Vikings – Page 150 – David Shama's Minnesota Sports Headliners

No Yips for Vikings New Kicker Forbath

Posted on December 12, 2016December 12, 2016 by David Shama

A weekend full of notes starting with the Vikings.

New placekicker Kai Forbath, who was signed as a free agent last month, kicked four field goals in yesterday’s 25-16 Vikings win over the Jaguars. He is 10 for 10 in four games with Minnesota.

Forbath replaced Blair Walsh who missed the infamous 27-yard goal that cost the Vikings their opening playoff win against the Seahawks last January in Minneapolis. Walsh was out of sync this fall, particularly struggling with extra points. Forbath has converted on four of six attempts but his one miss yesterday can be forgiven because a penalty had put the ball at the Jaguars’ 38-yard-line.

Walsh may have had the yips this year, but Forbath isn’t admitting to any extreme nervousness impacting motor skills. “I’ve always told myself if you’ve missed, to move on from it,” he told Sports Headliners. “Not try to overcorrect it. …”

Forbath reportedly was let go by the Redskins in 2015 because he didn’t hit the ball deep enough on kickoffs. With the Vikings he has produced 13 touchbacks in 22 kickoffs. Walsh, who missed four extra points and made 12 of 16 field goals, had 19 of 41 kicks resulting in touchbacks this season.

The Vikings signed Forbath to a two-year contract but it’s not guaranteed. “I’ve been going through that my whole career so nothing new to me,” he said. …

With three games remaining in the regular season, first round draft choice Laquon Treadwell is still a non-contributor to a Vikings offense that has struggled most of the season. While coaches and teammates have insisted Treadwell’s lack of playing time and success isn’t concerning, fans and media have a different view.

The Vikings’ rookie wide receiver has one reception this season and didn’t catch a pass in yesterday’s win over the Jaguars. He plays a position that is not a project process like offensive line and quarterback, but yet he has hardly seen the field despite playing on an offense that has gone begging for big plays.

While the 6-2, 215-pound Treadwell seems to have the size and hands to succeed at wide receiver, questions persist about his speed and ability to separate from defenders. Right now he is part of a suspect 2016 draft class that also includes fourth round offensive lineman Willie Beavers who hasn’t been able to earn significant playing time despite the injury epidemic on the O-line.

Vikings wide receiver Adam Thielen insists Treadwell has the skills to play in the pros. “You see it everyday in practice. He’s got the size, got the speed. He’s got the athleticism. It’s just putting it all together.

“It’s a tough (offensive) system. It’s a long season. It’s just not easy to come in, and step in, and make plays. You gotta earn your right, you gotta keep getting better.”

Vikings wide receiver Stefon Diggs, who turned heads as a rookie last season, is a believer in Treadwell, too. “He’s doing everything in his power to become the player that he wants to be.”

Diggs likes Treadwell’s attitude. “He has that want to. He wants to do well.” …

Instead of three regular season NFL games in London as in the past, four will be played next year. The Vikings last played in London in 2013. The use agreement the franchise signed with the Minnesota Sports Facilities Authority (MSFA) in October of 2013 allows only three Vikings home games to be played internationally during a 15-year period. So, as of now, the Vikings can move only two games from U.S. Bank Stadium to an international site.

The NFL teams participating in the 2017 London game are expected to be announced tomorrow. …

The Vikings are paying $10 million to the MSFA in this their first season at U.S. Bank Stadium. That amount increases by three percent per year in the future. The club also pays what the use agreement terms “direct and incremental operating expenses” for Vikings events at the stadium. The Vikings receive all revenue from various sources for their events including but not limited to tickets, naming rights, suite licenses, sponsorships and signage. …

A hockey source told Sports Headliners he believes the Minnesota Wild has a leadership issue but offered only praise for goalie Devan Dubnyk and new coach Bruce Boudreau. “Who are the leaders (among players)?” the source asked. “There needs to be leaders that push the young players, police the locker room and make sure everyone is rowing the boat together.”

