Golden Gophers – Page 214 – David Shama's Minnesota Sports Headliners

Griffen Praying for Rodgers’ Recovery

Posted on October 15, 2017October 15, 2017 by David Shama

A Sunday night notes column kicking off with the Vikings, following Minnesota’s 23-10 win over Green Bay.

Vikings linebacker Anthony Barr knocked Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers out of today’s game with a hard hit in the first quarter. After getting up off the turf, Rodgers appeared to have words for Barr while heading toward the sidelines—perhaps describing what he thought was a late hit.

After the game Barr wasn’t available to reporters because he suffered a concussion during the game but two of his defensive teammates didn’t find fault with the play that broke Rodgers’ collarbone. “We play as hard as we can to the whistle,” linebacker Eric Kendricks said. “I didn’t see a flag (penalty) on the play so it was clean.”

Defensive end Everson Griffen said he didn’t hear what Rodgers said, or to whom. “I didn’t hear nothing,” Griffen told Sports Headliners. “I am here to play ball. I want to compete against Rodgers all day. I wish him a speedy recovery—the best quarterback in the league, in my opinion. I pray for him. I hope he heals up well.”

Sam Bradford (photo courtesy of Minnesota Vikings)

While Rodgers could be out for a long time, the Vikings might be getting former starter Teddy Bridgewater back later this season. Bridgewater may receive medical clearance to begin practice with the team this week, and in three weeks the Vikings could take him off the physically-unable-to-perform list and activate him. Although Bridgewater presumably will be rusty after not playing in a regular season game since 2015, he could be an asset to the quarterback roster that is using backup Case Keenum while starter Sam Bradford is sidelined with his ongoing left knee issue.

Vikings offensive coordinator Pat Shurmur was chosen as honorary captain for Michigan State last night. The Spartans defeated the Gophers, 30-27, at TCF Bank Stadium. Shurmur was a captain and All-Big Ten center for the Spartans in the 1980s.

When Gophers athletic director Mark Coyle had the same job at Syracuse he hired Dino Babers as the school’s football coach, and Friday night the Orange stunned the nation defeating No. 2 ranked and defending national champion Clemson.

As of October 5, total men’s Gopher hockey season tickets for the public and students were down slightly from a year ago on that date, according to figures provided by the University of Minnesota. The comparative public totals were 5,511 for 2017-2018 public season tickets, versus 5,941 in 2016-2017. The student numbers were 2,483 versus 2,690. The University reported 89.2 percent of public accounts renewed for this season versus 80.4 a year ago.

The Gophers, who have already opened their home schedule at 3M Arena at Mariucci, sold 183 new public season tickets for 2017-2018. The total as of October 5 a year ago was 227. There was no increase in pricing for either public or student season tickets from last year to this.

Mariucci, with a capacity of almost 10,000, opened in 1993. The all-time single game attendance record is 10,587 set on November 6, 2004 for a Minnesota-Wisconsin game. The Gophers were defending NCAA national champions going into that game.

The Gophers, who won a sixth consecutive regular season conference title in 2017, averaged 9,595 fans per game last season at home. The averages the two prior seasons were 9,847 and 9,982.

WCHA Men’s Commissioner Bill Robertson thinks all five Division 1 men’s hockey schools in the state will for the first time finish the 2017-2018 season ranked among the top 20 teams nationally. In addition to the Gophers from the Big Ten, the other four teams are Minnesota State, Mankato and Bemidji State from the WCHA, and St. Cloud State and UMD from the NCHC.

“The state of Minnesota has never had better overall talent and depth than in 2017-2018 with regard to men’s college hockey,” Robertson said via email. “If all goes well we could potentially see a couple of Minnesota teams make it to the Frozen Four in April at the Xcel Energy Center. It should be a banner year for college hockey in this state leading up to the NCAA Tournament. It will be so exciting for the fans.”

