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NFL Draft: Tough Night for Big Ten

Posted on April 26, 2013April 26, 2013 by David Shama

Covering the NFL Draft from the perspectives of the Big Ten Conference and the Vikings:

The Big Ten almost made history last night after being shutout during the first round of the draft until the Cowboys chose Wisconsin center Travis Frederick with the 31^st and next to last pick. Since 1953 the conference has had at least one player chosen in the first round, according to an online story on Monday by the Omaha–World–Herald. The World–Herald reported that in 29 of the 31 drafts going into last night the Big Ten had at least three players chosen in the first round.

In 2012 Big Ten teams had four players selected in the first round. The SEC had nine players drafted among the 32 picks, including six of the first 15. And last night the SEC had 12 players chosen among the 32 players selected including five of the first 11 picks.

It’s no wonder the SEC, winners of seven consecutive national championships, is known as the king of college football while the Big Ten’s reputation is that of commoners. But it’s not just the SEC that is showing superiority in talent as judged by the NFL. Last year the Big 12 had five players taken in the first round. This year the ACC had six players chosen and the Pac-12 five.

The last time a Gopher was selected in the first round was 2006 — running back Laurence Maroney. During the last 20 years the only other Gopher picked in the first round was cornerback Willie Middlebrooks in 2001.

Big Ten teams struggled in nonconference BCS games last season with the best win — honest — Northwestern’s victory over Vanderbilt. Big Ten schools also lost three games to MAC teams. The conference record in bowl games after last season was 2-5, another in a long list of mediocre (at best) postseason performances. In the final AP national poll the league had only two teams in the top 20, Ohio State (ineligible for a bowl game) at No. 3 and Northwestern, No. 17.

Except for Ohio State — and maybe Michigan — national expectations will be minimal for the Big Ten again next fall. Coach Urban Meyer is building an SEC caliber program at Ohio State but overall the league looks weak. It’s obvious that for now most Big Ten teams aren’t coming up with high impact talent worthy of national rankings and NFL first round draft choices.

But if football fans in Minnesota couldn’t thump their chests last night about the Big Ten, they certainly could strut over the Vikings who came into the draft with two first round picks and finished with three, thanks to a late night trade with the Patriots. Those three draft choices equaled the total of the Vikings’ NFC North rivals, the Lions, Bears and Packers who had one each.

The Vikings might have wanted to trade up for a top 10 selection, perhaps coveting elusive wide receiver Tavon Austin from West Virginia who was chosen at No. 8 by the Rams and might be Percy Harvin II. But instead the Vikings used the Patriots trade to take Tennessee wide receiver Cordarrella Patterson at No. 29 – a player who is raw in route running skills but is an explosive runner as a receiver and kick returner. “You’re talking about a 6-1, 215 pound receiver that runs 4.3, that is electric with the ball in his hands, and what he does after the catch and what he does as a returner,” Vikings’ general manager Rick Spielman said last night.

The Vikings used their selections at No. 23 and No. 25 to choose defensive players, tackle Shariff Floyd from Florida and cornerback Xavier Rhodes of Florida State. Floyd is considered a value pick, a strong inside presence who probably lasted deeper in the first round because so many offensive linemen were chosen before him. “I went through 1,000 scenarios and at (the) 23^rd and 25^th pick I can tell you honestly, he was not in one of those scenarios,” Spielman said about Floyd’s availability to Minnesota.

Mike Mayock’s mock draft Wednesday on NFL.com had Floyd being drafted No. 3 in the first round. “He is the best defensive player in the draft on my board,” Mayock wrote.

Rhodes, like Patterson, may initially be more of a project but his speed and size, 6-1, 210, are prized attributes in an NFL cornerback. The Vikings’ needs going into the draft included replacing depth and quality lost with veteran cornerback Antoine Winfield’s departure for the Seahawks. “Our defensive philosophy is to try to have size and speed because of the cornerbacks we have to face and the type of receivers in this division,” Spielman said.

The prevalent pre-draft speculation about the Vikings selecting Notre Dame linebacker Manti Te’o didn’t live up to the hype. The Vikings passed on Te’o three times in the first round, preferring other players. Te’o’s controversial past could be part of the reason but so, too, might his so-so speed, and on KFAN Radio last night former Viking Pete Bercich said he didn’t like the linebacker’s “flatline” personality.

