Wild – Page 13 – David Shama's Minnesota Sports Headliners

‘Critical’ Offseason Ahead for Fleck & Golden Gophers

Posted on November 26, 2023November 26, 2023 by David Shama

The Golden Gophers 2023 football team lacked talent and quality depth at too many positions. The result was a 5-7 overall record and 3-6 mark in the Big Ten that left them in a four-way tie for last place in the West Division.

Now coach P.J. Fleck and his staff face the challenge of upgrading the personnel and depth as the Big Ten transitions in 2024 to 18 football teams with no divisional play. And in the new world of college football Minnesota and other Power Five programs will try to figure out how to retain players and add players in the transfer portal who can contribute next fall while stockpiling incoming freshmen for development. The portal is open most immediately from December 4 through January 3, 2024.

The Gophers had experienced players at many positions, but they didn’t play consistent football. When things mattered the most—late in the season—they lost four consecutive games including Saturday’s finale with Wisconsin. A run of key injuries was problematic all season.

Minnesota could return most of its offensive and defensive starters, and special team regulars in 2024. The most significant losses are defensive tackle Kyler Baugh, center Nathan Boe, receiver Corey Crooms Jr., corner Tre’Von Jones, safety Tyler Nubin and tight end Brevyn-Spann Ford.

The best college teams excel at quarterback and along the line of scrimmage, offensively and defensively. QB Athan Kaliakmanis started all 12 games and was up and down in performance. Not only was his passing inconsistent but he made minimal plays with his legs. The offensive line blocking couldn’t match the performance of three recent seasons when Minnesota won nine games or more. Defensively, too often Minnesota’s line and linebackers were gashed with big runs, and the old nemesis of a poor pass rush continued.

Typically, Power Five teams lose a dozen or more players to the portal. Who those players will be on the Minnesota roster will be known over the next 30 days or so.

Where do the Gophers need help in the transfer portal? “Pick your position,” Ryan Burns said.

Burns, the local recruiting authority from GopherIllustrated, listed quarterback, receiver, running back and offensive and defensive lines as areas of need. If pressed for his top three he prioritizes corner, tailback and “probably quarterback.”

Burns predicts Fleck and his staff will prioritize Name, Image and Likeness money for players already on the roster. Retaining talents like RB Darius Taylor, offensive tackle Aireontae Ersery and end defensive Jah Joyner will be vital for next year’s team.

Burns said creating competition for Kaliakmanis is desirable but the Gophers are likely to find such a QB from the FCS or Group of Five level. Why? Because big name Power Five quarterbacks can command $250,000 and more in the portal.

Fleck, who has a 49-34 record at Minnesota and is fifth all-time in wins, starts his eighth season in 2024. He will have to sort out issues with the program including possible changes needed in coaching philosophy and schemes, and perhaps shaking up the staff.

Burns and others predict this offseason will be different. “Most critical one Fleck’s had, I would say,” Burns said. “It didn’t go their way this year—the breaks they probably weren’t anticipating, but still should have won two games, Illinois and Northwestern, and sitting at six or seven wins going into the Wisconsin game.

“If that’s the case I don’t know that there is as much fan reaction as there has been this season. …Being able to look short term and long term at the same time is going to be critical for him trying to figure out what the best thing is to adapt going into that 2024 new Big Ten world.”

Worth Noting

I am so sorry to write that my friend Jim Carter, the captain of the 1969 football Gophers, passed away on Thanksgiving evening in Palm Springs, California. I knew Jim for more than 50 years and he was a fiery competitor in sports, business and life. He was a loyal friend who cared deeply for the University of Minnesota where he also played hockey.

A great prep football player at South St. Paul High School, Jim could have opted for Notre Dame but instead chose the hometown Gophers. He was a star player and important contributor as the fullback on the 1967 Minnesota Big Ten championship team. The Green Bay Packers made a linebacker out of him and his NFL career lasted through the 1978 season.

Known to friends as “Hurricane,” Jim was challenged much of his life by emotions and addictions. He had been in recovery for about 20 years and devoted a lot of his free time to helping others with their addictions.

Jim passed away at age 75 after battling metastatic melanoma. Longtime friend, confidant and Gopher teammate Jim Brunzell wrote via email how he will miss their lunches, football get togethers and phone calls.

“Jimmy was a man’s man and called his life accordingly,” Brunzell wrote. “…May he rest in peace, ‘till we hug again.”

Former Gophers head football coach Tim Brewster has resigned as Colorado’s tight ends coach, per internet reports today.

