Vikings – Page 213 – David Shama's Minnesota Sports Headliners

Reports Heat Up on Leslie Frazier

Posted on December 29, 2013December 29, 2013 by David Shama

Decisions about the Vikings coaching staff — including head coach Leslie Frazier’s future — will be made now that the 2013 season is over but there will be a lot of disappointed players if Frazier doesn’t return next year.

Speculation increased today that Frazier will not return as coach. Commanding the most attention this afternoon was a report by Jay Glazer of Fox Sports that Frazier will be dismissed tomorrow.

Frazier said at his post game press conference today he “doesn’t get concerned about reports about my job.” He also said he hasn’t been told about a meeting with ownership tomorrow.

Vikings owner Zygi Wilf watched today’s Vikings-Lions game at Mall of America Field. He declined to talk with media about Frazier’s future.

“I think the guys in this locker room all support coach Frazier,” Vikings tight end Kyle Rudolph told Sports Headliners on Friday.

Frazier was a defensive back on the 1985 Bears Super Bowl champions and Rudolph said the Vikings appreciate the playing experience of their coach. “There’s nothing worse than a coach that’s never played the game; (someone) that kind of expects things from you that are not realistic.

“He knows what it’s like to be in our shoes. He has realistic expectations from us. It’s out of our control what happens in the next couple weeks but I think he definitely has the support of the guys in this locker room.”

The Vikings, who were 10-6 last season and made the playoffs, finished their year with a 14-13 win over the Lions. The 2013 season record was 5-10-1. Asked if the team psyche could be described as shocked, Rudolph answered: “Definitely.”

The Vikings lost four games by four points or less, plus a tie with the Packers. If those games had been wins, the Vikings would have won the NFC North and made the playoffs again.

Rudolph said before the season expectations were for a deep playoff run. “If your expectations weren’t to win the Super Bowl this year, then I don’t know why you would have been here,” he said.

Instead, Frazier has finished up his second losing season in the last three (3-13 in 2011). The disappointment of 2013 hasn’t changed the admiration Rudolph and others have of Frazier, though.

“I don’t think you can find a better person,” Rudolph said. “You may find other people as good as him in that (coaching) profession, but you won’t find anyone that’s a better person than he is.”

Worth Noting

The outside temperature at kickoff for today’s game was about minus four. The Vikings are likely to play in that kind of cold next year at outdoor TCF Bank Stadium. Spokesman Jeff Anderson said the club expects to soon choose a state-of-the-art heating system for the stadium field that will be installed for next season. Without such a system, the playing surface would be too hard and unsafe for December and January games.

Vikings running back Toby Gerhart joking after being asked about the team playing outdoors next season: “A lot of Minnesotans think we’re soft playing at the dome.”

Gerhart, a free agent for 2014, is not sure where he wants to play next season but when asked said he could be interested in joining his ex-college coach Jim Harbaugh with the 49ers. “I had a good relationship with him,” Gerhart said. “It would be fun to reunite.”

Former Viking Robert Smith addressed the Mall of America Field crowd today at the final game ever in the Metrodome, a facility that opened in 1982. He quoted Dr. Seuss: “Don’t cry because it’s over, smile because it happened.”

Joe Webb, another Vikings free agent, has finished his first NFL season as a wide receiver but admitted quarterback is still in his “heart” after playing the position “all my life.” Has he considered Canadian pro football where running quarterbacks are valued? “I’ve never been in Canada a day in my life,” he said. “God’s will. Whatever he has in store for me, that’s what I’ll take.”

Quarterback Josh Freeman was acquired by the Vikings in October but except for one game didn’t play. Webb, who played quarterback for the Vikings from 2010-2012, said it can “take a year” before a quarterback masters a team’s offensive system.

Former Vikings Pro Bowl running back Dave Osborn, who played in three Super Bowls, will be the CORES luncheon speaker on Thursday, January 9 at the Knights of Columbus Hall in Bloomington. A social period from 11:15 a.m. to noon will precede the lunch and talk by Osborn. More information, including reservations, is available from Jim Dotseth, dotsethj@comcast.net. CORES is an acronym for coaches, officials, reporters, educators and sports fans.

