Vikings – Page 247 – David Shama's Minnesota Sports Headliners

Worth Noting

Posted on November 28, 2011December 29, 2011 by David Shama

Among the Gophers completing eligibility on Saturday was Minnesota native and safety Kim Royston who started his career at Wisconsin. He left Madison after the 2007 season to be near his grandmother who was ill and has since past away. “I don’t have any regrets about transferring,” he said. Royston was involved with 13 tackles in the game Saturday.

Sophomore Dan Orseske has to be the most inconsistent Gophers punter in memory. He’s had punts of fewer than 10 yards and undoubtedly faces off-season competition for his job.

Ed Cohen, who keeps statistics in the press box for home games, completed his 55^th season working for the Gophers last Saturday. His longevity exceeds everyone else on the Minnesota game day crew.

One-sided score: Hopkins led Minneapolis North 80-0 at halftime in girls basketball Friday night on the way to a 94-14 win.

It’s been a busy seven days for Gophers broadcaster Mike Grimm. Last Monday night he did the play-by-play of the Minnesota-Mount St. Mary’s basketball game at Williams Arena. He also called the Gophers basketball games Thursday and Friday in the Old Spice Classic in Orlando. He then flew back to Minneapolis, arriving after midnight on Saturday so he could do the play-by-play on the Minnesota-Illinois football game. And yesterday morning he caught an early morning flight back to Orlando to call the Gophers Old Spice title game against Dayton on Sunday night, an 86-70 Minnesota loss.

It’s not well-known in Minnesota yet but the basketball Gophers will be one of the teams playing in the 2013 Maui Invitational. The field, including the Gophers, was announced last week at the tournament.

Here are Sports Headliners’ final rankings of Big Ten Football teams: Wisconsin, Michigan State, Michigan, Nebraska, Ohio State, Penn State, Iowa, Northwestern, Purdue, Minnesota, Illinois and Indiana.

Vikings coach Leslie Frazier’s career record is now 5-12 including six games as interim coach last year. On the Vikings radio network following yesterday’s 24-14 loss to Atlanta he criticized his closing minutes play call when Minnesota was on the Falcons’ one-yard line. The fourth down play was unsuccessful while a touchdown would have made the score 24-21 Atlanta.

Jared Allen was a long snapper for Kansas City in 2005. Yesterday he filled in for injured Vikings long snapper Cullen Loeffler. As a defensive end, Allen has 13.5 sacks this season. He and the late Reggie White are the only players in NFL history to have 14.5+ sacks in three consecutive seasons.

By joining the Texas Rangers, former Twins closer Joe Nathan will no longer have to face one of the American League teams that was most effective against him. Nathan’s career ERA against the Rangers is 3.60, according to Baseball-Reference.com. Only Tampa Bay at 3.80 and New York at 3.71 had higher ERA’s against Nathan.

The Minnesota Golf Show will be February 17-19 at the Minneapolis Convention Center.

Comments Welcome

No Joy in Childress Firing Anniversary

Posted on November 18, 2011December 17, 2011 by David Shama

I wonder if all the knucklehead fans who hated Brad Childress are still happy he’s no longer coaching in Minnesota. It was almost a year ago (November 22) that the Vikings fired their coach ─ public enemy No. 1 to much of the fan base.

The record was 3-7 when Childress was fired. The 2011 edition is 2-7 with seven games remaining on the schedule. Childress coached a team with uncertainty at quarterback and failing personnel in other positions. His successor, Leslie Frazier, is reading the same script.

Although Childress wasn’t liked by the masses, his firing hasn’t improved ticket sales. The truth is there are more empty seats at home games this season than last.

Did his dismissal quiet the critics? Hardly. Even the Monday Night TV crew was calling out the Vikings for lack of discipline during Green Bay’s beat down of Minnesota, 45-7.

Until last year Childress coached the Vikings to improved records each season. He was 6-10 in 2006, then 8-8, 10-6 and 12-4. The last two records were good enough to give the franchise its first consecutive division titles since 1977-78. And the 2009 team was within a play or two of qualifying for the Super Bowl.

Less than 12 months after the 2009 NFC championship loss, Childress was fired. Yes, he made a mistake in allowing the toxic Randy Moss on his roster and he should have informed ownership when he decided to dismiss the controversial wide receiver. And, yup, there were locker room problems.

But locker room morale gets fixed over time and the resume of Childress’ work suggests he was capable of the task. He earned a reputation in Philadelphia as a valued assistant and before that was an accomplished college coach. His expertise was offensive football and he knew personnel, too. He had a lot to do with building the Vikings into a winning roster, but then some players grew old and others were injured.

Childress was trying to figure out how to plug the holes when he was fired. Frazier and company are doing the same.

Comments Welcome

Frazier: Rookie QB Ponder ‘Unflappable’

Posted on November 14, 2011November 27, 2011 by David Shama

How will Christian Ponder play tonight?

That’s a question being discussed at lunch tables today by Vikings fans. The Vikings rookie quarterback will make his third NFL start tonight in Green Bay playing in front of a rabid crowd and national TV audience. And the 8-0 Packers might be the best team in football.

Ponder made his first ever start last month in Minneapolis against the Packers. He gave life to a season-long struggling Vikings offense. Although the Vikings lost 33-27, Ponder did throw for 219 yards and two touchdowns.

The next week in Carolina, Ponder helped the Vikings to a second half win over the Panthers. Ponder directed a long fourth quarter drive that resulted in a Ryan Longwell field goal and a 24-21 win, only the Vikings second of the season.

What’s impressive about Ponder is that he has completed 70.4 percent of his passes on third downs. That’s second best in the NFL among passers with 20 or more third down attempts. Inside the 20-yard line no league passer can match his stats of five-for-five completions and two touchdown passes.

Coach Leslie Frazier said Ponder has been “unflappable” in his two starts for the Vikings. He doesn’t expect the stage to be too big for the rookie tonight. “…I don’t think it’ll overwhelm him on Monday night at Lambeau,” Frazier said last week. “He just has a way about him of being able to handle situations. Of course we’ll do some things to prep him but I have a feeling he’ll be able to absorb it.”

Ponder has impressed teammates, too. “He’s doing a great job,” center John Sullivan said. “…He’s studying hard and he’s making great throws. He’s really leading the team, and he’s a very intelligent guy.”

Comments Welcome