Vikings – Page 113 – David Shama's Minnesota Sports Headliners

Pressure on Vikings in 2019 Draft

Posted on January 11, 2019January 11, 2019 by David Shama

Enjoy a Friday notes column.

Expectations couldn’t be more intense among Vikings observers to see if the club uses its No. 18 pick in the 2019 NFL Draft to select an offensive lineman. There is anticipation, too, about the franchise prioritizing offensive linemen in the subsequent rounds of the draft which will be held in Nashville, April 25-27.

The disappointing performance last year of the offensive line was a major factor in the club compiling an 8-7-1 record and missing the playoffs after preseason hype established the Vikings among Super Bowl favorites. Absence from the 2020 postseason is not an acceptable scenario to much of the club’s fanbase, and likely it’s not for the franchise’s owners who in the next 12 months have to decide about the futures of head coach Mike Zimmer and general manager Rick Spielman.

Not surprisingly, Cbssports.com projected on Wednesday that the Vikings will choose Oklahoma tackle Cody Ford with their first round pick. This might be just an okay year for offensive line talent, with the CBS website forecasting four linemen being chosen among the 32 first round picks.

Offensive guard, tackle and center are very demanding positions to learn as NFL rookies. Former Vikings center Matt Birk reaffirmed that to Sports Headliners, but there are rookie exceptions. “It definitely can happen,” he said.

Birk referenced Colts rookie guard Quenton Nelson who has been part of a unit that for five games gave up no sacks. Nelson is the first Colts offensive lineman since 1983 to be named to the Pro Bowl.

Zimmer has had the Vikings more focused on choosing defensive playmakers in recent drafts, however that seems all but certain to change in 2019. The Vikings did have success with rookie tackle Brian O’Neill who they drafted in the second round in 2018.

Birk has been doing live comedy performances for about a year to generate funds for charity. He said working in front of a live audience was somewhat intimidating at first but he enjoys the performances which now total about 10. His next gig is January 19 at Union 32 Craft House in Eagan. More at Eventbrite.com.

Birk will be among the speakers at the annual Minnesota Football Coaches Association Clinic March 28-30 at the DoubleTree in St. Louis Park.

This year is the 150th anniversary of college football and it will be interesting to see what Big Ten marketers, including the Gophers, do to celebrate the milestone. Minnesota had a glorious football history between 1900 and 1970 including seven national championships, with that total still among the best in the country.

The Gophers want to sell more tickets for their high profile sports and yet over the years there are too many scheduling conflicts with Minnesota’s pro teams. Last Sunday the women’s basketball team tipped off at Williams Arena about 30 minutes after the Timberwolves-Lakers game began at Target Center. On the final Sunday in December the men’s team was playing at home the same afternoon as the Vikings and Bears were at U.S. Bank Stadium.

The MLS Draft starts at noon (today) in Chicago and Minnesota United CEO Chris Wright told Sports Headliners his club expects to be active during the league’s four rounds. That could mean a trade for better positioning including during the first round where the United currently has the No. 7 pick.

The United opens its first season at Allianz Field on April 13 in a match against New York. Wright said the club has capped its season ticket sales at 14,500 and has a waiting list of about 5,000 to purchase season tickets. Dates and details for purchase of single game tickets, stadium ribbon cutting and opportunity for the general public to see the new facility will be announced soon.

Wright, the former Timberwolves and Lynx president, grew up in England and has a passion for soccer as a former player, coach and front office executive in the sport. He has been involved with professional sports front office work for about 40 years, mostly with the Timberwolves. He said Minnesota’s MLS franchise is “the right place” for him now. He joined the franchise in October of 2017 but this will be the first draft and offseason where he has been fully positioned to make a greater impact on the club’s future success.

The Wild are home tomorrow night (Saturday) against the Red Wings, a team Minnesota is 6-3-3 against in the last 12 games. Seven of those games have been decided by one goal.

It will be interesting to see if the Rochester John Marshall basketball team can be a surprise entry in the state tournament and showcase its senior front court superstar Matthew Hurt. The Rockets haven’t qualified for the tourney during the Hurt era so most hoops fans have never seen the five-star recruit who ranks among the best basketball preps ever to play in Minnesota.

