P.J. FLECK – Page 66 – David Shama's Minnesota Sports Headliners

Stock Market Wiz Picks U Saturday

Posted on November 7, 2019November 7, 2019 by David Shama

If Pete Najarian is correct, it’s going to be a happy Saturday for University of Minnesota football fans. The Minneapolis native, former U linebacker, TV personality and financial markets guru told Sports Headliners he is predicting “something like 21-17” in favor of Minnesota over Penn State in the much anticipated matchup of the two 8-0 Big Ten teams. Odds-makers have made the Nittany Lions about a touchdown favorite for the nationally televised (ABC) game at TCF Bank Stadium.

The Gophers are 11-1 since firing defensive coordinator Robb Smith following last season’s 55-31 loss to lowly Illinois. Joe Rossi, Smith’s successor, has a unit that ranks No. 13 nationally in defensive yards allowed per game, 283.8. “The improvement we’ve seen there is why we’re a better team than we were last year,” Najarian said.

Najarian, who played professionally for the Tampa Bay Bucs, also praised the offense with its many playmakers including running backs and receivers. The Gophers have outscored their last four Big Ten opponents 168 to 41.

The offense has been balanced between the run and pass, with the Gophers averaging 38.4 points per game, No. 14 in the country. Minnesota is sixth nationally in time of possession, and long stretches of time on the field by the Gopher offense will keep the ball away from a Nittany Lions offense averaging 38.5 points per game.

Najarian played for the Gophers for four seasons, from 1981-1985. His last two years the great Lou Holtz was the head coach. In the two seasons before Holtz arrived, the Gophers were 1-17 in Big Ten games. No wonder Holtz used to publicly preach, “Expect a miracle.” Then he turned Minnesota into a winning team before becoming head coach at Notre Dame.

Gophers head coach P.J. Fleck and his assistants earned the miracle tag from Najarian when asked about the staff and what Minnesota has accomplished going into Saturday’s game. The Gophers have won 10 consecutive games, the school’s longest winning streak since an 18-game run from 1939-42. Minnesota is also tied for the third-longest active win streak among FBS programs, trailing only Clemson and Ohio State. For the first time since 1935-36, the Gophers have won four consecutive Big Ten games by at least 20 points.

“I think Fleck and the coaching staff have done a miraculous job,” Najarian said. “… It starts with recruiting and I think when you look at the talent levels we’ve got at the University of Minnesota right now we are comparable to so many of the schools, not only just in the Big Ten, but in the top 25 in the country. I would say we have many positions (on offense and defense), that we can easily compete with just about anybody in the country.”

Najarian, who said “spectacular” is an appropriate word to describe the coaching and player development by Fleck and his assistants, has so much enthusiasm, affection and loyalty for his alma mater that he was ready to exit his lucrative career to become Minnesota’s athletic director. He was a candidate for the AD job before Mark Coyle was hired in 2016.

Fleck recently pitched ESPN’s College GameDay on coming to Minneapolis for Saturday’s game, but instead the popular Saturday show opted for the top five showdown between Alabama and LSU in Tuscaloosa. The program always features a celebrity prognosticator to join Lee Corso, Kirk Herbstreit and Desmond Howard in predicting the winner of the more important games across the country. When and if GameDay comes to Minneapolis, would Najarian accept an invitation to represent his home town and alma mater?

“I absolutely would,” he answered.

Najarian said others have already made the suggestion. He welcomes the potential opportunity, which would include reconnecting with ESPN, the network that once employed him as a studio personality and also a color commentator on college football games.

“There’s a lot of people there (at ESPN) that I know pretty well,” Najarian said. “It would be fun to hang out with those guys and throw out some picks, especially being a stat guy. I have to throw out picks all the time (for investing). I might as well do it on football.”

Golden Gophers Notes

In the spring game Fleck used 6-foot-9, 400-pound offensive tackle Daniel Faalele as a ball carrier near the goal line, and he scored a touchdown. I asked Fleck months ago when that play might be called in a game this fall. He said, “When no one is expecting it.”

Another surprise for the Nittany Lions on Saturday? Well, Wildcat quarterback Seth Green, a power running specialist, hasn’t attempted a pass this season. As a wide receiver he hasn’t caught a pass either.

Regular quarterback Tanner Morgan lines up as a receiver when Green directs the Wildcat formation. Morgan has yet to be targeted for a reception.

Penn State will be in the four-team College Football Playoffs if the Nittany Lions maintain the No. 4 spot in the rankings announced Tuesday night. The Nittany Lions are behind Ohio State, LSU and Alabama, but ahead of undefeated and defending national champion Clemson.

