MIAC – Page 28 – David Shama's Minnesota Sports Headliners

Zimmer ‘Glad’ Teddy Playing as Rookie

Posted on December 15, 2014December 15, 2014 by David Shama

Mike Zimmer is now comfortable with the decision to make Teddy Bridgewater his starting quarterback. The Vikings coach has seen rookie quarterbacks “get the heck beat out of them” and the resulting damage to their careers.

When Zimmer lost veteran Matt Cassel to a season ending injury in September, he was concerned about exposing Bridgewater, his first year QB, to the learning curve and pressures of the NFL. “I know this guy’s got a chance to be the guy for a long, long time here, and what I was nervous about at the beginning of the year is I didn’t want to get him beat up,” Zimmer said. “I didn’t want to get him a bunch of bad outings where he didn’t have that confidence and that attitude (to be successful). …”

The Vikings have tried to create an environment where Bridgewater, despite his inexperience, can avoid trauma and progress positively. “I think in the long run his playing and going through all of these experiences, and getting a chance to play against Green Bay and Chicago and Detroit, will be a big factor for us in the future because he’s been through these things now,” Zimmer said. “It’s not new.”

Zimmer has seen Bridgewater learn from being on the field and is “glad” the 2014 first round draft choice is playing so soon. Bridgewater has quarterbacked the team to five wins and six losses. Yesterday he had interceptions on consecutive possessions in the first half and that changed the momentum of a Vikings lead but overall he made plays with his arm and legs. He completed 31 of 41 passes for 315 yards and one touchdown. He ran three times for 30 yards. Two of his last three games his passing rating has impressively been over 115.

Bridgewater has helped lead the Vikings, 6-8 overall, to comeback wins in previous weeks but couldn’t yesterday. The game ended with a 16-14 loss to the Lions when Vikings kicker Blair Walsh missed what would have been an NFL record field goal of 68 yards. Walsh said this afternoon he “lobbied” for the opportunity to try the kick.

Although it’s not reasonable to expect a record game winner, the last two weeks—by Walsh’s admission—have been “tough.” He missed a potential 56 yard game winner in regulation a week ago Sunday against the Jets before the Vikings scored a touchdown to win in overtime. He was one for three on field goals in that game and yesterday didn’t connect in three tries including a 26-yard attempt that was blocked.

“I don’t feel like I am hitting the ball poorly but the results say otherwise right now,” he said. “So it’s something I gotta get shored up and fixed.”

Trailing 16-14, the Vikings didn’t make enough productive offensive plays on their final drive—and really all game—to defeat the Lions, now 10-4 and tied with the Packers for first place in NFC North. But Zimmer did praise his rebuilt offensive line that is without three starters. “I thought they battled their rear ends off,” Zimmer said. “I think they competed. I thought they fought like crazy to give us the opportunity to get the ball in the right place.”

One replacement is Mike Harris who has taken over at right tackle for Phil Loadholt. Harris said the coaches gave his work yesterday the best evaluation he’s received this season. He thought his run blocking and physical play was evident against the Lions.

“My pass blocking was okay,” Harris said. “It‘s something I continue to work on with timing, with my punch.”

Worth Noting

When the Vikings prepare this week for the Dolphins, Minnesota defensive coordinator George Edwards will have knowledge of Miami’s personnel since he was that team’s linebackers coach last season.

Rookies Anthony Barr, Teddy Bridgewater and Jerick McKinnon have received more attention but the Vikings have other first-year players they like, too, including seventh round pick Shamar Stephen. A defensive tackle at 6-5, 310, Stephen was in on 10 tackles in the game against Carolina last month and he has become a starter replacing the injured Shariff Floyd.

Jerry Kill gave an answer that couldn’t resonate better with Gophers football fans when asked by L. Jon Wertheim in the December 1 issue of Sports Illustrated about the program’s long-term goal. “Our long-term goal is to continue to get better. Our mission is to win the Big Ten championship. It’s not easy to do, but that’s what our mission is.

“The next stage is, we haven’t been to the Rose Bowl—I get reminded every day—since (1962). So everybody wants to get that accomplished. The ultimate thing is to win it all. But we’ve got to take steps. We have to improve our operating facilities because in recruiting that’s what kids look at. …”

The Big Ten Conference has 10 teams in bowl games, a total that ties the league’s previous high set in 2011. A difference, though, is three years ago the conference had 12 teams and now has 14.

