NCAA – Page 61 – David Shama's Minnesota Sports Headliners

Timing Looks Right for Vikes-Harbaugh

Posted on January 30, 2022January 30, 2022 by David Shama

Jim Harbaugh as the next head coach of the Vikings? The timing looks right if the money and security are in place.

The 58-year-old University of Michigan head coach has been linked this month to NFL jobs with the Chicago Bears, Las Vegas Raiders and now the Vikings. Authoritative sources report there is preliminary interest between Harbaugh and the Vikings’ ownership and management.

Harbaugh could be more than restless in Ann Arbor where his relationship with athletic director Warde Manuel is suspect. A year ago Manuel cut Harbaugh’s $8 million compensation in half after the Wolverines finished the pandemic impacted 2020 season with a 2-4 record. A legendary coach was reduced to an annual salary among the lowest in the Big Ten Conference.

In 2020 some Wolverines fans were howling for Harbaugh’s dismissal after yet another season ending loss to hated Ohio State. Manuel retained Harbaugh but the message sent by the pay cut seemed clear: get things turned around…or else.

Backed in a corner with presumably a bruised ego, the combative Harbaugh delivered a comeback season in 2021. Michigan won its first Big Ten title since 2004, earned a first-ever spot in the College Football Playoff—and ended a nine-game losing streak to Ohio State.

What about a revised contract now for Harbaugh who has been at Michigan since 2015? Not yet and perhaps talks between Harbaugh and Manuel are less than amicable. Earlier this month Detroitsportsnation.com reported former Detroit radio personality Gregg Henson said the coach and AD had a “heated discussion” because Harbaugh hasn’t signed the contract being offered by Michigan.

Maybe Harbaugh is using NFL rumors as contract leverage, but then again after seven seasons on the job his interest in moving on from his alma mater could be genuine. His record is 61-24 and among the best in school history. He has revived the program at college football’s winningest school.

He has also had a front row seat to the challenges.

Competing in the Big Ten with Ohio State can lead to ulcers. The Buckeyes, along with Alabama, Georgia and Clemson, are in a different league than everyone else in college football. Those schools have a tiresome chokehold on the sport and it starts with monopolizing the best talent.

Recruiting? It’s a safe guess most head college football coaches dislike the 365-days per year grind of convincing pimple-faced teenagers to play for them. It wouldn’t be surprising if Harbaugh, four years away from Social Security eligibility, has had enough of recruiting and its various demands.

Harbaugh might have the energy and will to coach another 10 years, and he could consider a return to the NFL a better fit than staying at Michigan. As head coach of the NFL 49ers for four seasons, he led the team to three NFC Championship games. He had an overall record of 49-22-1 and was 5-3 in the postseason including a Super Bowl loss to his brother John Harbaugh of the Ravens. Competing for a Super Bowl win is the kind of goal that makes the heart race fast in fiery coaches like Harbaugh.

Harbaugh has been a winner wherever he has coached including his first assignment with the San Diego Toreros of the Pioneer League. After three seasons and a 29-6 record, it was on to Stanford. Upon arrival he said: “I vow I will attack this endeavor with an enthusiasm unknown to mankind.”

Wow.

The Cardinal was 1-11 before Harbaugh arrived. In his fourth and final season Stanford finished 12-1 including an Orange Bowl win.

A fallout with then 49ers GM Trent Baalke prematurely ended Harbaugh’s era in San Francisco. It’s an under statement to say Baalke, now the Jacksonville Jags’ GM, doesn’t have a resume to match Harbaugh who soon signed on with Michigan.

In San Francisco there was a young man working in the front office who had the privilege of learning from Harbaugh. That was Kwesi Adofo-Mensah’s transitional opportunity moving from Wall Street to the NFL. Now as the new Vikings’ GM, his relationship is presumably an asset in a romance between Minnesota and Harbaugh.

Kwesi is affable. Harbaugh strong-minded. The chemistry could work.

It appears Harbaugh is the best opportunity for the Wilf ownership group and Kwesi to secure a high profile coach who comes with instant credibility for the fan base. And it’s a bonus that Harbaugh is known as something of a “quarterback whisperer.” The former Michigan and Bears QB impacted the careers of Andrew Luck, Alex Smith and Colin Kaepernick.

Anyone ever heard of Kirk Cousins?

