Media – Page 24 – David Shama's Minnesota Sports Headliners

Viking ‘Soap Opera’ Season Rolls on

Posted on January 2, 2022January 2, 2022 by David Shama

Can I have the movie rights for the 2021 Minnesota Vikings’ season? Someone text the phone number of a top Hollywood producer and let’s crank this baby out by September.

If there was any doubt about the season being movie worthy, it ended a couple of days ago when maligned quarterback Kirk Cousins entered COVID protocol and was all but ruled out of tonight’s game in Green Bay against the Packers. Pandemics provide compelling theater and COVID has hung over the team since last summer when it became known Cousins and multiple teammates weren’t vaccinated.

Kirk haters have been waiting for a moment like this where he isn’t available for a potential playoff-deciding game. “It’s his fault,” the critics scream while congratulating one another on their collective wisdom.

Backdrop today includes recent media reports Kirk’s dad, Don Cousins, is condemning of head coach Mike Zimmer. Don, also a staunch anti-vaccination practitioner, reportedly gave a like to a tweet suggesting Zimmer should be fired.

Film makers love controversy and there is a lot of it with these Vikings.

Kirk has long been the subject of whether he is overrated, overvalued and overpaid by the Vikings. A year ago then former teammate Everson Griffen suggested in a tweet it was GM Rick Spielman who pushed the Cousins free agent signing in 2018. “Ask ZIMMER if he wanted Kirk????” Griffen tweeted.

During 2021 came the revelation that in past seasons the head coach and the quarterback didn’t engage in frequent one-on-one meetings. This apparent communication lapse would be shocking for most teams but mildly surprising for the Vikings who specialize in drama.

The dynamic between the two team leaders received national scrutiny this fall when Cousins yelled at his coach, “You like that?” Cousins grabbed Zimmer and at first this seemed more like a confrontation rather than a celebration following Minnesota’s 19-17 home win over the hapless Lions. After the game the QB insisted he was just fired up and showing his emotions from the last second victory.

The potential on-camera time for Zim in my movie is trending up after model Katarina Miketin, 38 or 39, confirmed she is dating the 65-year-old coach. The news (gossip for months) was reported by various news outlets—from the Sporting News to the New York Post. Jealous movie script writers may squabble over who takes the lead in creating the dialogue for the romance.

I wince at going too Hollywood in the film, but what if we write into the script Mike and Katarina get married? All box office hits fudge here and there. How about a touch of Karma in the wedding scene where Mike’s groomsmen include kickers Dan Bailey, Daniel Carlson and Blair Walsh?

Not on the wedding invitation list but still in the movie? Bashaud Breeland. The cornerback was cut from the roster last month after a verbal altercation with coaches at practice. He also had a dustup with Vikings fans earlier in the fall. Still, how about a little kumbaya as we start a new year?

It’s clear Kirk, Zim and Katarina receive major parts in the film but there are important supporting roles for others including franchise owners Zygi and Mark Wilf. In the movie the mysterious New Jersey-based businessmen lurk in the background as fans hold their collective breaths waiting to learn what the Wilfs decide about the fates of Zim, Kirk and Spielman. Hoping Robert De Niro will play the sometimes stern looking Zygi. (Favoring Bradley Cooper for Kirk; looking for suggestions on Zim and Katrina.)

When COVID hasn’t been haunting the Vikings in 2021, injury woes have caused more hurt. State hero and WR Adam Thielen dramatized the pain in the last game. He tried to play against the Rams with an injured ankle and help keep the team’s slight playoff chances alive. But after awhile he limped off the field and headed to the sideline with anger and frustration apparent on his face. Surgery followed and he is done for the season, but maybe more admired than ever.

Film title? Dark Purple?

Frozen in Purple could get a review, too. The temperature at kickoff tonight will be about 10 above and feel colder to players and fans. The scene at Lambeau Field should only add to the Vikings’ cold weather legacy, and in the film this can be dramatized, too.

Remember the 2016 playoff game at TCF Bank Stadium? The temp was around minus 6, the wind chill clocking in at 25 below. Bud Grant, 88, showed up wearing a polo shirt. He was a bigger hit than the Vikings who lost 10-9 to the Seahawks when Walsh blew a late field goal.