The Gophers are No. 17 in the CFP rankings, four spots higher than their No. 13 ranking in the Associated Press poll of top 25 teams. The Gophers’ five Big Ten wins have come against teams with a combined league record of 8-22.

The Nittany Lions, ranked No. 5 by the A.P., have quality wins over top-20 ranked Iowa and Michigan.

It’s possible the U will announce Minnesota’s first sellout home crowd since 2015 on Saturday. Official capacity at the stadium is 50,805. Temps could hit 40 degrees during the game, perhaps the warmest weather of the week. If the game were played at climate-controlled U.S. Bank Stadium, attendance likely would be 60,000 or more.

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U Hopes Fleck Not ‘Music Man’ No. 2

Posted on November 5, 2019November 5, 2019 by David Shama

Lou Holtz is the best University of Minnesota football coach since the end of World War II. That statement might shock more than a few Golden Gophers historians who will object and argue such praise belongs to Bernie Bierman or Murray Warmath.

Nope. Give me Holtz, who was dubbed the “Music Man” for his clever and persuasive ways. He coached the Gophers for just two seasons, in 1984 and 1985. That was long enough to see his magic—and I mean that literally.

He was an amateur magician who occasionally performed tricks on TV including on the “Tonight Show” with Johnny Carson. To this day I am convinced that had he stayed at Minnesota, his coaching “bag of tricks” would have turned the Gophers into a Big Ten power and perhaps national champions.

I have never seen a college football coach with the skill set possessed by the wiry little man from East Liverpool, Ohio, who spoke with a lisp. Strategist, taskmaster, motivator, mentor, manager, organizer, recruiter, fundraiser, salesman, marketer and the list goes on. When Lou spoke, the whole state of Minnesota listened.

The CEO of CEOs in the coaching world, Holtz took a mostly deplorable Minnesota roster that was a combined 1-17 in Big Ten games the two seasons before his arrival and turned those players, along with newcomers, into a sound football team. In Holtz’s second year the Gophers came within seven points of upsetting No. 3 ranked Oklahoma and five points of upending No. 9 Ohio State on their way to a 4-4 conference record, an overall record of 7-5 and the program’s first bowl game since 1977.

Bierman won five national titles at Minnesota but they all came before World War II. The Grey Eagle grew older and he wasn’t the same coach after the big war that changed the world. Warmath won Minnesota’s last national title in 1960 and took the Gophers to two Rose Bowls. He was a fine coach and a personal friend but he had his warts including sluggish offenses and never consistently winning over the public.

Holtz was so popular that in less than two years the Vikings were paranoid about losing their place as the No. 1 football attraction in the state. General manager Mike Lynn brought coach Bud Grant out of retirement to counter the Holtz mania that had resulted in crowds of more than 60,000 at the Metrodome and a huge jump in season ticket sales.

But in late 1985 Holtz, a devout Catholic, told us of an enduring childhood memory about how he skipped off to grade school many mornings singing or humming the Notre Dame fight song. Holtz reportedly had a clause in his Minnesota contract that said if the Fighting Irish ever had a coaching opening he could skip off to Notre Dame. And away he went, taking with him a bunch of high school recruits who planned to be Gophers but instead followed the “Music Man” to the hallowed grounds of Notre Dame where a few years later the Irish, not the Gophers, would be national champions.

Having been burned by Holtz, older Gophers fans are biting their collective nails these days about 38-year-old P.J. Fleck moving on after this season to some place else—oh, let’s just say USC, a storied program like Notre Dame that is under achieving and dreams of hiring Urban Meyer but might have to pitch a guy who preaches “Row the Boat.”

Now I am not suggesting that as Gophers head coach Fleck deserves comparisons with Holtz, Bierman and Warmath but what he’s done at Minnesota is impressive. Dating back to last season, Fleck’s Gophers have won 11 of their last 12 games, including returning Paul Bunyan’s Axe to Dinkytown after a 15 year absence. Minnesota is 8-0 for the first time since 1941 and will play a much anticipated game on Saturday at home against Penn State. The Gophers are ranked No. 13 in the nation, while the Nittany Lions are No. 5. The last time Minnesota was ranked in the top 25 and played another ranked team was in October of 2004 when the No. 13 ranked Gophers lost to No. 14 Michigan.

I might have been the first in the media to inquire about Fleck’s commitment to Minnesota, when I brought the subject up last summer during a brief one-on-one interview. Fleck said that when he was considering leaving Western Michigan to come here with his wife Heather and young children, she emphasized the next career stop needed to be a long-term commitment. “She looked at me and says, ‘Listen, when we move there (the next job), we’re going to live there. We’re going to live there a long time…build a lot of roots.’

