Vikings – David Shama's Minnesota Sports Headliners

Undrafted Brosmer Wins Confidence of Coach, Teammates

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

Max Brosmer, the former Golden Gopher who made the Vikings final roster as an undrafted free agent, is now the No. 2 quarterback behind J.J. McCarthy who has a brief pro history already of injuries.

Vikings head coach Kevin O’Connell said this afternoon that veteran QB John Wolford is on the practice squad for now, leaving Brosmer as the game day potential replacement for McCarthy who missed all of last season with a knee injury and was out for five games this year with a high ankle sprain.

Brosmer, 24, is two years older than McCarthy who the Vikings made the No. 10 selection in the first round of the 2024 NFL Draft. Brosmer has six years of college football experience, five with FCS New Hampshire and one at Minnesota. McCarthy is not only younger but played only three years of college football at Michigan, including two as the starter.

O’Connell said his two young quarterbacks have become close, but he also welcomes the present of Wolford who the Vikings signed last week. At 30 years old and having played for multiple NFL teams, Wolford brings experience to the quarterback room even though he last played in a regular season game in December of 2022.

McCarthy has now played in three regular season games including yesterday’s impressive performance in the 27-24 win over the Lions in Detroit. He ran for one touchdown and threw two touchdown passes.

Brosmer has played briefly in two regular-season games, attempting eight passes, completing five and throwing for 42 yards. He played in all three preseason games and completed 35 of 58 passes for 364 yards and two touchdowns.

Although the NFL trade deadline is tomorrow, O’Connell didn’t make it sound like the Vikings are anxious to change their quarterback roster. He has expressed confidence in all three of his guys.

O’Connell added that Brosmer has “been able to grow throughout the season” and that the Georgia native prepares as if he is one snap away from going into the game. Having gone through training camp and multiple weeks of the regular season, Brosmer has won the trust of his teammates, O’Connell said.

“…I think the confidence level (of teammates) would be really high in Max (if he had to replace McCarthy),” the coach said. “I know my confidence level would be very, very high in Max knowing he’s a young player, knowing it would be his first opportunity (to get in a game early). …I would have a lot of confidence in Max and certainly I know Max feels the same way.”

Worth Noting

O’Connell is upbeat about the recovery of Aaron Jones who injured the AC joint in his shoulder yesterday against the Lions. The coach said he will have an update on his starting running back later in the week.

O’Connell offered positive reports on players who have had injuries but came out okay after the game yesterday including McCarthy, Christian Darrisaw, Brian O’Neill and Andrew Van Ginkel. He added that as of today Theo Jackson will be in concussion protocol.

Three Vikings who didn’t play in Detroit because of injuries are C.J. Ham, Josh Oliver and Ryan Kelly. Their returns to game action are unknown as they work through rehab.

Radio game day voices of the Vikings, Paul Allen, Pete Bercich and Ben Leber, share their insights about the team with Capital Club attendees on November 11 at the Minnesota Vikings Museum in Eagan. More information about the breakfast gathering and club is available from Patrick Klinger, patrick@agilemarketingco.com.

The new Musco lighting system at Target Center is believed to cost lower seven figures and is paid for by the Timberwolves. The city owned facility now has lighting similar to other NBA venues, spotlighting the action on the court in theater-style.

Anthony Edwards, who suffered a right hamstring strain in a game Oct. 26, is cleared for contact basketball activities, the Wolves announced today. His game availability remains out while he continues to progress with his rehab program.

Josh Minott and Luka Garza, now with the Celtics after playing the three previous seasons for the Wolves, are averaging career high numbers in minutes played per game. Minott’s is at 21.8 minutes and averaging a career best 8.3 points. Garza is at 14.3 minutes and is near a career high in points per game, 6.2 compared to 6.5 in 2022-2023 with the Wolves.

Former Gopher men’s basketball player Parker Fox has been hired by the Big Ten Network to provide color commentary on telecasts.

The hiring of Derek Shelton as the new Twins manager was ripped by a knowledgeable source who reached out to Sports Headliners. He described it as a typical blunder by the Pohlads, a safe, cheap and sad hire.

Talk among a couple of knowledgeable Twins sources is that baseball and business operations boss Derek Falvey didn’t want to fire Rocco Baldelli after the season but was told to by ownership. Falvey hired Baldelli in October of 2018 and the two were believed to have a solid relationship.

