Vikings – Page 18 – David Shama's Minnesota Sports Headliners

Bet on Taylor Short-term to Remain in Control of Wolves

Posted on October 22, 2024October 22, 2024 by David Shama

The Timberwolves open their regular season schedule tonight against the Lakers in Los Angeles with ownership of the franchise expected to be resolved in the next few months. A source with extensive pro sports ownership experience, speaking on condition that his name not be published, predicted current owner Glen Taylor will retain control of the Wolves and Lynx after the early 2025 resolution—but that may not be true a year from now.

Taylor is in litigation with potential majority owners Marc Lore and Alex Rodriguez. The dispute is about whether Lore and Rodriquez met the obligations of a drawn-out sales process that began in 2021. A three-person arbitration panel (based in Minnesota) is expected to rule on the majority ownership in November.

Even if the panel rules in favor of Lore and Rodriguez, there will need to be a sale approval by the NBA. There are two reasons why the source believes the league will favor Taylor’s continued control of the NBA and WNBA franchises.

One is the familiarity and relationships NBA’s owners have with Taylor. He has owned the Wolves since 1994 when he bought the franchise for a reported $88 million. He founded the Lynx in 1999. Taylor has served on the league’s Board of Governors and knows commissioner Adam Silver well. The Wolves and Lynx have been stable franchises financially over the decades, while questions have been raised about the financial wherewithal of Lore and Rodriguez who in June reportedly reached agreement with billionaire Michael Bloomberg to join their group.

The second factor, seemingly in Taylor’s favor, is the litigation involves the original agreed upon sale price of $1.5 billion. Since the time that figure was decided, the value of NBA franchises has more than doubled. League owners don’t want to set a precedent of below market value for franchises, knowing that impacts their businesses.

Taylor, 83, has been showing interest for years in moving on from ownership. “I can see him (eventually) selling 50 percent of the franchise to Bloomberg,” the source said.

In that scenario the sale amount would be a market price well over $3 billion for the two franchises. Bloomberg becomes the majority owner at say a controlling 51 percent, while Lore and Rodriguez could keep what’s believed to be their present 36 percent or they might be bought out at a considerable profit. Taylor might want and accept five or 10 percent ownership, joining other small owners who have been part of his group in the past.

Worth Noting

The Timberwolves finalized their 17-man roster late yesterday with the most notable change from a year ago the absence of forward-center Karl-Anthony Towns who had played with the club for nine seasons. The youngest player on the roster is 19-year-old first round rookie guard Rob Dillingham. The oldest Wolves are guard Mike Conley and forward Joe Ingles, both 37.

Towns, traded this fall to the Knicks, will play for his new team tonight against the World Champion Celtics. The game is part of a nationally televised doubleheader on TNT that also includes the Wolves-Lakers game. With forward Julius Randle and guard Donte DiVincenzo, the two former Knicks debuting for the Wolves, the doubleheader will be a focus of national interest.

The Wolves are title contenders along with multiple other teams including the Thunder whose star players include Minneapolis native Chet Holmgren. The 7-foot-1 power forward-center averaged 16.5 points and 7.9 rebounds last season, his first in the NBA. Holmgren, 22, could one day join a short list of native Minnesotans who played for the U.S. Olympic men’s basketball team.

Burdette Haldorson, an Austin, Minnesota native, played collegiately at Colorado and was a member of the 1956 and 1960 gold medal winning American basketball teams.

Lou Nanne, who had successful back surgery in July, is ready to resume playing golf in Florida, his second home. He’s had two holes-in-one over the years, with the most recent last year in the sunshine state.

The Minnesota hockey icon, long respected in the local business community, told Sports Headliners he has no interest, or the intention of being part of a group to buy the Twins.

Nanne predicts a healthy Wild team will make the playoffs. “Love what (Filip) Gustavsson is doing,” he said about the Wild’s hot goalie who has helped the team to a 3-0-2 season start.

The Wild plays at the Panthers tonight, facing a team Minnesota swept in two games last season. Florida, the defending Stanley Cup champs, is Nanne’s pick to win the NHL again.