After bowl matchups were announced, odds-makers had all of the Big Ten teams as underdogs in the 10 games. Dating back to 2000, the conference is 38-62 in bowl games.

Bobby Bell ranks among the greatest Gophers football players ever. He was a two-time All-American tackle and 1962 Outland Trophy award winner. Yesterday he posted the following news on Facebook: “I went back the past seven months to the University of Minnesota after 52 years in order to complete my college degree. It feels so good to be a college graduate. …”

Dave Stead, executive director of the Minnesota State High School League, said he doesn’t have a final figure but he expects ticket sales revenue from the 2014 Prep Bowl to be down about 50 percent. Attendance and ticket revenues will significantly increase when the Prep Bowl leaves outdoor TCF Bank Stadium for the enclosed Vikings stadium in 2016. Stead said although the Prep Bowl normally is a profitable event, he’s not sure if it will be in 2014.

Timberwolves rookie Andrew Wiggins is on the cover of Mpls.St. Paul Magazine’s best of the year issue. The article on Wiggins, who last June was the first overall pick in the NBA Draft, discusses the 19-year-old’s life as a professional and living in a new community.

While Wiggins has been a regular starter, rookie guard Zach LaVine, also 19, has started just 11 games. But that is 10 more than at UCLA last season, and before the Timberwolves made him a first round choice.

A local pro hockey source said Thomas Vanek’s slow start scoring goals for the Wild can be explained by off-ice distractions including his transition back to Minnesota where he knows so many people. He predicted Vanek could be productive, though, by playoff time when things have settled down and the 30-year-old forward knows his teammates better. Vanek has only three goals in 28 games but does have 14 assists and is fourth on the team with 17 points.

The same source said the Wild have been looking for goalie help and doesn’t believe the team is committed to starter Darcy Kuemper. The franchise decision makers, though, are “solid” in their commitment to fourth season coach Mike Yeo and the players like him.

It wouldn’t be surprising if former Twins manager Ron Gardenhire, who has been offered a role with Minnesota, ends up working for the Rangers, Astros or Mets. Gardenhire grew up in Oklahoma and the two Texas teams, the Rangers and Astros, provide proximity to home while the Mets were the team Gardenhire played for in the major leagues.

Former Gustavus Adolphus golf coach Whitey Skoog was recently inducted into the Golf Coaches Association of America Hall of Fame. Skoog, who retired in January of 1995 after 22 seasons, coached the Gusties to 17 MIAC titles and 12 NCAA Division III tournaments including second place finishes in 1990, 1991 and 1992. The former Gophers All-American basketball player also coached basketball at Gustavus after his NBA career with the Minneapolis Lakers.

Comments Welcome

Gophers Want Citrus Bowl on January 1

Posted on December 5, 2014December 5, 2014 by David Shama

The Gophers athletic department will learn on Sunday what bowl destination the football team will have, and the Buffalo Wild Wings Citrus Bowl on January 1 in Orlando is the preferred site.

The Citrus is the highest-ranking bowl possibility for the Gophers based on their record and the complicated bowl agreements and factors involving the Big Ten Conference. When bowl invitations are extended, more than team records and conference finishes can be involved. A disadvantage potentially influencing a Gophers bowl invitation is the fan base’s reputation for not following the team in large numbers to postseason games. That stigma will follow the program until attendance counts tell a different story.

Athletic department officials are excited about possible bowl destinations—even if the Citrus invitation doesn’t materialize. The potential bowls for the Gophers are all in Florida or California. Minnesota’s last seven bowl games have been in Arizona, Tennessee or Texas, so a change to either coast is welcome.

In addition to wondering about a bowl destination, some Gophers fans fret about head coach Jerry Kill leaving for another job. Speculation has included the opening at Michigan—and until yesterday Nebraska, too, which just hired Oregon State coach Mike Riley. Both schools are Big Ten rivals of Minnesota and history indicates it’s unlikely a league school will pursue another’s coach. It’s been more than 35 years since that happened in the Big Ten. The Big Ten promotes unity among its members and hiring away someone else’s coach would stir up resentment among a group with shared interests and values.

There are also coaching opportunities at schools outside the Big Ten including Kansas. Kill denies interest, though, in going anywhere else. He addressed the feelings of he and his wife Rebecca on WCCO Radio’s Dave Lee program earlier this week.

