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How Does Kubiak Impact Viking Draft?

Posted on April 23, 2019April 23, 2019 by David Shama

Enjoy a Tuesday notes column focused on the NFL Vikings and NHL Wild.

This week’s NFL Draft will be the first for Gary Kubiak to have influence in his role as Vikings assistant head coach/offensive advisor. Few NFL assistants have the resume of Kubiak, who has 24 years of coaching experience in the league including 10 as a head coach with a Super Bowl win to his credit.

General manager Rick Spielman and head coach Mike Zimmer brought Kubiak to Minnesota to improve a faltering offense. Even the most casual of Vikings fans knows the team needs a major upgrade in offensive line talent, but how will the club prioritize its draft choices including their selection at No. 18 in the first round?

Kubiak has made his career specializing in offensive coaching. Zimmer’s background is on defense and in his four seasons as Minnesota’s head coach his coaching direction has been all over the defensive unit. In prior drafts Zimmer’s voice has certainly been heard, as it should be at franchise headquarters, but might Kubiak cast a “second shadow” over Spielman starting Thursday night? Certainly ownership and front office leadership didn’t bring Kubiak to Minnesota expecting him to be a wallflower.

At Spielman’s news conference today about the draft he acknowledged that Kubiak and the other offensive coaches want skillsets in their players that match their schemes. “There are traits that we’re looking for,” Spielman said. “As we talk about each one of these players, some players would be very good players, but they may not be very good players for what we’re going to require them to do.”

Spielman said the depth of talent is impressive in the 2019 draft. He singled out the offensive and defensive line prospects as collectively being “one of the strongest I’ve seen in awhile.”

Some draft forecasters are thinking the Vikings will add a tackle or guard to their roster in the first round. The latest issue of Sports Illustrated offers a mock draft including the prediction Minnesota will use its first round choice on Alabama lineman Jonah Williams, a talented tackle in college who the magazine thinks will transition to guard for the Vikings.

“The Tide got 5.3 ypc (yards per carry) running to Williams’s gap in 2018,” S.I. reported. “That’s an improvement on almost every gap on Minnesota’s front five last year.”

The Vikings likely would welcome Williams falling to them at No. 18, or Florida tackle Jawaan Taylor or Washington State tackle Andre Dillard—all of whom might be drafted before Minnesota finalizes its first round choice. But to be contrary with maybe a nod toward Zimmer, what happens if a stud like Houston defensive tackle Ed Oliver or Georgia cornerback Deandre Baker is available when the Vikings draft? Does a scenario like that set up an interesting dilemma for Zimmer, Kubiak and Spielman?

Players like Oliver and Baker are likely to be gone when the Viking select at No. 18, but what if Minnesota moves up on the draft board?A Spielman specialty is making trades during the draft and the possibility is real the Vikings could choose higher than No. 18 on Thursday night.

Because the draft is deep in offensive linemen, the Vikings may not use their first round pick on a tackle or guard. It seems likely the club will take multiple offensive linemen in the draft.

Vikings fans want an offensive lineman chosen in the first round and Spielman offered humor when asked about the angst among Purple supporters. “She (my wife) said, if I draft another corner(back) don’t come home,” the GM said.

In the later rounds the club could end up with Apple Valley alum Trey Pipkins, a Division II All-American tackle who played collegiately at Sioux Falls. His NFL Draft & Combine page projects him as a fourth round draft choice and future practice squad player. At about 6-feet-6 and over 300 pounds, Pipkins has size, length and athleticism but needs to improve technique, according to NFL.com/prospects.

There will also be other Minnesota natives to follow over the three days of the draft. Former Gophers walk-on Blake Cashman has opened eyes in the last four months, with projections changing for him from potential free agent status to possibly being a mid-round draft choice.

He produced some of the best results of any linebacker at the NFL Combine last winter in Indianapolis. He tied for third among linebackers in the broad jump, was fourth in the 40-yard-dash and 20-yard shuttle, tied for fifth in the vertical jump and tied for seventh in the three-cone drill.

