Vikings – Page 86 – David Shama's Minnesota Sports Headliners

Kaepernick Speculation Includes Here

Posted on June 4, 2020June 4, 2020 by David Shama

A return to the NFL by quarterback Colin Kaepernick is being speculated on during these times of demands for social justice across the country. Kaepernick, 32 and a national civil rights advocate, last played in the NFL in 2016 but has seen his name connected to a comeback this week.

It’s been suggested in the media that among several teams where Kaepernick could fit are the Minnesota Vikings. Kaepernick played six seasons in the NFL with the 49ers, mostly as a starter. The 6-4, 230-pound Kapernick established himself not only as a passer but had 13 rushing touchdowns including one for 90 yards. He may still have enough skills and experience to help as a backup quarterback.

Symbolically, his presence in a Vikings uniform would be welcomed by some fans and residents in Minneapolis where George Floyd was tragically killed by a city police officer. In recent days Kaepernick tweeted about helping to fund legal defense for those in Minneapolis he termed “freedom fighters.”

Why has no team put Kaepernick back to work for years? A former NFL executive, speaking with anonymity, told Sports Headliners there has been no collusion among franchises to boycott Kapernick who drew both national criticism and praise for kneeling during national anthems at games in 2016. The source said NFL owners are too smart to set themselves up for lawsuits involving such collusion.

Teams want to win games and it’s possible there have been some near misses in signing Kaepernick the last few seasons. Contract details, including guarantees and dollar amounts, may have gone unresolved. A breaking point in a decision, the former executive said, could have been if a team had another option with a player comparable to Kaepernick and decided the controversial QB was too much of a media and locker room distraction to sign.

Vikings’ backup quarterback Sean Mannion has a resume with five seasons in the NFL but has only two career starts. Vikings’ decision makers may believe Mannion’s age, 28, and skills are a better fit for their system. But, then again, in these uncertain times the prediction business is more uncertain than ever.

Worth Noting

Maya Moore, another athlete known for her reputation regarding social justice, remains on the Minnesota Lynx official roster with the status of “suspended” for the 2020 season. Moore, who turns 31 June 11 and voluntarily missed last season, would be welcomed back to the organization but has chosen for now to continue her activism.

The 14-player Lynx roster returns seven players from 2019: Lexie Brown, Bridget Carleton, Karima Christmas-Kelly, reigning WNBA Rookie of the Year Napheesa Collier, Damiris Dantas, Sylvia Fowles, and Odyssey Sims.

Esteemed Sports Illustrated writer Peter King on Tuesday listed the Vikings No. 11 in his NFL power rankings. That placed Minnesota ahead of NFC North Division rivals including Green Bay at No. 12. He ranks Chicago No. 17 and Detroit No. 26.

King is more optimistic about the 2020 Vikings than some prognosticators who believe the team has lost too much talent on defense and offense. He likes No. 1 draft choice and WR Justin Jefferson, thinks Dalvin Cook could win a rushing title and expresses concern about the defensive line stopping the run.

StubHub yesterday listed tickets starting at $10 and $12 for the Vikings’ two exhibition games in Minneapolis, but the beginning price for the September 13 home opener against Green Bay was in the $150 range.

Gophers’ offensive coordinator Mike Sanford Jr. has a 66-year-old father who is the new head football coach at Faith Lutheran High School in Nevada. Mike Sr. was once head coach at UNLV.

Dick Jonckowski, the former Golden Gophers baseball public address announcer, asked coach John Anderson to be a pallbearer at his funeral. “The Polish Eagle,” 76, is healthy but is making last arrangements. Anderson told him it would be an honor.

Happy birthday today to Dave Mona, the WCCO Radio sports personality.

A hospitality industry authority predicts up to half of existing metro area restaurants will fold because of the lengthy closure forced by the state government’s concern with COVID-19.

NBAdraft.net predicts the Timberwolves at No. 3 in the draft order will choose point guard LaMelo Ball with their first round selection in the 2020 draft. While the website predicted yesterday Ball will be an early lottery pick by the Wolves, former Gopher Daniel Oturu will just miss that status as the 15th selection in the first round by Phoenix.

The first 14 players are lottery picks and earlier this year the website had Oturu projected as a top 10 selection. Slipping from No. 10 to 15 would probably cost Oturu about $900,000 in his first season salary. Basketball.realgm.com puts the salaries at about $3.8 million and $2.7 million respectively.

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Vikings’ Center Looks for Better Season

Posted on May 27, 2020May 27, 2020 by David Shama

Garrett Bradbury, the Vikings’ top draft choice in 2019, met with the media via Zoom today, and he acknowledged the inconsistency of his rookie season last fall.

Minnesota used its No. 18 pick in the first round to choose the athletic 6-foot-3, 305-pound Bradbury, who once was a college tight end and also an offensive guard. Center is a leadership position and the hope in the franchise office is the intelligent and personable Bradbury can be a fixture at the position.

