Golden Gophers – Page 65 – David Shama's Minnesota Sports Headliners

Vikings’ ‘D’ May Revive vs. Inept Colts

Posted on December 15, 2022December 15, 2022 by David Shama

It will be a bad look if the Vikings’ defense struggles again Saturday. The defensive unit and coordinator Ed Donatell will be scrutinized for their performance at U.S. Bank Stadium against a Colts offense that has been mostly inept this season.

The 4-8-1 Colts average just 16.1 points per game, ranking No. 31 among 32 teams. They have the most turnovers in the NFL at 26. Quarterback Matt Ryan has a passer rating of 84 after throwing 13 touchdown passes and 13 interceptions.

The Colts should be a welcome site to Donatell and his unit after their recent five-game nosedive. In that stretch the Vikings have given up 30.4 points per game and an average of 460.6 yards. Worse news is that the 10-3 Vikings are 3-2 in those last five games. Ryan rarely throws for 400 yards but if he does Saturday the Vikings could lose again.

At least among the public there is a lack of confidence in Donatell. Head coach Kevin O’Connell said Donatell will call plays tomorrow. Asked earlier in the week if he would consider changing coaching assignments and play callers on gameday, O’Connell said, “You’re always looking at things that you think might be a possible answer to help the guys play better and be more consistent, but as of right now, no, not something I’m considering.”

The “as of right now” comment draws attention. It raises questions about Donatell, particularly with another defensive veteran on the staff in Mike Pettine, assistant head coach. Last year as a senior defensive assistant he helped the Bears improve to an overall No. 6 ranking in total defense. Before that he had success as the Packers’ defensive coordinator. He has 28 years of high school, college and professional experience.

Donatell and the defense are definitely on the collective hot seat for the Vikings who have scored 312 points this season and given up 313. Maybe facing Ryan can help get things turned around but in the last five games the Vikings have allowed the likes of Mike White (369) and Mac Jones (382) to pass for over 300 yards each.

Worth Noting

Did you know Vikings’ quarterback Kirk Cousins is the only NFL QB with 3,000-plus passing yards and 20-plus touchdown passes in each of the past eight seasons?

Former Vikings wide receiver Nate Burleson will provide analysis on Saturday’s NFL Network game between Minnesota and the Colts. The game will also be seen locally on KSTP.

Nate is the younger brother of Kevin Burleson, the former Gopher basketball guard and ex-Timberwolves assistant coach. Kevin is head coach of the Rio Grande Valley Vipers of the NBA G League.

The Vikings-Patriots game and two other NFL games televised on Thanksgiving had an average minute audience of 44.1 million viewers, per NFL Communications.

There’s a lot of deserved hype about Gophers’ basketball recruit Dennis Evans from Riverside, California because of his defensive prowess but he is very raw offensively, a reality that may have given other college programs pause in pursuing the 7-foot-1 center.

This year’s Gophers, 5-6 and 0-2 in Big Ten games, have myriad issues including guard play. Tre Holloman, the freshman point guard at Michigan State from Minneapolis, could have helped. Holloman isn’t starting but has played in all 11 games, totaling 111 minutes and has made just two turnovers.

Second-year coach Ben Johnson’s team is struggling, looking dysfunctional at times and right now Minnesota is a favorite to finish last in the Big Ten for a second consecutive season. The Gophers are No. 244 in the NCAA net rankings of men’s Division I NCAA teams.

At least publicly, it seems like the buzz around the program is looking toward the 2023-2024 season when another hyped recruit, guard Cameron Christie from Rolling Hills, Illinois, shows up—but there are too many things that can happen between now and next fall to forecast a big turnaround for the program.

Sending best wishes to Jimmy Williams, the former Gophers basketball assistant coach and ace recruiter for Bill Musselman and Jim Dutcher, who has advanced Parkinson’s and is living in Tampa.

For a Name, Image and Likeness deal, men’s basketball players from Baylor and Gonzaga were paid by event organizers to promote their neutral site game in Sioux Falls earlier this month. Players received $8,000 each, per a Sports Headliners source.

Not saying it’s certain but don’t be surprised if Karl-Anthony Towns‘ calf injury doesn’t allow a return to Timberwolves game action until February.

It looks like a modest number of Gophers fans will attend the December 29 Pinstripe Bowl in New York City at Yankee Stadium. Reporters will be stationed in the open-air press box. Accuweather.com forecasts a cloudy day with a high of 36 on December 29.

