Uncategorized – Page 2 – David Shama's Minnesota Sports Headliners

Vikes Coach: Suspended Jordan Addison Has ‘Heart of Gold’

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

Vikings third-year wide receiver Jordan Addison received a three-game regular season suspension from the NFL yesterday for violating the league’s substance abuse policy, but head coach Kevin O’Connell is standing by his player because he sees accountability and behavior he likes. He referred today to Addison having a “heart of gold,” praising his relationships with teammates and his work ethic.

Addison pled guilty this summer to a misdemeanor charge stemming from a traffic incident last year in Los Angeles. O’Connell is a fan of Addison’s talent on the field but that wouldn’t cut it if he didn’t see that the 23-year-old USC alum has “taken full accountability” for his situation off the field.

O’Connell said the suspension is a “temporary setback” for Addison and he expects him to have a great season. The coach said it’s fortunate that Addison’s suspension will only prevent him from practicing for the first game, not the next two.

Injuries have caused multiple offensive players, including superstar WR Justin Jefferson, to miss stretches of training camp. A healthy unit might be more on O’Connell’s mind now than usual. “We want to make sure we’re as healthy as possible knowing that we’re going to be without Jordan there for not only the opener but for the first three,” he said.

Addison had 875 receiving yards last season, second on the team to Jefferson with 1,553. O’Connell wouldn’t speculate who will emerge to replace Addison for the first three games.

Kickoff Saturday for the opening preseason game against the Texans in Minneapolis is 3 p.m. with the game simulcasted on FOX 9 (television) and KFAN (radio). Announcers are Paul Allen, Pete Bercich and Ben Leber. The game will also air on NFL Network.

The view here is the Vikings will include rookie quarterback Max Brosmer on the final 53-man roster. The brass may be too impressed with the astute former Golden Gopher to risk losing him on waivers when the season roster is determined. The intent is likely to keep three quarterbacks on the roster: McCarthy, No. 2 Sam Howell and Brosmer, with veteran Brett Rypien cut from the team.

The annual NFL Draft has never been held in Minnesota but the Vikings and the Minnesota Sports and Events organization are working to change that. Vikings owner Mark Wilf made intentions clear recently at training camp.

“We certainly have been working with the Minnesota events group and the NFL to put our community out there to make sure we can get a draft,” Wilf said. “We’ve shown we can do big events, whether it’s a Super Bowl or Final Four. And I know our team is hard at work to putting an effort together. So, it’ll be an outstanding venue when we get it, and we’re working very hard to get it here.”

The 2024 NFL Draft in Detroit had a record reported attendance of 775,000, while Green Bay’s number earlier this year was more than 600,000. The 2026 draft will be in Pittsburgh, with the 2027 draft in Washington D.C.

Vikings NFL Hall of Famer and former NFL MVP Alan Page, once a Minnesota Supreme Court justice, turns 80 tomorrow.

The Vikings expect about 40,000 fans to visit training camp this year, a similar total as in the past. Among those in attendance today was Senator Amy Klobuchar.

The Gophers don’t have a lot in common with the all-time goliath of college football, the Alabama Crimson Tide, but there are a couple of timely notes. University of Washington transfer Kahlee Tafai, an offensive tackle who figures in Gopher plans this season, turned down Alabama, as did two prominent recruits who will be part of the 2026 prep recruiting class, Roman Voss and Ryan Estrada.

Tafai, listed at 6-5 and 340-pounds, will have three seasons of eligibility at Minnesota after starting four games last season for the Huskies. He was ranked as the No. 64 tackle in the nation coming out of high school in California.

Voss, the consensus No. 1 2025 football recruit in the state of Minnesota, reduced his final college choices to the Gophers and Crimson Tide. Then in June the coveted athlete from Jackson, who projects as a tight end in college, announced he will attend Minnesota.

Estrada, a highly recruited running back from El Paso, turned down blue-blood programs Michigan and Alabama. 247Sports ranks both him and Voss as composite 4-star players.

Kalen DeBoer, the Alabama head coach going into his second season, has recruiting roots in the five-state region that includes Minnesota. He once was head coach at Sioux Falls University where Tide offensive coordinator Ryan Grubb worked for him.

Let’s not get carried away with saying the Gophers have any significant edge on the Tide but it’s worth noting on the field the two programs have played once with Minnesota the winner. In the 2004 Music City Bowl Glen Mason’s Gophers defeated ‘Bama, 20-16.