Kevin Sumlin is on the staff of the Maryland football team that plays the Golden Gophers in Minneapolis Saturday afternoon. The former Gopher assistant coach and head coach at Texas A & M and Arizona is associate head coach to Mike Locksley.

Minnesota, 4-3, is about a four-point favorite against the Terps who have the same record. This could be the last time the Gophers are favored in their remaining games, with matchups against Illinois, Rutgers, Penn State and Wisconsin remaining.

With membership in the University of Minnesota Alumni Association, alumni can save 25 percent on tickets for the Homecoming game against the Terps.

It wouldn’t be surprising if during the offseason the Gophers landed a center transfer in the portal allowing talented sophomore Greg Johnson from Prior Lake to switch back to guard where he played as a true freshman.

Happy 81^st birthday today to Minnesota sports icon Dick Jonckowski! His many honors include going into the Minnesota Amateur Baseball Hall of Fame last month.

On Thursday Harvey Mackay, the longtime Gophers and University of Minnesota supporter, celebrates his 92^nd birthday. Former Gophers football coach Lou Holtz writes the foreword in Mackay’s new book, You Haven’t Hit Your Peak Yet!

A communicator and motivator extraordinaire, Mackay is a leading inspirational speaker, syndicated newspaper columnist and seven-times New York Times best-selling author. Among his treasured experiences was playing golf at the U for legendary coach Les Bolstad.

A focus for the Vikings Thursday night in Los Angeles will be stopping Rams running back Kyren Williams. He has a rushing touchdown in nine consecutive games including two on Sunday in a 20-15 win over the Raiders.

In their win over the Vikings last Sunday, the Lions took advantage of missing linebacker Blake Cashman who was out with a toe injury. The Vikings need his tackling and steady presence in the middle of the field against the Rams and future opponents. His availability for Thursday night hasn’t been announced.

The 2-4 Rams and 5-1 Vikings are likely to see the return of star receivers who have been out with injuries—wide receiver Cooper Kupp for Los Angeles and tight end T.J. Hockenson for Minnesota.

The game will be televised nationally by Prime and seen locally on Fox 9.

Vikings superstar wide receiver Justin Jefferson has 6,430 receiving yards since entering the NFL in 2020. He is chasing the league’s all-time leaders through five seasons. Only Terry Holt with 6,784 yards and former Viking Randy Moss, at 6,473, had more receiving yards in their first five seasons.

Comments Welcome

Put the Lions Down as ‘1A’ & Label Vikings ‘1B’ after Today

Posted on October 20, 2024October 21, 2024 by David Shama

It was entertaining and it was close. And it was the Vikings’ first loss of the season in a game where they were outplayed (slightly) by the Lions.

The Lions showed at least for now they’re the “1A team” in the NFC North and perhaps the entire NFC. Give the Vikings the “1B label” in the division with both teams owning 5-1 records and sharing first place in the North after today’s 31-29 Detroit win at U.S. Bank Stadium.

Minnesota’s offense could produce only two touchdowns against the Lions defense. The Vikings had three field goals by flawless rookie kicker Will Reichard and a defensive TD run of 36 yards by linebacker Ivan Pace. Pace’s score put the Vikings ahead 29-28 with just under six minutes to play in the fourth quarter.

The Vikings, though, couldn’t convert on a two-point attempt after Pace’s six points. And even more crucial the offense couldn’t take time off the clock when it went three and out late in the fourth quarter, prior to the Lions marching down the field to set up their winning field goal of 44 yards by Jake Bates with 15 seconds remaining.

The Lions had put themselves in a first quarter hole when a failed fake punt gave Minnesota the ball on Detroit’s 34-yard line. Shortly after, RB Aaron Jones ran 34 yards TD to put Minnesota up 6-0. Reichard converted the extra point and later in the quarter the Vikings went up 10-0 with his 57-yard field goal.

