Skip to content
David Shama's Minnesota Sports Headliners
Menu
  • Gophers
  • Vikings
  • Twins
  • Timberwolves
  • Wild
  • United
  • Lynx
  • UST
  • MIAC
  • Preps
Menu
Murray's Restaurant

Dinkytown Athletes

Creative Charters

Meadows at Mystic Lake

Gold Country

Culver's | Iron Horse | | Meyer Njus Tanick

Category: Wild

Vikings May Target Coveted Quarterback Anthony Richardson

Posted on April 25, 2023April 25, 2023 by David Shama

 

Daniel House spends countless hours studying NFL draft prospects and told Sports Headliners he could see the Vikings selecting coveted Florida quarterback Anthony Richardson Thursday night.  “I am passionate about the draft,” said House who has a following because of his Mnvikingscorner.com and Gophersguru.com websites and appearances on local radio.

It’s a head scratcher as to what the Vikings will do with their five selections in the seven round NFL Draft that will go through Saturday.  “The first round is interesting because there’s a couple different ways they could go,” House said.

He believes if Richardson is still available in the eight, nine or 10 range of the first round, the Vikings may be able to trade to a better position from their No. 23 spot and take the 6-4, 244-pound quarterback who could emerge as an NFL starter early in his career.  “This is one of the more unpredictable top tens that I can remember in a while because you don’t really know how teams are going to value the quarterback (candidates), and then (defensive tackle) Jalen Carter, how much does the off the field situation (maturity-character) play into his slide down the board? Don’t really know.”

If the Vikings stay at No. 23, Pittsburgh defensive tackle Calijah Kancey could be their target and provide talent for new coordinator Brian Flores. “Kancey would be a very intriguing player in the Vikings’ scheme,” House said via email this morning. “He is an explosive DT who could move all over the front and create mismatches based on the situation or matchup. He’d also be a very dynamic weapon in the defensive line movement game. The Vikings need more interior pass rushing juice and Kancey could provide that. Flores would feature him very creatively too.”

House also likes North Carolina wide receiver Josh Downs, while admitting he is “a lot higher” on him than others.  The Vikings can benefit from a third skilled wide receiver behind Justin Jefferson and K.J. Osborn. House said the 5-9 Downs has “excellent ball skills” as shown by his 72 percent success with contested catches last season.  “He’s got great field vision and can cause damage after the catch,” House said about another possibility at No. 23.

The Vikings have cornerback needs, too, that need attention.  “I am a huge fan of Cam Smith,” House said in regard to the South Carolina corner.  The 6-1, 180-pound Smith runs a 4.43 40, per NFL.com, and is not only a physical defender but is skilled in anticipation of pass routes, House said.

If the Vikings trade back from No. 23 in the first round as part of a strategy to add picks, Downs or Smith might be available, or Wisconsin defensive tackle Keeanu Benton.  House said the media is “undervaluing” Benton who NFL.com projects as a second-round pick. At 6-4, 309 he is not only strong but showed pass rushing skills at the Senior Bowl, per House.

Daniel House

Edge rushers are coveted in the NFL and Iowa State’s Will McDonald is another player that House believes is undervalued.  McDonald looks like a possibility in the first round and certainly somewhere in the second.  “I loved the energy and effort he played with,” House said. “He’s one of those guys that maybe didn’t play in the best fit schematically but could translate (to a new scheme) and be a huge, huge boon for an NFL team who values him.”

The Vikings don’t have a second-round selection but do have picks in the third, fourth, fifth and sixth rounds. Possible second or third round players House likes in the upcoming draft include Mississippi running back Zach Evans who with his explosiveness reminds him of the Vikings’ Dalvin Cook.

House also favors day two and three prospects Israel Abanikanda from Pittsburgh, Mississippi wide receiver Jonathan Mingo and Illinois defensive tackle Calvin Avery.  The Vikings may have included Avery among top 30 players hosted here for draft analysis.  House sees him potentially filling a nose tackle need for the Vikings and “someone to keep an eye on” during day three.