When Grant coached the Vikings he embraced cold weather. Grant didn’t allow heaters on the sideline and he encouraged players to act as if harsh weather didn’t bother them. He also liked to tell a story about how Eskimos thrived in their cold environment and that the Vikings could, too.

Grant’s last years as head coach in the early and mid-1980s had his teams playing in the Metrodome. “The things that bothered me about going into the dome is it took some of the coaching out of it,” Grant said in Ross Bernstein’s book Sixty Years & Sixty Heroes. “I could use the elements to my advantage. Things like the wind, sun, rain, snow or even a frozen field.”

Bud could be in the movie. Imagine Bud, Mike Tice and myself with cameos in the opening scene. We’re sitting at a table inside Bunny’s Bar & Grill. In the background the TV shows a Kirk-absent Vikings team playing in wintry Green Bay.

To see the rest of the film, please buy a ticket.

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U Nabs Headliner in DE Anthony Smith

Posted on December 12, 2021December 16, 2021 by David Shama

Defensive end Anthony Smith from Shippensburg, Pennsylvania, is expected to sign his National Letter of Intent Wednesday with the University of Minnesota. Ryan Burns—the recruiting authority from Gopher Illustrated and 247Sports—told Sports Headliners Smith is a special recruit.

247’s website describes Smith as a four-star prospect whose college offers include Penn State, Michigan and Michigan State. “He’s a guy that Minnesota doesn’t get a chance at too often,” Burns said. “I think Chad Wilt, (Gophers) d-line coach, did a great job there (recruiting Smith).”

There are 16 high school verbal commits the Gophers want to sign on Wednesday but Burns believes Smith has without question “the highest ceiling” of anyone in the class. “He is the ideal size. He’s, 6-4, 6-5, 280. He’s incredibly athletic. …”

Athleticism and length are physical attributes characterizing the 2022 recruiting class that has one player each at quarterback, running back, tight end, linebacker and safety; along with two wide receivers, and three prospects each at cornerback, offensive line and defensive line. The class reflects the need to fill future openings on the roster.

All the players are three-star recruits, per 247, except four-stars Smith and defensive lineman Trey Bixby of Eden Prairie. The Gophers coveted Bixby going back to his days competing as a prep in Ohio. He has fought through health and injury issues at Eden Prairie but is okay now, Burns said.

In recent days 247 evaluators have been looking at future Gopher quarterback Jacob Knuth from Harrisburg, South Dakota. There is a “realistic shot,” per Burns, Knuth could move up to four-star status, as might running back Zach Evans of Rockwall, Texas who has turned heads playing at the highest level of competition in that state.

Burns is optimistic coach P.J. Fleck and his staff will hold on to all their commits between now and Signing Day. He expects the Gophers could add three or more signees beyond the 16.

Three-star defensive lineman Hayden Schwartz of Jacksonville, Florida, who de-committed from Nebraska in October, is scheduled to visit the Minnesota campus this weekend. Other prep prospects are scheduled, too, plus there are players the Gophers are looking at from the college transfer portal.

News broke Saturday that Minnesota has a verbal commitment from Abilene Christian transfer Ryan Stapp, a defensive back from the same college program Gophers linebacker Jack Gibbens came from. Stapp turned down offers from various power five teams including Nebraska and Northwestern, per Burns. Stapp was a 2019 FCS freshman All-American.

Here are brief descriptions from Burns of the high school players expected to become Gophers. Smith, already profiled, is excluded.

Trey Bixby: At 6-5, 255 pounds, he seems to have the ideal size and strength to compete in the Big Ten as a defensive lineman. He is skilled at knowing how to use his hands and disengage from offensive linemen. He could play defensive end or tackle in college.

Zach Evans: the 5-9, 200-pound running back is a north-south runner who may draw comparisons with Gopher All-American Mo Ibrahim. He senses where a hole will open and his balance is outstanding. Minnesota coaches told him he would be the only RB in the class offered a scholarship.

Jacob Knuth: As a 6-4, 207-pound quarterback he not only has a strong arm but also is athletic. Has a “high ceiling” and his pass-run balance could be an ideal long range fit in the offense of new coordinator Kirk Ciarrocca.

