Lynx – Page 4 – David Shama's Minnesota Sports Headliners

Vikings Likely Know Answer on Key Sam Darnold Question

Posted on February 4, 2025February 4, 2025 by David Shama

Quarterback Sam Darnold resurrected his NFL career in his first season with the Vikings. The Sporting News and Professional Football Writers Association of America both named him league Comeback Player of the Year for his 2024 performance that included career highs in several passing categories.

Darnold led the Vikings to a 14-3 regular season record but wasn’t sharp in the two biggest games of the year. With the NFC No. 1 seed in the playoffs at stake, Darnold and the Vikings lost in their regular season finale to the Lions and then failed to win in Minnesota’s opening playoff game against the Rams. Darnold was a combined 43 of 81 passes in the two games and was sacked nine times by the Rams.

Head coach Kevin O’Connell and his staff convincingly showed the football world this fall their magic in creating elite quarterback play. The reality that Darnold struggled in his biggest games is mostly on him and his teammates, not the coaching staff.

What KOC and his helpers have likely decided by now is whether Darnold is a solid bet to be able to take the next potential step in his development—excelling in the biggest moments. Does he have the skills and mental makeup to lead the Vikings to the Super Bowl or at least the NFC title game in the near future?

The Vikings almost certainly have a good handle on what the ceiling is for the 27-year-old Darnold, a guy who for six pro seasons was a journeyman with other clubs.

Along with that comes the conundrum of whether J.J. McCarthy, the rookie last year who never saw the field because of his knee injury, is the better bet to take the franchise to championships. A 10-year-old knows building a Super Bowl contending team begins with a quarterback who is among the best in the NFL.

They have invested emotionally in McCarthy, the No. 10 draft choice in the first round in 2024. After McCarthy was hurt in the preseason, O’Connell referred to him as the “young franchise quarterback.”

If that is still KOC’s conviction, then the smart move is to franchise or transition tag Darnold for perhaps $40 million and trade him. There are at least a half dozen NFL teams looking for quarterbacks and the 2025 college draft is weak in QB prospects.

A trade could return player assets to the Vikings and allow the franchise to spend the $40 million upgrading talent at other positions and retaining their own free agents. Roster needs include the interior offensive and defensive lines and cornerback.

It could be a benefit that McCarthy missed his first year. He had the opportunity to learn the system while rehabbing from two knee procedures. He figures to be much more comfortable in the offense in 2025, if healthy.

If the Vikings let Darnold go and gamble on McCarthy, fingers will be crossed in Skol Country that the 22-year-old is ready in every way. If not, KOC will be looking for another bridge quarterback and trying to work his “magic” on a Darnold 2.0—e.g. Daniel Jones if he elects to stay with the team as a free agent starting next month.

Worth Noting

Daniel House, the college and pro football authority, told Sports Headliners defensive tackle is a deep and quality position in the April college draft. That could be good news for the Vikings who need help. Follow House on X @DanielHouseMN and on his Gophers and Vikings websites. https://gophersguru.com/ http://www.mnvikingscorner.com/

Running back is another position with quality and depth in the draft. Iowa’s Kaleb Johnson, who was troublesome to the Gophers and others in the Big Ten, could certainly be available to the Vikings at No. 24 in the first round or after Day 1. The Vikings need an explosive runner as a successor to 30-year-old Aaron Jones.

Minnesota Breakfast attendees in Naples, Florida heard from first-year University of Minnesota president Rebecca Cunningham last Friday. Minneapolis-based attorney and journalist Marshall Tanick reported via email Dr. Cunningham “primarily focused on health sciences and technology challenges the University faces. But she touched upon Gopher athletics, telling the group of Minnesota expatriates and seasonal visitors that she and athletic Director Mark Coyle are ‘committed to having a competitive Big Ten program.’” She also praised the record 3.4 GPA compiled by U athletes last semester.

The expectation is that the drawn-out arbitration process to determine majority ownership of the Timberwolves and Lynx will conclude any day now. If the Marc Lore and Alex Rodriguez group wins the litigation with long-time owner Glen Taylor, they still must get no less than 75 percent approval from the NBA Board of Governors.

Based on NBAstore.com data through the first half of the NBA season the Warriors’ Steph Curry had the top selling jersey, while the Wolves’ Anthony Edwards ranked No. 6.

The Timberwolves, trying to establish favorable seeding for the Western Conference playoffs later this year, are in the midst of a five-game homestand. They will also have a five-game home schedule March 1-8. Both slates will be significant in determining the team’s final record.

After last night’s loss to the Kings at Target Center the Wolves are 0-2 on the homestand that began Saturday night in a loss to the lowly Wizards. Coming up are games with the Bulls, Rockets and Trail Blazers.

