Vikings – Page 184 – David Shama's Minnesota Sports Headliners

Kill: U Facilities Project Nearly Set

Posted on July 31, 2015July 31, 2015 by David Shama

Gophers football coach Jerry Kill predicted this morning on the Big Ten Network that work will soon start on a long anticipated new football complex at the University of Minnesota. The complex—which is expected to include an indoor practice facility and coaches offices—is part of a $190 million athletics project to upgrade facilities for Gophers men and women student-athletes. The entire project’s start date was delayed in June but Kill expressed no concern today when asked if it will be completed.

“Just got out of meetings…three or four days ago. We’ll be starting at the latest probably late September, early October,” Kill said from Chicago at a news conference for Big Ten football coaches. “We’ve already got a finish date where it needs to be finished.

“The hold up there (on the overall project) was probably football a little bit because we wanted to make sure everything we had in there, and what we wanted, was right before you take it any farther. We want it to be the state-of-the-art. We don’t want to do something and do it over again.

“It will be started and hopefully part of it will be finished at a year and a half, maybe even quicker.”

Kill didn’t elaborate on what parts of the athletics facilities project will start first but the implication from his remarks today and in the past about the importance of the football complex leave no doubt about it being at the top of the construction list. Kill has often referred to the importance of facilities to his recruiting and continued success at Minnesota.

The Gophers existing football complex has long ranked toward the bottom among Big Ten facilities. Iowa is the latest Big Ten program to move into a new facility. “The impact it’s had on recruiting has been exciting,” Iowa coach Kirk Ferentz said yesterday.

The Gophers were 5-3 in Big Ten games last season, the program’s best league record since 2003. There are a lot of predictions the Gophers won’t match last year’s conference record that was part of an overall 8-5 record.

“We keep improving and keep getting better,” Kill said today. “Last year I said we’d have a better team (than) we had a year ago. We firmly believe that we’ll be more athletic and a better football team this year.

“But there are lot of other people that are here today that can say the same things but we feel good about our football team and the talent.”

Worth Noting

Colorado State, the Gophers second opponent of the season, was picked by the media on Wednesday to finish third in the six-team Mountain Division of the Mountain West Conference. Rams wide receiver Rashard Higgins, an All-American candidate, was chosen as the conference’s preseason Offensive Player of the Year.

Among the storylines at this weekend’s 3M Championship at the TPC in Blaine is whether Tom Lehman can become the first Minnesotan to win the nationally televised senior tour event. David Graham, a 2015 inductee into the World Golf Hall of Fame, was asked yesterday about the Alexandria, Minnesota native.

“I think he could very well win,” Graham said. “He’s one of the dominate players on the Champions Tour. I would think that if he got off to a good start—which you have to do in any tournament to get into some kind of a rhythm and some kind of a flow—he would certainly be somebody who is more than capable of winning. No question.”

At age 56, this could be the time for Lehman to make a strong run at winning the 3M Championship. Graham said it’s proven golfers from 51 to 54 years old are the most likely to win on the Champions Tour. “Statistically, when you get to 55 or 56 you start to go down a little bit,” he said.

Admission and parking are free at this year’s event that includes a promotion with golf legends Jack Nicklaus, Arnold Palmer and Gary Player. Graham, too, is playing in the Greats of Golf Challenge on Saturday. The Champions Tour event here has donated over $23 million to charity since 1993.

Men and women participating in the University of Minnesota’s 23 sports averaged an impressive spring semester GPA of 3.27. The highest GPA was women’s track at 3.49. The football team, with the largest number of athletes in any of the 23 programs, had a GPA of 3.04.

The Vikings organization receives keys to the new downtown covered stadium on July 29, 2016. Shortly after that the team will play two preseason games in U.S. Bank Stadium, a facility boosters are predicting will be the best in the NFL. Although no preseason dates or opponents have been determined, don’t be surprised if the Vikings play their first two exhibition games on the road and then host a rivalry opponent like the Packers in the preseason home opener.

There will not be a major college baseball team in the country playing in a billion dollar stadium like the Gophers. Starting in 2017 the Gophers will play early season games in the projected $1.1 billion dollar U.S. Bank Stadium. Other college baseball teams from the state will use the stadium too.

Timberwolves forward-center Gorgui Dieng is expected to play for Team Africa tomorrow against Team World in the first NBA game ever in Africa. Dieng, a native of Senegal, is part of an NBA roster of players from Africa that also includes former Wolves forward Luc Mbah a Moute (Cameroon). The Team World roster includes NBA stars and brothers Marc and Pau Gasol. The exhibition game from Johannesburg will be televised on ESPN starting at 8 a.m. Minneapolis time.

