Author: David Shama

The Gophers football program will recognize its seniors at tomorrow’s final 2009 home game at TCF Bank Stadium but the senior from Cold Spring, Minnesota who will watch from the sidelines on crutches is Minnesota’s best player–freshman, sophomore, junior or senior.  School record setting wide receiver Eric Decker will no doubt feel various emotions as he watches tomorrow’s game against South Dakota State.

Decker injured his left foot in the Ohio State game and had surgery a few days later.  Not only will he miss the last four games of the season, but Decker won’t be available to work out for pro scouts before next year’s NFL draft.

Decker said it will be difficult not to join his teammates on the field tomorrow.  Many of the players on the roster are people he has been around for four or five years, including his redshirt season.  “At least I will be on the sidelines cheering them on,” he said.

Decker is appreciative of the career he’s had with the Gophers, but that doesn’t mean there haven’t been tears these last few weeks.  “Oh, definitely.  It was an emotional roller coaster,” he said.  “There’s some highs of appreciation.  There’s lows, you know, it’s over.  That’s kind of all she wrote.  But there was times when it was very saddening to be around them (teammates), and know you’ll never wear the maroon and gold again.  And it’s going to be a long road to recovery, but there’s many happy times, too.”

Decker might have been a second or third round pick in next year’s NFL draft.  But now he seems likely to go late in the draft, or possibly be a free agent.  His lack of exceptional speed will be questioned even more now that he’s had foot surgery.  Also, Decker’s recovery from surgery will prevent him from working out for scouts prior to the draft.  A team willing to take a gamble could come up with a superb value, a great character guy with the ability to make difficult catches.

Decker acknowledged it will be a challenge to prove himself physically but he will focus on controlling what he can.  That means interviewing successfully with pro teams and doing the best job he can in rehabilitation of his foot.

A baseball career is definitely “on the back burner” because Decker wants to pursue football.  He’s played college baseball for the Gophers but not with the same time commitment and success that has happened in football where he has the school record for career receiving yardage (3,119) and consecutive 100 yard games (four).  He’s also tied with Tutu Atwell for most career 100 yard games (11).

After college Decker said he might one day be involved with athletic administration.  His friend and roommate, quarterback Adam Weber, could end up in coaching.  A visitor suggested the possibility that one day Decker might be the Gophers athletic director, Weber the head football coach.

“That would be something, huh?” Decker asked.  “That would be a storyline.”

Decker has already written one superb storyline with his play as a Gopher, making difficult and clutch catches, leading the team when injured and inspiring his teammates with his skills and courage.  Maybe one day he will be back to make another contribution to Gophers athletics.

This week it was a typical Wednesday morning for the media at Winter Park, the Vikings training facility.  About 22 journalists were standing outside the field house waiting to enter and attend a news conference.

The doors opened closer to noon than the scheduled 11:45 a.m. but no one in the media had turned around to go elsewhere.  Coach Brad Childress was at the podium within minutes, talking in front of a half dozen cameras, plus print, radio and Web reporters.  There were several questions for Childress but because he’s available to the media multiple times per week he’s not quite the target that quarterback Brett Favre is.

Vikings public relations director Bob Hagan receives a lot of media requests to interview Favre but Favre’s weekly routine is usually a Wednesday press conference, a Friday meeting with TV production people planning the coming Sunday’s telecast and then a post-game news conference.

When Favre stepped to the podium this week he was wearing a baseball cap and dressed casually with a towel draped over his right shoulder. He didn’t make an opening statement and began answering questions.

Favre is pleasant and thorough with his answers.  Favre isn’t defensive but you are aware he’s alert to understanding what the question is and perhaps the meaning behind it.  Nearly all questions received a detailed answer on Wednesday and responses could last for a few minutes.  His speech wasn’t filled with clichés and he doesn’t come to the podium with his own agenda of messages.

Favre is quick to give credit to teammates and coaches.  Sometimes he will criticize himself, perhaps suggesting he holds on to the ball too long when attempting to pass.  He will occasionally have fun with himself, too, as he did on Wednesday when asked about how he hurt his groin a couple of weeks ago.

“I’d like to say that it was in a full tackling drill, but it was a lot less than that,” Favre said.  “It was really just a half-walk-through, rolling out to the right. It’s like when (you) wake up in the morning and you are putting your shoes on and your back gives out for no apparent reason. That’s kind of what it was.”

Favre will also give his audience insight about his personal life.  Asked about how he spent last week when the Vikings didn’t have a game to prepare for and he had extra time he said: “I didn’t go home (to Mississippi).  I hung around here, did a little hunting. (I just) killed time, before you ask.  Probably like most of the guys, I just got away from it. I actually came in one day and watched film. So I couldn’t totally get away from it.”

