Vikings – Page 205 – David Shama's Minnesota Sports Headliners

Smith Shadow Still Relevant to Wolves

Posted on August 11, 2014August 11, 2014 by David Shama

Remember forward Joe Smith? You can be sure the Timberwolves do, and his shadow could be hanging over the rumored trade with Cleveland—for both the Cavs and Minnesota.

The Timberwolves were punished years ago by the NBA for signing Smith to a contract in violation of the league’s salary cap. Glen Taylor was the Timberwolves owner and had to live through a difficult period when his franchise wasn’t allowed annual first round draft choices because of a league reprimand.

Today Taylor still owns the Timberwolves and media reports indicate his club has agreed to trade All-Star forward Kevin Love to Cleveland on or shortly after August 23. Andrew Wiggins, the overall No. 1 pick in last June’s NBA Draft, will be eligible to be traded by the Cavs on that date—30 days after he signed his rookie contract. The Wolves will also reportedly receive another Cavs forward, Anthony Bennett, and a future No. 1 draft choice.

Basketball fans are convinced this trade will happen. But the deal would later be vetoed by the NBA if there were any violation of league trade rules prior to August 23—involving teams or players including Love. In addition to the Smith fiasco, the league has some history of taking assertive action with trades.

It doesn’t take any assumption to believe Taylor and the Wolves don’t want a problem. During an interview with Sports Headliners last week Taylor insisted no trade involving Love has been agreed to and multiple trade partners are in the mix.

Taylor described August 23 as a “trigger point day” with the Cavs or another club. “I think it (the trade) could come together in one or two days,” Taylor said. “We could give ourselves until October 1 (early days of training camp) but I don’t really see it falling that way.”

Taylor said Cleveland, Chicago, Golden State and Philadelphia have been involved with trade talks. Love has made it known he wants to be traded rather than re-sign with the Wolves when he becomes an unrestricted free agent next summer.

Taylor gave the impression that on August 23 or 24 the Wolves might allow teams one final and best offer for the coveted 25-year-old power forward. A Love trade could also involve a third team—one that would send a power forward to the Wolves.

Worth Noting

The Wolves are on the spot to sign point guard Ricky Rubio—their No. 2 box office attraction after Love—to a contract extension. Rubio isn’t half the player Love is but he has plenty of upside and few NBA players have his flair in the open court.

With former Washburn four-star running back Jeff Jones now admitted to Minnesota it is certain he will not attend Iowa Western Community College even if the NCAA doesn’t grant him eligibility to play for the Gophers this year. Jones and the Gophers are awaiting word on an appeal made to the NCAA about whether Jones can be academically eligible in 2014. Even if Jones isn’t eligible this year he can work on his grades as a freshman at the University and become eligible for 2015, whereas if he attends Iowa Western he will need to earn a two-year degree before gaining eligibility to play for a FBS school.

Former Gophers coach Jim Dutcher arranged a lunch last week that included ex-Gophers Randy Breuer, Flip Saunders and Jim Petersen. Also attending was Dutcher’s son, Brian Dutcher, a University of Minnesota alum and now associate head coach at San Diego State.

Jim Dutcher coached 11 seasons at Minnesota and was also head coach for six years at Eastern Michigan. In each of those 17 seasons he always had a center that went on to play in the NBA including Breuer and Petersen.

A look at Sports Illustrated’s fantasy rankings of NFL players from the magazine’s August 4 issue could put a scare in Vikings fans. The Vikings gave up 480 points last season, the most in the NFL, and improvement will be needed to slow down all the offensive weapons in the NFC North.

In the fantasy rankings of quarterbacks, Aaron Rodgers from the Packers is ranked No. 1 while the Lions’ Matthew Stafford is No. 4 and the Bears’ Jay Cutler is No. 11. Vikings’ rookie Teddy Bridgewater is ranked No. 28 among 32 quarterbacks listed.

Calvin Johnson of the Lions is No. 1 among wide receivers with the Bears’ Brandon Marshall No. 2. The Packers’ Jordy Nelson is No. 6 and fellow wideout Randall Cobb No. 10. The top Viking is Cordarrelle Patterson at No. 25. Minnesota’s Kyle Rudolph is the highest ranked NFC North tight end at No. 10.

