Author: David Shama

Former Vikings running backs coach Dean Dalton told Sports Headliners he’s still an Adrian Peterson admirer but after last season Peterson must re-establish himself as the No. 1 rusher in the NFL.

“No, there’s a legitimate debate,” Dalton said. “Chris Johnson ran for a couple thousand yards last year.  He kept Tennessee alive when they were 0-6 and then they had an 8-2 finish. …”

Johnson led the league in rushing with 2,006 yards.  What Dalton liked, too, was Johnson didn’t have turnover problems like Peterson who fumbled seven times during the 2009 regular season and six of them were recovered by the opposition.

Peterson, who led the NFL in rushing in 2008, ran for 1,383 yards last season.  Dalton not only likes Peterson’s speed, power and elusiveness, but said the fourth year running back is improving his pass protection and catching.  Still, Dalton, who hosts an NFL show on Sirius Satellite Radio, said Johnson will be No. 1 in the league “until Adrian can unseat him.”

Going into Sunday’s game against Detroit, Peterson is third in NFL rushing with 232 yards, while Johnson is No. 5 with 176 yards.  After two games Peterson has no fumbles and that trend will obviously help him become No. 1.

In the September 20 issue of Sports Illustrated Peterson told Dan Patrick he’s better than Johnson.  Patrick asked Peterson his reaction to those who say Johnson is the best?

“I say to each his own,” Peterson said.  “I play the game to be the best player, and that doesn’t change my mindset at all.”

Peterson described quarterback Brett Favre in the magazine as a “character.”   Favre makes Peterson laugh and Patrick wrote that sometimes in the huddle Favre has “gas issues.”

At the Vikings-Miami game on Sunday Dalton talked about wide receiver Bernard Berrian, who reportedly has a six-year, $42 million contract, but has been unimpressive this season with three receptions for 27 yards.  “He hasn’t made plays for Favre,” Dalton said.  “Therefore, a quarterback will lose his confidence in his No. 1 receiver.

“Today, (on) a couple of these (Favre) interceptions, Bernard didn’t fight to break it up…and those are things that a quarterback will lose confidence in his receiver.  He won’t look his way, if he doesn’t think that he’ll make the play on the ball.”

The Lions team that plays the Vikings at Mall of America Field on Sunday is 0-2 and has lost 21 consecutive road games, but there is reason for optimism in Detroit.  The Lions might have two of the best candidates for NFL rookie of the year.  Explosive running back Jahvid Best has scored five touchdowns.  Rookie defensive tackle Ndamukong Suh, the first player chosen overall in the draft, is already seeing double teams from blockers.  He had a team leading eight tackles in last Sunday’s loss to Philadelphia.

Suh is well aware of Peterson’s abilities. “He’s a powerful runner, but he’s also got speed,” Suh said.  “I think his biggest thing is he likes to try and to run over a lot of guys. He was prone to fumbling last year, so hopefully we can create those again. In the two games that I’ve watched so far, he hasn’t really fumbled it, that I’ve noticed. We definitely want to be able to put that in the back of his head.  Hopefully we can get an early one, and continue to do that throughout the game.

“He’s definitely a guy that’s dynamic that wants to try to break tackles and run over people, so we have to be ready for both. …You need to make sure you wrap up.”

The Gophers (1-2) play Northern Illinois (1-2) tomorrow night at TCF Bank Stadium and probably will win in a close game similar to 2008 when Minnesota defeated the Huskies 31-27 at the Metrodome.

Ohio State looks like the Big Ten Conference’s best team followed by Iowa, Wisconsin, Penn State, Michigan, Michigan State, Northwestern, Purdue, Illinois, Minnesota and Indiana.

The University of Minnesota athletic department has been criticized for having too many sports (25) at the detriment of not spending enough money on football but the undefeated and No. 16 ranked Stanford football team is part of a 35 sport program.

Gophers linebacker Mike Rallis played at Edina High School and said his brother Nick, a junior safety at Edina, has verbally committed to Minnesota.

So, too, has Edina senior wide receiver Devin Crawford-Tufts.  Mike Rallis said that although other schools are pursuing Crawford-Tufts he believes the verbal commitment is “solid.”

Gophers coach Tim Brewster predicts true freshman starting safety James Manuel will become one of the Big Ten’s best safeties.  “I can’t be more pleased with the progress of James Manuel,” Brewster said.

Gophers placekicker Eric Ellestad, a senior from Armstrong, began attending every Minnesota game when he was five years old, according to Brewster.

Jim Thome is on the cover of this week’s Sports Illustrated with the headline: “Prairie Homer Companion: Jim Thome has the power to bring October magic to Minnesota.”

Manager Ron Gardenhire, who has won six division titles in nine seasons, will have even more leverage in contract negotiations if his Twins can advance to the American League Championship Series for the second time under his direction.  Gardenhire’s contract expires after next season and his past salary has been published at $2.5 million by Cot’s Baseball Contracts, https://mlbcontracts.blogspot.com/2005/01/minnesota-twins_17.html.

In the regular season the Twins’ records against potential AL playoff rivals New York, Tampa Bay and Texas are 2-5, 3-5 and 7-3.

The Timberwolves, who open training camp in Mankato tomorrow, will hold media day today at Target Center.  Life Time Fitness has become the first-ever naming rights partner for the Timberwolves practice facility. The Timberwolves and Lynx practice facility, located within Life Time Fitness Target Center, has been re-named the Life Time Fitness Training Center.

The training center naming rights deal is part of a new multi-year corporate partnership agreement between the Timberwolves and Life Time Fitness.  Life Time Fitness will have its logo on the front of Timberwolves practice jerseys and other details of the agreement include signage, discounts on Wolves tickets for Life Time Fitness members, and championship recreation basketball games involving Life Time members will be played at the practice facility.

The 25^th annual Roy Griak Invitational will be tomorrow at the Les Bolstad Golf Course.  The cross country event is named after former Gophers track and cross country coach Roy Griak who will be 87 next month.  Griak is now an administrative assistant for track and cross country.  He will be at the course before daylight tomorrow helping to prepare for the event.

Legendary Romanian coach Bela Karolyi will meet with local gymnastics club leaders at Xcel Energy Center on Tuesday.  The St. Paul arena hosts USA Gymnastics’ annual national event – the Visa Championships – in August of next year.