Vikings – Page 248 – David Shama's Minnesota Sports Headliners

Worth Noting

Posted on August 27, 2012August 27, 2012 by David Shama

Ted Mondale, Minnesota Sports Facilities Authority executive director, will be the speaker on Thursday, March 14 at the C.O.R.E.S. luncheon in Bloomington. NBA referee and Minnesota native Ken Mauer Jr. will speak at C.O.R.E.S. on Thursday, September 13. Anyone interested in more information can email Jim Dotseth at dotsethj@comcast.net. C.O.R.E.S. is an acronym for coaches, officials, reporters, educators and sports fans.

The Vikings and Gophers will give local football fans a rare local football TV doubleheader on Thursday night. The Vikings play at Houston in their final preseason game starting at 6 p.m. and KARE 11 will televise. The Gophers open their nonconference season on the road in a 10 p.m. start against UNLV broadcast on CBS Sports Network.

Vikings rookie offensive tackle Matt Kalil is relieved to have experience now in preseason games. He told Sports Headliners it was “nerve-racking” prior to the preseason opener against the 49ers but he was comfortable after the first play.

The Vikings offense is similar to what Kalil played in at USC but more sophisticated, he said. The Trojans, Kalil predicted, will probably win the national championship.

Vikings linebacker Chad Greenway, 29, acknowledged he’s in his prime years after leading the team in tackles last season with 174 and playing in his first Pro Bowl.

Vikings coach Leslie Frazier recalled how substandard the secondary performed on last season’s 3-13 team. He said an opposing secondary coach even called to tell him “you guys have to address your secondary.”

“…It’s not a lot of fun, but I think we have addressed some of those issues this offseason and now if we can keep our guys healthy it should help us to answer some questions when we play opposing offenses,” Frazier said.

John Gagliardi is preparing for his 60^th season as Saint John’s head football coach. He needs 16 wins to reach 500 career victories (484-133-11). The Johnnies open their season on Saturday at home against Northwestern College.

Saint John’s will finish fourth in the MIAC, according to a conference coaches poll. St. Thomas is picked to win the title followed by Bethel, St. Olaf, Saint John’s, Concordia, Gustavus Adolphus, Augsburg, Carleton and Hamline.

Former Gophers captain and Roosevelt High School alum Mike Svendsen will be among those inducted into the Minnesota Old Timers Football Association Hall of Fame on September 18 at the Prom Center in Oakdale. Others being induced that evening are Bob Meslow, Tom Turk, Frank Seidel and Dick Walker, according to www.tommiesports.com.

Phil Esten, University of Minnesota Alumni Association president and CEO, will leave his position in October to become executive associate athletic director for advancement at the University of California, Berkeley. Prior to his alumni assignment, Esten was associate athletics director for the Gophers.

Based on sales at wnbastore.com, the Lynx’s Maya Moore jersey is the best seller in the WNBA. Teammate Lindsay Whalen’s jersey ranks No. 10 among league players. The Lynx are No. 1 in team merchandise sales.

Pearl Park Field No. 1 in the Washburn High School district has been renamed Harmon Killebrew Field. Improvements to the field have been made including new dugouts and a scoreboard featuring Killebrew’s name and No. 3 uniform number. Funding of $300,000 was provided by the Hennepin Youth Sports Program, and Minneapolis Park and Recreation Board. Washburn has historically fielded some of the state’s better baseball teams.

Wild coach Mike Yeo and college coaches will speak at the first Herb Brooks Foundation Leadership Conference on September 15 at the National Sports Center in Blaine. The conference goal is to share with coaches from all levels of hockey what motivates players.

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‘Barometer’ Season Ahead for Frazier

Posted on August 10, 2012August 10, 2012 by David Shama

The Vikings play the first of four pre-season games starting tonight in San Francisco, and then open the regular season at home against Jacksonville on September 9. This is a “barometer” year for coach Leslie Frazier, according to Dean Dalton.

Dalton, the former Vikings assistant coach who hosts an NFL Saturday program on SiriusXM Radio, told Sports Headliners the upcoming season is a “huge” year for Frazier but likely not a situation where if the Vikings don’t make the playoffs the coach is out.