At a minimum, Cashman could provide an NFL team with immediate special teams help. The same is likely to be true of Cashman’s former teammate at Eden Prairie, Ryan Connelly, who was a standout linebacker at Wisconsin.

Other Minnesota names to watch include Iowa safety Amani Hooker from Park Center High School and E.J. Ejiya, the linebacker from North Texas and Spring Lake Park alum. Hooker has made solid improvement at Iowa and projects as a safety and special teams player in the pros with attributes that include his football intelligence. Ejiya ranked among the nation’s leaders in tackles for loss in 2018 and seems more likely to be a possible training camp invitee as a free agent rather than draft choice.

Spielman fought back tears in announcing at the news conference that his friend and Vikings college talent evaluator Scott Studwell will be retiring from the organization. Studwell, who played linebacker for the Vikings from 1977-1990, has been in the front office since 1991 and will retire at the end of May when his contract ends.

Spielman said he likes the progress of cornerback Mike Hughes who is recovering from ACL injury, and is now doing some running.

Minnesota Wild defenseman Ryan Suter had been a candidate but now is not one of the three finalists for the Bill Masterton Memorial Trophy. “It is disappointing (news),” Wild owner Craig Leipold told Sports Headliners yesterday.

The trophy is presented annually to the NHL player who best exemplifies the qualities of perseverance, sportsmanship and dedication to hockey. It is named after the late Bill Masterton from the Minnesota North Stars.

Leipold has a high regard for Suter, referring to him as a “super person” and great family man who is dedicated to hockey. “He is so into working out,” Leipold said of his 34-year-old star. The two men, Leipold said, may get together for a sushi lunch in St. Paul this summer.

Leipold signed both Suter and forward Zach Parise, 34, to $98 million deals in 2012. While Suter finished the season healthy, Parise was troubled by a foot injury. Leipold hopes Parise will rest the foot in coming months, while noting it’s positive the Minneapolis-born star played last season without a problem with his back.

There is speculation Leipold will create the position of president of hockey operations overseeing general manager Paul Fenton, but not so, according to Leipold. “Never been discussed,” the owner said in refuting the rumor.

Former North Stars general manager Jack Ferreira was named an advisor to Fenton last year and Leipold said he expects Ferreira’s work to continue with the franchise. “I know Paul has a lot of confidence in Jack,” Leipold said.

Comments Welcome

Ben Leber: Vikings Need to Be ‘Tougher’

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

Ben Leber has transitioned successfully into broadcasting, and unlike many former athletes who speak into a microphone, the ex-Vikings linebacker talks honestly to his audience. As a sideline radio reporter at Vikings games and college football TV analyst, Leber is informative and fun to hear because of his candid approach.

Leber retired from the NFL in 2012 after 10 seasons but remains an authority on the Vikings. Minnesota had a disappointing 8-7-1 record last season and failed to make the playoffs after summer predictions included the team among Super Bowl favorites. What do the Vikings need to do to be better in 2019?

Leber’s answer that the Vikings need to be “tougher” may surprise some fans because the club has built its reputation with defense and is led by demanding fifth-year head coach Mike Zimmer. But Leber told Sports Headliners the Purple took a step back last year from where they had been on both defense and offense.

“I think there needs to be an attitude and a stigma that’s set early on in the (2019) season that they have to play a ferocious and intimidating style,” Leber said. “I think everybody knows they will be well coached in Xs and Os, (but) now I think they need to take it to another level and…be the dogs on the field. Be the guys that people are afraid of. I don’t think that they struck fear in anybody last year.”

Leber believes the Vikings had an intimidating identity in 2017 when they went 13-3 in the regular season and won their first playoff game in the 2018 postseason. Leber said foes were “scared” of the defensive unit, and they over game planned about how to deal with Minnesota’s No. 1 ranked NFL defense. But in the NFC title game against the Eagles, things changed. Here is Leber’s analysis of why the Vikings experienced an embarrassing 38-7 loss costing them the opportunity to play in the 2018 Minneapolis Super Bowl:

“Philadelphia basically said, we don’t care who your stars are. We don’t care what the public thinks and what the media thinks. We’re going to attack those guys and put them in vulnerable situations, and they did.