Lou Nanne has been watching Sammy Walker since the now Wild forward was a pre-teenager. He told KFAN’s Dan Barreiro this week that Walker might be the fastest player on the team and he likes the former Gopher’s future but wants to see checking improvement.

NHL commissioner Gary Bettman said next year’s salary cap may rise by only $1 million per year next year. If so, that could put a player like the Wild’s Matt Dumba, reportedly at about $6 million next year, on the spot regarding his future in Minnesota.

The Gopher wrestling team, with no matches now until January 1 at the Southern Scuffle, is 7-0 and has moved up to No. 9 nationally in the NCAA Division I Wrestling Coaches Poll. The top five ranked teams are Penn State, Iowa, Ohio State, Arizona State and Michigan.

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‘Incredible’ Season for Jerry Kill’s Team

Posted on December 12, 2022April 27, 2024 by David Shama

This is the time of year for miracles, and sometimes they even occur in sports.

The miraculous has happened in Las Cruces, New Mexico where the Aggies have shocked the college football world and are preparing for a rare bowl game.

Leading the developing story of good cheer is former University of Minnesota head coach Jerry Kill. He has been orchestrating and often resurrecting college football programs since 1994 but his first season in the arid lands of Las Cruces is a doozy.

For decades the Aggies have been one of the most unsuccessful and forgettable programs in the nation. Fodder for bad jokes and nearly a guaranteed homecoming win for opponents. Just a year ago Kill arrived in town to take over a team that had finished 2-10. Few people, even the coach, expected the Aggies to win much in 2022 either.

In the Aggies’ first four games they were outscored 147-32. Included was a 38-0 beat down by the Gophers where the Aggies managed just six first downs and were out gained 300 to 60 yards.

Things got better with a first victory in late September and the Aggies won three of their last four games, outscoring the opposition 165-31. They finished with a 6-6 record and will take on Bowling Green December 26 in Detroit’s Quick Lane Bowl. Playing an independent schedule, the Aggies lost one-sided games to Minnesota and two other power five teams but had wins over Hawaii, New Mexico, UMass, Lamar, Liberty and Valparaiso.

In a phone interview with Sports Headliners, Kill acknowledged his team was “pretty well beat up with the first four games.” Known for his achievements at five other head jobs, he said the coaching job in 2022 rates high among his successes. “Being able to be where we’re at right now is pretty much close to a miracle,” he said.

How did Kill, his staff and the players surprise everyone including themselves? Well, first they successfully mixed many new players with returnees. During adversity the staff “didn’t get down on the kids.” The coaches stayed consistent with encouragement and instruction, and the Aggies played hard, kept giving effort.

“Yeah, I just did the same things,” Kill said regarding the consistent approach. “When we lost, we just said, hey, this is what we gotta get better at. We didn’t dwell on it. We just moved forward. …We just kept getting better.”

A bowl trip to Detroit is looked on with disdain by many college football fans, but to the Aggies it’s a just reward for all their faith, time and efforts. “They deserve a bowl game, and what they’ve done is incredible,” Kill said. “The exciting thing for me is I coached about two-and-a-half hours from there (Saginaw Valley State). I was 32 years old. That was my first head coaching job. College job.”

After his time at Saginaw, Kill would have three more head college coaching jobs before he took over the Gophers in December of 2010. He turned around a Gopher football program that was in dire shape by every standard. He became one of the state’s most respected and popular coaches ever.

By the time he resigned as coach almost five years later he had led the Gophers to a January 1 bowl game for the first time since 1962. His 2013 team broke a losing streak against Nebraska that went back to 1960. Minnesota defeated Michigan in 2014 for only the second time this century and that year beat Iowa 51-14. He was named the 2014 Big Ten Coach of the Year.

Pressure, fatigue, and most of all his long battle with epilepsy forced Kill to resign during the 2015 season. In retrospect, could he have shuffled off a lot of his duties to staff for weeks, months or longer, and continued as the Minnesota coach?

“I’ve never really regretted anything I’ve done in my life, and I did what’s best for the University of Minnesota and me at the time,” Kill answered. “Did I miss Minnesota? I’ve never gotten over it. I never will.

“Would I have handled it differently? If I’d sat out for a year, or whatever, I think I’d hurt the program and I wasn’t going to do that.”