A spokesman for men’s Gophers basketball said about 1,800 new public season tickets have been sold for 2017-2018. The student allotment of about 2,000 tickets is sold out. Single game tickets for the Big Ten season go on sale next month. Multiple sellouts of Gopher conference games at Williams Arena are likely.

Optimism is high about this year’s team, including from observers at fall practice. The Gophers are being ranked among the nation’s top 25 teams by various sources.

The public can attend a free intra-squad scrimmage that begins at 5 p.m. Sunday, October 29 at Williams Arena. There will be an autograph session after the game.

Former Timberwolf player and executive Fred Hoiberg, now the Chicago Bulls head coach, has his 45th birthday today. The Bulls are rebuilding and figure to rank with the NBA’s worst teams this season.

It will be interesting to see how much Brian Dozier is in the local baseball news this offseason. The Twins second baseman, who many observers believe was the club’s MVP during the team’s turnaround season, could be the subject of trade rumors, or given a contract extension. Dozier’s final contract season is in 2018, according to Baseballprospectus.com, which reports the 30-year-old will earn $9 million next season.

Congratulations to high school football coaches Dean Aurich of Mayer Lutheran and Joe Kemp from Wabasso on achieving 200th and 100th career wins respectively earlier this month. Aurich has coached Mayer Lutheran in four state tournaments, while Kemp has had three teams in the tourney including last year.

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Oregon State Should Pursue Jerry Kill

Posted on October 12, 2017October 12, 2017 by David Shama

Gary Andersen made a surprise announcement this week, resigning as Oregon State’s head football coach. OSU decision makers should reach out to former Gophers coach Jerry Kill about their unexpected opening.

The Andersen era was a disaster, with the Beavers going 7-23 the last three-plus years. At the end, Andersen lost faith in his assistants and was so frustrated with his situation he resigned.

Kill, now back in coaching as offensive coordinator at Rutgers, is 56 and still young enough to take on a head coaching job again. The shadow over Kill, of course, is his history with epilepsy and seizures. When his meds, diet, exercise and sleep are properly balanced he does well, but keeping all that just right is difficult when coaching with all of the profession’s demands and nonstop hours.

Kill had a minor seizure a few weeks ago but was soon coaching again at Rutgers where the Scarlet Knights are struggling to rebuild and have a 1-4 overall record and are 0-2 in Big Ten games. Head coach Chris Ash saw all the attributes of Kill and hired him last December. The man who rebuilt Gophers football was working in athletics administration at Kansas State when the opportunity at Rutgers emerged.

Jim Carter doubts most athletic directors have the “courage” to consider Kill for a head job. The former Gophers fullback from the late 1960s is close with Kill and his wife Rebecca. In an interview with Sports Headliners yesterday, Carter said leaders at Oregon State and Kill would all have to be in agreement this was a risk worth taking.

“They’re going to have to be convinced that his health situation is in a good place. So that will be an issue on both sides,” Carter said.

Does Kill want to run a football program one more time? “He’s never said to me he wants to be a head coach again, but it’s my personal belief that if he could get his health straightened out, that he would want to be a head coach again,” Carter said.

Kill loves coaching and being around young men. In a poll a few years ago fellow coaches ranked him near the top of those they would want their sons to play for. He missed the coaching experience after resigning from Minnesota in October of 2015 and then trying to figure out what to do about his health and future career path.

Not long after leaving the Gophers Kill wrote a book about football and life experiences. Tributes on the book jacket include these words from Bart Scott who has been a TV analyst and played for Kill at Southern Illinois: “I learned about second chances from Jerry Kill because he gave me one. I wouldn’t be where I am today without him. He coached you as hard as anyone could coach, but he loved you even more. …When he retired from coaching, the game lost a superstar.”

It was no surprise to those close to Kill that he accepted the opportunity at Rutgers. But Kill’s future might be more secure as a head coach than at Rutgers where he doesn’t control the whole program and the Scarlet Knights are historically among the have-nots of college football.

