Vikings – Page 263 – David Shama's Minnesota Sports Headliners

Vikings Leader: ‘We Should All Be Held Accountable’

Posted on December 12, 2011December 29, 2011 by David Shama

Ryan Longwell, 37, is a veteran leader on the Vikings team, and he told Sports Headliners the team’s 2-11 record and on field performance deserves scrutiny. Accountability, he said, needs to be assessed among players, coaches and front office.

“I think everything has to be looked at when you have a record like this. …We should all be held accountable and ultimately we are,” Longwell said.

The Vikings are having one of the least successful seasons in franchise history and will miss the playoffs for a second consecutive season. Personnel needs are numerous and major reconstruction of the roster must be addressed.

Asked about possible roster changes for next season, the Vikings placekicker said, “Probably a lot of turnover, as there should be. Obviously this combination didn’t get it done. I think we’re all aware of that. We’re all aware our jobs are on the line each and every week. We know it’s a very fleeting profession.”

Leslie Frazier is in his first full year as head coach and he probably gets a “mulligan” for another season from owner Zygi Wilf. That doesn’t mean all the coaches will return, though, and the Star Tribune speculated last week about the job security of defensive coordinator Fred Pagac.

Longwell believes the Vikings should be comparing themselves to teams like Green Bay and New Orleans, two of the most successful NFC organizations in recent seasons. Those clubs have franchises headed by strongly positioned and clearly defined front office football authorities.

The Packers’ Ted Thompson is executive vice president, general manager and director of football operations. The Saints’ Mickey Loomis is the team’s executive vice president-general manager, and “responsible for the club’s entire football operations,” according to the franchise website. The perception about the Vikings —fair or not — is that decision making and leadership of the football department is less defined. The franchise’s most visible department figure is vice president Rick Spielman who oversees the “pro and college scouting departments,” according to the team website.

Fans and media complain the Vikings fragment the decision making process and should have one voice. Longwell was asked if he anticipates changes in the front office after this season.

He said “it’s tough to have people in power” and not provide “clear lines” of responsibility. He believes there are better organizational “setups” than the Vikings have and it will be up to ownership to decide whether changes are needed in that structure and with individuals.

Longwell doesn’t fault the effort of the players this season. He said, “Our record is not an indication of not getting along, being lazy, or not putting in the work.”

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Worth Noting

Posted on December 12, 2011December 29, 2011 by David Shama

Timberwolves rookie forward Derrick Williams talking about the competition for playing time including at power forward where several players like him are in the mix: “Even people on your team are enemies.”

The Wolves will play only two preseason games — at home against Milwaukee on December 17 and at Milwaukee on December 21— and both will be televised on FOX Sports North.

Vikings placekicker Ryan Longwell said his friend Brett Favre mentors nephew Dylan Favre, a college quarterback who has left Mississippi State. “When you have a resource like Brett Favre in the family tree, you should certainly use it,” Longwell said.

Longwell plans to work during the offseason with a PGA pro to improve his golf game and possibly qualify for the 2012 U.S. Open next June. He said his golf project won’t hurt preparations for football. He doesn’t kick during the offseason until a “couple weeks” before minicamp and training camp.

Vikings rookie tight end Kyle Rudolph: “Whenever the ball is in the air, I treat it as mine.”

Mankato West’s Phillip Nelson was selected as the Mr. Football winner yesterday. He passed for 35 touchdowns and threw for 20 this season. The Gophers recruit and all-state quarterback was also honored as Minnesota prep player of the year by the Associated Press and ESPN. The Mr. Football program is sponsored by the Minnesota Football Coaches Association and the Vikings.

Troy Gloster, who is a redshirt freshman linebacker at West Virginia, is the grandson of the late Sandy Stephens, the former Gophers All-American quarterback.

The 10-1 basketball Gophers play Central Michigan tomorrow night at Williams Arena. The Chippewas are 4-4 and lost their last game, 65-57 to Tennessee State. The team’s best player is guard Trey Zeigler who is averaging 17.8 points and 8.3 rebounds. Dad Ernie Zeigler is head coach.

Point guard Andre Hollins, who has an ankle injury, didn’t play in the Gophers win over Saint Peter’s on Saturday but Minnesota coach Tubby Smith said after the game he expects Hollins to be ready for tomorrow night.

Prep basketball authority Ken Lien emailed news that DeLaSalle sophomore Reid Travis has been offered a scholarship by Northwestern.

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Hennepin County to Emerge in Stadium Drama?

Posted on December 8, 2011December 29, 2011 by David Shama

Don’t be surprised if Hennepin County comes out with a plan regarding a proposed Vikings stadium within the next few weeks.

That’s the opinion of a knowledgeable stadium source who believes the county could team up with the state and the Vikings to fund a new football and entertainment facility downtown. Hennepin County, the state’s largest county, eventually emerged as the public entity making the Twins stadium possible, and now after years of debate regarding a new home for the Vikings the county might be ready to get involved with building a facility that will be home to not only football but also other sports and entertainment attractions, according to the source who spoke anonymously.

The multipurpose use of such a stadium fits particularly well with the proposed stadium sites at the Farmers Market and Linden Avenue near the Basilica of St. Mary. Both are near the existing downtown sports, entertainment and hospitality venues already in place. The sites are also ideally situated for freeway and public transportation (including projects in planning by the county).

Stadium sources said the Linden Avenue site near the Basilica of St. Mary may ultimately have an advantage over Farmers Market because “land assembly” is easier. The Linden Avenue site has fewer existing owners than Farmers Market.

Minneapolis mayor R.T. Rybak is an advocate for rebuilding on the Metrodome site because construction there is probably about $150 million or more less costly than at the two other downtown sites, or in Arden Hills. The Metrodome site, though, doesn’t have the same appeal to the county as the two other downtown sites, according to a source.

The Metrodome probably can’t stimulate sales tax revenues from nearby businesses like the Farmers Market and Linden Avenue sites. The latter two sites, unlike the dome area, already exist in an entertainment and commercial area that includes Target Field and has potential for redevelopment. “A Vikings stadium in those areas helps the county protect its investments in Target Field and transportation,” a source said.

And building at the Metrodome means the Vikings will have to play probably three years at TCF Bank Stadium where a source suggested the franchise may gross about $18 million per season less than at the dome. How to solve that financial challenge is a problem and a public subsidy seems likely not to be a solution.

Rybak wants to use tax revenues dedicated to the Convention Center to help fund a Vikings stadium. Further tax help from Hennepin County and a yet to be determined funding source from the state, along with a contribution from the Vikings, seems like a possible formula for building a facility costing over $1 billion.

Meanwhile Ramsey County remains interested in building the facility in Arden Hills, a site long backed by the Vikings. The funding picture there is perhaps even less clear than downtown, although potential gambling revenues could benefit building a facility anywhere in the metro.

The state legislature has started public hearings on the stadium issue but much needs to be determined including site selection. “I think it is all a long way from being done,” a source said this week.

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