Timberwolves – Page 105 – David Shama's Minnesota Sports Headliners

Peterson Might Play at 40 Years Old

Posted on December 20, 2012December 20, 2012 by David Shama

Vikings running back Adrian Peterson is 27 years old and 294 yards short of breaking Eric Dickerson’s NFL single season rushing record. He said today at Winter Park where he and the Vikings are preparing for their last two regular season games of the year that if he maintains his health and passion he might play pro football until he is 40.

“I think I can perform at this level for a long time,” Peterson said. “It depends how long God bless me to play, 35, 36. …”

Peterson is the cover story for this week’s issue of Sports Illustrated. “I feel like I can play 10, 12 more years,” he told the magazine.

The amazing Peterson, who is having his best season despite tearing his ACL about 12 months ago, is full of self-confidence. That is obvious by his dramatic recovery from ACL surgery, and the mindset with which he approaches his future.

Peterson doesn’t seem to put limitations on what he can do. He told S.I. he wants to run the 400 meters for the United States in the 2016 Olympics, and is interested in becoming a “socially conscious entrepreneur.”

Peterson was asked today if he could break Dickerson’s record on Sunday against the Texans, and not need the season finale against the Packers on December 30. Peterson didn’t refute the possibility. “That’s how I am looking at it. Just get it done. Get it out of the way.”

At this point in the 16 game NFL schedule most players have injuries. Peterson has groin and abdominal issues but he minimized their importance. “Normal wear and tear. …I’ll be ready to roll,” he said.

Not a surprising answer from the man who is regarded as the best running back of his era and is seen as super human by some fans. “God watches over me,” Peterson said. “My spirit man be out there doing the things that I do on the field. It’s beyond me.”

U Needs Big Ten Attendance Boost

The Gophers men’s basketball team ranked ninth among Big Ten Conference schools in home attendance averages through games of last week, according to figures from the league office. Minnesota is averaging 10,501 fans per game for seven nonconference games.

That announced figure of 10,501 is larger than actual fans in attendance, with some games probably having 6,000 to 7,000 patrons inside Williams Arena. The arena’s capacity is 14,625 and during recent seasons the Gophers typically haven’t come close to filling the building for nonconference games, while Big Ten games may sell out.

But this fall’s no-shows by season ticket holders and minimal interest among single game buyers has been startling. To see so many empty seats despite having an exciting nationally ranked top 20 team to watch isn’t a good sign for a program that historically was among the Big Ten leaders in largest home attendances and gross ticket receipts.

New Gophers athletic director Norwood Teague talked with Sports Headliners about the lack of interest this fall, and also included the ticket selling challenges of home football games in the conversation. “In the offseason I want to do some real research in finding out where we are with the tickets for football and basketball,” he said. “I’ve only been here five months so I am trying to figure it out, but the offseason will be a time when we can take a step back and really look at it, football and basketball.”

The Gophers sold 7,136 public season tickets and 1,182 student season tickets for this season, according to a story in yesterday’s Star Tribune by Mike Kaszuba. The combined total of 8,318 was the lowest shown on a season tickets graphic dating back to 2007.

Some public customers didn’t renew their tickets because of the new preferred seating charges placed on tickets. Other fans may have not renewed because of seven consecutive second division finishes during Big Ten seasons (ninth and 10^th the last two years). And certainly an unattractive schedule of home games that included American, North Florida and Lafayette didn’t entice potential buyers for either season tickets or single game tickets. “I agree we need to add quality opponents best we can,” Teague said.

The Gophers finish their nonconference schedule with a game on Saturday night at home against Lafayette. Then it’s all Big Ten games including a much anticipated league opener at Williams Arena on December 31 against Michigan State. Teague said single game ticket interest “going forward has been phenomenal,” referring to conference opponents coming here.

Starting with the Michigan State game the Gophers will be announcing attendances much closer to the numbers of fans in the building than was true this fall. The Gophers, though, averaged 12,723 in Big Ten games last season, the first time that figure was under 13,758 since 2006-2007. In all home games Minnesota averaged 11,794 last season, the lowest since 10,974 in 2006-2007.

If the Gophers fulfill predictions of being a Big Ten title contender, Minnesota won’t have a problem besting last season’s attendance numbers. And a winning season will likely boost offseason ticket sales and announced attendances next fall during nonconference games.