Gophers radio analyst and all-time leading rusher Darrell Thompson after being asked how many times Minnesota would beat Syracuse if the two teams played 10 games on a neutral field: “They are (Syracuse) better than they look on film. Gophers probably win six of 10 times.”

Gophers coach Jerry Kill said this morning on WCCO Radio star tight end Maxx Williams will not need knee surgery after being hurt in the Texas Bowl loss to Syracuse Friday night.

Washburn running back Jeff Jones plays in the Under Armour All-America High School Football Game in St. Petersburg on Thursday. Jones hasn’t made all his official visits to colleges that interest him so it’s unlikely he will announce his choice at the prestigious prep all-star game that will be televised on ESPN beginning at 3 p.m. Minneapolis time.

Marv Wolfenson, the original Timberwolves owner who died earlier this month, once told me he thought about naming his NBA expansion club the Polars. Wolfenson attended North High School and played basketball for the Polars.

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Vereen: Bowl Game a ‘Priority’ for U

Posted on December 26, 2013December 26, 2013 by David Shama

The Gophers arrived in Houston for the Texas Bowl two days before Syracuse. To Gophers senior cornerback Brock Vereen, getting to the host city six days before the game demonstrates coach Jerry Kill’s intent to be prepared.

“There’s no other way to describe it — (that’s) coach Kill,” Vereen said last week.

Teams at bowl games can lack focus. Players become distracted by mild weather, recreational activities and meeting new people.

“We’re not talking about what night life we’re gonna do, or what restaurant we’re gonna go eat at,” Vereen said last Friday. “We’re all talking about the game. It’s good to know that’s still the priority.”

Former Gophers center Ray Hitchcock played in two bowl games. “You want to be ready to play,” said Hitchcock, now a Gophers radio analyst. “You have to be prepared, especially in the first quarter. Some teams come out with a lot of energy.”

The 8-4 Gophers are expected to win tomorrow night’s Texas Bowl that will be televised nationally by ESPN starting at 5 p.m. Minneapolis time. Vereen said winning a ninth time in 2013, “sending the seniors” home with a victory in their last game and gaining momentum for the program in 2014 are reasons the Gophers want to defeat 6-6 Syracuse. “We’re going down to win the game,” Vereen said.

“I do expect them (the Gophers) to win,” Hitchcock said. “I know the practices have been good. I think we’re the better team, with better personnel. I know it’s all business (in Houston). They’re not down there sightseeing.”

The game seems to fit the program’s “brick-by-brick” philosophy. While the Gophers best record since 2003 brought them near an invitation to a more prestigious bowl game in Arizona or Florida, the trip to Houston matches them against an opponent less formidable than Minnesota would have seen in those places.

The Gophers were in Houston last December and lost to Texas Tech when the game was the Meineke Car Care Bowl. The Gophers can show tomorrow night they can win in Houston, stopping a five game postseason losing streak and winning nine games for the first time since 2003.

Worth Noting

The site for last year’s game and the one tomorrow night is Reliant Stadium, home to the NFL’s Texans. The facility has FieldTurf and three types of grass fields that can be used for playing surfaces.

Gophers deputy athletic director David Benedict said Minnesota played on FieldTurf last year but will play on one of the grass fields tomorrow night. The game will be the fourth this year when the Gophers played on a grass surface. The other sites were New Mexico State, Northwestern and Michigan State.

The Gophers sold approximately 3,100 tickets to last year’s bowl in Houston but Benedict said the 2013 total will be higher. Among the fans will be University of Minnesota students who paid $200 each to be bused to Houston and enjoy the bowl game experience including meals. Benedict said three buses of students are travelling. For their money students also receive 2014 Gophers season tickets.

Former Gophers football players and also ex-Iowa and Vikings coach Jerry Burns are expected to attend a lunch tomorrow (Friday) in Edina to recognize the December 26 birthday of Murray Warmath. The former Gophers national championship coach died in 2011 at age 98. Wamath would have been 101 today.

