “processes it like it’s the easiest.”
“…We only had him for eleven months, twelve months, but the legacy he’s going to leave is what he passed down in terms of the process—the preparation—to the other guys. And I think that’s the ultimate definition of a leader is what you’re passing down that other people are going to use to make the team and themselves better.”
Brosmer’s likely successor will be freshman Drake Lindsey. Brosmer is complimentary of Lindsey’s passion to play and work ethic. “No team will be successful without a quarterback that just loves football,” Brosmer said.
On the defensive side, lineman Anthony Smith is likely to be a key player in the bowl game and in 2025 when he could achieve postseason honors. The 6-6, 295-pound redshirt sophomore has gone from a spot player in his career to a starter.
Fleck said early on Smith was moved around with different responsibilities and that was a learning process, “but he’s grown a ton mentally, physically and emotionally. The maturity level is going through the roof. He knows why in everything that he’s doing, he’s able to play a little bit faster. And he’s so versatile. I don’t think I’ve ever had a guy that big with that versatility, at 6’6″, 295 pounds, and he can do a lot of different things. …”
“He’s a dude. He’s a very built player. Very big, naturally strong,” said nose guard and teammate Jalen Logan-Redding. He believes Smith has “really realized how big of a player he actually is when he is on the field.”
Minnesota has won five consecutive bowl games under Fleck. While other teams may not focus on giving their best, that hasn’t happened with the Gophers.
“Yeah, that comes from coach Fleck,” said offensive coordinator Greg Harbaugh Jr. “He demands that we have the discipline and structure every single day to…(be) our best. It shows throughout training camp, spring ball, bowl prep, whatever season of the year it is. It comes from the top.”
The Timberwolves have won three consecutive games, and that success is coming at an opportune time because of the next two opponents. The Wolves will play two of the best teams in the NBA, against the 26-5 Thunder Tuesday night in Oklahoma City and in Minneapolis Thursday evening against the 23-9 Celtics.
The Wolves, 17-14, have won their last three games by a total of nine points. Before Sunday night’s 112-110 home win over the Spurs, Minnesota point guard Mike Conley talked about what was being emphasized.
“It’s finishing and that’s on both ends of the floor. Boxing out, defensive rebounding, finishing our plays offensively. Playing through contact, just being aggressive, being physical. I think when we can get back to our nature of being that aggressive team, we can play through mistakes and be a confident team going forward.”
Guard Donte DiVincenzo came off the bench to score a season high 26 points, including 15 points in the first half when the Wolves took a 57-45 end of the second quarter lead. It was his second consecutive 20-plus game and coach Chris Finch had him on the floor in the closing minutes when the 6-4 guard contributed offensively and defensively.
The crowd came to see the Wolves for sure, but also 7-3 Spurs’ wunderkind Victor Wembanyama. The 20-year-old could be the future face of the NBA. He plays with extraordinary agility and versatility, able to roam the court defensively and offensively.
Wembanyama scored a game high 34 points, making four of 12 three-point shots. In pregame warmups he drew a roar from the crowd after making a beyond midcourt shot.
After the game Wolves power forward Julius Randle was asked about the assignment of guarding Wembanyama. “Just take up his air space. You know he’s 7’10, whatever the hell he is. Just trying to take up his air space and make it difficult for him. You know when you let him play free in space, he’s special, so just trying to make it as hard as possible. …”
Heartfelt condolences to friends and family of Bill McReavy Sr. who passed away recently at age 92. Bill is in the Loyalists’ Hall of Fame among devoted supporters of Gophers athletics. He always had a smile for friends and was an icon in the community heading up Washburn-McReavy funeral and cremation services.
Sad to report the deaths of former Gopher hockey player Len Lilyholm and wife Carol after a car accident on Saturday in Iowa. They were travelling from Minnesota to their home in Florida where they planned to spend time with friends Lou Nanne and Dave Brooks, a source told Sports Headliners. Len played in the early 1960s for Minnesota on the “Smurf line” that included Brooks and Gary Schmalzbauer. Nanne, a defenseman, was on the team, too.
Belated happy birthday to Randy Shaver who recently turned 69. The former KARE 11 news and sports anchor can be followed on his podcasts.
Minneapolis native Jay Pivec, now retired but a well-traveled basketball coach who is in the NJCAA Coaches Association Hall of Fame, has a new book out about his basketball life. The Book of Piv is a fun storytelling read and available from Amazon.
Comments Welcome