The Wild has been inconsistent and lost too many close games this season, although the club has won four consecutive games, is in third place in the seven-team Central Division and is a playoff contender. The source said Boudreau has done a “good job” but he has been taken aback at times by the team’s lack of effort, and that relates to the players’ leadership issue.

Dubnyk leads the NHL in goals against average per game at 1.63, save percentage at .946 and shutouts with four. He is the team MVP so far and is playing like he did two seasons ago when he rallied Minnesota to the playoffs. How come?

“Goalies are creatures of habit like pitchers,” the hockey man said. “Sometimes they’re hot and sometimes they’re not.”

At what level has Dubnyk been playing? “I think he is as good a goaltender as there is the NHL,” the source said. “He just hasn’t (consistently) had the support.” …

Five voices familiar to local fans have been nominated for Minnesota State Sportscaster of the Year by the National Sports Media Association (NSMA). They are Mike Grimm, Alan Horton, Anthony LaPanta, Cory Provus and Mark Rosen. …

The Gophers and Washington State play on December 27 in the National Funding Holiday Bowl, and both are led by head coaches who didn’t play college football—Tracy Claeys and Mike Leach. Sports Headliners reader Mike Wilkinson wonders if that has ever happened before in major college bowl history? He also wrote in his email that Gophers basketball coach Richard Pitino didn’t play college basketball. He asked if a major college athletic department ever had football and basketball coaches like Claeys and Pitino who didn’t play their sports while students in college? Anybody have answers? …

Two Twins minor leaguers made the Arizona Fall League (AFL) top 25 prospects team announced last week by MLB.com. Shortstop Nick Gordon was fourth in league average at .346, while also leading players at his position in total chances and assists in 21 games. Catcher Mitch Garver was second in the AFL in home runs with four, while batting .229 in 19 games. Gordon was listed as the No. 2 prospect along with Yankees’ minor leaguer and shortstop Gleyber Torres. Garver ranked No. 23. …

Condolences to friends of Edina attorney and Hobey Baker supporter Jack Carlson who died last Wednesday night. Jack was an avid sports fan with a passion for University of Illinois athletics.

1 comment

Vikings to Face “Lousy” Team Sunday

Posted on December 7, 2016December 7, 2016 by David Shama

Bob Lurtsema makes his opinion clear about Sunday’s Vikings-Jaguars game in Jacksonville. “If you can’t beat a team that lousy, you got problems,” he told Sports Headliners.

The former Vikings defensive lineman is still close to his old team. When he speaks about his favorite franchise, it’s a good idea to listen. He predicted, for example, the 2015 Vikings would finish with a 10-6 record even though they had been 7-9 the season before. The Vikings made Lurtsema look good with an 11-5 record and an NFC North Division title in 2015.

The 6-6 Vikings, who still could qualify for the playoffs, play a Jaguars club that is 2-10. The other three teams remaining on the Vikings schedule are the 6-6 Colts, 6-6 Packers and 3-9 Bears. The Jaguars look like the weakest of the four opponents.

What about the Vikings’ playoff chances if they lose to Jacksonville? “It’s over,” said Lurtsema who thinks Minnesota may make the playoffs as a Wild Card team.

Among reasons the Jaguars are struggling is third-year quarterback Blake Bortles, who has thrown 15 interceptions in 12 starts and has a low passer rating of 76.9. The Jaguars made him the first quarterback and No. 3 overall pick in the 2014 NFL Draft—the same year the Vikings chose Teddy Bridgewater at No. 32 in the first round. “That’s who (Bortles) the Vikings really wanted when they drafted Teddy,” Lurtsema said. “Look how…he is playing.”

Injuries have forced the Vikings to rotate offensive linemen like a game of musical chairs. The result has frequently been fatal with the offense featuring an anemic rushing attack and a quarterback often facing constant pressure by pass rushers. But Lurtsema was encouraged by the line’s performance in last week’s 17-15 loss to the Cowboys.

“The offensive line played much better, believe it or not,” Lurtsema said. “They were sliding, (and) they were making the pickups a little better as far as adjusting to different defensive stunts the Cowboys had. They’ve got to play longer together. I think they’re still a game or two away from playing (even better)—seeing how good they’re actually going to be.”

