Timberwolves – Page 56 – David Shama's Minnesota Sports Headliners

Ageless Peterson Won’t Play at 40

Posted on October 22, 2019October 22, 2019 by David Shama

Adrian Peterson, 34, could be playing against his old team, the Vikings, for the last time Thursday night at U.S. Bank Stadium. There was doubt earlier this week about Peterson’s availability for the game because of an ankle injury but Cbssports.com is reporting this afternoon that he will play in Minneapolis.

The future Hall of Famer has been a starter on a bad 1-6 Redskins team. Peterson, filling for injured starter Derrius Guice, has run for 307 rush yards and one touchdown on 83 attempts in six games. His longest run is 25 yards and he is averaging 3.7 yards per carry. Although time and the pounding of the NFL have surely diminished Peterson’s skills, it’s remarkable he is still productive at such an advanced age for a running back.

Peterson, who played for the Vikings from 2007-2016, has long talked about becoming a king of old age ball carriers. Even when Peterson was with the Vikings he speculated about being on the field at age 40. Then last December in an interview posted on NFL.com he revisited the topic.

With one game remaining in the season his Redskins weren’t going to qualify for the playoffs but Peterson claimed to have “fresh legs” and was upbeat while answering questions. “My body feels great,” he said.

Toward the interview’s end Peterson was asked how many more years he might play in the NFL? “God willing, I am thinking about 40 years (old),” he said.

Peterson, who earlier this season set the NFL all-time record for rushing touchdowns with 107, has also played for the Saints and Cardinals since leaving Minnesota. He loves to play football but money is likely a motivation, too. Multiple media sources last summer reported he had serious financial problems.

The Redskins lost 9-0 to the 49ers on Sunday with Peterson gaining 81 yards on 20 carries. Word from a Sports Headliners source is Peterson was less effective in the second half, and that his third quarter fumble, on the team’s best drive, was a turning point in the game. “He still runs hard, but seems to lack the breakaway quickness or agility of earlier times,” the source said via email.

In the competitive world of the NFL, teams are looking to the future as well as the present. Peterson has set records and made remarkable comebacks from injuries but playing to age 40 seems impossible. More likely is that all those Vikings fans who cheered for him so long will say goodbye Thursday evening.

Worth Noting

The Vikings announced this afternoon the release of cornerback and punt returner Marcus Sherels who has played most of his NFL career with the organization. The Rochester native was a walk-on standout with the Gophers.

Former Vikings quarterback Case Keenum, a featured part of the Redskins’ struggling offense, is expected to be the starter for Thursday night’s game in Minneapolis.

Gophers head football coach P.J. Fleck reiterated today on KFAN Radio that the availability of injured senior linebacker Kamal Martin will be a game-time decision Saturday before taking on Maryland.

Fleck talking on the radio about inspirational four-time cancer survivor Casey O’Brien who is the Big Ten Special Teams Player of the Week, and will visit a hospital to help others this afternoon: “The attitude he has is non-human.”

Fleck’s wife, Heather, will attend Friday’s Goal Line Club lunch at Jax Café where Gophers cornerback coach Rod Chance will speak. Mike Grimm, radio voice of the Gophers, will emcee. More at Goallineclub.org.

It will be interesting to watch the secondary tickets market for Saturday’s showdown game in Brookings between North Dakota State and South Dakota State. Monday StubHub.com was featuring tickets ranging in cost from $ 85.39 to $283.89.

The “coaching tree” is healthy: first year NDSU head coach Matt Entz is 7-0 while Chris Klieman, the mentor he succeeded in Fargo, is 4-2 at Kansas State following a big win over TCU last Saturday. Klieman’s former boss with the Bison, ex-NDSU head coach Craig Bohl, is 5-2 at Wyoming.

Running back Zach Zenner, the former Eagan, Minnesota and South Dakota star, caught a pass for six yards and rushed for a single yard in his debut game for the Saints on Sunday.