Rawlings and Minor League baseball announced Gold Glove winners yesterday including High-A Cedar Rapids second baseman Kyle DeBarge who is the No. 11 prospect in the Twins farm system. The 22-year-old former 2024 draft pick had just six errors in 279 chances last season.

Ty France, who started the season with the Twins before being traded to the Blue Jays, won the American League Gold Glove Award for his fielding at first base. He was +10 Outs Above Average in 2025.

The 6-3 Gopher football team has lost all three of its road games, with remaining away games at Oregon and Northwestern. The Gophers, on a six-game home winning streak, have one remaining game in Minneapolis, the season finale against Wisconsin. Minnesota was 4-2 in away games last year including the bowl win in Charlotte.

The Golden Gopher 2027 lineup of Big Ten home games is a marketing dream for selling tickets at Huntington Bank Stadium. Minnesota has five league games (happens every other year) with a glitzy lineup of Illinois, Indiana, Ohio State, Washington and Wisconsin.

With last Saturday’s 45-0 win over Marist, St. Thomas head football coach Glenn Caruso and associate head coach Wallie Kuchinski coached their 200^th game with the Tommies. Their all-time record is 163-37 at St. Thomas.

The Minnesota Football Coaches Association has a membership drive to exceed 1,200 members. The organization is a pillar for the success of high school football in the state with its awards, events, scholarships and other activities to promote the game. https://www.mshsca.org/joinnow

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J.J. McCarthy and Teammates Pull Off a Stunner in Motown

Posted on November 2, 2025November 2, 2025 by David Shama

J.J. McCarthy made a resounding return as the Vikings’ starting quarterback today as Minnesota made timely plays on offense and used a physical defense to upset the Lions in Detroit, 27-24.

McCarthy, who had missed the previous five games with an ankle injury, threw two touchdown passes and ran for another score as the Vikings improved their season record to 4-4 against the defending NFC North Division champion Lions who entered the game as almost a double-digit favorite. The Lions had won five straight over Minnesota prior to today.

In the closing minutes of the fourth quarter McCarthy made a couple of his biggest plays. With less than two minutes to go and trying to protect a three-point lead, McCarthy scrambled for four yards on a busted first downplay. Then on third down and five, he threw a gutsy first down pass to Jalen Nailor that allowed the Vikings to run out the clock.

McCarthy, known for his meditation preparation on game day, entered Sunday with only two previous games of NFL experience. J.J. doubters were plentiful after his early season’s underwhelming performance but today the 22-year-old was commanding in the huddle and at the line of scrimmage while delivering strong arm throws and running with speed and athleticism in a game that may turn out to be a turning point in his career.

McCarthy guided an improved offense that finally had all its starting offensive linemen except center Ryan Kelly. They gave McCarthy time to throw and opened holes for revived performance by running back Aaron Jones who had 78 yards on nine carrier before leaving the game with an upper body injury.

The Vikings weren’t going to win the game, though, without a harassing defense that held the Lions hyped running game to 65 yards and bothered quarterback Jared Goff for four quarters. Goff entered the game with a 116.4 passer rating and 74.9 passing completion percentage in home games. Today he faced a blitz-focused defense that sacked him five times while holding him under his normal performance.

The Vikings were frequently more physical than the Lions led by linebacker Blake Cashman who had 11 tackles. It was Cashman who chased down Detroit running back David Montgomery and punched out the ball in a timely third quarter play. Minnesota recovered and ended a Detroit drive with Minnesota holding a 17-14 lead.

The Vikings took over at the Lions’ 35-yard line. McCarthy took the Vikings on a short drive that resulted in his nine-yard touchdown drive to put the Vikings ahead 24-14.

In the fourth quarter Levi Drake Rodriguez blocked a Detroit field goal attempt that could have narrowed the score to 24-20. The play was part of special teams contributions to the win.

Myles Price returned a kickoff 61-yards to set up the Vikings first score in the opening quarter that tied the game at 7-7. In the second half he would have had a 99-yard TD return if not for a holding penalty by Tavierre Thomas that negated the score.

The timing of the win couldn’t have been better for the Vikings and the NFC North Division standings. The division leading Packers lost to the Panthers and now have a record of 5-2-1. The Bears and Lions are both 5-3, and within reach of the Vikings with nine more games remaining on the schedule.