The Wolves, 27-23, are only 12-12 in home games, while their road record is 15-11.

The Wild, 31-18-4 is 20-6-3 on the road and inexplicably 11-12-1 at Xcel Energy Center.

The Wild, who played nine road games in January, have their longest home schedule with seven games March 9-22. The month has Minnesota playing nine games at the Xcel, the most in any month this season.

If there is a men’s basketball head coaching vacancy at Minnesota or Iowa in the near future, it would be preposterous for hiring authorities to not have John Tauer on the short list of candidates who interest them. A Division III national champion at St. Thomas, Tauer has superbly guided the Tommies to Division I competition, and his 2025 team is in first place in the Summit League with an 8-1 record (18-6 overall).

The NCAA Men’s Basketball Net Rankings have Iowa No. 64, Minnesota No. 101 and St. Thomas No. 103.

With a deadline of February 27, the U Athletic Department is offering new purchasers of football season tickets two complimentary tickets to both a men’s and women’s Gopher home basketball game.

A concerning trend has developed with the U football staff. Offensive coordinator Kirk Ciarrocca left for Rutgers after the 2022 season and defensive coordinator Joe Rossi departed for Michigan State following 2023. Rossi’s replacement, Corey Hetherman, recently left for Miami and this week comes news that defensive line coach Winston DeLattiboudere is headed to the NFL Cardinals.

All left for more money, including Ciarrocca who reportedly has received an extension that will pay him $2 million in 2027. Head coach P.J. Fleck attracts quality assistants but it’s difficult to retain them when the salary pool for his staff is at or near the bottom of the 18-member Big Ten Conference.

DeLattiboudere, who becomes the Arizona defensive line coach, played with Cardinals defensive coordinator Nick Rallis, the Edina native, when the two were Gophers. Rallis was named defensive coordinator in 2023.

Perhaps the best clinic in the country for high school football coaches, the 2025 MFCA Clinic will be held March 27-29, with headquarters at the DoubleTree Park Place in St. Louis Park. Minnesota Football Coaches Association secretary-treasurer Jim Dotseth reported over 800 registrants so far. https://www.mnfootballcoaches.com/page/show/2279758-mfca-clinic-information

Almost 500 copies of The Book of Piv were sold on Amazon during a five-week period. The entertaining new book offers storytelling by Minneapolis native Jay Pivec, now retired but a well-traveled basketball coach who is in the NJCAA Coaches Association Hall of Fame.

Lily Hubanks, a senior from Madison, Wisconsin, and Amae-Kam Magruder, a sophomore from Anchorage, Alaska, are standouts for the St. Olaf women’s Nordic ski team. They recently represented the United States in the 2025 FISU Winter World University Games in Italy.

Hubanks and Magruder competed in five events as part of the four-member cross country teams for the U.S. It’s believed they are the first females from a Minnesota college to be on American teams in the Winter World University games.

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‘Incredible Fans’ Can Take a Bow for Vikings’ Record

Posted on December 27, 2024December 27, 2024 by David Shama

Enjoy a holiday notes column focused on the Vikings.

The Vikings’ Cinderella season has happened for a lot of reasons on the field and via the front office but don’t discount the fans in the success story. U.S. Bank, now in its ninth season of hosting Viking games, is counted among the NFL’s loudest venues.

“I mean the fans at U.S. Bank are incredible,” Minnesota quarterback Nick Mullens told Sports Headliners earlier this year. “Anytime we can play at U.S. Bank, we’re all for that, for sure.”

Regarding NFL teams playing away from home, including in Minneapolis, Mullens said: “On the road your communication has to be on point. It has to be increased as far as the silent count goes and things like that. So, everybody has to just lock in a little bit more for the most part.”

The noise in the building can be deafening. It was at a rock concert like level against the Texans earlier this season. The fans earned praise after the game for making the venue so loud it forced the Texans into mistakes as they lost 34-7 to the Vikings in September.

The advantage of a home game can often be overly hyped in football, but the U.S. Bank effect is legit and could certainly be in play Sunday when the Vikings host the Packers in a renewal of their border rivalry. Minnesota is 7-1 at home this season, with the only loss coming against the Lions, 31-29.

The Vikings will hope to start fast Sunday like they did earlier in the season when they jumped to a 28-0 first half lead at Lambeau Field. Putting the Packers in the hole early will not only send the crowd into a frenzy, but also could force the Green Bay offense to become more one dimensional as quarterback Jordan Love goes pass-happy in trying to score points.

Vikings linebacker Blake Cashman says that kind of situation “creates a lot of opportunity for a defense.” It can become easier to “dial in” the pass rush and mix coverages.