“It had to be a community that was high in philanthropy,” Fleck continued. “Had to be a community that was willing to serve and give. Had to be bigger than football. We feel the Twin City area and the state of Minnesota is that. … To be able to serve and give and make other people’s lives better. And that’s what Row the Boat is all about. It’s about serving and giving to other people. It’s about never giving up. It’s about providing opportunities for other people who can’t provide it for themselves.”

Fleck, his wife and players on the team have made good on their intentions to give back, getting involved in many ways with the community including children’s causes. Fleck has made it clear he and his wife love living here and that there is unfinished business with the Gophers. Yesterday he told WCCO Radio’s Chad Hartman that “I expect to be here a long time.”

Athletic director Mark Coyle told WCCO Radio’s Dave Lee this morning (Tuesday) that he and the coach are having conversations about a new contract but there is no date yet for an announcement about details. Even if the Gophers fall into a tailspin, Fleck will receive a reward for at least a good season and the renewed interest in the program. He makes about $3.6 million, a mediocre amount compared to his Big Ten peers. A great finish to the season will increase Fleck’s leverage in contract negotiations, and in such a scenario Coyle might need to offer $5 million for next year and a 10-year contract (his present deal goes through 2023).

The U Athletic Department has been cutting budgets of late so where does the money come from if Fleck’s compensation is boosted by $1.5 million? There perhaps are a few scenarios including new school president Joan Gabel approving a loan from central administration that would pay for other department costs and free up money for Fleck. Outside money sources could be another alternative. A person with money and connections told me a few weeks ago he believes if the circumstances are right, funding can come from individuals or private businesses. Coyle might also project new monies from ticket sales, sponsorships and other revenue streams that will increase enough with football’s new popularity to justify big money for Fleck.

Money really needs to go beyond the head coach. Fleck will certainly ask for assurances that his outstanding staff will be rewarded, too. Retaining Fleck but seeing an exodus of top assistants is not a win for Coyle, the program and Gophers fans.

Fleck has to decide if after three years the U and this state is where he wants to be for the foreseeable future. Yeah, there are jobs out there with more resources regarding money, access to top recruits and public support. Those jobs, like at USC, also bring more pressure with high annual expectations including national championships.

Fleck said on WCCO Radio Sunday that Minnesota is a “big time” job. Holtz referred to it as one of the better jobs in the country when he was in Minneapolis. Both Fleck and Holtz are learned optimists. They aren’t going to tell the world about the negatives here including the cold weather and a recruiting base that can’t compare with California, Georgia, Florida, New Jersey, Ohio, Texas and other more fertile football states.

If you want to rant, throw in the minimal fan support—although what else to expect in a pro sports town where for decades the Gophers have mostly disappointed? Student attendance? Don’t even get me started.

But let’s be more positive and balanced about a school that in the last several years has increased its commitment to football with new facilities including a stadium, and a practice and training palace. The U is also the only Division I football school in the state and there is high potential to make the Gophers a big deal here with the public like long ago. The caliber of high school football recruits is underrated, with many young players just needing coaches to recognize their potential and the time they need for development. The metro area and state are known for quality of life including the schools, neighborhoods, health care, and entertainment and recreational options. Trust me, most “college football factories” are not located in places that begin to compare with Minneapolis and the state of Minnesota for quality of living.

So in a few weeks it’s up to Coyle to see how far he can go with his resources and how committed Fleck is to stay and keep rowing. Coyle is a sharp operator. I will bet my last buck he’s got a locked desk drawer with the names of top coaches that interest him if Fleck moves on. I am confident, too, he will make an aggressive offer to Fleck. He had the vision to hire Fleck, knowing he was getting a coach with the kind of varied skill-set needed to win at Minnesota including the personality and intelligence to connect with 17-year-old recruits and assemble a quality staff.

Fleck has to decide whether he wants to waltz off to another job humming a new fight song or stay at Minnesota and do the job Holtz never finished—build a legacy as the coach who turned around a program that has struggled and failed for decades, and hasn’t connected with its tradition-rich past since the 1960s.

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Downtown Safety Concerns Wolves Owner

Posted on October 16, 2019October 16, 2019 by David Shama

A week from Sunday night the NBA Timberwolves open their home regular season schedule at Target Center against the Miami Heat. Many of the Wolves’ customers will be concerned about safety in downtown Minneapolis for that game and the 40 other home dates to follow.

Patrons of city-owned Target Center and many other places downtown are alarmed by the shootings, beatings, harassment and other abhorrent behavior by thugs who roam downtown streets, say and do what they want, and threaten the well-being of defenseless men, women and children.

