Preps – Page 92 – David Shama's Minnesota Sports Headliners

Seniority Ends for Vikings Cullen Loeffler

Posted on August 24, 2015August 26, 2015 by David Shama

The Vikings released the longest-tenured player on their roster today. Cullen Loeffler, who had played in 171 career games dating back to 2004, was let go because competing long snapper Kevin McDermott performed better as the Vikings prepare this month for the 2015 season.

“He (McDermott) was faster with his snaps,” head coach Mike Zimmer said. “He was more accurate with his snaps. We charted every one.”

The Vikings have two more preseason games to play before the regular season begins on September 14. Zimmer wants to use the coming days and weeks to get the “timing down” between McDermott and other specialists involved with placekicking and punting. The coach indicated the Vikings are committed to McDermott who was signed in the offseason as a free agent, and they don’t plan to fill the roster with a second long snapper. He also said a disappointing performance by placekicker Blair Walsh last Saturday night (see Worth Noting section below) had nothing to do with releasing Loeffler.

McDermott, 25, was a teammate of Vikings punter Jeff Locke for five years at UCLA. He snapped the ball to Locke for the Bruins during the 2011 and 2012 seasons. The 49ers signed McDermott as a rookie free agent in 2013 and he played in 16 regular season games and three playoff games that season. Last season he played in seven games with the Ravens.

Loeffler, 34, played in all 16 regular season games during 10 of his 11 seasons with the Vikings. He has been a popular player with teammates and off the field with fans where his volunteer focus has sometimes been on military veterans.

Vikings general manager Rick Spielman admires Loeffler. “These types of decisions are the hardest part of our jobs. Cullen was outstanding in the community and on the field for the Vikings. He handled his business with class, and his impact in the locker room and on the franchise were second to none. We wish him the best in the future.”

Worth Noting

Walsh, who missed three field goals and one extra point on Saturday night in the preseason win over the Raiders, also struggled at times last season—his third in the NFL. Walsh made a career worst 74.3 percent of his field goals in 2014. An Associated Press All-Pro as a rookie in 2012, Walsh had a big junior year in college at Georgia, but missed 14 of 35 field goal attempts as a senior.

Chase Ford had a touchdown catch on Saturday evening but Zimmer wouldn’t say today how many tight ends the team plans to keep on its final 53-man roster. “I am just out there trying to get better everyday. That’s up to them (the coaches) and Rick (Spielman) who they want to keep on the squad,” said Ford who during both the 2013 and 2014 seasons has been promoted to the roster from the Vikings practice squad.

Christian Ponder anticipated being booed and he was when the former Vikings quarterback played on Saturday night for the Raiders at TCF Bank Stadium. He had thought about taking a bow but said he “wimped out.”

PGA Tour Golf Course Properties is promoting discounts at golf courses when Vikings fans travel to games in California and Arizona this year. More at TPC.com/football.

Gophers coach Jerry Kill had several interesting observations about his team and its August practices while talking yesterday on WCCO Radio’s Sports Huddle. He said 6-10 redshirt sophomore tight end Nate Wozniak is “maybe the most improved” player on the roster, and redshirt sophomore linebacker Cody Poock is having an “unbelievable” preseason camp. Kill identified true freshmen who will not redshirt including running back Shannon Brooks, defensive lineman Colton Beebe and offensive lineman Tyler Moore. As Kill did earlier this month, he raised the possibility of gifted runner Chris Streveler playing at a position or two other than quarterback this season.

Today is Kill’s 54th birthday.

The Gophers-TCU game on September 3 will be televised nationally on ESPN with Dave Pasch providing play-by-play and Brian Griese doing analysis.

Mike Grant is now the fifth coach in Minnesota high school football history to achieve 300 career wins. Grant’s record in 33 seasons is 300 wins and 66 losses after Eden Prairie defeated Totino-Grace on Saturday night. Other members of the 300 club are Ron Stolski (Brainerd), Mike Mahlen (Verndale), Dwight Lundeen (Becker) and George Larson (Cambridge).

Zach Zenner, from Eagan High School and South Dakota State, is an undrafted rookie running back with the Lions who is making news. Zenner rushed four times for 22 yards and caught five passes for 59 yards and a touchdown in a preseason game last Thursday against the Redskins. In two exhibition games he has rushed for a team-best 77 yards on 17 carries.