The Viking defense, like the offense, was spotty in a game where Lions running back Jaymyr Gibbs ran for 116 yards on 15 carries including two touchdowns. Detroit QB Jared Goff, often frustrating the Vikings’ famed blitz efforts, was 22 of 25 for 280 yards and two touchdown passes. The Lions, during the second and third quarters, put together four consecutive series where they scored touchdowns.

Kevin O’Connell image courtesy of the Minnesota Vikings

Viking head coach Kevin O’Connell talking on KFAN Radio after the game said there were too many “self-inflicted” things that impacted execution and cost his team the win. It was penalties and other failures including an illegal formation on the next to the last play of the game that pushed the Vikings even further out of miracle field goal range. With all the faith O’Connell has in Reichard (12 of 12 on field goals this season), he knew that about 70 yards was asking a lot.

The Vikings can feel better about themselves quickly because they are in Los Angeles Thursday night to play the Rams. That starts a schedule of games against the Rams, Colts, Jaguars and Titans. Those clubs have a combined record of 7-16 and their pedigrees pale in comparison to “1A”—a Super Bowl favorite who barely escaped with a win today in Minneapolis.

Gophers & College Football Notes

Vikings linebacker Blake Cashman finds it “incredible” to see the high-level true freshman Gopher Koi Perich is playing at. “He’s going to be a superstar by the time he graduates so I am happy for him,” Cashman told Sports Headliners.

Cashman was a walk-on with the Gophers after Eden Prairie High School and became a 2018 second team All-Big Ten linebacker. He is acquainted with Perich who has impressed with his play at safety and on special teams, already receiving Big Ten Conference and national awards. “…I got a chance to meet him. He seems like a great young man with a good head on his shoulders. So, he’s got a bright future.”

There’s been speculation Perich eventually might receive the opportunity to play on offense, running or catching the football—or both. “That would be amazing,” Cashman said. “You don’t often see that. That would be cool.”

Condolences to family and friends of Dick Larson who passed away unexpectedly earlier this month. Dick was a prominent quarterback for the Gophers in 1956 and 1957. The Roosevelt High School alum was a favorite of head coach Murray Warmath and Dick was an assistant coach for Warmath from 1958-1965.

Warmath and Dick were like father and son. He looked after Warmath’s affairs up until the time the national championship coach died in 2011 at age 98.

Dick had a sharp football mind and was highly personable. If he had stayed with coaching, instead of committing to a long business career, he might have been a great college head coach.

Members were beaming last week at the Twin Cities Dunkers program when 103-year-old Tom Swain, the oldest Dunker, came to hear new University of Minnesota president Rebecca Cunningham. Swain, still sharp and remembering friends, was the first academic advisor for athletics at the U.

There are 618 athletes on the Gophers 22 sports teams this school year, with close to an even female-male split.

Undergraduate newcomers at the U Twin Cities campus total about 10,000 this fall, a source told Sports Headliners. That’s the highest such total, he said, since right after World War II. About 7,800 are freshmen, with the balance being transfers.

It was five years ago that LSU was making its way toward the national championship, eventually finishing 15-0 with a domination of foes that prompted admirers to say the Tigers are the greatest team in college football history. Vikings guard Ed Ingram told Sports Headliners that team could have won “one or two NFL games.”

“Great everything (offense, defense, special teams), we put everything together,” said Ingram who was on that LSU team with Vikings superstar wide receiver Justin Jefferson and quarterback Joe Burrow, now a franchise record setter with the NFL Bengals.

Indiana is the envy of every fan who annually supports a hapless college football team. The Hoosiers, mostly a football graveyard forever, are 7-0, top 20 ranked and setting school records. Their season is a result of superb coaching, an influx of talented and experienced transfers and ideal scheduling.

First-year coach Curt Cignetti, 63, had been a big winner at lower stops before he reached Indiana and the Big Ten. Upon arrival he said: “I am excited to lead this program forward and change the culture, mindset, and expectation level of Hoosier football.”

And, man, has he. With a roster that includes transfers from his previous stop at James Madison, the players have responded to the demands of their coaches and executed at a high level. It’s also been a confidence builder that the nonconference foes were FIU (2-5), Western Illinois (3-4) and Charlotte (3-4). The Big Ten schedule, after four games, includes two teams with overall records above .500—Nebraska at 5-2 and Maryland, 4-3.