“I think that (approach by opponents) carried over…and that’s what you saw this last year (2018). Early in the season the defense especially—just sort of scrambling to try to readjust itself—that the teams were attacking them so directly.”

In Leber’s view the offense also needs “to scare people in the run game.” Running back Dalvin Cook, whose first two seasons in the NFL have been limited by injuries, could play a major success role for the Vikings because he has big play potential that few NFL rushers possess. “Anything that makes Dalvin a true weapon where defenses have to worry about a home run shot with him, that’s a threat,” Leber said.

Perception can be reality, and Leber said the likelihood of the Vikings making consistent and productive plays in the run game is important. The benefit is that when defenders respect the run, play action passes are more likely to succeed, receivers have a better chance to get open and the offense simplifies for quarterback Kirk Cousins.

In addition to broadcasting, Leber is active speaking to groups, particularly corporations. He was raised in small towns in Iowa and South Dakota, and he shares a message with audiences about experiences in early life and growing into a man.

“I would say the biggest thing that I try to drive home is football wasn’t easy for me,” Leber said about his speaking assignments. “Not because of the physical aspect of it, but because of the self limitations that I put on myself, and I think that can apply to everything.

“I grew up listening to the labels that I came from a place…where people in a small town don’t succeed. I came from a place where people like to place labels on people, and I walked away going off to college believing those things. Almost holding myself back because I was sort of scared to succeed… .”

Flip’s Ex-Coach Endorses Ryan Saunders

Posted on March 4, 2019March 4, 2019 by David Shama

Jim Dutcher has been impressed with the job Ryan Saunders has done since taking over as the Timberwolves head coach in early January. The Wolves have been playing less than .500 basketball under Saunders, but were struggling, too, prior to coach Tom Thibodeau being fired. “Any time you take over a program in the middle of the season, it’s not easy,” said Dutcher, who believes the players have responded well to Ryan’s coaching.

Ryan’s dad Flip played two seasons for Dutcher at the University of Minnesota, from 1975-1977. Flip, who passed away in 2015, later coached for Dutcher and the two built a close lifelong friendship.

The resemblances between father and son are evident to Dutcher, including facial expressions. “You just think of Flip when you see him (Ryan),” said Dutcher who coached the Golden Gophers to the 1982 Big Ten title with Flip as a young assistant.

Ryan hired Jerry Sichting as an assistant coach shortly after taking over the Wolves. Sichting had worked for Flip, and Dutcher said Ryan wanted to bring in the 62-year-old assistant to provide valuable counsel on and off the court.

Dutcher sees another connection between father and son. “He’s not afraid to try things,” Dutcher said of Ryan’s willingness to experiment with new lineups, substitutions and how he uses his bench.

Flip, who died at age 60, had a long history with owner Glen Taylor and the Timberwolves organization as president, coach and minority owner. Ryan, 32, was an assistant coach under his dad, and then under Flip’s successors including Thibodeau. The Saunders name is almost synonymous with the organization.

Dutcher said Ryan shouldn’t be judged by his age (he’s younger than dozens of NBA players) or lack of head coaching experience. Because of his experience with the Timberwolves, including this season’s team, Ryan knows the organization, owner and players. “I think he was as ready as anybody in that situation could be (to be named head coach),” Dutcher said.

While Ryan carries the interim tag as head coach now, that could change after the season as Taylor continues to make his evaluation. Certainly a surprise entry into the playoffs will help Saunders’ cause, but for that to happen the team must play more consistent defense than it has offered so far this season and go on a long winning streak.

Dutcher is even more specific about the defensive challenge awaiting Ryan when asked about the team’s big need for improvement. “Getting defensive stops when the game is on the line (fourth quarter),” Dutcher said.