Mike Mahlen of Verndale became the first Minnesota prep football coach to achieve 400 career wins when his team defeated Rothsay last week. Mahlen, 400-123-3, is in his 51st season at Verndale (about 150 miles northwest of Minneapolis) where he has spent his entire head coaching career.

The Timberwolves, who open their NBA regular season Wednesday night against the Nets in Brooklyn, are predicted to finish 13th among 15 Western Conference teams by Sports Illustrated. In the magazine’s NBA preview issue the Wolves are ranked No. 22 among the league’s most fun teams to watch. There are 30 NBA teams.

“The offensive brilliance of Karl-Anthony Towns is basically weighed down by the offensive brickiness of Andrew Wiggins,” the magazine said in the story about the entertainment appeal of all 30 NBA teams.

Timberwolves owner Glen Taylor on Towns’ whose offensive game is among the NBA’s best: “He’s pretty well got that down.”

Taylor told Sports Headliners last week that coach Ryan Saunders has asked him to travel with the team, something that Ryan’s dad, Flip Saunders, also requested.

Taylor, an investor in the Minnesota United, said the third-year MLS franchise will not be profitable this year and probably won’t be for awhile.

It’s believed Twin Cities winter time teams are finding it a challenge to sell season tickets. A guesstimate is the Wild could be at about 11,000 season tickets, with the Timberwolves and basketball Gophers in the 7,000 to 8,000 range. Sports Headliners reported Sunday that Gophers hockey non-student season tickets are at 4,610 and down from 5,060 in 2018-2019, according to the University of Minnesota.

Budget ticket prices are featured now by the University in multiple sports including a $15 single game ticket for men’s basketball.

Condolences to family and friends of former Gophers volleyball coach Mike Hebert who passed away Monday at age 75.

It was 20 years ago last Sunday that original Twins owner Calvin Griffith died at age 87.

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Downtown Safety Concerns Wolves Owner

Posted on October 16, 2019October 16, 2019 by David Shama

A week from Sunday night the NBA Timberwolves open their home regular season schedule at Target Center against the Miami Heat. Many of the Wolves’ customers will be concerned about safety in downtown Minneapolis for that game and the 40 other home dates to follow.

Patrons of city-owned Target Center and many other places downtown are alarmed by the shootings, beatings, harassment and other abhorrent behavior by thugs who roam downtown streets, say and do what they want, and threaten the well-being of defenseless men, women and children.

The environment in a once great downtown and admired city has changed with a population of troublemakers who brazenly do everything from panhandling to stealing to inflicting physical harm and property damage. A downtown proprietor told Sports Headliners about his building being spray painted with graffiti and his entrance doors frequently being urinated upon. Another person confirmed she and her workers are funneled off the street into a protected place to ensure their safe arrival.

Downtown business leaders, and the police, want more cops hired in the city, maybe even 400 additional law enforcement officers. The City Council, though, hasn’t approved additional hires and many skeptics don’t think it will. Critics say the Council just thinks differently. “They’re on another plane,” a former city official said.

Downtown businesses provide huge revenues to the city via commercial property taxes, and contributing significantly too are the customers who generate sales tax revenues. Without those monies the City Council would have a much different Minneapolis budget to work with. “They (the Council) are killing the Golden Goose,” the source quoted above said.

Glen Taylor has owned the Timberwolves for about 25 years and he has seen the deterioration of downtown. “The safety of our fans downtown at night is of the utmost importance for us,” he told Sports Headliners. “Not to have the proper law enforcement people out there to at least discourage any bad things to happen is just the wrong way to go. I hope the City Council will get in line and help support this idea (of) getting more law enforcement downtown for not only us but for all the events down there.”

Taylor is knowledgeable about his customer base, including families with young children. They may think twice about attending a Wolves game. Perception is enough to frighten fans, even if they haven’t been traumatized by past experiences. Taylor said, “…It just keeps them from coming downtown because they’re frightened that it (an incident) might happen to them.”

Worth Noting

Taylor’s other team, the WNBA Lynx, is done with its season and made the playoffs for a ninth consecutive year. He said the club again was financially profitable, although not as much as in the past when the Lynx had deep playoff runs.

