P.J. FLECK – Page 5 – David Shama's Minnesota Sports Headliners

Vikings Reserve QB Roster Battles Command Attention

Posted on August 10, 2025August 10, 2025 by David Shama

Enjoy a Sunday notes column.

J.J. McCarthy is rock solid as the Viking starting quarterback but better believe the jockeying for status behind him is a competitive situation.

McCarthy played briefly in the first quarter of Saturday’s opening preseason game, a 20-10 win over the Texans in Minneapolis. Head coach Kevin O’Connell indicated after the game he was more than satisfied with how his 22-year-old leader ran the offense.

Before the first quarter was over Sam Howell relieved McCarthy. Then later in the game the Vikings turned to another veteran, Brett Rypien, before having rookie Max Brosmer finish up.

Howell completed 11 of 13 passes for 105 yards. Rypien was 1 of 4 for six yards while Brosmer, 5 of 8 for 47 yards, threw the lone Minnesota touchdown pass of the game.

O’Connell thought Brosmer “did a pretty darn good job coming in…and putting the ball in the end zone there.” Brosmer had a 118.2 rating, the highest of the Viking quarterbacks.

Minnesota may decide to keep Brosmer on the 53-man roster to start the season. Whether it’s been FCS New Hampshire, the Big Ten Golden Gophers or the Vikings, the likeable and football savvy Brosmer attracts admirers. Don’t be surprised if the eventual QB roster looks like this: No. 1 McCarthy, No. 2 Howell and Brosmer No. 3, with Rypien cut from the team.

If the Vikings don’t place Brosmer on their roster they take a major risk of another team picking him up.

McCarthy said this about Brosmer earlier in training camp: “Max is the man. Just super detail oriented, works his butt off. I can’t say enough good things about that guy. He is just an awesome human being. …”

Ben Solak, writing for ESPN earlier this month, ranked the Vikings coaching staff No. 1 among the 32 NFL teams. Solak’s approach was to evaluate not only the head coach, but also analyze offensive and defensive coordinators. He is especially an admirer of O’Connell and defensive coordinator Brian Flores.

“O’Connell has easily leaped into that utmost echelon of offensive designers, and Flores remains the cream of the defensive crop,” Solak wrote. “There are always little things to wonder about– scheming for a rookie is different from scheming for a veteran, even if that veteran had never been successful elsewhere — but there is no doubt that O’Connell & Co. elevate players more than any other coaching staff in football.”

David Hale, writing recently for ESPN.com on college football, placed the football Gophers among five under the radar teams who may exceed expectations. “Not counting the 2020 COVID-19 season, Minnesota is one of just 15 teams to win 60 percent of its Power 5 games. That’s more impressive than it sounds. It’s better than Washington, Tennessee, Ole Miss, Miami and Texas A&M.

“The Gophers enter 2025 with a ton of intriguing options led by Koi Perich and Darius Taylor, and while the schedule includes road trips to Ohio State and Oregon, there’s certainly a path for P.J. Fleck to get Minnesota back to the 10-win plateau (last achieved in 2019).”

The Twins try to win their three-game series at home today against the Royals who Minnesota manager Rocco Baldelli has a 60-42 career record against. That’s his most victories over any team.

University of St. Thomas Athletic Director Phil Esten will be joined by head men’s basketball coach Johnny Tauer and men’s hockey coach Rico Blasi at a meeting of the Capital Club at Mendakota Country Club on August 27. They will discuss UST’s transition from DIII to DI, the new campus arena, NIL and potential competition with the Gophers. More information about the club is available from Patrick Klinger, patrick@agilemarketingco.com.

Twin Cities Business has honored Patrick as one of 25 Notable Marketing Leaders for 2025 for his work on behalf of clients.

Tomorrow, August 11, will be the 22^nd anniversary of Herb Brooks’ death in a car accident. The legendary hockey coach’s gravesite at Roseville’s Roselawn Cemetery is frequently visited by admirers who remember his extraordinary career that included the 1980 “Miracle on Ice” at the Olympics.

Former Viking and NFL Hall of Famer John Randle will be the celebrity golfer tomorrow at the Ben & Adith Miller Golf Classic benefitting the Winona Health Foundation. The event will be at the Cedar Valley Golf Course in Winona.

Former Hopkins superstar Paige Bueckers is a huge favorite to win WNBA Rookie of the Year honors. Playing for the Dallas Wings (8-23 record), Bueckers is averaging 18.6 points per game, 5.4 assists and 4.1 rebounds from her guard position.

