MIAC – Page 17 – David Shama's Minnesota Sports Headliners

Vikings Know Things Change Fast in NFL

Posted on October 3, 2016October 3, 2016 by David Shama

Don’t blink. In the NFL things change fast.

Teddy Bridgewater (photo courtesy of Minnesota Vikings)

The Vikings play the Giants tonight at U.S. Bank Stadium. When the Vikings defeated New York 49-17 last year at TCF Bank Stadium the Minnesota offense included quarterback Teddy Bridgewater, running back Adrian Peterson and tackle Matt Kalil. All are out for extended periods because of serious injuries.

Prior to the 2015 game, the Vikings and Giants had last played in 2013. Vikings starting lineups have changed a lot since that away game. On offense, only guard Brandon Fusco and tight end Kyle Rudolph remain starters going into tonight’s game. Three starters from the defense are still around, linebacker Chad Greenway, end Brian Robison and safety Andrew Sendejo.

That doesn’t surprise Vikings defensive tackle Linval Joseph, a seven-year veteran who played in that October 2013 game for the Giants. “It’s a revolving door (the NFL). The average career is three years,” he told Sports Headliners.

The Giants will see a much better Vikings team tonight than they defeated 24-7 three years ago. That Vikings club experimented with new quarterback Josh Freeman who had joined the team only a few days prior to playing. Freeman gave an embarrassing performance, and it was that kind of year for the Vikings who finished the season 5-10-1.

After the season Leslie Frazier was fired as coach and replaced by Mike Zimmer.It hasn’t taken Zimmer long to make an impression with a rebuilt roster and starters.

His 2014 team was 7-9, and then last year came a division championship. After a 3-0 start this fall the Vikings are near the top of anybody’s power rankings of NFL clubs and perhaps are a better group than the 2015 team that finished 11-5 during the regular season and lost a first round playoff game against the Seahawks.

No one questions Zimmer’s coaching and that of his staff but general manager Rick Spielman and his personnel decision makers have made a lot of the right moves either through the draft or acquiring veteran players. Sometimes change is good and it certainly looks that way in Minnesota this fall, but Zimmer wants to keep his team hungry for more wins and isn’t ready to point any of his players toward the Hall of Fame right now.

“I don’t think we have anybody like that yet,” he said. “We have good players that are good team guys. They care about doing things right. They’re competitive, they’re smart. We definitely have not arrived. I think that it’s a long season, we have to continue to play good.”

Worth Noting

For all the reasons the Gophers lost their Big Ten opener to Penn State on Saturday, none probably stands out more than their inability to contain Nittany Lions quarterback Trace McSorley. Minnesota couldn’t keep the elusive quarterback in the pocket and never sacked him in the 29-26 road loss to PSU.

That was a demoralizing loss for hardcore Gophers fans who knew their 3-0 favorites could create local excitement with a win and get more followers behind the team heading into next Saturday’s home game with Iowa. Penn State, 2-2 including a 49-10 loss to Michigan and a close win over Temple, is a middle-of-the-standings Big Ten team. The Gophers can’t be labeled any more than that either.

Minnesota’s Emmitt Carpenter was named Big Ten Special Teams Player of the Week for his four field goals performance at Penn State. The sophomore from Green Bay converted on every attempt, kicking field goals of 35, 37, 37 and 46 yards.

The latest issue of Sports Illustrated includes two stories on retiring Red Sox slugger David Ortiz. His big league memories include how hard Tom Kelly was on young players but Ortiz doesn’t complain about his former Twins manager.

Ortiz might have been on the magazine’s cover except for the unexpected passing of golf legend Arnold Palmer who got top billing with a photo and the headline “King of Kings.”

In the same issue Minnesota native and S.I. staffer Steve Rushin pays tribute to Kevin Garnett in a two-page story. He writes that Garnett’s height was publicized at 6’ 11” but the former NBA superstar was 7’ 1” in basketball shoes. “In conversation he liked to say he was 6’ 13”,” Rushin writes.

The Gophers hockey team opens its season with Alaska-Anchorage in Anchorage on Friday and Sunday. Minnesota goalie Eric Schierhorn is from Anchorage but hasn’t played a hockey game there since seventh grade. He decided to develop his hockey skills outside of Alaska including by attending Shattuck-Saint Mary’s in Faribault.

Gophers captain and forward Justin Kloos has played in all of Minnesota’s games (117) during the previous three years. With 107 points, he is the leading career scorer in the Big Ten among active players and ranks second in the nation.