Medved: Tyson ‘Poised to Have Great Year for Us’

After exhibition game wins over North Dakota State and North Dakota at Williams Arena last month, new coach Niko Medved’s Golden Gophers open the regular season at home Monday night against Gardner-Webb. In those two exhibitions, Minnesota’s leading scorer was North Carolina transfer Cade Tyson with 28 and 24 points. Look for Tyson to make that a trend this fall and winter.

Tyson played sparingly at Carolina last season after he transferred from Belmont where he averaged 15 points in 61 career games. During the 2023-204 season at Belmont he was second in the nation in three-point field goal percentage at 46.5.

Tyson, a 6-foot-7 guard-forward, was one of the top transfers in the portal when he decided on Carolina. But he admitted to Sports Headliners recently that his confidence “definitely took a hit” with the Tar Heels. Not so far with the Gophers though, making 18 of 26 field goal attempts, including 10 of 15 three-pointers in the exhibition games.

“…He went to North Carolina and sometimes I think fit matters,” Medved told Sports Headliners. “Maybe it just wasn’t the right marriage for both parties. And you know he’s looking for another opportunity, and I think he’s a great fit for what we do.

“And he’s hungry, he’s got a chip on his shoulder. He’s a worker and…I think fans (already) have seen—you know, it’s early—kind of what he’s capable of doing. So, I think he’s poised to have a great year for us.”

How does Tyson fit with the Gophers? Medved likes players who can play multiple positions, and he labels Tyson a “sneaky good rebounder.” He also describes Tyson as “an exceptional rebounder” who moves well without the ball and has the ability to get to the basket and draw fouls.

Could he be the go-to player when the Gophers have to win late in games? Medved thinks so, but adds that his team is still figuring out roles. “I definitely know one thing. If he’s open, I feel like it’s going in.”

The Gophers beat out Iowa for Tyson who Medved said comes from “great stock.” His brother Hunter plays in the NBA for the Nuggets.

Isaac Asuma, unlike Tyson, has struggled with his shooting in the exhibition games. The sophomore point guard is 6 of 17 from the field including 2 of 8 on three-pointers.

Medved isn’t concerned. “He’s shot the cover off of it in practice. When you watch him every day in practice, and his mechanics, and his shooting, he really shoots it well.

“I just think it’s a small sample size. …He’s a young guy. He’s a sophomore. …He just needs to see a few go in in (during) the games and I think he can really take off. I think he’s going to be a terrific shooter, and we’ve seen that in practice.”

Medved inherits a program that two of the last three seasons finished last in the Big Ten standings. “…I think for this team the goal is when the season is over, I hope people are more excited about Gopher hoops than they are going into the season,” Medved said.

“I think there is some excitement around Gopher basketball. Whatever that looks like, we’ll see. But I like the way this team is working and we just gotta keep taking it one day at a time.”

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Scattergun Column Talking Mimosas, Vikes, Gophers & More

Posted on October 26, 2025October 26, 2025 by David Shama

Well, good morning.

I’d like to tell you I am at the downtown Four Seasons having brunch and mulling my upcoming week while on my fourth mimosa. Ha!

Instead, I am sipping an Ice Mountain and contemplating whether to do an all-day fast. After all, there’s no “football feast” with the Vikings laying low this weekend after last Thursday night’s 37-10 loss to the Chargers.

So, without distractions from the Four Seasons buffet or a kickoff approaching with the Purple, I offer another “buffet.” Here’s to a Sunday scattergun of comments to enjoy with your mimosa. …

As the years go by, I’ll never think of Carson Wentz without seeing that expression of agony on his face shown multiple times in Thursday night’s game. His lame left shoulder will become part of the 32-year-old’s legacy which includes quarterbacking North Dakota State to two FCS national championships and the 2017 Eagles to NFC glory when he was an NFL MVP candidate.

It’s controversial why coach Kevin O’Connell didn’t pull Wentz earlier in the game given his pain and suffering.

After seven games who is the Vikings MVP? Place kicker Will Reichard? He has 55 of the team’s 155 total points.

Talented second-year edge rusher Dallas Turner continues to be an enigma. Performance hasn’t matched the hype and that was a poor decision he made Thursday night arriving late to deliver a blow to Charger quarterback Justin Herbert resulting in a personal foul.

The Vikings were 9-1 in one score games last season. Through seven games this year they’re 2-2 in one score games.