The environment in a once great downtown and admired city has changed with a population of troublemakers who brazenly do everything from panhandling to stealing to inflicting physical harm and property damage. A downtown proprietor told Sports Headliners about his building being spray painted with graffiti and his entrance doors frequently being urinated upon. Another person confirmed she and her workers are funneled off the street into a protected place to ensure their safe arrival.

Downtown business leaders, and the police, want more cops hired in the city, maybe even 400 additional law enforcement officers. The City Council, though, hasn’t approved additional hires and many skeptics don’t think it will. Critics say the Council just thinks differently. “They’re on another plane,” a former city official said.

Downtown businesses provide huge revenues to the city via commercial property taxes, and contributing significantly too are the customers who generate sales tax revenues. Without those monies the City Council would have a much different Minneapolis budget to work with. “They (the Council) are killing the Golden Goose,” the source quoted above said.

Glen Taylor has owned the Timberwolves for about 25 years and he has seen the deterioration of downtown. “The safety of our fans downtown at night is of the utmost importance for us,” he told Sports Headliners. “Not to have the proper law enforcement people out there to at least discourage any bad things to happen is just the wrong way to go. I hope the City Council will get in line and help support this idea (of) getting more law enforcement downtown for not only us but for all the events down there.”

Taylor is knowledgeable about his customer base, including families with young children. They may think twice about attending a Wolves game. Perception is enough to frighten fans, even if they haven’t been traumatized by past experiences. Taylor said, “…It just keeps them from coming downtown because they’re frightened that it (an incident) might happen to them.”

Worth Noting

Taylor’s other team, the WNBA Lynx, is done with its season and made the playoffs for a ninth consecutive year. He said the club again was financially profitable, although not as much as in the past when the Lynx had deep playoff runs.

All-Pro forward Maya Moore took a sabbatical and didn’t play last season. What about next year? “I don’t have any knowledge of what her decision is going to be,” Taylor said.

Golden Gophers redshirt junior forward Eric Curry, who suffered a season-ending knee injury last week, will have surgery next week, per an announcement this morning from basketball coach Richard Pitino.

In a couple of “mop-up” situations, including in the fourth quarter last Saturday night when the Golden Gophers had a 34-7 lead over Nebraska, coach P.J. Fleck has not used freshmen backup quarterbacks Jacob Clark and Cole Kramer. By doing so Fleck preserves the option of being able to use either, or both, for up to four games and still preserve their redshirt status if they have to replace starter Tanner Morgan because of injury or illness.

Morgan ranks No. 4 nationally in passing efficiency, while running back Rodney Smith is ninth in rushing yards per game (112.5) and 14th in all-purpose yards (134.33). Minnesota ranks 10th in the country in fewest penalties at 4.50 per game, and No. 12 in time of possession, 33:33.

Fleck said on his KFAN Radio show Tuesday that Gophers offensive tackle Daniel Faalele, who missed last Saturday’s game against Nebraska, was back at practice. He also said quarterback Zack Annexstad, last year’s early season starter, was not wearing a protective boot at practice, and possibly could play before year’s end. He had foot surgery in August.

Twin Cities native Amanda DeKanick, a graduate of Irondale High School, is the first female full-time athletic trainer in Vikings history.

If coach Mike Mahlen’s Verndale team defeats Rothsay Wednesday night, he becomes the first Minnesota prep football coach to achieve 400 career wins. Mahlen, 399-123-3, is in his 51st season at Verndale (about 150 miles northwest of Minneapolis) where he has spent his entire head coaching career. He can become the 18th active high school football coach in the country with 400 or more career wins. The national all-time high school career wins leader is John McKissick from Summerville High School (South Carolina), with a career record of 621-156-13.

Yom Kippur was last week and Minneapolis attorney Marshall Tanick authored an article for the October 4 American Jewish World regarding Jewish athletes who chose not to play on the sacred holiday. Tanick recalled that Dodgers’ superstar pitcher Sandy Koufax sat out the October 6 opening World Series game in 1965 against the Twins at Metropolitan Stadium. In 1967 Gophers All-American defensive end Bob Stein chose not to play when his team’s game against Illinois came on a Yom Kippur Saturday.

Quoting Wild owner Craig Leipold via email: “The NHL scheduler in NY was hard on the Wild this year by starting the season with 4 of 5 games on the road. Tough way to start the year.”

Birthday wishes to classy Fred Hoiberg, the former Timberwolves player and executive, who turned 47 on Tuesday. Hoiberg, now head men’s basketball coach at Nebraska, has twice had open-heart surgery and worn a pacemaker for years.

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