The Gophers’ lone men’s basketball commit so far for their class of 2019 is Marvin “Tre'” Williams III. The 6-5 guard from Dallas is currently enrolled at Wasatch Academy in Utah in 2019. Minnesota coach Richard Pitino is likely to expect immediate help from Williams, whose mother Kelly is from St. Paul and played basketball at Harding High School.

Between now and the home opener March 28, the Twins front office will probably focus on finding pitching help, rather than position players where the club appears pretty well set.

Anyone want to forecast the 2019 final stats for Twins cornerstones and comeback candidates Byron Buxton and Miguel Sano?

Comments Welcome

Playoff Return Predicted for Vikings

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

Enjoy a Friday notes column.

If you ask Bob Lurtsema, the Vikings are “almost a no-brainer” to be back in the playoffs next year. The former Viking defensive lineman, who sits in the press box for home games and remains close to his beloved franchise, wasn’t happy with the results of last Sunday’s loss to the Bears, and a 8-7-1 record that wasn’t good enough to qualify for the postseason, but he told Sports Headliners things will be better in 2019 if management keeps its core players in place.

Lurtsema’s optimism focuses on quarterback Kirk Cousins, who in 2019 will be in his second season with the club and will have more familiarity with receivers. Lurtsema is still confused as to why the franchise’s decision makers turned away from quarterback Case Keenum who was on “the same page” as his receivers and was a huge contributor in helping the Vikings to a 13-3 record in 2017. Nevertheless, he admires Cousins, too, describing him as a “very, very good quarterback.”

“They will be back (in the playoffs) if they don’t make a lot of changes because it’s a passing league, and Cousins has a tremendous work ethic and is respected by teammates,” Lurtsema said.

Put Lurtsema in the same category as so many fans that the enough effort from the Vikings in the fourth quarter of Sunday’s 24-10 loss to the Bears who dethroned Minnesota as NFC North Division champions. He described himself as a poor loser and he saw an absence of intensity from both the offense and defense including late in the game when the Vikings trailed only 13-10.

Any subpar effort in such a big game is on both the players and coaches. Difficult to understand but head coach Mike Zimmer did offer some insights at his news conference yesterday.

Zimmer said his previous Vikings teams had a nasty attitude that included the approach they were going to win regardless of circumstances or situations. He commented to organization insiders during the season that the 2018 group had a different “vibe.”

“…I can’t figure out why, because we have a lot of the same guys back,” Zimmer said. “We have good football players. I wasn’t really different than I normally am. But for some reason, we didn’t finish the games like we’d finished before. I don’t know why. We had the lead in a bunch of games last year that we finished, and this year we were playing catch up more so, so I don’t know if that’s it or not. But we’re going to get that mentality back, I can promise you that.”

A lot of fans want ownership to dismiss Zimmer and general manager Rick Spielman, but both are good at what they do. Zimmer has to develop a better working relationship with whoever his offensive coordinator is going to be and allow that leader a lot of authority. Spielman must solve the personnel problems on the offensive line, particularly at the guard positions.

Could the Wilf ownership group find football leaders better than Zimmer and Spielman? Sure but it is a big IF and apparently not a direction the Wilfs want to pursue yet.

This could be an opportune time for Vikings fans to take a deep breath and reconsider how difficult it is to win in the 32-team NFL where the draft and other rules dictate parity. It’s an extremely competitive industry filled with talented decision makers trying to put their team among the league’s elite.

Sports Illustrated’s December 31 issue included an eight page feature on the Vikings with details about Spielman’s superstitious routine on home game days. He wakes up at 5 a.m., takes his dogs for a walk and eats the same breakfast sandwich (egg, bacon and peanut butter), according to the story. He shaves the left side of his face first, and puts his socks and shoes on before his pants. He also drives the same route to U.S. Bank Stadium including buying gas at the same station and ending his purchase on a zero.

