Vikings – Page 180 – David Shama's Minnesota Sports Headliners

A.P. Likely to Show Little Rust Tonight

Posted on September 14, 2015September 14, 2015 by David Shama

How sharp will Adrian Peterson be tonight when a national TV audience watches him make his return to the NFL?

Peterson will be a major storyline and is part of the reason ESPN chose the Vikings-49ers game in California as part of a Monday night TV doubleheader. The Vikings famous running back played in only one regular season game last year because of the incident involving his four-year-old son. He also didn’t participate in any of the team’s five preseason games this summer.

Darrell Thompson, the Rochester native and Gophers all-time leading career rusher, played five seasons in the NFL for the Packers. Thompson expects there will be some “rust” in Peterson’s play tonight but it will likely be subtle—things observers won’t even notice.

Adrian Peterson (Photo courtesy of Minnesota Vikings)

“Maybe miss a cut (running) that…he might see that we probably wouldn’t really notice,” Thompson said. “He’s always in great shape, so he will attack the line of scrimmage. He’s going to attack the tacklers. I think he’ll do fine.”

Thompson’s last season in the NFL was 1994 and he retired at age 28. He couldn’t pass a physical examination and his problems included arthritis. He had been through four demanding years with the Gophers and six more in Green Bay. “Ten years of pretty hard wear and tear on your body doesn’t leave you in very good shape,” he said.

Peterson is 30 and that number can be labeled old age for NFL running backs. But Peterson has shown remarkable conditioning and resiliency including his comeback season in 2012 when he rushed for 2,097 yards after offseason knee surgery.

Thompson said NFL players, including running backs, are taken care of better than when he played—another factor in Peterson’s favor as he enters his 30s. Those factors include less contact and running in practices, better rehabilitation resources, and improved nutrition.

“I would say he’s got a good three to maybe four, or even five years (left),” Thompson said about Peterson. “But probably a minimum of three.”

Peterson’s career-best season for rushing was in 2012 and six times he has gained over 1,200 yards since coming into the NFL with the Vikings in 2007. Thompson isn’t ruling out a 2,000 yard season but at a “minimum” expects 1,200 to 1,500 yards for Peterson.

“I like the way he plays. He plays hard,” Thompson said. “If you’re going to be successful, you’ve got to play hungry, with a little bit of a chip (on your shoulder). You would think someone told him he’s not a good running back. Every time he touches the ball he pretty much expects to score. …”

Vikings quarterback Teddy Bridgewater had to play his rookie season in 2014 without Peterson. He let it be known last week how excited he is to have Peterson back on the team. “Man, you can just feel his presence from the moment he walks into this (training) facility that he’s ready to play. He’s had an entire year off and we’re excited for him. We can’t wait to watch him running wild on Monday.”

Worth Noting

Thompson was among the celebrities participating in the annual Bruce Smith Golf Classic at Faribault Golf Club earlier this year. About 100 golfers helped generate a profit of $8,500 to benefit Faribault schools. Since 1990 almost $201,000 has been raised for the schools. The classic is named after Smith, the only Gophers football player ever to win the Heisman Trophy.

Levi’s Stadium, the site of tonight’s Vikings-49ers game, is in Santa Clara, a city about 45 miles from San Francisco. When the 49ers moved out of Candlestick Park in San Francisco after the 2013 season the club kept the name San Francisco 49ers even though there has probably never been an American professional sports franchise that has its permanent home so far away from the city it represents.

Vikings punter Jeff Locke is also the holder for placekicker Blair Walsh who struggled with accuracy during the preseason. Locke said during practice last week Walsh was perfect on a string of eight field goals. “Absolutely killing the ball right now,” Locke said on Thursday. “I think going forward we’re going to see the Blair we know and love.”

Locke said it’s vital to place the ball on the ground at just the right distance for a placekicker’s approach on a field goal attempt. “If I miss a spot by half an inch (placing the ball), I am pissed,” Locke said.