The 11th annual Little League Wood Bat Tournament is a charitable event for Little League teams ages 10-12. The tourney began Thursday and 23 teams from the metro area are playing at Lakeview Terrace Park and Lee Park in Robbinsdale, and Isaacson Park (Honeywell Fields) in Golden Valley. Games are from 4 p.m. to 10 p.m. today (Friday) at all three playing sites. The tournament, which goes through Sunday and exclusively uses wood bats, benefits Baseball in Benin. The goal is to bring a team from Benin, a small country in West Africa, to participate in next year’s Wood Bat Tournament. More at BaseballinBenin.org.

That was former Minnesota Daily sports editor Marshall Tanick, for decades a prominent Minneapolis attorney, explaining in an opinion article for the Star Tribune that there is precedent for considering revocation of Bill Cosby’s Presidential Medal of Freedom awarded to him by George W. Bush. Tanick, writing in the July 28 Star Tribune, cited examples of organizations that have withdrawn honors in the face of controversy including the 2014 Chicago Little League Baseball team which had its national championship taken away. Tanick suggested President Barack Obama should consider revocation of Cosby’s honor in light of revelations about the famous comedian’s conduct toward women.

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Kill Ranks High in Big Ten, More to Do

Posted on July 29, 2015July 29, 2015 by David Shama

Jerry Kill will be in Chicago late this week for the Big Ten’s annual media days. After 21 years in coaching, including four-plus at Minnesota, where does he rank compared with the other 13 head coaches in the Big Ten?

The opinion here is that’s an easy question. Urban Meyer has won national championships at Florida and Ohio State. Rank him No. 1 in the Big Ten, if not the country. Michigan State’s Mark Dantonio has taken a program that failed for decades and turned it into a national power. He deserves the No. 2 ranking. Jim Harbaugh, now at Michigan, pulled off miracles at Stanford, and then revived the NFL’s 49ers.

Give Kill the No. 4 spot among the Big Ten’s coaches. He has an overall record of 152-99 in five head coaching jobs including Minnesota. He has won championships and coach of the year awards. Peers admire his character and would send their sons to play for him.

And yet Kill will be the first to tell you there’s a lot more to accomplish. He enters his fifth Big Ten season with a below .500 record in conference games, 13-19. He wants to win a first West Division title and then a Big Ten championship. Then win some more.

Those trophies will further elevate Kill’s status among the nation’s better football coaches. Top 25 rankings of coaches right now are not likely to include Kill. That’s because there are many superb college head coaches, and most are at schools with more resources and potential to win than Minnesota, and those coaches have won more games on bigger stages than Kill who came to Minneapolis from Northern Illinois. The head coaching position here isn’t easy and Minnesota isn’t a sexy name to national authorities who rank the country’s best coaches and may start their lists with Meyer or Alabama’s Nick Saban, and end with Arkansas’s Bret Bielema or Arizona State’s Todd Graham.

The right head coach in the right place at the right time is a huge difference maker in college football. Hire the wrong guy and even Michigan—the winningest program in college football history—can struggle. Make a near perfect hire and the ugliest of programs like Baylor emerges as top 10 teams.

Get a guy who can put a staff together, recruit, coach X’s and O’s, motivate, raise money and charm the public, and all of a sudden the change at a losing program is more than cosmetic. That’s what Kill has done at Minnesota. His staff is not only good but has been together longer than just about any in recent major college football history. Kill and staff have identified and recruited talent that has played better than early evaluations predicted. Part of that success has come from the teaching of fundamentals and techniques, and then on gameday coming up with strategies to maximize success.

In 2013 and 2014 the Gophers had consecutive winning seasons for the first time since 2004-2005. Minnesota’s conference record was 5-3, the best since 2003. The Gophers had four players selected in last spring’s NFL Draft, the most since 2006. And the 1950 NFL Draft was the last time the Gophers had four players picked in the first five rounds.

But there’s more to the success story than those numbers. Kill has insisted players excel in classroom work, and not only behave away from the football field but contribute in the community. Kill took over a program in 2011 with academic problems and now has many players earning degrees. Instead of making news because of police reports, the Gophers are publicized for GPA’s and community work.

Kill has become the face of the athletic department. Big money donors want to help him for projects including his quest to build a new football complex. Without that facility, it’s unlikely the Gophers can keep him at Minnesota long-term.

Another step forward on the field in 2015 will be huge for Kill and the program. He and the team are popular but they still struggle for attention following decades of low beam awareness of Gophers football. The home opener against national championship contender TCU on September 3 isn’t even sold out. The Gophers public season ticket total has been tracking similar to last season when Minnesota didn’t sell out a single game in 52,525 seat capacity TCF Bank Stadium.