Four players from the division are in the top 15 among running backs with Matt Forte from the Bears No. 2, the Vikings’ Adrian Peterson No. 3, the Packers’ Eddie Lacy No. 5 and Reggie Bush of the Lions No. 15.

Anthony Barr, the former UCLA linebacker who was the Vikings’ top first round pick with the No. 9 selection this spring, was rated the best athlete in the country coming out of high school in Los Angeles by prep recruiting authority Tom Lemming. Barr started in the 10-6 win over the Raiders in the Vikings’ first preseason game last Friday night.

Adam Thielen, who signed with the Vikings as a free agent last year and played on the practice squad, made an impression Friday as a receiver, punt returner and special teams tackler. The former Minnesota State player attended Detroit Lakes High School where he not only played football but was on the Lakers’ state championship golf team as a senior.

Trevor May’s name is on the Twins’ blueprint for a winning future so the right-hander’s pitching debut Saturday against the Athletics was disappointing. He lasted only two innings and walked seven batters in an apparently nervous debut. At Triple-A Rochester the 25-year-old made 17 starts for the Red Wings, going 8-6 with a 2.93 ERA (95.1 innings pitched, 31 earned runs) and 91 strikeouts and only 37 walks.

Minneapolis area resident and former pro tennis star David Wheaton has a book coming out called, My Boy, Ben. It’s the story of Wheaton’s close companionship with a yellow lab by that name.

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Bet the House: Vikings to Go 8-8 in 2014

Posted on August 8, 2014August 8, 2014 by David Shama

A summer tradition in this column is Bob Lurtsema’s annual prediction of the Vikings’ season record. This week the ex-Viking defensive lineman was prepared to talk about wins and losses including his off target forecast from last year—after nailing the Purple’s record in 2012.

Earlier this year Las Vegas odds-makers had the Vikings winning 5.5 games in 2014 and now the number has moved up slightly to 6, Lurtsema said. Even at 6 he believes the Vikings aren’t given proper respect.

“Take your mortgage, car and every nickel, and bet the over (to win more than 6 games),” Lurtsema said. “I really feel very comfortable they (the Vikings) will win 8 or 9 games.”

Lurtsema’s official forecast is for an 8-8 Vikings record in 2014.

About this time last year Lurtsema was feeling even better about the Vikings and predicted an 11-5 finish. That optimism at least partially came from the 2012 season when he forecast a 10-6 record including the playoffs. Sure enough that’s what his old team achieved two years ago while surprising most NFL authorities.

So what happened in 2013 as the Vikings stumbled to a 5-10-1 record? Well, the Purple lost five games in the closing minutes while making fans endure one of the most disappointing seasons in franchise history. Those collapses prompted Lurtsema to offer a minimal explanation about his off target 11-5 prediction: “I was right…if the games had been 58 minutes (not 60),” he quipped.

Lurtsema is a close observer of the Vikings and it isn’t just the usual fan optimism of having a new coaching staff that has him smiling about Mike Zimmer and his assistants. Lurtsema has preached that a team’s success is “65 percent” determined by the staff. He believes Zimmer and his staff are exceptional and will lead a Purple revival.

The Vikings open their preseason schedule tonight and Lurtsema said there are several things to watch for including how defensive players pursue ball carriers. As defensive coordinator of the Bengals, Zimmer’s players ranked high among NFL teams in total assisted tackles. “That tells you players are pursuing,” Lurtsema said. “It’s a good habit to have.”

Lurtsema will watch tonight to see how the Vikings use linebacker Anthony Barr, their No. 9 first round draft choice in last spring’s NFL Draft. It will be interesting to see if the Vikings sometimes position the gifted athlete on the line of scrimmage as part of a five-man group. The normal set is four defensive linemen but Barr could sometimes make it five, lining up as an end and pass rushing specialist.

Lurtsema admires offensive coordinator Norv Turner. During the preseason Lurtsema expects an emphasis on long passes, with the offense using “vertical routes” to loosen defenses. “They’re really gonna make it exciting for the average fan,” Lurtsema said.