Worth Noting

As of Monday, the 11-1 Gophers’ RPI rating was 11, while 10-2 Michigan State was 53. The Gophers are ranked No. 13 in the country by the Associated Press while the Spartans are No. 20.

The Vikings will use TCF Bank Stadium during part of the construction process for their new downtown stadium. Teague told Sports Headliners expansion of seating in TCF Bank Stadium’s west end will increase capacity from 50,805 to about 60,000.

The Gophers continued practicing this week on campus for their December 28 Meineke Car Care Bowl game. Coach Jerry Kill said on WCCO Radio’s “Sports Huddle” Sunday that senior quarterback-wide receiver MarQueis Gray is the healthiest he’s been in awhile.

It wouldn’t be surprising if Gray starts the bowl game against Texas Tech at quarterback instead of first team freshman Philip Nelson. A switch to the strong running Gray could give the underdog Gophers an advantage, and provide a final game reward to the senior who likely would have been the starting quarterback all season if not for injury.

In Houston the McDonald’s Family Pack promotion for the game costs $99 and offers four game tickets, hot dogs, sodas, and four McDonald’s coffee vouchers and four ice cream vouchers (www.meinekecarcarebowloftexas.com).

Vikings rookie kicker Blair Walsh was selected yesterday as the NFC’s Special Teams Player of the Week for his five field goals performance against the Rams last Sunday. Walsh joins Adrian Peterson and Randy Moss as the only rookies in franchise history to win the Player of the Week Award multiple times in their first NFL seasons. Walsh has set the Vikings’ rookie scoring record with 117 points after surpassing Moss’ 106 points in 1998.

Peterson has been rounding up tickets for Sunday’s game in his native Texas for some time. He said over “100 family members” will attend the game against the Texans in Houston.

Minneapolis native and Cardinals receiver Larry Fitzgerald Jr. is tweeting to his fans about guessing what his favorite Christmas movie is. For those who guess correctly, Fitzgerald will do a random drawing and award the winner a pair of signed game gloves (used).

The Timberwolves are in the midst of a three game schedule against the better teams in the NBA. Tuesday night they lost to the Heat, the team with the second best record, 16-6, in the Eastern Conference. Tonight the Wolves play at home against the 21-4 Thunder, the team with the best record in the Western Conference. Then Sunday the Wolves are in New York to play the Knicks with an Eastern Conference leading 19-6 record.

The Wolves are making only .294 percent of their three point attempts, a 30-team league low. Outside shooting is an issue because of injuries to Kevin Love, Ricky Rubio, Brandon Roy and Chase Budinger. Defenses can crowd interior space close to the basket because of the Wolves’ outside shooting problems.

Tonight’s game, a 6 p.m. start because of the national broadcast by TNT, is only the second game between the Wolves and Thunder since March 23 when the two teams played a news-making double overtime in Oklahoma City. The Thunder won 149-140, combining for 289 points—the fifth highest total in an NBA game in over 15 years. Love scored 51 points.

The St. Thomas men’s team, ranked No. 4 nationally by D3hoops.com, plays at home tomorrow night against No. 5 UW-Stevens Point, three times an NCAA champion in the last 10 years. Admission is free with tipoff at 7:30 p.m. Both teams are undefeated this fall.

The Tommies’ wins include an overtime victory over Bethany Lutheran, 94-91. St. Thomas sent the game into overtime after trailing by five points with 6.6 seconds remaining. Coach John Tauer has an experienced team with four senior captains starting, Will DeBerg, Tommy Hannon, Noah Kaiser and John Nance.

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Jerry Burns: Fans Unfair to Ponder

Posted on December 10, 2012December 10, 2012 by David Shama

It’s been a fall of boos and other criticism directed at Vikings second-year quarterback Christian Ponder, but former Vikings head coach Jerry Burns said Ponder receives too much blame.

The Vikings’ passing game has faltered much of the season including in yesterday’s 21-14 win over the Bears. The offense produced one touchdown drive and that was courtesy of Adrian Peterson’s running on the game’s opening drive including a 51-yard run. Otherwise, the Vikings used a first quarter Josh Robinson 44-yard interception returned to the Bears’ five yard line to set up their second touchdown, and in the third quarter Harrison Smith ran back an intercepted pass 56 yards for Minnesota’s third and final touchdown.

