Golden Gophers – Page 238 – David Shama's Minnesota Sports Headliners

Vikings Griffen Lauds Zimmer’s Courage

Posted on December 16, 2016December 16, 2016 by David Shama

Vikings tough guy Everson Griffen voiced admiration for coach Mike Zimmer yesterday. Griffen, a seven-year pro, has played for a lot of coaches during his high school, college and NFL career. “He’s the most courageous,” the Vikings defensive end told Sports Headliners yesterday. “He’s just a great coach to play for.”

Zimmer’s multiple eye surgeries this fall have stopped him from coaching in only one game, a loss against Dallas on December 1. Zimmer flew to Jacksonville last week and coached the Vikings to a 25-16 victory over the Jaguars. He has been wearing a patch over his right eye in practice this week but will coach against the Colts on Sunday at U.S. Bank Stadium.

“It was hard not to have him on the sidelines for the Cowboys game,” fullback Zach Line told Sports Headliners. “It felt like things were back to normal when he was travelling with us last week.”

What was different when Zimmer didn’t coach in the Dallas game? “I think just having your leader there changes everything,” Line said. “He’s definitely the guy we look to on the sidelines and in the locker room at halftime.”

Griffen, a 2016 Pro Bowler known for his aggressive style, finds Zimmer inspirational. “He’s a tough guy. He loves the game of football. He was going to find any solution to get back on the field with us.” …

Sam Bradford (photo courtesy of Minnesota Vikings)

Despite the team’s offensive line being in disarray because of injuries, and a running game that is among the worst in pro football, Vikings quarterback Sam Bradford has a career-best 98.2 passer rating. Bradford, 29, has thrown 14 touchdown passes and just three interceptions.

Bradford ranks eighth in the NFL in passer rating. In six of his 12 games his passer rating has been over 100. He’s given the Vikings their best passing season since Brett Favre’s lights-out 2009 season.

The offensive line didn’t allow a sack in last Sunday’s win over the Jaguars. “Those guys played great last week,” Bradford said. “They went out there and they just blocked their butts off, both in the run game and in the pass game. I thought they did a great job, and I couldn’t be more proud of those guys. …” …

Don’t be surprised if 11-year veteran Chad Greenway waits until spring before deciding whether to retire. Expect a well thought out decision by the Vikings linebacker on whether to play another season. …

When the Vikings play the Colts Sunday it will be a homecoming for Minnesota native Joe Haeg who played high school football in Brainerd. The rookie offensive tackle and guard, a fifth round draft choice, has been a surprise starter for the Colts. …

The Christmas Eve day weather forecast in Green Bay is for a high of 36 and “snow or flurries possible,” according to Accuweather.com. The Vikings-Packers holiday game at Lambeau Field begins at noon. …

Jim Carter, who is a candidate to become a University of Minnesota Board of Regent next year, attended last Friday’s board meeting on the Minneapolis campus. Carter said “about 30” demonstrators wore “Fire Kaler” t-shirts and spoke critically of University president Eric Kaler, including his hire of former athletics director Norwood Teague. The police cleared the room and broke up the demonstration after a short while, according to Carter. …

chasing-dreams1 Former Gophers football coach Jerry Kill has a book signing today at Barnes & Noble Nicollet Mall from noon to 2 p.m. Tomorrow he will be at Barnes & Noble Eden Prairie and Sunday at Barnes & Noble Mall of America—1 to 3 p.m. both days. He will be signing copies of his new book Chasing Dreams: Living My Life One Yard at a Time. …

Gophers athletics director Mark Coyle speaks to the CORES lunch group Thursday, January 12 at the Knights of Columbus Hall in Bloomington, 1114 American Blvd. Vikings executive Lester Bagley talks to the group on March 9. More information is available by contacting Jim Dotseth, dotsethj@comcast.net. …

Mark Ritchie said via email the Minnesota World’s Fair bid for 2023 will place emphasis “on all aspects of how we keep ourselves healthy, including sports, fitness, exercise and how we return to fitness if sick or injured.” The president and CEO of the Minnesota Expo 2023 project announced yesterday that his group has met the Bureau of International Expositions bid deadline. He also told Sports Headliners in an email the anticipated site for the fair will be on land between TCF Bank Stadium and Surly Brewing Company. Others competing to host the fair are Argentina, Brazil and Poland. …