The Timberwolves are 29-34 after last night’s 135-121 road loss to the Wizards, the team’s third loss in a row. That’s way too many points to give an opponent, particularly a struggling club like the Wizards.

“It’s hard to win on the road when you’re defensive intensity is not there and it hasn’t been there in these three games…,” Saunders said referring to the team’s three-game losing streak during his postgame news conference televised in Minneapolis by Fox Sports North.

Worth Noting

Dutcher thinks the current Gophers men’s basketball team, 18-11 overall and 8-10 in the Big Ten, may receive an NCAA Tournament invitation even if they don’t win their two remaining regular season games but do win their Big Ten Tournament opener. He said a victory tomorrow night at home against nationally-ranked and Big Ten leader Purdue will cinch an entry into the NCAA Tournament.

Former Golden Gophers coach Bill Fitch, who left Minnesota after the 1970 season for the NBA, is one of 13 finalists for induction later this year into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame. Fitch is among the winningest NBA coaches in league history with 944 victories, and his 1981 Boston Celtics won the league championship. In 1996 he was named one of the NBA’s Ten Best Coaches of All-Time.

Fitch coached five NBA teams starting with the Cavs in 1970 and ending with the Clippers in 1998. A former Marine, Fitch had high expectations for his players and teams that also included the Nets and Rockets.

Fitch coached collegiately for 12 years including at North Dakota where he led the team to two consecutive Division II Final Fours (1965 and 1966). He was Minnesota’s coach for just two years, but helped rebuild a program that won the 1972 Big Ten title.

The 2019 Hall of Fame Class will be announced at the Final Four in Minneapolis next month. Fitch is 84, retired and living in Texas.

The five finalists for the 2019 Mr. Basketball Award are Isaac Fink, Springfield; Matthew Hurt, Rochester John Marshall; Zeke Nnaji, Hopkins; Tyrell Terry, DeLaSalle; Tyler Wahl, Lakeville North. The winner will be announced March 26 at the Timberwolves-Clippers game at Target Center.

The Vikings have extended head coach Mike Zimmer’s contract through 2020, with no details about his compensation. In the past, Internet speculation has put his compensation at $4 million per year. It’s a decent bet Vikings ownership signed off this winter on a small increase on whatever he has been earning.

Zimmer is 47-32-1 in five seasons and his teams have two NFC North titles. He needs five more wins to tie Jerry Burns for third in most head coaching victories with the franchise.

Zimmer may need to win another division title and have success in the playoffs to receive another extension next year. New assistant head coach Gary Kubiak, who won a Super Bowl with the Broncos and presents a personality contrast to the very intense Zimmer, could emerge as a candidate if there is an opening for the head job.

Best wishes to former Gophers hockey coach Doug Woog as he faces health care challenges including Parkinson’s disease.

Ex-Gopher Blake Cashman produced some of the best results of any linebacker at the NFL Combine last week in Indianapolis. He tied for third among linebackers in the broad jump, was fourth in the 40-yard-dash and 20-yard shuttle, tied for fifth in the vertical jump and tied for seventh in the three-cone drill.

Darrell Thompson, the Gophers’ all-time career leading rusher, has built the youth mentoring Bolder Options organization into a much admired nonprofit. The 26th anniversary Bolder Options Gala is May 2 at the Minneapolis Event Centers (Riverside Ballroom).

The Minnesota United Major League Soccer club is the only organization in the league with a female head athletic trainer (Stacey Hardin), female TV color commentator (Kyndra de St. Aubin) and female director of operations (Angie Blaker).

The United won its regular season opener on Saturday against Vancouver, 3-2, and has four more road games before opening the home season and debuting new Allianz Field on April 13 against New York City FC.

Quoting former Gophers golfer, Minneapolis businessman, and motivational speaker Harvey Mackay in his syndicated column last week: “The biggest room in the world is the room for improvement.”

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