NCAA – Page 78 – David Shama's Minnesota Sports Headliners

NFL Expert Predicts Big Pay for Cousins

Posted on January 13, 2021January 13, 2021 by David Shama

A former NFL executive told Sports Headliners the Vikings are certain to pay quarterback Kirk Cousins $35 million in guaranteed money for the 2022 season.

The organization and Cousins have until late March of this year to make that decision but the source is sure the veteran quarterback will be rewarded with a big pay day even though the club will have to make salary cap adjustments to accommodate the $35 million. “He will be here,” the source said about 2022. “He’s still a top 10 or 12 quarterback in the league.”

The NFL salary cap (nearly $200 million per team in 2020) will decline this year after league teams saw revenues take a hard hit because of the pandemic. That will only add to the Vikings’ need for belt tightening because of the $21 million due Cousins in 2021 and the $35 million next year.

The former front office executive, who asked to speak anonymously, predicted several Vikings are likely not to return for 2021 including 31-year-old tight end Kyle Rudolph. He said Rudolph will be gone for sure, with the Vikings dumping his estimated $7.6 million salary and replacing him with a younger and less expensive combo of talents in Irv Smith Jr. and Tyler Conklin.

Veteran offensive tackle Riley Reiff has a base salary for 2021 of $11.6 million, per Spotrac.com. At 32, Reiff doesn’t play at a high enough level to justify that kind of money, the ex-NFL decision maker said. Reiff’s compensation is among the highest on the team.

Others turning in their Vikings uniforms could include safety Anthony Harris, a good player but not at more than $11 million. Perhaps management and Harris can restructure his contract. Corner Mike Hughes isn’t making big money “but has missed a ton of time” with injuries and the Vikings could make a decision to part ways, the source said.

Linebacker Anthony Barr is one of the top paid Vikings and will likely draw offseason salary cap scrutiny, although he is a coach Mike Zimmer favorite, according to the authority. Savings from not having Barr on the payroll could be used for a new deal with emerging linebacker Eric Wilson.

Defensive tackle Shamar Stephen has a salary approaching $4 million, didn’t have an impressive 2020 season and could be expendable. The Vikings are expecting defensive tackle Michael Pierce to return after opting out because of the pandemic, and he plays for similar money.

The source quoted here had front office leadership experiences with a couple of league teams, and said he would want to know which Dan Bailey is returning to the Vikings in 2021. The kicker will make over $2.5 million next season, but he had a back injury and performance problems last year after being impressive in 2019.

The source said if he were making decisions for the Vikings and the 2021 NFL Draft he wouldn’t prioritize finding a quarterback with the club’s No. 14 pick in the first round. He would be looking for a guard to replace Dakota Dozier, or defensive tackle to rush the passer and “stop the run.”

He said exceptional quarterbacks have sometimes been found in the later draft rounds including Russell Wilson who the Seahawks selected in the third round. “With 11 picks (in 2021), the Vikings have the luxury of looking for a quarterback,” he added.

Worth Noting

The Wild announced this morning the training camp roster has been reduced to 22 players, with the placement of forwards Luke Johnson and Kyle Rau, defensemen Matt Bartkowski, Louie Belpedio and Dakota Mermis, and goaltender Andrew Hammond on its taxi squad. The Wild designated forwards Marco Rossi and Mats Zuccarello and goaltender Alex Stalock as injured non-roster players.

Coach Juwan Howard and his undefeated Michigan basketball team, ranked No. 7 in the AP top 25, plays the Gophers Saturday in Minneapolis. As a coveted high school player Howard was recruited hard by Bloomington, Minnesota native Brian Dutcher, then an assistant coach at Michigan who helped put together the famous “Fab Five” of which Howard was a key player. The two have remained friends with Dutcher part of Howard’s wedding party in Turks and Caicos years ago.

U.S. Bank Stadium will be converted to a baseball setup February 1, with coach John Anderson’s Gophers expected to have the most playing dates. With “bubbles” being in vogue during the pandemic, you wonder if the Big Ten would move the baseball schedules of many league teams to the centralized site of U.S. Bank Stadium.

With a list of events cancelled or rescheduled, the stadium is in cost containment mode and has reduced staffing.

