Vikings – Page 81 – David Shama's Minnesota Sports Headliners

All Options on Table for the Wilfs?

Posted on October 28, 2020October 28, 2020 by David Shama

NFL insiders might be speculating on whether the Minnesota Vikings ownership group is interested in selling the franchise. Zygi Wilf led a group that purchased the club in 2005 for a reported $600 million and earlier this year Forbes valued the franchise at $2.7 billion.

Even adjusted for inflation, the difference in those two figures represents a nifty gain. Other numbers the Wilf family and their partners are looking at today aren’t so rosy. With COVID-19 blocking ticket sales and other in-stadium revenues, this is a fiscal year unlike any other for NFL owners. Just lost ticket revenue at US Bank Stadium is likely north of $750 million for the Vikings this season, and there is no guarantee fans will be admitted for home games in 2021.

There is also disgruntlement from season ticket and single game purchasers. A 1-5 start to the season is a shock for a fan base more accustomed to double digit wins each year. Those fans have quickly found perceived villains in both the front office and on the field (players and coaches).

Ticket buyers may also be struggling with their own financial challenges, leaving them with less discretionary income for now and the foreseeable future. There are customers, too, that dislike the prominence of social justice and politics by NFL ownership, management and players. Regardless of who is right or wrong, the perspective of critics is that they want to watch football without other commentary.

NFL TV viewership is down this fall, consistent with a decline of other televised sports—led by surprising and disappointing numbers from NBA games and historically low World Series ratings. Going forward, if NFL TV viewership doesn’t improve, that will hamper financial negotiations by the league with the networks as both sides contemplate new contracts.

The Wilfs are diversified in their financial holdings but much of their wealth has been made in real estate, including New York and New Jersey. Commercial real estate has its issues with movie theatres and shopping malls closing and more companies allowing employees to work at home rather than occupying office buildings. Residents are moving out of New York City and other locales they consider undesirable. How the Wilfs are impacted is unknown but it’s fair to speculate they are crunching numbers to keep up with developments and anticipate the future.

There is a cost savings direction for their football team with the unloading of pricey stars Stefon Diggs and Yannick Ngakoue. Rumors this week, if true, indicate a possible “fire sale,” with team leaders and impact players Harrison Smith, Kyle Rudolph and Adam Thielen possibly being shopped in advance of the league trade deadline November 3.

The Wilfs love football and have been committed in spending money on salaries, facilities and philanthropy in Minnesota. Their long stated goal is to produce a Super Bowl team for the city and state. But the team’s 1-5 record this fall, and priority in collecting draft choices with the Diggs and Ngakoue trades, more than hints this team is rebuilding and further from a Super Bowl now than in several years.

In these times of health, economic and political challenges for the country, do the Wilfs want to go through an on-the-field rebuild? If they do, will ownership continue to be satisfied with longtime GM Rick Spielman and Mike Zimmer, the head coach since 2014? The Wilfs are known for their loyalty to employees and they don’t make knee-jerk moves, but they are also successful business operators.

They know this is a turbulent period both literally and figuratively, including because the club’s passionate fan base is dissatisfied. But it’s also true NFL franchises can turn around pretty quick (see the Tampa Bay Bucs)—with on-field performances able to flip within a couple of seasons. And until 2020, no major American sport has been so consistently profitable for owners as the NFL.

What are the Wilfs thinking? In their view, is the Gjallarhorn half full, or half empty?

Worth Noting

It will be interesting to see what kind of money MLB free agents can negotiate during this offseason. Sportico interviewed MLB commissioner Rob Manfred who said in a story Monday his 30 teams amassed $8.3 billion in debt from financial lenders and lost $2.8 to $3 billion in operational expenses this year. Manfred is cautious about what baseball will look like in 2021.

The COVID-impacted and shortened 2020 season dictated no fans in attendance at stadiums. Franchises like the Twins lost hundreds of millions in missing ticket and other ballpark revenues.