Worth Noting

The Vikings will have their three first round draft choices in town today and will hold a news conference this afternoon to introduce them to the media.

The 2013 version of the NFL’s top 100 players debuts Saturday night at 7 p.m. Minneapolis time on the NFL Network. The initial show will reveal players 91-100 with the series continuing until June 27 when the top 10 are identified. The 100 list was determined by a vote of league players.

Approximately 100 University of St. Thomas football players and coaches will spend Saturday volunteering for a home building project as part of Habitat for Humanity, Twin Cities. The group will work at 652 Sims Avenue in St. Paul.

Coach Glenn Caruso will present a check to the organization for $10,000, part of his award for being named the 2012 Liberty Mutual Coach of the Year for NCAA Division III — the third year in a row he received the award.

After last night’s 2-1 loss to the Rangers at Target Field, the Twins have lost seven of their last nine games against Texas. Twins’ catcher Joe Mauer threw out his fourth attempted base stealer of the season last night. The Twins have allowed only three stolen bases, the fewest in the majors this season.

The Twins, 9-9, have scored one run or less three times this season. Their only run last night came on Josh Willingham’s third home run of the season. He has hit 24 career home runs at Target Field, tying him with Jim Thome for the club record.

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U Waits for Summer to Find Burner

Posted on April 12, 2013April 12, 2013 by David Shama

The Gophers are working their way through 15 spring practices but one of the team’s potentially most explosive playmakers won’t arrive until summer. Freshman running back Berkley Edwards, 5-9, 190 pounds from Novi, Michigan, is already on the minds of head coach Jerry Kill and offensive coordinator Matt Limegrover.

Edwards has game changing speed, the kind of attribute otherwise absent on the Gophers’ running backs roster. “He’s one of (the) top 10, 12 sprinters in the country,” Kill said in February when he announced Edwards will play for Minnesota. “Those things we need. And he’s a great fit for us at running back because we got some big backs, but we’d like to have one just to hand it off and it’s over. Goodnight. And he can do that because he’s got that kind of speed.”

The longest run from scrimmage by a Gophers’ running back last season was 38 yards by Donnell Kirkwood. In some games the Gophers didn’t have a running back with a run longer than 15 yards.

Limegrover is diplomatic about the running backs he has now and said he’s “very excited” about what they can do but he knows Edwards will complement the punishing style of Kirkwood and Rodrick Williams, the team’s two leading rushers from last year after now departed quarterback MarQueis Gray.

“I think the great thing about Berkley is that he truly can bring that change of pace over what we have right now,” Limegrover said. “The more weapons you have…the better off you’re going to be because every time you do that, it makes defensive coaches stand up and take notice, and be aware of, ‘Okay, they have a tailback in but which one is it?’

“So having a guy like Berkley with his speed and the things he can do getting the ball to the perimeter I think is going to be just a fantastic complement to what we already have in place.”

Limegrover won’t have to be envious of a team like Wisconsin if Edwards comes through for the Gophers. The famed Badgers’ running game pounds away for yards over and over…and then a speedy Wisconsin back darts through a hole, or jets outside for a long run.

Limegrover said it’s difficult for an offense to just rely on long drives for touchdowns. “Every once in a while you need to have that two play, 80-yard drive. …That’s what we’re working towards and that’s what we need, and Berkley is that kind of kid.”

Worth Noting

Limegrover said he isn’t set on naming the starting quarterback after spring practice ends later this month. “Not really. I think that what it comes down to is I think the offense is kind of bigger than who the starting quarterback is going to be.”

Kill emphasizes competition at all positions. “I think it shows up every day with the way kids compete,” Limegrover said.

Two of the three finalists for the Hobey Baker Award are Minnesotans for the first time in the award’s history, spokesman Wally Shaver told Sports Headliners. The winner of the 33^rd annual award will be announced tonight with coverage beginning at 5 p.m. CDT on the NHL Network.

Finalists are Boston College sophomore Johnny Gaudreau from Carneys Point, New Jersey; Quinnipiac senior goalie Eric Hartzell from White Bear Lake; and St. Cloud State senior forward Drew LeBlanc from Hermantown.

A Minnesotan, UMD’s Jack Connolly who attended Duluth’s Marshall High School, won the award last year. The last Gopher to win was Jordan Leopold in 2002.