The Gophers basketball team plays Texas Corpus Christi at Williams Arena on Saturday night. Senior guard Malik Smith, although not a starter, scored a Minnesota career high 19 points in the last game, a December 20, 92-79 win over Nebraska-Omaha.

Smith has scored 15 points or more in four of the last six games. He’s also shown proficiency for long range shooting, making 16 of this last 34 three point attempts.

Smith doesn’t hesitate to launch shots further back from the three point line than most players will attempt. “Honestly, I think I can shoot from a step inside the half court line without like really forcing a shot,” he said.

The Vikings play their last game ever at Mall of America Field on Sunday against the Lions. At halftime the organization will unveil the remaining two “Top 10 Moments at Mall of America Field.” A short post-game ceremony featuring a highlight video and remarks from several Vikings legends will officially close the building. Former Vikings Matt Birk and Robert Smith, along with Adrian Peterson and Hall of Fame coach Bud Grant are expected to address the crowd.

Comments Welcome

Mixed Messages Tag Frazier Era

Posted on December 18, 2013December 18, 2013 by David Shama

Will Leslie Frazier return as the Vikings head coach in 2014?

After Frazier coached the Vikings to a 10-6 record last season and a playoff spot, management and ownership declined to extend his contract. The team reportedly has an option for Frazier’s services in 2014, making it easy and inexpensive to let him go if that is the decision.

But a trusted source has repeatedly told Sports Headliners that in late summer the Vikings were talking about a multi-year extension to Frazier’s contract. If true, this sort of mixed message is part of what characterizes Frazier’s tenure as coach.

Multiple sources, including a Sports Headliners source, are now reporting the Vikings have contacted Penn State head coach Bill O’Brien, a former offensive coordinator with the NFL Patriots. If accurate, it means a coaching search, even if in preliminary mode, has started.

Could Frazier keep his job if the team wins its last two games of the season? A final record of 6-9-1 would be a major disappointment but perhaps not seen as a complete disaster by Frazier’s bosses after this team started the season 1-7.

Frazier was 3-13 two years ago. Two of his three full seasons as head coach haven’t resulted in records even approaching .500. He and his staff, along with the personnel department, haven’t solved the quarterback problem. There have been questionable coaching decisions about the use of certain players, plus stumbles in game management and failing to win in the closing minutes of the fourth quarter.

But Frazier’s likeability and leadership has not only won friends in the organization and community but more importantly has kept the players on his side when the season was moving toward oblivion. “These guys have not quit,” said Dean Dalton, a former Vikings assistant coach.

A strong close to the season might save Frazier’s job but it probably won’t stop a shakeup of the coaching staff. Despite Frazier’s loyalty to his staff (and players) there aren’t many knowledgeable Vikings observers who believe offensive coordinator Bill Musgrave and defensive coordinator Alan Williams will return in the same roles in 2014.

Frazier? Ask the question about his future this way: the Vikings haven’t made a long term commitment to him in the past, so based on two losing seasons and other critiques of his work how likely is it he will be retained?

If there’s a change, a lot of names will surface as Frazier’s successor including Brian Billick, the former Vikings assistant coach who won a Super Bowl with the Ravens but hasn’t coached since 2007. His head coaching experience and communication skills could fit well at a time when the Vikings are trying to rebuild the team and gain public confidence for not only next season but the new stadium opening in 2016.

The list could also include Stanford head coach David Shaw whose father Willie Shaw is a former Vikings assistant and Texas A&M head coach Kevin Sumlin, an ex-Gophers assistant whose wife is from Minnesota. Shaw and Sumlin are both known as successful offensive coaches who have talents in developing quarterbacks.

Dalton said there are some differences in coaching college and pro football but not enough to eliminate college candidates for NFL openings. “I think the great ones can do it at any level.”

A successful head coach has to be a “CEO type” in the opinion of Dalton. What that includes is a high football IQ and the ability to attract top assistant coaches while being a teacher and leader who goes about the job with authority and consistency.

“To be honest, Leslie fits all those things,” Dalton said. “It’s been disappointing as to how things have gone in terms of the product on the field and number of victories.”