A local radio source said a start-up of WCCO Radio’s long airing and popular “Sports Huddle” show remains indefinite. The Sunday morning program stopped airing last year because of the pandemic and program originator Sid Hartman has since passed away.

With the Timberwolves off to one of the worst starts among NBA teams, have to believe Gersson Rosas, president of basketball operations, is on the phone regarding trades including with former boss Daryl Morey of the Sixers. The two worked extensively together in Houston with the Rockets.

Among the issues for the 3-7 Wolves is guard D’Angelo Russell’s domination of the ball late in games. Instead of involving others, he too often tries to be scoring champion James Harden when results more resemble Isaiah Rider.

Former Twins Tony Oliva and Jim Kaat frequently receive first mention as potential Hall of Famers but Johan Santana and manager Tom Kelly deserve consideration for Cooperstown, too.

The list goes all the way back to a showdown with Texas in 1936, but in the most recent games against the following nonconference opponents the Gophers have emerged the winner: Alabama, Oregon, Auburn, Arkansas, Clemson, Texas, Army, Navy, Air Force, Stanford, Arizona, SMU, Ole Miss, Georgia Tech, Oregon State, Vanderbilt, Washington State, Oklahoma State, Wake Forest, Baylor, Houston, Tulane and Colorado State. Credit sports trivia authority Dave Mona with the research.

For the first time ever the Big Ten has 12 of its 14 wrestling teams ranked in the top 25 of the NWCA coaches poll—led by No. 1 Iowa, followed by No. 2 Michigan, No. 3 Penn State, No. 6 Nebraska, No. 7 Ohio State, No. 14 Minnesota, No. 15 Rutgers, No. 16 Purdue, No. 21 Wisconsin, No. 22 Northwestern, No. 24 Illinois, No. 25 Michigan State.

John Schneider, the University of St. Thomas alum and Seahawks GM, has a new five-year contract extension, according to a report yesterday from the Seattle Times Sports Alert. His name had been rumored with the Lions opening.

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Nanne Pumped to See Wild Rookie

Posted on January 6, 2021January 6, 2021 by David Shama

The Wild started training camp this week and the team opens its NHL season next week, debuting prize rookie Kirill Kaprizov. Minnesota hockey legend Lou Nanne, 79, is excited to watch the native of Novokuznetsk, Russia who is known for his offensive efficiency including game-winning goals.

“I can’t wait to see him,” Nanne told Sports Headliners. “I am like everybody else, wildly anticipating what he can do. I enjoyed watching him in the World Juniors…but now he’s in the NHL and we can see what he can do.”

What does the former Gopher, North Star defenseman and team president like about the 5-9, 195-pound forward? “Everything. The way he skates. The presence he’s got on the ice. The way he can shoot the puck. The way he can score goals. Stability on his skates—he’s built like a little fire truck…and he’s got magnificent hands.”

It appears based on past performance the Wild will struggle with goal scoring and Nanne emphasizes the importance of goaltending if Minnesota is to become a playoff team in 2021. “You don’t make the playoffs without goaltending if you’re not going to score a lot of goals, and I don’t see the Wild being a great goal scoring team. They’ll score enough to win (sometimes) but they don’t have an excess of scoring.

“They should be improved with Kaprizov coming because he can score goals, and (Kevin) Fiala coming into his own. So those two (Fiala led the team in points last season) give you some hope for a consistent scoring team. But they have to play tight defensively and they definitely have to have good goaltending.”

A playoff prediction for Minnesota? “Well, they’re going to have to battle to make a playoff position because they’re in a division where you’ve got Colorado, Vegas and St. Louis which are three teams that should be in the playoffs,” Nanne said.

Nanne, who thinks the Stanley Cup finalists could be Colorado and Tampa Bay, is one of six players on the 1960s WCHA All-Decade team announced Monday. The former Gopher All-American defenseman was named one of the WCHA’s 50 greatest players in 2002.

Nanne is looking forward to his 57th year of providing TV commentary for the boys state hockey tournament. Speculation is the tournament could be played in April, the latest dates in memory. It’s unknown, too, whether the boys basketball tournament will still follow the hockey tourney.

