Wild – Page 58 – David Shama's Minnesota Sports Headliners

Pat Shurmur Big Loss for Vikings

Posted on January 28, 2018January 28, 2018 by David Shama

Pat Shurmur’s departure as offensive coordinator for the Vikings creates a concern for next season. Perhaps jumbo size.

Shurmur’s job performance with Minnesota prompted his hiring last week as the New York Giants head coach. After succeeding Norv Turner as offensive coordinator during the 2016 season, Shurmur showed why head coach Mike Zimmer promoted him.

Turner was Minnesota’s offensive coordinator for two-plus seasons. His offenses seldom dazzled, and reportedly he and Zimmer had different views. Shurmur, though, helped turn the offense from a worry to an asset in 2017 despite the early season loss of quarterback Sam Bradford to knee issues.

Shurmur’s offense struggled to produce points in last Sunday’s playoff loss to the Eagles, scoring a lone touchdown. But during the regular season the offense finished 11th in the NFL in yards per game with 358.9 and the unit tied for seventh with 68 plays for 20 or more yards, demonstrating big play ability.

Shurmur was adept at utilizing personnel within schemes players were capable of accomplishing. His game plans were impressive including what looked to be scripted early first quarter plays designed to not only gain yards but make the personnel comfortable and establish confidence.

The 52-year-old Shurmur has 19 seasons of coaching experience in the NFL, including as head coach of the Browns. With the Vikings he has shown a calm and even pleasant demeanor during games. He appears to be the kind of coach who makes players comfortable.

Zimmer hired Shurmur in 2016 as his tights ends coach before promoting him to offensive coordinator. While it’s questionable whether Zimmer and Turner worked well together, it’s obvious Shurmur and Zimmer did.

Since day one of Zimmer’s arrival as head coach of the Vikings in January of 2014, his signature has been all over the defense which has become one of the top units in the NFL. Shurmur provided major direction to the offense and offered a counter balance to the 24-7 intensity and temper of the head coach.

Style of play, strategizing, handling players and getting along with Zimmer look like ways Shurmur’s successor will be compared. A year from now we’ll know whether the Vikings have “Shurmur 2” or something less.

Worth Noting

“Welcome to the Bold North and Super Bowl 52.” Those are the recorded words of former Viking Chad Greenway on the sound system at Minneapolis-St. Paul Airport as the area begins welcoming visitors to the big game February 4. Greenway, the ex-linebacker who retired after the 2016 season, agreed about a year ago to help local organizers with the Super Bowl effort.

Reports are legal authorities and the NCAA will be investigating alleged sexual assaults involving Michigan State athletes including football players and how the school handled incidents. Such news won’t surprise writers Jeff Benedict and Armen Keteyian. In their 2013 book, The System, The Glory and Scandal of Big-Time College Football, they wrote about the prevalence of criminal, or alleged criminal conduct, involving college football players. They referenced a nine-year study of criminal complaints of felony assault attributed to pro and college athletes. The study concluded athletes are less likely to be convicted of crimes.

The authors devote a chapter to the 2004 Brigham Young incident where four football players were put on trial for rape charges but were not convicted. The prosecutor, Donna Kelly, was later told by jurors that the players had suffered enough with the loss of their football scholarships. Kelly found the logic bizarre and was quoted in the book as saying, “That’s the power of college football.”

The NHL first-year Vegas expansion team has 68 points at the All-Star break, the most in the Western Conference. The Golden Knights are in first place in the Pacific Division, nine points better than the second place Sharks. In their 1967-1968 NHL debut the expansion Minnesota North Stars scored 69 points for the season. The Minnesota Wild, in its expansion season of 2000-2001, produced 68 points.

So far this season the Wild has 57 points, nine fewer than the Central Division leading Jets. Qualifying for the playoffs is in doubt.

The vast number of first period empty seats at Mariucci Arena, including the best locations, was startling to see when No. 1 ranked Notre Dame played the Gophers Friday night in Minneapolis. Lack of fan interest fuels speculation about the future of 19-year head coach Don Lucia whose team split two games over the weekend against the Fighting Irish.

A program long billed as Minnesota’s “pride on ice” has struggled this season with an overall record of 16-13-1, and 7-10-1-1 in the Big Ten. There’s public frustration too about no national titles since 2003, and fans continue to complain about the move in 2013 from the popular WCHA to the hockey start-up Big Ten.

The presence of the Wild is a problem too. Interest in Gopher hockey benefitted from 1993 to 2000 when there was no pro hockey competition in Minneapolis-St. Paul.

From the lighter side: A teenage grocery store employee said yesterday she didn’t know the Gophers have been playing football longer than the Vikings.

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Nanne: Zach Parise Timing to Come Fast

Posted on January 4, 2018January 4, 2018 by David Shama

A Thursday notes column:

Zach Parise made his season debut with the Wild Tuesday night after being sidelined following back surgery. How long will it take for the star forward to have his timing return to normal?

