Preps – David Shama's Minnesota Sports Headliners

Quarterback Josh Dobbs Reverts to Past Play in Loss to Bears

Posted on November 28, 2023November 28, 2023 by David Shama

Enjoy a Tuesday notes column.

The Vikings, now with a 6-6 record, produced one fourth quarter touchdown and a first half field goal in last night’s 12-10 loss to the 4-8 Bears at U.S. Bank Stadium. In his fourth game with the Vikings, journeyman quarterback Josh Dobbs threw four interceptions and other balls that were off target as Minnesota’s struggling offense was limited to 169 net yards passing and 73 yards rushing.

Dobbs, now 2-2 with Minnesota, transformed from hero to troublesome with his performance. The 28-year-old fit the labels that have followed him during his NFL career with other teams. He has been profiled as a QB who makes poor decisions and has ball security issues.

Kevin O’Connell image courtesy of Minnesota Vikings

After the game Vikings head coach Kevin O’Connell was asked about his quarterback: “Yeah, Josh, as much as he’s done some really good things for us, he is still getting comfortable in our pass game, play-pass game, knowing where quick eligibles are to put the ball in play. Drop back pass, taking the right footwork, feet, and eyes, all those things. We’re working through that. Just, I think three of the interceptions were off of tip balls. Rhythm and timing of our offense just not feeling as crisp as we want to. …”

The Bears had seven penalties for 76 yards in the game. Their offense, with 317 net yards, was better than the Vikings at 242 but produced no touchdowns. Quarterback Justin Fields fumbled twice in the fourth quarter, once killing a drive that figured to set up an easy field goal.

Vikings veteran safety Harrison Smith is an admirer of versatile teammate Josh Metellus who forced two fumbles last night. Metellus can play multiple positions on defense and also contribute on special teams. “It’s a big deal,” Smith said recently about Metellus’ versatility. “He can play pretty much any role you want on defense, and he’s a really good specials teamer when you need hm out there. He’s just a football player. A really good one. You can put him anywhere and he’s going to affect the game. That’s really valuable. …”

Labeled the “Swiss Army Knife” by teammates, Metellus is used at nickelback, cornerback, linebacker and safety. He told Sports Headliners recently it can be challenging getting enough reps in practice at multiple positions. Not being able to “fine tune everything” on the field, Metellus will mentally rehearse to prepare. Regardless of position, he wants to play relaxed. “Just run around and hit,” he said.

Smith played eight seasons with Anthony Barr before he left the Vikings during the 2022 offseason. When the Vikings needed a linebacker earlier this month Smith put in a word to O’Connell and Barr was signed to the practice squad. He was elevated to the playing roster before last night’s game.

“I am a little biased because we’ve been good friends for a while, but yeah I told him (O’Connell) what I know about him as a player and a guy,” Smith said. “He’s a guy you want on your side. Big body, athletic, smart. You can do a lot with him.”

Smith, BTW, remains an avid golfer with a low handicap. His golf buddy on the team is linebacker Jordan Hicks.

St. Paul native Phil Housley, an assistant coach with the Rangers and former NHL great player, would have been a popular fan choice to succeed Dean Evason as Wild head coach. A hockey insider said Housley shares a friendship with Wild GM Bill Guerin who has hired former Predators’ coach John Hynes.

High school football players can sign national Letters of Intent on December 20. The Gophers’ 2024 class has 22 verbal commits and local recruiting authority Ryan Burns told Sports Headliners this group is “potentially the best one” of the P.J. Fleck era dating back to 2017.

There are no guarantees (as usual) that all the verbal commits will sign their paperwork. Other programs will be in pursuit of Minnesota commits in the weeks ahead. Defensive lineman Jide Abasiri from Eden Prairie High School recently received an offer from USC. The Gophers’ highest ranked commit by 247Sports, safety Koi Perich from Esko, has offers from USC, Florida State, Michigan and Ohio State.

Another Gopher commit receiving attention is quarterback Drake Lindsey from Fayetteville, Arkansas. Burns said Lindsey was using a Gopher towel a few days ago when his team won its state semifinals game and advanced to this week’s championship.

