Vikings – Page 164 – David Shama's Minnesota Sports Headliners

Kill: Gophers May Win 9 or 10 Games

Posted on June 17, 2016June 17, 2016 by David Shama

Tracy Claeys voiced his optimism this spring about the Gophers, predicting the team could win eight, nine or 10 games next fall. The new head coach will receive no argument from his former boss.

“I think the Gophers will have a great year,” Jerry Kill said. “I think coach Claeys feels good about it.”

Kill brought Claeys and other assistant coaches to Minnesota more than five years ago after having winning teams at Northern Illinois. Not long after arriving in Minneapolis, Kill delivered the news that it would take time to turn the program around.

And it did as the Gophers worked on recovering from the coach Tim Brewster era when he compiled an 18-39 record.

Kill’s records in 2011 and 2012 were 3-9 and 6-7. Then came 8-5 seasons in 2013 and 2014—before last year’s surprising 6-7 record. The Gophers were struck hard by injuries, a difficult schedule and the resignation of Kill.

This year the schedule is less imposing with the removal of national powers Michigan, TCU and Ohio State. The difference between the schedules of 2015 and 2016 was on Kill’s radar a long time ago. He knew years six (2016) and seven (2017) of the program could be his best in Dinkytown, with easier schedules and better players than in the past.

“I think they’ve got an opportunity to win nine or 10 games (this season),” Kill told Sports Headliners by telephone Monday.

The national media, though, is cautious about the Gophers who are a popular choice to finish fifth in the Big Ten’s seven team West Division behind Iowa, Northwestern, Wisconsin and Nebraska. Predictions are the Gophers can improve on last season’s 6-7 overall record and 2-6 Big Ten Conference total, but this is still a team that ranks in the lower half of the league and is assigned a spot like No. 60 in the nation.

Preseason predictions are interesting but they obviously come without guarantees. Kill believes the Gophers can move through their 12-game schedule with minimal on field defeats if the team avoids a serious outbreak of injuries.

“Nobody (predictors) knows who is going to do what because of the injury situation,” Kill said. “We thought we would have a very good team a year ago. After playing TCU (opening game) we had a beat up team, and then injury after injury after injury. Probably the most injuries I’ve ever seen in a football team in my coaching career.

“Nobody knows who is going to win what, because nobody knows who is going to be healthy at the end of the year. The most important thing abut winning is staying healthy.”

Kill rebuilt the Gophers program with a defense led by Claeys, his coordinator. The stats say Minnesota was better on defense than offense last season, and this fall the Gophers figure to make an impression again and perhaps have one of the best defensive units in the West Division.

The Gophers ranked seventh in the Big Ten in total defense last season. About half of the starters return on the defensive unit including some of the best players—defensive tackle Steven Richardson, linebackers Jack Lynn and Cody Poock, and safety Damarius Travis who is the team’s best defender.

Minnesota has to replace its cornerbacks from last season and Kill believes the transition to new starters will work but he does have a concern about defensive backs. “Probably the biggest question mark (about the defense) is depth in the secondary,” he said. “There’s some (redshirt) freshmen that are going to have to fill in some roles. They don’t have to be starters but they gotta be able to fill some roles.”

Claeys has a new offensive coordinator in Jay Johnson and new line coach in Bart Miller. The hope is the maturity of offensive players, the change in coaches and a revised offensive system will perk things up on the scoreboard. Generally, Kill’s teams over the years were better defensively than offensively. Last year the Gophers ranked No. 12 in total offense and No. 13 in scoring offense among Big Ten teams.

The fate of the Gophers on both sides of the ball will greatly be determined by line play. Kill said the defensive line “should be very strong.” He is optimistic about the offensive line, too.

“I think there’s more talent up front than there was a year ago,” he said. “Of course, they’re going to have stay healthy because there’s still not enough depth.”

Kill stressed the importance of offensive tackle Garrison Wright and guard Vincent Calhoun, both junior college transfers. “Those junior college kids gotta come thru and I think they will,” Kill said. “They got to come in at semester (January) and learn what to do, and I think that’s certainly going to help them.”

Senior tackle Jonah Pirsig, 6-9, 316 pounds, will need to be another key contributor. “Jonah is a big time player,” Kill said. “I think he’s got a chance to play in the National Football League if he continues to get better. He’s so big. … He’s gotten stronger in the weight room. His feet have gotten better. Technically he’s got to continue to improve but he has the ability and size for what they’re looking for (NFL scouts).”

Kill attended a few spring practices and among the players he noticed was tackle Chad Fahning, a redshirt junior walk-on from DeLaSalle High School. “He had a hell of a spring until he got hurt,” Kill said.