The 13-2 Vikings, BTW, are 12-0 when Cashman isn’t injured and sidelined.

The Vikings and 11-4 Packers are similar in sack totals, at 44 and 43, but different in styles. Minnesota blitzes much more frequently than Green Bay, which relies on its front-four to deliver pressure.

Love, presumably, will be healthier than when the two teams played in Green Bay on September 29. His mobility was noticeably compromised in that game because of a knee sprain.

Love, 26, has moved into the category of better quarterbacks in the NFL. He sat for three seasons behind Aaron Rodgers before becoming the starter last season.

Drafting Love late first round in 2020 was controversial but has proven to be among the savvy moves of general manager Brian Gutekunst. The son of former Golden Gophers head coach John Gutekunst, Brian has rebuilt the Packers into not only one of the league’s elite teams, but he also has the youngest roster in the NFL.

The Vikings can emerge at season’s end with a 15-2 record, NFC North title and first round playoff bye by defeating the Packers Sunday and Lions in Detroit on January 5. Although the Vikings have won eight straight and are playing at home, the game is seen as a tossup because the Packers are impressive, too, after winning their last two games by a combined score of 64-13.

Vikings head coach Kevin O’Connell, whose team was only supposed to win 6.5 games, is considered the national leader for NFL Coach of the Year. He is the third NFL coach ever to win at least 13 games in two of his first three seasons, joining the Packers’ Matt LaFleur and 49ers’ George Seifert.

GM Kwesi Adofo-Mensah is in the conversation for Executive of the Year but probably won’t win. Still, there is no discounting his value including saying no to a staggering contract for Kirk Cousins and then using the money to acquire difference making free agents on defense and the in-season acquisition of offensive left tackle Cam Robinson.

Sam Darnold image courtesy of the Minnesota Vikings

Sam Darnold is a dark horse for NFL MVP, even though entering the last two games of the season skeptics are still waiting for him to revert to the poor quarterback play that characterized much of his early NFL career with other teams.

In 11 games Darnold has at least two touchdown passes and a passer rating of 100-or-higher this season. He could become the fourth player in league history with 12 such games in a season. Others are Rodgers (14 games in 2020 and 13 in 2011), Patrick Mahomes (13 in 2018) and Matt Ryan (12 in 2016).

Fox will televise Sunday’s game nationally with its lead team of Kevin Burkhardt, Tom Brady, Erin Andrews and Tom Rinaldi.

Dave Mona was recognized earlier this month by the Vikings for 50 years serving as the team’s press box announcer.

Vikings’ legend Scott Studwell will speak to the Capital Club breakfast group Thursday, January 9 at Mendakota Country Club. More information about the Capital Club is available from Patrick Klinger, patrick@agilemarketingco.com.

Carley Knox, Lynx president of basketball operations, is the latest guest on “Behind the Game.” She offers input about her career, WNBA superstar Caitlin Clark and the rise of women’s sports. Co-hosts are Patrick Klinger and Dave Boden. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Uw5y8LAhdLA.

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Bet on Taylor Short-term to Remain in Control of Wolves

Posted on October 22, 2024October 22, 2024 by David Shama

The Timberwolves open their regular season schedule tonight against the Lakers in Los Angeles with ownership of the franchise expected to be resolved in the next few months. A source with extensive pro sports ownership experience, speaking on condition that his name not be published, predicted current owner Glen Taylor will retain control of the Wolves and Lynx after the early 2025 resolution—but that may not be true a year from now.

Taylor is in litigation with potential majority owners Marc Lore and Alex Rodriguez. The dispute is about whether Lore and Rodriquez met the obligations of a drawn-out sales process that began in 2021. A three-person arbitration panel (based in Minnesota) is expected to rule on the majority ownership in November.

Even if the panel rules in favor of Lore and Rodriguez, there will need to be a sale approval by the NBA. There are two reasons why the source believes the league will favor Taylor’s continued control of the NBA and WNBA franchises.

One is the familiarity and relationships NBA’s owners have with Taylor. He has owned the Wolves since 1994 when he bought the franchise for a reported $88 million. He founded the Lynx in 1999. Taylor has served on the league’s Board of Governors and knows commissioner Adam Silver well. The Wolves and Lynx have been stable franchises financially over the decades, while questions have been raised about the financial wherewithal of Lore and Rodriguez who in June reportedly reached agreement with billionaire Michael Bloomberg to join their group.

The second factor, seemingly in Taylor’s favor, is the litigation involves the original agreed upon sale price of $1.5 billion. Since the time that figure was decided, the value of NBA franchises has more than doubled. League owners don’t want to set a precedent of below market value for franchises, knowing that impacts their businesses.

