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Vikings Leaders Discuss Social Issues

Posted on August 24, 2018August 24, 2018 by David Shama

Enjoy a Friday notes column.

The Vikings organization continues to have discussions involving players, coaches, the front office and ownership regarding social issues. The talks are a response to the highly publicized past protests by NFL players in various cities who have spoken out about social justice in America.

The Vikings are one of the few NFL teams that haven’t experienced players protesting at games, including so far this preseason. An open dialogue within the organization is reflective of what’s been described as a “good culture” in the locker-room. The Vikings discussions involving various parties have been referred to as a “player-driven initiative.”

Last year the Vikings players, coaches and management locked arms on the field before a home game at U.S. Bank Stadium to show solidarity following criticism of NFL national anthem protests by president Donald Trump. Head coach Mike Zimmer has said it’s important to show respect for the American flag and stand for the national anthem.

An announcement by the Vikings could come soon regarding the outcome of the discussions by the group.

The NFL and the players’ union are presently in a “standstill agreement” situation where the two sides are trying to finalize a gameday policy regarding protests. The clock is ticking with the NFL regular season schedule starting early next month.

Ironically, the Vikings’ first regular season game is against the 49ers, the former team of quarterback Colin Kaepernick. It was Kaepernick that first put protesting in the national spotlight two years ago when the media reported him kneeling on the field prior to a 49ers’ preseason game.

The Vikings play their third preseason game tonight at home against the Seahawks. It will be a major surprise if there are any on-field protests by Minnesota players.

The NFL’s 256 game, 17-week schedule begins on Thursday night September 6 with a single game—the Eagles hosting the Falcons in Philadelphia. The Vikings are interested in playing a showcase Thursday night game at U.S. Bank Stadium in future years.

The organization also has ongoing interest in hosting the NFL Draft. Host cities for the 2022-2025 drafts have yet to be determined. The popularity and events associated with the draft would necessitate the use of two locations, U.S. Bank Stadium and the club’s training site and headquarters in Eagan.

Because the Vikings hosted the Super Bowl this year, league politics might minimize chances of holding the draft here any time soon. Green Bay, for example, is one of the many northern NFL cities that will never host a Super Bowl so the league might some day choose to award the draft to the Packers.

Although it won’t be any time soon, the Vikings and Minneapolis officials remain interested in bringing the college football national championship game to U.S. Bank Stadium.

Vikings rookie kicker Daniel Carlson, 23, said he will study his 40-year-old Seahawks kicking rival Sebastian Janikowski in warm-ups tonight. Carlson won the Vikings kicking job this week. “It really wasn’t until my second year in college that I even thought about it (an NFL career),” Carlson told Sports Headliners.

Carlson’s younger brother Anders is succeeding him as Auburn’s kicker this season. The Vikings have a bye in early November and Daniel hopes to be in Athens, Georgia on November 10 to watch his brother play against Georgia.

Quarterback Kirk Cousins celebrated his 30th birthday last weekend with a visit to a local Portillo’s. He’s been a fan of Portillo’s for awhile and has multiple menu favorites. “The chocolate cake shake is hard to beat,” he said.

Local sports author Jim Bruton has signed a contract with Triumph Books to write a hardcover book on Twins broadcaster Dick Bremer. The book will cover Bremer’s 35-plus seasons with the Twins and be released in the spring of 2020.

Twins third baseman Miguel Sano has experienced a difficult season, although he is sometimes playing better since returning from the minor leagues in late July. Sano is perceived as not being disciplined enough with his weight and conditioning but Twins president Dave St. Peter pointed out the 25-year-old power hitter had offseason leg surgery that made it more difficult for him to train.

Sano appeared to be struggling physically and mentally when the Twins dispatched him in June to a recovery program in Florida. St. Peter sees improvement. “I think we all believe that he has an opportunity to be one of the elite players in our game, and he’s showing signs of progressing in a positive direction,” St. Peter said.

St. Peter believes the last weeks of the season will be an important time for Sano to stay healthy and be at his best. “I think that’s a really important thing for fans to watch over the course of the last six weeks,” St. Peter said.

St. Peter also said he expects Sano to arrive in shape and ready for spring training next winter.

The Twins promotional department might consider a stocking cap giveaway for next year’s opening series at Target Field. The Twins start the 2019 regular season at home on March 28, 30 and 31 against the Indians. The recorded high temps in Minneapolis on those dates this year were 52, 43 and 35 degrees, per accuweather.com.

College football coaches have said forever teams make the most improvement between the first and second games on their schedules. Minnesota opens at home against New Mexico State next Thursday but the Aggies have their first game tomorrow night (Saturday) in Las Cruces against Wyoming (ESPN 2).

Former Gopher defensive back Ray Buford, Jr. now plays for the Aggies.

Gophers athletic director Mark Coyle is friends with Kentucky basketball coach John Calipari but told Sports Headliners there are no plans for Minnesota to schedule the Wildcats. When Coyle was AD at Boise State the Broncos did play a game in Lexington.