Frazier was interim coach for six games at the end of the 2010 season. That was an unstable season with the Vikings not meeting expectations, a troubled locker room and even the Metrodome roof collapsing.

Then last year the NFL labor dispute prevented the normal off-season and pre-season preparations with players. That was a disadvantage for Frazier who was starting his first full season as Vikings head coach and first assignment as boss of any NFL team.

This year has been normal for preparations and Dalton said the off-season front office move to create more authority in the personnel department is another asset for Frazier. Rick Spielman, promoted during the off-season to the newly created position of general manager, works effectively with Frazier and gives the Vikings more definitive management of personnel than has been in place.

All of this puts more “structure” in place around Frazier, according to Dalton. “Even the stadium is settled,”Dalton said, referring to the off-season approval to build a new facility.

What Dalton thinks ownership wants to see from Frazier’s team this season is progress. Not to be measured so much by wins or losses but by performance improvement.

“You want to show you’re improving every week,”Dalton said. “You want to see a team that is ascending.”

Dalton said Vikings improvement means “there’s no games where the team is mailing it in,” not trying because of the situation or circumstances. “They look competitive (in each game),” he explained. “There’s no situations where there’s turmoil.”

Dalton said Frazier has already demonstrated his leadership in the locker room, showing he’s an “excellent” manager of players. Now Frazier has the opportunity to show what he and his staff can do coaching during a full season in a normal NFL environment.

The Vikings were 3-13 last season and Dalton said five or six wins is probably a reasonable expectation in 2012. “They can be pretty good,” Dalton said. “The challenge is playing teams we know will be very good. It’s tough to say.”

Pro football analysts aren’t forecasting playoff games for the Vikings. Several teams on the schedule look better, including NFC North rivals Chicago, Detroit and Green Bay, and the Vikings are in the process of shuffling personnel. “It’s a young, inexperienced group,” Dalton said.

Dalton suggested fans watch for a couple of developments that will ultimately tell how well the Vikings play in 2012. He said the offense “could be really explosive” if the deep passing game is effective. Stretching the field and taking an extra defender away from the line of scrimmage will create running opportunities for all-world halfback Adrian Peterson.

On defense, Dalton said the “secondary really has to step up.” In the pass-happy NFL, it’s mandatory to have multiple defensive backs who can make plays. Another defensive development Dalton will be watching is the progress of linebacker Jasper Brinkley who is replacing E.J. Henderson.

Progress. There’s that word again.

Vikings notes:

As of this week, the Vikings had 41 new players on the 90 man roster – 14 free agents, 10 draft choices and 17 undrafted free agents. The roster has to be reduced to 75 by August 27.

Among the storylines to follow in tonight’s game at San Francisco and the other upcoming preseason games is who will emerge as Minnesota’s No. 3 running back behind Adrian Peterson and Toby Gerhart. Peterson, recovering from his ACL surgery, won’t play for awhile yet and Frazier said Gerhart’s carries will be limited tonight.

Frazier also said that in addition to Peterson, the following injured players won’t play against the 49ers: Robert Blanton, John Carlson, Kamar Jorden, DeMarcus Love, Geoff Schwartz and Jordan Todman.

Because it’s the first preseason game, Percy Harvin won’t return kickoffs. He ran 101 yards on a kickoff return for a touchdown in a regular season game against the 49ers in 2009.

The 49ers roster includes former Vikings wide receiver Randy Moss. Vikings assistant coach Mike Singletary was the 49ers head coach from 2008-2010.

Former Vikings coaches Jerry Burns, Dean Dalton and Paul Wiggin were among those attending last Saturday’s induction of ex-Vikings defensive end Chris Doleman into the Pro Football Hall of Fame.

The 49ers-Vikings game will be televised on WUCW in Minneapolis-St. Paul. The game will be simulcast on KFAN Radio. Paul Allen will do play-by-play with Pete Bercich providing analysis, plus Greg Coleman and Ben Leber reporting from the sidelines. The Vikings’ other three preseason games, including next Friday at home against Buffalo, will be simulcast on KARE 11 and KFAN.

The 49ers, 13-3 last season, play a regular season game against the Vikings in Minneapolis on September 23.

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Vikes Turnaround Predicted at 10-6

Posted on July 30, 2012July 30, 2012 by David Shama

Bob Lurtsema, the former Vikings defensive lineman who remains close to the team, predicts Minnesota will finish 10-6 during the 2012 regular season and possibly make the playoffs.

