P.J. FLECK – Page 46 – David Shama's Minnesota Sports Headliners

Don’t Wager Vikings Draft Trey Lance

Posted on April 21, 2021April 21, 2021 by David Shama

It’s a wish that makes provincial Vikings fans salivate. Trey Lance to the Minnesota Vikings with the No. 14 selection in the first round of the April 29 NFL Draft.

Perfect.

Fans are always in search of the next quarterback hero. What could be better in these parts than drafting Lance, the Marshall, Minnesota native? Not only is he “one of us,” but his success story at North Dakota State caught this state by surprise and he has emerged as a national phenom. He wasn’t even a coveted quarterback out of high school, and he told NFL.com’s Chase Goodbread that Minnesota coach P.J. Fleck wanted him to play safety for the Golden Gophers.

As a redshirt sophomore last year, Lance announced his decision to enter the 2021 NFL Draft. He did so despite a short college career of only one full season—a headline making 2019 when he led the Bison to 16 consecutive wins and the FCS national title. He was honored with the Walter Payton Award as the top player in the FCS. He completed almost 67 percent of his passes, threw no interceptions and ran for over 1,000 yards.

A Minnesota homecoming sounds dreamy to many Vikings fans, but not so fast. While mock drafts predict a first round landing for the athletic, 6-4, 224-pound Lance, scouting authorities struggle to decide how early he should be selected and what kind of pro career awaits. Would it be a surprise to see Minnesota call his name at 14?

“Yes, I would be very surprised,” a former NFL executive told Sports Headliners this week. The authority, who chose to speak anonymously, said evaluators are unsure about Lance because of the lower level of competition he faced in college. “I think that’s the big question,” the source said.

The FCS isn’t the Big Ten, SEC or other Power Five FBS conferences. Still, no one has to look further than Carson Wentz to document a successful transition from North Dakota State to the NFL. The former Bison quarterback was the No. 2 overall selection in the first round of the 2016 draft and became a first-year starter for the Philadelphia Eagles. With five years on the Bison roster, he was far more experienced at NDSU than Lance.

The Sports Headliners source can’t see Vikings GM Rick Spielman and head coach Mike Zimmer using their first round choice on a 20-year-old quarterback needing time to acclimate and improve in the pros. The two decision makers are on short-term contracts with ownership and are coming off a season when Minnesota didn’t make the playoffs. ”They need to win and I don’t think they want to take a developmental quarterback at this stage, unless it’s a third round type guy,” the authority said.

This will be a quarterback-heavy draft in the first round. Trevor Lawrence, Justin Fields, Zach Wilson, Mac Jones and Lance are quarterbacks that all could be off the board before the Vikings make their choice, leaving Minnesota able to choose from high quality talent that play other positions. “If there are four quarterbacks taken before the Vikings pick, that’s great for them, and even if a fifth guy slides in there in the top 13, that would be amazing,” the NFL expert said. “I remember being in a lot of draft rooms where we had a good quarterback already, and we’d be thinking, ‘Please (other teams) take a quarterback.’ “

The Vikings have 32-year-old Kirk Cousins as their starter and are contractually committed to him for two more seasons. Spielman might opt for a quarterback later in the draft, perhaps someone like Florida’s Kyle Trask who would be a developmental player. Drew Brees, Dak Prescott and Russell Wilson are recent examples of quarterbacks who were selected after the first round and became stars.

The Vikings drafted Iowa’s Nate Stanley during the seventh round in 2020 and management might like him as a developmental quarterback. Sean Mannion, the team’s main backup to Cousins in 2020, is unsigned but could be retained because he knows the system and doesn’t command an expensive contract like some NFL subs.

Zimmer indicated earlier this spring the Vikings have made sufficient personnel changes during the offseason to feel comfortable about taking the best player available in the first round. “I think that’s where you want to be,” the Sports Headliners source said. “You don’t want to be reaching for positions of need in the first round. That’s where you get in trouble.”

At No. 14 the Vikings could be looking at both the best player available and filling a need. There are quality offensive linemen in this draft and the Vikings, in need of help at tackle, might be able to select Rashawn Slater from Northwestern, or Alijah Vera-Tucker of USC.

Spielman has a history of trading draft choices and accumulating picks. It could be the Vikings will move down in the first round rather than up—if they move at all. Minnesota doesn’t have a second round selection. Spielman might decide there are so many quality players in this draft it’s advantageous to select later in the first round if he can deal his pick at No. 14 for a lower choice, plus acquire a second rounder.