With Wisconsin quarterback Jack Coan out long term with an injury, and backups Graham Mertz and Chase Wolf rumored to be sidelined with COVID for three weeks, the Gophers, despite their opening loss to Michigan, could soon be labeled as favorites to win the Big Ten’s West Division. Sleeper pick (favored here) is Nebraska.

Ticket King owner Mike Nowakowski told Sports Headliners yesterday his company has sold a couple dozen tickets for the September 4, 2021 Gopher football opener against Ohio State in Minneapolis. “We’re seeing some action on the game already,” he said.

Ticket King prices range from $125 to $300 for the game that will be Ohio State’s first appearance in Minneapolis since 2014. The Buckeyes could be defending NCAA champions when they come to town.

Nowakowski has sold about three dozen tickets for the April 8 Twins opener at Target Field against the Seattle Mariners. Ticket King pricing ranges from $70 to $800 (Champions Club).

Big Ten men’s hockey teams will each play four nonconference games against Arizona State. The Sun Devils AD is Ray Anderson, former agent to Vikings coach Denny Green and a friend of new Big Ten commissioner Kevin Warren who was Chief Operating Officer of the Vikings.

Arizona State is ranked No. 15 in the USCHO.com national preseason poll, with Minnesota No. 14. Top ranked Big Ten schools are No. 9 Penn State and No. 10 Ohio State.

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Vikes’ Zimmer: Cook ‘Feeling Really Good’

Posted on October 14, 2020October 14, 2020 by David Shama

Vikings head coach Mike Zimmer, talking this morning, didn’t rule star running back Dalvin Cook out for Sunday’s home game against the Atlanta Falcons. “I talked to him today. He said he’s feeling really good,” Zimmer said. “We’ll just see how it goes.”

Another option could be for Cook, who sustained a groin injury last Sunday, to sit out the Falcons game, and gain additional rest with a bye date coming up October 25 for the Vikings.

Zimmer was asked if there is an update on another top playmaker, defensive end Danielle Hunter, who has been inactive through the first five games because of a neck injury. “No, not really. Still kind of mulling his options, I think.”

The Minnesota Vikings are about one-third through their 2020 season and with a 1-4 record, at the bottom of the NFC North standings. This is not a bad team, though, and indicative of that is the Vikings have been competitive most of the season including two losses by a total of two points.

The goal of making the playoffs is all but gone but the silver lining is improving and promising players. Cameron Dantzler and Jeff Gladney are progressing and that’s a major step forward for a team having to rely on rookie cornerbacks. Fourth-year linebacker Eric Wilson, replacing the injured Anthony Barr, looks better in pass protection and had an interception in Sunday night’s game with the Seattle Seahawks. Rookie defensive tackle James Lynch played in his first game Sunday and showed the aggressiveness that helped him set a single season sack record of 13.5 at Baylor. Rookie defensive end D.J. Wonnum has also impressed.

Second-year running back Alexander Matison has been outstanding in relief of Cook and certainly could start in Sunday’s game. “Very conscientious kid. Works real hard,” Zimmer said. “I think he tries to learn from Dalvin as much as he can.”

The Vikings have an NFL all-rookie team candidate in wide receiver Justin Jefferson who is going to make impact plays this season and beyond. The much criticized offensive line has been effective run blocking and at times given quarterback Kirk Cousins adequate time to throw. That has helped the offense improve its time of possession including in the Seattle game.

Zimmer will make sure his team plays with effort in the last 11 games, regardless of the team record. He labels his players fighters and the fiery Zimmer wouldn’t have it any other way. Now that doesn’t make up for the decision to pass up on a closing minutes field goal against Seattle, but it does give assurance the Vikings will continue to be watchable as the season progresses.

Worth Noting

Look for an announcement today about a new nonprofit organization called Minnesota Sports & Events established by local leaders from the hospitality, sports and business communities. The goal is to bring more major sports and entertainment events to the Twin Cities.

Gopher men’s and women’s basketball season ticket holders were notified by email Tuesday there will be no season tickets for the 2020-2021 home schedule. Seat locations will carry over to the 2021-2022 season. The email referenced the possibility of a limited number of individual tickets being distributed on a game-by-game basis but provided no further details.

