UST – David Shama's Minnesota Sports Headliners

Vikings Miss Ex-GM Rick Spielman’s Drafts, Roster Building

Posted on December 6, 2025December 6, 2025 by David Shama

The 4-8 Vikings might be headed toward their worst season since the 2015 team won only five games. It wouldn’t be surprising if ownership is scrutinizing general manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah.

Although he doesn’t have a football playing or coaching background, he was hired in 2022 and has since overseen four college drafts. The results have been disappointing, with the drafts not helping the Vikings much with starting players.

A major issue in 2025 is quarterback and the failed play of three performers including preferred starter J.J. McCarthy. The Vikings chose McCarthy with their No. 10 selection in the first round of the 2024 draft and passed on Bo Nix who the Broncos chose later in that round. He was an immediate success in Denver and has been a clutch performer for the 10-2 Broncos.

It’s believed that quarterback guru and head coach Kevin O’Connell is the loudest voice in the decision-making process regarding the quarterback roster, but the Wilfs are unlikely to be too displeased with KOC. The coach almost certainly led the decision to gamble on the unproven McCarthy this offseason.

Yet the Wilfs know their coach has been nationally praised for raising the play of former Vikings quarterbacks Kirk Cousins and Sam Darnold while producing unexpected winning seasons. The personable head coach has yet to win a playoff game, but he’s led Minnesota to 13-4 and 14-3 seasons and one NFC North Division title.

Adofo-Mensah’s four drafts have produced three 2025 starters on offense (Jordan Addison, Donovan Jackson and McCarthy) and none on defense.

College drafts directed by former executive Rick Spielman prior to 2022 contributed four offensive starters (Christian Darrisaw, C.J. Ham, Justin Jefferson and Brian O’Neill) and two on defense (Josh Mettelus and Harrison Smith). Ham, a fullback, is sometimes listed as a starter and other times replaced by wide receiver Jalen Nailor from the 2022 draft. If Nailor is counted as a starter, that gives Adofo-Mensah five regulars on offense from his drafts.

Adofo-Mensah has filled a lot of positions, and often with success, particularly on defense, by signing free agents from other teams. However, that maneuver, along with the Spielman holdovers, has contributed to the Vikings having one of the oldest NFL rosters in the last few years.

Special teams include another Spielman era vet, Pro Bowl long snapper Andrew DePaola who was acquired as a free agent. Adofo-Mensah has his own free agent standout in rookie kickoff off returner Myles Price. He drafted place kicker Will Reichard who this season became the first in NFL history to have four field goals of 59 yards or more.

This last offseason the Adofo-Mensah committed a reported $300 million or so on signing veteran free agents including Jonathan Allen, Will Fries, Javon Hargrave and Ryan Kelly. The total is reportedly the second highest by an NFL team last offseason. It was part of a strategy to upgrade the talent on offense and defense supporting McCarthy, rather than spending big bucks on a free agent quarterback like Darnold.

The Spielman era right now looks like the glory days of personnel acquisition. He had a long run in the front office, initially serving as vice president of personnel starting in 2006 and then acquiring the GM title in 2012.

In a position of authority where no one is even close to perfect, Spielman was right about a lot of choices in the college draft including Dalvin Cook, Christian Darrisaw, Steffon Diggs, Everson Griffen, Percy Harvin, Danielle Hunter, Jefferson, Eric Kendricks, Adrian Peterson, Brian O’Neill, Sidney Rice and Harrison Smith.

Spielman, who will be remembered as an above-average draft evaluator, had some clunkers including first round busts Mike Hughes, Laquon Treadwell and Christian Ponder. He never found a long-term franchise savior at quarterback and had his struggles acquiring offensive line talent that worked out.

But it’s telling that almost four years after he was fired, several of his players are still starting in an industry where longevity is not that common. And BTW, his 2022 starters included eight players on offense whom he had drafted and six on defense.

Worth Noting

The Vikings have allowed no passing touchdowns and fewer than 200 net passing yards in three consecutive games, the longest streak by any NFL team this season. This is the franchise’s longest streak since a four-game stretch in December 2018.

Interest in the Vikings is waning, with some fans turning off their TV sets and ticket outlets offering admission for less than $100. StubHub advertised multiple seat locations earlier this week for the Commanders game at U.S. Bank Stadium Sunday for $62 or less. The best offer on Christmas Day to see the Lions in Minneapolis, though, was $110.

The Gophers 2026 football recruiting class, ranked No. 24 in the 247Sports in the composite national rankings early last week, is now No. 29 as other schools finalize their incoming classes.

