Vikings – Page 11 – David Shama's Minnesota Sports Headliners

Put the Lions Down as ‘1A’ & Label Vikings ‘1B’ after Today

Posted on October 20, 2024October 21, 2024 by David Shama

It was entertaining and it was close. And it was the Vikings’ first loss of the season in a game where they were outplayed (slightly) by the Lions.

The Lions showed at least for now they’re the “1A team” in the NFC North and perhaps the entire NFC. Give the Vikings the “1B label” in the division with both teams owning 5-1 records and sharing first place in the North after today’s 31-29 Detroit win at U.S. Bank Stadium.

Minnesota’s offense could produce only two touchdowns against the Lions defense. The Vikings had three field goals by flawless rookie kicker Will Reichard and a defensive TD run of 36 yards by linebacker Ivan Pace. Pace’s score put the Vikings ahead 29-28 with just under six minutes to play in the fourth quarter.

The Vikings, though, couldn’t convert on a two-point attempt after Pace’s six points. And even more crucial the offense couldn’t take time off the clock when it went three and out late in the fourth quarter, prior to the Lions marching down the field to set up their winning field goal of 44 yards by Jake Bates with 15 seconds remaining.

The Lions had put themselves in a first quarter hole when a failed fake punt gave Minnesota the ball on Detroit’s 34-yard line. Shortly after, RB Aaron Jones ran 34 yards TD to put Minnesota up 6-0. Reichard converted the extra point and later in the quarter the Vikings went up 10-0 with his 57-yard field goal.

The Viking defense, like the offense, was spotty in a game where Lions running back Jaymyr Gibbs ran for 116 yards on 15 carries including two touchdowns. Detroit QB Jared Goff, often frustrating the Vikings’ famed blitz efforts, was 22 of 25 for 280 yards and two touchdown passes. The Lions, during the second and third quarters, put together four consecutive series where they scored touchdowns.

Kevin O’Connell image courtesy of the Minnesota Vikings

Viking head coach Kevin O’Connell talking on KFAN Radio after the game said there were too many “self-inflicted” things that impacted execution and cost his team the win. It was penalties and other failures including an illegal formation on the next to the last play of the game that pushed the Vikings even further out of miracle field goal range. With all the faith O’Connell has in Reichard (12 of 12 on field goals this season), he knew that about 70 yards was asking a lot.

The Vikings can feel better about themselves quickly because they are in Los Angeles Thursday night to play the Rams. That starts a schedule of games against the Rams, Colts, Jaguars and Titans. Those clubs have a combined record of 7-16 and their pedigrees pale in comparison to “1A”—a Super Bowl favorite who barely escaped with a win today in Minneapolis.

Gophers & College Football Notes

Vikings linebacker Blake Cashman finds it “incredible” to see the high-level true freshman Gopher Koi Perich is playing at. “He’s going to be a superstar by the time he graduates so I am happy for him,” Cashman told Sports Headliners.

Cashman was a walk-on with the Gophers after Eden Prairie High School and became a 2018 second team All-Big Ten linebacker. He is acquainted with Perich who has impressed with his play at safety and on special teams, already receiving Big Ten Conference and national awards. “…I got a chance to meet him. He seems like a great young man with a good head on his shoulders. So, he’s got a bright future.”

There’s been speculation Perich eventually might receive the opportunity to play on offense, running or catching the football—or both. “That would be amazing,” Cashman said. “You don’t often see that. That would be cool.”

Condolences to family and friends of Dick Larson who passed away unexpectedly earlier this month. Dick was a prominent quarterback for the Gophers in 1956 and 1957. The Roosevelt High School alum was a favorite of head coach Murray Warmath and Dick was an assistant coach for Warmath from 1958-1965.

Warmath and Dick were like father and son. He looked after Warmath’s affairs up until the time the national championship coach died in 2011 at age 98.