Outside the organization critics didn’t give Bradbury high marks for his rookie season, particularly faulting his pass blocking. Quick out of his stance and mobile in college at North Carolina State, Bradbury has the skills to get past the line of scrimmage and block for Minnesota’s running game—a priority focus by head coach Mike Zimmer.

A question that will nag at Bradbury until he improves his pass blocking is whether his arm length at 31¾ inches is a liability in gaining leverage against pass rushers. Other NFL centers have more arm length than that. He can’t be known as a blocker often pushed back by the pass rush.

A year ago January Bradbury had to devote time to preparing for the NFL Combine, and then when the Vikings drafted him he was challenged to learn a new offense. This year the time has been there to concentrate on analyzing what went right and wrong in the 2019 season and learn from it.

“I think in terms of improvement, consistency is kind of the biggest thing for me,” Bradbury said today. “…My goal this coming season is just to be better in year two, and make the improvements that I want to.”

Offensive line is not an easy assignment, regardless of position, and those who play there often show impressive improvement from year one to year two. “There’s nothing better than experience, having those reps,” Bradbury said.

This season will offer the benefit, too, of Bradbury playing with many of the same personnel on the line. “Chemistry is everything with the offensive line,” he said.

Worth Noting

Gophers football coach P.J. Fleck is doing a June 10 private autograph signing of helmets and other items that come with Beckett certificates of authenticity. Promoter Total Sports Enterprises is that cautioning multiple categories of items may sell out prior to June 10. More at Tseshopmn.com.

Fleck speaks to the Twin Cities Dunkers via Zoom June 3 and will be joined by Gopher defensive coordinator Joe Rossi and offensive coordinator Mike Sanford. The 72-year-old social club usually hosts programs with prominent speakers at the Minneapolis Club, but for now is convening members via Zoom.

Gopher seniors Winston DeLattiboudere from football and Sarah Werking from women’s cross country/track & field are Minnesota’s 2019-2020 Big Ten Conference Outstanding Sportsmanship Award recipients, the league announced today (Wednesday).

Because of the COVID-19 pandemic, the retirement celebration for prep football coaching legend Ron Stolski has been rescheduled again, moving from June 13 to September 19 at Cragun’s Legacy Clubhouse in Brainerd. Instead of gifts, donations to the Ron Stolski Scholarship Fund are welcome. The fund is part of the Brainerd Public Schools Foundation. Stolski coached football in Minnesota for 58 years, including the last 45 at Brainerd.

If the Vikings play their exhibition and regular season home schedules without fans in US Bank Stadium, they might lose $7 million or more each game based on NFL estimates circulating on the Internet. The Twins and other MLB teams playing in empty stadiums could lose about $640,000 per game.

While use of the designated hitter in both the National and American Leagues is expected for sure when MLB opens up this summer, many fans would welcome experimentation with rules to increase pace of play and length of games. Ideas could include aggressive enforcement of policies to speed up time between pitches, and in extra innings the team at bat starts with a runner in scoring position.

Speculation is Gopher junior right-handed pitcher Max Meyer could be a top-10 selection in the upcoming MLB Draft. Meyer, from Woodbury, was named an All-American yesterday by Collegiate Baseball Newspaper for a third consecutive year.

A consensus preseason All-American, Meyer finished his Gopher career with a lifetime 2.07 ERA (fourth best all-time in the program), with 187 strikeouts in 148 innings pitched. His 18 saves are the third-most in 132 seasons of the program’s history. Baseball is the oldest program of the 25 sports at Minnesota.

Meyer was named a second-team All-American by Collegiate Baseball Newspaper, as was teammate and second baseman Zack Raabe, a sophomore from Forest Lake. Raabe hit .463 for Minnesota this season and his 31 hits led NCAA Division I teams.

Raabe’s dad, Brian Raabe, played on Minnesota coach John Anderson’s 1988 Big Ten title team and made it to the big leagues as an infielder. “He reminds me of his dad in a lot of ways, and Zack has a chance to play professional baseball,” said Anderson who predicted the younger Raabe will be among the nation’s better college hitters next year.

The recent news Alabama Huntsville is discontinuing its hockey program gives WCHA men’s commissioner Bill Robertson even more to do regarding league membership for the 2021-2022 season. Only Alaska and Alaska Anchorage are now committed to WCHA participation for that season as most member schools are exiting next spring for a new league.

“It’s going to be the ultimate challenge,” Robertson said about the search for new WCHA members.

Robertson, whose WCHA offices are based in the Twin Cities, is in discussions with multiple schools about joining the WCHA for 2021-2022 including Arizona State, Lindenwood, Long Island and Simon Frazier (Burnaby, British Columbia).

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Message Seems Clear to Vikes GM, Coach

Posted on May 21, 2020May 21, 2020 by David Shama

Enjoy a Thursday notes column that even includes Montana travel.

The Vikings’ Rick Spielman and Mike Zimmer are believed to be the only general manager and head coach combo in the 32-team NFL working on one-year contracts.