How is his battle with epilepsy? “Yeah, things are going good,” he said. “You just take one day at a time with all that, but I’ve been good.”

Incidents over the last several years? “Since I left in 2015, I’ve had a few but nothing like they were in the past,” Kill said.

After leaving the Gophers, Kill had a series of college athletics administration and assistant football coaching assignments. It’s crystal clear that despite his health history, which includes cancer, Kill is hard wired to love football and work with young men.

About 13 months ago Kill was named interim head coach at TCU after Gary Patterson was fired. Kill had been working for Patterson, directing the offense. He isn’t caught off guard that the Horned Frogs are now one of four teams headed to the College Football Playoffs and competing for the national championship.

“Oh, I am not surprised at all. Offensively, we were dynamic when I was there. They had them all (the players) back. The quarterback was great when I was there. He’s still great (and) better. That offensive unit has been together for a long time. A lot of seniors, a lot of great kids. Great players, probably seven NFL guys on the offense. …”

At 61 years old Kill is rebuilding a program that has only been to four previous bowl games: 1936, 1959, 1960 and 2017. Don’t bet against Kill taking the Aggies to four or more himself. Things are looking up in Las Cruces where the coaching and playing is trending straight up, and the finances will improve after joining a conference next year.

“We’ll get better,” Kill said. “We’re not even close. We’re far from where we need to be. And we’re a lot farther along than I thought we’d be. So, I was hoping we’d win one or two games. …We’re going into Conference USA and that’s going to be a huge boost for us, you know, even financially. So, I think we’ve got a lot of good things ahead.”

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Twins Need to Rethink Carlos Correa

Posted on December 10, 2022December 10, 2022 by David Shama

Free agent shortstop Carlos Correa has the baseball world, including Twins fans, on notice about his future. The view here is Minnesota should tank efforts for signing him and target multiple players through free agency and trades that could collectively help them more.

This week it became more evident than ever it’s going to take a bank full of money over something like 10 years to give the Twins a reasonable chance to re-sign their 2022 MVP. Trea Turner and Xander Bogaerts are elite shortstops and peers of Correa who is arguably the best at his position in MLB. This week Turner and Bogaerts signed new deals of $300 million and $280 million respectively. Both contracts are for 11 years.

Power agent Scott Boras represents Bogaerts and Correa. Boras will be on task to top not only top Bogaerts’ deal for Correa, but also Turner’s.

It could require north of $325 million for at least a decade to sign Correa. Even if the Twins want to offer such numbers, it’s possible other teams (think Giants, Cubs) may back up a bigger armored truck to Correa’s door.

Another part of persuading Correa to sign a new deal will involve the caliber of players an organization can put around him. That can be existing talent, hot prospects and what the organization’s vision is for winning. The Twins, 78-84 last season, have a spotty record in the playoffs since winning the World Series in 1991. Their track record shows occasional willingness to spend big money (Joe Mauer, Josh Donaldson and Correa in 2022) but they don’t stretch the payroll like the Dodgers, Mets, Phillies, Texas, Padres, Yankees and other clubs.

Correa is 28 and while it was exciting to have him on the roster last season his impact on winning games wasn’t that of a $35 million player. Even if his production was better, it requires more than a couple of elite players to have a great team. Look at the Angels and their stumbling ways despite having two of the greatest players of this generation in Mike Trout and Shohei Ohtani.

The view here is the Twins can be better positioned to win by taking Correa money and spending it on a pitcher who could be a staff ace or close to it. Also, bolstering their bullpen and finding a catcher like free agent Christian Vazquez will be money well spent.

Those moves are more likely to make the Twins a postseason contender in 2023 and beyond. In a team game where it takes many to contribute the Twins don’t need to take on a lengthy obligation for a player who will be in his late 30s when he stops playing. Of interest, too, is Correa had back issues with the Astros prior to joining the Twins.

“These long-term contracts in baseball, they rarely work out for the best,” a source with MLB ties told Sports Headliners. “ …You’re paying guys for what they accomplished, not what they’re going to accomplish. It’s always a little bit risky when you tie up that kind of money in one player. I think you have to be ready to put talent around him.”

If the Twins are without Correa in 2023, they already have 32-year-old shortstop Kyle Farmer for the short-term, while awaiting the take over of top prospect Royce Lewis for potentially a longtime.