Dick had a sharp football mind and was highly personable. If he had stayed with coaching, instead of committing to a long business career, he might have been a great college head coach.

Members were beaming last week at the Twin Cities Dunkers program when 103-year-old Tom Swain, the oldest Dunker, came to hear new University of Minnesota president Rebecca Cunningham. Swain, still sharp and remembering friends, was the first academic advisor for athletics at the U.

There are 618 athletes on the Gophers 22 sports teams this school year, with close to an even female-male split.

Undergraduate newcomers at the U Twin Cities campus total about 10,000 this fall, a source told Sports Headliners. That’s the highest such total, he said, since right after World War II. About 7,800 are freshmen, with the balance being transfers.

It was five years ago that LSU was making its way toward the national championship, eventually finishing 15-0 with a domination of foes that prompted admirers to say the Tigers are the greatest team in college football history. Vikings guard Ed Ingram told Sports Headliners that team could have won “one or two NFL games.”

“Great everything (offense, defense, special teams), we put everything together,” said Ingram who was on that LSU team with Vikings superstar wide receiver Justin Jefferson and quarterback Joe Burrow, now a franchise record setter with the NFL Bengals.

Indiana is the envy of every fan who annually supports a hapless college football team. The Hoosiers, mostly a football graveyard forever, are 7-0, top 20 ranked and setting school records. Their season is a result of superb coaching, an influx of talented and experienced transfers and ideal scheduling.

First-year coach Curt Cignetti, 63, had been a big winner at lower stops before he reached Indiana and the Big Ten. Upon arrival he said: “I am excited to lead this program forward and change the culture, mindset, and expectation level of Hoosier football.”

And, man, has he. With a roster that includes transfers from his previous stop at James Madison, the players have responded to the demands of their coaches and executed at a high level. It’s also been a confidence builder that the nonconference foes were FIU (2-5), Western Illinois (3-4) and Charlotte (3-4). The Big Ten schedule, after four games, includes two teams with overall records above .500—Nebraska at 5-2 and Maryland, 4-3.

Vanderbilt, with its improbable 2024 win over then No. 1 ranked Alabama, is another “believe in miracles” story with beloved former Golden Gophers head coach Jerry Kill playing a big role. Kill is senior offensive advisor and chief consultant to head coach Clark Lea who led his Commodores over Alabama in one of the most notable upsets in college football history. Vandy’s drama specialist is quarterback hero Diego Pavia who played for New Mexico State last year when Kill was head coach there.

Aggie fans learned about miracles in 2023 when New Mexico State, historically even a worse program than Indiana or Vandy, defeated Auburn on the Tigers’ home field in another upset for the ages. Vandy is off to a 5-2 start to the season.

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Don’t Bet on Long Term Sam Darnold Run with Vikings

Posted on October 15, 2024October 15, 2024 by David Shama

What’s that phrase, Vikings fans?

“Here today, gone tomorrow.”

Does that fit the future for quarterback Sam Darnold?

Darnold, on a one-year deal reportedly paying him up to about $10 million, is a golden boy in this town for his role in helping the Vikings to a stunning 5-0 start to the season. Although he didn’t dazzle in his last start (October 6 against the Jets before the team’s bye week), the 27-year-old journeyman has pumped new life into his career and a Vikings team that was expected to struggle and not make the playoffs.

Darnold’s early season production led to being named NFC Offensive Player of the Month for September. He led the Vikings to their first 4-0 start since 2016. On the morning of October 3, he had completed 73-of-106 for 932 passing yards and 11 touchdowns in four games in September. He led the NFL in touchdown passes, percentage of touchdowns thrown per attempt (10.4%) and passer rating (118.9).

However, it’s questionable the Vikings, who have an NFC North Division showdown against the 4-1 Lions in Minneapolis Sunday, are interested in Darnold beyond this year. On the extreme of developments, that interest likely changes if Minnesota goes to and wins the Super Bowl in February in New Orleans.