Quarterback Mitch Leidner had some of his best career moments toward the end of last season. Leidner, a redshirt senior, is being mentioned as a quarterback who interests the NFL. “I think he’ll have a great year,” Kill said.

Kill also likes Gophers running backs Shannon Brooks and Rodney Smith, two players who made a major impact as freshmen in 2015. Then when Kill talks about receivers, it’s obvious Brandon Lingen is a favorite.

“Tight end wise, Brandon Lingen is as good as there is,” Kill said. “I think (he is) a guy that is an all-conference player.”

Kill always emphasized special teams at Minnesota and other places he coached. That high standard is likely to continue under Claeys, who retained nearly all of Kill’s staff. A special teams area in the spotlight starting in August is Claeys’ decision to make Ryan Santos, the field goal specialist last year, the punter in 2016. Emmit Carpenter, who impressed during the spring, could be the team’s new field goal specialist.

The Gophers are replacing punter Peter Mortell who used up his eligibility. Kill believes the 6-6, 250-pound Santos has the leg to be an effective punter but might have assigned Santos the new job while allowing him to keep the old one too. “If I was there, I probably would have him do both,” Kill said.

Worth Noting

WCHA men’s hockey coaches may have a new policy for overtime games next season. The present procedure is five minute overtimes with each team rewarded a point if neither team wins. Ideas being considered include four-on-four play for five minutes in the initial overtime, and if there is no winner then three-on-three for five minutes more. If no winner is determined a shootout follows. A new overtime policy—providing more action for fans to watch —could be decided by the coaches in early August.

Xavier Rhodes is a talented cornerback and NFL season No. 4 might be a breakthrough year for him. Vikings head coach Mike Zimmer has noticed that unlike previous springs Rhodes has a much better understanding of his job, including the “intricacies.”

“I think he can be a really good cornerback,” Zimmer said. “He’s obviously got great length, he can run, he can turn his hips good, he’s physical. Sometimes Xav is his own worst enemy and he will get down on himself a little bit. But I think he feels confident about what he’s done this spring. …”

It’s expected that teammates will offer praise for one another when talking to the media, but Vikings quarterback Teddy Bridgewater raved about tight end Kyle Rudolph earlier this week at minicamp. “I love Kyle. He’s a great player, and he’s an even better person,” Bridgewater said. “He’s reliable on and off the football field. He’s a guy you can call and be like, ‘Hey Kyle, do you mind coming out to one of my events?’ And he won’t hesitate to say yes.”

Bridgewater welcomes Rudolph’s input on the sidelines. “I consider him another quarterback because of how smart he is,” Bridgewater said. “He understands the game. He understands what the coaching staff wants us to do, and he wants to know where the ball is going. So he’s studying the plays as if he was a quarterback and that’s the type of guy you want on your team.”

Minicamp was over for the Vikings as of yesterday and next up will be the start of training camp in Mankato in late July. What will Bridgewater do in between minicamp and Mankato?

“I’ll probably get together with the guys again, have another ‘Teddy Two Gloves Passing Academy,’ something like that,” Bridgewater said. “That’s what the guys call it, but we’ll probably get together again, (and) workout. (Also) spend some time with my family—and that’s about it.

“Over these next couple weeks, there’s not time to take a step back. Training camp is right around the corner so I’m going to continue to just prepare myself physically and mentally so that when July 28th comes I’m ready to go.”

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‘Championship Depth’ on Vikes Staff

Posted on June 13, 2016June 13, 2016 by David Shama

As head coach, Mike Zimmer has led a turnaround of the Vikings. After a first-year 7-9 record in 2014, the Vikings won the NFC North Division last season going 11-5.

In only two seasons Zimmer has been anointed one of the NFL’s best head coaches. A May 25 article in USA Today, for example, ranked Zimmer the fourth best coach in the league.

Zimmer had never been a head coach in the NFL when general manager Rick Spielman hired him in January of 2014 to lead a rebuilding of the team. From the start Zimmer, a former defensive coordinator with the Bengals, showed a commitment to defense. He also insisted that all his players perform with extra effort and football intelligence.

An example of on field I.Q. is that last season the Vikings were the least penalized team in the NFL with 88 flags. The offense was the least penalized in the 32-team league with 30 penalties.

The Vikings improved in Zimmer’s first season and clearly made even more progress last year. The franchise is on a shortlist of NFL organizations who smart observers predict will be Super Bowl contenders in the coming years. The dream scenario, of course, is the Vikings will play in the 2018 Super Bowl that will be held at U.S. Bank Stadium.