Lurtsema said “stats maybe for losers” but the goals of NFL defenses include holding opponents under 100 yards rushing and less than 150 yards passing. The Bears rushed for 169 yards and held the Vikings to 63. Chicago had 163 yards passing, while limiting the Vikings to 132.

Among free agent signings the Vikings announced this week was running back Roc Thomas, a rookie with the club in 2018 who was on the active roster for nine weeks. His signing could be an indication veteran running back and 2019 free agent Latavius Murray won’t be back with the team.

Sue Platou, who passed away late last month, had a popular sportscast segment decades ago on WCCO TV when appearing as “Bronco” she predicted the outcome of Vikings and Golden Gophers football games. Her first husband was 1956 and 1957 University of Minnesota quarterback Bobby Cox, who is the only Gophers football player ever to be on the cover of Sports Illustrated.

More in next Monday’s column on attending last night’s upset Gophers win against Wisconsin in Madison including Badgers fans booing and leaving the Kohl Center when the game was still undecided.

USA Today reported in yesterday’s issue that NFL TV ratings were up eight percent over 2017 for games on CBS, NBC and ESPN. Fox was up four percent.

“Mean” Gene Okerlund passed away last week and was known to much of the nation’s pro wrestling fans for his TV interviews of WEE performers but he got his start with the Minneapolis-based AWA and Verne Gagne. Gene’s friend and former wrestler Jim Brunzell emailed that Okerlund had three kidney transplants prior to his passing.

Phil Esten, the former Gophers athletic department executive most recently at Penn State, starts his new job as athletics director at St. Thomas on January 14.

Monday is the last day to make reservations for next Thursday’s CORES lunch program at the Bloomington Event Center, 1114 American Blvd. Mike Max, one of the best radio-TV sports journalists in town, will be the speaker. For reservations and other information, contact Jim Dotseth, dotsethj@comcast.net.

The Minnesota Wild are among the promoters involved with the 6th Annual USA Hockey Blind Hockey Summit scheduled August 23-25 at the TRIA Rink at Treasure Island Center in St. Paul. There are approximately 150 blind hockey players in the United States, including in Minnesota. All players are legally blind, with some having no vision. The event next August will include games for participants of various sizes and skill levels, plus a coaching clinic, a “try-it” session for local newcomers and a community banquet.

The Minnesota Football Coaches Association reports exceeding the 2018 Tackle Cancer fundraising goal of $325,000 with a total of $340,000. In seven years the MFCA has raised over $1.6 million.

Comments Welcome

Dutcher Predicts 4th Place for Gophers

Posted on January 2, 2019January 2, 2019 by David Shama

Jim Dutcher told Sports Headliners on Monday that coach Richard Pitino’s Golden Gophers will finish fourth in the Big Ten standings this winter. Dutcher, Minnesota’s Big Ten championship basketball coach in 1982, also predicted the Gophers will defeat Wisconsin tomorrow night in Madison on the way to earning an invitation in March to the NCAA Tournament.

Dutcher, who coached some of the best teams in Gopher history, believes Michigan, Michigan State and Indiana are the top three programs in a loaded Big Ten that this week has seven teams ranked in the Associated Press and USA Today top 25 national polls. Minnesota, 11-2, isn’t one of those ranked teams yet but Dutcher likes the potential of Pitino’s group.

The Gophers’ physical size is one of the team’s attributes and their rotation of lengthy bodies got a boost this week with the return of injured power forward Eric Curry. He adds size, depth, experience and skill to a group that includes Daniel Oturu, Matz Stockman, Jordan Murphy and Amir Coffey.

Dutcher refers to Murphy and Coffey as potential all-conference players who can lead Minnesota back to the NCAA Tournament for the first time in two years. As of Monday, Murphy was leading the nation in rebounding at 12.6 per game. The senior forward is eighth in Big Ten career rebounds with 1,065. He is also Minnesota’s leading scorer.

Coffey photo courtesy of Minnesota Athletic Communications

As a three-position player at point guard, shooting guard and small forward, Coffey can defend, pass, dribble and score inside and outside. Dutcher considers the Minnesota junior as “probably the most versatile player in the conference.”