J.J. McCarthy, injured and out for the season, will be ready in 2025. The Vikings’ No. 1 draft pick last April has yet to play in a regular season game but during the spring and summer he did a lot to impress head coach Kevin O’Connell.

O’Connell is a gifted quarterback developer who has had plenty to do with Darnold’s emergence. It was no accident how he referred to McCarthy around the time of the rookie’s right knee meniscus surgery:

“As our fans either have already come to find out or will in the future, this guy is so motivated and so dialed in. As excited as I was to draft him, he’s confirmed everything that I hope to see not only early on through training camp, but through his performance last Saturday (August 10 preseason opening game). Our fan base and everyone should just be excited about the fact that we’ve got our young franchise quarterback, I believe, in the building.”

“Franchise quarterback” says a lot.

Sam Darnold image courtesy of the Minnesota Vikings

Not only do the Vikings believe in McCarthy’s talent but they know he is six years younger than Darnold and much less expensive. McCarthy, per Spotrac.com, will earn a base salary of $960,000 in 2025. If the Vikings have a big season in 2024 (they can even go 7-5 in their remaining games for a final record of 12-5), Darnold will play a significant role in their success and be positioned to command a huge pay raise from some team as a 2025 free agent.

The 15 top paid NFL quarterbacks this fall, according to Front Office Sports and USA Today, all earn $40 million or more. It could be a lock that Darnold, who at this stage of his career must capitalize on a first-ever breakout season, can demand and secure at least $30 million to $40 million for multiple years.

The Vikings will have significant salary cap space in 2025, but do they want to commit a large portion to Darnold, given his age, lack of success with other teams and McCarthy waiting on the bench? Probably not, with the front office wanting to use money in 2025 and beyond to strengthen other positions while knowing they already have some of the NFL’s more expensive talent including wide receiver Justin Jefferson.

Darnold and his representatives, if not wanted here, will no doubt prefer a new team with similar resources to those in Minneapolis. That includes a coaching staff of exceptional teachers and play callers, and a group of talented receivers.

Hard to say where Darnold might land but the Rams could be ideal if 36-year-old QB Matthew Stafford decides to retire. He has made a lot of money, taken a lot of hits and has a Super Bowl ring. Head coach and QB whisperer Sean McVay, only 38, coached that Super Bowl team in 2022 with O’Connell as his offensive coordinator. If Darnold couldn’t play for the Vikings, McVay and the Rams with their gifted receivers, would be choice 1B.

U Football Recruiting Home Base Ranks Low in Big Ten

In the 247Sports composite college football recruiting rankings for the class of 2025, the Golden Gophers are in familiar territory. Minnesota, with 23 verbal commitments, is ranked No. 45, with 11 other Big Ten programs listed ahead of Minnesota including five in the top 15.

Having recruiting classes ranked in the upper 30s or in the 40s is common for the Gophers. College football recruiting authority Ryan Burns, who is based in Minnesota, was asked how fans should feel about the reality of University of Minnesota recruiting.

“I am not going to tell anybody how to feel. I just think it’s the reality of your recruiting base (state of Minnesota)…which in this in-state class doesn’t have a single four-star in it.

“You look at the state of New Jersey, for example. New Jersey has 20-plus kids that are higher rated than Minnesota’s top rated kid in the state. This recruiting base is not good. I continue to say they and Oregon are the two worst in the Big Ten and Oregon can buy whoever they want because they have Phil Knight’s money.

“So it’s kind of the reality of where they’re at, especially when you’re not winning consistently like they haven’t been here now for a couple of years. You kind of reap what you sew at that point.”

With the 2024 expansion of the Big Ten Conference, the league now has 18 schools. The arrival of Oregon, UCLA, USC and Washington means more programs to recruit against but also opens up recruiting opportunities in the talent rich state of California.

The golden state has been more on Minnesota’s recruiting radar of late, in part because the Gophers are expected to play one game on the West Coast in coming seasons. “You can sell them (recruits on) once a year we’re going to go back to where you’re from,” Burns told Sports Headliners.