Taylor, 83, has been showing interest for years in moving on from ownership. “I can see him (eventually) selling 50 percent of the franchise to Bloomberg,” the source said.

In that scenario the sale amount would be a market price well over $3 billion for the two franchises. Bloomberg becomes the majority owner at say a controlling 51 percent, while Lore and Rodriguez could keep what’s believed to be their present 36 percent or they might be bought out at a considerable profit. Taylor might want and accept five or 10 percent ownership, joining other small owners who have been part of his group in the past.

Worth Noting

The Timberwolves finalized their 17-man roster late yesterday with the most notable change from a year ago the absence of forward-center Karl-Anthony Towns who had played with the club for nine seasons. The youngest player on the roster is 19-year-old first round rookie guard Rob Dillingham. The oldest Wolves are guard Mike Conley and forward Joe Ingles, both 37.

Towns, traded this fall to the Knicks, will play for his new team tonight against the World Champion Celtics. The game is part of a nationally televised doubleheader on TNT that also includes the Wolves-Lakers game. With forward Julius Randle and guard Donte DiVincenzo, the two former Knicks debuting for the Wolves, the doubleheader will be a focus of national interest.

The Wolves are title contenders along with multiple other teams including the Thunder whose star players include Minneapolis native Chet Holmgren. The 7-foot-1 power forward-center averaged 16.5 points and 7.9 rebounds last season, his first in the NBA. Holmgren, 22, could one day join a short list of native Minnesotans who played for the U.S. Olympic men’s basketball team.

Burdette Haldorson, an Austin, Minnesota native, played collegiately at Colorado and was a member of the 1956 and 1960 gold medal winning American basketball teams.

Lou Nanne, who had successful back surgery in July, is ready to resume playing golf in Florida, his second home. He’s had two holes-in-one over the years, with the most recent last year in the sunshine state.

The Minnesota hockey icon, long respected in the local business community, told Sports Headliners he has no interest, or the intention of being part of a group to buy the Twins.

Nanne predicts a healthy Wild team will make the playoffs. “Love what (Filip) Gustavsson is doing,” he said about the Wild’s hot goalie who has helped the team to a 3-0-2 season start.

The Wild plays at the Panthers tonight, facing a team Minnesota swept in two games last season. Florida, the defending Stanley Cup champs, is Nanne’s pick to win the NHL again.

Kevin Sumlin is on the staff of the Maryland football team that plays the Golden Gophers in Minneapolis Saturday afternoon. The former Gopher assistant coach and head coach at Texas A & M and Arizona is associate head coach to Mike Locksley.

Minnesota, 4-3, is about a four-point favorite against the Terps who have the same record. This could be the last time the Gophers are favored in their remaining games, with matchups against Illinois, Rutgers, Penn State and Wisconsin remaining.

With membership in the University of Minnesota Alumni Association, alumni can save 25 percent on tickets for the Homecoming game against the Terps.

It wouldn’t be surprising if during the offseason the Gophers landed a center transfer in the portal allowing talented sophomore Greg Johnson from Prior Lake to switch back to guard where he played as a true freshman.

Happy 81^st birthday today to Minnesota sports icon Dick Jonckowski! His many honors include going into the Minnesota Amateur Baseball Hall of Fame last month.

On Thursday Harvey Mackay, the longtime Gophers and University of Minnesota supporter, celebrates his 92^nd birthday. Former Gophers football coach Lou Holtz writes the foreword in Mackay’s new book, You Haven’t Hit Your Peak Yet!

A communicator and motivator extraordinaire, Mackay is a leading inspirational speaker, syndicated newspaper columnist and seven-times New York Times best-selling author. Among his treasured experiences was playing golf at the U for legendary coach Les Bolstad.

A focus for the Vikings Thursday night in Los Angeles will be stopping Rams running back Kyren Williams. He has a rushing touchdown in nine consecutive games including two on Sunday in a 20-15 win over the Raiders.

In their win over the Vikings last Sunday, the Lions took advantage of missing linebacker Blake Cashman who was out with a toe injury. The Vikings need his tackling and steady presence in the middle of the field against the Rams and future opponents. His availability for Thursday night hasn’t been announced.

The 2-4 Rams and 5-1 Vikings are likely to see the return of star receivers who have been out with injuries—wide receiver Cooper Kupp for Los Angeles and tight end T.J. Hockenson for Minnesota.

The game will be televised nationally by Prime and seen locally on Fox 9.

Vikings superstar wide receiver Justin Jefferson has 6,430 receiving yards since entering the NFL in 2020. He is chasing the league’s all-time leaders through five seasons. Only Terry Holt with 6,784 yards and former Viking Randy Moss, at 6,473, had more receiving yards in their first five seasons.

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