Mike Conley, 36, is the poised point guard whose leadership is indispensable to the fast-starting Timberwolves. He has been in the NBA since the 2007-2008 season and an indication of his self-control is never receiving a technical foul.

Chet Holmgren, the 7-1 Minneapolis native in his first NBA season, is averaging 18 points and eight rebounds per game for the Thunder who play the Wolves at Target Center Tuesday night.

Tom Reid, the former NHL player and radio analyst for the Wild since the franchise’s inception in 2000, is the latest guest on “Behind the Game” with longtime host Patrick Klinger. Topics include how the recent death of Minnesotan Adam Johnson may influence safety new safety measures in the game. The show is available on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PPvNXskdASI&si=uLHbbftPajzUeD8W

Golfweek’s 2023 rankings of the best private courses in the state starts with Interlachen at No. 1 followed by Spring Hill, Minikahda and White Bear Yacht Club (tied at No. 3) and Hazeltine National. The next five are Windsong Farm, Somerset, Northland, Minneapolis and Golden Valley.

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Cousins Injury Causes Major Implications for 2024

Posted on November 5, 2023November 7, 2023 by David Shama

The Vikings play the Falcons in Atlanta today without Kirk Cousins and with rookie Jaren Hall taking his place at starting quarterback. It was a stunning development seeing the 35-year-old Cousins tear his right Achilles in Green Bay last week.

Cousins played at a high level into the fourth quarter when he was injured. He had done more than enough to position the Vikings for a third consecutive win and even the season record at 4-4.

Coach Kevin O’Connell and the players knew Cousins was running the offense and passing the football like an All-Pro. Offensive guard Dalton Risner described Cousins as “a spectacular human being and an extraordinary quarterback.”

He told Sports Headliners “losing a guy like that is devastating” but he also expressed optimism. “Kirk is gonna be just fine but we gotta move forward. We gotta play for Kirk and play for this organization.”

This was Cousins’ team and his leadership showed. He even led the team in prayer before every game. Players joined him in reciting the Lord’s Prayer.

Today’s game will be the first of nine where Cousins won’t be able to take the field while he rehabs from surgery. It’s anyone’s guess as to how he will be physically in 2024. Does he return with restrictions as to what his body can do? How soon could he be back on the practice field and game ready? If all goes well, who will he play for and at what level of compensation?

“Yes, with Kirk’s age and injury you don’t know if/when he will be 100 percent,” a football authority wrote via text to Sports Headliners. “Even worse (the) Vikes lost trade value, though (they)won’t have to pay market value to keep him. I think he likes raising family here and is a Midwest guy at heart, so he will stay if Vikes want to keep him.

“You won’t find many quarterbacks as accurate as Kirk (if protected). Troy Aikman bragged on Kirk all Monday night versus Niners (October 23) as he can see the value of Kirk’s skill set. Vikings fans will certainly gain appreciation over the next few weeks when they see the backup quarterbacks perform.

“Kirk makes many big-time throws look easy and fans have gotten used to those ‘easy’ completions. When you break down some of Kirk’s throws, his level of timing and accuracy are as good as it gets in the NFL. …It will be an interesting finish to the season.”

Cousins will be a free agent next year and he’s already thinking about a return to the field. It’s believed the Vikings are his first choice for 2024 and O’Connell is on record as wanting his guy back. O’Connell believes Cousins was having his best season, and he is left wondering what the Vikings might have achieved with a full season and playoffs with No. 8.

“Yeah, you guys (the media) know how I feel about Kirk,” O’Connell said last week. “Kirk knows how I feel about Kirk. I think he was playing as well as anybody in the National Football League. …”

The Vikings ownership and general manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah were unable to reach a contract extension last offseason with Cousins. Now the GM says all options are open as they were before the injury.

That, of course, is GM speak. The Vikings and Cousins will both evaluate his health next winter. Even if both parties are optimistic about future performance, the Vikings are all but certain to offer less money and perhaps contract length than before the surgery.

In 2023 Cousins is reportedly making $35 million on a one-year deal. He might ask for the same money in 2024 and want a two-year contract. The Vikings could be thinking of the $25 million range for one year. If Cousins had been able to play the entire season, he might have been looking for $38 million or more for a couple of years.

There’s no assurance Cousins will be back with Minnesota. The 49ers might be more likely than ever to land him. Second year QB Brock Purdy has created doubts this season as the 49ers have lost three consecutive games. His lack of accuracy in big moments and inability to rally the 49ers late in games has been a problem for a team otherwise loaded with talent and experience.