Everson Griffen remains friends with former Vikings defensive line teammate Jared Allen, now with the Bears. Griffen visited Allen during the offseason in Arizona and the two worked out in Scottsdale.

Allen is involved with the Lodge Sasquatch Kitchen in Fort Collins, Colorado. A part owner, he was on camera last Friday night during a “Diners, Drive-ins and Dives” Food Channel segment promoting the popular restaurant.

Four Minnesotans are listed in the Rivals.com top 150 prep basketball players for the class of 2017—possibly a record number for the state. The rankings posted last Wednesday include No. 14 Gary Trent, Apple Valley; No. 110 Goanar Mar, DeLaSalle; No. 113 Theo John, Champlin Park; and No. 147 McKinley Wright, Champlin Park.

Dick Jonckowski begins his 30th season of Gophers basketball public address announcing this fall. In the history of Williams Arena only Jonckowski and the late Jules Perlt have been full-time public address announcers for Gophers games there. It wouldn’t be surprising if Jonckowski is honored by the Minnesota athletic department during a game next season.

Jonckowski, who will start his 28th season of public address work for the Gophers baseball team next year, has for many years emceed banquets while entertaining with his storytelling. Last month he was the public address announcer at the American Legion World Series in Shelby, North Carolina and he also worked the series banquet.

The Twins begin an 11-game homestand tonight against the Tigers, then play the Angels and Indians. The Twins are 42-26 at home and 32-42 on the road. After this homestand, the club has only one series at home before the schedule ends so the most immediate games ahead will determine a lot about Minnesota’s wild card chances.

Twins first baseman Joe Mauer has reached base in 33 consecutive games.

Saints owner Mike Veeck said during the regular season his franchise drew 405,000 fans and played to 113 percent capacity in CHS Field, the new downtown St. Paul ballpark. The Saints were eliminated from the playoffs on Sunday, losing 3-1 in a best of five games series with Sioux City. Veeck said this year’s team had the best chemistry of any Saints club he’s owned. “We’ve won with some clubs I didn’t like,” he told Sports Headliners.

Veeck described actor and comedian Bill Murray, another Saints owner, as “one of my best friends.” Veeck resides in Charleston, South Carolina and convinced Murray to live there too.

Canterbury Park’s racing season, the longest since 1992, ended on Saturday with an 11.3 percent gain in all-sources handle, the money wagered on Canterbury races both on track and out of state. The all-sources total, $41.13 million, was a record for the Shakopee facility. More than $14.1 million in purses was paid in 2015, an increase of 7.9 percent over 2014. The per-day purse average was a record $202,172. Average daily attendance increased 5.3 percent to 6,695.

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Sano’s MLB Success Ahead of Schedule

Posted on September 10, 2015September 10, 2015 by David Shama

Miguel Sano did it again last night, having an impact on the Twins with a pinch-hit home run to defeat the Royals, but former Twins executive Jim Rantz is a little surprised by Sano’s success this season after not playing baseball in 2014.

The dramatic home run followed a bout with the whiffs for Sano who was called up by the Twins from Double-A Chattanooga in early July. He has struck out 11 times in his last 16 plate appearances, and been too anxious swinging at pitches. His timing could be off because of a troublesome hamstring that developed late last month. Manager Paul Molitor didn’t have Sano in the lineup Tuesday night, giving him a rest.

Faltering at the plate is a reminder to Twins fans the 6-4, 260-pound native of the Dominican Republic isn’t Superman. It’s just that there have been stretches where the 22-year-old slugger plays like it, hitting for average (.281) while clouting long home runs and driving in runs. As recently as last week Sano was finishing up a streak where he hit .333, with five home runs and 12 RBI in 10 games. He was so good in August he was American League Rookie of the Month after batting .278 with nine home runs and 26 RBI in 27 games.