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Answers Coming on Dalvin Cook

Posted on August 17, 2018August 17, 2018 by David Shama

Dean Dalton, the former Vikings running back coach, was asked about Dalvin Cook’s comeback. The second-year running back has been arduously working his way back into game readiness after a serious left knee injury suffered after playing just four games in 2017.

Dalton said the surgery for a torn ACL is so state-of-the-art, that part isn’t a concern in the recovery process for Cook who could emerge even this season as one of the NFL’s elite rushers. The obstacles for Cook, or any NFL runner who has the surgery, are regaining the physical efficiency of the knee and the confidence to move the same way as in the past and not be fearful of re-injury, and also getting in game shape.

Can Cook be what he was before the injury? “That’s all about Dalvin. I believe he will be fine,” Dalton told Sports Headliners.

Cook didn’t play in the Vikings’ first preseason game last Saturday. Head coach Mike Zimmer said awhile ago he expects Cook to receive some preseason playing time and that his former second round draft choice will be ready for the regular season opener next month.

What about tomorrow’s home preseason opener at U.S. Bank Stadium against the Jaguars? “I don’t know if he’s going to play this Saturday or not,” Zimmer said on Wednesday. “The only thing we’re trying to do is each day we’re trying to stack on a few more plays, (a) few more days in a row. That’s really what we’re…trying to do, is trying to get him in game ready shape.”

Cook said yesterday he can be ready for the regular season opener on September 9 against the 49ers without preseason game action. “Yeah, one hundred percent (sure about that),” he said. “I’m ready to go. Ball is ball, and when that ball rolls out, I’m going to go one hundred percent, I’m going to fly around, and I’m going to do me. …My knee is ready to go, I’m ready to play, and it’s just football now.”

Cook’s return is a key piece to the team’s plan to reach the Super Bowl. Dalton refers to him as a complete back with skills that include being an “excellent receiver.” Catching the ball out of the backfield can certainly be another tool for the offense but it’s Cook’s ability to take a handoff in the backfield and break long plays that has tantalized Vikings coaches and scouts even before he arrived in Minneapolis from Florida State.

Vikings talent evaluator Scott Studwell said this last year about Cook: “He is an exceptional athlete. He can do everything. He catches it extremely well. He’s got great feet, he’s got really good eyes. He plays probably faster than he times . He’s got game speed. He’s got exceptional inside run ability. He’s pretty much the entire package.”

The 5-10, 210-pound Cook is only 23 years old, with potentially a lot of productive seasons ahead. He set a Vikings’ record last year for most rushing yards by a rookie through the first three games, 288 yards.

Worth Noting

Dalton is president of the NFL Alumni Pro Day Experience. The first event nationally was scheduled for this month at Eden Prairie High School but will now be held November 10 and 11. The event is for boys and girls ages 13-18, who will have an experience similar to the NFL Combine, and also participate in a Microsoft technology workshop. More at Nflalumniproday.com.

State football coaching legends Mike Grant from Eden Prairie, Dwight Lundeen of Becker, and Ron Stolski from Brainerd, will be recognized at the November event as “honorary coaches.”

Dalton was a Vikings assistant coach from 1999-2005 and since then has been involved with various career experiences in health and wellness, media and technology.

The Vikings, who play the Jaguars tomorrow at U.S. Bank Stadium, are no longer using hard tickets or printed PDF’s. Tickets are accessible via the Vikings app or the online My Vikings Account portal and can be saved to fans’ mobile devices.

Vikings quarterback Kirk Cousins turns 30 on Sunday. Wide receiver Adam Thielen will be 28 next Wednesday.

Offensive coordinator Kirk Ciarroccha told the Big Ten Network late yesterday it’s head coach P.J. Fleck’s decision on timing, but the Gophers might announce their starting quarterback over the weekend for the August 30 opener against New Mexico State. Redshirt freshman Tanner Morgan and true freshman Zack Annexstad have never played in a college game but have impressed with their leadership in August training camp.

Ciarroccha said 6-4, 240-pound Seth Green, a quarterback last year who was switched to tight end, is now a wide receiver. Minnesota coaches like the redshirt sophomore’s athleticism and size.

Among verbal commits for the Gophers’ class of 2019 is four-star defensive end Jason Bargy from Momence, Illinois. His pass rushing ability might be superior to anyone on the Gopher roster currently.

Bargy is the only four-star player on the Gopher list of verbal commits, per 247Sports who as of yesterday had Minnesota’s 2019 class ranked No. 26 nationally and No. 7 in the Big Ten.

It will be one of the more emotional nights in Lynx history Sunday when the team and fans celebrate Lindsay Whalen’s career following the regular season ending home game against the Mystics. All fans in attendance will receive a Whalen commemorative card. Whalen’s retirement announcement was well-timed earlier this week, allowing the team and fans to recognize her legendary career in Minnesota basketball.

It will be interesting to see the size of the crowd on Sunday, with Target Center capacity at 18,978. In franchise history the largest regular season crowd is 17,933, a record set on July 7 of this year. The all-time attendance record came at a playoff game in October of 2016, 19,839.