Worth Noting

Bill McGuire is a name to follow in the coming months and years. The former UnitedHealth executive took over ownership of the NASL Minnesota United FC soccer franchise last year. Some day he could be operating his team in a downtown soccer stadium near the Minneapolis Farmers Market.

McGuire was in Kansas City, Kansas earlier this month along with his son-in-law Nick Rogers who is president of Minnesota United. The two invited Twins president Dave St. Peter and Minnesota Ballpark Authority executive director Dan Kenney. Both are authorities on stadiums.

The group watched a game in Sporting Park, a facility that seats 18,467 for soccer and 25,000 for concerts. The outdoor stadium opened in 2011 and cost $200 million.

St. Peter said the Twins aren’t moving toward an ownership interest in the soccer team or in a new soccer stadium. “Our focus is on the Twins,” he told Sports Headliners.

St. Peter was impressed with the Kansas City stadium. Would a similar facility be successful in the Farmers Market area where business leaders there are intrigued about a stadium being a catalyst for economic growth? “I don’t know if there is a model to support that,” he said. “I am not sure I have enough information to have an opinion.”

Although soccer and baseball seasons are concurrent, St. Peter isn’t concerned about the growth of soccer. “We don’t view soccer as a threat to our fan base,” he said.

McGuire is highly regarded among business people. He probably doesn’t see his franchise’s present home site at the National Sports Center in Blaine as a permanent facility for the team. It wouldn’t be surprising to some day see an open air soccer facility downtown that could also be used for concerts and other events.

For the second time in five years the MIAC will provide the football officiating crew for the Division III national championship game in Salem, Virginia. Working Friday’s game between Mount Union and UW-Whitewater will be Twin Citians Tom Barnette, Tony Day, Tom Schiller, Josh Thurow, Ben Conley, Chris Rossini and Tom Gillund.

Washburn running back Jeff Jones liked Iowa State running backs coach Kenith Pope who was recruiting him but left the Cyclones staff recently. As a college assistant, Pope was part of staffs that coached legendary running backs Barry Sanders and LaDainian Tomlinson. Jones made an official visit to Iowa State last weekend after previously visiting the Gophers.

Washburn coach Giovan Jenkins told Sports Headliners Jones has improved his ACT score and plans to take the test again to score even higher.

Steve Erban e-mailed earlier this week that his Creative Charters has filled the seats on the December 25 airplane headed to Houston for the Texas Bowl but space remains on the second plane departing Minneapolis on December 26. Erban encourages Gophers fans to travel next week in large numbers, helping develop a reputation that Minnesota fans are passionate about attending bowl games. The Gophers are favored to defeat Syracuse on December 27 in the Texas Bowl. More on travel information at Creativecharter.com.

Former Vikings assistant coach Dean Dalton has followed the improbable comeback season of Auburn. The 11-1 Tigers will play at the Rose Bowl for the national championship against 12-0 Florida State on January 6. Dalton will be there and see his son Devon, an Eden Prairie High School graduate, play the tuba in the Auburn marching band. The Tigers were 3-9 overall last season, 0-8 in the SEC.

Congratulations to Hamline’s Student Athletic Advisory Committee for thinking about U.S. military members in Afghanistan during the holidays. SAAC collected 342 pounds of items including food, shampoo and toothpaste to ship there. SAAC has members from 19 sports and is chaired by volleyball coach Becky Egan. Tara Dooley, Hamline’s assistant trainer who served in Iraq and Kuwait, and school athletic director Jason Verdugo initiated the overseas effort.

Johnson High School and alumni celebrate 100 years of hockey at the St. Paul school on Saturday with multiple events. The school won four state titles including the 1955 team that Herb Brooks played for. Alumni games will be held from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Saturday at Phalen Arena in St. Paul. Johnson will play South St. Paul in junior varsity and varsity games at 1 and 3 p.m. at Aldrich Arena in Maplewood. A dinner and silent auction are scheduled Saturday at Jimmy’s Event Center in Vadnais Heights starting at 5 p.m.

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