With Kansas State head coach Chris Klieman unexpectedly retiring last week, could it re-open the Gopher recruiting of juco wide receiver Derrick Salley Jr. who signed his National Letter of Intent with the Wildcats? Salley, considered the best juco wide receiver in the nation, made a verbal commitment to Minnesota before switching to the Wildcats. Under the circumstances of Klieman retiring, it’s believed the NCAA would allow Salley to go elsewhere.

Former Gopher offensive lineman Greg Eslinger, ex-Saint John’s wide receiver Blake Elliott and former North Dakota/Vikings tight end Jim Kleinsasser were elected to the 2025 College Football Hall of Fame in January and will be officially inducted Tuesday evening during the 67th NFF Annual Awards Dinner Presented by Las Vegas at the Bellagio Hotel & Casino.

The 2025 Hall of Fame class is comprised of 18 players and four coaches including Urban Meyer and Nick Saban. Only two one-hundredths of a percent (.02%) of those who have played or coached in the college game have earned the Hall of Fame distinction.

ESPN+ will televise the event.

The College Football Playoff, with matchups announced tomorrow, will consist of four rounds. The first will be hosted by the higher seeds (5 versus. 12, 8 vs. 9, 6 vs. 11, and 7 vs. 10) on Friday, Dec. 20 and Saturday, Dec. 21. The winners of those games advance to the quarterfinals to play the 1-4 seeds as part of the Cotton Bowl, Orange Bowl, Rose Bowl and Sugar Bowl on Dec. 31 and Jan. 1. The semifinals will be hosted by the Fiesta Bowl on Thursday, Jan. 8 and Peach Bowl on Friday, Jan 9. The National Championship will be held on Monday, Jan. 19, at Hard Rock Stadium in Miami, Fla.

The Gophers will also learn their bowl game destination tomorrow. Best guess is the Rate Bowl in Phoenix, possibly against 8-4 Iowa State. Minnesota’s eight game bowl winning streak is the longest in the nation.

A lot of Canadians are upset with the United States because of trade, tariffs and rhetoric. That’s not a positive development for ticket sales for the upcoming IHF World Junior Championship December 25-January 5 in the Twin Cities. Organizers are hoping that Canadians, who adore the annual 10-nation tournament that showcases the best under 20-year-old hockey players in the world, will attend rather than boycott.

Adding to the border intrigue is that Canada and the United States have an intense hockey rivalry including in the Junior Tournament. The Americans have won the last two tournaments, with Canada winning gold the two previous years.

The United States will play Germany in an opening game December 26 at Grand Casino Arena. A portion of the 29-game tournament schedule will also be held at 3M Arena at Mariucci. https://www.nhl.com/news/2026-world-junior-championship-schedule

Wild star Kirill Kaprizov captained the 2017 Russian team that won bronze in the tournament. In seven games he had nine goals and three assists.

Tim Leiweke, the marketing whiz who was a key figure in the launch of the Timberwolves franchise decades ago, was pardoned this week by President Donald Trump after his indictment in a bid-rigging conspiracy.

The St. Thomas women’s volleyball team that was the first in school history to qualify for a Division I tournament saw its season end yesterday in a five-set tourney loss to Iowa State at the University of Minnesota.

St. Thomas Academy freshman goalie Owen Hall went 131:14 this season before allowing a goal.

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Advantage & Disadvantages: Vikes Face former QB Darnold

Posted on November 25, 2025November 25, 2025 by David Shama

Enjoy a Tuesday notes column.

The Vikings face their 2024 starting quarterback in Seattle on Sunday. The Seahawks’ Sam Darnold is sixth in the NFL in total passing yards with 2,785 and No.1 among starting quarterbacks at 9.4 yards per attempt.

The 4-7 Vikings, beleaguered by a quarterback merry-go-round, will have better insight into defending Darnold than other rivals because of his year in Minnesota. Darnold is one of the few NFL quarterbacks with double figure interceptions this season. His 10 are part of a career pattern of interceptions and fumbles (five this year).

If the blitz-happy Vikings defense can have one of its best days, they can make Darnold feel uncomfortable and prompt mistakes. That will be a challenge because Darnold’s play for the 8-3 Seahawks has been mostly outstanding.

Vikings head coach Kevin O’Connell was asked yesterday about the Vikings having an advantage in knowing so much about Darnold and also the quarterback’s advantage in knowing Minnesota’s defensive schemes and personnel. He acknowledged there will be a “little of that probably on both sides.”

He didn’t reveal any secrets about how Darnold might exploit his defense but did praise his former leader. He said Darnold can make every throw “and if we’re not airtight in our coverages, they’ll be explosive.”

Superstar wide receiver Justin Jefferson has been visibly frustrated this fall. An interesting stat is in the last 14 games (11 this season) he has only two receptions for touchdowns.