With recent announcements that five juniors will be leaving school early, plus the end of eligibility for senior Seth Helgeson, the Gophers’ hockey program has lost more than 25 percent of its roster.

Two football games will be played at sites within walking distance of one another on Thursday, August 29. That evening the Gophers host UNLV in a nonconference game at TCF Bank Stadium while the Vikings play their final preseason game against the Titans at Mall of America Field.

The Vikings’ other home preseason game will be August 9 against the Texans.

Last Sunday in Atlanta Lewis Garrison, the former Gophers football player, officiated the Division II men’s college basketball championship game for a second consecutive season.

This is a big weekend for the Carol Fitzgerald Memorial Fund with a benefit tonight at the Metropolitan in Golden Valley, and a community celebration tomorrow at the Martin Luther King Center in Minneapolis. Pro Bowl wide receiver and Minneapolis native Larry Fitzgerald Jr. will be at both events and sign autographs at a fundraising session on Saturday. Other guests at the Metropolitan event will include Jamecia Bennett, Cris Carter, and Big Sy Huff. The fund supports multiple causes and honors Carol Fitzgerald who passed away from breast cancer in 2003.

A local source told Sports Headliners assistant basketball coach Ben Johnson interviewed on Monday for a position on Minnesota coach Richard Pitino’s new staff. Johnson, a former Gopher player, joined the Nebraska staff last year.

The 2013 Division I men’s basketball tournament, televised on four networks, was the most-watched NCAA tourney in 19 years, according to a Wednesday story by Sportsmedianews.com, attributing viewership statistics to Nielsen. “The tournament averaged 10.7 million total viewers, up 11% from last year’s 9.6 million total viewers, and is the highest average for the NCAA Tournament in 19 years (11.2 million, 1994),” Sportsmedia.com reported.

The story also said Monday night’s title game between Louisville and Michigan had 23.4 million viewers, an increase of 12 percent from the 2012 game.

The Timberwolves FastBreak Foundation will host a jersey auction after tomorrow night’s game against the Suns at Target Center. Fans can bid on jerseys worn by Timberwolves players during the game. The winning bidders will have jerseys signed and photos taken with players.

St. Thomas men’s basketball coach John Tauer, who led the Tommies to a 30-2 record and the NCAA tournament semifinals, is the Basketball Times Division III Coach of the Year.

Vance Worley (0-1, 5.73 ERA), acquired in the offseason from the Phillies, makes his third start of the season tonight for the Twins against the Mets and Jonathon Niese (1-0, 2.13 ERA) at Target Field. Worley has a 3-3 career record with a 5.17 ERA against the Mets.

Yesterday was the 52^nd anniversary of the first Twins’ regular season game ever, a 6-0 win in New York against the Yankees. Pedro Ramos was the winning pitcher, Whitey Ford the loser in that 1961 game.

Oswaldo Arcia, the Twins Minor League Player of the Year in 2012, is hitting .458 with three home runs and eight RBI in 24 at bats for Triple-A Rochester.

Comments Welcome

Pitino Plans to Finish Career Here

Posted on April 5, 2013April 5, 2013 by David Shama

Although he is only 30 years old, new Gophers’ coach Rich Pitino said this morning at his introductory press conference he doesn’t see the Minnesota job as a stepping stone to another position.

“This is absolutely the place I want to be,” Pitino said. “Me and my wife talked about it last night, just how excited we were that we can finally be at a place we hope to be for the rest of our lives, and build something special. I believe this is one of the top basketball jobs in the country, and I believe the University of Minnesota is one of the best universities in the country. So I am really looking forward to building at a program that competes at a very high level.”

Pitino praised the fan base, historic Williams Arena and the Big Ten as America’s best conference during his remarks. “I truly believe the sky is the limit (at Minnesota),” he said.

His teams will play full court pressure defense, trying to create turnovers and turn those mistakes by opponents into Minnesota baskets. It’s a fast style of play that can be entertaining. “I think you guys will really enjoy it,” he said.

Pitino will almost certainly pursue Tyus Jones, Rashad Vaughn and Reid Travis. The three Minnesota high school juniors are among the most coveted prep players in the country, and Jones in particular has been targeted by glamour coaches John Calipari, Mike Krzyewski and Tom Izzo.