Vanderbilt, with its improbable 2024 win over then No. 1 ranked Alabama, is another “believe in miracles” story with beloved former Golden Gophers head coach Jerry Kill playing a big role. Kill is senior offensive advisor and chief consultant to head coach Clark Lea who led his Commodores over Alabama in one of the most notable upsets in college football history. Vandy’s drama specialist is quarterback hero Diego Pavia who played for New Mexico State last year when Kill was head coach there.

Aggie fans learned about miracles in 2023 when New Mexico State, historically even a worse program than Indiana or Vandy, defeated Auburn on the Tigers’ home field in another upset for the ages. Vandy is off to a 5-2 start to the season.

1 comment

Don’t Bet on Long Term Sam Darnold Run with Vikings

Posted on October 15, 2024October 15, 2024 by David Shama

What’s that phrase, Vikings fans?

“Here today, gone tomorrow.”

Does that fit the future for quarterback Sam Darnold?

Darnold, on a one-year deal reportedly paying him up to about $10 million, is a golden boy in this town for his role in helping the Vikings to a stunning 5-0 start to the season. Although he didn’t dazzle in his last start (October 6 against the Jets before the team’s bye week), the 27-year-old journeyman has pumped new life into his career and a Vikings team that was expected to struggle and not make the playoffs.

Darnold’s early season production led to being named NFC Offensive Player of the Month for September. He led the Vikings to their first 4-0 start since 2016. On the morning of October 3, he had completed 73-of-106 for 932 passing yards and 11 touchdowns in four games in September. He led the NFL in touchdown passes, percentage of touchdowns thrown per attempt (10.4%) and passer rating (118.9).

However, it’s questionable the Vikings, who have an NFC North Division showdown against the 4-1 Lions in Minneapolis Sunday, are interested in Darnold beyond this year. On the extreme of developments, that interest likely changes if Minnesota goes to and wins the Super Bowl in February in New Orleans.

J.J. McCarthy, injured and out for the season, will be ready in 2025. The Vikings’ No. 1 draft pick last April has yet to play in a regular season game but during the spring and summer he did a lot to impress head coach Kevin O’Connell.

O’Connell is a gifted quarterback developer who has had plenty to do with Darnold’s emergence. It was no accident how he referred to McCarthy around the time of the rookie’s right knee meniscus surgery:

“As our fans either have already come to find out or will in the future, this guy is so motivated and so dialed in. As excited as I was to draft him, he’s confirmed everything that I hope to see not only early on through training camp, but through his performance last Saturday (August 10 preseason opening game). Our fan base and everyone should just be excited about the fact that we’ve got our young franchise quarterback, I believe, in the building.”

“Franchise quarterback” says a lot.

Sam Darnold image courtesy of the Minnesota Vikings

Not only do the Vikings believe in McCarthy’s talent but they know he is six years younger than Darnold and much less expensive. McCarthy, per Spotrac.com, will earn a base salary of $960,000 in 2025. If the Vikings have a big season in 2024 (they can even go 7-5 in their remaining games for a final record of 12-5), Darnold will play a significant role in their success and be positioned to command a huge pay raise from some team as a 2025 free agent.

The 15 top paid NFL quarterbacks this fall, according to Front Office Sports and USA Today, all earn $40 million or more. It could be a lock that Darnold, who at this stage of his career must capitalize on a first-ever breakout season, can demand and secure at least $30 million to $40 million for multiple years.

The Vikings will have significant salary cap space in 2025, but do they want to commit a large portion to Darnold, given his age, lack of success with other teams and McCarthy waiting on the bench? Probably not, with the front office wanting to use money in 2025 and beyond to strengthen other positions while knowing they already have some of the NFL’s more expensive talent including wide receiver Justin Jefferson.

Darnold and his representatives, if not wanted here, will no doubt prefer a new team with similar resources to those in Minneapolis. That includes a coaching staff of exceptional teachers and play callers, and a group of talented receivers.