In the closing seconds last Thursday night Vikings quarterback Sam Bradford threw high on an attempted pass and two-point conversion that if completed would have tied the score 17-17 with the Cowboys and sent the game into overtime. The Cowboys’ Cedric Thorton appeared to hit the Vikings quarterback on the face mask but the officials didn’t throw a flag and penalize the Cowboys for roughing the passer, so instead of replaying the down the game ended.

“The officials affected the game on both sides of the Dallas game,” said Lurtsema referring to multiple calls Thursday night. “Officiating is getting worse by the game. I mean it’s just brutal. When Bradford got hit on the two point conversion, people don’t understand what (a difference) one bad call can make (to a season).”

Worth Noting

Vikings fullback Zach Line told Sports Headliners yesterday that Adrian Peterson looks stronger every week. Line’s opinion is chances are “good” Peterson will play before the season ends next month. Peterson continues to rehab following surgery for a torn meniscus in September.

The Golden Gopher volleyball team is among the favorites to win the 2016 national championship. Minnesota’s potential path to its first title continues Friday night in a NCAA regional match against Missouri at the U Sports Pavilion. Also playing that night in the Minneapolis Regional are North Carolina and UCLA. Friday’s winners advance to the regional title match in the Sports Pavilion Saturday evening. The Minneapolis champion will then join three other regional winners in the national semifinals December 15 in Columbus, with the NCAA title to be decided there on December 17.

Gophers volleyball has become a major story with the media in this town. That development has caught the attention of former Gophers athletic director Joel Maturi who hired Hugh McCutcheon in 2011 hoping the former Olympics coach would build on the success of retiring U coach Mike Hebert.

The Gophers are the No. 2 seed in the NCAA tournament (Nebraska is No. 1) and Maturi is impressed. “My goodness, the attention that this volleyball team is getting is deserved, but it’s new. We’re selling out the place (the Sports Pavilion).

“We’ve been good before…(although) not No. 2 in the rankings. But we’ve been top 10 which is pretty good.

“I just think what he’s brought (McCutcheon) to the whole program is the awareness of the sport. The success that we’ve had. The energy that he has brought to the building, and now the media has picked it up.

“You’re calling about them and other (media) people have called about them. You’ve got (Patrick) Reusse going to volleyball matches, and (Jim) Souhan going to volleyball matches. I mean when the hell did that ever happen? With all due respect, you know?”

McCutcheon was friends with Hebert who led the Gophers to three Final Fours. McCutcheon, who coached U.S. Olympic men’s and women’s teams to gold and silver medals, met Maturi through Hebert years ago. Maturi had no idea when Hebert wanted to retire but told the USA Volleyball coach he was interested in making him a candidate for the Gophers’ job when an opening occurred.

After the 2010 season Hebert retired. McCutcheon had to finish up his 2012 Olympics commitment with the U.S. women so Laura Bush filled in as interim coach for 2011 and for awhile in 2012 until the new boss could take over.

The Gophers basketball team has been invited consecutive years to play neutral court games at the Sanford Pentagon arena in Sioux Falls, South Dakota. Kelby Krabbenhoft, a committee member with the group selecting teams for games at the arena, indicated before last Saturday’s Minnesota-Vanderbilt game that the Gophers will be invited back, but was noncommittal about 2017.

Krabbenhoft said in addition to Minnesota, teams of future interest include Notre Dame and Creighton. The Gophers have split two close games at the Pentagon, losing to Oklahoma State and defeating Vanderbilt while attracting Minnesota fans to help sell out the 3,250 seat building. “We love Minnesota,” said Krabbenhoft, president/CEO of Sanford Health.

Participating teams receive guaranteed sums ranging from $60,000 to $200,000 to play at the Pentagon, Krabbenhoft said. His son Joe, by the way, was a high school star in Sioux Falls who almost chose the Gophers instead of Wisconsin where he became a starter and now is an assistant coach. Dad said the decision to attend a school came down to a family vote.