Cousins and his teammates don’t collectively offer a Super Bowl worthy roster. But there is talent in place and with the right moves the Vikings could become special in the near future.

There are also world-class practice and game facilities in Eagan and downtown. Ownership has consistently shown willingness to spend money, and there is a salary cap whiz in the front office named Rob Brzezinski.

And then there is this: a source told Sports Headliners the salary-cap challenged Green Bay Packers won’t be re-signing Aaron Rodgers. A Packers team without their magician quarterback will position the NFC North to be a free-for-all race next fall.

The Vikings will have to pony up the big bucks and offer security to get Harbaugh on the sidelines. Maybe it happens. The karma is apparent.

Worth Noting

Gregg Wong is calling it quits after15 years as one of the Twins’ three official scorers at home games. The former Pioneer Press sportswriter told Sports Headliners the assignment just wasn’t “fun anymore” and seemed more like a job because of more detail needed by MLB, lengthy games and the retirement of friends he knew at the ballpark.

The well-liked Minneapolis native will continue working as part of the golf staff at Edina Country Club. “I’ll stay there as long as I live, or as long as they will have me,” Wong said.

Belated birthday wishes to Vikings hall of famer Carl Eller who turned 80 last week.

Comments Welcome

‘Way too Early’ Script on Fleck’s Gophers

Posted on January 28, 2022January 28, 2022 by David Shama

It’s become popular for internet media sites to issue “way too early” top 25 college football rankings in January. Read later in this space whether Minnesota is drawing national attention, but right now Sports Headliners offers much more detail about the Golden Gophers than a ranking.

Here then is a “crystal skull” script on how Minnesota will do in 2022. The schedule is not daunting. Talent and experience are in place. The coaching staff, led by P.J. Fleck, Joe Rossi and Kirk Ciarrocca, is impressive. The outlook is upbeat with the prediction that Minnesota can reach 10 wins with a bowl game victory. This is how the season could go:

The season opener with New Mexico State will draw more interest because of the two head coaches than the players on the field. The Aggies’ Jerry Kill isn’t a Fleck admirer. In a 2019 satellite radio interview Kill criticized Fleck’s ego and suggested the Minnesota coach is more about himself than the players. This fall Kill will be back on the sidelines as a head coach for the first time since he was Minnesota’s head man in 2015.

The game is a “damned if you do and a damned if you don’t” matchup for Fleck and the Gophers against a New Mexico State team that figures to be about a three touchdown underdog. Minnesota, coming off a 9-4 season, is seen nationally as a program on the rise. The Aggies were 2-10 last season and traditionally rank among the 10 worst major college teams. Embarrassments in 2021 included 59-3 and 56-16 losses to Alabama and Kentucky.

If the Gophers win big, observers will yawn. If the game is close, a Minnesota victory will have the critics talking about how Fleck was out coached. A New Mexico State win? Start negotiating with Kill about returning to Dinkytown.

The Gophers begin the season with three home nonconference games: the Aggies, Western Illinois and Colorado. That should result in a 3-0 start but this comes with a warning label.

Fleck’s teams are often sluggish early in the season. The coaches appear to take a conservative approach with the offensive playbook. In 2021 the implausible happened when the 31 points favored Gophers, playing at home, lost to Bowling Green. But in non-erasable ink let’s put the Gophers down for a 3-0 start to the 2022 season and knocking on the door of a top 25 national ranking.

The original schedule for this year had the Gophers opening the season with five consecutive home games including Big Ten matchups against Iowa and Purdue. But earlier this month the Big Ten football office modified the league schedules and the Gophers will now play Iowa at home November 19. The prior September 24 date with Iowa now has Minnesota at Michigan State.

It looks like Sparty goes into the season as a top 15 team nationally coming off last year’s impressive 11-2 finish. Home field will be the difference as the Gophers lose in East Lansing after the unbeaten non-conference start.

The next week the Purdue Boilermakers spoil Minnesota’s homecoming, with their first win over the Gophers since 2017. Dinkytown is in a panic!

Coach Ciarrocca, quarterback Tanner Morgan and the rest of the offense are imitating the struggles of 2021 instead of doing a 2019 encore. The defense is leaky after having to replace top play-makers like Boye Mafe and Jack Gibbens.

The media jackals are howling. Gopher loyalists are feeling sorry for themselves after a 0-2 Big Ten start. But during a bye week, coaches make adjustments and players vow to flip the script.