It doesn’t go unnoticed that on the last two football Saturdays the Gophers have defeated USC and UCLA. The most recent victory was in Pasadena and Fleck, with his team having a bye on the schedule this week, is spending time recruiting in California this week.

Minnesota currently has three Californians among their verbal commits. “Without the Big Ten expansion, I don’t think Minnesota has anywhere near as close to as many commits as they have from the Pacific time zone,” Burns said.

The headliner of the recruiting class is quarterback Jackson Kollock from Laguna Beach who is a near four-star composite prospect. “His team in Laguna Beach is undefeated but a lot of it is because of Jackson Kollock,” Burns said. “Doesn’t have the greatest offensive line or pass catchers.

“I think he’s the most athletic quarterback you’ve seen (offensive coordinator Greg) Harbaugh recruit. He’s certainly more athletic than (present Gophers) Max Brosmer or Drake Lindsey. I don’t know if they will do too much with him in the run game, but he certainly has the athleticism to move.”

Kollock was committed to Washington until after last season’s playoffs when head coach Kalen DeBoer and offensive coordinator Ryan Grubb left the Huskies. DeBoer is now head coach at Alabama and Grubb is the NFL Seahawks offensive coordinator. It’s a tribute to Kollock’s talent and potential those offensive gurus pursued him.

Daniel Shipp is a three-star recruit from Corona, California. “I am really a big fan of Daniel Shipp, who is their offensive line commit from Centennial High School out there in California,” Burns said.

“They took a chance on him as someone who tore his knee and missed most of his junior season. His early senior film has been pretty good, and they need tackle bodies in this program.”

The third California recruit is an exceptional wide receiver and another three-star player. “Someone from the all-name team, Legend Lyons, has been very prolific out there at Charter Oaks (Covina),” Burns said. He describes Lyons as ”a receiver who can really catch the football, which is something that this program needs.”

Verbal pledges can change but Burns believes their commitments are “solid” to Minnesota. “I am a big fan of those three guys out there.”

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What to Know After Viking Close Call in London Today

Posted on October 6, 2024October 6, 2024 by David Shama

Cheerio, London. The Vikings hung on to defeat the Jets today, 23-17, and keep their season record perfect at 5-0. Here’s what to know:

On a day when the offense was too often MIA, the defense and rookie kicker Will Reichard carried the crew.

QB Sam Darnold was off on his throws and the Minnesota running game went south after RB Aaron Jones had to leave the game in the first half with a right hip injury. Jones had seven carries for 29 yards rushing while Ty Chandler, his sub, ran 14 times for 30 yards.

Jones, who caught one pass for 24 yards, will ideally heal up during the bye week on the schedule that has the Vikings not playing again until October 20 in a NFC North showdown against the Lions. The Vikings aren’t even close to being as dynamic without the 29-year-old Jones who joined the team as a free agent last off-season.

Darnold, who threw one interception and completed 14 of 31 passes for 179 yards, faced a Jets defense that specializes in pass coverage. Jets head coach Robert Saleh, a defensive guru, had his team using schemes to not only challenge Darnold but provide sticky coverage on Viking receivers including superstar Justin Jefferson who was limited to six receptions despite frequent targets.

Kevin O’Connell image courtesy of Minnesota Vikings

After the game Minnesota head coach Kevin O’Connell said during his news conference heard on KFAN Radio in Minneapolis that his defense “was lights out” when picking up the team as needed. That was exemplified in the closing minutes of the game when the Jets, trailing 23-17, were driving for a potential winning score and extra point. Twice the Vikings put pressure on quarterback Aaron Rodgers before Minnesota corner Stephon Gilmore intercepted a game-ending throw near the Viking 10-yard line.