All-Pro forward Maya Moore took a sabbatical and didn’t play last season. What about next year? “I don’t have any knowledge of what her decision is going to be,” Taylor said.

Golden Gophers redshirt junior forward Eric Curry, who suffered a season-ending knee injury last week, will have surgery next week, per an announcement this morning from basketball coach Richard Pitino.

In a couple of “mop-up” situations, including in the fourth quarter last Saturday night when the Golden Gophers had a 34-7 lead over Nebraska, coach P.J. Fleck has not used freshmen backup quarterbacks Jacob Clark and Cole Kramer. By doing so Fleck preserves the option of being able to use either, or both, for up to four games and still preserve their redshirt status if they have to replace starter Tanner Morgan because of injury or illness.

Morgan ranks No. 4 nationally in passing efficiency, while running back Rodney Smith is ninth in rushing yards per game (112.5) and 14th in all-purpose yards (134.33). Minnesota ranks 10th in the country in fewest penalties at 4.50 per game, and No. 12 in time of possession, 33:33.

Fleck said on his KFAN Radio show Tuesday that Gophers offensive tackle Daniel Faalele, who missed last Saturday’s game against Nebraska, was back at practice. He also said quarterback Zack Annexstad, last year’s early season starter, was not wearing a protective boot at practice, and possibly could play before year’s end. He had foot surgery in August.

Twin Cities native Amanda DeKanick, a graduate of Irondale High School, is the first female full-time athletic trainer in Vikings history.

If coach Mike Mahlen’s Verndale team defeats Rothsay Wednesday night, he becomes the first Minnesota prep football coach to achieve 400 career wins. Mahlen, 399-123-3, is in his 51st season at Verndale (about 150 miles northwest of Minneapolis) where he has spent his entire head coaching career. He can become the 18th active high school football coach in the country with 400 or more career wins. The national all-time high school career wins leader is John McKissick from Summerville High School (South Carolina), with a career record of 621-156-13.

Yom Kippur was last week and Minneapolis attorney Marshall Tanick authored an article for the October 4 American Jewish World regarding Jewish athletes who chose not to play on the sacred holiday. Tanick recalled that Dodgers’ superstar pitcher Sandy Koufax sat out the October 6 opening World Series game in 1965 against the Twins at Metropolitan Stadium. In 1967 Gophers All-American defensive end Bob Stein chose not to play when his team’s game against Illinois came on a Yom Kippur Saturday.

Quoting Wild owner Craig Leipold via email: “The NHL scheduler in NY was hard on the Wild this year by starting the season with 4 of 5 games on the road. Tough way to start the year.”

Birthday wishes to classy Fred Hoiberg, the former Timberwolves player and executive, who turned 47 on Tuesday. Hoiberg, now head men’s basketball coach at Nebraska, has twice had open-heart surgery and worn a pacemaker for years.

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Vikings Face No Ordinary Sunday

Posted on September 22, 2019September 22, 2019 by David Shama

Today’s Vikings-Raiders game at U.S. Bank Stadium has more drama surrounding it for the Purple than was predicted a couple of weeks ago. The 1-1 Vikings not only need a win to maintain their status as one of the NFL’s better teams, but quarterback Kirk Cousins badly needs redemption after last Sunday’s 14 of 32 passing performance in the team’s 21-16 loss to the Packers in Green Bay.

Cousins, the team’s $84 million man, didn’t do enough to justify his big contract in year one last year as the Vikings finished 8-7-1 and missed the playoffs after going 13-3 the previous season. In two games this season he hasn’t significantly impacted the outcomes, including a two interceptions performance in Green Bay. With a reputation for not being at his best under pressure dating back to his days playing with the Washington Redskins, it’s high time for Cousins to deliver today and on future Sundays.

Cousins acknowledged several days ago he won’t continue to hold his spot as the team’s starting quarterback if he doesn’t play better. The passionate Vikings fan base read that statement and could lose faith in the seven-year veteran before head coach Mike Zimmer does. A bad day for both Cousins and the Vikings against a mediocre 1-1 Raiders team known for their leaky pass defense will turn the Purple faithful into the unfaithful.