The Gophers defeated Nebraska 24-6 on October 17 at Huntington Bank Stadium. It was a crisp performance and widely regarded as the best game Minnesota has played this season. Since then, they have defeated 3-8 Michigan State in overtime at home, and lost road games to Iowa, Oregon and Northwestern by a combined score of 121-51.

The fanbase has wondered why Minnesota hasn’t been able to build off that Nebraska performance. “…I thought we played tremendous against Nebraska,” head coach P.J. Fleck said Monday. “But if everybody just played their absolute best and played like that every week, everybody would be 10-11 wins. That’s not realistic.”

Fleck referred to some quality opponents since the Nebraska showcase and said injuries, inexperienced players and coaching go into the explanation of how the Gophers have performed more recently.

Minnesota lost last Saturday 38-35 to Northwestern. Trailing late in the game by three points, the Gophers had an opportunity to score the winning touchdown. Two passes that debatably could have been called pass interference didn’t draw penalties. Fleck was asked if he believes coaches in the Big Ten have a clear criterion as to what constitutes pass interference.

“…I think that’s the element of the game that will never be perfect. Just like coaching will never be perfect, and the players will never be perfect, but it’s part of the game and you’ve got to overcome. Whether you agree or disagree, whether it is or it isn’t (pass interference), you have to overcome those things, and you can’t rely on that to be the reason you win or lose.”

Malachi Coleman, the 6-5 and 200-pound wide receiver transfer from Nebraska, played sparingly early in the season but is seeing the field more now including at Northwestern where the redshirt sophomore was targeted twice and had a 52-yard reception. Fleck referred to him as a young and inexperienced talent who is a “very big receiver who can run, who can stretch the field vertically.”

Fleck, who was hired when he was 36, turns 45 next Saturday—the same day his team plays Wisconsin at Huntington Bank Stadium.

With the early signing period for high school and juco football players starting on December 3, the Gophers could be positioned to have their highest rated recruiting class of the Fleck era. Minnesota is No. 24 in the 247Sports national team composite recruiting rankings.

A recruiting insider said Triton High School tight end Pierce Petersohn, one of this state’s most coveted senior players, will sign with Virginia Tech and its new coach James Franklin. Petersohn was committed to Penn State before Franklin was fired as Nittany Lions head coach.

Quarterback Troy Huhn from San Marcos, California, who ESPN reported was interested in the Gophers, will also go to Virginia Tech, per the insider.

Good news for Minnesota snowbirds in southwest Florida who head for home by the end of February. MLB teams, including the Twins, are starting spring training games earlier than in the past. The Twins open with a February 20 exhibition against the Gophers at the Lee Health Complex and have a total of five home games in February.

Prices haven’t been announced but it’s likely a ticket will cost four-figures to watch the Twins host the Phillies on August 13 for the Field of Dreams game in Dyersville, Iowa.

The Twins ownership and management could boost their image and the club’s offense by signing free agent first baseman Luis Arraez, the former Twin and three-time batting champion. Would the 28-year-old think about a one-year deal at $18 million?

Starting pitcher Joe Ryan was a steal for the Twins last season at a reported $3 million. He will be a bargain, too, in 2026. Following arbitration, he could be awarded about $6 million for the season.

Gophers public address announcer Dick Jonckowski was told by his doctor earlier this month he is cancer free and doesn’t need to be checked again for 12 months.

When Minneota won the Class 1A state football championship last week, it was the school’s 11th title. Coach Chad Johnston has won the last eight state championships. Gary Meidt won the three earlier titles.

Owen Konrad, who led Eden Prairie in rushing this fall as a sophomore, should be one of the better running backs in the state next season.

The 5-3 St. Thomas men’s basketball team has been mostly on the road to start the season, having played only two home games at the new Lee and Penny Anderson Arena, drawing announced attendances of 5,325 (capacity crowd) for the opener and 2,658 for the second game.

Ken Patera, who was a prominent wrestler years ago in the Minneapolis-based American Wrestling Association, turned 82 earlier this month

Among the Minnesota teams and athletes doing good work in the community this week is the Wild’s celebration of Native American Heritage Day on Friday when the club hosts the Colorado Avalanche at 2:30 p.m. at Grand Casino Arena. New or gently used winter coats will be collected at Gates 1-5 from 11:30 a.m. until the game starts. The Roseville-based American Indian Family Center will distribute coats to the families they serve in Minneapolis and Saint Paul.

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Vikings Head Coach O’Connell Calls Boo-Birds ‘Justified’

Posted on November 17, 2025November 17, 2025 by David Shama

The Vikings disappointed themselves and their sometimes booing home crowd in yesterday’s closing seconds 19-17 loss to the Bears when Chicago’s Cairo Santos booted a walk-off 48-yard field goal.