Kristen Hoskins: At 5-9 and 160-pounds, Hoskins better be quick and fast. Don’t worry about it. The Alexandria, Minnesota recruit runs 4.4 and is probably the most electric open field runner in the state. He will be a wide receiver and kick returner who could see the field next fall.

Ike White: ESPN ranked the 5-11, 185-pound Philadelphia native a four-star wide receiver. Gophers wide receiver coach Matt Simon worked with White at summer camp and likes his abilities including route running.

Aidan Gousby: The coaches want not only athleticism but also length with their cornerbacks. The 6-2, 185-pound Lehigh Acres, Florida native has his position listed as “athlete” by 247 but he is expected to play corner at the U.

Rhyland Kelly: He tested well at a satellite camp Minnesota coaches attended. The 6-2, 185-pound prospect from Clearwater, Florida fits that size and length profile the coaches want in cornerbacks.

Tariq Watson: At 5-10, 165, the Harvey, Louisiana native doesn’t fit the CB profile so much but his speed is special. Word is he ran 4.3 at a couple of summer camps. Could play slot corner or safety.

Coleman Bryson: Gophers secondary coach Joe Harasymiak is a big fan of the Rabun Gap, Georgia native. At 6-2, 190 pounds, the athletic Bryson is taller than past Gopher safeties.

Joey Gerlach: Minnesota defensive coordinator Joe Rossi scouted Gerlach at summer camp and saw a high football IQ competitor with athleticism. The Woodbury High School linebacker prospect is 6-3, 195. He will have to add 20 pounds or more when he plays for the Gophers.

Jack Pyburn: He has 100-plus tackles each of the last three seasons in high school. The Jacksonville, Florida prospect is 6-3, 255 pounds and is a high motor, physical athlete who will be a rush end for the Gophers. He is a state championship wrestler.

Tony Nelson: He is from small town Tracy, Minnesota but at 6-6, 265-pounds he could one day be a big contributor on the offensive line. He has the physical tools of a Big Ten tackle including good feet.

Ashton Beers: The 6-5, 295-pound offensive lineman has been receiving more attention of late and he could be similar in potential to Nelson. The Slinger, Wisconsin native was a North Dakota State commit until recently but the Gophers flipped him. Word is the Bison coaches aren’t happy about their loss.

Nathan Jones: At 6-5, 240, Jones has the size to play tight end. The Brock, Texas native had Big 12 Conference offers but is headed for Minnesota where he has the potential to be another drive blocker like current tight end Ko Kieft.

Spencer Alvarez: It was thought the Columbia Heights High School prospect might play tight end but his Gopher position looks like offensive tackle. He is coming off knee surgery but the 6-7, 255 Alvarez has the frame to be a Big Ten tackle after adding weight and strength.

Among the players listed above, Alvarez, Evans, Gousby and Kelly, plus college transfer Stapp, are expected to be enrolled at Minnesota in January and attending winter classes, according to Burns.

Minnesota’s 2022 class has a composite ranking of No. 45 in the nation. The composite rankings come from the rankings of 247, Rivals and ESPN. (Minnesota has a No. 36 ranking from 247.)

The Gophers’ composite number is bunched near five of its six Big Ten West Division rivals: No. 44 Wisconsin, No. 43 Northwestern, No. 41 Illinois, No. 39 Iowa and No. 37 Purdue.

What do the recruiting rankings mean in the Big Ten and across the country? Well, they’re meaningful but don’t bet your Tesla stock on all of them.

Alabama, Georgia and Michigan are in this season’s College Football Playoff. Their 2022 incoming recruiting classes have composite rankings of No. 1, 2 and 10 respectively. Upstart Cincinnati, the fourth team in the playoffs, has its class at No. 27. “There is a correlation between finishing high in the recruiting ranks, and finishing high in the polls,” Burns said.

Burns said five-star prospects are something like 32 times more likely to reach the NFL than four-stars. Four-stars could be about 100 times more likely than three-stars to one day play in the NFL.

Then there is this: Fleck said awhile ago it’s meaningful if over 50 percent of a Minnesota recruiting class become contributors. “I mean it’s not wrong,” Burns said. “I go back and I look at the 2018 recruiting class and there’s not a lot of those guys left.”