Former Gophers basketball players playing in other countries include Maverick Ahanmisi, Philippines; Andre Hollins, France; Austin Hollins, Finland; Colton Iverson, Israel; Trevor Mbakwe, Spain; Carlos Morris, Turkey; Joey King, Finland; Rick Rickert, Japan; and Mo Walker, Latvia.

The William V. Campbell Trophy annually recognizes the nation’s best football scholar-athlete. The National Football Foundation and College Football Hall of Fame recently announced the names of 156 semifinalists including Carter Hanson, Saint John’s; Drew Neuville, Bethel; and Forest Redlin, Macalester.

Brainerd and North Dakota State alum Joe Haeg, a 2016 fifth round draft choice by the Colts, not only made the team but has become a starter at right guard.

The Twins confirmed this morning with a news release that Derek Falvey, 33, is the team’s new executive vice president and chief baseball officer. He will assume his responsibilities after the Indians playoff games end. He is assistant general manager with the Indians.

St. Paul-born Dave Winfield turns 65 today. Winfield is the only athlete ever drafted by four different professional leagues—the ABA, MLB, NBA and NFL.

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Crowds May Favor U.S. Ryder Cup Win

Posted on September 30, 2016September 30, 2016 by David Shama

Rich Beem and other PGA players have long been impressed with the size of the crowds and support at major golf events in Minnesota. Beem, who saw such crowds at Hazeltine National Golf Club in 2002 when he won the PGA championship, predicts the fans will provide a big edge when the Ryder Cup is played over the next three days at Hazeltine.

Beem is in town working for Sky Sports, a group of sports TV channels popular in England and elsewhere. The major storyline at the Ryder Cup is the Americans have lost the last three matchups with the Europeans, and eight of the last 10.

“I think the U.S. will win,” Beem told Sports Headliners. “It won’t be easy. Crowds will make a big difference.”

Those crowds, a raucous mix of Minnesotans and others from various parts of the United States and the world, will create an intense environment for an event widely considered the most special in golf. Starting today the focus of golfers on both sides will be tested, but in Beem’s view that might be a particular challenge for Europe’s rookie players. “I think it’s our time,” he said.

Scottish–born Colin Montgomerie told Sports Headliners last summer he, too, believes the U.S. will win the 2016 cup. The former European Ryder Cup great talked about the electric atmosphere and home course advantage expected at Hazeltine all weekend. Montgomerie said other factors favoring U.S. success are the leadership of captain Davis Love III, and the “aura” of having vice captain Tiger Woods around the American players. …

Glen Taylor has extended Kevin Garnett an invitation to meet and discuss a possible future association with the Timberwolves. Garnett retired as a player earlier this month and Taylor suggested he take awhile before the two meet.

Before Wolves basketball president Flip Saunders died, Garnett talked about partial ownership of the franchise. If Taylor wanted to eventually sell the team, or a major share, Saunders could be counted on to form a group of investors. Saunders owned a small share of the team prior to his death in 2015.

Taylor gave no indication in a conversation with Sports Headliners whether he will talk ownership with Garnett but that doesn’t mean there couldn’t be other involvement with the franchise. “He came back here (in a 2015 trade with the Nets) because he wanted to be more involved, but on the other hand, he thought he was going to do it with Flip,” Taylor said. “I think he is concerned if that will ever be the same without Flip.”

Taylor said Garnett’s decision to retire after 21 seasons (13-plus with the Wolves in two eras) was of his own doing. New coach Tom Thibodeau is a strong leader and Garnett has been a powerful locker-room voice. Did Thibodeau tell Taylor he wanted to block Garnett’s return? “Oh, no, no, no, because he didn’t get involved with it,” Taylor said of offseason talks with Garnett that were only between the future Hall of Famer and the owner.

Garnett, 40, has struggled with knee problems. During the summer he also struggled with a decision whether to play another season. “What he said to me was, ‘I would like to play but I don’t know if I can.’ So I guess he’s telling me that he wasn’t getting the strength or something in his knees that he had hoped to.” …

Gophers coach Tracy Claeys was asked what he will do to celebrate if his team wins its opening Big Ten game tomorrow at Penn State. “I like to get back (home) and enjoy a little TV and a little pizza, and I like to watch other college games,” he said.

The Gophers frequently used a three-man defensive front in their 31-24 win over Colorado State last week—at times abandoning their more traditional four-man look. Rams coach Mike Bobo was impressed with the change. “I thought that (the three-man front) had us a little bit confused at first,” he said. “I thought the speed of their players had us a little bit taken aback.”