While Murphy is consistent in his play, Coffey needs to be steadier. Dutcher and others want to see more of the performance Coffey had in a December Big Ten win over Nebraska, 85-78. Coffey scored 32 points, with six rebounds and six assists against the Cornhuskers. Dutcher said the 6-foot-8 former Hopkins star “almost single handedly won” the game for Minnesota.

A front line of Coffey, Murphy and Otru is a strength for a Gophers team that some experts don’t rate as highly as Dutcher. Guard play beyond Coffey is a bit suspect, although Dutcher and others like the accurate long range shooting of freshman Gabe Kalscheur. The two guards that Dutcher said need to come through are senior Dupree McBrayer and sophomore Isaiah Washington.

McBrayer usually starts games, with Washington playing significant minutes off the bench. When McBrayer is on the floor, the team often defers to Coffey as its point guard or playmaker. McBrayer and Washington have struggled to score this season, making 41 and 27.6 percent of their field goals. On three-point shots their percentages are .29.3 and 13.8.

“I think if there’s a question mark on this team it is the ability to make the three and ability to defend the three,” Dutcher said. “That’s where they gotta get better.”

(Minnesota’s team three point percentage is 30.6, while opponents are making 35.3 percent.)

Washington has impressed with his playmaking including assists. He leads the team with 53 and has been at his best in recent games.

Minnesota is 1-1 in Big Ten games, while the Badgers are 2-0 and 10-3 overall. The Badgers are ranked No. 22 the AP poll and No. 23 by USA Today.

Dutcher doesn’t hesitate when predicting a Minnesota win. “They should beat Wisconsin,” he said. “Wisconsin maybe overrated.”

The Badgers are led by senior center Ethan Happ, who is one of most productive players in the country. He is averaging 19.2 points per game, 10.7 rebounds and 4.9 assists.

The Badgers, though, may not have as much talent as Minnesota. “We’re a lot deeper than Wisconsin and we should give them some real problems guarding us on the inside if we can get Happ in a little foul trouble,” Dutcher said.

Worth Noting

WCCO Radio and TV sports personality Mike Max speaks to the CORES lunch group January 10 at the Bloomington Event Center (formerly the Knights of Columbus building), 1114 American Blvd. For reservations and other information, contact Jim Dotseth by next Monday, dotsethj@comcast.net. CORES is an acronym for coaches, officials, reporters, educators and sports fans.

The Gopher volleyball team hasn’t seen the last of Oregon, the team that ended Minnesota’s season in the NCAA Tournament in early December in Minneapolis. Coach Hugh McCutcheon told Sports Headliners his Gophers will face the Ducks in 2019 as part of the Big Ten/Pac-12 Challenge.

McCutcheon will have 15 of 18 players returning from his Big Ten champions who were 27-4 overall last year. That’s the most returnees he has had in his seven seasons as Gophers coach.

Twins personnel boss Derek Falvey talking on Sunday’s WCCO Radio “Sports Huddle” program didn’t hesitate in referring to his starting outfield positions being set for 2019 with Eddie Rosario in left, Byron Buxton in center and Max Kepler in right.

Joe Haeg, the Brainerd native who is a starting offensive tackle for the Colts, was available to the Vikings in the 2016 draft but the club past on him in the fifth round after choosing offensive lineman Willie Beavers from Western Michigan in the fourth round. Haeg was an All-American at North Dakota State and is expected to start for the Colts in their playoff game against the Titans Saturday. Beavers is no longer with the Vikings.

Haeg played in the 2011 Minnesota High School All-Star Football Game with C.J. Ham and Brandon Zylstra, both of whom are now with the Vikings. Haeg was a major contributor to the 2010 Brainerd team that upset Eden Prairie in the state high school playoffs.

Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes, son of the former Twins pitcher by the same name, threw his 50th touchdown pass of the season on Sunday. He joins Tom Brady (50 in 2007) and Peyton Manning (55 in 2013) as the only NFL quarterbacks ever to throw 50 or more TD passes in a single season.

That was Cretin-Derham Hall alum Jashon Cornell making plays on the defensive line for Ohio State in yesterday’s Rose Bowl win over Washington.

Comments Welcome