Oregon State fits that label, too, but at least in Corvallis Kill could control his destiny. He has a history of rebuilding programs including at Minnesota and Southern Illinois. He has won numerous national, Big Ten and regional coach of the year awards during a head coaching career dating back to 1994. There’s no question he could put together a top staff of assistants with names like Tracy Claeys and Jay Sawvel—assistants who excelled at Minnesota—quickly coming to mind.

“I don’t know what happened there (at Oregon State with Andersen), but it couldn’t be as bad as Minnesota was when he (Kill) came here,” Carter said. “He rebuilt that thing after (Tim) Brewster had us lower than low.”

Oregon State is at the bottom of the pecking order in Pac-12 football. Kill hasn’t recruited extensively on the west coast but he could hire assistants with connections. Corvallis is considered one of the Pac-12’s most attractive college towns. It’s not a big city and the beautiful area could be a good fit for Kill who has roots in rural Kansas.

Kill could rebuild the program with an emphasis on defense, team unity, academics and accountability. After a big OSU win he might even show off his trademark dance moves with celebrating players in the locker room. Yes, Kill has a love affair with college football and the game is better when he is part of it.

Oregon State paid Andersen about $2.5 million annually. Kill would probably take less, and be more interested in spreading limited athletic department dollars toward assistant coaches. Taking care of assistants was a priority at Minnesota.

There is always risk in hiring any head coach. No matter past reputation, achievements and health, those hiring a new leader can’t know for sure what future results will be. It would take guts for Oregon State to reach out to Kill while knowing that there could be health issues if he came to Corvallis. But Kill boosters will argue the rewards are worth the risk.

Kill, of course, would have to be comfortable enough with his health to consider the job. That’s a big if, but there aren’t that many Power Five head football jobs, and at age 56 potential opportunities will be fewer in the years ahead.

Kill is on record that he doesn’t want to be a head coach again but that doesn’t mean Oregon State shouldn’t make a call. The Beavers aren’t going to find many coaches with Kill’s resume interested in their job —perhaps none. Long distance calls are inexpensive. The Beavers should invest a dime and make a call. Ask.

If all sides wanted to put a deal together, Carter would applaud. “I think it would be great if Oregon State hired him,” Carter said.

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Unlucky Vikings Feature Limping QBs

Posted on October 10, 2017October 10, 2017 by David Shama

What’s next for Vikings quarterback Sam Bradford?

A source close to the organization told Sports Headliners prior to kickoff last night against the Bears that Bradford had missed the previous three games because he tore scar tissue in his left knee causing soreness and swelling. The person said the hope was a knee brace would provide enough protection in Chicago to prevent re-injury, and that adrenaline would block out whatever pain Bradford experienced.

But Bradford didn’t look right from the beginning of the game, throwing off target and taking a safety in the end zone because he waited too long holding the ball. “I don’t like his body language,” ESPN’s Jon Gruden told a national TV audience watching the game.

Gruden speculated about Bradford not being able to throw properly off his left foot. Ben Leber, the former Viking working as a sideline reporter on the team’s radio network, wondered if the brace was limiting Bradford’s passing form.

Sometime during the first half Bradford took a blow that clearly re-injured the knee. He began limping, looked vulnerable and was an easy target for Bears tacklers. “Throw the damn towel,” Leber said from the sidelines.

With less than a minute to play in the second quarter, head coach Mike Zimmer finally replaced Bradford with Case Keenum. The Vikings led in the game 3-2 and Bradford had completed 5 of 11 passes for 36 yards.

The source referred to above said that when Bradford was sidelined earlier in the season there was “no structural damage” to a left knee that has been surgically repaired in past years. After the Vikings won last night’s game and improved their record to 3-2, there was no word that Bradford’s re-injury was serious enough to end his season. But today and in the days ahead there will be more definitive information—even if not details about the knee, at least an estimate about a timeline before a return to starting games.