The Vikings were 3-13 last season and a popular guess for 2012 is 6-10 but Lurtsema believes the team will be improved and exceed expectations. “I’ve said it before. I am very optimistic,” Lurtsema told Sports Headliners. “I said 10-6. Everybody said, ‘What are you on? What are you smoking?’”

Lurtsema’s outlook is based on improvement at some positions that faltered last season, including quarterback. He thinks second-year quarterback Christian Ponder will upgrade his play considerably.

Ponder not only had the disadvantage last season of minimal offseason preparation because of the NFL labor dispute but he was a rookie placed in a starting position. The Vikings are counting on maturity from Ponder in year No. 2, perhaps typical of what Drew Brees did for the Chargers when he threw one touchdown pass in his rookie season of 2001 but 17 the next.

Ponder did throw for 1,853 yards last season, the second most ever for a Vikings rookie quarterback. Fran Tarkenton threw for 1,997 yards in 1961.

Vikings and other notes:

Former Vikings coach Jerry Burns told Sports Headliners he’s “hoping” for an 8-8 or 9-7 record. He described Vikings head coach Leslie Frazier as “one of the finest” people he’s met.

Burns will travel to Canton, Ohio to see his former defensive lineman Chris Doleman inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame on August 4.

Vikings running back Toby Gerhart, who could be the team’s early season starter if Adrian Peterson isn’t healthy, comes from an athletic family. His dad Todd played in the USFL and went to training camp with the Vikings in 1986. Brother Garth, an offensive lineman, is trying out with the Browns. Gerhart’s triplet sisters are college softball players.

Former Breck and Northwestern football player Regis Eller, son of ex-Vikings star Carl Eller, is scouting for the Chargers. San Diego plays the Vikings at Mall of America Field on August 24.

Gophers coach Jerry Kill said senior quarterback MarQueis Gray has improved so much that he will be a “very, very exciting player to watch” not only in the Big Ten but nationally.

Casey Dehn, the Owatonna native expected to be Wisconsin’s starting offensive right tackle, is no longer with the Badgers.

Former Gophers and now NFL rookies Duane Bennett (running back), Jon Hoese (fullback) and Eric Lair (tight end) are listed on the Packers training camp roster.

Talk about a bad weekend. Not only did the Indians lose three straight to the Twins at Target Field, but Cleveland batters hit .140 in the series and starting pitchers gave up 23 hits and 23 runs in 16 innings. The Twins hit .340 and scored 28 runs.

Twins first baseman Justin Morneau is hitting .333 with three home runs and 12 RBI in his last 22 games. His home run yesterday was No. 198 of his career and moved him within two of becoming the seventh Twins player to hit 200 or more.

Scott Diamond, who leads Twins pitchers in wins with a 9-3 record, is 6-1 at Target Field. He has a 2.28 ERA in eight home game starts.

Twins general manager Terry Ryan said on the Twins Radio Network yesterday afternoon there were no contract “extension talks” between him and Francisco Liriano’s agent in the weeks leading up to last Saturday’s trade of the left-handed pitcher to the White Sox. Ryan also said that during 2006 Liriano was as “good there was” among major league pitchers.

The Timberwolves have scheduled a news conference for tomorrow to introduce guard Brandon Roy to the local media. The Wolves might start the season with only six or seven players from last season’s roster.

Tubby Smith’s contract extension through 2017 with the Gophers means he could determine his Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame credentials during the next five seasons. He won a national championship at Kentucky and had four Elite Eight NCAA appearances, but he’s faltered at Minnesota where his Big Ten record is 14 games under .500.

Seimone Augustus, Maya Moore and Lindsay Whalen from the Lynx are among 38 current or former WNBA players on teams competing at the Olympics in women’s basketball. Nine of the 12 nations competing in the Olympics have WNBA alumni.

Golf returns to the Olympics in 2016 in Rio de Janeiro after a 112 year absence.

A celebration for the completion of Todd Anderson Field in Brooklyn Park will be held starting at 5:30 p.m. on August 9. The facility provides a home for Courage Center’s wheelchair softball players, a first in 30 years of competition.

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