“This is where Rebecca and I want to be, and we love it here,” Kill said. “The big thing is, I hope the University wants me, and the commitment to where we want to go. There’s a lot of things we gotta do. We need to take those steps.”

Kill said to recruit “great players,” the Gophers need “good facilities” to effectively compete against other programs. “I know our people are trying to get that done so I am looking forward to being here,” he said.

Kill, selected earlier this week as Big Ten Coach of the Year, has been campaigning for a new indoor football practice facility. The Gophers facility that opened in 1985 is inferior to many others in college football. Kill wants ground broken next year on a new facility that could cost about $25 million. Such action will signal a commitment to football resources at Minnesota and that is important for Kill to see.

An athletic department spokesman said the new practice facility will be built “as fast as humanly possible.” That’s not a commitment to next spring, although someone in authority may have told Kill awhile ago spring was a circle-it-time on the calendar.

The practice facility is part of a master plan to improve athletic facilities at Minnesota and is tied to a $190 million fundraising campaign. Sources report progress continues to be made on the fundraising. Major help from at least one local corporation and also a private source (reportedly $15 million) is said to be in place.

Earlier this year Land O’ Lakes made a $25 million commitment to support a wide range of University of Minnesota activities, but the centerpiece will be building the Intercollegiate Athletics Center for Excellence that will benefit over 700 student-athletes through academics and nutrition.

Sources indicate, though, that to reach $190 million the University will have to borrow money as part of the funding mix. Kill won’t make final decisions on fundraising, but knowing the coach I believe eventually he could become restless regarding his job here if he doesn’t receive the resources he wants.

In a couple of years the Kansas State head coaching position is almost certain to open up. Wildcats coach Bill Snyder is 75 years old. Kill has roots in Kansas and grew up in Cheney, about 158 miles from Kansas State’s campus in Manhattan. Snyder is a great coach and one who will leave a lot of resources behind for his successor.

But remember this when speculating Kill will leave the Gophers: he is 53 years old and has overcome cancer and battled epilepsy. Some schools looking for coaches will see the health history as a red flag. Kill has suffered multiple seizures in four seasons as Gophers coach, although this year hasn’t been a problem.

The Gophers stood by Kill when fans and media suggested he wasn’t up to the job. Kill remembers the loyalty of administrators at Minnesota and his many supporters in the community. He is a good man with the right values. He will be the Gophers coach for a long time if he believes football is important at the University.

Worth Noting

Kill’s battle with epilepsy has been an inspiration to his players. Gophers senior defensive tackle Cameron Botticelli said the players have experienced difficult times including the death of teammate Gary Tinsley in 2012 and Kill’s seizures on and off the field.

“You look at coach Kill’s overcoming epilepsy and living with that. This program has been surrounded by people who are models of resiliency in fighting back against adversity,” Botticelli said. “You don’t coach that. That’s a mindset. I think it’s been ingrained by the great people that we have in our program.”

The Gophers were 5-3 in the Big Ten this year, the program’s best conference record since 2003. A major contributor to the success was senior running back David Cobb who gained 1,548 yards, a single season school record. Washburn High School football coach Giovan Jenkins believes former Miller Jeff Jones will contend to replace Cobb as the starting running back next season. “There aren’t too many people out there that are as good as him (Jones),” Jenkins told Sports Headliners.

Cobb’s skills include exceptional vision—being able to see tacklers and openings to gain yards. “I think Jeff’s vision is equally as good as David Cobb’s,” Jenkins said. “He’s a little bit quicker, I believe, in terms of his first couple steps. He gets to full speed a little faster than Cobb. …Jeff has that ability to make the second guy miss when he’s running by the first guy. The first guy is not really going to get him.”

Cobb runs with patience and Jenkins said that Jones will learn the skill. “That’s coaching. Jeff will have that when he gets coached by the coaching staff at the University of Minnesota. That’s what a senior should be able to do, is wait until that thing (the hole) opens up and then hit it full speed.”

Jones isn’t academically eligible for football this semester but is off to a good start in the classroom during his first few months at Minnesota as a freshman. Jenkins said Jones had a 3.2 GPA earlier in the semester and appears on track to be eligible for spring football. If so, Jenkins is enthusiastic about what Jones can do.