Cousins appeared shaken in the second half against the Packers after making an awful judgment on an attempted end zone touchdown pass that resulted in an interception, and was a turning point in the game. It might have been that kind of play Zimmer had in mind when he issued this vote of confidence for his quarterback last week:

“Kirk had an up and down game last week. He’s going to be fine. We have the utmost confidence in him. He’s in a good place where he’s going to play good this week and continue to play good for the rest of the year.”

If Cousins is fine today and during the remainder of the season it will certainly help Zimmer’s job security. Expectations are high in 2019 for the Vikings with an ownership group that wants a Super Bowl. The Wilf family has provided all the resources including a supportive payroll, new practice home and perhaps the NFL’s best stadium. Success is expected from Zimmer and GM Rick Spielman, both of whom surely promoted the Cousins signing to the owners.

If a quarterback change is made, presumably an opportunity will be given to backup Sean Mannion, the only other QB on the active roster. Acquired in a free agent signing during the offseason, Mannion is in his fifth NFL season but has minimal game day experience—10 games and one start. He has yet to see the field with the Vikings in a regular season game, and in four previous seasons with the St. Louis-L.A. Rams he attempted 53 passes, with 33 completions, one interception and no touchdowns.

The 6-foot-6, 230-pound former Oregon State quarterback throws a harder pass than Cousins who has more touch, according to Vikings cornerback Mike Hughes. “Yeah, he does have a pretty good fastball,” Hughes told Sports Headliners, while adding the extra zip can deliver the football in tight spaces.

Mannion has a one year contract with the Vikings and while he admitted everyone wants to start in the NFL, he is happy with his role. He is also a Cousins admirer. He even studied the throwing mechanics of his older peer while with the Rams, watching how Cousins used his feet to maximize timing with receivers.

“Kirk is great…with his feet and playing on time,” Mannion said. “That’s something that I’ve tried to really do as part of my game as well. Trying not to get behind the timing of the play and force a bad decision, really lifting my feet.”

After Mannion arrived at the Vikings practice facility, he learned what others already knew about Cousins as a person. “He’s just an awesome dude. Just the way he treats people, everybody in the building…he treats with total respect.”

Worth Noting

Hughes, who missed most of last season with a torn ACL, could make his 2019 debut today. As of Thursday, he was undecided whether to wear a brace when he does return.

With a win today against the Raiders, the Vikings will have their 500th victory in franchise history dating back to 1961.

Brent Musburger, the 80-year-old famous sports broadcaster who graduated in 1957 from Shattuck-St. Mary’s in Faribault, is in his second season as the Raiders play-by-play man.

WCCO Radio change: The Sports Huddle program, a Sunday ratings leader for decades, has been moved from a 9:30 a.m. start to 10 a.m. Purple Sunday Pregame airs from 9 a.m. to 10 a.m.

Minneapolis native Larry Fitzgerald (1,316) needs 10 receptions today against the Carolina Panthers to surpass Pro Football Hall of Famer Tony Gonzalez for second on the NFL’s all-time list of career receptions. The Arizona Cardinals receiver has the league’s longest active streak of games with a reception (229).

A friend living in Athens, Georgia texted that interest in last night’s Georgia-Notre Dame football game was so intense that locals were asking and receiving rent of $4,000 to $6,000 per night with a two night minimum for their houses.

Timberwolves owner Glen Taylor acknowledging earlier this month that season ticket sales are down: “I would just say they (the sales force) have goals that they haven’t achieved yet.”

Tyus Jones, the former Timberwolf point guard now with the Memphis Grizzlies, will play a mentoring role to point guard Ja Morant, the team’s 2019 No. 1 draft choice.

Minnesota United, competing to make the playoffs for the first time in franchise history, plays at Providence Park in Portland this afternoon. The stadium is 95 years old, one of the iconic facilities in American sports, and home to the Portland Timbers.

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