The Minnesota class is No. 30 in the 247Sports national composite rankings for 2024. Burns predicts the Gophers could add another commit or two. Possible positions? “You can’t take enough quality offensive and defensive linemen,” he said.

Brian Dutcher, the Bloomington native who coached the San Diego State Aztecs to the Final Four last spring, is featured in the CBS Sports series “Home Court.” Earlier in the year filming was done in California, Michigan and Minnesota where Brian sat on camera with his father, former Gophers Big Ten championship coach Jim Dutcher.

Brian was with three Final Four teams as an assistant at Michigan. He waited during part or all of four decades as an assistant at Michigan and San Diego State before getting his first head job at age 57 with the Aztecs. “He doesn’t chase other jobs,” said Jim who got his first head job at age 20 coaching Alpena Community College.

The Aztecs home games are sold out for the season. They are playing one of the most difficult nonconference schedules in the country with opponents that include Gonzaga, California, Stanford and Washington.

With starting pitchers Kenta Maeda and Sonny Gray headed to other teams, have to wonder if the Twins won’t trade veteran second baseman Jorge Polanco for mound help. Polanco, 30, is expected to make $10.5 million next season, according to Mlb.com/news who pointed out Monday the Twins have talented young infielders in Edouard Julien, Brooks Lee and Austin Martin.

Condolences to family and friends of Ed Cohen, 92, who passed away recently. A Twin Cities attorney, Ed served over 65 years as a member of the Gophers football gameday statistics crew.

Ed loved to tell stories and one of his tales was about Sid Hartman who in addition to being a newspaper man was an executive for the Minneapolis Lakers. Hartman was so critical of the officiating during a game that the referees wanted him ejected from the building. Hartman, sitting near courtside, refused. The refs had a crew remove the bolts from Hartman’s seat and he was carried out of the arena, Ed said.

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‘Critical’ Offseason Ahead for Fleck & Golden Gophers

Posted on November 26, 2023November 26, 2023 by David Shama

The Golden Gophers 2023 football team lacked talent and quality depth at too many positions. The result was a 5-7 overall record and 3-6 mark in the Big Ten that left them in a four-way tie for last place in the West Division.

Now coach P.J. Fleck and his staff face the challenge of upgrading the personnel and depth as the Big Ten transitions in 2024 to 18 football teams with no divisional play. And in the new world of college football Minnesota and other Power Five programs will try to figure out how to retain players and add players in the transfer portal who can contribute next fall while stockpiling incoming freshmen for development. The portal is open most immediately from December 4 through January 3, 2024.

The Gophers had experienced players at many positions, but they didn’t play consistent football. When things mattered the most—late in the season—they lost four consecutive games including Saturday’s finale with Wisconsin. A run of key injuries was problematic all season.

Minnesota could return most of its offensive and defensive starters, and special team regulars in 2024. The most significant losses are defensive tackle Kyler Baugh, center Nathan Boe, receiver Corey Crooms Jr., corner Tre’Von Jones, safety Tyler Nubin and tight end Brevyn-Spann Ford.

The best college teams excel at quarterback and along the line of scrimmage, offensively and defensively. QB Athan Kaliakmanis started all 12 games and was up and down in performance. Not only was his passing inconsistent but he made minimal plays with his legs. The offensive line blocking couldn’t match the performance of three recent seasons when Minnesota won nine games or more. Defensively, too often Minnesota’s line and linebackers were gashed with big runs, and the old nemesis of a poor pass rush continued.

Typically, Power Five teams lose a dozen or more players to the portal. Who those players will be on the Minnesota roster will be known over the next 30 days or so.

Where do the Gophers need help in the transfer portal? “Pick your position,” Ryan Burns said.

Burns, the local recruiting authority from GopherIllustrated, listed quarterback, receiver, running back and offensive and defensive lines as areas of need. If pressed for his top three he prioritizes corner, tailback and “probably quarterback.”

Burns predicts Fleck and his staff will prioritize Name, Image and Likeness money for players already on the roster. Retaining talents like RB Darius Taylor, offensive tackle Aireontae Ersery and end defensive Jah Joyner will be vital for next year’s team.

