Preps – Page 118 – David Shama's Minnesota Sports Headliners

Vikings Make History But Won’t ‘Panic’

Posted on September 23, 2013September 23, 2013 by David Shama

The Vikings are making history. Just the wrong kind.

After yesterday’s 31-27 loss to the Browns at Mall of America Field, the Vikings are off to a 0-3 regular season start. That’s a number only four other Vikings teams have put in the record book.

The 1962, 1967, 2002 and 2011 Vikings all started 0-3. I know what you are thinking: none of those teams made the playoffs. And in NFL history only three teams have started the season 0-3 and qualified for the playoffs.

The Vikings have lost three games by a total of 15 points. That’s enough to indicate the 2013 team isn’t the NFL equivalent of the Twins but 0-3 almost dooms this team to missing the playoffs.

NFC North Division rivals the Bears (3-0), Lions (2-1) and Packers (1-2) all have better records. The Vikings almost certainly won’t qualify for the playoffs as a wild card team and winning the division title will be a major challenge after yesterday’s loss.

It was the second consecutive Sunday the Vikings defense couldn’t stop the opponent from scoring the winning touchdown in the game’s last minute. It was another Sunday when the performance of quarterback Christian Ponder was spotty. But it was also an unusual day when the Browns used a fake punt to set up a field goal and a fake field goal attempt to score a touchdown—all in the second quarter.

Former Vikings assistant coach Dean Dalton told Sports Headliners after the game he thinks the Vikings are a good team with a chance to be better than last season’s 10-6 club but they’ve lost close games and are playing in an improved NFC against formidable opposition. He isn’t giving up on the season after three games and predicted the Vikings, including head coach Leslie Frazier, won’t either.

“This group won’t panic,” Dalton said. “They’ve been in three games where they’ve had to fight it out all 60 minutes. It’s a very balanced group. The veteran leaders that they have are rock solid. The leadership of…Leslie Frazier is rock solid. He won’t flinch. He’ll be upset. He’ll be frustrated. He’ll make the corrections but he won’t panic.”

Worth Noting

The 1962 club, a second year expansion group of misfits, holds the franchise record for worst start ever at 0-5.

The Vikings play the Steelers in London next Sunday in a regular season game where Minnesota is the home team. The Vikings will be guaranteed monies equal to their average revenue for a game at Mall of America Field.

The Vikings leave Minneapolis Monday night and arrive in London Tuesday morning. The Steelers won’t be in London until Thursday but as the home team the Vikings want to arrive earlier in the week and help with promotion. General manager Rick Spielman told Sports Headliners the Vikings will stay at a hotel about one hour from London and practice at a nearby field. A tent-like facility will serve as a locker room.

The game represents ongoing marketing by American sports to expand global identity. Next year, for example, MLB will send the Dodgers and Diamondbacks to Australia for regular season games March 22 and 23.

London is a likely eventual home for an NFL team and a MLB team in Mexico could happen some day. MLB has opened seasons in Monterrey, Mexico, Tokyo, Japan and San Juan, Puerto Rico. MLB might like to open a season in Europe but spring weather poses a problem.

Jashon Cornell is ESPN.com’s No. 1 ranked high school football player nationally in the class of 2015. The Cretin-Derham Hall defensive end has 21 college offers, according to former Gophers center and Raiders offensive line coach Ray Hitchcock.

Hitchcock said Gophers coach Jerry Kill was the first to offer Cornell a scholarship. Does Hitchcock believe Cornell is serious about the Gophers? “Yes, I do,” Hitchcock said. “It would be great to get him and stay home… .”

Hitchcock describes Cornell as sometimes “unblockable.” Cornell particularly excels in rushing the passer.

Last week Kill likened Mitch Leidner, his 6-4, 230-pound redshirt freshman quarterback, to Collin Klein, the similarly sized former Kansas State quarterback who was a Heisman Trophy finalist in 2012. “Mitch runs like Collin,” Kill said.

Both are punishing runners, particularly for quarterbacks. Leidner rushed for 151 yards and four touchdowns last Saturday in his first college start to lead the Gophers to a 43-24 nonconference win over San Jose State.

Leidner said Kill even compared him to Klein last year. “Toughness is something I definitely try to model myself after and be a physical player,” Leidner told Sports Headliners.

How did he develop that toughness? “Probably growing up with brothers and all of us just pounding the crap out of each other all of the time,” Leidner said.