Worth Noting

Gabe Kalscheur’s mom, LeeAnna Kalscheur, told Sports Headliners her son is still at the University of Minnesota pursuing his business major. He will start school in early June at Iowa State where he is joining the Cyclones basketball program.

She said Gabe and the family appreciate the past three seasons and relationships with the U including the new Gopher coaches, but her son wanted a fresh start in basketball and entered the transfer portal earlier this spring. Gabe knows the coaches at Iowa State from previous experiences and chose the Cyclones over offers from Big Ten, ACC and SEC schools.

LeeAnna and her husband plan to make regular trips to Ames. She joked with Gabe that he added considerable “commuting time” to see him play college basketball.

Chet Holmgren committed Monday to Gonzaga after delaying a college choice he could have made last fall. Wait-and-see is a smart approach for some prep recruits because things can change at programs like North Carolina where legendary coach Roy Williams retired this spring. The Tar Heels and Williams were on Holmgren’s list of possible colleges after ending his high school career at Minnehaha Academy this month as the nation’s No. 1 recruit.

Marc Lore and Alex Rodriguez are presenting themselves as partners to reportedly pay $1.5 billion to buy the Minnesota Timberwolves and Minnesota Lynx, but that may not mean equal investors. It’s believed billionaire Lore’s “pockets” are considerably deeper than those of Rodriguez, the baseball star turned businessman.

Speculation is Bob Kurtz, the Minnesota Wild’s radio play-by-play voice since the franchise’s inception in 2000, may retire after this season. If so, Joe O’Donnell, who does radio games for the Iowa Wild, could emerge as a Kurtz replacement.

The struggling Twins, who have lost eight of their last nine games, finish a series with the Oakland Athletics today and then play the Pittsburgh Pirates Friday at Target Field where Minnesota was an MLB-best 24-7 last season.

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Twins Brass in Evaluation Mode

Posted on April 19, 2021April 19, 2021 by David Shama

The Minnesota Twins have experienced an unexpected start to the season. The club’s last three games have been postponed by MLB because of COVID-19 issues and the club is off to a slow start on the field with a 6-8 record.

Before the season the Twins were a consensus top 10-12 team, with some boosters listing Minnesota as one of MLB’s top half dozen clubs. The Twins opened the season going 5-2, but more recently the team is in an April swoon having lost six of its last seven games.

Close games have been troublesome. Minnesota is winless in extra innings and has lost four one-run games. But regardless of outcome and record, general manager Thad Levine likes a wait-and-see approach with his team each season.

Levine said he learned from baseball mastermind Billy Beane to evaluate your team in April and May, make necessary adjustments in June and July, and hopefully watch a championship contender in August and September.

“We’re going to take April and May to really evaluate the club,” Levine told Sports Headliners a few days ago. “We haven’t really had our opening day lineup, such as it is, play for a whole series together, and until that happens I think we’re just going to sit back and enjoy this club and make adjustments as necessary. …”

Injuries have impacted the team’s start. “So I think it’s a little bit premature to talk aggressively about trades at this juncture…because I think our team is still jelling,” Levine said.

As recently as last Monday MLB.com’s power rankings had Minnesota No. 4 behind the Los Angeles Dodgers, San Diego Padres and New York Yankees. That’s lofty company and Levine was asked about high expectations.

“Time will tell whether we earn that. I do think we’re a very talented team. The club has performed very well over the last couple of years. We have depth, we have quality, we have quantity on this club, and I think we expect to be very competitive this season.”

Spotrac.com reports the Twins rank near the MLB average for 2021 cash payrolls at $127,292,324. Because of the pandemic MLB’s 30 teams have suffered huge financial losses (perhaps over $70 million for the Twins) but Levine describes Minnesota ownership as “amazing” in its support of the organization. He said the Twins are among the minority of franchises who haven’t been forced to cut employees and “infrastructure.”

Levine also said he and president of baseball operations Derek Falvey experience an open door policy with club president Dave St. Peter and ownership to make their case regarding major roster changes, even if expensive. “Their support of our pursuit of putting a championship caliber team on the field has really never flagged,” said Levine who joined the Twins organization in 2016 along with Falvey.

Two names fans speculate about being part of the payroll in the future are starting pitcher Jose Berrios and center fielder Byron Buxton. Neither is signed long-term and the twosome are in their career prime years at 26 and 27. But signing them to lengthy extensions soon doesn’t appear likely.