He has another message for fans regarding tonight and the preseason. Don’t get too upset when a favorite player—perhaps a star—is cut from the roster. Zimmer and staff, Lurtsema said, are creating work habits in training camp with a goal of playing up to expectations. “He wants athletes with heart and something between the ears,” Lurtsema said.

With 40 new players on the roster since last season, including 10 draft choices, there will be lots of competition to make the final 53-man roster. Watch the special teams tonight to see which unknown players are impressing.

Worth Noting

Tonight’s game at TCF Bank Stadium will be the only one on the Vikings’ home schedule played on a weekday night. Traffic and parking comments could enliven social media late this afternoon and in the early evening. Last year traffic was awful for the Gophers-UNLV game played on a Thursday night in late August at TCF Bank Stadium. On Tuesday of this week, 80 minutes before the Twins game at Target Field, traffic was moving at 10 miles per hour on east-bound I-394 between highways 169 and 100.

Kickoff is at 7 p.m. and the game will be simulcast on KARE 11 and KFAN-FM. Commentators will be Paul Allen, Pete Bercich, Greg Coleman and Ben Leber.

The Raiders, 4-12 last season, have long been a controversial franchise, and stirring things up now are reports the team may move to San Antonio. In an Internet story yesterday from the San Antonio Express-News, former Vikings owner and San Antonio businessman Red McCombs said last month’s visit to the Texas city by Raiders owner Mark Davis was “sincere.” McCombs also said he is willing to become a local investor if the Raiders relocated.

There were 33 Minnesota high school football programs scheduled to start practice last Monday in preparation for opening games on August 22 or 23. The other prep football programs in the state begin practice next Monday.

Among the notable early games will be Minnetonka at Hudson High School (Wisconsin) on August 22. Another Wisconsin high school, Superior, plays the same night at Hopkins.

David Cobb told reporters after practice this week he expects the Gophers to emphasize short passes this season including screens and swing passes. Cobb, who led the Gophers in rushing last season with 1,202 yards, had only seven pass receptions. He is on the Doak Walker watch list for the nation’s best running back.

Former Gophers basketball players Al Nuness and Jim Brewer will be part of the Proviso East High School inaugural hall of fame class on August 30. The Maywood, Illinois school is known for its basketball alumni including Nuness who was all-Big Ten second team for the Gophers in 1969 and Brewer who was an All-American in 1973.

Next season expect the Gophers to hold a ceremony to retire the jersey of Randy Breuer. The former Lake City High School star is No. 3 in all-time scoring for the Gophers with 1,777 career points. Breuer, a 7-3 center, played four seasons with the Gophers starting in 1979-80 and averaged 16.6 points per game on the 1982 Big Ten championship team.

The Gophers athletic department and its multimedia rights holder, Learfield Sports’ Gopher Sports Properties, announced yesterday a three-year agreement with 1500 ESPN Twin Cities to broadcast Gopher men’s hockey and men’s and women’s basketball games. The agreement starts with the coming seasons and runs through 2016-17.

The Northwoods League became the first summer college baseball league to go over 1 million in attendance for one season after games played on Wednesday of this week. Madison (Wisconsin) leads the 18-team league with an average of 6,139 per game.

Dave Tentis, 52, is the only Minnesotan playing in this week’s PGA Championship in Louisville. The Woodbury resident shot an eight over 79 yesterday and tied for 144th in the field. He is the PGA head professional at Troy Burne Golf Club in Hudson, Wisconsin.

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Players and Agents Endorsed Zimmer

Posted on July 25, 2014July 25, 2014 by David Shama

Rick Spielman is excited to see new head coach Mike Zimmer open his first training camp this week in Mankato. Spielman went through an extensive information gathering process before hiring Zimmer last winter and when finished was convinced he found the right coach.

“I told our owners we were fortunate he was available,” the Vikings’ general manager told Sports Headliners.

Zimmer is 58 and had been a career assistant in the NFL before Spielman gave him his first head coaching opportunity. Spielman was in the Vikings’ front office as head of player personnel, not general manager, when Leslie Frazier was promoted from interim to head coach after the 2010 season. Nor did Spielman have the hiring responsibility when Brad Childress was made head coach about eight years ago, and so Zimmer is his first hire. What was Spielman looking for in a head coach?