In 2032 and 2033 Minnesota and Alabama will play a home and home series. The first game will be in Minneapolis.

Double-A Wichita outfielder Walker Jenkins was named Texas League Player of the Week on Monday. In six games, he hit .500 (12-for-24) with two doubles, three home runs, five RBI, eight runs scored, four walks, two stolen bases, a .552 on-base percentage, a .958 slugging percentage and a 1.510 OPS. He is ranked by MLB.com as the Twins top prospect and 12th-best in pro baseball.

Gotta figure the Pohlads are heavy favorites to win Patrick Reusse’s Turkey of the Year Award.

A Sports Headliners reader emailed with this comment: “Remember allowing Jack Morris to declare his free agency a few days after Game Seven, 1991 (World Series)? Allowing him to leave deprived the team of a good chance to repeat in 1992. That was a wake-up call per the Pohlads’ willingness to invest in their team.”

Comments Welcome

Don’t Bet on Seeing a Lot of QB J.J. McCarthy in Preseason

Posted on August 3, 2025August 3, 2025 by David Shama

The Vikings play their first of three preseason games starting Saturday at U.S. Bank Stadium. Then they have joint practices August 13 and 14 in Eagan against the Patriots before playing them in an exhibition game August 16 in Minneapolis. The Vikings finish up with a preseason game August 22 in Nashville against the Titans.

What fans are salivating over is when they can watch quarterback J.J. McCarthy. The short answer is not much.

That’s a popular view including from a valued Sports Headliners source whose background includes front office assignments with NFL teams. Speaking on condition of anonymity he said via text: “I expect him to play a couple series at most in (the) preseason opener vs Texans, then after their joint practices with Patriots, he won’t play in preseason #2…or the last preseason game when no starters play.”

McCarthy talking about rookie quarterback Max Brosmer, the former Golden Gopher: “Max is the man. Just super detail oriented, works his butt off. I can’t say enough good things about that guy. He is just an awesome human being, and he can sing pretty well, too. He’s got a song out there: Old Jack Daniels. You can check it out…” https://www.youtube.com/watch?

Will Reichard, the Vikings rookie kicker who last season made all of his extra points and converted 24 of 30 field goal attempts including eight from over 50 yards, is hitting the ball well in training camp, per special teams coach Matt Daniels. Noting that the Vikings will face adverse weather conditions on the road, Daniels said the “biggest thing is handling” the elements at camp which can include stiff winds.

Worth Noting

The Big Ten Network airs its football training camp show on the Gophers today at multiple times including 6 to 7 p.m. and 10 to 11 p.m. The BTN crew was in town last night to attend the practice open to the public and media.

Interesting take: background music was played throughout the evening’s practice including the Iowa fight song. Surprisingly, no boo-birds or even murmurs surfaced from the crowd of perhaps 2,000 people.

The players were limited in contact with an emphasis on passing and new starting quarterback Drake Lindsey, the redshirt freshman, threw some nice balls. The wide receiver corps, as advertised, was impressive including redshirt freshman Jalen Smith from Mankato who could emerge as a star before his four seasons of eligibility are done.

The Gophers showed a goal line power offense with tight end Frank Bierman lined up in front of the tailback. The pecking order at tailback looked like Darius Taylor and transfers A.J. Turner (Marshall) and Cam Davis (Washington).

The speedy and elusive Turner, who in 2024 averaged a nation’s best 8.3 yards per carry for runners with over 100 rushing attempts, returned kickoffs at last night’s practice.

Daniel Jackson, the true freshman from Alexandria, Minnesota, showed a strong leg on field goal attempts. Brady Denaburg, the senior transfer from Syracuse, flashed perhaps even a stronger leg. He made 13 of 22 career field goals at Syracuse and recorded 156 touchbacks on 198 kickoffs.

BetMGM has the Gophers as 16.5 point favorites playing at home to defeat Buffalo in the season opener for both teams on August 28. It appears to be a large point spread against a Buffalo team that is among the favorites to win the Mid-American.

Gopher head coach P.J. Fleck loves to play golf but his increasingly busy schedule limits times on the links. He usually plays with his buddy Cal Simmons at Interlachen Country Club, and Simmons said the two have been out about six times this year and play either early in the day or late.

Twins president Derek Falvey sent out a letter via email Friday to ticket purchasers. It said in part: “This week, we made a clear and deliberate decision to strengthen the next chapter of championship-caliber baseball for the Minnesota Twins. ..

“We know moves like this spark reactions. That’s natural. It reflects how much you care.