The Vikings’ NFC North Division rivals include the Lions who have two selections in the first round. House believes the Lions could take Illinois corner Devon Witherspoon at No. 6 and beat the Vikings to Kancey at No. 18.  The Bears need offensive line help and may opt for Tennessee tackle Darnell Wright.  At No. 13 the Packers may go with Georgia offensive tackle Broderick Jones. Before their trade Monday with the Jets that moved them up from No. 15 to 13, House thought the Packers might pull an “out of the box” move selecting McDonald who eventually would replace 30-year-old outside linebacker Preston Smith.

Several Golden Gophers could be selected over the three days, starting with center John Michael Schmitz who is likely to go in the first round, possibly to the Giants or Seahawks.  House believes cornerback Terell Smith and safety Jordan Howden may be selected in the fourth round.  He sees running back Mo Ibrahim, quarterback Tanner Morgan, pass rusher Thomas Rush and linebacker Mariano Sori-Marin as possible seventh rounders.

The draft projection for Ibrahim, the Gophers’ record setting All-American, may surprise some fans.  While Ibrahim has strength, toughness and excellent run vision, there are concerns about his injury history and lack of top-level speed.

Worth Noting

Passionate Vikings fan Steve Nestor, who has followed the franchise since its inception in 1961, emailed the following: “If the Vikings draft a QB @ 23, I will no longer follow or watch them. They have so many holes to fill. They need to get more picks and sign some free agents! How is that for being adamant?”

House said dating back to 2017 the football Gophers are the least penalized team in the FCS.  “I spent a lot of time looking into that project,” he said.

Minnesota averaged 3.97 penalties per game. Air Force was second at 4.03.  Cincinnati, where Luke Fickell led the Bearcats before taking over at Wisconsin after last season, was the most penalty prone team with an average of 8.05.

Look for P.J. Fleck and his assistants to be active in the transfer portal now with needs that include defensive backs.  Also, coaches will be on the road recruiting high school players during May.

The Wild, tied at 2-2 in their first round series with the Stars and resuming play tonight in Dallas, could make history if this team advances to the Stanley Cup Finals and wins, per NHL Stats.  No expansion team in the NHL, NBA, NFL or MLB that began play this century has ever won a championship. The Wild’s first season was 2000-2001 and although the franchise has been to the playoffs 11 times, Minnesota has never qualified for the Stanley Cup Finals.

The Wild, who lost 3-2 to the Stars Sunday night at Xcel Energy Center, don’t lose often at home.  Minnesota has had 24 wins and only eight losses at the X since November 19 of last year.

Denny Schulstad, a close friend of basketball immortal George Mikan, speaks to the CORES lunch group Thursday, May 11 at the Bloomington Event Center.  Schulstad, who served 22 years on the Minneapolis City Council and is a former Brigadier General in the Air Force, will share stories about Mikan who led the Minneapolis Lakers to five world championships in six years and was named Mr. Basketball for the first half of the 20th century.  Reservations can be made by emailing Jim Dotseth,  dotsethj@comcast.net.  CORES is an acronym for coaches, officials, reporters, educators and sports fans.

Dick Jonckowski, who emcees the CORES lunch programs, will be the featured speaker at the annual Brainerd Elks Fishing Fling fundraiser Wednesday, May 10 at the Brainerd National Armory. Proceeds benefit the organization’s youth activities fund.

Comments Welcome

Vikings QB Process: No Need to Panic

Posted on April 19, 2023April 19, 2023 by David Shama

 

There is endless speculation about when and how the Vikings will find their next quarterback to replace 34-year-old Kirk Cousins.  No need to overthink the process.

The Vikings are highly likely to find their guy sometime in the next 12 months or so.  They may acquire a quarterback via trade or free agency within that period. Of course, next week’s NFL Draft will be an opportunity, too, and so will the 2024 draft.