Bobo said mixing the three and four-man fronts “will cause confusion for an offensive line.” He praised the Gophers linebackers and defensive linemen, singling out junior defensive tackle Steven Richardson who had four tackles for loss against the Rams, and referred to him as “unblockable.”

The 300-pound Richardson has been outstanding in two wins against the Rams in 2015 and 2016. “He is about 5-9 but he’s one of the best players that we’ve played against the last two years,” Bobo said. “He’s wreaked havoc on us both years and he did again today (last Saturday).”

Looking ahead, Claeys called it “situational” whether to use more of the three-man front alignment that puts additional mobile players and pass rushers on the field. He said the three-man look is more likely if the Gophers have big leads in games and teams are passing, trying to narrow the score. …

Former Gophers football coach Jerry Kill, who grew up in Kansas, will be inducted into the Kansas Sports Hall of Fame Sunday night in Wichita. Kill, now a leader in the Kansas State athletic department after a nationally recognized coaching career, is from Cheney, Kansas where his mother and brother still reside.

Kill’s new book that came out late last smmer has already raised $200,000 to assist the Epilepsy Foundation of Minnesota. Chasing Dreams: Living My Life One Yard at a Time has raised another $80,000 for Kill’s cancer fund in Illinois.

chasing-dreams1 Kill wrote the book with former Gophers football player Jim Bruton. “Triumph Books in Chicago released 40 new books this fall and Chasing Dreams was their leading seller last week,” Bruton said via email. …

Hamline’s football team is 3-0 for the first time since 1988 and fans are looking forward to the Pipers Homecoming game October 8 against St. Olaf.The celebration will include a reunion of the 1966 MIAC title team. Wins that year included a 6-3 victory over defending NAIA champion Saint John’s. Among those expected to attend the reunion is 92-year-old Dick Mulkern, who coached the 1966 Pipers. …

Congratulations to coach Clay Anderson of the Pipestone Area Arrows who won his 100th football game last week with a 48-7 win over St. James Area. His overall career record at five high schools is now 100-90 in 19 seasons. …

The Oakes family and Gophers baseball program are helping with the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society Minnesota Chapter’s annual Light The Night Walk on October 16 in Minneapolis. Gophers players, coaches and alumni, and the Oakes family, are raising funds and awareness to support blood cancer research and patient services to honor the late Todd Oakes, the former UM pitching coach. More at Gophersports.com.

The Gophers will play their first baseball series in U.S. Bank Stadium February 24-26 against Seattle University. The Gophers will play several games in the covered stadium from February 24 thru March 12, including the Dairy Queen Classic March 3, 4 and 5.

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Peterson Can’t Come Up Short Again

Posted on September 6, 2016September 6, 2016 by David Shama

The Vikings don’t want to see Adrian Peterson repeat his opening game results of last season when he ran for only 31 yards against the 49ers. With starting quarterback Teddy Bridgewater out for the year, the Vikings will be relying more than they planned on Peterson when they begin their season next Sunday in Tennessee against the Titans.

It’s a legitimate question, though, as to how Peterson, who led the NFL in rushing last season, will perform in Tennessee. Peterson, 31, didn’t play in any preseason games this summer—just like last year. When he ran against the 49ers defense last September his longest run was nine yards and he had his second lowest rushing total of the year. Two NFL authorities told Sports Headliners that no physical contact in preseason games makes NFL running backs, including Peterson, less ready for the regular season opener.

To preserve his health Peterson hasn’t played in a preseason game since 2013. In opening regular season games in 2013 and 2014 he was more productive than against the 49ers, but in neither one reached his common standard of 100 yards or more (seven games in 2015).

Adrian Peterson (photo courtesy of Minnesota Vikings)

One NFL source referenced above said there is another factor relating to Peterson’s production in opening games. He said opening games typically feature defenses that are more polished than offenses which are more complicated and take more time to develop. “Defenses are flying around ahead of offenses, with low scoring games (typical),” he added.

It takes some faith to think the Vikings can beat the Titans without a 100-yard plus day from their future Hall of Fame running back. Fill-in Vikings quarterback Shaun Hill, 36, is a considerable drop-off from Bridgewater but at least he will be facing a Titans’ secondary that is probably the biggest weakness of that unit. Still, the Vikings will most likely try to pound the ball most of the time with Peterson. That seems true, too, even if newly acquired and talented quarterback Sam Bradford, the 2010 NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year, is familiar enough to compete using a limited playbook and minimal familiarity with receivers.