Former Gophers’ coach Jim Dutcher told Sports Headliners the young coach has much to prove as a recruiter and coach. “I don’t think they (the top coaches) will be frightened to recruit against Minnesota,” said Dutcher who coached the Gophers to the 1982 Big Ten championship.

Pitino, who the Minnesota athletic department acknowledged earlier this week as the choice to replace Tubby Smith, has only one year of head coaching experience — an impressive 18-14 season this year at Florida International, a losing program that had gone nowhere under its previous failed coach, Isiah Thomas. But Dutcher’s reaction and that of many Gophers followers to the hire was, “Who?”

The response is indicative that, short-term, Pitino won’t make much impact on fan interest in the Gophers. “They won’t have to keep the ticket office open this weekend,” Dutcher said about Pitino.

Pitino is the son of 60-year-old Louisville coaching legend Rick Pitino. Already the worry-warts are speculating if young Pitino is successful here, he will then be his father’s successor at Louisville. The speculation is even frantic enough to suggest Pitino’s contract with the Gophers (perhaps not finalized yet) will include an opt-out clause to leave for Louisville. “I don’t think he can command that,” Dutcher said.

Among Pitino’s assistants at Florida International was Mark Lieberman who won five state titles as a prep coach in Florida before working at Louisville. Another assistant at Florida International, Kimani Young, has recruiting ties to New York City and New Jersey, areas Pitino is likely to emphasize at Minnesota.

Pitino’s background as an assistant to his dad and also to former national championship coach Billy Donovan at Florida is impressive. So, too, is Pitino’s reputation as a strong recruiter and his performance coaching Florida International to the school’s first winning season in 13 seasons. Regarding how he will do at Minnesota, Dutcher said, “We’ll just have to wait and see.”

But at 30 years old it’s virtually certain Pitino will bring extraordinary energy to the Gophers’ job. The program and the results had grown stale under Smith. Credit athletic director Norwood Teague with making a change the public wanted by dumping Smith and even if he didn’t hire a highly recognizable name in Pitino, his track record in hiring Shaka Smart at VCU gives the Gophers’ fan base encouragement about the future.

Pitino’s salary at Minnesota is expected to be about $3.7 million less than his father who earns close to $5 million at Louisville, according to a story in yesterday’s USA Today.

Dutcher Likes Syracuse, Louisville Tomorrow

Dutcher sees “three very good teams and kind of an unknown” in tomorrow’s Final Four lineup in Atlanta. He predicts a Syracuse win over Michigan, and perhaps a double-digit victory by Louisville against Wichita State, a team that might be the lightweight among the four schools.

Dutcher, once an assistant coach at Michigan and perhaps the sharpest TV college basketball analyst ever in this town, said Wolverines’ sophomore point guard Trey Burke isn’t just the best player in the tourney, nobody in the country is as good. “He’s got the ball more than anybody in the tournament,” Dutcher said. “He decides what to run.”

It was mostly the clutch shooting of Burke that led Michigan to an improbable late game come from behind Sweet 16 win against Kansas. The Wolverines trailed by double-digits in the closing minutes and Dutcher called it a game Michigan shouldn’t have won, but now the victory could help carry Burke and teammates to an NCAA title. “A lot of times if you win one game you shouldn’t, you go all the way,” Dutcher said. “It takes the pressure off.”

Michigan’s fate against Syracuse could well be decided by the Wolverines’ effectiveness against the Orange’s two-three zone defense. Few college teams commit to a zone as their primary defense, and maybe no one executes the two-three better than Syracuse which has been using the defense for years.

Dutcher said Michigan could do well against the zone because of outstanding perimeter shooters including Tim Hardaway Jr. and Nik Stauskas. It takes outside shooting and good rebounding to beat the zone, and the Wolverines have an emerging star in center Mitch McGary whose rebounding and scoring are commanding attention.

The Wolverines have three freshmen, a sophomore and junior in the starting lineup. Syracuse has more experience and Dutcher likes the way the Orange make adjustments — plus that zone defense— so he’s predicting a Michigan loss.

Wichita State will wish it was back in Kansas if the Shockers can’t handle Louisville’s full court pressure defense. That’s a relentless style most teams don’t play and if the Cardinals consistently force the Shockers into turnovers and convert steals and interceptions into baskets the game could be over early.

Louisville, the highest seeded team in the Final Four, is about a 10 point favorite to win the game. Oddsmakers like Michigan by a couple of points against Syracuse.

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