Vikings – Page 165 – David Shama's Minnesota Sports Headliners

U Boosters Voice Concerns to Governor

Posted on April 25, 2016April 26, 2016 by David Shama

Jim Carter thought it was an idea going nowhere. Carter’s friend Jim Brunzell told him a few weeks ago he requested a meeting with Governor Mark Dayton to talk about University of Minnesota athletics.

Not only did the Governor’s office respond but a lunch meeting was scheduled with Brunzell, Carter and Alvin Ray Hawes. Last Friday the three U alums met with Dayton at the Governor’s residence in St. Paul. Shannon Patrick, Dayton’s senior policy advisor for higher education, was also there.

Brunzell, Carter and Hawes played football together at Minnesota in the late 1960s. They and many other Gophers boosters have been concerned for some time about the school’s leadership in athletics, and the performances and reputations of football, and men’s basketball and hockey—the highest profile sports at the University and major producers of revenues contributing to a $100 million annual budget supporting 25 men’s and women’s sports.

Carter came to the meeting with a list of facts and concerns including how long it’s taking to find a permanent athletic director, how fundraising is stalled on the $190 million Athletes Village project, the missed opportunity to place former football coach Jerry Kill in a high level position within the Athletic Department, how department monies have been used inefficiently, and how the revenues, culture and image of the department could be much better.

“We just wanted the Governor to know how frustrated we are,” Carter said of the meeting. “How frustrated we’ve been with the lack of pursuit of excellence in athletics at the University. With the long time—almost a year now—to put an athletic director in place. What we see with continuing issues in the Athletic Department that make us wonder where the tradition of the Golden Gophers has gone. We shared that with the Governor.

“It was very positive (the discussion), not mudslinging. We talked with him…and discovered he’s got the same love for Golden Gophers football, hockey, basketball, and many of the sports that we all do.”

The Governor, 69, is about the same age as Carter, Brunzell and Hawes. A Minneapolis native, Dayton grew up in Minnesota and loved hockey. He was an all-state goalie for Blake and followed Gophers hockey and football teams. “He seemed to be one of us,” Carter said.

Carter said during lunch Dayton expressed similar concerns to what his visitors voiced. Dayton also recalled an offer he made to former Gophers athletics director Norwood Teague and later to interim AD Beth Goetz. Dayton is willing to use his residence to help the Athletic Department, including to host Gopher donors. While Teague didn’t take him up on the offer, Goetz has scheduled a dinner.

What may transpire from the meeting last Friday? “I think the only thing that we could expect for him to do would be to use influence,” Carter said. “Not financial necessarily but he speaks with the president of the University. He speaks with people over there.”

Vikings & NFL Draft

The Vikings have eight selections in next week’s NFL Draft and a priority should be finding a speed receiver who runs disciplined routes. At least that’s the opinion of former Viking Bob Lurtsema who remains close to the franchise.

Lurtsema is an admirer of third-year quarterback Teddy Bridgewater who he said “can throw the ball” but doesn’t receive enough praise from the media. Bridgewater ranked No. 22 in the NFL last season with 3,231 passing yards. The 23-year-old had a just okay 88.7 passer rater.

Teddy Bridgewater (photo courtesy of Minnesota Vikings).

It takes awhile for young quarterbacks to establish themselves but Lurtsema believes Bridgewater’s numbers and the perception of him would be more positive if his wide receivers ran better routes than they did last season. Bridgewater, he said, often made superior judgments compared to his targets.

“They (wide receivers) would come off the routes,” Lurtsema said. “They weren’t reading the same (as Bridgewater). A lot of it is the responsibility of the receiver.”

Lurtsema hopes to see improvement among the wide receivers next season. “You talk to the players themselves and you talk to them off the record, they tell you all the little things that Teddy Bridgewater can do,” Lurtsema said.

The first of the Vikings’ eight selections comes Thursday night when Minnesota has the No. 23 pick in the first round. Mock drafts frequently project the Vikings will use the selection on a wide receiver, perhaps TCU’s Josh Doctson, Notre Dame’s Will Fuller or Ohio State’s Mike Thomas. All three have first round credentials but on their NFL.com profiles none draws praise for route running.