Burns said creating competition for Kaliakmanis is desirable but the Gophers are likely to find such a QB from the FCS or Group of Five level. Why? Because big name Power Five quarterbacks can command $250,000 and more in the portal.

Fleck, who has a 49-34 record at Minnesota and is fifth all-time in wins, starts his eighth season in 2024. He will have to sort out issues with the program including possible changes needed in coaching philosophy and schemes, and perhaps shaking up the staff.

Burns and others predict this offseason will be different. “Most critical one Fleck’s had, I would say,” Burns said. “It didn’t go their way this year—the breaks they probably weren’t anticipating, but still should have won two games, Illinois and Northwestern, and sitting at six or seven wins going into the Wisconsin game.

“If that’s the case I don’t know that there is as much fan reaction as there has been this season. …Being able to look short term and long term at the same time is going to be critical for him trying to figure out what the best thing is to adapt going into that 2024 new Big Ten world.”

Worth Noting

I am so sorry to write that my friend Jim Carter, the captain of the 1969 football Gophers, passed away on Thanksgiving evening in Palm Springs, California. I knew Jim for more than 50 years and he was a fiery competitor in sports, business and life. He was a loyal friend who cared deeply for the University of Minnesota where he also played hockey.

A great prep football player at South St. Paul High School, Jim could have opted for Notre Dame but instead chose the hometown Gophers. He was a star player and important contributor as the fullback on the 1967 Minnesota Big Ten championship team. The Green Bay Packers made a linebacker out of him and his NFL career lasted through the 1978 season.

Known to friends as “Hurricane,” Jim was challenged much of his life by emotions and addictions. He had been in recovery for about 20 years and devoted a lot of his free time to helping others with their addictions.

Jim passed away at age 75 after battling metastatic melanoma. Longtime friend, confidant and Gopher teammate Jim Brunzell wrote via email how he will miss their lunches, football get togethers and phone calls.

“Jimmy was a man’s man and called his life accordingly,” Brunzell wrote. “…May he rest in peace, ‘till we hug again.”

Former Gophers head football coach Tim Brewster has resigned as Colorado’s tight ends coach, per internet reports today.

Mike Conley, 36, is the poised point guard whose leadership is indispensable to the fast-starting Timberwolves. He has been in the NBA since the 2007-2008 season and an indication of his self-control is never receiving a technical foul.

Chet Holmgren, the 7-1 Minneapolis native in his first NBA season, is averaging 18 points and eight rebounds per game for the Thunder who play the Wolves at Target Center Tuesday night.

Tom Reid, the former NHL player and radio analyst for the Wild since the franchise’s inception in 2000, is the latest guest on “Behind the Game” with longtime host Patrick Klinger. Topics include how the recent death of Minnesotan Adam Johnson may influence safety new safety measures in the game. The show is available on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PPvNXskdASI&si=uLHbbftPajzUeD8W

Golfweek’s 2023 rankings of the best private courses in the state starts with Interlachen at No. 1 followed by Spring Hill, Minikahda and White Bear Yacht Club (tied at No. 3) and Hazeltine National. The next five are Windsong Farm, Somerset, Northland, Minneapolis and Golden Valley.

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Voices Need to Speak up for College Football Parity

Posted on November 14, 2023November 14, 2023 by David Shama

College football is out of whack and has been for a long time. The competitive balance between the elites of college football like the Alabamas, Georgias, LSUs, Michigans, Ohio States and Oklahomas versus the Minnesotas, Arizonas, Californias, Indianas, South Carolinas, Syracuses and all the rest is unfair and goes against the spirit of competition. Coaches, administrators, fans and media need to speak out about the issue.

The Gophers are headed to Ohio State this week for a Big Ten mismatch against the Buckeyes. Nothing new about that. All-time Minnesota is 7-46 against the Bucks. The Gophers are 4-23 in Minneapolis; 3 -23 in Columbus. Minnesota has lost 12 straight in the series.

The Gophers are 25-77-3 against Michigan and have won four times since 1967 when Lyndon Johnson was president. That was also the year Minnesota claimed its last Big Ten title.

