Author: David Shama

Adrian Peterson, who leads the NFL in rushing with 1,581 yards, is also ahead of the league’s players in another category, most fumbles.  The second-year soon to be All-Pro has six on the season, one more than eight other running backs and quarterbacks who have five.

Peterson fumbled twice against the Lions a week ago Sunday and had two other near fumbles.  He avoided his third fumble in two weeks last Sunday against the Cardinals when officials ruled Peterson was on the ground before losing the ball.

Vikings fullback Naufahu Tahi was asked by Sports Headliners last week if Peterson receives leniency because of his extraordinary ability and performance.  No, Tahi answered, and he said Peterson knows that regardless of his “status” he has to secure the football.

Tahi said the coaching staff doesn’t have a set policy on discipline for fumbling. “There’s no set rule if you fumble (that) you gotta come out of the game but … you want to be able to take care of it and have the coaches trust that you can take care of the ball. …”

Peterson fumbled four times last year as a rookie in 238 rushing attempts.  This season, with two games to play, he has two more but he also has 320 rushing attempts.

Apparently the fumbles are an annoyance to his father, Nelson, who communicates with Vikings coach Brad Childress and tells him he will talk to his famous son about correcting the problem, according to Joe Buck of Fox Sports.  Buck spoke about that during the telecast of Sunday’s Vikings-Arizona game.

The fumble subject has been minimized by the Vikings four game winning streak and closing in on the NFC North Division championship.  Also, by Peterson‘s three consecutive 100-plus yard games including 165 on Sunday against the Cardinals.

The Vikings will finish the regular season having played their last seven games either in warm weather sites or covered stadiums.  Place-kicker Ryan Longwell, who played nine seasons with Green Bay before coming here, was asked about how “neutral conditions” help execute a game plan.

“It’s tough to play December cold games when there’s field conditions, and weather conditions, and wind conditions,” he said. “…I’ve seen it so many times in Lambeau (Field) when you game plan all week for a certain thing and you show up on game day and it doesn’t allow you to do what you practiced.  So you scrap it, you figure out a way to get through the game.  So having neutral conditions, you can kind of expect what you game plan for you can actually do.”

No league does parity better than the NFL and although seven teams have only won four or fewer games, the playoff contenders are many and it’s anyone’s guess which two teams will make the Super Bowl.  The Vikings are 9-5 and in first place in the NFC North but with two weeks left in the season could even miss the playoffs depending on how they and other teams perform.  Eleven teams in the NFC have seven losses or fewer.  And all of this means at least several NFL head coaching jobs could open up after the season.

Mike Sherels, who was a senior on Tim Brewster’s first Minnesota team in 2007, has a prediction as to when the Gophers will be special.  It will be the 2011 season when Brewster’s first full recruiting class (last February) become seniors.

Sherels is an assistant football coach at Prior Lake High School.

What’s in a name?  Apparently a lot if you’re former Gopher football player Greg White now in the NFL with the Tampa Bay Bucs.  On Monday a judge approved his new name, Stylez G. White, according to www.miamiherald.com and other news sources.  He chose the name because he liked a particular character in the Michael J. Fox movie “Teen Wolf.”

Former Gophers national championship coach Murray Warmath will be 96 on December 26.

Jerry Burns, former Vikings coach, will be 82 on January 24 and works out at a local health club every other day.

Lane Kiffin, the former Bloomington Jefferson alum, is in the news because he’s the new head football coach at Tennessee and his dad, former Vikings assistant Monte, will be joining the Volunteers staff.  But his gorgeous wife Layla is a search engine favorite, too.

PGA player and Wayzata native Tim Herron (aka “Lumpy”) and wife Ann will launch the Lil’ Lumpy Leadership Initiative tomorrow at the Kimberly Lane Elementary School gymnasium in Wayzata.  The initiative teaches kids leadership skills through golf.  The Herrons will congratulate students for taking part in a essay challenge on leadership and recognize the school for its commitment to teaching leadership skills.  The school will be the first in Minnesota to be placed atop the “Lil’ Lumpy Leaderboard.”  More at www.lillumpy.com

It will be a downer for the golf industry, including next summer’s PGA at Hazeltine National Golf Club, if Tiger Woods sits out 2009 to rehab from his famous knee surgery.

The Timberwolves Al Jefferson donated $25,000 to Miami Dade College earlier this year to start a scholarship in honor of his late father.  Jefferson’s sister Jazma is in her second year at the school.

Kate Smith, formerly Kate Riley, was recently named director of marketing for Gatorade.  Kate, who was inducted last month into the Edina High School Athletic Hall of Fame, was an all-state basketball player for the Hornets and later played for Illinois where she was a four-year starter and team captain.  Her parents are Dick and Carolyn Riley, both of whom have been active volunteers for the United States Tennis Association.

Congratulations to former Patrick Henry coach Don Swanson and wife Barb on their 50^th wedding anniversary this Friday.

“Day In The Life: Nick Schultz” will debut on the NHL Network beginning at 6 p.m. local time tomorrow.  The 30-minute episode follows Schultz for the entire game day of December 5 when the Wild played Vancouver at home.  NHL Network will also re-air the show on Saturday at 3 p.m. and Sunday at 3:30 p.m.

In 21 games this year Pavol Demitra, who left the Wild after last season to play for Vancouver, has 10 goals and eight assists for the Northwest Division leading Canucks (tied with Calgary).  Minnesota, which has lost both of its games to Vancouver, misses his point production.  The Wild have four goals in their last five games, all losses.