“With him having an opportunity to run the ball next year, I don’t think there’s going to be much drop off in terms of production,” Jenkins said. “He might not be a thousand yard guy because they still have (All-Big Ten tight end) Maxx Williams and some other options, but he’s definitely going to help out and relieve the pressure on everybody else on offense.”

The Western Carolina basketball team the Gophers play tonight at Williams Arena doesn’t have name recognition but the Catamounts only lost by six points to Alabama and 10 to Mississippi State, with both games on the road. The Catamounts are 3-5 this season.

The Gophers, 5-2, most recently defeated Wake Forest, 84-69, in the ACC/Big Ten Challenge series. Minnesota guard Andre Hollins was impressive making seven of 10 three point shots and scoring 27 points in the road win. Guard Carlos Morris was second in scoring with 15 points but had six turnovers. Excessive fouling continues to be a problem for Minnesota and Wake Forest was shooting bonus free throws before 12 minutes had elapsed in the second half. For the game the Demon Deacons had 31 foul attempts, but made only 18.

Defensive end Everson Griffen talking to Sports Headliners about the 5-7 Vikings: “We have a good team here. We’re a quarter away to being a great team each and every Sunday. Our biggest thing is that we gotta clean up our mistakes and quit beating ourselves.”

Adam Thielen received a game ball for blocking a punt and returning it 30 yards for a touchdown last Sunday in the Vikings win over the Panthers. Thielen, who had never blocked a punt before, said he it’s the third game ball he’s received as a Viking. He is the NFC Special Teams Player of the Week.

Vikings defensive end Brian Robison caused a stir in the locker room earlier this week when he appeared without his signature ponytail. Robison started growing the ponytail in 2009 but tired of the excess hair and decided to have it cut. He donated his hair to Locks of Love, a nonprofit organization that provides hairpieces to disadvantaged children.

Kevin McHale, in town tonight coaching his Rockets against the Timberwolves, still has a home in North Oaks.

Bloomington native and University of Minnesota graduate Brian Dutcher joked that his job title at San Diego State should be changed after the school extended head coach Steve Fisher’s contract through 2018. “The head coach still in waiting” is Dutcher’s new description of his job status. His official title is associate head coach/head coach in waiting. Dutcher is Fisher’s top assistant and it’s been known for years he will eventually become head coach. He will be 58 if Fisher, now 69, coaches until 2018. Brian’s dad, Jim Dutcher, resigned from the Gophers job when he was 53.

Torri Hunter probably should have tutor attached to his job title with the Twins. The 39-year-old free agent signed a one-year $10.5 million contract this week. He could contribute with his bat and outfield work but it seems likely he will also mentor the organization’s brightest prospects like Byron Buxton, Eddie Rosario, Miguel Sano and Kennys Vargas.

Hunter hit 17 home runs with 83 RBI last season for the Tigers. Those totals would have ranked third and first for the Twins in 2014.

Augsburg junior quarterback Ayrton Scott is featured in this week’s Sports Illustrated magazine as part of its “Faces in the Crowd” section that spotlights the athletic accomplishments of amateur athletes. Scott made news with his performance in Augsburg’s 62-61, two-overtime win at No. 18-ranked Bethel on November 15. He completed 28 of 41 passes for a school-record 563 yards and five touchdowns, while rushing 18 times for 67 yards. His school and MIAC record 630 yards of total offense were the most by an NCAA Division III player this season, with his 563 passing yards third-best.

Hamline will sponsor varsity women’s lacrosse starting in 2016. The Pipers will join Augsburg as the second Minnesota D-III school to offer women’s lacrosse. A head coach will be hired by Hamline and the team will practice and play games at Klas Field.

Comments Welcome

U Wants ‘First Punch’ Against Iowa

Posted on November 7, 2014November 7, 2014 by David Shama

Anyone who saw last year’s dominating win by Iowa over the Gophers at TCF Bank Stadium knows the Hawkeyes were more physical than Minnesota. The score, 23-7, showed domination and so did the statistics including 246 rushing yards for the Hawkeyes and just 30 for the Gophers.

“They out physicaled us,” said Gophers guard Zac Epping. “We know that and we know that’s what we gotta do this year. We gotta come out swinging, be the people that throw the first punch and get the ‘W’ that way.”

