Vikings – Page 114 – David Shama's Minnesota Sports Headliners

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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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?

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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.

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