“That’s why we’re positioning the Twins to compete at a higher level, not just in the short term, but in a way that can endure the ups and downs of a long season. That’s the kind of team you deserve.

“The mission hasn’t changed. We’re here to build a team that can win a World Series. …”

A Sports Headliners reader points out that since the Twins won the 1991 World Series all their rivals in the American League Central Division have been to the big show. The Guardians have been to three World Series, the Royals and Tigers two, and the White Sox one. The Royals and White Sox won titles.

1 comment

‘Slap in the Face’ Motivates Gophers New QB Drake Lindsey

Posted on July 16, 2025July 16, 2025 by David Shama

Drake Lindsey, the presumptive starter as the Golden Gophers quarterback for the August 28 opening game against Buffalo, certainly doesn’t lack motivation. Big-time college football players always talk about excelling and being elite, but there’s something more involved with Lindsey—the redshirt freshman from Fayetteville, Arkansas.

Lindsey told KFAN Radio this morning it was a “slap in the face” that he wasn’t recruited by his hometown Arkansas Razorbacks. Lindsey grew up dreaming of playing for the Hogs. His high school is located a short walk to the Arkansas campus. He comes from a family of Arkansas alums.

Yet it was head coach P.J. Fleck and assistant coach Greg Harbaugh Jr. who committed early to Lindsey and made him feel wanted at Minnesota. Lindsey said he will use the Arkansas snub to push himself.

Lindsey told the radio audience he’s excited about his college choice and sees his destination as something meant to be. He also knows being a first-year starter will be challenging after playing only limited minutes last season as Max Brosmer’s backup.

Brosmer was an acclaimed leader and accomplished player who is now trying to make the Vikings roster. Lindsey, who describes himself as more extroverted than Brosmer, learned a lot from last year’s star QB.

Lindsey said at a media gathering this morning it was a “blessing to have that guy,” praising how Brosmer led the team, performed and put such effort into preparation. Lindsey doesn’t think anybody in the country “prepared like Max.”

Lindsey said back in January he was trying to act like Brosmer but since then has learned to be himself. He has impressed teammates with his development.

Defensive end and upper classman Anthony Smith believes Lindsey has “really stepped his game up” as the months have gone by. “On the field I think he’s an awesome leader,” Smith said.

Listed at 6-foot-5 and 230 pounds, Lindsey came on strong his senior season and led Fayetteville High School to a 13-0 record and state championship. He threw for 3,941 yards in his senior season while completing 69 percent of his passes (264-for-383), tossed 54 touchdown passes and had just three interceptions.

Minnesota started recruiting Lindsey in April of 2023, before his senior season. He said the Gophers showed him “love” and made him feel special.

With ambition to be a “great quarterback,” Lindsey will have the opportunity to show the Razorbacks what they missed.

Worth Noting

Koi Perich photo courtesy of University of Minnesota

The Gophers Koi Perich, who was the No. 1 recruit in the state two years ago out of Esko, continues to receive lots of summertime recognition after his breakout freshman season in 2024. Among the latest honors is Lindy’s Big Ten preview magazine selecting him as a second team preseason All-American safety.

Perich is also second team All-Big Ten while defensive teammates Anthony Smith (end) and Maverick Baranowski (linebacker) are third team selections by Lindy’s.

The magazine picks the Gophers 11^th in the 18-team Big Ten, one spot behind Iowa and one ahead of Wisconsin.

The publication quotes an anonymous NFL scout as saying the Gophers could push into the national top 25 conversation. “When you look at what P.J. Fleck has done at Minnesota, it’s impressive,” the scout said. “Even without the NIL resources to push them into the top tier of the Big Ten, he’s managed to keep the program competitive. …”

Scott Dochterman, writing in The Athletic last week, ranked college football’s 100 best rivalries and has Minnesota-Wisconsin at No. 10. Minnesota-Iowa is No. 34.

Congratulations to Sports Headliners advertiser Blaze Credit Union on its recent honors. The Falcon Heights-based company was recently named Minnesota’s best in five categories in the Star Tribune Readers’ Choice Awards. Blaze earned Gold for Credit Union, Home Mortgage, Wealth Management, and Financial Services Customer Service, and Silver in the overall Customer Service category.

Blaze has also been named a Forbes Best-in-State Credit Union for the third consecutive year. Partnering with the market research firm Statista, Forbes annually recognizes the best banks and credit unions across the nation. Financial institutions have been evaluated via survey by approximately 26,000 U.S. residents.

Comments Welcome