Ponder, who completed 11 of 17 passes for 91 yards, heard from the boo-birds in the stands, and media critics who have found fault with him this season will no doubt rip him again.

Burns, who was Vikings head coach from 1986-1991 and before that a revered NFL offensive coordinator, said critics don’t understand all the elements responsible for the Vikings’ passing attack that ranks with the NFL’s most anemic (last in yards per game at 172.6). “I just feel sorry for Ponder,” Burns told Sports Headliners on Saturday, a day before the Vikings defeated Chicago and improved their record to 7-6.

Burns said the offensive line isn’t consistent in giving Ponder enough time to throw. Sometimes a formation with an additional blocker in the backfield would help, perhaps adding a precious second allowing Ponder to set his feet.

With defenses sometimes storming Ponder, Burns suggested the Vikings might benefit from more use of screen passes and draw plays with Peterson or Toby Gerhart, his substitute. That kind of action, combined with more rollouts and bootlegs by Ponder using his athleticism, could help make the offense less predictable and keep the defense off balance.

In yesterday’s game wide receiver Michael Jenkins had two second half third down receptions to sustain drives. Big plays from wide receivers have been MIA for the Vikings most of the season, a reality not lost on Burns who attends games and remains a passionate supporter of the franchise.

“I haven’t seen a diving catch, a great catch,” Burns said. “Going up and taking the ball away from people. A guy you can go to.”

Burns isn’t arguing Ponder doesn’t sometimes make bad decisions, throw inaccurately and occasionally have minimal zip on the ball. He is saying that in a team sport the quarterback plays the lead role but the surrounding personnel and play calls make a difference too.

Head coach Leslie Frazier has Burns’ support and he likes the commitment of not sending Ponder to the bench, replacing him with Joe Webb. “It might make things worse at this point,” Burns said. “Now (by benching) you’re bouncing back and forth.”

The Vikings are still in the playoff race with three games to play. It may be unlikely they can win enough games the rest of the way with their limited offense to make the playoffs for the first time since 2009 but the franchise’s future at quarterback seems tied to Ponder.

While some NFL quarterbacks have early first and second year success, others develop more gradually. Burns believes Ponder can be effective in the future with maturity and having the right support around him.

“I think he will be fine,” Burns said.

Worth Noting

What a birthday present on Saturday. St. Thomas quarterback Matt O’Connell turned 20 while running for two touchdowns and passing for one as the Tommies defeated UW-Oshkosh, 28-14, in a Division III semifinals playoff game. Next up for the Tommies is a first ever trip to the Division III national championship game on Friday night against Mount Union in Salem,Virginia. The game starts at 6 p.m. Minnesota time and will be televised on ESPN U.

The Gophers football team has 31 fall Academic All-Big Ten selections, 13 more than last year and second in the conference to Northwestern’s 34. Among the Gophers honored are defensive starters Michael Amaefula, Cameron Botticelli, Keanon Cooper, Aaron Hill, Mike Rallis and Brock Vereen, and offensive starters Jon Christenson, Derrick Engel, Drew Goodger, Ed Olson, Tommy Olson and John Rabe.

With Max Shortell transferring to another school, the Gophers will have only two quarterbacks with game experience for their Meineke Car Care Bowl matchup on December 28 against Texas Tech, Philip Nelson and MarQueis Gray. Coach Jerry Kill told Sports Headliners he won’t take the redshirt status off reserve backup Mitch Leidner for the game.

Kill likes what he’s seen of Leidner in practices this fall. The 6-foot-4, 226-pound Leidner has various attributes including physical toughness. “He’s a very competitive kid,” Kill said.

The Meineke Car Care Bowl is played in Reliant Stadium, the same facility that is home to the NFL’s Texans who host the Vikings on December 23. “It’s a beautiful stadium,” Kill said.

No one expected Texas Tech coach Tommy Tuberville to accept the Cincinnati coaching job on Saturday but Stewart Mandel writing on SI.com said Tuberville wasn’t a good fit in Lubbock during his three seasons stay. Suggesting Cincinnati was a convenient place to escape and rebuild the resume Tuberville had at Auburn, Mandel wrote on Saturday: “Tuberville was an underwhelming 20-17 in three seasons in Lubbock. The locals never warmed to him, and he never warmed to Lubbock.”