“Within 10 days he should be perfect,” Minnesota hockey authority Lou Nanne told Sports Headliners.

What contributions does Nanne see ahead for the Wild’s 33-year-old wing? “Well, I think that you’re going to see a guy that never stops working. He’s a leader on the team. He’s a guy that can score some goals and he should be a good addition to the lineup.”

Parise had back surgery on October 24 and played solidly on Tuesday night in his debut game. He is expected to play again tonight when Minnesota hosts the Sabres.

Parise scored 42 points in 69 games last season including six power goals and four game winners.

The Wild has been disappointing this season, lacking consistency and goal scoring. Minnesota might struggle to make the playoffs even though owner Craig Leipold said before the season that anything short of winning the Stanley Cup will be disappointing.

What kind of pressure does that put on individuals and the organization? “I don’t know what it does,” Nanne said. “It says he’s got high expectations.”

The Wild defeated the Sabres 5-4 November 22 in Buffalo—the only previous game this season between the two teams. Wild assistant coach Bob Woods was an assistant with the Sabres last season.

In January of 2015 the Wild shutout the Sabres 7-0, the largest margin of victory in franchise history.

The Gophers were able to defeat Illinois 77-67 last night because All-Big Ten point guard Nate Mason played after being sidelined for awhile with a sprained ankle. ESPN basketball analyst Fran Fraschilla told Sports Headliners the Gophers being without Mason is like the powerhouse Ohio State football team not having quarterback J.T. Barrett. Both are that kind of catalyst for their teams, Fraschilla said. Mason and forward Jordan Murphy scored team highs of 17 points last night.

Fraschilla believes it’s likely Duke freshman point guard Trevon Duvall will declare for the NBA Draft after this season, opening the way for Apple Valley senior Tre Jones to become a starter for the Blue Devils next fall.

Minnesota native Brian Dutcher is in his first season as San Diego State head basketball coach. Injuries have been a problem, although the Aztecs beat top 25 ranked Gonzaga in San Diego and defeated Georgia on a neutral court.

The Aztecs are 2-1 in Mountain West Conference games and 10-4 overall, while former Timberwolves assistant coach Eric Musselman has Nevada off to an even better start. Nevada is 2-0 in Mountain West games and 14-3 overall.

Gopher Deputy Athletics Director John Cunningham told Sports Headliners the $166 million University of Minnesota Athletes Village will be ready for use by mid-January. Approximately $105 million of the project is secured with fundraising ongoing. The construction cost is also being financed through bonds.

Bill Robertson, the men’s WCHA commissioner based in Bloomington, is excited about his league as the New Year begins including the Minnesota State team ranked No. 7 in the country in the latest USCHO poll. “I think they have a legitimate shot to end up in St. Paul (playing for the national title).”

Robertson is also enthusiastic about Bemidji State senior goalie Michael Bitzer, who has already played over 1,000 minutes and looks like a candidate for college awards recognizing both the player and goalie of the year. “He continues to do marvelous things,” Robertson said. “In my mind he will be a Hobey Baker contender as well as a Mike Richter contender this year, both awards.”

Minnesota Lynx coach Cheryl Reeve recently signed a multiyear contract extension and also assumed the general manager’s title and role with the local WNBA franchise. Reeve speaks to the CORES lunch group January 11 at the Knights of Columbus Hall in Bloomington, 1114 American Blvd. Lunch reservations must be made by January 8. More information is available by contacting Jim Dotseth, dotsethj@comcast.net. CORES is an acronym for coaches, officials, reporters, educators and sports fans.

Players and others associated with the 1968, 1969 and 1970 Big Ten champion Gopher baseball teams will be recognized May 12 at Siebert Field when Minnesota plays Michigan State.

Jerry Kindall was an assistant coach to Dick Siebert on those teams. Kindall, a former Minnesota Twin before going into coaching, passed away late last month. The St. Paul native was also an assistant basketball coach for the Gophers and went on to become head baseball coach at Arizona where he won national titles.

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Unlucky Vikings Feature Limping QBs

Posted on October 10, 2017October 10, 2017 by David Shama

What’s next for Vikings quarterback Sam Bradford?

A source close to the organization told Sports Headliners prior to kickoff last night against the Bears that Bradford had missed the previous three games because he tore scar tissue in his left knee causing soreness and swelling. The person said the hope was a knee brace would provide enough protection in Chicago to prevent re-injury, and that adrenaline would block out whatever pain Bradford experienced.

But Bradford didn’t look right from the beginning of the game, throwing off target and taking a safety in the end zone because he waited too long holding the ball. “I don’t like his body language,” ESPN’s Jon Gruden told a national TV audience watching the game.