But Zimmer hasn’t set the Viking ship in a new direction by himself. Spielman has drafted wisely in recent years, acquiring young talent like quarterback Teddy Bridgewater, linebackers Anthony Barr and Eric Kendricks, wide receiver Stefon Diggs, tight end Kyle Rudolph and safety Harrison Smith.

The personnel matters but so too does the coaching. And Zimmer has surrounded himself with impressive assistants, most of whom were with him last year too. Last week former Vikings assistant coach Dean Dalton watched practice and talked about a staff that got even better this winter with the addition of tight ends coach Pat Shurmur and offensive line coach Tony Sparano. “It’s a very impressive group,” Dalton told Sports Headliners.

Shurmur is starting his 18th NFL season this year, Sparano his 19th. They are not only former NFL assistants, but also ex-head coaches—Shurmur with the Eagles and Sparano with the Dolphins. Dalton sees the addition of the two veteran teachers as “juicing the staff” and providing “championship depth.”

Dalton said championship teams need depth in player personnel and so do coaching staffs. And it’s not only the number of years coaching that counts, but also the varied experiences in different systems and philosophies that matter.

Offensive coordinator Norv Turner is an ex-NFL head coach with the Chargers and Redskins. Dalton said Zimmer shows confidence in himself with a willingness to have three former head coaches on his offensive staff. “I’ll bet their meetings are really interesting because they’re going to bring different takes on it (what to plan) and they’ll find the right matchups for the Vikings’ offense,” Dalton said.

While Zimmer likes his staff, the best news he probably received last week was when Spielman got a contract extension done with Smith for a reported five years and $51.25 million. The extension had been a subject of speculation going back to last year, and earlier this spring Smith told Sports Headliners he didn’t know what the timeline would be on a deal even though he was set to become an unrestricted free agent after this season.

“I figured it would get done,” Zimmer said. “I don’t think that Harrison is the kind of guy that really cares that much about money. I think he loves playing football and loves being out here and working, and things like that. So, I figured it would get done eventually.”

Rudolph signed a reported five-year extension two years ago and his experience is that it’s a plus to get contracts done. “…You can say all you want that you’re not worried about it, you’re not thinking about it, but it’s just done and binding now and he can fully focus on football,” Rudolph said. “He’s one of the best I know at preparing, coming in everyday, working hard, practicing everyday. No one prepares more than Harrison does, and he deserves every penny that he got and I am happy for him.”

Rudolph benefits from practicing against Smith, a safety he regards as the best in the NFL. “He can do everything,” Rudolph said. “He can cover. He can play in the box. He can blitz. And I think he’s part of the reason why our defense is so successful. He’s a guy that can be put in almost any situation and he’s going to succeed.”

What does Zimmer believe Smith means to his defense?

“Well, he’s a leader by example,” Zimmer answered. “He plays real hard. He’s tough. He’s smart. You know he’s like a lot of our guys.”

Plays hard, tough and smart? Yeah, sounds familiar.

Twins Notes

This is a weird schedule week for the Twins. They defeated the Red Sox at home yesterday and start a three-game series in Anaheim tonight, before returning to Minneapolis and playing a four-game series against the Yankees.

The Twins are an American League worst 19-43 after yesterday’s extra inning 7-4 win against the Red Sox. The club has 100 games remaining on the schedule and must improve to avoid the franchise’s worst record ever. The 1982 Twins finished 60 and 102. To reach 61 victories the Twins will need to win 42 percent of their remaining games. The final record would then be 61 and 101. Not likely.

Max Kepler (photo courtesy of Minnesota Twins).

Twins rookie outfielder Max Kepler, who won yesterday’s game with a three-run home run, was rated the organization’s third best prospect entering this season and best at strike-zone discipline by Baseball America.

Twins shortstop Eduardo Nunez is the team’s only serious All-Star Game candidate. He is seventh in batting average among Major League players at .327. His total of 14 stolen bases ranks as sixth best.

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Wolves Owner Sees NBA Glory Ahead

Posted on June 8, 2016June 8, 2016 by David Shama

Glen Taylor is watching the NBA playoffs this spring, including the Finals between the Cavs and Warriors, and thinking about his team becoming a force.

The Wolves owner hasn’t seen his franchise in the playoffs since 2004 but he has a roster of young players that every basketball expert on the planet acknowledges is very promising. The group is led by the NBA Rookies of the Year the last two seasons, forward Andrew Wiggins and center Karl-Anthony Towns.

Asked about the likelihood his club could make a deep playoff run within four years, Taylor said: “I don’t think it’s next year but I certainly think the potential is there.”