Today the Big Ten Conference selected Leidner as Freshman of the Week for his performance against San Jose State. He tied a school record for most rushing touchdowns in a single game.

Sign of the times: “Can Souhan.” That was the message on a sign displayed by fans during the Gophers game Saturday at TCF Bank Stadium referring to Star Tribune columnist Jim Souhan who wrote a controversial column last week about Kill.

Gophers defensive tackle Ra’Shede Hageman will sometimes play defensive end where he is more difficult to double team. Hageman, a likely NFL draft choice next year, values his school work and is majoring in urban youth studies.

“I could walk down a flight of stairs and break my leg. I can always have my degree,” Hageman said. “Football isn’t promised but just having an education, having something to fall back on is always a good thing.”

Gophers offensive coordinator Matt Limegrover will speak at Friday’s Goal Line Club luncheon at Jax Café in Minneapolis. Limegrover will have comments about the Gophers prior to Saturday’s Big Ten opening game with Iowa at TCF Bank Stadium. The luncheon is open to the public. More about the noon luncheon and program at Goallineclub.com.

Volleyball is important in Darrell Thompson’s household. Thompson was a record setting running back for the Gophers but daughters Indigo and Dominique, and wife Stephanie, have excelled at volleyball. Indigo, a senior at Armstrong High School, has accepted a volleyball scholarship to Virginia Commonwealth. Dominique is on scholarship at Wisconsin where she is a redshirt junior. Stephanie played volleyball for Iowa from 1987-1990.

Congratulations to Edgerton/Ellsworth football coach Andrew Fleischman for winning his 100^th career game with a victory on Friday night over Westbrook-Walnut Grove.

New Timberwolves center Rony Turiaf throws out the ceremonial first pitch at tonight’s Twins-Tigers game at Target Field.

The Capitals will host the January 1, 2015 NHL Winter Classic, a date the Wild had targeted for the outdoor event in Minneapolis. The local NHL team will now presumably try for 2016.

Rochester radio commentator Ed Rauen emailed with news about two of his city’s outstanding girls tennis players, both high school juniors. Ingrid Neel has been working on her game at the IMG Academy in Florida. Jesse Aney played in Florida summer tournaments and this school year will be on the girls hockey team at Rochester Century High School.

Canterbury Park’s 69-day racing season, the longest since 2006, concluded with gains in average handle and attendance. Off-track wagering (dollars bet on Canterbury races at other tracks and through Internet sites) increased by 46.7 percent while average daily on-track wagering was up 4.8 percent. Average daily attendance was 6,656, a Canterbury Park record since the track re-opened in 1995.

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Physical Play May Define Vikes vs. 49ers

Posted on August 23, 2013August 23, 2013 by David Shama

Preseason NFL games are similar to arguments with spouses. A lot of folks avoid both but Sunday night’s Vikings game with the 49ers in San Francisco deserves more attention than most exhibitions.

The nationally televised (NBC) game is expected to feature more playing time by regulars than is the norm during preseason. Look for the Vikings to possibly use starters on offense and defense in the first half and into the early third quarter. If the 49ers do something similar—and it’s typical for NFL teams to use regulars the most in preseason game threes—it will be interesting to see how physical the action is on the field.

49ers coach Jim Harbaugh defines aggression. He used physical play to turn around a punch line college program at Stanford. Then he followed a similar blueprint with the 49ers since taking over in January of 2011. Visit the 49ers website and read this mantra posted about Harbaugh: “Attack each day with an enthusiasm unknown to mankind.”

Harbaugh, perhaps the NFL’s best coach, had his team in the Super Bowl last season before losing to the Ravens and his brother, head coach John Harbaugh. The 49ers, who were 21-27 in the three seasons before Harbaugh took over, are a favorite to win the Super Bowl next February.

Vikings linebacker Chad Greenway said his team wants a physical identity, too. “I think we’re going to be very physical which is a good thing for us. Coach (Leslie) Frazier has preached that and we’re trying to act on it in camp by being physical every day.

“They’re (the 49ers) a very physical team…so I think it’s going to be a good matchup to see where we’re at. They’re talented. It will be a fun game.”

The Vikings are 0-2 and the 49ers 1-1 in preseason games. Greenway is much more interested in how his team performs, rather than whether the Vikings win.

“This game doesn’t mean anything really as far as what it’s going to be like—what’s going to happen when you play a full four quarters game in the regular season,” Greenway said. “It gives you a snapshot of where you’re at. Obviously if things go well I think we’ll feel good about how we’re doing. But if things go poorly it doesn’t mean that things are going to be poor (during the season). You can’t think that way.”