A teacher and demanding leader, Spielman answered. Those are characteristics Spielman heard repeated when he talked to players and their agents as they described how Zimmer’s coaching made a difference in performance.

Ex-Viking Bob Lurtsema said Vikings players know they will be held accountable for mistakes and efforts by Zimmer and his staff. “Everything going in right now (in camp) is total competition,” Lurtsema said.

Lurtsema believes fans could be surprised about who makes the team and that players are excited about the competitive environment expected in Mankato. “They’re saying (the players) these coaches love to coach. That’s a contagious attitude. The players that deserve to be a member of the Minnesota Vikings will embrace it rather than fight it.”

Spielman has not only made a commitment to Zimmer by hiring him but the Vikings have also paid for a new weight room and meeting room. There are other changes too including an emphasis on healthier food with less fat and sugar.

Worth Noting

Zimmer at 58 is as old as Bud Grant when he retired as Vikings head coach after the 1985 season. Grant decided to give up football to focus on the outdoor life of hunting and fishing including internationally. Grant was the second head coach in franchise history. Zimmer is the ninth.

Although this will be Zimmer’s first year as an NFL head coach, it certainly won’t be the most painful emotionally. Zimmer’s wife Vikki died unexpectedly during the 2009 season.

The Vikings agreement with KARE-11 to televise preseason games runs through next year, positioning the NFL club to negotiate a new deal as the team moves into the opening season of its downtown Minneapolis stadium in 2016.

Based on past interest, about 400,000 viewers are expected to watch each preseason game this summer. If so, the KARE 11 telecasts will exceed any competing programming in local viewership including Twins games.

The Vikings’ final preseason game of 2014 will be on August 28 against the Titans in Nashville. That game begins at 7 p.m. while the Gophers have their nonconference season opener the same night at home starting at 6 p.m. against Eastern Illinois. The Minnesota game will be on the Big Ten Network and may also attract approximately 400,000 viewers with many Minnesotans switching back and forth between the Gophers and Vikings.

The Gophers start football practice a week from today. Prior to their opening game, the public will be allowed to watch practices on August 3, 4 and 5. All three practices will be at the Gibson-Nagurski Complex with a start time of 10:25 a.m. on August 3, and 5:15 p.m. for the other two practices.

According to numbers as of last week, the Gophers had sold 3,331 student season football tickets, compared with 1,921 last year. The nonstudent season ticket total was 28,106 compared with 27,951 a year ago.

Look for an announcement later this summer about how the public can donate to the Gophers $190 million campaign to improve athletic facilities. Athletic Department officials have focused on larger contributors since the campaign was announced last year but names of those making pledges haven’t been made public.

Tony Dungy is sometimes written about because of the opportunity the Gophers gave him as an African-American to play quarterback for the team. What’s not so well-known is that starting with Sandy Stephens in 1959 the Gophers had at least six African-American quarterbacks on their rosters prior to Dungy’s arrival in Minneapolis in 1973. Minnesota gave opportunities to African-Americans to play quarterback when other schools didn’t and Stephens was the first ever All-American black QB.

Giovan Jenkins begins his sixth season as Washburn High School’s head football coach when the Millers officially start practice on August 11 and he’s not used to losing City Conference games. Jenkins was an assistant coach at Washburn before he became head coach, and the Millers have won or shared the last 13 city titles. His 2014 team will be without almost all of last year’s starters but Jenkins expects to contend for a championship again and is likely to have about 65 players, including freshmen, out for the team—probably the biggest turnout for football among Minneapolis high schools.

Gophers basketball coach Richard Pitino said Elliott Eliason’s conditioning has resulted in the senior center having less than 10 percent body fat. Returning senior point guard DeAndre Mathieu has added about “13 pounds of muscle,” and junior guard Carlos “Squirrel” Morris, a transfer, has put on 17 pounds, the coach said.

Dave and Linda Mona’s Camden’s Concert next Wednesday night at the Hopkins Center for the Arts will feature The Wright Brothers, a popular singing group that has prompted record ticket sales for the fifth annual event. The concert is named for the Mona’s grandson and benefits Cystic Fibrosis. An on-line auction with more than 125 items is also drawing attention. More at Camdensconcert.com.

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