Look out because here come the Gophers who this year must play five conference road games, with four at home. Morgan brings back memories of 2019, with slant passes and long throws to wide receivers Chris Autman-Bell and emerging star Dylan Wright who in 2022 becomes a more disciplined route runner.

The running game remains dominant as it has been in Fleck’s previous five seasons at Minnesota. Mo Ibrahim, a 2020 All-American, could be among the Big Ten’s most productive tailbacks, but the Gophers will ease his workload with significant carries from Bucky Irving whose breakaway style complements Ibrahim’s power.

The offensive line with four new starters doesn’t hit its stride until mid-season but is anchored from the start by center John Michael Schmitz. He will be a top candidate for the Dave Rimington Trophy, last won by a Gopher in 2005 when Greg Eslinger was honored as the nation’s best center.

The defensive line, like its offensive counterpart, is likely to have early issues as it fills in with new players including at least three transfers from other programs. It will be interesting to see if leading play makers include highly hyped freshman defensive end Anthony Smith from Shippensburg, Pennsylvania.

The secondary, led by potential all Big-10 cornerback Justin Walley and veteran safeties Jordan Howden and Tyler Nubin, could be among the best in school history. Linebacker Mariano Sori-Marin, considered a coach on the field, is back to lead and inspire the defense.

Coach Rossi has earned the guru label from his players. His success dates back to his appointment as defensive coordinator in November of 2018 following an embarrassing 55-31 loss to Illinois. Since then the Gophers’ record is 26-11.

The defense will have help in dictating field position from punter Mark Crawford. The Aussie is skilled in dropping punts inside the 20 yard line of opponents.

Starting with an October 15 victory over Illinois, Crawford and his mates run off six consecutive league wins. Worthy of a state fair blue ribbon is the return of Floyd of Rosedale to Minneapolis. Before a raucous crowd at Huntington Bank Stadium, veteran kicker Matthew Trickett boots a last minute field goal to give Minnesota the bronze pig and its first win over the hated Iowa Hawkeyes since 2014.

The next week in Madison the Badgers stop the Minnesota win parade. Respect Badgers head coach Paul Chryst. Fear defensive coordinator Jim Leonhard who finds a way to control Ciarrocca and the Minnesota offense. Pray Leonhard doesn’t eventually become the big boss in Madison.

The Gophers finish the regular season at 9-3. For part of the year Minnesota is a top 25 team, maybe cracking the top 15 list in the polls. The Gophers could finish in that company, too, with an impressive bowl game victory.

That’s certainly higher than “the way to early” rankings in January from ESPN, CBS, Sporting News and Yahoo, who all leave Minnesota out of their top 25 teams. Stewart Mandel from The Athletic—and yours truly–believe the boys from Dinkytown deserve top 25 billing right now.

Comments Welcome

Spielman Stresses Coach-QB Relationship

Posted on January 26, 2022January 26, 2022 by David Shama

It was easy to think about Mike Zimmer yesterday when Rick Spielman answered questions on TV’s “The Herd with Colin Cowherd.” Spielman, the former Vikings GM who was fired along with Zimmer earlier this month, talked about the trend toward offensive-minded head coaches in today’s NFL and also the selection process that should go into hiring such leaders.

“I think the No. 1 thing you’re looking for is that a head coach really has to have a relationship with that quarterback,” Spielman said. “And can a defensive head coach connect with that quarterback? Now, you know an offensive head coach is probably going to be able to because that’s his job (background). But can a defensive coach do the same thing?”

Spielman, the Vikings’ GM for 10 years, hired a defensive guru in Zimmer back in 2014. During the Zimmer era he had six offensive coordinators and last season was reportedly the first where he met weekly with quarterback Kirk Cousins. That was four seasons into their relationship and chemistry has appeared strained between the two.

It’s believed it was Spielman, not Zimmer, who wanted Cousins signed to an expensive free agent contract in 2018. The best of Zimmer’s teams had lights out defenses and his top regular season records came prior to Cousins joining the team from Washington. The last two seasons Minnesota didn’t qualify for the playoffs, prompting ownership to part with Spielman and Zimmer.

Spielman said that not since 2017 have two defensive oriented head coaches had their teams in the Super Bowl. That year matched up the Patriots’ Bill Belichick and the Falcons’ Dan Quinn, two defensive specialists.