Fans wonder about new 33-year-old Twins baseball boss Derek Falvey working with 60-year-old manager Paul Molitor. That’s a 27 year difference in age but when Falvey was in the Cleveland front office he collaborated with 57-year-old manager Terry Francona. Molitor has long been known for his high baseball I.Q. and that was developed because of his willingness to learn. Expect Falvey and Molitor to be curious about each other’s ideas this offseason. …

Until the Timberwolves pull toward a .500 record, legitimate questions will nag at the franchise that hasn’t made the playoffs since 2004. The Wolves have a talented young core of players but management hired a coach who made his reputation handling veteran players. In Chicago as head coach and Boston as a key assistant, highly regarded Tom Thibodeau was known for leading stingy defenses. He also had physical players—enforcer types—but the Wolves are a finesse team with some of their best players being stylish performers like Andrew Wiggins, Zach LaVine and Ricky Rubio. …

Marv Wolfenson and Harvey Ratner, the deceased founders of the Timberwolves and the Northwest health clubs in Minneapolis, were tennis advocates including boosters of the Gophers program. A recognition plaque is on display at the University of Minnesota Baseline Tennis Center, and February 3 at the Gophers-Dartmouth match the contributions of Wolfenson and Ratner will be honored. …

Former Gophers guard Blake Hoffarber, who won a 2005 Best Play ESPY Award for his amazing three-point shot in the state tournament while in high school, is a business insurance risk consultant for Marsh & McLennan in Minneapolis. …

The Minnesota Wild and other sponsors will celebrate Girls Hockey Weekend Saturday and Sunday at Xcel Energy Center. Natalie Darwitz, the Olympic medalist and women’s hockey coach at Hamline, will say “Let’s Play Hockey!” at the start of the Wild-Coyotes game Saturday afternoon. There will be promotion of girls and women’s hockey at the game. Post-game, fans can attend a chalk talk featuring Darwitz and two other hockey authorities, Laura Halldorson and Kristen Wright. Hockey clinics for girls and women will be held on Saturday and Sunday. More at Wild.com/girlshockey. Darwitz also skated with the Wild at practice this morning, becoming the first female to suit up with the team.

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Incentives in Play for U Bowl Game

Posted on December 14, 2016December 14, 2016 by David Shama

Maybe there will be a silver lining to news that 10 Gophers football players have been suspended indefinitely as the team prepares for its December 27 Holiday Bowl game in San Diego. The presumption is those players won’t be available for the game but perhaps the other Gophers on the roster can use the adversity to focus more and perform better.

Four of the suspended players are defensive backs who have been key contributors: Ray Buford, KiAnte Hardin, Antonio Shenault and Antoine Winfield Jr. Their absence against a Washington State team with one of the nation’s best passing attacks would be a blow to Minnesota’s chances.

The Holiday Bowl is a prestigious destination and Washington State is a quality opponent, having finished second in the Pac-12 North Division standings. A win over the favored Cougars will boost the Gophers’ image and help build interest for next year’s team.

The nationally televised bowl game also provides an opportunity to impress high school players who the Gophers are recruiting. Minnesota’s 2017 recruiting class has so far been ranked toward the bottom of the Big Ten by media authorities. National Signing Day is February 1.

Gophers on the roster returning for next season can gain enthusiasm for winter workouts and preparations for spring practice if Minnesota wins its second bowl game in the last five years.

Gophers coach Tracy Claeys has at least one financial incentive as he prepares his team for the bowl game. His contract stipulates he receives a $50,000 bonus if Minnesota defeats an opponent from the Pac-12, Big 12, ACC or SEC in a bowl game. He has already earned a $50,000 bonus for winning five Big Ten games this year, and $75,000 for leading his team to this bowl game.

There is speculation Claeys will receive an extension on the contract he accepted late last year that turned his status from interim head coach into full-time boss. Claeys has two years remaining on that deal. Perhaps there will be an increase in not only the number of years, but also the compensation for Claeys who earned a $1.4 million salary this season. Certainly a Gophers’ win in the bowl game against 8-4 Washington State will add more luster to the coach’s resume.

Claeys coached the Gophers to a 5-4 league record, 8-4 overall. The schedule of opponents was the easiest in years and the public didn’t get excited about the team. The Gophers averaged 43,814 in seven home games, the lowest attendance since moving into 50,805 seat TCF Bank Stadium in 2009. Claeys has incentives in his contract that pay him $75,000 if home attendance averages 49,000 or more. He earns $50,000 if attendance is 47,000 or more.