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Whew! Nobody Saw Gophers 7-0 Start

Posted on December 7, 2021December 7, 2021 by David Shama

The University of Minnesota men’s basketball team goes into tomorrow night’s Big Ten opener with a 7-0 record in nonconference games. Anyone who claims they predicted such a start to the season is messing with you.

Before the schedule began in early November the consensus media message was the Gophers would be among the worst teams in major college basketball. Not so far, though. As of Monday morning Minnesota was one of 12 unbeaten Division I teams.

This remarkable start to the 2021-2022 season under new head coach Ben Johnson is totally unexpected. Johnson, the former Gopher and Minneapolis native, had no head coaching experience when he took over and assembled his staff. To critics the hire had the credibility of drawing names out of a hat, but results so far have been eye-opening.

Johnson’s assistants include Dave Thorson, his high school coach at DeLaSalle and a gifted instructor of defense. They inherited two returning players from the 2020-2021 roster. In the summer Isaiah Ihnen, one of the returnees, suffered a knee injury sidelining him for the season.

The new players, mostly transfers from mid-level college basketball programs, were hardly head-turners that sent ticket buyers scurrying to the box office. Some bios looked okay but there were doubts even the best of the newcomers could play with success in the Big Ten.

What’s evident now is Johnson recruited not just for basketball skill, but attitude. His players are all in on buying what the coaches tell them and playing for each other. Togetherness is one of the most over used words in team sports but these Gophers are unselfish and united.

“We need to be a team of all teams,” Johnson said earlier in the fall. “We need to lead the league in high-fives and butt slaps.”

The Gophers not only play together, they play within their skill sets and schemes. The collective basketball IQ is evident. After last weekend Minnesota was tied for seventh in the country with Duke for fewest turnovers at 68. The Gophers ranked No. 12 in fewest fouls with 92.

No one is saying the Gophers have defeated a who’s-who of college hoops opponents through seven games but they have wins against name-brand schools including 6-2 Mississippi State (in Starkville) and 6-3 Princeton (neutral court). The Gophers have won three games by a total of 10 points and another (Princeton) by seven in double overtime.

That shows resolve, something Johnson knew before the season he needed from his new team. “We’ve gotta be the toughest team, especially this year. We don’t have a lot of room for error. Our mental toughness, our physical toughness has got to be on point.”

The Gophers haven’t backed down from big moments in their seven games. Forward Jamison Battle, the team’s leading scorer at 17.9, has often put an end to another team’s scoring run by hitting a three-pointer. Point guard Peyton Willis, 17.4 points per game, has also been a steadying force and a much improved player from when he was at Minnesota a couple of years ago before transferring. Others have contributed in the clutch, too, like guard Luke Loewe who had a game-winning basket in Pittsburgh last week.

The arrival of 13 new players with different backgrounds, skill sets and personalities makes Johnson’s crew among the most transitional in the college basketball world. It’s evident Johnson and staff excel at player development, game preparation and in-game adjustments. Their start to the season deserves high-fives. No new Gophers coach has won his first seven games since Jim Dutcher in 1975.

Richard Pitino, Johnson’s predecessor, is 5-4 coaching at New Mexico with a 15 point loss to Towson. Pitino’s predecessor, Tubby Smith, is 4-4 at Highpoint with a 35 point loss to Northwestern. Dan Monson, who led Minnesota before Smith, is 2-6 at Long Beach State.

There are challenges ahead for the Gophers including better opposition game-after-game in the Big Ten. Many conference teams are talented and all do a thorough job of scouting opponents. Part of the task, too, for Minnesota will be staying healthy. The team lacks depth, mostly counting on a couple of subs to mix in with the starters.

Losing streaks are no doubt coming, but the feel-good start to the season should prompt some walk-up ticket sales for tomorrow night’s game against Michigan State at Williams Arena. The No. 19 ranked 7-2 Spartans are a perennial Big Ten bully.

The Spartans won’t fear the Gophers but they best respect them.

Friends Fret about Jerry Kill’s Health

Jerry Kill is a head coach again for the first time since 2015, a year that saw him resign during mid-season from the Golden Gophers because of health issues. Taking on the responsibility of leading the New Mexico State Aggies has coach’s many friends in Minnesota worried.