A move to the 49ers would be a reunion with head coach Kyle Shanahan who was offensive coordinator for the Redskins during Cousins’ first two seasons in the NFL, 2012 and 2013. Shanahan is a fan of Cousins and in California the veteran QB could be the last piece needed to win a Super Bowl.

The Vikings will sort through quarterbacks this fall including Hall and Josh Dobbs who they acquired in a trade with the Cardinals last week. Maybe they find something they like in them, or they could pursue a first-round QB in the 2024 NFL Draft. Those avenues might work, but if Cousins returns healthy, nobody they acquire will be better than No. 8 was during the last Sunday of October.

“I think Kirk will be back as good as ever,” Risner said. “Strong man of faith. He’s an extraordinary human being. A very hard worker and I can’t wait to see when he comes back. I hope I’m on the same team as Kirk Cousins.”

Worth Noting

With the trade of left guard Ezra Cleveland last week, there is no doubt Risner is the starter at that position. Risner didn’t sign with the Vikings until after the first two games of the season and he reportedly is on a one-year deal.

At first his playing time was limited. “I think that they wanted to give me time to get to know the playbook,” Risner said.

Risner also said that in the strong Vikings’ “culture” he wasn’t just going to be placed immediately in the starting lineup and coaches wanted him to “earn it and respect it.” Risner, a five-year veteran with the Broncos until this year, made his presence known. “So I put my head down when I got my opportunity. I tried to capitalize on it, and I think I did.”

The Vikings know they need to avoid the temptation to try too hard in making up for the absence of Cousins. “We each gotta stay composed and just try not to do too much because that’s when things fall apart,” Danielle Hunter told Sports Headliners.

The 29-year-old outside linebacker leads the NFL in sacks with 10, but he said there is no bonus in his contract to reward him if he is still on top at season’s end. His birthday was October 29 and although he missed major playing time in the past with injuries, he said if players take care of their bodies it’s “limitless” how long they can play.

“I’ve been feeling good,” Hunter said. “The training staff, the head coach, they do a good job of keeping us fresh. Enables us to go out there and play full speed.”

Hunter said his enthusiasm to play football remains high. It was there from the beginning and although there were doubters that just “fueled the fire.”

A sports industry source emailed with the prediction Twins radio play-by-play voice Cory Provus will soon be announced as the replacement for Dick Bremer on TV play-by-play. Provus joined the Twins radio broadcast team in 2012, while Bremer announced last week he was retiring from broadcasting after 40 years doing TV for the club. He is transitioning into a special assistant role in the front office.

Greg Eslinger, the former Gopher center and one of the most honored offensive linemen in Big Ten football history, will learn in January if he has been voted into the Chick-fil-A College Football Hall of Fame in Atlanta. Voting coordinated by the National Football Foundation is completed for candidates like Eslinger who in 2005 received the Outland Trophy (the nation’s most outstanding interior lineman) and the Rimington Trophy (the country’s best center). He was the 2005 Big Ten Offensive Lineman of the Year (only Gopher ever honored) and was awarded with the 2006 Big Ten Medal of Honor (the conference’s oldest and most prestigious award).

Alarming: announced attendance of 2,604 for the Gophers’ men’s basketball home exhibition game last Thursday night against Macalester.

Al Schoch, WCCO Radio news anchor/reporter, is one of the Minnesota Wild’s press box announcers. He also does public address work for Augsburg women’s basketball and Cretin-Derham Hall boys’ and girls’ basketball. The Pennsylvania native started doing public address work as a 15-year-old in Stroudsburg.

Word is the Bloomington-based CORES lunch program featuring prominent speakers, mostly from Minnesota sports, may have found new leadership. CORES didn’t have its regular meeting in September and has been seeking new organizers to continue. CORES is an acronym for coaches, officials, reporters, educators, and sports fans.

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Do Vikings Move on from Osborn Before Trade Deadline?

Posted on October 29, 2023October 29, 2023 by David Shama

With the NFL trade deadline coming Tuesday, this will be an intriguing few days for the Vikings and their rabid fanbase. Will the franchise be buyers or sellers? Or both?

The most likely storyline could be moving on from veteran wide receiver K.J. Osborn who will be a free agent after this season. The Vikings will have pressing payroll needs next offseason and Osborn looks expendable with the arrival of 2023 first round draft choice Jordan Addison.

Osborn, in his fourth NFL season, would be a welcome addition to any number of NFL clubs. In return the Vikings might receive a fourth, fifth or sixth round draft choice. His expected replacement in the Minnesota lineup would be Brandon Powell, a capable fifth year veteran and journeyman playing with his fourth NFL club.