To find a coveted prospect in the opening round of the 2023 draft, the Vikings will have to move up from their No. 23 position in the first round.  While that could happen, chances are more likely the Vikings will move down from No. 23, trading that selection to acquire more picks in draft.  Minnesota has just two draft spots in the top 100 and only five total in the seven round draft that starts April 27 and continues through April 29.

GM Kwesi Adofo-Mensah, head coach Kevin O’Connell and others in the organization have spent a lot of time looking at quarterback prospects who will be in the draft, including those who will go in the later rounds.  While Minnesota has been linked to likely first rounders Will Levis (Kentucky) and Hendon Hooker (Tennessee), the Vikings seem more likely to end up with second or third round quarterbacks.  Possibilities could include Tanner McKee (Stanford) and Dorian Thompson-Robinson (UCLA), prospects the Vikings could develop during the coming season and not rush into game action.

Kirk Cousins

Cousins, who turns 35 in August, is in the last year of his contract.  If he and the Vikings push far into the playoffs, O’Connell and the front office are all but certain to want Cousins to return for the 2024 season. The Vikings, though, need a major upgrade to their defensive personnel to be a team that gets deep into the postseason.

The possibility is Minnesota could have a losing season and for next year’s draft have a top 15 or better draft position in the first round.  Next year’s draft looks quarterback friendly, too, starting with big names Caleb Williams (USC) and Drake Maye (North Carolina)

Clearly there is time and options for the Viking quarterback scenario to play out.

Worth Noting

Minnesota sports hero Joe Mauer’s 40th birthday is today.  It’s a noteworthy year for the three-time American League batting champion who retired in 2018 and will be inducted into the Twins Hall of Fame August 5.

The Wild might be on a run of good fortune after winning Monday night’s two-overtime thriller in Dallas against the Stars, 3-2.  The Wild haven’t won an opening round playoff series since 2015 and that was the last time Minnesota was victorious in the first game.

Hot goalies always weigh heavily in determining postseason success and Minnesota’s Filip Gustavsson was superb Monday night and entered the game with an impressive regular season goals against average of 2.10 and 22-9-7 record. Marc-Andre Fleury, the Wild’s 38-year-old backup goalie, struggled as the starter in the team’s opening playoff series a year ago when the Blues eliminated Minnesota in six games, but Gustavsson was brilliant Monday night with a franchise record 51 saves.

The Wild likely caught a break, too, in facing the Stars instead of the defending Stanley Cup champion Avalanche.  Colorado struggled with injuries and performance much of the season but came on late to win the Central Division, with the Stars finishing second and the Wild third.  The Avalanche are gritty and talented.

Word is Wild GM Bill Guerin has a new contract, with an established hockey source telling Sports Headliners it’s probably worth $1.5 to $2 million per year.

The Wild announced this morning the club has recalled forward Sammy Walker from Iowa.  The former Gopher led the Iowa Wild in goals with 27.

The Athletics’ poll results of NBA players have Wolves’ forward Jaden McDaniels voted the fifth most underrated player in the league, with teammate and guard Anthony Edwards No. 8.  McDaniels is also No. 7 as the league’s best defender.

The poll, asking players questions in various categories while providing anonymity, has Wolves center Rudy Gobert ranked as the fifth most overrated player (tied with Jarren Jackson Jr. from the Grizzlies). Former Wolves’ head coach Tom Thibodeau, now leading the Knicks, is the No. 1 coach players don’t want to play for.

The Minnetonka girls’ basketball team could be the best girls prep team in the state next season.  The Skippers will take on another power, Providence Academy, in a January 27 game at St. Michael-Albertville.  Players to watch include Minnetonka guard Tori McKinney and Providence Academy’s Maddyn Greenway, daughter of former Vikings linebacker Chad Greenway, who as a freshman last winter gave notice she will be a special player.

McKinney, a senior next school year, is likely a recruiting target of new Gopher women’s head coach Dawn Plitzuweit. Word is the new coach has made a more than favorable impression on her players, displaying basketball leadership and likeability.