The Vikings will also draft No. 23 in rounds two through five, then No. 5 in the sixth round, and 19th and 23rd in the seventh and final round. The first round begins at 7 p.m. CDT Thursday. Rounds two and three start at 6 p.m. Friday, while rounds four through seven begin at 11 a.m. Saturday. All three days of the draft from Chicago will be televised by ESPN and the NFL Network.

Vikings general manager Rick Spielman meets with the media tomorrow (Tuesday) to preview the draft.

Lurtsema talking about 33-year-old linebacker Chad Greenway who has decided to play an 11th season for the Vikings and whether a player that age slows down: “You might lose a half a step but your experience picks up a half a step—so you’re still a pretty good athlete.”

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Could Izzo be Next Wolves Coach?

Posted on April 18, 2016April 18, 2016 by David Shama

A sports industry source told Sports Headliners Tom Izzo has been contacted about the vacancy created last week with the dismissal of Timberwolves interim head coach Sam Mitchell. Izzo, 61, is one of college basketball’s icons because he has coached Michigan State to a Big Ten record 19-straight NCAA Tournaments including seven Final Fours and a national title.

Izzo came to Michigan State as a part-time assistant coach in 1983. He has been MSU’s head coach since the 1995-1996 season and earlier this month was elected to the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame. NBA teams, including the Cavaliers and Pistons, have reportedly flirted with hiring him previously.

Flip Saunders (Photo courtesy of Minnesota Timberwolves).

It’s believed the Wolves were also one of those teams two years ago. The late Flip Saunders, as the franchise’s president of basketball operations, was looking for a coach to succeed Rick Adelman in the spring of 2014. Saunders and Izzo were buddies, and it’s possible Izzo may have been offered the Wolves job. Ultimately Saunders made himself coach and continued in that role and as the franchise’s basketball boss until his death last fall.

Jim Dutcher coached Saunders with the Gophers. He said Saunders and Izzo became close friends years ago. “He (Izzo) read scripture at Flip’s memorial service,” Dutcher remembered.

Izzo is a highly likeable personality and is known for having a big heart. A native of Iron Mountain, Michigan who attended college at Northern Michigan, Izzo has loved mentoring young players and shown unusual loyalty by staying so many years at MSU. Would he want a new career challenge at this stage of his life?

Maybe he would be drawn to Minneapolis by his relationship with Saunders. The opportunity to continue the work of his friend in changing the Wolves from a joke franchise to a place among the NBA’s elite could be rewarding for Izzo.

The Wolves’ coaching job is attractive, too, because of a young and talented nucleus of players that Saunders assembled. Led by forward Andrew Wiggins, last year’s NBA Rookie of the Year, and center Karl-Anthony Towns, a lock to win the same award this year, the Wolves have a roster that still needs more playing experience. That roster also needs a few personnel changes and superior coaching to move toward division, conference and—possibly one day—Minneapolis’s first NBA championship since the Lakers won it all in 1954.

Indications are Wolves owner Glen Taylor is ready to spend significant money to hire a power coach. The source referred to in the opening paragraph said three other well-known names have already been contacted about the vacancy—Scott Brooks, Dave Joerger and Tom Thibodeau.

Brooks and Thibodeau have ties to the late Bill Musselman, the Wolves first coach. Brooks played for Musselman in the early 1990s while Thibodeau was an assistant during that period. Brooks was head coach of the Thunder until last year and successfully helped develop a young roster in Oklahoma City. Thibodeau was dismissed as the Bulls’ head coach last year after wowing the NBA with his defensive tutoring—a skill set that has to be on the to-do list of Wolves players. Joerger, currently the Grizzlies head coach, is a Minnesota native and it’s believed Saunders and Taylor were interested in hiring him two years ago.

The Wolves leadership is influx. General manager Milt Newton, who held that title under Saunders, now has more basketball personnel power but Taylor told Sports Headliners a couple weeks ago his GM is being evaluated too. A source said the Wolves are open to a structure like they had when Saunders carried the titles of both coach and president of basketball operations.

Perhaps Taylor decided awhile ago to fire Mitchell. In his interview with Sports Headliners, Taylor offered few words of praise about Mitchell who had been an assistant under Saunders.

The Wolves are receiving assistance on their coaching and front office review from search firm Korn Ferry.

Worth Noting

Ron Gardenhire has been hired as a special assistant to general manager Terry Ryan. The Twins made the announcement this afternoon that Gardenhire, who managed the team before being replaced by Paul Moltior after the 2014 season, will be a roving instructor and evaluator in the club’s minor league system.