Worth Noting

Mike Singletary, now a Vikings assistant head coach, was the 49ers head coach before Harbaugh. His career record with the 49ers was 19-22.

Reserve cornerback Bobby Felder, signed by the Vikings in 2012 as an undrafted free agent, was a member of the practice squad last year but is in competition with starter Marcus Sherels for the punt return job. Felder is expected to return punts on Sunday night. Felder has three returns in preseason, averaging 20.7 yards per return.

Former Gophers receiver and quarterback MarQueis Gray is a tight end with the 49ers and has caught one pass for 13 yards.

Vikings reserve quarterback McLeod Bethel-Thompson attended Balboa High School in San Francisco.

The 49ers are tied for seventh and the Vikings are tied for 10^th on the most difficult 2013 schedules list compiled by the NFL.

NFL teams have to reduce their rosters to 75 by Tuesday and 53 by August 31.

After this season the Vikings will have many unrestricted free agents on the roster including All-Pro defensive end Jared Allen. Would Allen like to see at least some contract offers from the Vikings during the season to retain players, rather than wait until 2014?

“Not my concern really, to be honest,” Allen told Sports Headliners. “They’re (management) going to make decisions based on what they feel is best for the team. My job is to go out and play as hard as I can with whoever is on the field and try to win a championship.”

Tyus Jones plays in the Under Armour Elite 24 game tomorrow night on ESPNU starting at 6 p.m. Minneapolis time. Another Minnesota native, Rashad Vaughn , will also participate. The game will be played on an outdoor court under the Brooklyn Bridge in New York City and features 24 of the best high school players in the country. Jones, the Apple Valley High School senior point guard, is rated by Rivals.com as the No. 2 player in the country for the class of 2014. Vaughn, a shooting guard now playing for Findlay Prep in Las Vegas, is rated No. 7 in the class.

Tyus’ brother Tre, an outstanding eighth grade guard, may join the Apple Valley varsity this fall. Debbie Jones, mother of Tyus and Tre, said she will be completing paperwork with the school district to request that Tre join the varsity this coming season.

The Twins have a rarity with Baseball America’s best prospects ranking of Byron Buxton at No. 1 and Miguel Sano No. 3. Since the rankings began in 1990 only five other teams had two prospects among the top five players, according to the August 19 issue of Sports Illustrated.

Obviously rankings don’t come with a guarantee for future success. In 2004 the Devil Rays had B.J. Upton ranked No. 2 and Delmon Young No. 3. Earlier this month Young was put on waivers by the Phillies and his eight year MLB career, including with the Twins, has been a disappointment.

Congratulations to former Albert Lea High School coaching legend Paul Ehrhard on his 80^th birthday party last Saturday. About 150 family and friends celebrated with Ehrhard who contributed to three state football and three state wrestling titles at Albert Lea. Ehrhard also coached in California where he worked with some high profile football players including Reggie Bush. Ehrhard graduated from Montgomery High School and played collegiate baseball and football at St. Thomas where he later coached the freshman football team.

Starting with this season the MIAC will recognize its top football coach with the John Gagliardi MIAC Football Coach of the Year Award. The award is named after former Saint John’s coach John Gagliardi who is the winningest college football coach ever.

St. Thomas is No. 1 in the nation in the American Volleyball Coaches Association’s Division III preseason poll. The Tommies, 39-1 last season and national champs, have a loaded roster with returning talent.

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Gophers Still in Mix for Tyus Jones

Posted on August 19, 2013August 19, 2013 by David Shama

Tyus Jones has now made multiple unofficial visits to the University of Minnesota and the Gophers remain a solid possibility for his college choice, according to his mother, Debbie Jones.

Jones and his mom met with Gophers coach Rick Pitino and staff last week. “It went really good,” Debbie told Sports Headliners yesterday. “We had good conversations with the coach and coaching staff.

“He (Tyus) is still considering it (Minnesota). After the official visits (to other schools) we will sit down and talk about them. He is not leaning toward one (school now).”

An official visit is paid for by the school while an unofficial is at the family’s expense. Per NCAA rules, recruits are allowed only five official visits.

Jones, the Apple Valley High School senior point guard rated by Rivals.com as the second best player nationally in the class of 2014, is planning official visits to Baylor later this month, Kentucky in September and both Kansas and Duke in October.