Minneapolis-based attorney and journalist Marshall Tanick wrote an informative article about Minnesota baseball-related litigation for Minnesota Lawyer. https://minnlawyer.com/2023/04/06/perspectives-new-saints-recall-old-

Congratulations to Ron Stolski, Jim Dotseth and other leaders of the Minnesota Football Coaches Association on the success of their recent clinic that registered 1,542 attendees.  That’s the most ever for the popular annual clinic.

The MFCA will sponsor both a recruiting fair and combine for players May 6 at the Vikings’ complex in Eagan.  High school coaches will meet with college coaches to discuss prospects at the fair.  Players in eighth through 11th grades will be tested for skills in a variety of categories.  https://www.mnfootballcoaches.com/recruit

Comments Welcome

Wolves & Denver Looks Like Mismatch

Posted on April 17, 2023April 17, 2023 by David Shama

There was a significant discrepancy in talent, scrap and performance between the Nuggets and Timberwolves last night.  It’s just one game in a potential seven game series, but based on what happened in Denver late Sunday night and the season long reputation of the two teams it appears this playoff matchup could end soon.

Denver, the No. 1 seed in the NBA Western Conference, encountered little resistance from No. 8 seed Minnesota in winning 109-80.  The Nuggets, led by two-time NBA MVP Nikola Jokic, finished with a regular season record of 53-29.  The Wolves, who prompt a lot of head scratching to figure out their team MVP, were 42-40.

The Wolves look like a team that has regressed from a year ago when they opened the playoffs by defeating a solid Grizzlies team in Memphis after finishing the regular season with a 46-36 record.  The 2023 team looks dysfunctional too much of the time including in last night’s game that saw the Wolves out scored 32-14 in the third quarter after trailing 55-44 at halftime.

Even at the intermission the Wolves were drawing criticism from TNT analyst Charles Barkley.  Targeting the Wolves’ Twin Towers of 7-foot Karl-Anthony Towns and 7-1 Rudy Gobert, Barkley said “Minnesota’s biggest problem” is the combo isn’t effective enough on offense to justify playing them together.

Gobert, acquired in a controversial trade last summer with the Jazz, scored eight points, while Towns, picking up some late points in the meaningless fourth quarter, had 11.  And it wasn’t just scoring where the Wolves’ bigs were lacking.  In plus-minus stats that measure a player’s contribution on the floor, Gobert was a team-high -28 while Towns was -11.

The Wolves used 13 players last night and Wendell Moore Jr., who played for two minutes, was the only individual with a plus rating (two).

Denver coach Mike Malone wanted his team to be more aggressive and disciplined than the Wolves for the playoff opener.  Combine those elements with better talent, the result is what happened last night.

Worth Noting

Because of national TV scheduling the game had an absurd start time of 10:51 p.m. Eastern, 9:51 Central. The next game is Wednesday (also in Denver) with a scheduled tipoff at about 9 p.m. Central.

Walker Kessler, among five players and multiple draft choices the Timberwolves gave up in the trade to obtain Gobert, is one of three finalists for NBA Rookie of the Year.  The 7-foot Jazz center averaged 9.2 points and 8.4 rebounds in his first professional season.

Only three other NBA players bettered Kessler’s 2.3 blocks per game. The other finalists for Rookie of the Year are Paolo Banchero of the Magic and Jalen Williams of the Thunder.

Former Wolves star Jimmy Butler, now with the Heat, is a finalist, along with De’Aaron Fox of the Kings and DeMar DeRozan of the Bulls, for NBA Clutch Player of the Year.

The Wild-Stars playoff series opens tonight in Dallas with possibly seven games needed to decide the winner.  The two teams played a combined 55 overtime games during the regular season.  Both franchises have recent histories of scoring droughts in the playoffs.  The Wild hasn’t advanced out of the first round since 2015.

Kirill Kaprizov

The Wild was 7-2-3 when star scorer Kirill Kaprizov was injured and unable to play late in the season. Minnesota had balanced scoring during that stretch and must continue that with forwards Matt Boldy, Ryan Hartman and Mats Zuccarello needed to step up on the playoffs.