The Vikings are also monitoring Teddy Bridgewater and his rehabilitation from his devastating knee injury suffered over a year ago. Currently on the physically unable to perform list, there is enough time remaining in the season for a Bridgewater return. Whether it will happen is something no one can know for sure but the source who talked with Sports Headliners about Bradford said Bridgewater “is still limping.”

Worth Noting

In Sports Illustrated’s NHL preview out last week the magazine predicted the Capitals will defeat the Wild for the Stanley Cup championship. While talking with Sports Headliners, Minnesota hockey icon Lou Nanne declined to make a prediction on the teams he believes will qualify for the NHL finals. “The league is so close you can go from making the playoffs on the last day to winning the Cup,” he said.

The Wild has never played in the finals. Asked about a major storyline for the Wild, Nanne brought up 33-year-old star Zach Parise who has health issues. “A key is Parise being healthy,” Nanne said. “That’s a big deal.”

Nanne also said Minnesota needs more production from young players Charlie Coyle, Matt Dumba, Mikael Granlund, Nino Niederreiter and Jason Zucker. He likes Alex Stalock as the team’s backup goalie and said the Wild need starter Devan Dubnyk to perform as he did last season.

The Wild has a postseason history characterized by disappointments. Only once has the team played in the final four, 2003. After an impressive regular season in 2016-2017, the Wild lost its opening playoff series to the Blues. But a late September Associated Press quoted owner Craig Leipold as saying “anything short of winning the Stanley Cup would be a disappointment” in 2018.

The team is winless in its first two games this season but plays in Chicago Thursday night where Minnesota is 4-1-0 in its last five games at the United Center.

Nanne is a regular at the newly renamed Tavern 23 sports bar and restaurant in Edina. He is an investor and said business is up “50 percent in the past month” and that 36 new items have been added to the menu. Happy Hour, with views of Centennial Lakes Park, is particularly popular at the location formerly known as Lou Nanne’s American Grill.

It will be a homecoming for Brad Salem, the Michigan State quarterbacks coach, when the Spartans come to Minneapolis for Saturday’s game against Minnesota. Brad was a Gophers ball boy when his father Joe was Minnesota’s head coach. Brad’s twin brother Brent is offensive coordinator at O’Gorman High School in Sioux Falls, while brother Tim, the former Gophers quarterback, is tight ends coach at Pitt.

The Gophers are one of the youngest teams in the nation, with 50 of 111 players (45%) being freshmen or redshirt freshmen. There are 77 underclassmen (69.3%) on the roster. Minnesota has just 14 players (six on offense, eight on defense) who have started 10 games or more in their careers.

Defensive tackle Steven Richardson leads the team (not including specialists) in career starts with 37, while tight end Nate Wozniak has the most among offensive players with 29. Minnesota has used 65 players this season—13 freshmen, 21 sophomores, 16 juniors and 15 seniors.

The Gophers 2018 football recruiting class is No. 35 in the latest 247Sports composite rankings that have several Big Ten schools ahead of Minnesota, with Ohio State No. 1; Penn State No. 3; Michigan No. 14; Maryland No. 18; Michigan State No. 27; Nebraska No. 31; Wisconsin No. 32.

Amani Hooker, the Iowa sophomore safety from Minneapolis, had an impressive day last Saturday in the Hawkeyes’ win over Illinois. Hooker had a pass interception and ran for a first down on a fake punt to set up an Iowa touchdown.

In that game Jeff George Jr., the son of the former Vikings QB, made his first start of the season at quarterback for Illinois.

Sean Engel, the 6-5 redshirt freshman wide receiver from Chaska High School, has played in four of North Dakota State’s five games and has one catch for 15 yards. The 5-0 Bison are averaging 51.6 points game, while opponents are averaging 6.2.

October 10 sports birthdays include Brett Favre, 48, and former Gophers athletic director Mark Dienhart, 64.

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