The Timberwolves’ 9-9 record matches the franchise’s best start through 18 games since 2006-07 (also 9-9).

Don’t be surprised if point guard Ricky Rubio makes his season debut Wednesday night at Target Center against the Nuggets, the Wolves’ next game. If not then, Saturday evening at home against the Mavericks might be his return game, although there’s been no official announcement from Rubio or the team.

Wolves All-Star forward Kevin Love has double-doubles in eight of his last nine games and 120 in his past 139.

Love, Rubio, forward Andrei Kirilenko and center Nikola Pekovic are on the NBA All-Star game ballot. A total of 120 players are on the ballot to determine all-stars for the February 17 game in Houston. Various sources are available for fan voting including Twitter and Facebook.

The North DakotaState team playing the 10-1 Gophers tomorrow night at Williams Arena is 8-2 and lost 87-61 to No. 1 ranked Indiana at Bloomington. Forward Marshall Bjorklund (Arlington, Minn.) and guard Mike Felt (Redwood Falls, Minn.) are NDSU’s second and third leading scorers at 11.4 and 10.9 points per game.

The St. Thomas men’s basketball team, a unanimous preseason choice by league coaches to win the MIAC, is 4-0 in conference games and 7-0 overall. Gustavus, the second place choice, is off to a 1-3 start in league games and is 2-5 overall.

Coach Brad Frost’s 20-0 Gophers women’s hockey team is dominating opponents. The Gophers have scored 114 goals to their opponents 12, an average of 5.7 per game versus 0.6. Amanda Kessel has 25 goals and 29 assists, while teammate Hannah Brandt totals 19 and 29. Minnesota doesn’t play again until a two-game home series on January 11 and 12 against North Dakota.

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‘Superman’ Inspires, Breaks Record

Posted on November 12, 2012November 12, 2012 by David Shama

Maybe it was fate that Adrian Peterson broke a Vikings’ rushing record yesterday against the Lions.

The All-Pro running back went over 1,000 yards for the fifth time in a season and broke a tie with Robert Smith for the franchise record of most 1,000 yard seasons. Peterson ran for 171 yards in a 34-24 win over the Lions, including a 61-yard touchdown run. It was the fourth consecutive game that Peterson, the NFL’s leading rusher, has totaled over 100 yards this season.

Peterson, now in his sixth pro season, is a clear choice as the franchise’s best running back ever. He plays in a division, the NFC North, that has three other franchises with legendary running backs. During their eras Barry Sanders (Lions), Walter Payton and Gale Sayers (Bears), and Jim Taylor (Packers) were superstar runners. Sanders is regarded by some historians as the greatest running back of all-time.

At 27 years old and healthy again after last season’s ACL injury, Peterson is on track to join Sanders, Payton and Taylor in the Pro Football Hall of Fame. After yesterday’s win, Peterson’s teammates talked about him like he’s already a legend.

Yes, they described him as the “best back in the league” but the praise went beyond that. “Adrian is kind of a Superman,” left guard Charlie Johnson said. “He’s a freak. You would never think that an injury like that would happen to him. But it happened, and the way he fought back, it is inspiring to us.”

Peterson has been playing since the opening game of the season despite the brutal injury he suffered. He’s his old self running with power, making superlative cuts and possessing the straightaway speed to race past secondary defenders.

“He’s pretty darn good, huh? Best back in the league right now,” center John Sullivan said. “Those all-time discussions (best runner ever) are always going to be debatable. What he’s doing—especially in a pass happy league—is fantastic.”

Johnson agrees there’s no lasting impacting from the ACL injury. “He’s unbelievable. I really don’t think you can tell if he got hurt or not. It’s just the way that he’s running, and seeing the field well. It’s fun to block (for him).”

Johnson said Peterson’s ordeal of suffering the injury and then coming back so dramatically to reclaim his spot as the NFL’s premier running back set an example for the other Vikings. “He means a lot. For him to get hurt last year and for him to attack his rehab the way he did, that gets our attention. That the guy…had a major knee injury and he’s back way ahead of when everybody thought he was, that makes you work hard. It makes the whole locker room want to work hard and get better every day seeing that.”

The Vikings have a bye next week and for now they can celebrate being 6-4, ending a two-game losing streak. There were contributions from many Vikings on both offense and defense yesterday in beating the Lions (4-5) in a key division game but the main donor was No. 28.