Worth Noting

It will be an interesting trio of games just ahead for Gopher center Liam Robbins who is emerging as one of college basketball’s best at his position. Tonight Minnesota plays Michigan, with freshman center standout Hunter Dickinson, and again on January 16. In between those dates (Sunday) is Iowa center Luka Garza, the favorite for college player of the year honors.

When the Gophers upset Iowa last month in a 102-95 home overtime win, Garza had the better stats with 32 points and 17 rebounds but Minnesota’s junior center, who transferred from Drake last year, was also effective with totals of 18 and five. Minnesota, 10-2, and Michigan, 9-0, play for the first time this season in Ann Arbor and the Wolverines are led in scoring by Dickinson at 16.9 points per game.

Robbins, who needs to avoid early foul trouble in his upcoming tests, is averaging 14.2 points per game and coming on strong as of late. His last three games include the first double-double of his Gopher career, scoring 27 points and grabbing 14 rebounds in Minnesota’s win over Ohio State Sunday.

Robbins’ value to the Gophers includes defense where the presence of the 7-foot Iowa native is a deterrent to potential scorers. He leads the Big Ten in blocked shots averaging 2.8 per game.

Former Gophers basketball public address announcer Dick Jonckowski has been diagnosed with stage 3 non-Hodgkin’s Lymphoma. The popular emcee and comic has been told the cancer is “not very aggressive.” He will have a series of eight rounds of chemo treatments. Several years ago he beat stage 4 non-Hodgkin’s Lymphoma.

Ex-Gopher guard Andre Hollins is doing graduate work at the Carlson School of Management and serving as a graduate manager on the men’s basketball team.

The St. Thomas football program, headed to Division I status next fall, is looking for three nonconference games to balance out its Pioneer Football League schedule.

It’s not known whether WCCO Radio, the longtime broadcast home of Tommies football, will be airing games next fall.

Historic numbers: The Gopher hockey program, celebrating 100 seasons, boasts a 10-0 team for the first time in more than 80 years.

The CBSsports.com 2021 NFL Mock Draft out Tuesday has the Vikings using the No. 14 pick in the first round to select edge rusher Gregory Rousseau from the University of Miami. Marshall, Minnesota native Trey Lance, the quarterback from NDSU, is predicted to go at No. 8 to the Panthers. Gophers wide receiver Rashod Bateman isn’t included among the 32 mock picks in the first round.

If Gary Kubiak decides to leave the Vikings as offensive coordinator, that’s one fewer father-son connection on the team. Clint Kubiak is quarterbacks coach, while head coach Mike Zimmer’s son Adam Zimmer is co-defensive coordinator with Andre Patterson, whose son AC Patterson is an offensive quality control coach.

Former Vikings head coach Jerry Burns, who has spent part of his retirement years in Jamaica, will be 94 January 27.

It was 60 years ago last week that the Golden Gophers football team played in its first Rose Bowl, losing 17-7 to Washington. The Gophers returned to the Rose Bowl in January of 1962 and defeated UCLA, 21-3.

Anonymous basketball authority talking about the Timberwolves who are 2-5 and have lost five consecutive mostly one-sided games: “They’re hard to watch.”

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Ex-U Coach Previews Gophers-Badgers

Posted on December 30, 2020December 31, 2020 by David Shama

The University of Minnesota basketball team, playing at home, has defeated No. 4 ranked Iowa and No. 17 Michigan State in the last several days, but the Gophers must prove they can win big games on the road starting Thursday afternoon in Madison against Wisconsin, according to Jim Dutcher.

The 9-1 Gophers have played once on the road this season, experiencing a beat down at Illinois, 92-65. Since then Minnesota has home wins against St. Louis in a nonconference game and the Big Ten Conference victories over Iowa and Michigan State. The Gophers’ surprising success has landed them at No. 21 in the latest AP ranking of the nation’s best teams.

Wisconsin, 8-2 and ranked No. 6 by the AP, lost to Maryland Monday night in Madison. Dutcher, who coached the Gophers to a Big Ten title in 1982, remains a close follower of college basketball, and is optimistic about a Minnesota win in Madison if his former team shows up defensively.