Glen Taylor (photo courtesy of Minnesota Timberwolves).

Then Taylor thought for a second and talked about a longer period of time where he envisions the Wolves challenging for NBA titles. “I would say over the next 10 years because of the age(s) of our players we should be a challenging team in many of those years,” he told Sports Headliners on Monday.

The Wolves’ roster has nine players 26 years old or younger. Wiggins is 21 and Towns 20. Even veteran point guard Ricky Rubio is only 25. Rubio’s starting teammate in the backcourt, Zach LaVine, is only 21.

When Taylor watches the playoffs and the teams making deep runs including the Cavs and Warriors, he sees contrasts with his club. The Wolves, he said, must develop better team defense, improve their three-point shooting and be able to make the biggest of plays. And while Taylor likes the nucleus of his starters, he sees a need for a deeper and better group of reserves coming off the bench.

The talent pool figures to improve this offseason. The Wolves will have the No. 5 pick in the NBA Draft later this month and Taylor said new basketball bosses Tom Thibodeau and Scott Layden are sorting out options. Those options include who to draft, or whether to trade the pick.

Thibodeau is president of basketball operations. Layden is general manager. “They’re very thorough,” Taylor said. “They’re doing a lot of work. They work good as a team.”

Taylor said the Wolves have moved beyond the mission of prioritizing the acquisition of young talent and now will give more emphasis to older players via free agency or trades. All tools could be in play this summer, and there is ongoing speculation Thibodeau wants to acquire a veteran or two from the Bulls where he coached before coming to Minneapolis.

Whether 40-year-old Kevin Garnett returns for another season is undecided. Earlier this spring Taylor was interested in talking to Garnett but the timing wasn’t right because Garnett’s mother-in-law was in hospice and recently died. “I just kind of got off of it,” Taylor said. “I think the next communications will probably be between Thibs and KG. That’s probably the more important one, and that’s what I have suggested to both of them that they get some time together.”

Taylor said he and a Chinese businessman expect to finalize the sale of a five percent share of the franchise this week. Taylor declined to identify the new investor, but the two men were introduced by a mutual friend awhile ago and then meetings developed.

About 10 days ago transactions were completed and approved by the NBA involving a 9.5 percent share of the franchise to Meyer Orbach from New Jersey.

Worth Noting

The Timberwolves began play in 1989 but in more than 25 years the franchise has never advanced to the NBA Finals. Contrast that with the Minneapolis Lakers who won five pro championships from 1949-1954.

The coach of all five championship teams was John Kundla who still lives in Minneapolis and turns 100 on July 3.

Archives in the Pavek Museum of Broadcasting in St. Louis Park include several moments of a 1959 Minneapolis Lakers-Detroit Pistons radio broadcast. Ray Christensen, who made his fame broadcasting Gophers games, does the play-by-play.

Sympathies to family and friends of Bill McMoore who died Monday morning at age 90 in Plymouth. A Minnesotan for most of his life, McMoore was one of the first African-American football players at the University of Minnesota. McMoore made a career of leadership in the Minneapolis public schools including tenure as athletic director for the city’s high schools.

Former Gophers basketball captain Al Nuness said McMoore was revered for his pioneering career. “He was very, very well respected and was Mr. University of Minnesota to many athletes including African-Americans,” Nuness told Sports Headliners.

McMoore was a member of the University Alumni Association board of directors, former president of the “M” Club and is a member of the “M” Club Hall of Fame. Funeral services will be held at 10 a.m. Monday at St. Peter’s AME Church in south Minneapolis.

The goal posts in the new U.S. Bank Stadium were installed Monday. Upon request, individual Vikings are touring their new home but as a team the players won’t take the field until warm-ups for the first preseason game in August.

The city of Minneapolis has inspected and approved the stadium, and provided notification of the findings to the building’s general contractor, M.A. Mortenson. That means organizations such as SMG (the building’s stadium management company) and the Vikings’ ticket personnel can move into the facility.

For the 51st consecutive year the Vikings will hold training camp on the campus of Minnesota State University, Mankato. The Vikings report to camp Thursday, July 28, and hold their first team practice Friday, July 29. The Vikings will have an evening practice for fans Saturday, August 6 in Blakeslee Stadium followed by a team introduction and fireworks.

Studies are showing soccer ranks No. 1 in concussions as measured by percentage of participants. Football ranks behind not only soccer but a few other sports.

Twins shortstop Eduardo Nunez, who never hit more than five home runs during six previous MLB seasons, already has nine. He has homered in four of his last five games including two in last night’s win over the Marlins. He is hitting .400 in his last 13 games and has hit safely in 12 of the games.

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