Levine said that while contract negotiations are always kept private, usually the club prefers to get deals done during the offseason. The Twins’ approach is to allow players to keep their focus on the field and not divert their attentions to future contracts.

Worth Noting

Levine joking about April’s cold weather impact on baseball games: “Yeah, I have to wear a heavier coat when I am watching the team play.”

Vikings head coach Mike Zimmer talking about defensive end Danielle Hunter who didn’t play last season: “He is a great team guy. He is a terrific player. He is one of the best people that I’ve been around in professional football.”

Happy Birthday today to 38-year-old Joe Mauer. He retired from the Twins in November of 2018.

The University of Minnesota athletic department has a tickets wait-list for the May 1 spring football game. The initial offering of 10,000 free tickets was claimed within a couple of hours, with the total restricted because of the pandemic. The largest Gophers spring game attendance in memory is a 1980s gathering (of over 40,000) at the Metrodome when promoter extraordinaire Lou Holtz was Minnesota’s head coach.

Kevin Harlan, the former Minnesota Timberwolves peerless play-by-play radio voice, speaks to the Twin Cities Dunkers via Zoom Tuesday. Harlan, the 2019 National Sportscaster of the Year as selected by the National Sports Media Association, is the brother of Bryan Harlan, the agent who represents Gophers football coach P.J. Fleck.

Former Golden Gophers basketball public address announcer Dick Jonckowski said his chemo treatments for cancer are going well. He has stage 3 non-Hodgkin’s Lymphoma.

The Wild, forecast before the season as a non-playoff team, could be one of the NHL’s best stories in the postseason with several players performing at a high level including 33-year-old goalie Cam Talbot who is on track to appear in more games in 2021 than he did the two previous years. Wild GM Bill Guerin gets the credit for acquiring Talbot, part of multiple moves that have improved the team.

With the death of Elgin Baylor last month, all the Minneapolis Lakers who are enshrined in the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame are deceased. George Mikan was the first to be inducted in 1959, followed by Baylor, Jim Pollard, Slater Martin, Clyde Lovellette, Vern Mikkelsen and coach John Kundla.

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U Leaves Spot for Power Forward

Posted on April 7, 2021April 7, 2021 by David Shama

New University of Minnesota basketball coach Ben Johnson has commitments from three transfers so far but interestingly none play the power forward position occupied last season by Brandon Johnson. It’s possible that spot could be filled next season by a state native, with Minnesotans Chet Holmgren, Race Thompson, Nate Reuvers and Dawson Garcia attracting speculation.

College basketball is a fluid landscape like never before with players and coaches frequently changing addresses. It’s evident Holmgren and his father David Holmgren didn’t want to make a commitment last fall during the signing period for high school players. They decided to see who is coming and going this spring, but soon the nation’s No. 1 recruit in the class of 2021 will have to choose either a college or an opportunity in the NBA’s development league following Chet’s superlative career at Minnehaha Academy in Minneapolis. (It’s interesting that ongoing internet articles have Chet choosing Gonzaga but offer no definitive sources.)

Ben Johnson is trying to make Chet a Gopher, a task perhaps made easier with his dad being a U alum. Chet is a gifted two-way player who Johnson could offer to build his offense and defense around. At 7-feet, but only about 200 pounds, Holmgren needs physical support from a big center. If center Liam Robbins remains with the Gophers he could be a bargaining chip for Johnson in the recruitment of Holmgren, but Robbins entered the transfer portal as of yesterday.

Coach Johnson could help his team by convincing Robbins to stay, although the Iowa native’s future might be tied to his uncle Ed Conroy, an assistant last season under Richard Pitino but probably moving on to another job. Robbins, a 7-foot, 235-pound transfer last year from Drake, is one of the Big Ten’s better centers after three seasons of college experience. Robbins could lessen the stress and pounding on Holmgren from opponents by using his size and strength, while helping with rebounding, shot blocking and scoring. A versatile scorer, Robbins can move outside the lane on occasion and allow others to post up.

Robbins can be a selling point for any power forward of prominence who might be considering the Gophers. Thompson, who played at Armstrong before becoming an Indiana Hoosier, was one of the Big Ten’s most improved players last winter as a redshirt junior but is now in the transfer portal. He was eighth in the conference in blocked shots at 1.3 per game, and averaged 9.1 points and 6.2 rebounds. It’s believed he is interested in the Gophers.