Miguel Sano (Photo courtesy of Minnesota Twins)

Rantz, the Twins senior director of minor league operations before he retired in 2012, watched Sano when he was 16. “When I first saw him…he was hitting balls out of sight. We were looking and always looking for power type hitters, and he showed that right from the get-go at 16 years old.”

Sano hit 35 home runs in 2013 as he continued his advancement through the Twins minor league system. But then in March of 2014 he had Tommy John surgery on his right elbow and missed all of last season. Sano’s arrival date in the big leagues was uncertain.

Rantz thought Sano would one day play for the Twins but he has exceeded expectations this year. ”When you miss a full season it takes awhile to get your swing down and get on the field,” Rantz said.

Sano has put up numbers that make Twins fans wish he had been with the club since the season start. He has 196 plate appearances but in a full season might have totaled 600. Right now he has 16 home runs and 43 RBI. Projecting those numbers over 500 to 600 at bats he would have been a good bet to best Twins rookie records for 33 home runs (Jimmie Hall) and 96 RBI (Rich Rollins).

Mostly a designated hitter, Sano has shown promise as a part-time third baseman with a strong arm. “His defense got a lot better as he moved up the ladder (in the minors),” Rantz said. “He improved tremendously. For a big guy he moves around pretty good. He’s got some athleticism. He’s not as slow on the base paths as you think. He doesn’t clog up the bases.”

But the Twins, who are playing meaningful games in September for the first time in five years, aren’t counting on Sano to be a difference-maker in the field or on the bases. It’s his power and producing runs that have filled a void on a club that is fighting to make the American League playoffs. Despite his late start, he has entered his name in the conversation for American League Rookie of the Year.

Sano has been a huge contributor to the Twins success after no one knew if he would arrive in Minneapolis this summer after being shut down last year. “He didn’t miss a beat (this year),” Rantz said. “He got in there and got in the groove. He’s got that confidence at the plate. He’s also got good patience at the plate. I’d be lying if I thought that he was going to take off (this season) like he did.”

Worth Noting

The Twins, 72-67, are close to overtaking the Rangers, 73-65, in the American League wild card race. The Yankees, 77-61, are better positioned to be one of the two qualifying wild card teams. The Twins are 5-4 in September, continuing a trend of playing around .500 baseball dating back to the months of July (12-13) and August (14-14). If the club makes the playoffs, Minnesota’s 20-7 record in May will be a big reason why.

“Fun is good” specialist Mike Veeck entertained the CORES luncheon group in Bloomington today with stories about himself and the Veeck family. The St. Paul Saints owner emphasized the importance of professional sports teams making their heroes accessible to the fans.

Game three of the Saints-Sioux City playoff series will be played Saturday night at CHS Field in St. Paul and comedian Bill Murray, another Saints owner, will be in attendance. Sioux City leads the series 1-0 and hosts the second game tonight.

In its NFL preview issue of September 7, Sports Illustrated predicts the Vikings (10-6 record forecast) will defeat the 49ers (9-7) in the opening game for both teams on Monday night in Santa Clara. Andy Benoit writes the 49ers have a problem with veteran quarterback Colin Kaepernick because he seldom sets up in the pocket:

“If Kaepernick’s initial read is not open, he’s liable to break down and flee, even before completing his drop-back.”

Vikings quarterback Teddy Bridgewater had an impressive finish to his rookie season in 2014. Among all NFL quarterbacks from week 13 to 17 he tied for first in completion percentage (72.1), was second in passer rating (103), second in yards per attempt (8.79) and third in touchdown percentage (5.7).

Vikings running back Adrian Peterson leads all active NFL backs in opening games rushing yards with 823 and 10 touchdowns. Peterson has played in eight openers.

The Vikings return 19 starters from their 2014 opening game, with 10 on defense and nine on offense.