Left guard Ezra Cleveland is another player rumored in trade discussions. Although he will also be a free agent next year, the Vikings should not move on from him and shake up their best guard depth and offensive line performance in years.

A Vikings victory over the Packers today in Green Bay will improve their record to 4-4, with the team having won four of its last five games. A scenario like that figures to weigh on GM Kwesi Adofo-Mensah not altering his roster much other than to take the opportunity to move Osborn and add a quality cornerback.

The GM has shown a past willingness to trade with teams in his own division. Corner Jaylon Johnson from the Bears could be a target. He is an impressive cover man (a starter since Game 1 as a rookie in 2020) who didn’t reach agreement in the past offseason on a contract extension. The Bears could move on from him, with former Gopher Terell Smith, a fifth-round draft choice last spring, as the replacement.

An easier “get” at corner likely is Donte Jackson from winless (0-6) Carolina who could be thinking fire sale before the trade deadline. Jackson is no Johnson, but he is experienced with six years in the pros and inexpensive at reportedly about a $1 million salary.

Adofo-Mensah has made past in-season moves to improve the roster. In 2022 he sent third and fourth round draft choices to the Lions in return for upgrading the tight end position with the addition of T.J. Hockenson. Several weeks ago, the Vikings signed veteran free agent offensive lineman Dalton Risner, a former starter for the Broncos.

Worth Noting

With a touchdown catch today, Addison will become the sixth player in the Super Bowl era (1970 to present) to have at least seven receiving touchdowns in the first eight career games.

With 101 passing yards today, Viking quarterback Kirk Cousins will surpass Drew Brees (39,297 yards) for the third-most passing yards in a player’s first 150 career games in the NFL.

Looming over discussions and “mental gymnastics” involving salary cap numbers in the next offseason will be wide receiver Justin Jefferson’s contract extension. Most observers are surprised a new deal wasn’t done last summer. Why? Probably because the Vikings can make the numbers work better in 2024 with Jefferson targeting a deal to be the highest paid non-quarterback in the NFL.

With Vikings’ safety Harrison Smith turning 35 in February, the Vikings may not need to look far for his replacement. They are scouting Gophers’ safety Tyler Nubin who could be a first-round draft choice with his skills and competitiveness.

The Vikings, who are third in the NFL in passing yards and passing touchdowns, have zero touchdowns running in seven games. No other team is without a TD running the football.

Roger Goodell’s contract extension through 2027 may end quiet speculation that Kevin Warren, the former Vikings executive now leading the Bears’ management, could one day succeed Goodell as NFL commissioner. Warren turns 60 next month.

Bad timing? Coach Bret Bielema, 9-0 against the Gophers while coaching at Wisconsin and now Illinois, had a bye last Saturday and extra time to prepare for the Illini’s game at Minnesota next Saturday, November 4.

While the Wild’s ownership and management has a focus on this season, they are also thinking about the next offseason. It’s then the club is finished with the $14.5 million buyout of Zach Parise and Ryan Suter that has limited payroll for acquiring new talent because of the NHL salary cap.

Owner Craig Leipold told Sports Headliners he anticipates the NHL increasing the salary cap for teams by about $5 million next year. That amount, combined with Parise-Suter savings, will give the Wild close to $20 million in new money, a total Leipold believes will be more than any team in the league. “Billy (Guerin) is already looking (at) who could be free agents at that time, and, you know, we’re going to be active,” Leipold said.

Guerin has been the general manager for more than four years. That experience with the organization is comforting to Leipold.

“I think Billy is one of the top GMs in the league, maybe the top. He’s got a great staff of young people who work in his organization in the analytics side and in the signing of players. So we’ve got a really good core of young people in hockey ops that are there to support Billy and everything that he is doing. We think that we’ve got a great organization and, you know, they’re ready to be active in (developing and acquiring) players.“

The Wild is off to a 3-3-2 record this fall. The owner is impressed with the culture of his club, including the enthusiasm. “It’s just so apparent that this team is going to be an exciting team and they genuinely like each other. … It’s fun to watch them when they’re not playing; when I can get a little closer to them and see how they’re reacting with each other. …”

Leipold has a favorite player, and the choice might surprise fans. Forward Mason Shaw, now with the Iowa Wild, has willed himself back from four ACL surgeries. Leipold describes Shaw’s determination to play on and be a contributor as infectious. “…He’s the kind of guy that you cheer for every day because he’s had some bad breaks thrown his way,” Leipold said.

Dick Jonckowski, who had 19 calls and nine texts of birthday wishes on his milestone 80^th last Sunday, will emcee the Old Timers Hockey Association luncheon November 20 at Mancini’s Char House in St. Paul.

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