Most of the Big Ten Conference has been looking up at Ohio State and Michigan for decades. As of late, the last six league titles have been won by the Buckeyes or Wolverines. Ryan Day has lost two Big Ten games since he became the Buckeyes head coach in 2019, both to Michigan.

Georgia is in pursuit of a third national championship, taking over in recent years from Alabama as the No. 1 “bully’ in college football. For more than 25 years it’s pretty much the “same old crowd” in the hunt for No. 1. The last time a school won a first-ever national football championship came in 1996 when Florida accomplished the rare feat.

The arrival of Name, Image and Likeness compensation has only made the rich richer. Long established with booster money, big brand programs can now benefit from the transfer of resources to NIL. With that have come allegations many programs are offering NIL money during the recruitment process, which is illegal by NCAA policy.

Recruits want to play for the so-called “helmet schools” because those programs have been so successful. That success includes playing for conference titles, participating in the college football playoffs and experiencing prestigious bowl games. Success also means being groomed at places that turn out NFL draft choices in assembly line like style.

Tyler Nubin photo courtesy of University of Minnesota

The Michigan team that humiliated the Gophers on October 7 by a score of 52-10 has annihilated others as well. In league games Michigan is averaging 42 points per game, while giving up 8.4 (Ohio State is 31.1 and 9.7). The Wolverines may have 20 or more future NFL draft choices, according to their head coach Jim Harbaugh. The Gophers might have three or four, including senior safety Tyler Nubin.

What needs to be done to create a more competitive landscape? For starters, college football needs a new authority to replace the NCAA, one that is looking out for all the major college programs and the welfare of the sport. This means determination to put in place policies that will create enough parity across the country to at least close some of the gaps between the haves and have nots.

A significant change should be placing a financial cap on the amount of money available for NIL. Closing the money gap could prompt prospects to turn down a “helmet school” for a less prestigious program because more NIL rewards are available at the latter.

Cutting the number of scholarships from 85 to 75 or 70 would reduce the number of quality players the “bullies” can have on their rosters. As with closing the NIL gap, this move could steer more quality players to Minnesota and similar programs.

Those are just two innovations that could be considered. The point is that with strong leadership and consensus from the have nots—who outnumber the voting block of the haves—rules changes can be developed and implemented to improve the competitiveness of college football.

A move toward creating more parity will not only improve the game on the field, but also enhance revenues. More teams playing quality football translates into more box office sales, merchandising profits, and TV viewership commanding higher ad prices. TV ratings are successful now but are not reaching their potential in major markets like Minneapolis, Chicago, New York and Phoenix.

How big could the TV revenue pot grow if teams such as Minnesota, Illinois, Rutgers and Arizona State were fighting for college football playoff berths in November, and even before the season were nationally ranked? Remember, college football not only pays its own bills, but covers extensively for all the non-revenue sports in athletic departments across America.

The Big Ten expands to 18 schools next year and will eliminate the East and West Divisions for football. Gopher fans may already be feeling sorry for themselves when thinking how far down in the 18-team standings their favorites could be after adding four West Coast programs—USC, UCLA, Oregon and Washington. As things stand now, it’s not that realistic to think the Minnesotas, Northwesterns, Purdues, Wisconsins and other West Division schools will chase the top three or four spots in the standings.

The hope here is the Big Ten will soon expand to 20 teams, prompting the conference to create four divisions of five teams each. Adding Notre Dame and Florida State (gives the league a first-time presence in the Sunshine State) would put the “cherry” on a prestigious super conference.

The move to small divisions would emulate the successful NFL model and create “November Madness” at many conference schools as their favorites compete for a division crown and possible entry into the Big Ten championship game and college football playoffs.

On the wish list, too, is an expanded College Football Playoff format. The CFP goes from four to 12 teams after this season but 16 is more desirable. At that number it’s not difficult to see a half dozen teams from the Big Ten able to earn a playoff spot.

It would create a microcosm of “March Madness” and a huge morale boost to the fanbases in many places around the country including at Huntington Bank Stadium where the maroon and gold faithful are sometimes frustrated in November.

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