Golden Gophers – Page 178 – David Shama's Minnesota Sports Headliners

Mike Zimmer Still Confident about Kicker

Posted on November 27, 2018November 27, 2018 by David Shama

Enjoy a Tuesday notes column focusing on the Vikings.

Mike Zimmer is working with his fourth kicker in five seasons as Vikings head coach. There have been enough ups and downs to write a book about those experiences, with the latest tribulation coming Sunday night when Dan Bailey missed on two of three field goals.

“I still have a lot of confidence in this kid. I believe in him,” Zimmer told KFXN-FM after the game. “I watch him every single day. It was big for him to go out there and get that last one.”

Bailey’s 37-yard third quarter field goal against the Packers put the Vikings ahead 17-14 in a vital game they went on to win 24-17. The subject of field goals in a Packers game is a touchy one after Minnesota rookie Daniel Carlson missed three in the opening game for both teams in September.

That game ended in a 29-29 tie that doesn’t do much for the Vikings’ postseason ambitions. At 6-4-1 Minnesota is pursuing an NFC North Division title, or a wild card entry, to make the playoffs. Tight games in the fourth quarter could mean Bailey’s leg will be the difference in winning during the five remaining games on the regular season schedule and qualifying for the playoffs.

Bailey has made 75 percent of his field goals since joining the Vikings and all but one of his extra points. In seven previous seasons with the Cowboys he converted on 88.2 percent of his field goals.

Meanwhile, Carlson, who was cut and replaced by Bailey after the Green Bay opener, is seven of eight on field goals and a perfect eight for eight on extra points after playing in five games for the Raiders.

Former Viking Pete Bercich talking to Sports Headliners before Sunday night’s game about defensive end Everson Griffen, who rejoined the team in late October: “I think he’s working his way back. I think with defensive ends a lot of it is timing. Being out as long as he was, it’s going to take him a little bit, and conditionally, (being in the best shape). I think he’s dong all right.”

Griffen missed five games earlier this season. In six games he has 11 tackles and 3.5 sacks, with totals of 7 and 2.5 since rejoining the team for the New Orleans game October 28.

Griffen was a Pro Bowler last season for the third straight year but because of his missed time this fall the Vikings did not include him among players spotlighted to the media on Sunday encouraging Pro Bowl voting. The eight players who are being promoted for promoting and playing in the 2019 Pro Bowl are quarterback Kirk Cousins, wide receiver Stefon Diggs, defensive end Danielle Hunter, defensive tackle Linval Joseph, tight end Kyle Rudolph, safety Harrison Smith, wide receiver Adam Thielen, and cornerback Xavier Rhodes.

In Pro Bowl voting totals released last week by the NFL, Smith was the top vote getter among free safeties. Hunter was second among defensive ends.

Although the Vikings offensive line had one of its better games against the Packers Sunday night, the unit remains among the lower rated groups by NFL authorities. A Vikings source, who didn’t want his name in print, said the club is well aware of the line’s limitations.

His view is the Vikings will have to change some personnel among starters to improve. The club wanted to prioritize offensive linemen in the most recent NFL draft but their options were limited when other teams were better positioned to make selections.

The source said his team got an athletic tackle in rookie Brian O’Neill who was taken on the second round. He said O’Neill needs to become stronger and while he won’t become a perennial All-Pro he can be a solid lineman. Earlier this season Pro Football Focus rated him the third best rookie offensive lineman in the NFL.

After Sunday’s game the Vikings ranked 30th in NFL rushing with 85.3 yards per game. That is an indictment of the offensive line and the source stressed even in today’s pass-happy NFL having an effective running game is important to creating a balanced offense.

Blake Cashman and other Minnesota natives who play for the Gophers were recognized on the field during the Vikings game at U.S. Bank Stadium for their team’s upset win Saturday against Wisconsin. The players displayed Paul Bunyan’s Axe in front of an appreciative crowd. Cashman simulated rowing a boat, an acknowledgment of coach P.J. Fleck’s well-known mantra.

David Raih, the Packers wide receivers coach and an Edina native, is a classic work your way up from the bottom success story. In 2008 he quit a lucrative sales job to accept an unpaid internship in the football department at UCLA, per a 2016 ESPN story. The 38-year-old Raih attended St. Thomas Academy before being a reserve quarterback at Iowa from 1999-2003.

Vikings wide receiver Stefon Diggs turns 25 on Thursday, and defensive tackle Sheldon Richardson will have his 28th birthday on the same day.