It’s not just that the Aggies are annual bottom feeders (one bowl game since 1960) and that winning in Las Cruces is a challenge for the ages. It’s the stark reality that leading a college football program 365 days per year is a mental and physical marathon for anyone, especially a beloved 60-year-old warrior known coast-to-coast for his battles with epilepsy, cancer and exhaustion.

Kill made an enduring number of friends while coaching at Minnesota from 2011-2015. Among those is Jim Carter, captain of the 1969 Gophers and a straight talking guy just like the new coach in Las Cruces.

Carter expressed concerns about his friend in an interview with Sports Headliners. “My hope is that it doesn’t kill him. …I think he knows that there is risk in it (coaching), and I think that’s what he feels he wants and needs to do. I am very sure that (wife) Rebecca supports him in it and I am sure his daughters (Krystal and Tasha) support him in it.”

Kill is on new meds for his epilepsy since he was at Minnesota. In an early November interview on WCCO Radio’s “The Huddle,” Kill wished he felt this well during his last couple of years at Minnesota.

“I’m in great shape,” Kill said. “I’m running every day. I’m doing all the things I should have been doing when I was at the University of Minnesota.”

Carter didn’t disclose all he knows about his friend’s health. However, his understanding is that Kill worked without an epilepsy incident the last two years at TCU where his assignments included interim head coach this fall.

It’s understandable if Kill doesn’t want to be communicative about every detail in his life. “I know him pretty well,” Carter said. “I consider him a good friend. I think he trusts me but when I ask him how he is doing, it’s usually, ‘Oh, I am doing great, or I am doing fine.’ And I am not sure that’s always been true.”

Since leaving Minnesota Kill has tried administrative work at Southern Illinois and Kansas State. He has been an assistant coach at Rutgers where he suffered a well publicized seizure. A football lifer, he can’t step away from leading young men in the sport he loves.

“People say health is the most important thing. Well, some things get in your system and you just have to do them, and I think that’s the case with him,” Carter said.

The Aggies were 2-10 this past season, including 56 and 40 point losses to SEC teams. As fate would have it, the Aggies come to Minneapolis on September 1 for a game scheduled awhile ago. The Gophers will be three or four touchdown favorites going into that opening game of the season for them (Aggies open August 27 at home against Nevada). “He’s taking on a real project (with the Aggies), and I don’t think there’s any chance in hell of them being able to compete when they get up here to play Minnesota,” Carter said.

Yet the pressure will be on Minnesota. The Gophers will be criticized if they don’t dominate. The game decisions of Minnesota coach P.J. Fleck will be scrutinized by critics. Keep it close and the verdict by them will be Kill out coached Fleck. Blow out game? What else can you expect with the Aggies having such inferior personnel?

What’s for certain is the match up of both teams and coaches will draw interest not previously anticipated. The game could be played in front of a sellout crowd at Huntington Bank Stadium with many fans aware of Kill’s critical comments about Fleck in February of 2019. In a satellite radio interview Kill criticized Fleck’s ego and suggested the Minnesota coach is more about himself than the players.

Kill built a winner at Minnesota, just as he had done in previous coaching stops including Northern Illinois and Southern Illinois. Carter predicts (health allowing) Kill will succeed in Las Cruces, making the Aggies a competitive team fans will be proud to support.

It appears Kill may take on the New Mexico State project without any of the familiar staff from when he was at Minnesota including defensive coordinator Tracy Claeys, who is now out of coaching. Nate Dreiling, a former Southeast Missouri inside linebackers coach, will be Kill’s defensive coordinator.

“It surprises me, frankly, because I loved that (Gopher) staff,” Carter said. “I loved the guys. But it doesn’t sound like any of them are going (to Las Cruces).’’

Minnesota was not a competitive program when Kill took over, with the Gophers finishing 3-9 in 2010. It was a rugged beginning including the second game of the Kill era in 2011 when he collapsed on the sidelines from a seizure during an unexpected home loss to (yes) New Mexico State.

But Kill and his staff improved the talent on the roster and were accomplished at player development. By 2015, coming off the program’s first New Year’s Day bowl game since 1962, the Gophers were drawing the largest crowds in TCF Bank Stadium history.

You can bet a lot of the fandom from 2015 will be back on campus September 1, 2022.

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