Three sources told Sports Headliners Gary Trent Jr., the highly recruited Apple Valley High School shooting guard, is considering a prep school in 2016-2017. He has apparently visited at least two prep schools and one of them might be national basketball power Findlay Prep in Henderson, Nevada.

Trent, who is finishing his junior year at Apple Valley, may want to compete against better and stronger players in practice by playing for a prep school. Already considered a potential NBA prospect, Trent is physically strong and has superior strength compared to Eagle teammates.

“I feel a guess is he is headed out (from Apple Valley),” said a source who knows Trent.

Trent, who averaged 26.4 points per game last season, hasn’t selected a college but Ohio State or Duke could be his final choice, the source said.

Former Cooper High School star Rashad Vaughn transferred to Findlay for his senior year and then played one college season at UNLV. Vaughn, a shooting guard, was a first round pick in last year’s NBA Draft. Playing for the Bucks in 70 games this season, he averaged only 3.1 points while making 29.5 percent of his field goal attempts.

Casey O'Brien (photo courtesy of Abe Booker III, Stratman Photography). — Casey O’Brien (photo courtesy of Abe Booker III, Stratman Photography).

There were many recipients last night at the Minnesota Football Honors event at the Hilton Minneapolis but only one person received a standing ovation from the audience. Casey O’Brien, who twice has dramatically recovered from cancer, received the Courage Award at the event organized by the Minnesota Chapter of the National Football Foundation and College Hall of Fame.

The Cretin-Derham Hall junior has taken inspiration from football and hopes to be a co-captain and holder on the Raiders team next season. The Raiders new coach will be former Viking Brooks Bollinger who played collegiately at Wisconsin. Asked by emcee Frank Vascellaro for confirmation about Bollinger’s Badger roots, O’Brien quipped, “Sadly.”

At the event the Vikings announced the following 2015 award winners: Community Man of the Year Chad Greenway; Rookie of the Year Stefon Diggs; Offensive Player of the Year Adrian Peterson; Defensive Player of the Year Linval Joseph; and Special lTeams Player of the Year Adam Thielen. All of the players were present to accept awards except Peterson who was out of the country on a Starkey Hearing Foundation mission.

For a complete list of those honored last night, including scholar-athlete winners, see the March 16 Sports Headliners.

The Wild learns tonight whether home ice can help make a series out of Minnesota’s first round matchup with the Stars. In franchise history the Wild is 12-14 in Stanley Cup Playoff games at Xcel Energy Center including 7-4 the last two postseasons. The Wild trails Dallas 2-0 in the series and it looks like Minnesota will play again without injured leaders Zach Parise and Thomas Vanek.

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Vikes Need WR, Kill Praises Doctson

Posted on April 1, 2016April 1, 2016 by David Shama

The Vikings might count their blessings on draft night if Josh Doctson is available. “I’d take him in the first round if I wanted a guy that could make plays,” Jerry Kill told Sports Headliners this week.

The former TCU wide receiver could be available when the Vikings use the No. 23 pick in the first round of the April 28 NFL Draft. Speculation is the Vikings will use a selection in the early rounds to improve their wide receivers roster and hopefully acquire someone who becomes a big time playmaker.

When Kill coached the Gophers against TCU, his team had to contend with the 6-2, 202-pound Doctson. He was TCU’s leading receiver in two wins over Minnesota, catching 14 passes for 138 yards and two touchdowns.

“He’s a freak of nature, a great player,” Kill said. “Great hands. He catches the deep ball as good as you can get it done. He’s special at going up in getting the ball. He’ll block you. He runs really, really well. Just a very, very good athlete that can make plays.”

Doctson impressed at the NFL Scouting Combine this winter and projects as one of the first wide receivers to be drafted. He might be chosen between No. 16 and No. 26 in the first round, depending on what various NFL teams are looking for to fill roster needs.

While draft authorities believe Doctson could be the Vikings’ first selection, the team needs help in the offensive line too. A probable candidate is former Ohio State tackle Taylor Decker who Kill also faced during his time as Gophers coach.

“Physical, strong, Ohio State lineman,” Kill said. “Well coached. He’s coming from a big time program. Both those guys (Doctson too) are coming from programs that are top 10 in the country. They’re going to have some substance to them about being successful.