The Stars franchise, known as the Minnesota North Stars until relocating to Dallas in 1993, might never have moved if the Metropolitan Sports Facilities Commission had funded a major renovation of Met Center in the late 1980s.

The Frozen Four championship game April 8 on ESPN 2 between the Gophers and Quinnipiac averaged 808,000 viewers, a 100 percent increase over the 2022 title game, per Front Office Sports.

St. Paul native Bill Robertson, commissioner of the USHL, said there were 80 alums of his league playing in the Frozen Four that also included Boston University and Michigan.  Twenty-three of those players were from the state of Michigan and 22 from Minnesota.

Since 2017 the Twins are 4-18 at Yankee Stadium in regular season games.  That record includes wins Thursday and Friday that ended up giving Minnesota a series split over the weekend.

Minnesota’s Sonny Gray, 2-0 with a gaudy 0.53 ERA, will start Tuesday night in Boston when the Twins open a three-game series against the Red Sox.  The Twins’ starting staff, all of whom were acquired from other teams, has been leading MLB in multiple statistical categories including ERA and batting average against.

Jim Dutcher

Happy 90th Birthday today to former Gophers’ head basketball coach Jim Dutcher. Articulate and sharp as ever, Dutcher has always been a great family man and travelled to Houston this spring to watch son Brian’s San Diego State men’s team finish second in the Final Four.

Joe Salem, who was the Gophers’ head football coach when Jim Dutcher’s 1982 team won the Big Ten title, will be 85 on May 1.  He told Sports Headliners via email his health is “okay,” but wife Sue has dementia and is in memory care in Sioux Falls. He spends much of his time following football and literally has a family coaching tree.

Sons Tim (a former Gopher quarterback) and Brad coach tight ends at Pittsburgh and Memphis State respectively. Both programs won their most recent bowl games. Brad’s son Eli is a reserve quarterback at North Central College in Naperville, Illinois and the team won the Division III national championship Stagg Bowl last year.  Jeremiah is a freshman quarterback at Eastern Michigan, 2022 winners of the Famous Idaho Potato Bowl.

“The family was 4-0 in bowl games last fall,” Joe Salem wrote.  “Not bad.”

Son Wade sells motivational programs to school athletic teams while son Brent, a former college football coach, is an insurance executive in the Twin Cities.

The Capital Club’s next breakfast program at Mendakota Country Club is April 27. Charles Adams III, head coach of the North Community High School Polars football team and a recently retired Minneapolis police officer, will help lead an “important conversation about life, death, humanity and how sports can bring people and communities together,” according to an email from club organizer Patrick Klinger. Former Gopher football star Darrell Thompson, president of the Bolder Options mentoring program, will be the program moderator. More information about the Capital Club is available from Klinger, patrick@agilemarketingco.com

Comments Welcome

Posts navigation

  • Previous
  • 1
  • 2
  • 3
  • 4
  • 5
  • 6
  • 7
  • …
  • 74
  • Next
  • Home
  • Biography
  • Contact
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms of Use
Twitter   Facebook

Search Shama

Archives

Meyer Law   Culvers   Iron Horse  

Recent Posts

  • No Sleeping on Danielle Hunter’s Sacks
  • Twins Transformation Excites Club Prez for October
  • Vikings’ Must-Win, Gophers’ Uniforms Headline Worthy
  • Gophers on Spot to Fix Offense Before Mighty Michigan
  • Twins Shortstop Correa Impresses with High Character
  • Here’s the Predicted Outcome in All 17 Vikings Games
  • Justin Jefferson & the 2,000 Yards Question in 2023
  • Vikings May Surprise the NFL Prognosticators Again
  • U Season Ticket Sales at Best Total in P.J. Fleck Era
  • Mystery Solved on Gophers’ Play Caller?
Murray's Restaurant

Dinkytown Athletes

Creative Charters

Meadows at Mystic Lake

Gold Country

Culver's | Iron Horse | | Meyer Njus Tanick
© 2023 David Shama's Minnesota Sports Headliners | Powered by Superbs Personal Blog theme