The Vikings defense, known for disguising its intentions, dominated the Jets in the first half (leading 17-7 at the break) before Rodgers had success with quick throws for short gains as New York scored three points in the third quarter and 10 in the fourth.

Still, the Vikings leave London giving up a total of 76 points in five games—an average of 15.2. That’s the best in the NFC.

The offense produced one touchdown with the defense being able to match that thanks to outside linebacker Andrew Van Ginkel’s 63-yard interception for a score in the first quarter. Reichard, the rookie kicker from Alabama, produced Minnesota’s first points of the game with a 54-yard field goal, then followed that up with field goals of 51 and 43 yards in the fourth quarter. For the season he is a perfect nine of nine.

It’s not too soon to speculate Reichard could turn out to be the franchise’s best kicker ever and was more than a smart move by Minnesota drafting him in the sixth round last spring.

No one, at least externally, saw the Vikings’ fast start to the season coming. And they’ve done it against two teams, the 49ers and Texans, who rank with the better clubs in the NFL.

Other than the Jones injury today and worry about his health going forward, the Vikings have been fortunate with injuries. Before leaving for London last week tight end Johnny Mundt told Sports Headliners something Vikings fans will like:

“I just think we’re a special team. Got the right DNA of a championship team. As long as we can keep healthy and keep doing what we’re doing I think there’s a lot of positive things that we’ll achieve.”

Reeve Looks Like Hoops Genius Again

The Minnesota Lynx had a 19-21 regular season record in 2023 and were eliminated in a first-round playoff series. After that president of basketball operations and head coach Cheryl Reeve had a decision to make about the 2024 team, along with team owner Glen Taylor.

The choice was trying to build an immediate winner or have a 2024 record that would position the club for higher draft choices. “And together we decided we were going to go for the winning,” Taylor told Sports Headliners.

Minnesota finished the regular season at 30-10, the most victories in franchise history. The record was also the second best in the league, trailing only the 32-8 New York Liberty. As of today (Sunday), the No. 2 playoff seeded Lynx are up 2-1 in the best of five semifinals series against the Sun. The teams play in Connecticut today and if a fifth and deciding game is needed it will be Tuesday evening in Minneapolis.

A series win would send Minnesota to the WNBA Finals for the first time since 2017 with a chance to win the franchise’s fifth league crown. All under Reeve who has a gift for identifying talent and coaching those players to success.

Reeve transformed the 2024 Lynx roster by signing key free agents Courtney Williams and Alanna Smith, re-signing forward Bridget Carleton, and trading for valued reserves Natisha Hiedeman and Myisha Hines-Allen. Minnesota led the league in assists per game (23.0) and three-point percentage (38.0%) with three players in the top 10 for three-point field goal percentage: Bridget Carleton (44.4), Cecilia Zandalasini (44.3) and Kayla McBride (40.7). Defensively, the Lynx held opponents to a 41% field goal percentage, best in the league.

Late last month the WNBA announced Reeve as the league’s Coach of the Year (fourth time) and Basketball Executive of the Year (second). She is the first coach in league history to receive the Coach of the Year Award four times and is only the second person to be selected for both awards in the same season.

Taylor hired Reeve in 2009, partly at the recommendation of Bill Laimbeer who was head coach of the WNBA’s Detroit Shock. Reeve was the team’s general manager and an assistant coach.

“She has asked in all these years to report directly to me which has been fine…and we work together I think very well, and she’s got real good results and so I am very supportive of her,” Taylor said.

Taylor said Reeve “is all business” when they talk which is fine with him because he appreciates the efficiency. Reeve is on a multi-year contract that reportedly pays her $700,000 annually. Taylor said she has never “threatened” to leave and the two have been able to agree on contracts. “I just talk to her, and we get it worked out.”

With more opportunities for women in men’s professional sports front offices, it’s not wild speculation to think Reeve could receive an NBA offer. Taylor said it hasn’t been that direct in their conversations, but he thinks Reeve has implied “she could do that if the opportunity came.”

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