It’s not fall but there is football news including from Vikings coach Mike Zimmer and also the Minnesota Football Coaches Association.
The Vikings ended their mini-camps today and Zimmer answered questions from the media including whether All-Pro running back Adrian Peterson is making good on his goal of improving as a pass receiver.
“Yeah, I think I’ve seen him drop one ball the whole time and that was probably yesterday, I think,” Zimmer said. “He catches the ball good. Obviously when he’s got the ball…he’s extremely dangerous.”
The new Vikings coach had seen tape of Peterson and realized how fast and powerful the dynamic running back is. But in the offseason practices Zimmer was surprised by Peterson’s pass catching and his ability to cut. “Some of the cuts he made are like, wow. Like some of the great backs that you’ve been around.”
Zimmer said he’s not announcing a date as to when he will choose a starting quarterback from the competition between Teddy Bridgewater, Matt Cassel and Christian Ponder. “I probably have a date in my mind, but I’m not going to tell anybody,” he said.
The team now has five weeks off before opening training camp on July 24 in Mankato. What are Zimmer’s plans?
“I’m going back down to my ranch in Kentucky for a little while, (also) probably stop in Dallas,” he answered. “Go see my parents down in Naples.”
The Minnesota High School All-Star Football Game dates back to the 1940s but this year’s June 28 game will be branded differently. The MFCA Tackle Cancer All-Star Football Game is the latest effort by the Minnesota Football Coaches Association to assist the Randy Shaver Cancer Research & Community Fund.
In January of 2012 leaders of the MFCA were having a meeting and Minnetonka High School football coach Dave Nelson spoke up about cancer, a health problem that is epidemic in America. He is a prostate cancer survivor.
At the meeting Nelson asked what others thought about helping KARE TV’s Randy Shaver who had started his cancer fund after battling his way through Hodgkin’s Disease. Nelson’s idea was to reach out to Minnesota high school football programs and encourage them to designate a home game to “Tackle Cancer” and raise monies for Shaver’s fund.
Ron Stolski, executive director of the MFCA, recalled it didn’t take long for the idea to click with association leaders. Nelson agreed to chair the MFCA’s “Tackle Cancer” Committee. “He’s just like a Bulldog when he gets on something,” Stolski told Sports Headliners. “He’s been on this for…two years.”
During the 2012 football season, the first year of the initiative, $120,000 was raised for the fund. Last year high school football programs generated $190,000, plus the Gophers promoted a “Tackle Cancer” game and so did MIAC schools. This year the Vikings will designate their September 28 home game against the Falcons to the cause.
Stolski said schools can take a simple or sophisticated approach to the “Tackle Cancer” project like placing donation buckets at the stadium or using more elaborate means. The initiative will be going on again this fall at Minnesota high schools but before that happens the all-star game, a week from Saturday at Saint John’s in Collegeville, will serve as the kickoff to the 2014 campaign.
Stolski is excited because the game’s purpose has always been to recognize outstanding graduating high school seniors and now the event will also help in the fight against cancer. “It (the game) helps to carry on a long tradition of recognizing in one final effort the best of our best,” Stolski said of the 88 players representing 83 schools who are grouped into North and South rosters.
There certainly is a tradition to the All-Star game and this year’s event has players whose fathers and grandfathers participated. Michael Strand, a fullback from Barnesville High School who will play for the North, will be joined at this year’s game by his grandfather, Dick Strand, an Honorary Coach. Dick Strand, from Southland High in Adams, also coached in the 1984 all-star game. Bryan Strand, Dick’s son and Michael’s dad, coached in the game last year representing Barnesville.
Carter Thiel, a strong safety from Wheaton/Herman-Norcross playing for the North, has All-Star family connections, too. Tony Thiel Jr., Carter’s dad, played in the 1980 game as a strong safety from Battle Lake. Tony Thiel Sr., Carter’s grandfather and also from Battle Lake, coached in the 1978 game and was an Honorary Coach in 1991.
Worth Noting
The Gophers’ coaches and their most passionate believers won’t agree but don’t expect lofty predictions from most national media about Minnesota’s upcoming football season. Uncertainties at key positions like quarterback and a demanding schedule that includes games with Iowa, Michigan, Nebraska, Ohio State, and Wisconsin has magazines like Athlon Sports and Lindy’s Sports taking a cautious approach about the Gophers.
Minnesota’s record last season was 4-4 in the Big Ten Conference and 8-5 overall including a bowl game loss to Syracuse. Athlon predicts the Gophers’ 2014 record will be 3-5 in league games, 6-6 overall. Minnesota, according to the magazine, will tie for fourth place in the seven-team Big Ten West Division.
The Athlon write-up includes this quote from an anonymous rival Big Ten assistant coach: “They have a good offensive line and good running backs, but can they get the ball consistently downfield in the passing game?”
Lindy’s Big Ten publication ranks the Gophers eighth in the 14-team conference, ahead of Maryland, Illinois, Indiana, Northwestern, Rutgers and Purdue. That places Minnesota fourth in the West Division. The magazine says the Gophers (who have gone from three to six to eight wins the last three years) continue to improve but “they’re still miles away in the depth department.”
Lindy’s has Minnesota offensive lineman Zac Epping and tight end Maxx Williams on its All-Big Ten second team offense. Defensive end Theiren Cockran is on the second team defense. David Cobb is a third team choice at running back and so too is punter Peter Mortell.
The NCAA has released average home attendances for the top 25 men’s basketball programs and nine Big Ten schools were included but not the Gophers who averaged 11,255 fans last season. Minnesota ranked No. 23 in 2013 with an average of 12,580. The Gophers led all of college basketball in attendance in 1975 and ranked third in 1972, second in 1973. Last season the Big Ten led the nation in average attendance for the 38th consecutive year.
Former Gophers football player Mark Sheffert, who writes for Twin Cities Business, has an intriguing headline on his June column: “Quitting to Win.” Sheffert writes that smart business leadership sometimes prompts the decision to “throw in the towel.”
Bill McGuire was approached in the past about Timberwolves ownership but told Sports Headliners this week it’s “not appropriate” for him to be involved with the local NBA franchise because of his ownership of Minnesota United, the North American Soccer League team.
The 2014 NHL Entry Draft will be Friday, June 27 and Saturday, June 28 at the Wells Fargo Center in Philadelphia. The first round on June 27 will begin at 6 p.m. (CDT) and televised by NBC Sports Network. Rounds 2-7 will be on June 28 starting at 9 a.m. (CDT) and televised by the NHL Network. The Wild own eight picks in the draft including the 18th overall selection.
For all the talk about the Twins being improved over last season, Minnesota goes into tonight’s game at Target Field against the White Sox having lost five straight and with two more losses than a year ago. The Twins are 32-38 and 6.5 games out of first place compared with a year ago when Minnesota was 32-36 and 6 games behind.
Aaron Wiederhoeft from Prior Lake High School, who won the Jake Anderson Award for Minnesota’s best senior boys lacrosse goaltender, will play lacrosse at Lindenwood, a Division II school in Missouri. He plans to major in international business. What about a future in pro lacrosse, a sport that has modest salaries for players?
“Oh, well, maybe by the time I get there it will (pay better),” he said.
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