“They’re coming from two coaches that—Gary Patterson (TCU) coaches people hard and so does Urban (Meyer, OSU) in a good way. They hardened them, and I think they get those kids ready to play in the NFL.”

The 6-7, 310-pound Decker projects more as a right tackle than a left, where better arm length and athleticism are needed against edge pass rushers, according to his profile on NFL.com/draft. His Web page describes him as a strong run blocker, “tough guy” and a potential team leader. That’s the kind of makeup demanding Vikings coach Mike Zimmer values.

Like any potential draft choice, Decker has weaknesses but an anonymous AFC regional scout said this on Decker’s Web page: “I hope you kill this guy because I would love for him to fall to us. He’s strong and tough. You can beat him up with this or that, but he’ll be a long-time starting right tackle in the league for years.”

Worth Noting

Kill has a busy schedule while living at his lake home in Illinois. He is a consultant for Miami of Ohio coach Chuck Martin and Southern Illinois coach Nick Hill. He is also involved with public speaking and appearances, although the University of Minnesota has yet to schedule him as an independent contractor.

Kill will see many of his friends tonight at the Minnesota Football Coaches Association Clinic at the Doubletree Hotel in St. Louis Park. Kill helped line up Arkansas coach Bret Bielema as the featured speaker for this evening.

The March 28 issue of Sports Illustrated includes the magazine’s 2016 MLB predictions. The Twins will finish last in the AL Central with a 74-88 record, per S.I. Last season the club was 83-79 and finished second in the division. What’s going on? S.I. quotes a rival scout who said the team is improving but the big problem is the Twins are in a “tough, tough division.”

The magazine has doubts about the club’s starting pitching—the depth and quality. The fifth starter, for example, looks like Ricky Nolasco who had a 6.75 ERA in eight starts last season. “If Ricky Nolasco is in their rotation, then their rotation stinks,” the scout said.

The Twins need an ace and Ervin Santana, who missed part of last season while suspended, looks like the best candidate among the starters. But the ace label may go unclaimed for awhile with hopes Jose Berrios can fulfill his promise. The 21-year-old right hander is starting the season in the minors but looks like a lock to be part of the rotation this summer or next. The Twins need power pitching and Berrios not only has a 2.98 ERA in four minor league seasons but has struck out more batters than innings pitched.

Former North Star Tom Reid believes the surging Wild are better than a year ago on this date. The Wild, with four games remaining in the regular season, have won six of their last seven games and look playoff bound.

Reid, who has been the team’s radio analyst since the franchise’s first season in 2000-2001, has a couple of reasons for believing the 2016 team is better. “Most of these guys have another year of experience with this hockey club,” he told Sports Headliners Wednesday. “The other part is I think their defense is much more mobile for this year with all three sets of defensemen they’ve been using.”

Last year the Wild advanced to the second round of the playoffs before being swept by the Blackhawks. Reid, who played 11 seasons in the NHL, won’t make predictions about the Wild’s playoff fate this year. He said playoff forecasting is unsure for various reasons including whether teams are coping with injuries and how opponents match up against them.

Asked about players—in addition to the team’s big names—who haven’t received enough credit for the Wild’s recent success, Reid mentioned Charlie Coyle, Matt Dumba, Nino Niederreiter, Erik Haula and Mike Reilly. “Those are some of the guys that have really stepped up,” Reid said.

The Wild replaced coach Mike Yeo earlier this year with John Torchetti. Reid has praise for both men.

“You won’t find a guy who works harder than Mike Yeo. He will be back (some day) in the NHL. I think he has learned a lot…what it takes (to coach in the league)…but his voice wasn’t being heard by the players, for whatever reason. Sometimes players…sulk when things aren’t going the way they want them to go. They want to control everything.

“But I think a new voice coming here with Torch (helped). I liked him because he’s kind of like a blue-collar coach. He’s in their (the players) face. He’s right to them when they come off the ice and they’ve made a good play, and also when they make a bad play. He wants them to understand right away that this is not acceptable—here’s what I want you to do.

“He’s one of those guys that will step right in and not be afraid to take charge. He’s shown that by just his benching of some of the players. …I think he’s given our guys a little bit of confidence in themselves too. He uses the word trust all the time. Trusting each other. I think that’s what the team is doing right now.”

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