Part of the fan frustration focused on Vikings quarterback J.J. McCarthy whose inconsistent play included an on-point performance leading the Vikings to a touchdown drive that put them ahead 17-16 with 50 seconds to play but also included completing just 50 percent of his passes and throwing two interceptions.

McCarthy’s lack of accuracy was an issue all game, with balls frequently off target. About halfway through the third period he threw high on an incomplete pass to franchise wide receiver Justin Jefferson.

The boos cascaded down on the field inside U.S. Bank Stadium.

McCarthy, 22, made just his fifth NFL start yesterday. He has minimal experience in his first season as a starter and is dealing with a lot playing for a team with preseason playoff expectations. Head coach Kevin O’Connell was asked today if he was concerned the boos could negatively impact the confidence of the young quarterback.

O’Connell answered no and termed the disgruntlement as justified because the fans have understandable expectations for his team. “The mental toughness and the physical toughness of the player is clear and evident to everybody,” the coach said. “I understand and I think J.J. does (too), the frustration with maybe seeing Justin or (WR) Jordan (Addison) or somebody open and we don’t throw and catch that. There’s a standard we have for ourselves that I hope our fans have for us. I think all that is valid and justified. …”

O’Connell believes all the ongoing preparation work in practice can lead to better performances by his quarterback. That improvement, he said, is expected by others on the team, too.

O’Connell praised the effort and physical play of his team that is now 4-6 and plays in Green Bay Sunday against the 6-3-1 Packers, while stressing the Vikings need to be more consistent in their play. “…We’re going to keep attacking in a way that hopefully makes our fans proud of the way we’re fighting like heck to go 1-0 every week,” O’Connell said.

Worth Noting

Here is an intriguing stat from local sports talk host Phil Mackey writing on X yesterday: With McCarthy quarterbacking, the Vikings have called 16 pass plays on third and fourth downs in short yardage (three yards or less). The results? Zero completions.

Case Keenum, 37 and the quarterback hero of the 2017 Vikings, is the third team QB for the Bears but wasn’t activated for yesterday’s game.

Austin Booker, the Bears defensive lineman who played for the Gophers and Kansas, started at defensive end and the 2024 draft choice had one tackle and one assisted tackle in the game.

BetMGM has the Gophers as 4.5 point underdogs to Northwestern on Saturday at Wrigley Field in Chicago. The stadium also hosted last Saturday’s Michigan-Northwestern game and from 1921-1970 was the Bears home facility.

Minnesota coach P.J. Fleck said today planning for footwear started even in the offseason for playing on grass in late November at Wrigley, the home of the baseball Cubs.

Fleck went to high school in the greater Chicago area and recalled this morning on KFAN Radio a field trip to see the Cubs when Kerry Wood tied a MLB record with 20 strikeouts in a 1998 win over the Astros.

BTW, the view here is Fleck won’t be leaving Minnesota for any of the numerous college football head coaching openings including UCLA where his name has been rumored.

The Gophers have been outscored by 125 to 19 in three Big Ten road losses to No. 1 ranked Ohio State, No. 6 Oregon and previously top 25 Iowa.

The 3-1 basketball Gophers needed overtime to defeat Green Bay by seven points Saturday night, while 3-2 St. Thomas beat the Phoenix 80-61 on Thursday in St. Paul. But the highly respected Pomeroy College Basketball ratings yesterday had Minnesota at No. 86 in the nation and the Tommies at 161.

Reliever Jhoan Duran, part of the Twins trade dump last summer, made the 2025 All-MLB team announced recently. The Phillies’ 27-year-old right-handed fast baller had a career best 32 saves.

Congratulations to ticketing executive Paul Froehle on his 40^th anniversary with the Twins. Earlier in his career he worked in ticket operations for the NHL North Stars.

In this crowded marketplace and during the upcoming holiday season, it will be interesting to monitor both the attendance and the game results at the IHF World Junior Championship December 26-January 5. The 10-nation tournament showcases the best under 20-year-old hockey players in the world. The United States will play Germany in an opening game December 26 at Grand Casino Arena. A portion of the 29-game tournament schedule will also be held at 3M Arena at Mariucci. https://www.nhl.com/news/2026-world-junior-championship-schedule

The U.S. has won the WJC seven times, including three of the past five years. The Americans are two-time defending champions having won 4-3 in overtime against Finland in the 2025 gold-medal game in Ottawa, and they defeated Sweden 6-2 in 2024 at Gothenburg, Sweden.

Minnesota hockey legend Lou Nanne and Gophers coach Bob Motzko will speak to the Twin Cities Dunkers about the tournament on December 1.

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