Sam Bradford (photo courtesy of Minnesota Vikings)

Gruden speculated about Bradford not being able to throw properly off his left foot. Ben Leber, the former Viking working as a sideline reporter on the team’s radio network, wondered if the brace was limiting Bradford’s passing form.

Sometime during the first half Bradford took a blow that clearly re-injured the knee. He began limping, looked vulnerable and was an easy target for Bears tacklers. “Throw the damn towel,” Leber said from the sidelines.

With less than a minute to play in the second quarter, head coach Mike Zimmer finally replaced Bradford with Case Keenum. The Vikings led in the game 3-2 and Bradford had completed 5 of 11 passes for 36 yards.

The source referred to above said that when Bradford was sidelined earlier in the season there was “no structural damage” to a left knee that has been surgically repaired in past years. After the Vikings won last night’s game and improved their record to 3-2, there was no word that Bradford’s re-injury was serious enough to end his season. But today and in the days ahead there will be more definitive information—even if not details about the knee, at least an estimate about a timeline before a return to starting games.

The Vikings are also monitoring Teddy Bridgewater and his rehabilitation from his devastating knee injury suffered over a year ago. Currently on the physically unable to perform list, there is enough time remaining in the season for a Bridgewater return. Whether it will happen is something no one can know for sure but the source who talked with Sports Headliners about Bradford said Bridgewater “is still limping.”

Worth Noting

In Sports Illustrated’s NHL preview out last week the magazine predicted the Capitals will defeat the Wild for the Stanley Cup championship. While talking with Sports Headliners, Minnesota hockey icon Lou Nanne declined to make a prediction on the teams he believes will qualify for the NHL finals. “The league is so close you can go from making the playoffs on the last day to winning the Cup,” he said.

The Wild has never played in the finals. Asked about a major storyline for the Wild, Nanne brought up 33-year-old star Zach Parise who has health issues. “A key is Parise being healthy,” Nanne said. “That’s a big deal.”

Nanne also said Minnesota needs more production from young players Charlie Coyle, Matt Dumba, Mikael Granlund, Nino Niederreiter and Jason Zucker. He likes Alex Stalock as the team’s backup goalie and said the Wild need starter Devan Dubnyk to perform as he did last season.

The Wild has a postseason history characterized by disappointments. Only once has the team played in the final four, 2003. After an impressive regular season in 2016-2017, the Wild lost its opening playoff series to the Blues. But a late September Associated Press quoted owner Craig Leipold as saying “anything short of winning the Stanley Cup would be a disappointment” in 2018.

The team is winless in its first two games this season but plays in Chicago Thursday night where Minnesota is 4-1-0 in its last five games at the United Center.

Nanne is a regular at the newly renamed Tavern 23 sports bar and restaurant in Edina. He is an investor and said business is up “50 percent in the past month” and that 36 new items have been added to the menu. Happy Hour, with views of Centennial Lakes Park, is particularly popular at the location formerly known as Lou Nanne’s American Grill.

It will be a homecoming for Brad Salem, the Michigan State quarterbacks coach, when the Spartans come to Minneapolis for Saturday’s game against Minnesota. Brad was a Gophers ball boy when his father Joe was Minnesota’s head coach. Brad’s twin brother Brent is offensive coordinator at O’Gorman High School in Sioux Falls, while brother Tim, the former Gophers quarterback, is tight ends coach at Pitt.

The Gophers are one of the youngest teams in the nation, with 50 of 111 players (45%) being freshmen or redshirt freshmen. There are 77 underclassmen (69.3%) on the roster. Minnesota has just 14 players (six on offense, eight on defense) who have started 10 games or more in their careers.

Defensive tackle Steven Richardson leads the team (not including specialists) in career starts with 37, while tight end Nate Wozniak has the most among offensive players with 29. Minnesota has used 65 players this season—13 freshmen, 21 sophomores, 16 juniors and 15 seniors.

The Gophers 2018 football recruiting class is No. 35 in the latest 247Sports composite rankings that have several Big Ten schools ahead of Minnesota, with Ohio State No. 1; Penn State No. 3; Michigan No. 14; Maryland No. 18; Michigan State No. 27; Nebraska No. 31; Wisconsin No. 32.

Amani Hooker, the Iowa sophomore safety from Minneapolis, had an impressive day last Saturday in the Hawkeyes’ win over Illinois. Hooker had a pass interception and ran for a first down on a fake punt to set up an Iowa touchdown.

In that game Jeff George Jr., the son of the former Vikings QB, made his first start of the season at quarterback for Illinois.

Sean Engel, the 6-5 redshirt freshman wide receiver from Chaska High School, has played in four of North Dakota State’s five games and has one catch for 15 yards. The 5-0 Bison are averaging 51.6 points game, while opponents are averaging 6.2.

October 10 sports birthdays include Brett Favre, 48, and former Gophers athletic director Mark Dienhart, 64.

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