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Don’t Bet on Seeing a Lot of QB J.J. McCarthy in Preseason

Posted on August 3, 2025August 3, 2025 by David Shama

The Vikings play their first of three preseason games starting Saturday at U.S. Bank Stadium. Then they have joint practices August 13 and 14 in Eagan against the Patriots before playing them in an exhibition game August 16 in Minneapolis. The Vikings finish up with a preseason game August 22 in Nashville against the Titans.

What fans are salivating over is when they can watch quarterback J.J. McCarthy. The short answer is not much.

That’s a popular view including from a valued Sports Headliners source whose background includes front office assignments with NFL teams. Speaking on condition of anonymity he said via text: “I expect him to play a couple series at most in (the) preseason opener vs Texans, then after their joint practices with Patriots, he won’t play in preseason #2…or the last preseason game when no starters play.”

McCarthy talking about rookie quarterback Max Brosmer, the former Golden Gopher: “Max is the man. Just super detail oriented, works his butt off. I can’t say enough good things about that guy. He is just an awesome human being, and he can sing pretty well, too. He’s got a song out there: Old Jack Daniels. You can check it out…” https://www.youtube.com/watch?

Will Reichard, the Vikings rookie kicker who last season made all of his extra points and converted 24 of 30 field goal attempts including eight from over 50 yards, is hitting the ball well in training camp, per special teams coach Matt Daniels. Noting that the Vikings will face adverse weather conditions on the road, Daniels said the “biggest thing is handling” the elements at camp which can include stiff winds.

Worth Noting

The Big Ten Network airs its football training camp show on the Gophers today at multiple times including 6 to 7 p.m. and 10 to 11 p.m. The BTN crew was in town last night to attend the practice open to the public and media.

Interesting take: background music was played throughout the evening’s practice including the Iowa fight song. Surprisingly, no boo-birds or even murmurs surfaced from the crowd of perhaps 2,000 people.

The players were limited in contact with an emphasis on passing and new starting quarterback Drake Lindsey, the redshirt freshman, threw some nice balls. The wide receiver corps, as advertised, was impressive including redshirt freshman Jalen Smith from Mankato who could emerge as a star before his four seasons of eligibility are done.

The Gophers showed a goal line power offense with tight end Frank Bierman lined up in front of the tailback. The pecking order at tailback looked like Darius Taylor and transfers A.J. Turner (Marshall) and Cam Davis (Washington).

The speedy and elusive Turner, who in 2024 averaged a nation’s best 8.3 yards per carry for runners with over 100 rushing attempts, returned kickoffs at last night’s practice.

Daniel Jackson, the true freshman from Alexandria, Minnesota, showed a strong leg on field goal attempts. Brady Denaburg, the senior transfer from Syracuse, flashed perhaps even a stronger leg. He made 13 of 22 career field goals at Syracuse and recorded 156 touchbacks on 198 kickoffs.

BetMGM has the Gophers as 16.5 point favorites playing at home to defeat Buffalo in the season opener for both teams on August 28. It appears to be a large point spread against a Buffalo team that is among the favorites to win the Mid-American.

Gopher head coach P.J. Fleck loves to play golf but his increasingly busy schedule limits times on the links. He usually plays with his buddy Cal Simmons at Interlachen Country Club, and Simmons said the two have been out about six times this year and play either early in the day or late.

Twins president Derek Falvey sent out a letter via email Friday to ticket purchasers. It said in part: “This week, we made a clear and deliberate decision to strengthen the next chapter of championship-caliber baseball for the Minnesota Twins. ..

“We know moves like this spark reactions. That’s natural. It reflects how much you care.

“That’s why we’re positioning the Twins to compete at a higher level, not just in the short term, but in a way that can endure the ups and downs of a long season. That’s the kind of team you deserve.

“The mission hasn’t changed. We’re here to build a team that can win a World Series. …”

A Sports Headliners reader points out that since the Twins won the 1991 World Series all their rivals in the American League Central Division have been to the big show. The Guardians have been to three World Series, the Royals and Tigers two, and the White Sox one. The Royals and White Sox won titles.

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Brian Flores Likes What He Sees in Vikings QB J.J. McCarthy

Posted on July 29, 2025July 29, 2025 by David Shama

Enjoy a Tuesday notes column.

All eyes seemingly are on first-year Vikings starting quarterback J.J. McCarthy at training camp. Among those most qualified to give an opinion about the 22-year-old is defensive coordinator Brian Flores.