University of Minnesota alum T. Denny Sanford celebrated his 81st birthday last Friday night with about 750 friends as singer Harry Connick Jr. entertained at the Pentagon.

Former Gophers coach Jerry Kill has several December book signings scheduled in the metro area including three next Saturday. Kill will be at Lexus of Maplewood from 8:30 to 11:30 a.m.; Barnes & Noble Galleria 1 to 3 p.m.; and Barnes & Noble HarMar Mall, 4 to 6 p.m. He will be signing copies of his new book Chasing Dreams: Living My Life One Yard at a Time.

Minnesota sports fan Steve Erban, who has owned winning racehorses over the years, talking about criticism directed at Gophers football even when the team wins: “…I tell them this: You’ve never owned a race horse. Because when you win, you win. When you win, you take the win and move on to the next race.”

Comments Welcome

Vikings Miss on Momentum Builder

Posted on December 2, 2016December 2, 2016 by David Shama

The Vikings missed a storybook ending to their game last night, and diminished their chances of making the playoffs.

In the closing seconds the Vikings lined up for a two-point conversion attempt but right tackle Jeremiah Sirles was called for a false start, pushing the football back from the two-yard line to the seven. The next play quarterback Sam Bradford threw high on an attempted pass that if completed would have tied the score 17-17 with the Cowboys and sent the game into overtime.

Sam Bradford (photo courtesy of Minnesota Vikings)

A replay of Bradford passing showed that the Cowboys’ Cedric Thorton hit the Vikings quarterback on the helmet. A roughing penalty should have been called but the officials didn’t throw a flag.

Instead of another attempt at the two-point conversion and possible overtime, the Vikings were left with frustrations and a .500 record of 6-6 with four games remaining on their schedule. It’s been a traumatic week for the Vikings both off the field and on. Head coach Mike Zimmer followed the game from home because of emergency eye surgery Wednesday night. Zimmer’s players wanted to win for him and build momentum for a playoff run. It’s not known when the coach will return to practice.

It’s also very uncertain how the Vikings will play in their games between now and when the season ends on January 1. The good news is that the remaining teams on Minnesota’s regular season schedule all have losing records. The Jaguars (2-9), Colts (5-6), Packers (5-6) and Bears (2-9) have a cumulative record of 14 wins, 30 losses. The games with the Jaguars and Packers are away, while the Colts and Bears come to Minneapolis. The Vikings are 2-4 on the road this season, 4-2 at home.

Minnesota has now lost two more games than the NFC North Division leading Lions (7-4). The Vikings have dropped six of their last seven and, with or without Zimmer, they are scrambling to defend last year’s division title.

The Lions’ remaining games are against the Saints (5-6), Giants (8-3) and Cowboys (11-1) on the road, and at home with the Packers and Bears. The cumulative record of those clubs is 31-25. Past performances and records certainly indicate the Lions’ remaining schedule is more difficult than Minnesota’s.

But even if the Vikings somehow manage to finish in a tie with the Lions (perhaps both having 9-7 records), Detroit will have the tiebreaker for the playoffs because of two regular season wins over Minnesota.

Six teams from the NFC will qualify for the postseason, the four division champions and two wildcard entries. Right now there are seven teams with better records than the Vikings, so Zimmer’s bunch still has a chance at the playoffs but last night’s performance didn’t create momentum or optimism.

The Vikings’ defense was impressive against perhaps the best offense in the NFC. The Cowboys scored two touchdowns but one was a gift because Vikings punt returner Adam Thielen fumbled near the goal line. His miscue was part of a difficult special teams evening for the Vikings that also included anemic punting giving the Cowboys preferred field position.

As usual, the Vikings offense struggled with minimal rushing success and point production. The Vikings got three field goals from Kai Forbath but scored only one touchdown. Bradford, also as expected, took a physical beating from pass rushers and absorbed a crushing blow late in the second quarter that knocked him out of the game. The offensive line has had so many injuries the Vikings are now using overmatched personnel as they struggle to put momentum back into a season that started 5-0.