Former Vikings quarterback Teddy Bridgewater, now with the Carolina Panthers, ranks sixth in total passing yards in the NFL with 1,460.

Former Vikings wide receiver Stefon Diggs is off to an impressive start with the Buffalo Bills, his new team, and his stats rank among the best in the NFL through five games. With the Bills 4-1, general manager Brandon Beane has emerged as an early season favorite for NFL Executive of the Year including for his acquisition of Diggs from the Vikings during the last offseason.

Although Diggs had a reputation as a problem player in Minnesota, former Gopher and Green Bay Packer Jim Carter had an engaging experience with him. Last year Carter and other former ex-Packers were in Green Bay to celebrate the career of the late Bart Starr. “All the Viking players trotted past our group of broken down old players, except one,” Carter recalled in an email. “Number 14 (Diggs) stopped, fist bumped quite a few of us (I’m sure he didn’t have a clue who any of us were. …). He smiled and said a couple of friendly ‘thanks for being here’ and ‘congratulations.’ Class act!”

To save money, apparently there was talk of the Gopher men’s hockey team playing at Ridder Arena this season, the small facility that hosts the women’s team. But coach Bob Motzko said in an October 8 story on the Therinklive.com the Gophers will remain at 3M Arena at Mariucci to better celebrate the 100^th anniversary of the program.

Candidates will be lining up for the University of St. Thomas men’s hockey coaching opportunity. The Tommies will be Division I starting in 2021-2022 and joining the CCHA. Jeff Boeser will not coach beyond this school year. “This will be a plum D-1 job,” a source wrote via email.

He said candidates could include two former Golden Gophers assistants, Mike Guentzel and Scott Bell, who turned around Hamline’s program. Guentzel is presently a scout for the Arizona Coyotes, while Bell scouts for the Toronto Maple Leafs.

Two sources said St. Thomas is looking at building a hockey arena.

If any Minnesota Timberwolves player in franchise history were 25 years old who would you choose as the best ever? The answer here is Jimmy Butler, a complete player who makes teammates better and excels during a game’s biggest moments when he wants the basketball. His departure from the Wolves blew up the Tom Thibodeau era after Butler led Minnesota to the playoffs in 2018, the team’s only postseason since 2004.

Butler, who deserves to be ranked with the NBA’s best players, may have not liked the efforts of teammates in Minnesota and later the Philadelphia 76ers, but playing for the Miami Heat he has found a home. In the NBA Finals he carried the Heat with triple double performances before losing to the Lakers.

Managers on a Mission, reported on in this space in the past, has changed its name and brand to better communicate its focus on developing Christ-centered leaders involved with sports. The St. Louis Park-based organization, led by former Gophers basketball manager Drew Boe, is now the Uncommon Sports Group. “Serving more than just student and equipment managers, the program aims to develop any collegiate or professional ‘future leader of the sports industry,’ ” according to a news release. More at Uncommonsg.org.

Good news: today is National Dessert Day.

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ESPN GameDay Odds Heavy for Gophers

Posted on October 12, 2020October 12, 2020 by David Shama

Next Sunday ESPN could announce its prestigious college football GameDay show will originate in Minneapolis on Saturday, October 24 for the Minnesota-Michigan game at TCF Bank Stadium. Sources report the game is under consideration by ESPN.

The odds of Minnesota hosting the show went up when ESPN announced yesterday its crew will be in Tuscaloosa for the Alabama-Georgia game this Saturday. The Alabama game at Tennessee October 24 looks like less competition for the Gophers now that the Volunteers lost to Georgia last weekend—and ESPN will not feature Alabama two weeks in succession.

October 23-24 is the opening weekend for Big Ten football and the conference’s prestige and large TV following will weigh positively on the ESPN decision. The Nebraska-Ohio State game in Columbus October 24 is no longer a rival for the Gophers hosting ESPN because Fox announced its kickoff show will be at Ohio Stadium that day.