While Thompson improved, Reuvers regressed during his senior season at Wisconsin (the NCAA is granting an extra year of eligibility to college seniors in 2021-2022 because of the pandemic). The Lakeville North alum led Wisconsin in scoring as a junior and made third team All-Big Ten on the Badgers’ conference title team. His 6-foot-11 size and shot blocking, combined with Robbins, would give the Gophers a dynamo pair on defense. A business major, Reuvers could position his name with Fortune 500 companies in Minneapolis-St. Paul if he is invited to come home.

Garcia, a five-star recruit at Prior Lake, almost chose the Gophers before committing to Marquette in the fall of 2019. While Garcia hasn’t entered the transfer portal, there are rumors he might leave Milwaukee. The 6-foot-11 former McDonald’s All-American made the Big East All-Freshman team last season. He started all 26 games for Marquette, averaging 6.7 rebounds and 13.2 points.

Brandon Johnson, a senior transfer from Western Michigan last season, was Minnesota’s starting power in 2020-2021 and it’s not clear whether he will return. He averaged 8.9 points and 6.3 rebounds. As a reserve next season, his experience and leadership would be a major asset.

Worth Noting

Anticipate an announcement soon that Rochester, Minnesota native and Duke forward Matthew Hurt will be declaring for the NBA Draft and not returning for his junior season with the Blue Devils.

Sources expect former DeLaSalle coach Dave Thorson, now an assistant at Colorado State, to be named one of Johnson’s assistant coaches.

The NCAA champion Baylor roster includes power forward Dain Dainja from Park Center who didn’t play in 2021 while redshirting as a freshman.

Gonzaga freshman point guard Jalen Suggs, from Minnehaha Academy, will be the No. 3 overall pick in the 2021 NBA Draft, going to the Detroit Pistons, per the mock draft from NBC Sports California. The Minnesota Timberwolves, with the No. 1 selection, will take Oklahoma State freshman guard-forward Cade Cunningham. Word of advice to the Wolves: if available, draft Suggs.

Monday’s column regarding suggestions to make MLB games move faster drew a lot of comment from readers including this from a former baseball executive: “I was in the game for a long time but simply can’t tune in for more than a few innings now because of all the pitching changes and stops in action. Even a well-known former player told me that the game had become too slow for him.”

Hopkins girls basketball legend Paige Bueckers won 2021 national Player of the Year Awards from various sources after her freshman season at Connecticut. Old-timers may compare her with “Pistol” Pete Maravich but that’s at least a little off base. Maravich, while a playmaker for the ages, was a gunner who often thought shoot first, pass second. Not sure I have ever seen the unselfish Bueckers take a bad shot.

Next Sunday, April 11, will be the 60th anniversary of the first game ever played by the Minnesota Twins. On that date the Twins, who had moved from Washington D.C. where the club was known as the Washington Senators, defeated the New York Yankees, 6-0, in Yankee Stadium.

The Twins placed outfielder Brent Rooker on the 10-day Injured List today with a cervical strain. Rooker, who was recalled from the alternate training site last Saturday, played in three games, hitting .091 with one RBI. To replace Rooker the Twins have selected the contract of left-handed pitcher Brandon Waddell from the Taxi Squad. He pitched in nine games for the Twins in spring training, going 1-1 with a 4.82 ERA.

Brusdar Graterol, the former Twins pitcher who went to the Los Angeles Dodgers in the Kenta Maeda trade, is starting the season on the 10-day Injured List.

Twins 35-year-old third baseman Josh Donaldson, also on the 10-day Injured List, said before the season he expects to have ongoing “conversation” with manager Rocco Baldelli regarding playing time in 2021. Donaldson has a history of injuries including missing most of last season with the Twins.

Minnesota Vikings coach Mike Zimmer on the NFL adding a 17th regular season game that will have his team going west to play the Los Angeles Chargers: “It’s just something else they tell us to do and we do it like good soldiers.”

P.J. Fleck said the Gophers have developed a program to address racism and he wants to be “the most empathetic head coach in America.” Fleck has used speakers such as Tony Dungy and Dr. Harry Edwards to talk about race with his team. Edwards, the famous sociologist and race expert, once took Fleck and his San Francisco 49ers teammates to a California prison.

Minnesota Wild rookie Kirill Kaprizov leads NHL first-season players in goals and points. He’s a major contributor to a Minnesota offense that is probably the best since the days of superstar Marian Gaborik.

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