Saints owner and “fun is good” specialist Mike Veeck will speak at the next CORES luncheon on September 10 at the Knights of Columbus Hall in Bloomington, 1114 American Blvd. Reservations must be made by September 7 or sooner. More information about CORES is available by contacting Jim Dotseth, dotsethj@comcast.net. CORES is an acronym for coaches, officials, reporters, educators and sports fans.

It looks almost certain 2015 will be remembered as the season the Twins’ highly-hyped minor league prospects began to change the franchise. Coming into this season Baseball America’s top 10 Twins prospects included No. 1 Byron Buxton, No. 2 Miguel Sano, No. 9 Trevor May and No. 10 Eddie Rosario. All four are making a difference for the Twins including run producers Buxton, Sano and Rosario, and the relief pitching of former starter May. Right-handed pitcher Jose Berrios, ranked No. 3 in the listings, seems likely to join the Twins from Triple-A Rochester on September 1 when major league rosters can be expanded.

Twins right fielder Torii Hunter, who turned 40 on Saturday, is hitting .174 in his last 30 games. Hunter’s season average is .235, or 42 points lower than his career average. Despite his locker room leadership, it’s questionable whether he, or the Twins, will want a return year in 2016 unless his hitting picks up between now and season’s end.

Amanda Zahui B., the former Gopher who left school with two seasons of eligibility remaining, is averaging nine minutes per game as a rookie for the WNBA’s Shock. The 6-5, 250-pound native of Sweden is scoring 3.3 points and 2.5 rebounds per game.

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U Makes Money on Carolina-TCU Swap

Posted on August 22, 2015August 22, 2015 by David Shama

Gophers coach Jerry Kill wanted out of a two-game schedule in 2013-2014 against North Carolina because the Tar Heels represented more of a competitive nonconference opponent than his struggling program was ready for. What he didn’t know was athletic director Norwood Teague would eventually schedule a much more difficult opponent in TCU. And while the Gophers might not win on the field against TCU, Teague arranged financial terms easing the expense of vacating the North Carolina games.

Minnesota was 3-9 overall and 2-6 in Big Ten games after Kill’s first season in 2011. The Gophers had the same record the season prior and Kill knew there was monumental work to do in rebuilding the program. In the fall of 2012 Teague and Kill were in agreement to buyout the Carolina contract for $800,000.

The Gophers had been scheduled to play in Chapel Hill, North Carolina September 7, 2013, with the return game in Minneapolis September 14 of the next year. The buyout was criticized by Minnesota media and fans for the cost and also the unwillingness to play an opponent from a major football conference.

Kill, though, was trying to follow a formula used by most program building coaches—schedule mediocre opposition in advance of the conference season. He got his way in 2013 when Minnesota was 4-0 against nonconference opponents New Mexico State, San Jose State, UNLV and Western Illinois.

However, in the spring of 2013 the Gophers announced the scheduling of two games with TCU, a program coming off many 10-plus win seasons in the 2000s and eventually headed for 12-1 in 2014. Kill and TCU coach Gary Patterson have been buddies for years but when the deal for the two schools was being initially arranged neither was aware of it.

Teague and TCU booked a game for September 13 last year in Fort Worth with the second game in Minneapolis this season—September 3. The deal was made before Kill had control of his football schedule, and is a prime example of disconnect between the coach and his now departed and infamous athletic director.

“Coach Patterson, you can talk to him. He knew nothing about it (scheduling TCU and Minnesota),” Kill said earlier this month. “I knew nothing about it. All of a sudden you hear something, and he goes, hey, are we going to play each other?

“I go, no. He goes, I don’t want to play. He goes, I heard rumors. I…said we’re not playing. And then all of a sudden I get a phone call that we’re going to play the game. I’m low man on the totem pole, so we’ll go play the game.”

Teague saw an opportunity to make money with the TCU games. A source told Sports Headliners the deal Teague finalized not only provides monies to entirely offset the $800,000 North Carolina buyout, but the Gophers will make a few hundred thousand dollars beyond that figure—perhaps $400,000.

The Horned Frogs are a favorite to win the national championship this season and it will be a huge upset if the Gophers win on September 3. Kill’s program is dramatically improved since he lobbied and won termination of the North Carolina games, but in a perfect world the Minnesota coach would probably prefer playing VMI instead of TCU. Still, his players are excited about the TCU opportunity on national TV and the competitor in Kill is evident now—with the coach saying earlier this month “we’re looking forward to it.”