Gustavus Adolphus football coach Peter Haugen speaks to the CORES lunch group September 13 at the Knights of Columbus Hall in Bloomington, 1114 American Blvd. Haugen, a Bethel graduate, is starting his 10th year at Gustavus after 15 years as head football coach for Washburn High School where he compiled a 76-8 record in city league games. For lunch reservations and other information, contact Jim Dotseth, dotsethj@comcast.net. CORES is an acronym for coaches, officials, reporters, educators and sports fans.

Gary Smith, the athletic trainer for the fabled 1980 U.S. Olympic hockey team, is in his 21st season with the Eden Prairie football team. Smith has 51 years of experience as an athletic trainer, including working for the Gophers.

Classy move: Ex-Twin Brian Dozier’s full page advertisement headlined “Thank you, Minnesota” in the August 9 Star Tribune. The second baseman, now with the Dodgers after being traded in July, will be remembered as one of the classiest Twins ever.

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Winfield May Return Punts for Gophers

Posted on August 15, 2018August 15, 2018 by David Shama

Enjoy a Wednesday notes column.

Safety and post-season Big Ten awards candidate Antoine Winfield Jr. was fielding punts at a recent Gophers football scrimmage open to the public and media. Winfield, who missed eight games last season because of injury, is part of an “experiment” by head coach P.J. Fleck to determine who will have the punt return job when the season opens August 30 at home against New Mexico State.

Fleck is also considering redshirt senior cornerback Antonio Shenault and true freshman wide receiver Rashod Bateman. Winfield is a redshirt sophomore who probably is Minnesota’s best player regardless of position.

No doubt Fleck wants an athlete with sure hands to become his No. 1 punt returner. He will welcome a playmaker at the position who can advance the ball up field when few could. The Gophers, who struggled to score points last season and could again in 2018, didn’t return a punt for a touchdown last season, or the year before.

Shenault shared punt returning last season with the departed Drew Hmielewski. Shenault had four returns for 11 yards. Winfield hasn’t returned punts in college, while Bateman has yet to step on the field for a college game.

Bateman made some difficult catches at last week’s scrimmage open to the public and media. “He’s like that everyday,” Fleck said.

A four-star recruit in high school, per 247/Sports and Rivals, the Tifton, Georgia native has a reputation for speed, explosiveness and big plays. National power Georgia tried to persuade Bateman to change his mind about becoming a Gopher.

The Gophers’ football schedule avoids three of the five Big Ten teams Sports Illustrated has in its top 15 teams in the nation. The S.I. college football issue out last week ranks Wisconsin No. 3 (predicting a national playoff spot), Penn State No. 7, Ohio State No. 9, Michigan State No. 11 and Michigan No. 15. Minnesota plays at Ohio State October 13 and closes the regular season at Wisconsin November 24.

Eden Prairie, defending 6A football state champs, started two-a-day practices this week along with other high school teams in the state. Head coach Mike Grant minimizes tackling in preparation for the season. His best players might only participate in contact for a series or two in a scrimmage before the Eagles open the season against Eastview on August 30. Excluded from any contact will be starting quarterback Cole Kramer.

Grant has won 11 titles at Eden Prairie since starting there in 1992. He told Sports Headliners the Eagles might have won five more if not for injuries.

A pro football source said the Vikings reached out to 59-year-old Mike Tice about becoming offensive line coach after the unexpected death this summer of Tony Sparano. Tice, a former Vikings head coach with a 33-34 record from 2001-2005, is retired from coaching after most recently working as offensive line coach for the Raiders.

Viking veteran Kai Forbath has a history of inconsistency on extra points. New rookie kicker Daniel Carlson will give Forbath a lot of competition for the job of converting extra points and field goals, and kicking off. This could be the most intense player competition in training camp.

Carlson was 4-for-4 on extra points and 2-for-2 on field goals last Saturday night in the Viking opening preseason win in Denver against the Broncos.

Another battle is to see who emerges as the No. 3 wide receiver. Laquon Treadwell, a No. 1 draft selection in 2016, hasn’t caught a touchdown pass in two seasons. In Saturday’s preseason opener he had one reception for three yards. Rookie Brandon Zylstra, injured and not able to play last Saturday, could not only make the roster but perhaps emerge as the No. 3 WR this season.

Legacy statistic for Lindsay Whalen who is retiring from the Lynx after this season: Since 2011 the club’s record is 60-3 when she has seven assists or more.

Former Gopher basketball player Larry Overskei, a three-year starter from 1967-1970, is retired after 47 years of coaching including most recently the boys golf team at Coon Rapids High School. During Overskei’s career he also coached basketball and one of his players was now Baseball Hall of Famer Jack Morris. At Highland Park High Morris helped the team win two St. Paul conference titles.

“Quick as a cat, tenacious, and a wonderful shooter,” Overskei wrote about Morris via email.

It will be interesting to see how center fielder Jake Cave of the Twins hits the rest of the season. Since being recalled on June 25, he is batting .377 (20-for-53) at Target Field. He has a hit in 18 of 22 games at home this season, batting .358 (24-for-67) with 18 RBI.

The 25-year-old Cave enters today’s home game against the Pirates hitting .273 with four home runs and 22 RBI in 139 at bats.

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