Kill, who has overcome cancer and controlled epilepsy, is a tireless promoter of the football program, the University and charitable causes. He wills himself through long days and keeps a schedule that few others could manage. Wherever he goes in the state people tell him how much they like him and his team. And yet many who applaud him at a banquet or a welcome luncheon don’t show up on Saturdays to watch the Gophers.

That’s not going to change until the Gophers win the Big Ten title or pack their bags for the Rose Bowl, or cement a place in the national rankings of the country’s best teams. Then more fans will make the Gophers a priority in their sports/entertainment budgets. Then many will leave their cozy spots in front of HD televisions to watch the Gophers on a cold and windy day late in the season when another Big Ten West Division title is an opportunity to be realized.

Kill knows there’s plenty of work yet to do including stopping that 11-game losing streak against the Badgers, and winning his first bowl game at Minnesota. Also, push his Big Ten record over .500 before too long, and some day win Minnesota’s first Big Ten championship since 1967.

Do all that and watch Kill’s name land on everybody’s national list of the country’s best coaches. Those who have had Kill ranked there all along will say, “Welcome to the bandwagon.”

Worth Noting

BTN and BTN2Go will air live coverage of the Big Ten Conference football coaches’ press conferences on Thursday and Friday. Kill’s press conference is scheduled for Friday when BTN coverage starts at 8 a.m. Minneapolis time. The Gophers’ first practice will be August 7.

Lindy’s National College Football Magazine offers its opinion on the nation’s 22 best head coaches and the publication includes four from the Big Ten. Urban Meyer from Ohio State is No. 2 after No. 1 ranked Nick Saban of Alabama. Michigan’s Jim Harbaugh is No. 5, Michigan State’s Mark Dantonio No. 6 and James Franklin of Penn State is No. 18. Kill didn’t make the list.

How much job pressure and turnover is there in Big Ten coaching? Kill is about to start his fifth season at Minnesota and among the league’s 13 other coaches only Dantonio, Iowa’s Kirk Ferentz and Northwestern’s Pat Fitzgerald have longer tenures at their schools. Indiana’s Kevin Wilson and Maryland’s Randy Edsall—like Kill—are entering fifth seasons as head coaches at their schools.

News tip: don’t be surprised if the Vikings and Minnesota State announce this week the NFL team will extend its agreement for three years to keep training camp in Mankato. This is the 50th consecutive year the Vikings have been on the school’s campus for preseason camps. Only the Packers, who have been at St. Norbert College in De Pere, Wisconsin for 58 years, have held an NFL training camp at the same location longer.

Adam Thielen was an obscure college recruit coming out of Detroit Lakes and few Vikings fans thought much about him when he signed with the team as a free agent in 2013. But Thielen, who played college football at Minnesota State, made the 53-man roster last year as a wide receiver and special teams player. He has won the admiration of Vikings head coach Mike Zimmer. “I think Adam does a lot of great things and he’s a guy that cares an awful lot. It’s important to him.

“He’s a smart guy and I think he’s continued to improve. …It’s really a tribute to his hard work, his dedication and his determination.”

Zimmer was asked what he learned about training camp last year—his first as a head coach in the NFL. With his background as a defensive coordinator, Zimmer was initially more in tune with the defense. “I took notes last year on a lot of different scenarios and I wrote them in a book. I kind of tried to continue to do that. Honestly, I feel so much more comfortable (now) with the team, especially the offensive guys and the special teams guys. …

“The other thing that really helps is that basically we have the same coaching staff back for another year. So the meetings that we have as coaches are a little bit shorter, just because we already know (what) the practice schedule is going to be like. We might change something here and there, but we don’t have to sit there and discuss a lot of different things. We’re able to get it going and go from there. I feel more confident about the way we’re doing things.”

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Vikes Rudolph Knows NFL Demands

Posted on July 24, 2015July 24, 2015 by David Shama

Playing professional football looks glamorous to the naïve but the start of Vikings training camp this weekend reminds close observers about the physical demands of the NFL.

The Vikings and Steelers will be the first to open training camps this summer because the two teams play on August 9 in the NFL Hall of Fame Game in Canton, Ohio. That means both teams will play five preseason games in 2015, not four like other NFL clubs. While players play limited minutes during exhibition season, a fifth game does add to the risk of injuries.

The additional preseason game could help the Vikings better prepare for the 16-game regular season, a football marathon lasting until early January. Then 12 of the NFL’s 32 teams (the Vikings, of course, hope they’re included) are in the playoffs. The two franchises making it to the Super Bowl put their players through a survivor experience that can total up to 25 games including exhibitions.