While football is his job, Favre understands news conferences and that working with the media is part of his responsibility.  He’s had lots of experience including his many     seasons in Green Bay and New York where he was always news.

Away from the field, Favre has done charity work including for the Make-A-Wish Foundation.  He’s spent time with children in the program since his arrival here.

Some personal time has been devoted to playing golf, hunting or going to the movies.  There’s been time with his family which has been temporarily relocated to a Minneapolis suburb.

Despite all the attention he receives, Favre said there’s nothing special he does to stay grounded:  “Nothing really. I go home. I helped my 10-year old with some homework yesterday, which I think fourth and 20 at the end of the game is a little bit easier than some of her homework.  I did a little bit of that.  I’ve gone out and spent a little time in the woods doing some hunting, but other than that, that is pretty much it.  Pretty boring.”

The latest issue of Sports Illustrated predicts as part of its midseason NFL report that the Vikings, rated No. 2 in the NFC behind No. 1 New Orleans, will lose to the Saints in the conference championship game.

Vikings receiver and kickoff returner Percy Harvin is a mid-season favorite for NFL rookie of the year.  Coach Brad Childress was asked if there’s something in particular he wants Harvin to make big strides in improving.  “Nothing that jumps to my mind front-and-center,” Childress said.  “I’m not going to say none, but how about all?”

The Vikings play a Detroit team at home on Sunday that has a blitzing defense.  Childress was asked if the Lions blitz about 40 percent of the time. “I would say at least,” he answered.  “Probably in some of the down and distances, a good bit more than that. They are attempting to make things happen. You see both man blitzes where they are playing man-to-man and you see a good share of fire zone blitzes where they are dropping in a zone and watching the ball come out from the quarterback.

“You have to be about your business (pass) protection-wise because they are bringing it from all spots. They are checking your protections all the time. Those things are equally as good in disturbing run game schemes if they are going to dial one up on first down or second down.”

Detroit coach Jim Schwartz talking about Adrian Peterson including how the Vikings running back has changed since the first Vikings-Lions game on September 20: “Obviously, a running back that is strong and can go the distance any time he touches the ball. He can run inside, he can run outside.

“Probably the biggest thing that I have seen that is different from the first game is that he looks a little more comfortable in the pass game now. They are getting him the ball a little more in the pass game.  He has caught some screen passes and things like that. He’s a multi-dimensional runner.  He’s becoming more and more adept in the passing game and they are getting the ball in his hands a little bit more that way.”

Vikings fans will recall the name of former Detroit quarterback Eric Hipple.  Since leaving football Hipple has lived an inspirational life recovering from depression and dealing with the death of his son.  Photojournalist John Gross detailed the story for KSTP TV last month.  https://kstp.com/news/stories/S1201819.shtml?cat=206.

Among the Gophers best players this season is senior linebacker Lee Campbell who has been impressive with his aggressive style.  Campbell said he’s given “everything” to the football program and described the next two games as “critical.”  The Gophers play South Dakota State tomorrow at home, then close the regular season at Iowa.  Two wins would give Minnesota a 7-5 record and Campbell said that is a “successful” season.  “I really want to win these last two games for our seniors’ sake,” Campbell said.

South Dakota State will be playing the Gophers for the first time since 1933.  The Jackrabbits, who are 0-5 against Minnesota, will play in Minneapolis again in 2015.

South Dakota State, 7-2 this season, defeated Northern Iowa, a team that lost in the last minute to Iowa.  The Jackrabbits are ranked No. 12 nationally in the Football Championship Subdivision coaches poll.  The roster includes 20 Iowans, 19 South Dakotans and 10 Minnesotans.

South Dakota State averaged 13,265 fans for its home games this season, a new school record.

Members of the Wild are sporting mustaches for the month in support of Movember, which is helping to raise awareness and funds for prostate cancer. (More info at www.movember.com).

South St. Paul native Zach Palmquist was named the United States Hockey League’s CCM Defensive Player of the Week after his two goals and two assists in two games for the Waterloo Black Hawks last weekend.

Updates on Lynx players: In three games in Israel Rashanda McCants is averaging 22.3 points and 9.7 rebounds per game.  In two EuroLeague games Quanitra Hollingsworth is averaging 14.5 points and 12.5 rebounds per game for Lithuanian club TEO Vilnius.  In the French League Charde Houston has led Tarbes to a 7-1 league record, while averaging 16.5 points per game and 5.8 rebounds. Candice Wiggins is playing for Athinaikos in Greece where her team is 4-0.  She  is averaging 14.5 points per game and 4.8 rebounds.