Despite speculation Mike Grant, 61, said yesterday he isn’t planning to retire as Eden Prairie’s 11-time state champion football coach. With humor, Grant mentioned he gets along well with the EP athletic director. (For those who don’t know he is both the head football coach and AD at the school).

The Eagles lost last Friday in the 6A title game to Lakeville North. It was the second time in 2018 the Panthers have defeated EP and Grant praised Lakeville as the better team.

Eagles senior quarterback Cole Kramer, who plays for the Gophers next year, is the only 6A QB ever to start in three consecutive state title games.

Tonight there will be a dedication ceremony to rename the Hutchinson High School gymnasium for Lindsay Whalen. The legendary Hutch native, now in her first season as Gophers women’s basketball coach, will direct Minnesota against Syracuse on Thursday night at Williams Arena. Both teams are in the Associated Press top 25 with Syracuse No. 12 and Minnesota No. 20.

Whalen speaks to the Capital Club on December 20 at the Town & Country Club in St. Paul. Minnesota Wild general manager Paul Fenton talks to the group on December 12 in downtown St. Paul at the 317 on Rice Park Event Center. The networking group features prominent speakers, many of them from athletics. More information about the Capital Club is available at Capitalclubmn.com, or from Patrick Klinger, patrickklinger@klingercompany.com.

Janel McCarville, Whalen’s Final Four teammate during playing days with the Gophers, has been playing professionally this year in Sweden.

The Wild play Arizona tonight at home, and fans will continue to evaluate coach Bruce Boudreau’s decision to split up top pair defensemen Matt Dumba and Ryan Suter.

Comments Welcome

Contract Extension Next for Fleck?

Posted on November 25, 2018November 25, 2018 by David Shama

Will Golden Gophers athletic director Mark Coyle extend football coach P.J. Fleck’s contract after yesterday’s stunning and potential program changing 37-15 upset of Wisconsin?

I asked Coyle about an extension earlier this month and he was noncommittal, answering that he will address the subject later this year after more evaluation. Coyle hired Fleck in January of 2017 and in November of last year extended the coach’s contract one year through 2023.

While contract extensions provide more security to coaches and are a reward for good work, they are often for public perception too—sending a message to potential high school recruits that an athletic director is solidly behind his coach. Adding on another year to Fleck’s deal certainly meets the criteria described here.

From the outside looking in, earlier this month Fleck’s program was gloomy as the weather that contributed to embarrassingly small crowds for home games against Indiana, Purdue and Northwestern. Three weeks ago lowly Illinois humiliated the Gophers 55-31, gashing the defense with long runs and coming up with 646 total yards. The loss left Minnesota with a 1-5 Big Ten record and no more “softies” remaining on the schedule to make bowl eligibility likely.

Minnesota rallied, though, winning two of its last three games to finish with a 6-6 overall record and an invitation coming soon for a bowl game. Fleck had the wisdom to fire defensive coordinator Robb Smith after the Illinois game and named Joe Rossi as his replacement. Since then Minnesota has improved dramatically on defense while defeating Purdue 41-10, losing to Northwestern 24-14 and beating Wisconsin while giving up only two touchdowns including one late in the game.

Those wins in the last three games are the most impressive and significant in the Fleck era. Purdue is the only team to defeat 11-1 Ohio State, the Big Ten’s best program. While the Gophers could have played better, they made a competitive game out of their November 17 matchup with Northwestern, the Big Ten West Division champions. Against Wisconsin Fleck and the Gophers earned that signature win they have been pursuing for two years.

Minnesota went into yesterday’s game against the Badgers with a Big Ten worst minus 11 in turnover margin. That’s not what Fleck has had in mind since Day One while preaching “the ball is the program.” Minnesota redshirt freshman quarterback Tanner Morgan had three turnovers in the loss to Northwestern but he played clean against the Badgers.

Minnesota scored 24 points off of turnovers yesterday. Badgers quarterback Alex Hornibrook threw three interceptions and had a fumble. Jonathan Taylor, the nation’s leading rusher, was held to 120 yards.

Don’t let anyone diminish the value of what the Gophers did in dominating the Badgers in Madison. Yes, the Badgers have been dealing with injuries (what team isn’t this time of year?), and have stumbled from preseason predictions of playing for a national championship to finishing with a regular season 7-5 record. But this is a team that only a week before at Purdue had rallied from a 27-13 fourth quarter deficit to win in three overtimes as the Boilermakers couldn’t control Taylor who ran for 321 yards.