Four of the Vikings’ six remaining games are on the road. Vikings marketing executive Steve LaCroix said small numbers of tickets are still available for the team’s last two home games, December 9 versus the Bears and December 30 against the Packers. Both games will sellout. Information on tickets: www.vikings.com.

Gophers, Wolves & Other Notes

The Gophers are bowl eligible for the first time since 2009 with their 17-3 win over Illinois on Saturday, winning the game with a reshuffled offensive line and using several true freshmen including quarterback Philip Nelson who had a difficult day facing Illini blitzes that seemed to have him and his receivers off balance.

Nelson passed for 78 yards. It didn’t help that two of his most reliable receivers, A.J. Barker and Derrick Engel, were injured and didn’t play.

Coach Jerry Kill has been shuffling personnel on the offensive line all season including having to replace starting left tackle Ed Olson and left guard Tommy Olson. At Illinois, injuries forced the Gophers to play three different centers.

In addition to Nelson, the Gophers received significant minutes from these true freshmen: defensive tackle Scott Ekpe, defensive end Alex Keith, wide receiver Andre McDonald, tight end Lincoln Plsek and running back Rodrick Williams.

Much of the Timberwolves’ fast start this season can be attributed to the team’s defensive play. The Wolves, despite a run of injuries that has sidelined multiple players, have a 4-2 record. They rank fifth among NBA teams in fewest points given up per game, 89.5, and third best in lowest field goal percentage allowed, .415.

But on Friday night before the Wolves earned their fourth win of the season, forward Andrei Kirilenko told Sports Headliners there’s much potential for improvement. “I still think we’re far from playing great defense but I think we’re doing a very good job in the mental effort. Everybody (is) trying to play defense. A lot of things when you play on defense, comes from the state of mind. …”

Kirilenko is a former all-NBA defense first and second team selection. He said it can take years for teams to maximize their defensive effectiveness as they learn assignments, how to help each other and develop the required work ethic.

Kirilenko said his wife, former Russian pop singer Marina Masha Lopatova, is living with him in Minnesota. Can Kirilenko sing? “I can sing in the shower,” he said.

The Wolves other Russian player, 23-year-old rookie guard Alexey Shved, has improved his English in the last few months. “I tell them you’re in America now, you have to speak English,” teammate Chase Budinger joked.

Budinger suffered a lateral meniscus tear in his left knee on Saturday night against the Bulls in Chicago. Surgery will be scheduled later this week.

The November 12 issue of Sports Illustrated includes the magazine’s annual college basketball preview. The Gophers are ranked No. 31 in the country and forecast to earn a win in the NCAA Tournament. Indiana is No. 1, with two other Big Ten Conference schools in the top 10, No. 6 Michigan and No. 7 Ohio State.

The magazine includes former St. Cloud Tech High School guard Nate Wolters among its three players who are potential “game changers”—players from lesser known schools that could make a big impact this season. S.I. reports the South Dakota State point guard is a potential NBA draft choice, and last season accounted for 27.2 percent of his team’s field goals and 33 percent of the free throws.

The NHL lockout could end soon as players feel the pressure of continued lost paychecks. Meanwhile, players from the Wild work out at rinks in Edina, Orono and Wayzata knowing they have to be in shape and keep their skills sharp, or they will be at a competitive disadvantage if training camp and the season starts. It’s presumed NHL training camps will last only seven to 14 days.

The 2013 NHL Winter Classic scheduled for Michigan Stadium in Ann Arbor has been cancelled but look for the site to host the game in 2014. The 2015 game? It’s worth a bet Target Field will be the site.

Gophers hockey reunions are planned for February 23 and March 2 recognizing the 10^th anniversary of the 2003 national championship team and the 30^th anniversary of the 1983 WCHA title team. The Gophers athletic department is inviting former team members, coaches and staff to receptions prior to Minnesota’s home games on those dates with Minnesota-Duluth and Denver. There will also be on-ice recognition of the anniversary teams during the games.

Twins president Dave St. Peter will speak at the Minnesota Minute Men Holiday Event on December 3 at Jax Café. The Minute Men welcome prospective new members at the 6 to 8 p.m. event that will include complimentary beverages and appetizers. RSVP at www.minnesotaminutemen.com.

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