Three years ago, there was debate about whether Vikings safety Harrison Smith would be voted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame after retirement. Now, at 36 and with additional playing longevity, his tenure and accomplishments look more Hall of Fame worthy. Could this be his last season? He will have to wait at least five years after retirement to be eligible for the hall.

It’s been true for a long time now, the public’s interest in the Vikings dwarfs the Gopher following. Even if the Gophers made three consecutive appearances in the College Football Playoffs, and the Vikings took up residence in the NFC North cellar all those years, the Purple would still remain a bigger deal in the state.

The last time the Gophers had moved into possible position to become the state’s football darlings was the mid-1980s when Lou Holtz was at the U. In his two seasons he mesmerized the football fandom, and when he left the Gophers were at about 56,000 season tickets. The Vikings were so concerned after one season of Holtz they brought Bud Grant out of retirement to coach the 1985 team.

After the Gophers played their best game of the season at home on October 18 in a win over Nebraska, they were awful in just about every way yesterday in a 41-3 road loss to Iowa. The Gophers, 5-3 on the season, are 0-3 in road games. Best guess here is for a 6-6 finish and low-profile bowl invite.

Grumbling fans can take positive action by contributing, or increasing, money for Name, Image and Likeness via Dinkytown Athletes.

The Gophers are overdue in erecting statues outside Huntington Bank Stadium for their football immortals. A good place to start would be with coach Bernie Bierman who led Minnesota to five national titles and the legendary Bronko Nagurski who was recognized as the greatest college football player of the first half of the 20^th century.

Shame on me for never driving to Grand Forks to watch the Gophers and Fighting Sioux…um Fighting Hawks play hockey.

Feeling good about arranging a Tuesday get together with new Golden Gophers basketball coach Niko Medved, 52, and former coach Jim Dutcher, 92. Dutch’s 1982 team won the Big Ten title.

On that team was Jim Petersen who has made a career of color analysis on Timberwolves TV games. He had a health concern this summer but is well now.

Happy 82^nd birthday this month to former Gophers public address announcer Dick Jonckowski. At the request of Tubby Smith, Dick used to tell the Gopher basketball coach a joke close to tip off.

A Tubby favorite was about Dick dating a homeless woman. How did that go? Great, Dick said. “I can drop her off anywhere.”

Does the NBA’s alleged gambling scandal come as a surprise? It shouldn’t if you acknowledge the lack of accountability and restraint over the years by so many players in their on-court and personal lives.

Timberwolves fans couldn’t ask for more than seeing two of the NBA’s top MVP candidates during the opening week of the home season with the Nuggets’ Nikola Jokic and the Lakers’ Luka Doncic at Target Center Monday and Wednesday nights respectively.

BTW It was 65 years ago this month the Lakers, having moved from Minneapolis, played their first game in Los Angeles.

Casual baseball fans are more likely to be watching the World Series with the opportunity to follow the game’s “new Babe Ruth.” Pitching or hitting, the Dodgers’ Shohei Ohtani can have everyone shaking their heads in amazement.

Awareness of Japanese born or Japanese American baseball players has greatly increased this millennium. High profile players include Ohtani and Ichiro Suzuki, the first Japanese-born player to be inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame.

Former Twins catcher Kurt Suzuki, a Japanese American, was just named Angels manager. Back in 2008 Don Wakamatsu, hired by the Mariners, became the first MLB manager of Japanese descent.

Local fans will root for St. Paul-born and former Twin Louie Varland coming out of the bullpen for the Blue Jays. He was roughed up by the Dodgers last night in a Jays loss, giving up two hits and two runs in two-thirds of an inning.

It’s easy to anticipate the Twins opening day lineup and starting pitcher (Pablo Lopez or Joe Ryan) next March. But who will be the closer and what will the overall bullpen look like?

All-time favorite Twins clothing: cream colored Twin Cities jersey.

All-time favorite Wild sweater: MPLS. St. Paul 2022 Winter Classic jersey.

Look for an announcement in November of who the Pohlad family is bringing in as minority owners.

Don’t think business and sports leaders aren’t highly anticipating the results of the city council and mayoral elections in Minneapolis next month.

Take it from this keyboard, two of the best sports reporters around are Andy Greder from the Pioneer Press and Michael Russo of The Athletic. Both are worth the money for subscriptions.

Sorry to see the local golf season coming to an end. Was hoping to make a career season high three hole-in-ones.

Ha!

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