Kyle Rudolph (Photo courtesy of Minnesota Vikings)

Vikings tight end Kyle Rudolph has missed 16 games during the last four seasons. In 2014 he played in nine regular season games. He dedicated the offseason to being on the field in 2015, not the sidelines, and expressed optimism about his health this week.

“Everything is good,” Rudolph told Sports Headliners. “Training camp is an opportunity for me to just get better and stronger to prepare myself for September when we get started.”

With Rudolph’s injury history he’s certainly qualified to voice an opinion about ongoing speculation the NFL will add more games in the near future. That speculation includes expanding the regular season schedule to 18 games.

“Sixteen games is a lot of games,” he said. “To play much more than that…I think right now we’ve got it right. And I don’t see a reason that we would need to change that, to add more games.

“Even when you go through a 16-game season completely healthy, it’s a long year. To add many more games than we already got, I think it would just be difficult with the limited numbers of players that we have available.”

The NFL could increase revenues by dropping two preseason games for each team and adding two regular season games. The league could also more quickly grow revenues by adding teams to the playoffs. The NFL is a cash cow, reportedly generating a minimum of $7 billion per year and perhaps over $10 billion. There are projections of doubling or tripling revenues in the not too distant future. That would not only enrich owners but also provide bigger paychecks for the players as part of the league’s revenue sharing agreement.

Vikings safety Harrison Smith said “it wouldn’t surprise” him if more games are coming soon. If so, he suggested NFL rosters be increased to add depth and help with the challenge of getting through more games. He acknowledged the 16-game schedule and playoffs are physically demanding. “It takes a toll on you,” he said.

The NFL is facing issues regarding the health of current and former players. Their mental and physical health has become an ongoing national story, and a threat to the league’s image. Increasing the number of games “would go in the opposite direction” of health concerns, Smith said.

The league has taken steps to increase player safety and financially assist former players with health problems. The NFL, if it does expand the schedule, will present the change in positive terms for not only fans but also for players who likely would see a reduced number of preseason games, larger rosters and bigger salaries.

“…At the end of the day it’s a business and they’re going to make as much revenue as possible,” Smith said. “That’s not a bad thing. It’s just you kinda gotta weigh your options out.”

Worth Noting

The Vikings report to training camp in Mankato tomorrow and will be there through August 13. The team practices for the first time on Sunday. All regular practices are free and open to the public. The Vikings will have night practices beginning at 7:30 p.m. on August 1 and 4 in Blakeslee Stadium.

More than 64,000 fans passed through the Vikings Village last year. The Village offers refreshments, memorabilia and fan activities as part of the training camp experience. More fan camp information at Vikings.com.

Gophers practices at the Gibson-Nagurski Football Complex are open to the public on August 10, 11 and 14 starting at 10:25 a.m. The team’s scrimmage at TCF Bank Stadium beginning at 10:10 a.m. on August 15 is also open to the public.

Frank Ragnow, the offensive lineman from Chanhassen High School who made the Coaches All-SEC team as a freshman last season playing for Arkansas, could be one of the Razorbacks breakout players in 2015 under former Wisconsin coach Bret Bielema. Ragnow was in on more than 200 snaps last season and only had one penalty.

Timberwolves owner Glen Taylor said his team interviewed five prospects prior to taking forward-center Karl-Anthony Towns with the NBA’s No. 1 overall draft pick last month. The other four were guards Emmanuel Mudiay and D’Angelo Russell, center Jahlil Okafor, and forward Kristaps Porzingis.

Taylor, the Mankato-based billionaire and owner of different companies including the Star Tribune, isn’t planning a summer vacation. In addition to business responsibilities, Taylor and wife Becky spend time most weeks with grandchildren—a group that totals 26.

The Minnesota United is averaging 9,200 fans per game and ranks third in attendance in the 11-team North American Soccer League. The United’s average is about 3,000 better than last season and a big increase over 2013 when the team was drawing 4,500 fans per game.

United president Nick Rogers told Sports Headliners the franchise’s marketing and anticipation of a possible Major League Soccer team in future years have contributed to more interest. Rogers said there was a “spike” in interest in March when news broke about a potential MLS expansion team in Minnesota. Within a week 1,000 season tickets were sold.

The United has 4,000 season ticket holders and those customers will have priority on buying season seats if Minnesota is granted an MLS team. The team’s 9,200 per game average attendance includes tickets sold and promotionally distributed. The average ticket price is $15 to $16.

It’s believed that despite the increase in attendance, the United—as has been true in the past—will not be profitable this season. The United’s majority owner is Dr. Bill McGuire who is leading the effort to acquire an MLS team and build a soccer stadium in either Minneapolis or St. Paul.

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