Wisconsin has long been the standard-bearer in the Big Ten West Division, often beating almost everyone in the conference, and dominating programs like Minnesota. Until yesterday the Gophers hadn’t won in Madison since 1994. They hadn’t taken home Paul Bunyan’s Axe since 2003.

Minnesota’s futility against Wisconsin had become a symbol of a program that too often has been in rebuild mode and had surrendered its winning edge in college football’s most played rivalry. In a series that started in 1890, the record between Minnesota and Wisconsin is now 60-60-8.

Fleck and his program have earned a win that could one day be seen as a game changer for Gophers football. Last year Minnesota won just two Big Ten games, beating dysfunctional Nebraska and awful Illinois. Before defeating Purdue, Fleck’s only other conference win was over so-so Indiana this fall. Three wins that didn’t provide a lot of credibility to Fleck’s goal of building a winning program, but now perceptions are changing.

The Gophers will return most of their players for next season. The roster will have more quality and depth than seen here in awhile. The personnel will include stars and difference makers such as defensive end Carter Coughlin, safety Antoine Winfield Jr., wide receiver Tyler Johnson, and running backs Shannon Brooks and Rodney Smith. The quarterback position that has failed the Gophers since Adam Weber ran out of eligibility in 2010 will have two experienced starters returning in Morgan and true freshman Zack Annexstad.

Fleck’s coaching staff looks solid led by offensive coordinator Kirk Ciarrocca and Rossi who had his title changed from interim to permanent defensive coordinator this weekend. Minnesota has given up a total of 49 points in the last three games after allowing Illinois 55. Adding to the optimism is that Fleck’s third recruiting class will arrive next year and likely will provide more quality players and greater depth.

Minnesota also has a favorable schedule next season. The Gophers avoid games against Big Ten bullies Michigan, Michigan State and Ohio State. The conference schedule also has five home games, with four on the road. The nonconference schedule is friendly except for a road game against Fresno State, a potential top 25 preseason team.

This program has a long way to go and much to prove but maybe Fleck can restore it to what it was decades ago—a Big Ten contender and prominent name on the national scene. West Division rivals Iowa, Northwestern and Wisconsin flipped long ago from bottom feeders to champions.

After a giddy win over Wisconsin the most loyal and optimistic of Gopher fans can hope that Fleck becomes a savior like Iowa’s Hayden Fry, Wisconsin’s Barry Alvarez and Northwestern’s Gary Barnett. Their names live in football immortality in Iowa City, Madison and Evanston.

Take a look at the three coaches’ records on Wikipedia and read how they earned and sustained success after a few seasons at places on the shortlist of laughing stock programs. Fry’s third team at Iowa was 6-2 in Big Ten games and tied for the 1981 conference title. Alvarez’s fourth year (1993) the Badgers went 10-1-1, including a Rose Bowl win. In Barnett’s fourth season (1995) Northwestern changed from the “Mildcats” to the Wildcats winning the Big Ten title. It was the program’s first conference championship since 1936.

That’s a drought Gophers fans can relate to. Minnesota’s last Big Ten title was 1967.

Comments Welcome

Mike Grant Not Hyping 6A Title Game

Posted on November 21, 2018November 21, 2018 by David Shama

Enjoy a Wednesday notes column:

In one of the most anticipated prep football games in years, 12-0 Lakeville North will play 10-1 Eden Prairie for the Class 6A state championship Friday night at U.S. Bank Stadium. Because of past results and reputation, many high school football observers are predicting North will win, and that’s fine with EP head coach Mike Grant.

“We’d like them to think that they should win, (and) that they have the trophy all locked up. …But we don’t feel that way,” Grant told Sports Headliners yesterday. “We just feel like it’s another game.”

Grant refers to the Panthers as a “great team,” and his Eagles lost to them 14-0 in a September game. North has many outstanding players including on the offensive and defensive lines. Bryce Benhart, the 6-9, 300-pound offensive tackle headed to Nebraska, is a marquee name on a huge offensive line. The Mostaert twins, Will and Eli, are forces on the defensive line and verbally committed to North Dakota Sate.

The Panthers totaled five first teamers on yesterday’s Star Tribune All-Metro offensive and defensive units. The Eagles had one, linebacker Collin Penn, although maybe quarterback Cole Kramer, named to the second team, should have been included, too. “With Cole Kramer, we’ve got the best quarterback in the state,” Grant said.

Grant, whose team is the defending 6A champion, knows his players need to be emotionally ready Friday night. “(Otherwise) it will be a quick night for Lakeville North, because if you don’t bring the passion, they’ll steamroll you.”