“At home your offense will carry you,” Dutcher told Sports Headliners. “On the road your defense has to carry you. Those three-pointers that you make at home don’t go down quite as easy on the road. Defense travels, offense doesn’t always travel, so I think just clamp down (Thursday). I don’t think Wisconsin is that hard to guard. Their big guys are more perimeter big guys than post up.”

Even with their undefeated record at home, the Gophers have experienced breakdowns defensively keeping opponents in games and certainly did against then No. 13 ranked Illinois. “Can they (the Gophers) bend their knees and stop somebody when they have to?” Dutcher asked. “Because a lot of conference games are going to come down to the last two minutes. Those are the games they didn’t win last year. Those are the games I think they can win this year.”

Minnesota, 8-12 in league games in 2019-2020, lost 71-69 to the Badgers in Madison last March when Wisconsin was on its way to a Big Ten championship. Earlier in the season, playing at Williams Arena, the Gophers defeated the Badgers 70-52, holding Wisconsin to under 30 percent field goal shooting. The Gophers made more than 40 percent of their field goals, including three-pointers.

The Badgers, as usual, are among the elite defensive teams in the country. They are giving up the fewest points per game among Big Ten teams at 60.6, while the Minnesota average is 73.9. Dutcher, though, offered a strategy for Thursday’s game:

“They (the Badgers) got beat inside by Maryland pretty soundly, and our center (Liam) Robbins is playing really good now so I think rather than start the offense at the three-point range, start the offense in the post. I just feel they (the Gophers) got a great chance to go and beat Wisconsin.”

Dutcher believes the Gophers are capable of being Big Ten title contenders but to do it they have to be better offensively in road games than they were at Illinois. Against the Illini, the Gophers made only 27.5 percent of their field goals including 25 percent on three pointers. That’s a different offense than Minnesota has shown at home scoring 90 points or more four times and topping 80 in seven games.

“They’re a great shooting team in Williams Arena,” Dutcher said. “They weren’t a great shooting team in Illinois. Hopefully they can get on somebody else’s floor and take their offense with them, but they’ve been impressive (this season).”

Minnesota’s nine victories are the most in the Big Ten. The Gophers, 2-1 in the Big Ten, have overtime wins against a good St. Louis team and highly ranked Iowa. In the Iowa game if a Hawkeye hadn’t missed two free throws in the closing minutes of regulation, Gopher junior point guard Marcus Carr wouldn’t have had the opportunity to send the game into overtime with a three-pointer with five seconds remaining. It was also Carr who made a three-pointer with 31 seconds left in the game to pull Minnesota within 81-78 of Iowa.

And it was Carr who made the winning basket in an early season 67-64 win over Loyola Marymount. Carr is averaging 24 points per game (third best in the Big Ten) and leading the league in assists per outing at 6.1. Dutcher believes the Canadian native, who had 20 points, seven rebounds and five assists in his last visit to Madison, could some day be remembered among Minnesota’s best guards in program history.

“He’s not one dimensional,” Dutcher said. “It’s not just the three; he can really penetrate and finish at the rim. So he’s definitely an all-conference player and maybe even more than that.”

Badgers point guard Brad Davison, the Maple Grove native, is likely to guard Carr and Dutcher acknowledges he is a capable defender. But the retired coach said Carr is difficult to handle and is complemented by senior forward Brandon Johnson’s outside shooting and the inside and outside threat of Robbins. “Minnesota gives you a lot of problems defensively,” Dutcher said.

The Gophers’ offense, averaging 84.3 points per game, would be even more effective if junior guard Gabe Kalscheur hadn’t been in a long shooting slump from three-point distance (.188 conversion percentage). Dutcher, though, offered at least a partial explanation. “He’s probably been their best defensive player. When you’re really concentrating, playing tough defense, sometimes it affects your offense. …”

Minnesota will need defensive help against the Badgers, including on the perimeter. Wisconsin’s key to winning the game is using its trademark assets of solid defense, minimal turnovers and hitting three-point shots. “…They gotta make some threes to beat Minnesota,” Dutcher said.

Maybe, though, it will be Carr and the Gophers who again find good fortune and win the game with a three-pointer. “He’s really hit some big shots, right when they needed them,” Dutcher said.

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