Hard to say where Darnold might land but the Rams could be ideal if 36-year-old QB Matthew Stafford decides to retire. He has made a lot of money, taken a lot of hits and has a Super Bowl ring. Head coach and QB whisperer Sean McVay, only 38, coached that Super Bowl team in 2022 with O’Connell as his offensive coordinator. If Darnold couldn’t play for the Vikings, McVay and the Rams with their gifted receivers, would be choice 1B.

U Football Recruiting Home Base Ranks Low in Big Ten

In the 247Sports composite college football recruiting rankings for the class of 2025, the Golden Gophers are in familiar territory. Minnesota, with 23 verbal commitments, is ranked No. 45, with 11 other Big Ten programs listed ahead of Minnesota including five in the top 15.

Having recruiting classes ranked in the upper 30s or in the 40s is common for the Gophers. College football recruiting authority Ryan Burns, who is based in Minnesota, was asked how fans should feel about the reality of University of Minnesota recruiting.

“I am not going to tell anybody how to feel. I just think it’s the reality of your recruiting base (state of Minnesota)…which in this in-state class doesn’t have a single four-star in it.

“You look at the state of New Jersey, for example. New Jersey has 20-plus kids that are higher rated than Minnesota’s top rated kid in the state. This recruiting base is not good. I continue to say they and Oregon are the two worst in the Big Ten and Oregon can buy whoever they want because they have Phil Knight’s money.

“So it’s kind of the reality of where they’re at, especially when you’re not winning consistently like they haven’t been here now for a couple of years. You kind of reap what you sew at that point.”

With the 2024 expansion of the Big Ten Conference, the league now has 18 schools. The arrival of Oregon, UCLA, USC and Washington means more programs to recruit against but also opens up recruiting opportunities in the talent rich state of California.

The golden state has been more on Minnesota’s recruiting radar of late, in part because the Gophers are expected to play one game on the West Coast in coming seasons. “You can sell them (recruits on) once a year we’re going to go back to where you’re from,” Burns told Sports Headliners.

It doesn’t go unnoticed that on the last two football Saturdays the Gophers have defeated USC and UCLA. The most recent victory was in Pasadena and Fleck, with his team having a bye on the schedule this week, is spending time recruiting in California this week.

Minnesota currently has three Californians among their verbal commits. “Without the Big Ten expansion, I don’t think Minnesota has anywhere near as close to as many commits as they have from the Pacific time zone,” Burns said.

The headliner of the recruiting class is quarterback Jackson Kollock from Laguna Beach who is a near four-star composite prospect. “His team in Laguna Beach is undefeated but a lot of it is because of Jackson Kollock,” Burns said. “Doesn’t have the greatest offensive line or pass catchers.

“I think he’s the most athletic quarterback you’ve seen (offensive coordinator Greg) Harbaugh recruit. He’s certainly more athletic than (present Gophers) Max Brosmer or Drake Lindsey. I don’t know if they will do too much with him in the run game, but he certainly has the athleticism to move.”

Kollock was committed to Washington until after last season’s playoffs when head coach Kalen DeBoer and offensive coordinator Ryan Grubb left the Huskies. DeBoer is now head coach at Alabama and Grubb is the NFL Seahawks offensive coordinator. It’s a tribute to Kollock’s talent and potential those offensive gurus pursued him.

Daniel Shipp is a three-star recruit from Corona, California. “I am really a big fan of Daniel Shipp, who is their offensive line commit from Centennial High School out there in California,” Burns said.

“They took a chance on him as someone who tore his knee and missed most of his junior season. His early senior film has been pretty good, and they need tackle bodies in this program.”

The third California recruit is an exceptional wide receiver and another three-star player. “Someone from the all-name team, Legend Lyons, has been very prolific out there at Charter Oaks (Covina),” Burns said. He describes Lyons as ”a receiver who can really catch the football, which is something that this program needs.”

Verbal pledges can change but Burns believes their commitments are “solid” to Minnesota. “I am a big fan of those three guys out there.”

Comments Welcome