Grant will try Friday to win his 12th state championship at Eden Prairie. Part of the success formula is making adjustments in games. Grant said, “When we go in (to the game) everyone says what are you going to do? Well, it depends on what they (opponents) do. Because they’re going to make a decision on how to play us and we’ll make a decision on how we’ll attack what they’re doing.”

Asked how he has become so proficient at making in-game adjustments, Grant joked, “Well, I am old. There’s no book on it. Trust me.”

Grant grew up in a football household being around his famous dad, Bud Grant. In college he played for the legendary John Gagliardi at St. John’s. He learned about many things relevant to coaching including flexibility.

“We’re not a textbook team,” Grant said. “We don’t even have a playbook. We’re not a script team. We’re kind of flying by the seat of our pants by design, because I never understood how people scripted. What if they (opponents) lined up a certain way (other than expected)?”

Border numbers: The Packers, who play in Minneapolis Sunday night against the Vikings, are 0-5 in road games this season. The Golden Gophers, who play at Wisconsin on Saturday, haven’t won in Madison since 1994.

A writer could predict more foolish things than the Lions, 4-6, upsetting the NFC North Division leading Bears, 7-3, tomorrow in Detroit. If the Vikings, 5-4-1, defeat the 4-5-1 Packers Sunday that will tighten up the division race and calm the Purple hysteria following Minnesota’s loss last weekend to the Bears.

Most played rivalry in college football? Minnesota and Wisconsin is the answer with game No. 128 coming up Saturday.

It’s being kept quiet but a local group is working to bring the National Golden Gloves Boxing Tournament to Minneapolis next May. The five-day tournament will include dozens of prelim bouts in various weight classes for men and women. All championship bouts would be at the Minneapolis Armory. The city hasn’t hosted the tournament since 1977.

The historic Armory, whose boxing legacy includes appearances by such great fighters as Sugar Ray Robinson, will be the site of four nationally televised boxing events in 2019. That includes a February 23 date featuring Minneapolis welterweight Jamal James, and April 13 match showcasing Osseo middleweight Caleb Truax.

James, who is friends with Twins legend Tony Oliva, will do his heavy bag work and prefight training at a northern Minnesota location. That’s similar to the north woods training preference of the late Scott LeDoux, the well-known Minnesota heavyweight. James is a boxing historian and honors Minnesota fighters of the past with tributes like his training location.

Premier Boxing Events and Fox Sports have included the Armory on a short list of national venues to host world-class bouts in 2019. PBC promoter Al Haymon’s group is said to have a bigger influence over boxing than Don King once held.

The Wild will host a free, open-to-the-public outdoor practice on Saturday at the Recreation Outdoor Center (3700 Monterey Drive) in St. Louis Park. The Wild’s practice is scheduled to start at 11 a.m. and last approximately 45 minutes. Fans are encouraged to arrive early as space is limited. Caribou Coffee, the official coffee of the Wild, will provide free coffee and hot chocolate to spectators.

Phil Esten, who takes over as the University of St. Thomas athletics director in January, will be in town next week to watch the November 30 Tommies-UW-River Falls basketball game at U.S. Bank Stadium. Esten first met Tommies men’s coach John Tauer when the two were students at St. Thomas.

Esten, 46, was a highly regarded administrator at the University of Minnesota years ago when he worked for athletics director Joel Maturi. Esten told Sports Headliners Maturi impressed him with his commitment to “putting values first” regardless of what was popular or easy to do.

Esten’s name has been mentioned in inner circles over the years as a candidate to be the Gophers athletics director. He has been a top administrator in athletic departments at Minnesota, California and Penn State most recently where his duties have included overseeing the football program.

Esten has Midwest roots, growing up in Wisconsin where his dad was a Division III cross country coach who won a national title and numerous conference championships. His grandparents were original Green Bay Packers stockholders and he, too, owns stock.

Esten will succeed Steve Frtiz, who is departing after 27 years as AD at St. Thomas. Esten praised Fritz for “doing a fantastic job” in helping to shape one of the most successful Division III athletic programs for men and women in the nation.

Condolences to family and friends of Ron Simon who passed away earlier this month. The former Gopher tennis player, Minneapolis attorney and pioneer sports agent was a terrific person. I helped research his 1993 book The Game Behind the Game: Negotiating in the Big Leagues. That book told compelling stories about his clients including Kent Hrbek, Kevin McHale and Paul Molitor.

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