Worth Noting

Claeys has received a verbal commitment from Southwest Mississippi Community College quarterback Neil McLaurin. Claeys’ philosophy is not to recruit junior college players unless there is a definite need and an opportunity to play. That might make McLaurin the favorite to replace senior Mitch Leidner, jumping ahead of redshirt sophomore Demry Croft, and redshirt freshmen Seth Green and Mark Williams.

The LIU Brooklyn team that plays the Gophers tonight at Williams Arena is 7-3 and wins include a 74-73 victory over St. John’s. The Gophers, 10-1, defeated 5-6 St. John’s 92-86 at Williams Arena last month.

Minnesota received six votes in this week’s A.P. top 25 rankings, four more than Michigan State, the Gophers’ opponent in their Big Ten opener on December 27. The 7-4 Spartans rank No. 43 and the Gophers No. 47 in the Kenpom.com advanced analysis ratings.

Before legislation was passed in 2012 approving a Vikings stadium to replace the Metrodome, the NFL told governor Mark Dayton all bets were off if the state didn’t come up with a new facility. Dayton revealed that Sunday on WCCO Radio’s Sports Huddle program and said the NFL talked about the Vikings franchise becoming a “free agent” for relocation if a new stadium wasn’t approved.

Minnesota connections: St. Charles-born Brad Nessler will succeed Duluth-born Verne Lundquist next year on the CBS TV SEC game of the week. The 76-year-old Lundquist told a national television audience last Saturday Nessler will take over for him with play-by-play, although Lundquist will continue work at golf’s Masters and the NCAA men’s basketball tournament in 2017.

The Gophers volleyball team plays Stanford in a NCAA Final Four match tomorrow night in Columbus starting at 6 p.m. Coach Hugh McCutcheon’s team is a big story locally and it will be interesting to see if the TV ratings in Minneapolis-St. Paul are the largest in any U.S. market on Thursday night. The match will be televised on ESPN2. The other Final Four teams are Nebraska and Texas.

The Gophers opened their 2016 season against Stanford in Palo Alto, winning 3-1 on August 27 and then losing by that score August 28. Gophers sophomore Samantha Seliger-Swenson had 17 digs in the loss. She is the Big Ten Setter of the Year.

McCutheon’s wife, Elisabeth “Wiz” Bachman, is from the Bachman family that has owned Minneapolis-based Bachman’s since 1885. She is a former Olympic volleyball player.

Former Henry Sibley hockey coach Tom Serratore, has his Bemidji State team at 13-5-2 and ranked No. 15 nationally in the latest USCHO.com poll. “He’s doing as good a job as any coach in college hockey,” a WCHA source told Sports Headliners.

Serratore, now in his 18th season at Bemidji, has one of the nation’s best goalies in junior Michael Bitzer from Moorhead who is third in the country in save percentage at .938, according to USCHO.com.

The 9-5-2 Gophers are No. 10 in the USCHO.com national poll. Minnesota doesn’t play again until December 30-31 when the Gophers host the 26th annual Mariucci Classic.

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No Yips for Vikings New Kicker Forbath

Posted on December 12, 2016December 12, 2016 by David Shama

A weekend full of notes starting with the Vikings.

New placekicker Kai Forbath, who was signed as a free agent last month, kicked four field goals in yesterday’s 25-16 Vikings win over the Jaguars. He is 10 for 10 in four games with Minnesota.

Forbath replaced Blair Walsh who missed the infamous 27-yard goal that cost the Vikings their opening playoff win against the Seahawks last January in Minneapolis. Walsh was out of sync this fall, particularly struggling with extra points. Forbath has converted on four of six attempts but his one miss yesterday can be forgiven because a penalty had put the ball at the Jaguars’ 38-yard-line.

Walsh may have had the yips this year, but Forbath isn’t admitting to any extreme nervousness impacting motor skills. “I’ve always told myself if you’ve missed, to move on from it,” he told Sports Headliners. “Not try to overcorrect it. …”

Forbath reportedly was let go by the Redskins in 2015 because he didn’t hit the ball deep enough on kickoffs. With the Vikings he has produced 13 touchbacks in 22 kickoffs. Walsh, who missed four extra points and made 12 of 16 field goals, had 19 of 41 kicks resulting in touchbacks this season.

The Vikings signed Forbath to a two-year contract but it’s not guaranteed. “I’ve been going through that my whole career so nothing new to me,” he said. …

With three games remaining in the regular season, first round draft choice Laquon Treadwell is still a non-contributor to a Vikings offense that has struggled most of the season. While coaches and teammates have insisted Treadwell’s lack of playing time and success isn’t concerning, fans and media have a different view.