Flores said yesterday part of the strategy in preparing the inexperienced quarterback is “giving him a lot of different looks” from the defense. “I think J.J. has done a great job. I really do. I think he’s got real good command of the offense. I think he’s throwing the ball really well. I think he’s doing a lot of nice things and I’ve liked watching him improve. That’s good for everybody.”

Seems like when, not if, Flores will leave from his successful run here and accept an NFL head coaching position elsewhere. As in past seasons, it appears likely Flores will hear his name speculated on for openings in the fall and early winter.

Flores had a head coaching job previously, leading the Dolphins from 2019-2021. That tenure didn’t end well with a 24-25 record and negative feelings about his dismissal.

Flores has flourished in two previous seasons as leader of the Vikings defense. In his first two seasons leading the defense (2023-24), Minnesota had 53 total takeaways, the third most in the NFL trailing only Buffalo (59) and Pittsburgh (57). The Vikings have also held foes to an average of 96.1 rushing yards per game under Flores. That’s the third-fewest rushing yards per game over the past two seasons, behind only Detroit (93.6) and Baltimore (94.7).

Flores, who was a finalist for the Associated Press Assistant Coach of the Year for 2024, has not only polished his resume here, but also assimilated the offensive wisdom and coaching prowess of head coach Kevin O’Connell. In three seasons O’Connell has dazzled as a quarterback developer and offensive strategist.

Flores praises the way the offense goes about its business, from leadership to how the unit practices. He is comfortable going into the boss’s office and “picking his brain” on things like pass protection or route concepts. He describes O’Connell’s relationships with others as a “super power.”

“My time with him has been incredible these last two years and this year as well,” Flores said. “I think I am pretty good in some areas. Areas I am not as good in, he’s really good in. So just kind of naturally I get better in those areas. …”

Flores describes a “bit of a chess match” between the Vikings offense and defense as both units work on details to improve themselves and each other. Flores knows O’Connell is loaded with football smarts. “X’s and O’s wise, he’s as good as they get,” Flores said.

No word on who will be replacing recently retired Joe Schmit as sports director at KSTP TV. If the successor comes internally, seems likely the choice could be Chris Long who was the No. 2 behind Schmit.

George Schauer, the point man on the Golden Gophers famous Harlem Globetrotters-like warmup show in the early 1970s, died earlier this month in Dallas. Coach Bill Musselman put Schauer on scholarship strictly because of his ballhandling skills and trickery as he led his teammates through a pre-game show set to music that packed Williams Arena and had fans roaring with delight.

Former Gophers assistant coach Kevin Wilson told Sports Headliners Schauer scored two points in his four-year career and that Schauer and the Williams Arena faithful went bonkers when he made his field goal.

Schauer entertained with his basketball wizardry after college with his most recent gig as an ambassador for the Frisco, Texas based Texas Legends of the G League. That’s the official minor league of the NBA.

New coach Niko Medved’s 2025 Gophers have their last day of summer practice Thursday. Medved meets with the media that day to provide an evaluation.

Cody Nagel from Cbssports.com ranked the 18 Big Ten football coaches last week and Minnesota’s P.J. Fleck is at No. 8. Coaches above Fleck starting at No. 1 are Ryan Day, Ohio State; Dan Lanning, Oregon; James Franklin, Penn State; Lincoln Riley, USC; Kirk Ferentz, Iowa; Curt Cignetti, Indiana; Bret Bielema, Illinois.

Pioneer League football coaches voted St. Thomas to finish third in the standings this fall behind San Diego and Drake. In four previous seasons in the league, head coach Glenn Caruso’s Tommies have finished top three each year including a championship in 2022.

Twins infielder Luke Keaschall (right forearm) remains on rehab assignment with the Saints after having only 19 at bats with Minnesota this season. Pitcher Bailey Ober (left hip impingement) is also rehabbing with the Saints and has a 1.00 ERA in nine innings and two starts.

Don’t look now but while Twins pitching ace Pablo Lopez is sidelined the man traded to obtain Lopez, infielder Luis Arraez, is hitting .322 in his last 30 games and lifted his season average to .292.

Twins legends and hall of famers Jim Kaat and Rod Carew speak to the Twin Cities Dunkers on August 15.

Congratulations to Jeff Maday on being inducted into the Canterbury Park Hall of Fame. The track’s media relations manager has been with the racing facility for more than 30 years and started as a groom.

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