“We have maybe the best running back in the NFL,” Vikings coach Mike Zimmer said last week after losing Bridgewater with a severe knee injury. Zimmer also said “we have a real good team” and referenced his receivers, improved offensive line and impressive defense.

The Vikings’ best prescription for an opening win appears to be a big day by Peterson on Sunday, and turnover production from Minnesota’s defense. The Titans were 3-13 last season and there is no guarantee the club will be better in 2016. The team’s offense is likely to feature the run with offseason trade acquisition DeMarco Murray and draft choice Derrick Henry being highly anticipated rushers. The Titan’s gave up 423 points last season, the second most in the AFC.

Titans head coach Mike Mularkey is occupying a “warm seat” in Nashville. The former Vikings tight end was 2-7 as head coach last season after taking over about midway through the year. The Titans hired a new general manager in the offseason who may have interest in other coaches. Mularkey had losing records in previous head coaching opportunities in Buffalo and Jacksonville.

Effort, though, shouldn’t be a problem for the Titans Sunday. Regardless of records from last season (the Vikings were 11-5 and NFC North Division champions), almost all teams play with a lot of adrenaline in opening games. The Vikings have opened on the road five of the last six seasons and are 1-4 away from home.

Worth Noting

In its August 29 pro football issue, Sports Illustrated predicts the Titans will lose their first five games and finish the season with a 3-13 record.

The Vikings have added Eden Prairie native and offensive tackle Carter Bykowski to their practice squad and released cornerback Tre Roberson.

The Gophers have verbal commitments from many high school players for next year’s freshman class but none may turn out to be a better college player than Blaise Andries, the offensive tackle from Marshall, Minnesota. High school recruiting authority Ryan Burns told Sports Headliners Andries has all-Big Ten and NFL potential.

Burns, publisher of Scout’s GopherDigest.com, said Andries is impressive in multiple ways including his physical skills and “mindset.” Already about 6-5 and 300 pounds, Andries will likely be bigger and stronger as a Gopher.

Intelligent and influential with peers, Burns said Andries scored a 31 on his ACT test, and has a 3.99 GPA with ambitions to become an actuary. Andries has an impressive demeanor on and off the field. “He is a great leader,” Burns said.

Among others players who have made verbal commitments to the Gophers is Woodbury High School tight end Nathan Burch. If Burch becomes a Gopher, Burns said he will be the “best blocking tight end” Minnesota has signed to a letter of intent in a while.

Golden Valley resident Eddie Cohen is in his 60th season as a member of the Gophers football game day statistics crew. Cohen, for years a Minneapolis-based attorney, represented local athletes over the years including former U athletes Lou Hudson and Noel Jenke, and ex-Twin Jim “Mudcat” Grant.

The Gophers, who defeated Oregon State last Thursday night and are now 3-1 all-time against the Beavers, will play a first-ever game in Corvallis September 9, 2017. Some media outlets have ranked Corvallis as the best college town in the country.

While there is still no formal announcement on a contract extension for Gophers men’s hockey coach Don Lucia, the program has hired U alums Ben Gordon and Corey Millen. Gordon’s title is assistant director of hockey operations and Millen is an undergraduate assistant.

The Twins have recalled right-handed pitcher Tyler Duffey and first baseman Kennys Vargas from Triple-A Rochester. The Twins have also selected the contract of infielder James Beresford from Rochester and transferred outfielder Danny Santana to the 60-day disabled list. Rochester hitting coach Chad Allen is joining the Twins staff.

Slugging second baseman Brian Dozier hit three home runs yesterday and his total of 38 for the season is the most by a Twins player since Harmon Killebrew homered 41 times in 1970. He and Killebrew are the only players in franchise history to hit at least 36 home runs in a single season.

Despite having the worst record in major league baseball the Twins rank 21st out of 30 teams in home attendance, according to ESPN.com. The Twins are averaging 24,668 fans per game, their lowest figure since 23,598 in 2004. This is the seventh consecutive season of declining home attendance dating back to 2010 when Target Field opened and the Twins drew over 3 million fans averaging 39,798 per game.

Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference fans can follow league news on the new MIAC website. With the 2016-2017 school year starting, more than 6,000 students are expected to participate in MIAC programs. Over 70 percent of the students are Minnesota natives.

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