The Vikings’ rookie wide receiver has one reception this season and didn’t catch a pass in yesterday’s win over the Jaguars. He plays a position that is not a project process like offensive line and quarterback, but yet he has hardly seen the field despite playing on an offense that has gone begging for big plays.

While the 6-2, 215-pound Treadwell seems to have the size and hands to succeed at wide receiver, questions persist about his speed and ability to separate from defenders. Right now he is part of a suspect 2016 draft class that also includes fourth round offensive lineman Willie Beavers who hasn’t been able to earn significant playing time despite the injury epidemic on the O-line.

Vikings wide receiver Adam Thielen insists Treadwell has the skills to play in the pros. “You see it everyday in practice. He’s got the size, got the speed. He’s got the athleticism. It’s just putting it all together.

“It’s a tough (offensive) system. It’s a long season. It’s just not easy to come in, and step in, and make plays. You gotta earn your right, you gotta keep getting better.”

Vikings wide receiver Stefon Diggs, who turned heads as a rookie last season, is a believer in Treadwell, too. “He’s doing everything in his power to become the player that he wants to be.”

Diggs likes Treadwell’s attitude. “He has that want to. He wants to do well.” …

Instead of three regular season NFL games in London as in the past, four will be played next year. The Vikings last played in London in 2013. The use agreement the franchise signed with the Minnesota Sports Facilities Authority (MSFA) in October of 2013 allows only three Vikings home games to be played internationally during a 15-year period. So, as of now, the Vikings can move only two games from U.S. Bank Stadium to an international site.

The NFL teams participating in the 2017 London game are expected to be announced tomorrow. …

The Vikings are paying $10 million to the MSFA in this their first season at U.S. Bank Stadium. That amount increases by three percent per year in the future. The club also pays what the use agreement terms “direct and incremental operating expenses” for Vikings events at the stadium. The Vikings receive all revenue from various sources for their events including but not limited to tickets, naming rights, suite licenses, sponsorships and signage. …

A hockey source told Sports Headliners he believes the Minnesota Wild has a leadership issue but offered only praise for goalie Devan Dubnyk and new coach Bruce Boudreau. “Who are the leaders (among players)?” the source asked. “There needs to be leaders that push the young players, police the locker room and make sure everyone is rowing the boat together.”

The Wild has been inconsistent and lost too many close games this season, although the club has won four consecutive games, is in third place in the seven-team Central Division and is a playoff contender. The source said Boudreau has done a “good job” but he has been taken aback at times by the team’s lack of effort, and that relates to the players’ leadership issue.

Dubnyk leads the NHL in goals against average per game at 1.63, save percentage at .946 and shutouts with four. He is the team MVP so far and is playing like he did two seasons ago when he rallied Minnesota to the playoffs. How come?

“Goalies are creatures of habit like pitchers,” the hockey man said. “Sometimes they’re hot and sometimes they’re not.”

At what level has Dubnyk been playing? “I think he is as good a goaltender as there is the NHL,” the source said. “He just hasn’t (consistently) had the support.” …

Five voices familiar to local fans have been nominated for Minnesota State Sportscaster of the Year by the National Sports Media Association (NSMA). They are Mike Grimm, Alan Horton, Anthony LaPanta, Cory Provus and Mark Rosen. …

The Gophers and Washington State play on December 27 in the National Funding Holiday Bowl, and both are led by head coaches who didn’t play college football—Tracy Claeys and Mike Leach. Sports Headliners reader Mike Wilkinson wonders if that has ever happened before in major college bowl history? He also wrote in his email that Gophers basketball coach Richard Pitino didn’t play college basketball. He asked if a major college athletic department ever had football and basketball coaches like Claeys and Pitino who didn’t play their sports while students in college? Anybody have answers? …

Two Twins minor leaguers made the Arizona Fall League (AFL) top 25 prospects team announced last week by MLB.com. Shortstop Nick Gordon was fourth in league average at .346, while also leading players at his position in total chances and assists in 21 games. Catcher Mitch Garver was second in the AFL in home runs with four, while batting .229 in 19 games. Gordon was listed as the No. 2 prospect along with Yankees’ minor leaguer and shortstop Gleyber Torres. Garver ranked No. 23. …

Condolences to friends of Edina attorney and Hobey Baker supporter Jack Carlson who died last Wednesday night. Jack was an avid sports fan with a passion for University of Illinois athletics.

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