Worth Noting

Patterson made a major change in his staff and offensive philosophy after TCU finished 4-8 in 2013. He brought in new co-offensive coordinators and installed a fast-paced attack similar to those used by other programs in the Big 12—sometimes only one player in the backfield, four wide receivers and no tight ends. The Horned Frogs had the personnel to make the change and went from 88th in scoring per game to second last season, averaging 46.5 points. The TCU offense starts with quarterback Trevone Boykin, a Heisman Trophy candidate.

You wonder if the Gophers might follow TCU’s change and open up their offense in a couple of years as the program adds more playmaking quarterbacks and receivers. Certainly Kill has a consultant ready to help in his friend Patterson.

Patterson is one of the nation’s winningest coaches and first built his program at TCU with defense. Gophers defensive coordinator Tracy Claeys has visited TCU in the past, another indication of the respect and friendship between Patterson and Kill.

The Horned Frogs use a 4-2-5 defensive scheme loaded on the backend with athletic players who can run in space and defend. Gophers offensive coordinator Matt Limegrover, who watched the Gophers score only one touchdown in last year’s 30-7 loss to the Horned Frogs in Fort Worth, is more concerned about the TCU personnel than the scheme.

“That is a less of a headache as far as preparing than just the kind of players they have and how well those kids play in the system,” Limegrover said. “We didn’t have a bad day offensively last year because they did a bunch of stuff that we couldn’t handle necessarily from an assignment standpoint. We just didn’t play well. We had five turnovers. …”

The opening weekend of college football will draw a lot of attention including the AdvoCare Classic on September 5 when Wisconsin plays Alabama in a Big Ten versus SEC matchup at AT&T Stadium in Irving, Texas. A friend bought four tickets at $300 each (face value) for the game between the top 25 teams. ESPN’s College Gameday will promote the game that morning from Fort Worth.

Sean Engel, who is a senior wide receiver at Chaska High School, has received nine college offers this summer with the most recent coming from Wyoming and head coach Craig Bohl, the former North Dakota State coach who built much of his success with the Bison recruiting Minnesota preps. Engel is the brother of former Gophers wide receiver Derrick Engel who has been hired by Adidas to be a national account manager.

Fans shouldn’t make too many judgments about the Vikings offense during the preseason including tonight’s game against the Raiders at TCF Bank Stadium. Offensive coordinator Norv Turner said the team won’t show a lot in the team’s five exhibition games. “We do the things we need to do to go play a preseason game,” he said.

Exhibition games put a focus on judging personnel and eventually reducing the number of players to 53. Turner, who three times has been an NFL head coach, said his experience is teams don’t have pre-set goals on number of players at each position as they reduce rosters. He added “you want to keep the 53 best players” and the Vikings are proficient at making evaluations.

In a move to help their often struggling bullpen, the Twins have acquired left-handed reliever Neal Cotts from the Brewers in exchange for a player to be named later, or for cash. The 35-year-old Cotts appeared in 51 games for the Brewers this season, with a 3.26 ERA (49.2 IP, 18 ER), holding opponents to a .239 average with 17 walks and 49 strikeouts. During 2015 left-handed hitters are hitting .185 (15-for-81) against him.

Carl Pohlad, the former Twins owner who died in 2009, would have celebrated his 100th birthday on Sunday (August 23). Former Gophers women’s basketball coach Pam Borton turns 50 years old today.

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Rod Carew: Aaron Hicks All-Star Talent

Posted on August 19, 2015August 19, 2015 by David Shama

Among those who have mentored Aaron Hicks in the past and are watching his improved season is Rod Carew. “I’ve always liked Aaron Hicks,” Carew told Sports Headliners by telephone last week.

The Twins 25-year-old center fielder flopped in 2013 and 2014 after making the club’s major league roster and becoming a starter. He hit .192 and .215 in 81 and 69 games those two seasons, and experienced demotions to Triple A Rochester. This year the switch-hitter and skilled fielder didn’t even start the season with the Twins but the way he’s played this summer indicates Hicks will fulfill the promise Carew and others have seen. “He’s got tremendous talent,” said Carew who is a special assistant for the Twins organization.

Carew played 19 seasons in the major leagues including 12 with the Twins. His lifetime average of .328 is among the best in baseball since 1950. He won seven batting championships and played on 18 All-Star teams.

Can Hicks become an All-Star? “Well, he’s got the talent,” Carew answered. “It’s all up to him.”

Hicks, who has been moved up from near the bottom of the batting order to the leadoff position, is hitting .272 with eight home runs and 25 RBI. He has 243 plate appearances, or close to the equivalent of a half season. His numbers in the last 30 games, including a .277 average and 17 RBI, are impressive. However, in the past 15 games the inconsistency that occurs during a long season is evident. In that stretch he is hitting .219, although he has homered three times including Monday night in New York against the Yankees.