It appears ownership wants to see how the 2020 season plays out before deciding on the futures of Spielman who has been the GM since 2012 and Zimmer who was hired in 2014. The two have led Minnesota to two division championships, two playoff wins, and one NFC title game appearance in six years.

While the Vikings have done some offseason payroll trimming to create cap space, it’s unlikely money is preventing ownership from making extended contract commitments to their longtime leaders. The Wilf family, including Zygi Wilf, wants excellence on the field including the biggest prize—a Super Bowl appearance for their franchise which last appeared in the big game in 1977.

Former Viking defensive lineman Bob Lurtsema first met Zygi when he played in New York for the Giants. He quickly learned Zygi is a passionate pro football fan. Lurtsema said this week: “Money is not an obstacle (with the Vikings). He will do anything to have a winner. He’s a fan.”

Lurtsema isn’t surprised the Vikings haven’t re-signed defensive end Everson Griffen this offseason. He said Griffen, who played 10 seasons with Minnesota before declaring free agency earlier this year, became preoccupied with sacks in 2019 and made too many “critical mistakes.” Lurtsema believes Griffen sometimes was not in position to make the correct move coming off the line of scrimmage. “I wouldn’t have signed him (again),” Lurtsema said.

Numerous sources are praising the work ethic of Vikings 2020 first round draft choice Justin Jefferson, who is expected to replace departed star wide receiver Stefon Diggs. “He (Jefferson) sounds like an old-time player with his attitude,” Lurtsema said.

The Vikings will have a changed wide receiver roster in training camp that also includes fifth round draft choice K.J. Osborn and free agent signee Tajaé Sharpe.

Adam Thielen, who in 2020 starts his seventh season as a standout WR with the Vikings, can be a leader and he said this week the first step is to earn trust with newcomers. “I know that I’ve been able to learn from some veterans that have come before me of how they handled…things, and how they helped me become the player that I am,” Thielen said.

Thielen acknowledged it takes time for a quarterback and receivers to become most comfortable with each other. This will be quarterback Kirk Cousins’ third season with Minnesota. “He has a better understanding of where I am going to be, and how I am going to run my routes, and I have a better understanding of how he likes certain things done,” Thielen said.

Hopkins boys’ basketball coach Ken Novak told Sports Headliners it was he who first made the connection between Jeff Mailhot and Gophers head coach Richard Pitino. Earlier this spring Mailhot, who is a Minneapolis native and was an assistant coach last season at Iona, asked Novak to contact Pitino about the opening on the Minnesota staff created by the departure of Rob Jeter to Western Illinois. “Jeff was interested in the job,” Novak said.

Pitino announced Monday he had hired Mailhot, who has over a decade of college coaching experience including junior college teams. CoachStat.net once named him the top junior college assistant coach. Mailhot played for Novak at Hopkins and later was an assistant coach for the Royals. Word is Mailhot found himself looking for another opportunity when Pitino’s father, Rick Pitino, took over this spring at Iona, and wanted his own assistants.

As a Minnesota native, Mailhot presumably will have a focus on recruiting the state. Novak believes his protégé will be a high-level recruiter. “First of all, he gets along with everybody,” Novak said. “He does well with relationships. He’s got a work ethic. He loves the game of basketball.”

Novak has seen a number of his Royals players go on to play for the Gophers, but none for awhile. He hopes the Mailhot hire will re-ignite the Hopkins-Gophers connection. “I will encourage them (Hopkins players) but I won’t push them,” Novak said.

Chet Holmgren, the five-star basketball player at Minnehaha Academy who is among the most coveted college recruits in the country for the class of 2021, lives in the Hopkins school district but Novak said there has never been discussion about him playing for the Royals. The 7-foot Holmgren has a sister, Alexandra Holmgren, who is over 6-foot-5 and played volleyball for the Royals last season as a sophomore.

It was 20 years ago this week that the Timberwolves’ Malik Sealy died in a car crash after leaving Kevin Garnett’s birthday party. In Sealy’s honor, the team retired his No. 2 jersey.

Steve Erban’s Stillwater based Creative Charters, organizers of Gophers, Kentucky Derby and other fan trips for decades, has a new offering of a Montana experience featuring fly fishing, golf and more this summer. Early Bird specials with a May 25 deadline are available. More at Creativecharter.com., or by calling 612-801-7141.

Despite the COVID-19 pandemic, it’s possible the Lynx, Timberwolves, Twins, United, Vikings and Wild could all be playing games this summer, and causing a logjam on local television. Because of virus concerns, broadcasters might be describing road games from television monitors away from the playing venues.

With parts of the country having different infection rates and policies on containing the virus, baseball, basketball, hockey and soccer could use neutral playing sites instead of scheduling games in all cities with franchises. The Twin Cities, with its proven support for hockey and numerous indoor rinks and practice facilities, along with the Xcel Energy Center as a site for games, might be a hub for NHL scheduling this summer.

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