The Gophers have started slow in their last two games but perhaps the program’s intense rivalry with Iowa will cure that. Epping said the Gophers were “flat” against Illinois, a Big Ten bottom feeder that upset Minnesota in Champaign on October 25.

Iowa won the “Floyd of Rosedale” border rival trophy the last two years. “Yeah, it’s definitely one of the biggest games,” Epping said. “That’s one of the games where you look at the beginning of the year saying, ‘When do we play Iowa?’ ”

Epping grew up in Wisconsin but remembered a 2002 incident with the Hawkeyes that still rubs Gophers fans the wrong way. After Iowa’s win in the Metrodome, Hawkeye fans tore down a goal post and tried to carry pieces out of the building.

The memory stokes Epping’s emotions. “Yeah, it’s just something you think about and you just can’t let’em do it.”

Last year Wisconsin players tried to symbolically chop a goal post at TCF Bank Stadium with “Paul Bunyan’s Axe.” Gophers players this fall are wearing sweatshirts proclaiming “No one chops our goal posts down but us.”

The Gophers won the “Little Brown Jug” earlier this year with a victory over Michigan. Tomorrow presents an opportunity to win “Floyd”—the bronze pig—and later this month comes a chance to own the axe for the first time since 2003. Those are the Gophers’ most prized rivalry trophies and Minnesota hasn’t captured all three in one season since 1967.

When wide receiver KJ Maye was asked about winning back “Floyd,” he mentioned all three trophies. “It would mean a lot because we actually have a legit chance to win all the trophy games this year and that’s something we take pride in.”

Depending on your viewpoint the next four Saturdays are much anticipated—or dreaded—by Gophers fans. For many months anyone with knowledge about the team’s schedule has known the last four teams on the schedule present the most challenging stretch of games.

Except for TCU, no previous opponent on the schedule is comparable to the teams upcoming: Iowa, Ohio State, Nebraska and Wisconsin. They are four of the Big Ten’s better teams and certainly superior to the six opponents the Gophers have defeated in building a 6-2 overall record—3-1 in Big Ten games.

A program insider said the Gophers’ “margin for error is razor thin” for the remaining games. Iowa, Ohio State, Nebraska and Wisconsin have superior overall talent, and the last three teams are nationally ranked. The discrepancy between Minnesota and those programs is most glaring in comparisons of the offenses.

Minnesota defeated three mediocre teams during the nonconference schedule and in the fourth nonleague game was dominated in a 30-7 loss to now top 10 ranked TCU. The Gophers were held to under 100 yards rushing, gained just 268 yards in total offense and were three of 16 on third down conversions.

At times the Gophers offense has been productive in Big Ten games but it has sputtered, too. That’s an appropriate word to use in referring to the unexpected 28-24 loss to lowly Illinois when the Gophers completed just 12 of 30 passes and couldn’t make enough big plays in the fourth quarter to win.

Inconsistency by the offensive line, wide receivers and quarterback Mitch Leidner have put more pressure on the Gophers defense and special teams to make big plays. The Gophers rank 10th among Big Ten teams in total offense averaging 356.5 yards per game. Minnesota is last in passing at 140.5 yards a game.

Offensive coordinator Matt Limegrover refers to the offense as a “work in progress” but said it is better than a year ago. “I don’t think we’re far enough along that we can completely, week in and week out, say…we’re going to be able to (go) against the better teams in the conference and dominate a game and score 40 points.”

Iowa this Saturday and Ohio State a week later will be the last home games of the season. That’s an edge for the Gophers who will particularly be inspired to play against Iowa, 6-2 overall and 3-1 in the Big Ten. Minnesota also has an advantage having a bye on the schedule last Saturday. Extra preparation time for Jerry Kill and his staff is a plus, and so, too, is the additional rest for players recovering from injuries and weary legs.

Iowa is the most likely win remaining for the Gophers. The two programs mirror each other, led by conservative coaches who try to minimize mistakes and emphasize defense. The Gophers and Iowa have comparable defenses, and Minnesota’s unit might even be better. The Gophers may rate a minimal edge in special teams but the difference between the offenses looks dramatic.

Iowa’s offensive line deserves the nod over Minnesota’s. The Hawkeyes are led by tackle Brandon Scherff who is a coveted NFL draft choice. That line opened up a lot of running room last week in Iowa’s impressive 48-7 win over Northwestern, with Hawkeyes runners gaining 221 yards as part of a well balanced offense. Iowa’s passing ranks fifth in the Big Ten averaging 244.9 yards per game. “I think by far they’re the best line we’ve played all year,” said Gophers defensive coordinator Tracy Claeys.