Vikings fans can hardly be cocky about the coming weeks. The lowly Bears defeated the Vikings 20-10 in Chicago earlier this season. Aaron Rodgers and the Packers are always a pain-in-the-you-know-what, the Colts have a top quarterback also in Andrew Luck and the Jaguars—well, they get the Vikings on their home field a week from Sunday.

But perhaps somehow the Vikings will find a way to win games down the stretch. Hard to know what tomorrow brings. Zimmer received a reminder this week.

Worth Noting

The Twins announced this morning that James Rowson, 40, will be the team’s new hitting coach. The last three seasons Rowson has been the minor league hitting coordinator for the Yankees. He was the Cubs hitting coach from June of 2012 through 2013.

St. Thomas plays at home tomorrow (noon start) in a Division III quarterfinal national championship football game against UW-Oshkosh. In the last 12 years, St. Thomas’ 30 teams in nine different sports have qualified for NCAA tournaments and advanced to at least the national quarterfinals. Ten of the teams went on to place first or second nationally. The Tommies’ football team played in the national title game last season.

Glenn Caruso (photo courtesy of University of St. Thomas)

In nine seasons under football coach Glenn Caruso, 19 different players have been named All-America or Academic All-America. In the 66 previous St. Thomas football seasons, 29 other Tommies were honored. At least one other player is expected to be added to that 48 member list when All-America teams are announced this month, because senior cornerback Michael Alada leads all four NCAA levels in interceptions with 11.

Senior wide receiver Nick Waldvogel made the 2016 Division III CoSIDA Academic All-America team this week, joining his older brother Fritz who was honored in 2011. Only one other set of brothers have made Academic All-America for St. Thomas: Greg Kaiser (1997) and Andy Kaiser (2001).

If the Gophers play Washington State in the Music City Bowl, Minnesota will have another look at Mike Leach. The famous passing game authority has revived the Cougars’ program as head coach, just like he did at Texas Tech. In the 2006 Insight Bowl Leach’s Raiders trailed the Gophers 35-7 at halftime but scored 31 second half points to force overtime. The Raiders passed the Gophers dizzy and eventually won 44-41 in Glen Mason’s last game as Minnesota’s head coach.

The 8-4 Gophers will learn their bowl destination Sunday night.

The Gophers will have four players returning next year who received All-Big Ten honors this week. The four are first team kicker Emmit Carpenter, defensive tackle Steven Richardson and running back Rodney Smith, both third teamers, and linebacker Jonathan Celestin who received honorable mention.

James Johannesson, the redshirt running back from Fargo who was one of the stars of the Gophers spring game, never played a minute this season. Minnesota’s top three running backs who played this fall all return in 2017. Johannesson ran for 6,158 yards and 81 touchdowns in high school.

A sympathy card might be appropriate for former Gophers basketball coach Dan Monson. His Long Beach State team is 1-8 with losses that include road games at Kansas, Louisville, North Carolina, Washington, Wichita State and UCLA.

Tubby Smith, who succeeded Monson at Minnesota, is 6-1 in his first season at Memphis. The most notable teams on the Tigers’ schedule so far are Iowa (Memphis 100, Hawkeyes 92) and Providence (Friars won 60-51).

Anyone else notice the Timberwolves have one of the worst records in the NBA, while the pro franchise that first played in Minneapolis is the surprise of the league? With a nucleus of promising young players, the Wolves were favorites before the season to emerge as the NBA’s most improved team. Instead, it’s the Los Angeles Lakers—who most everyone thought would be awful—that are playing .500 basketball after the first month of the season. Luke Walton is turning heads in L.A. and across the NBA in his first head coaching job, while the Wolves are off to a 5-15 start.

The Wild is at Calgary tonight and is 0-1 this season against the Flames. Minnesota goalie Devan Dubnyk stopped 26 of 27 shots in a 1-0 loss November 5 at Xcel Energy Center.

The Gophers volleyball team has its highest NCAA Tournament seed in program history at No. 2. Minnesota is hosting opening regional rounds at the Sports Pavilion tonight and tomorrow evening. The Gophers had top 25 RPI wins against 10 teams this season and nine of the 18 players on the roster are Minnesotans.

Comments Welcome