Worth Noting

The top seven rudest fans at stadiums in the NFL are in order: Eagles, Raiders, Cowboys, Patriots, Steelers, Packers and Bears, per a survey this fall by NJ.Bet. The Vikings rank No. 22 and the Lions, who host Minnesota Sunday, are No. 15. Brief comments on fans for each team include “get too drunk” for the Vikings and Packers, and “heckle too much” for the Bears and Lions. https://nj.bet/news/ranked-rudest-fans-in-the-nfl/

Legendary coach Bud Grant likes the 2022 Vikings team but said a single play going wrong in games could have resulted in a “1-9 record.” Grant made that comment while talking to KFAN’s Dan Barreiro for more than one hour earlier this week.

The former Vikings coach, who will be 96 next May, credits his longevity to family genes and good fortune, including experiences where he could have died. Grant told Barreiro he doesn’t “believe in God.”

Surprisingly, the 10-2 Vikings have been underdogs this week for their game Sunday in Detroit. The Lions, 5-7, want to become the first team since the NFL expanded the playoffs in 1990 to make the postseason after a 1-6 start. They have won four of their last five games.

“The arms race” in college football continues including in the Big Ten with media reports that Minnesota’s P.J. Fleck will now make $6 million after new hires at Nebraska and Wisconsin: Matt Ruhle for $9.25 million with the Cornhuskers and the Badgers paying Luke Fickell $7.5 million for next year.

Lasting memory in the Iowa-Minnesota football rivalry: After this fall’s 13-10 Iowa win at Huntington Bank Stadium controversial Hawkeyes offensive coordinator Brian Ferentz stood in front of his school’s fans and simulated rowing a boat, an observer told Sports Headliners.

Rob Gag and Derek Burns, co-founders of Dinkytown Athletes, aren’t taking salaries from their new startup. The collective facilitates Name, Image and Likeness (NIL) opportunities and financial compensation for Gopher athletes. Fans, boosters and businesses can benefit athletes through activities such as endorsements and personal appearances. Burns told Sports Headliners paid interns are helping with “business development.” https://dinkytownathletes.com/

Stillwater-based Creative Charters has been taking Gophers football fans to bowl games for years and 2022 is no different. The itinerary for New York City and the December 29 Pinstripe Bowl at Yankee Stadium has fans departing December 28 and back home for New Year’s Eve December 31. Details on the Creative Charters website. https://creativecharter.com/index.html

Contrary to what has been reported, new Timberwolves and Lynx owners Marc Lore and Alex Rodriguez don’t have to make a December payment to Glen Taylor, a franchise source told Sports Headliners. The two need to execute paperwork this month, with payment required next year as part of their transition to majority ownership.

Don’t be surprised if new Wolves president of basketball operations Tim Connelly makes personnel moves in the coming weeks. Some NBA players, by stipulation in their contracts, can’t be traded until December 15.

Former Gopher men’s gymnastics coach Mike Burns and Michael Hsu, the former University of Minnesota regent with a strong interest in athletics, are applicants for the at-large opening on the 12-member Board of Regents next year. Former Gopher football player William Humphries is an applicant for District 3.

The Wild has recalled Edina native and former Gopher Sammy Walker from Iowa where he led the team in points, goals and power-goals. Walker signed a two-year, entry level contract with the Wild last August.

Old friends: Wild goalie Marc-Andre Fleury, 38, is still friends with 72-year-old Gilles Meloche, the former North Stars goalie who coached Fleury years ago with the Penguins.

The Gopher men’s hockey team earned a 7-1 win at home last night against the Badgers, with three different lines scoring at least one goal. Minnesota had two infractions called in the first period, ending a streak of 218:06 (nearly four games) without a penalty.

Elite skater Mason Moe, a 10th grader on the Eden Prairie boys’ hockey team and grandson of former Gophers athletic director Tom Moe, is a prep forward to follow this winter. He was one of the metro’s top bantam players last winter.

The Gophers announced that four student-athletes earned a GPA of 4.0 this fall: Ava Hill (women’s cross country), Sydney Kretlow (women’s cross country), Elizabeth Overberg (soccer) and Matthew Trickett (football).

Early bird tickets go on sale December 12 for the Minnesota Golf Show February 24-26 at the Minneapolis Convention Center. https://minnesotagolfshow.com/

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