Maybe the Gophers offense will have a breakout day against Iowa like the Hawkeyes experienced last Saturday versus Northwestern. That would sure help take some pressure off the “razor thin” mantra.

Worth Noting

Iowa received a verbal commitment on Sunday from a Texas high school player the Gophers had interest in, according to a story Monday by Steve Batterson for Qctimes.com. Wide receiver Jerminic Smith, from Garland High School in Garland Texas, has been rated No. 145 in the Texas 150, a ranking of the state’s top high school seniors.

The Gophers-Hawkeyes rivalry is on the minds of many Minnesotans, from University of Minnesota students to Gophers radio analyst Darrell Thompson. The student section at TCF Bank Stadium was chanting its well-known “We Hate Iowa” back in September. Thompson, the Gophers’ all-time leading rusher, eats bacon everyday this week preparing for the battle for the pig.

Speculation has been the Iowa-Minnesota game will sell out by now but apparently the Gophers’ surprise loss at Illinois, along with $75 tickets and a chilly weather forecast means not all of the 52,525 seats at TCF Bank Stadium are gone yet. Although Iowa has no professional sports to compete against, the Hawkeyes have only one home sellout this season in 70,585 seat capacity Kinnick Stadium.

Gophers senior offensive guard Zac Epping knows how to play through injury and pain. He has started 42 consecutive games. He also started every game as a sophomore, junior and senior at Tremper High School in Kenosha, Wisconsin.

Steve Simon, who won this week’s election for Secretary of State, is the son of former Minneapolis sports agent Ron Simon whose clients included Kent Hrbek and Paul Molitor. Ron wrote a book more than 20 years ago that detailed his negotiating strategies and stories about his clients.

The biggest MIAC football game of the season is tomorrow when Bethel, 7-1 overall and in 6-0 league play, meets Saint John’s, 7-1 and 5-1, in Collegeville. A Bethel win will mean a second consecutive outright MIAC title. If the Johnnies win, the two teams will go into the last Saturday of the season on November 15 tied for the lead. Bethel has won 15 consecutive MIAC games.

Saint John’s ranks second in the MIAC with 248.5 yards per game rushing, while Bethel is fourth at 193.4. The Royals’ run defense is first in the league (107.6 yards per game allowed) and Saint John’s is third (138.8). The Johnnies have the best scoring defense (13.6 points allowed per game) and Bethel is third (17.1).

The Gophers basketball team won its exhibition opener last night at Williams Arena, 95-68 over UMD. The Gophers shot 58.5 percent from the field and their active defense limited the Bulldogs to 37.5 percent. Junior college transfer guard Carlos Morris impressed with a team high 23 points as did senior center Elliott Eliason who grabbed 16 rebounds in only 22 minutes. UMD had lost on Saturday night to Notre Dame by 17 points.

With the Timberwolves intent on limiting the minutes of starting center Nikola Pekovic to avoid injuries, second-year backup Gorgui Dieng becomes even more important to team success. Wolves assistant coach David Adelman coached Dieng as a rookie in summer league in 2013 and has seen him improve, even since the beginning of training camp this year.

“You can just see that the NBA game is slowing down for him, which is the most important thing,” Adelman told Sports Headliners. “You start seeing things where he’s actually making decisions instead of reacting.”

Dieng was impressive toward the end of last season when he averaged 12 points and 11.3 rebounds in the final 18 games. His attributes include shot blocking and he had five blocks in his first career start last season. Adelman raves about Dieng’s timing when blocking shots.

“It’s incredible. I would say there are probably 10 guys in the league that have that, especially where he is chasing a guard or a perimeter player. His first jump is so quick.”

Adelman said Dieng is “close” to being an upper echelon NBA defender already. With long arms, timing and athleticism, the 6-11 Dieng will some day be expected to become “captain” of the team’s defense with an understanding of his assignments and those of all four teammates, according to Adelman.

The Timberwolves made a trade during the 2013 draft to acquire Dieng in the first round. Has he exceeded expectations? “I don’t think so,” Adelman said. “That’s why we drafted him. We saw something special in him. I think his progression is right where we thought it would be.”

Comments Welcome