Hicks has turned heads with his fielding. His spectacular catches have Twins fans also anticipating the arrival of Byron Buxton in the outfield. A combination of Hicks in left field and the even speedier Buxton in center will close down outfield space for opposing hitters. Hicks has no errors and eight assists this season.

Carew was famous for driving the baseball to all fields and he is seeing that trait in Hicks. “I think he’s using the whole field a lot better,” Carew said. “I think when he first came up he was trying to pull everything. He’s got some power and once he starts thinking about home runs, that’s when he starts getting into a rut. He just needs to continue thinking about driving the ball to all fields.“

In past years Carew believes the 6-2, 210 pound Hicks was putting too much pressure on himself including trying to hit balls over the fence. “Every time I see him I really stay on him and try to get him to maintain his focus,” said Carew who lives in California but travels to Minneapolis to assist the Twins. “I think Torii (Hunter) has been a great help for him too because Torii has that presence in the locker room to help the younger players out.”

Hunter has hit 18 home runs with 60 RBI as the Twins 40-year-old regular right fielder. No doubt Hunter, Carew and others in the organization who have mentored Hicks would like to see him playing at a high level when he is 40.

Worth Noting

Carew was born on a train in Panama in 1945. Early in his big league career fans knew him by the nickname “Choo-Choo” but he doesn’t answer to it now. “No one calls me that,” he said.

Florida wide receiver Dredrick Snelson is among the most hyped high school players who have made verbal commitments to sign with the Gophers next February but recruiting authority Ryan Burns told Sports Headliners Marshall, Minnesota WR Drew Hmielewski has the “potential” to be even better. Snelson, with three and four-star labels from recruiting sources, is also the “least solid” to keep his commitment among Minnesota’s recruits, according to Burns who is publisher of Scout’s GopherDigest.com. Snelson, described by Burns as an “excellent route runner,” is scheduled to visit Minneapolis for the Gophers game against Michigan on October 31.

Burns raved about Hmielewski, praising his athletic and leadership qualities. He can foresee maybe ranking Hmielewski a four-star recruit this fall. Like former Gophers All-Big Ten receiver Eric Decker, Hmielewski is an outstanding high school baseball player. Hmielewski also excels at basketball.

Last fall Burns was excited about quarterback Demry Croft who ended up signing with the Gophers and is now a freshman earning compliments from head coach Jerry Kill. Burns is even more enthusiastic about quarterback Tony Poljan who has verbally committed to be part of Minnesota’s 2016 class. He was impressed with Poljan’s throwing mechanics this summer and said the 6-6, 215-pound passer-runner from Lansing (Mich.) Catholic High School reminds him of a “young Ben Roethlisberger.”

Quoting Kill on Croft after last Saturday’s scrimmage: “He’s just an instinctive guy. He’s had a heck of a camp. It’s kind of like watching (Teddy) Bridgewater. He doesn’t get excited about anything. …There’s nothing that rattles the kid. He’s got an extreme amount of talent. He’s been very impressive in camp.”

Although the negative publicity about former Gophers athletic director Norwood Teague has been national news, Burns said the impact on football recruiting has been nil. He judges the 15 recruiting commits as the highest quality class yet in the Kill era that began in 2011.

Early speculation is the Gophers might have the best defensive secondary in the Big Ten, certainly ranking near the top. That’s a benefit and challenge for Minnesota starting quarterback Mitch Leidner—to practice against the skilled group of cornerbacks and safeties.

“You learn your progressions and reads better,” Leidner said. “You don’t see the coverages (in games) that they do. They disguise them well. …Some of the best athletes in the Big Ten are in our secondary, so it’s definitely helpful.”

While the Gophers may reach a final total of 4,500 or so student season tickets, some other Big Ten schools dwarf that number. Penn State has sold out its student allotment with 21,000 tickets, while last year Ohio State totaled over 29,000.

It will likely be a bittersweet homecoming for Christian Ponder on Saturday night when the former Vikings quarterback returns to Minneapolis with the Raiders. Ponder has friends here but he didn’t permanently win the starting quarterback position with the Vikings during a four-year career. His confidence couldn’t have benefited from booing and heckling Vikings fans. Ponder, who is projected as a reserve with the Raiders under former Vikings offensive Bill Musgrave, completed six of eight passes with one touchdown and one interception for Oakland last week in the team’s preseason win against the Rams.

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