A long-shot under consideration for October 24 could be the Cincinnati-SMU game in Dallas. In the latest AP national poll the Bearcats are ranked No. 8 and the Mustangs No. 17. But Minnesota and Michigan are also ranked, with the Gophers at No. 24 and Wolverines at No. 19, and an important American Athletic Conference game doesn’t have the same glitter as a Big Ten offering. On the Big Ten’s opening weekend, this is the conference’s only matchup of top 25 teams.

That’s a compelling factor and so, too, is the historic rivalry between the two programs. Michigan and Minnesota have been playing for possession of the Little Brown Jug since 1909. Considered the most famous of college football rivalry trophies, the Little Brown Jug is a made-for-TV optic with a fascinating storyline. The Gophers haven’t taken possession of the Jug in Minneapolis since 1977, adding extra meaning to the October 24 game.

Right now it looks like the Minnesota-Michigan matchup could be the biggest of the day not only in the Big Ten but across the country. This morning came the announcement the game will land on national TV with ABC offering a prime time 6:30 p.m. kickoff. The game has major ratings appeal starting with the Minneapolis-St. Paul and Detroit TV markets that are among the largest in the country. Expect big ratings numbers in Minnesota and Michigan, and the game will pull solid ratings throughout the nation—particularly in the Midwest.

The three-hour GameDay show, that dates back to 1993, has both the time and interest to take multiple angles on stories. It seems likely that if show producers come here they will report on how the Gophers have confronted the social justice issue since the tragic death of George Floyd. Minnesota coach P.J. Fleck has been outspoken about the need to listen, understand and discuss things since Floyd’s death earlier this year.

GameDay came to Minneapolis for the first time ever in 2019 for the Minnesota-Wisconsin game. Fleck coveted the opportunity to host the show and by all accounts it was a successful partnership between ESPN and the University of Minnesota. Not only does hosting the show add to fan interest in the state, but it also is a valued recruiting tool for Minnesota’s national recruiting.

Worth Noting

In some scheduling alterations, the Big Ten announced today the Gophers will play three Friday games—October 30 at Maryland, and host Iowa and Purdue November 13 and 20 respectively. Those games had been scheduled for Saturdays.

Minnesota Vikings coach Mike Zimmer meets with the media via Zoom at 4:30 p.m. today. The last time the Vikings started a season 1-4 was in 2011 under Leslie Frazier and they went on to a 3-13 finish.

Minnesota native and former Olympic middle distance runner Carrie Tollefson is the latest guest on “Behind the Game,” with co-hosts Patrick Klinger and Bill Robertson. Growing up in small town Dawson, she became one of the state’s great success stories among female athletes. The show is available for viewing on YouTube and on Twin Cities cable TV channels.

If preps Kenny Pohto and Treyton Thompson keep their verbal commitments to join the 2021 Gophers freshman class it looks like they will be part of a roster with six players 6-foot-9 or taller a year from now. Pohto, from Sweden by way of Sunrise Christian Academy in Kansas, and Thompson, a native of Alexandria, Minnesota could join present bigs Sam Freeman, Isaiah Ihnen, Martice Mitchell and Liam Robbins.

That kind of height and wing span presents multiple potential advantages for the coaching staff including use of zone defenses where Minnesota bigs would be difficult to shoot over and could clog passing lanes.

As for the coming 2020-2021 season, coach Richard Pitino’s team won’t find much love from media prognosticators who see Minnesota finishing far down in the Big Ten standings. Frustrating for Gophers fans, too, is that border rivals Iowa and Wisconsin are projected at the top of the league and receiving high national rankings.

Wisconsin, as usual carrying a roster with Minnesota natives, has an All-American favorite in forward Nate Reuvers from Lakeville North.

The Lakers have now won 17 world championships, including five in Minneapolis, and are tied with the Boston Celtics for most ever. The Minneapolis Lakers won championships in 1949, 1950, 1952, 1953 and 1955 before moving to Los Angeles for the 1960-61 season.

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