TCU was the No. 2 ranked team in the country when the Horned Frogs played the unranked Gophers last Thursday night at TCF Bank Stadium but the telecast on ESPN pulled a higher rating in Minneapolis-St. Paul than in Dallas-Forth Worth. Barry Horn, on the Dallasnews.com website, wrote last Friday that MSP led all 56 major markets with a 8.7 rating. Birmingham, Alabama was second at 8.2 and Dallas-Forth Worth third at 5.9.

Former Gophers linebacker and Minneapolis native Pete Najarian, the financial investing authority, will be a commentator on Saturday’s telecast for ESPNNEWS of the Indiana State at Purdue game.

One reason Gophers fans are optimistic this year about Minnesota ending its 10-game losing streak to the Badgers is the game will be played in Minneapolis on November 28. The Badgers are 68-7 at home since the 2004 season began. Only Boise State at 68-2 has a better home record in major college football.

Ryan James, writing on Monday for GopherIllustrated.com, reported Amir Coffey, the Rivals.com four-star player from Hopkins High School, might make his college choice by month’s end. James interviewed the senior shooting guard’s father, Richard Coffey, who played for the Gophers. “Amir has one other visit scheduled right now, and that visit is with Texas,” his father said. “Not this weekend but the following weekend. I think after that visit, I think there is a strong chance that Amir will make a decision. Very soon.”

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Playoffs, Super Bowl in Vikings Future

Posted on September 8, 2015September 8, 2015 by David Shama

Bob Lurtsema has come within one game of correctly predicting the Vikings’ records in two of the last three seasons, so he’s certainly worth listening to regarding 2015 wins and losses.

The Vikings finished 10-6 in 2012—exactly the number of wins and losses predicted by Lurtsema in a Sports Headliners interview before the season started. Last season he projected an 8-8 record after Minnesota had finished 5-10-1 in 2013. The Vikings, playing under new head coach Mike Zimmer, surprised most observers by going 7-9.

Lurtsema, 73, remains close to the team and talks with Vikings players. He is enamored with Zimmer who he likens to Vikings coaching legend Bud Grant. “He won’t tolerate mental mistakes, just like Bud,” Lurtsema said of Zimmer, the former Bengals defensive coordinator. “He’ll cut you. You see a good athlete getting cut, you know he made mental mistakes.”

Grant coached the Vikings to four Super Bowls including the last appearance by the franchise in 1977. “They’ll be in the Super Bowl in 2017,” Lurtsema said.

Lurtsema predicts a 10-6 record for this season. The playoffs? “They’ll sneak in the back door,” he said.

It takes more than the presence of a coach to fuel long-range Super Bowl optimism and Lurtsema knows that. He likes the Vikings’ talent on both defense and offense.

The Vikings jumped from 31st in NFL total defense in 2013 to 14th last season. Lurtsema raves about how Zimmer coached teams pursue ball carriers and gang tackle. “The defense is so strong,” the former defensive end said.

Offensively the Vikings showed improvement in 2014 despite working through a season of injuries and the absence of superstar running back Adrian Peterson. Both defensively and offensively the Vikings have drafted promising talent and the parade is led by quarterback Teddy Bridgewater who started 12 games last season and set almost every franchise record for a rookie quarterback.

Mike Wallace (Photo courtesy of Minnesota Vikings)

Of course, Lurtsema knows the Vikings’ drive to an improved record in 2015 and eventual trip to the Super Bowl could be derailed by problems including the need for a better passing game. During the offseason the team acquired speedy wide receiver Mike Wallace from the Dolphins to open up the vertical passing. Lurtsema stressed the offense needs a big play receiver who can combine with Bridgewater on long passes.

“The biggest thing (needed) is they’ve got to have a deep threat,” Lurtsema said. “If you don’t have a deep threat, the corners can press you more. If they press you more, that affects your running game, even your short passes.”

Other concerns for the Vikings include an offensive line that had to be shuffled during the preseason because of injuries, and a schedule of opponents which includes seven teams ranked among the top 15 in ESPN.com’s NFL power rankings. Lurtsema, looking for positives, expects the line to get a boost with an improved performance from left tackle Matt Kalil who played injured last year.