The four remaining teams in the 2022 NFL playoffs are led by head coaches with accomplished offensive backgrounds. The veteran of the group is the Chiefs’ Andy Reid, who won the 2020 Super Bowl. Sean McVay of the Rams and Kyle Shanahan from the 49ers had their franchises in the 2019 and 2020 Super Bowls respectively. Zac Taylor, in just his third season as a head coach, has the Bengals within one win of representing the AFC in the 2022 Super Bowl. Reid is 63 but the other three head coaches are all 42 or younger.

It will be surprising if the Vikings don’t hire an offensive specialist as head coach. Not only is that a trend, but historically college and pro teams often switch back and forth between offensive and defensive backgrounds when hiring head coaches.

Worth Noting

Spielman is making media appearances since the announcement of his dismissal January 10. Maybe at 59 he is interested in a football TV job rather than going back to the NFL. However, brother Chris Spielman is a newly hired executive with the Lions.

Don’t be surprised if Zimmer, 65, lands an assignment with the Cowboys. He worked for Jerry Jones’ team as defensive coordinator from 2000-2006 and before that coached defensive backs for the 1995 Super Bowl champion Cowboys.

Among Spielman’s better draft choices is right tackle Brian O’Neill who this year will be participating in his first NFL Pro Bowl. O’Neill, a second round pick in 2018, is replacing Tristan Wirfs of the Buccaneers, who is injured and unable to play.

The Vikings could be developing a pair of top tackles in O’Neill and Christian Darrisaw, the team’s first round pick in the 2021 draft. During the last season he took over as the starting left tackle and was part of an improving offensive line that allowed Cousins to be sacked only 28 times, sixth fewest in the NFL.

The Vikings might take another step in developing an elite offensive line if they use their expected No. 12 first round draft choice this year on Iowa center Tyler Linderbaum. His physical and leadership skills are impressive, while playing at the key center position where 2019 draft choice Garrett Bradbury has struggled.

Cornerbacks Ahmad Gardner from Cincinnati and Derek Stingley Jr. of LSU could tempt the Vikings, too. If Minnesota wants to risk the choice on a project quarterback with raw skills in need of polish, Liberty’s electrifying Malik Willis could be the guy.

Vikings participating in the February 6 Pro Bowl in Las Vegas are O’Neill, running back Dalvin Cook, wide receiver Justin Jefferson and safety Harrison Smith.

The New Mexico State football team announced its 2022 schedule Monday, including the September 1 date in Minneapolis against the Golden Gophers. The Aggies, under first-year coach Jerry Kill, will also play two other Power Five opponents, with games at Wisconsin and Missouri. They will have six home games, the most since 2014.

“We need Aggie fans everywhere to come out and support our program this fall,” Kill said in a school news release. “Our team will have a hard hat and lunch pail mentality every time we take the field.”

The Timberwolves, at 24-23 and with 35 remaining games, have bested last season’s final win total of 23 (record of 23-49).

The most recent win came last night, 109-107 over the Trail Blazers. Wolves’ guard Anthony Edwards became the first player in NBA history to total 40 points, nine rebounds, five three-pointers, three blocks and three steals in a single game.

To some fans David Ortiz’s 2022 selection to baseball’s Hall of Fame is perplexing. Although the former Twin insists he never knowingly used performance enhancers, his name is associated with the steroid era. That stigma has denied Hall of Fame membership to the likes of Barry Bonds and Roger Clemens.

Among players to watch in the state prep basketball class of 2023 is 6-9 power forward-center Patrick Bath from Totino-Grace. 247Sports gives him a composite three-star ranking. Cal-Poly and Sienna have made offers, per 247.

Fargo’s Tom Hoge, 32, has one career win but is playing some of the best golf of his PGA career and he finished second in last weekend’s American Express in La Quinta. The TCU alum turned pro in 2011 and has over $9 million in career earnings. As of Monday morning he was No. 34 in PGA Tour earnings for 2022, with $680,690, according to the Desert Sun. Spring Lake Park’s Troy Merritt was No. 61 at $349,190.

The Friday wrestling match between the No. 13 ranked Golden Gophers at No. 3 Michigan airs at 6 p.m. central time on BTN. The telecast will be followed by No. 1 Penn State at No. 2 Iowa.

Comments Welcome