Debbie said four visits, and not five, allow the flexibility of scheduling one more official visit and that could be to Minnesota. “You can get a little more in-depth with things (on official visits),” she said.

It’s interesting that Michigan State’s Tom Izzo pursued Jones early and often but the Spartans aren’t on Jones’ list of schools for official visits. “He just made a decision he wasn’t going to take an official visit there,” Debbie said. “They are still in contact.”

Worth Noting

A hockey source told Sports Headliners an announcement will be made this week that the Gophers men’s team will host Ohio State in the first outdoor hockey game at TCF Bank Stadium on January 18, 2014. The defending national champion Gophers women’s team will also play that day against Minnesota State in a doubleheader being promoted as the Hockey City Classic. The games will be part of Hockey Day in Minnesota and likely televised on the Big Ten Network.

Chicago-based Intersport, a sports and entertainment marketing agency, is playing a major organizing role with the event, according to a source who requested anonymity. Intersport, in partnership with Soldier Field, was involved with last winter’s Hockey City Classic at Soldier Field that included the Gophers and Badgers men’s teams.

While the Gophers’ stadium has been mentioned as a site for a future NHL Winter Classic Game, the game will likely be scheduled at Target Field, possibly on January 1, 2015.

Big Ten hockey’s initial season will be in 2013-2014 with six schools participating: Michigan, Michigan State, Minnesota, Penn State, Ohio State and Wisconsin. The Big Ten has scheduled a media day on September 19 in St. Paul with all six head coaches in attendance.

Gophers coach Jerry Kill will have his 52^nd birthday on Saturday.

Kill is one of three coaches on the ballot for the Southern Illinois All-Century team that will be introduced on September 14 at Saluki Stadium. Kill coached at Southern Illinois from 2001 through 2007, taking the Salukis from an initial 1-10 record to 12-2 in his last season.

The Goal Line Club is hosting the first of five Gopher Gridiron Luncheons on August 28 at Jax Café. The public is welcome and each luncheon will include a member of the Gophers coaching staff who will talk about the program. More at goallineclub.com.

The Gophers open the season at home against UNLV on August 29 and the Rebels’ roster includes wide receiver Jerry Rice, Jr. The son of the NFL Hall of Famer, Rice is a transfer from UCLA where his stats as a junior included seven catches for 52 yards.

UNLV’s athletic director is Tina Kunzer-Murphy whose husband Greg Murphy earned a letter playing quarterback for the Gophers in 1983.

The August 19 issue of Sports Illustrated has only one Big Ten team in its top 10 rankings of college football teams. That’s not a surprise after recent years of sub-par performance by league teams. Ohio State is No. 4, with Michigan State No. 15, Michigan No. 18 and Northwestern No. 22. Northern Illinois, the school where Kill coached before joining the Gophers, is No. 24 in the magazine’s top 25.

If the Twins continue to play sub-.500 baseball in 2014 it will be interesting to see how many season ticket holders renew tickets for 2015. Speculation is some season patrons are renewing for 2014 to have priority buying tickets to next summer’s MLB All-Star Game in Minneapolis. Those who choose to resell their All-Star tickets could use the money to cover a portion of season tickets expenses.

The risk patrons take in dumping their tickets is losing their prime seat locations when superstar prospects Byron Buxton and Miguel Sano arrive at Target Field within a couple of years. The issue of Sports Illustrated referenced above has a six-page feature on Buxton and Sano, rated the No. 1 and 3 players in Baseball America’s prospect rankings of minor league talent. “Imagine having the next Bryce Harper or Mike Trout in your system—then imagine having them both,” S.I. wrote in an article titled “Glimmer Twins.”

It seems possible but no certainty that after three losing consecutive seasons the Twins will part ways with Ron Gardenhire this fall, the team’s manager since 2002. Even the most ardent Gardenhire supporters wouldn’t argue the Twins could create a new look and gain a fresh start with a new field boss. “Sometimes you make a change for change sake,” a passionate fan said.

The contrary argument is the Twins’ top decision makers recognize the lack of talent Gardenhire has been given. He is popular with team management and has earned a reputation for being cooperative.

The reorganized Timberwolves roster has 14 players who are 6-6 or taller. Seven of the 17 players on the roster are 6-9 or taller. Flip Saunders, the team’s president of basketball operations, expects the Wolves to be better defensively than last season because “We’re going to have great length.”

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