What about the schedule? “That’s the part that kind of throws a curveball at you,” Lurtsema said.

The Vikings open their season away from home, playing in Santa Clara next Monday night against the 49ers. Lurtsema said NFL teams and players are annually primed for opening games and thinking about a successful season. “Home field advantage doesn’t really come into play on the first game of the season, so I’ve always liked starting on the road,” Lurtsema said. “It works out so well for a player’s psyche.”

Lurtsema offered one more prediction—this one about the outcome of Monday night’s game against a 49ers team labeled mediocre. “They (the Vikings) will win,” Lurtsema said. “You can put that down.”

Worth Noting

Lurtsema disagrees with critics of NFL preseason games who see the exhibitions as too numerous and unimportant. He said the games are important for the role they play in developing player endurance, toughness, and setting team expectations. “Winning is a habit,” he said.

The ESPN.com power poll out today has the Vikings No. 17 among 32 NFL teams. The seven teams in the top 15 who the Vikings play are the No. 1 Seahawks, No. 3 Packers, No. 5 Broncos, No. 10 Cardinals, No. 12 Lions, No. 13 Chargers and No. 14 Chiefs.

Gophers coach Jerry Kill said offensive lineman Josh Campion who missed the TCU game last Thursday because of a concussion has resumed practice. Ben Lauer, another key offensive lineman, played some in the game but has struggled with a knee injury and didn’t practice yesterday.

Kill said Jonah Pirsig may start on Saturday at the left tackle position that he, Campion and Lauer have all played recently. The interior offensive starters at Colorado State could be Pirsig and Campion at tackles, left guard Jon Christenson and right guard Connor Mayes, with Brian Bobek at center.

Sophomore wide receiver Jake Wieneke from Maple Grove High School was a major contributor last Saturday when FCS South Dakota State earned its first win ever over an FBS team, defeating Kansas 41-38 in Lawrence. Wieneke had five catches for 125 yards and two touchdowns by early in the second quarter as the Jackrabbits jumped off to a 31-7 lead.

As a freshman last season he led the team with 73 receptions for 1,404 yards and a school-record 16 touchdowns.

Former Vikings linebacker Ben Leber provided the color commentary on the FSN telecast of the Kansas-South Dakota State game. Ex-Vikings offensive lineman Steve Hutchinson provided commentary on Sunday’s Marshall-Purdue game on FS1.

Zach Zenner, the former Eagan football player who starred at South Dakota State, made the Lions’ final 53-man roster after leading the NFL in rushing during the preseason with 183 yards. Zenner, a rookie, was an undrafted free agent.

There is a lot of buy-in St. Paul will be the site of a new soccer stadium intended to host a Twin Cities MLS team some day. That may prove to be true but the media and public should know after following baseball and football stadium site fights for more than 40 years that such sagas can have multiple storylines and outcomes.

That’s former Gophers and Notre Dame football coach Lou Holtz appearing on the Golf Channel’s “Morning Drive” program Monday-Friday starting at 6 a.m. Central Daylight time. Holtz has long been an avid player and describes golf as “the greatest game in the world.”

Holtz is also working for Sirius XM, hosting college football shows (Friday and Saturdays) and a golf show (Tuesdays). When Holtz was an assistant football coach at William & Mary decades ago, he was also the school’s golf coach.

Minnesota native Ron Rabinovitz, who made friendships with baseball great Jackie Robinson and president John Kennedy, will speak to the “Breakfast with Leroy” group on Saturday at the Bloomington Knights of Columbus, 1114 American Blvd West. A breakfast buffet starting at 9 a.m. precedes Rabinovitz’s remarks, with more information available by contacting Pat Rickert at 612-861-3981. Group attendees are mostly athletes from the Minneapolis public schools in the 1940s, 1950s and 1960s, many of whom went on to college and professional careers.

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