Former Vikings’ assistant coach Dean Dalton hosts “Late Hits” on Saturday nights from 7 to 10 p.m. on Sirius NFL Radio.  Past guests have included various NFL personalities including Vikings alums Michael Bennett, Daunte Culpepper, Nate Burleson and Mike Tice. The program is on channel 124.

The Timberwolves announced yesterday that guard Randy Foye has suffered a stress reaction of his left patella (knee cap). On Monday, Foye received an MRI and a CT Scan that revealed the injury. Foye will be out indefinitely.

The Wolves play their regular season opener Friday night at Target Center against Denver. Ten players will make their Minnesota regular season debuts: Greg Buckner, Corey Brewer, Michael Doleac, Ryan Gomes, Gerald Green, Al Jefferson, Theo Ratliff, Chris Richard, Sebastian Telfair and Antoine Walker. The first 8,000 fans in attendance will receive a Timberwolves stocking cap courtesy of U.S. Bank.

Sports Illustrated’s NBA Preview predicts the Timberwovles will finish last in the Northwest Division.  The magazine rates the Wolves last among the 15 Western Conference teams. Dallas will defeat Detroit in the NBA finals, according to S.I.

Sporting News recently rated Indianapolis’ Tom Moore as the best offensive coordinator in the NFL.  Moore, 68, once coached at the University of Minnesota, working for head coach Cal Stoll in the 1970s.  Another assistant for Stoll was Norm Parker who coached with Moore and now is an assistant at Iowa. He is arguably the best defensive coordinator in the Big Ten Conference.

The same issue of the Sporting News listed Vikings defensive coordinator Leslie Frazier as one of five “head coaches in waiting.”

The Wild’s Brent Burns is scheduled to appear and sign autographs at the Cub Foods store located at 20250 Heritage Drive in Lakeville on Sunday from 5 to 6 p.m.

Local resident David Nash reported via e-mail that the US International Tennis Club  defeated the British International Tennis Club 36-18 in a match last weekend in La Jolla, California. Known as the Avory Cup, the match is played semi-annually.  Nash captained the American team.

Augsburg junior quarterback Jordan Berg, Carleton junior strong safety Drew Ziller and St. Thomas freshman wide receiver Ben Wartman have been chosen as the offensive, defensive and special teams football players of the week in the MIAC.  Saint John’s senior Chris Erichsen and Bethel University sophomore Marie Borner are the men’s and women’s cross country athletes of the week.  Saint Benedict first-year middle blocker Laurel Heggernes, Concordia senior outside hitter Michelle Honek and St. Thomas freshman setter Emily Foster are volleyball athletes of the week.  Carleton junior forward Brian TenHoor and Hamline first-year goalkeeper Katie Gardner have been named soccer athletes of the week.

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Two games away from the halfway mark of the season, the Minnesota Vikings’ record is a below average 2-4.  With the “first semester” ending soon, Sports Headliners interviewed a former NFL personnel evaluator who was asked to grade the Vikings’ offense, defense and special teams.  Here’s a detailed breakdown by the expert who requested that his name not be used:

Quarterbacks: D-  Tarvaris Jackson has completed only 45.9 percent of his passes and thrown five interceptions and just two touchdown passes in four games.  The evaluator likes Jackson’s “skill set” but said the 24–year-old quarterback’s performance hasn’t matched his potential.  “The development hasn’t kept up with the amount of preparation that’s gone into it,” he said.  The quarterback situation has placed the season in jeopardy.

Running backs: A  Chester Taylor has been productive and my source said rookie Adrian Peterson “is a super star in the making.”  Peterson, who leads the NFL in rushing, is under utilized.  “He should touch the ball 25 to 30 times including carries, receptions and kickoffs,” the source said.

Receivers, including tight ends: C- The evaluator said the grade is “gracious” considering how under utilized wide receiver Bobby Wade and tight end Visanthe Shiancoe have been.  No one has emerged at wide receiver as a deep threat.  “The wide receiver down field blocking is exceptional, and a credit to George Stewart (wide receivers coach),” the evaluator said.

Offensive line: C+  Overall, the run blocking has been encouraging, and the source praised center Matt Birk and left guard Steve Hutchinson, said the right side of the line is “a work in progress,” and added that right tackle Ryan Cook at times is in “over his head.”

Defensive line: A-  Tackles Pat Williams and Kevin Williams are the “best duo in the NFL,” according to the evaluator.  Defensive end “production” has improved significantly from last season because of Ray Edwards, Kenechi Udeze and rookie Brian Robison. “They (the unit) still need to bring more pass rushing production,” the source said.

Linebackers: A-  The move of E.J. Henderson to middle linebacker (“explosive tackler”) has been a success, Ben Leber is versatile and effective, and 24-year-old Chad Greenway has “shown flashes of his upside,” the evaluator said.  All three can play effectively against the run and pass.

Secondary: C+  The source said “there have been some breakdowns” in the secondary including confusion last Sunday on a touchdown reception by Terrell Owens of Dallas.  Inexperience and match up problems have been part of the difficulty.  As expected, teams have picked on rookie cornerback Marcus McCAuley and second year corner Cedric Griffin.

Special teams: B  Punter Chris Kluwe is averaging 44.2 yards and has “been exceptional.”  Long snapper Cullen Loeffler is as good as ever and “never gets enough credit,” the evaluator said.  Veteran place kicker Ryan Longwell who won the Chicago game with a last play field goal is “very good.”  Blocking by the field goal unit needs to improve, but the return and coverage teams are solid.  However, the source is “shocked” that the Vikings aren’t using Mewelde Moore to return punts instead of Wade.  Moore had 71 yard touchdown returns in both 2005 and 2006.

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Although Gopher seniors Dan Coleman, Lawrence McKenzie and Spencer Tollackson may emerge as Big Ten Conference stars this season, the biggest storyline for 2007-08 will be new head coach Tubby Smith.  The Minnesota “triplets” are beyond comparison as the team’s best players.  But Smith, the former NCAA champion coach at Kentucky, is a national story now that he’s in Minneapolis.

The Gopher season starts next week with a home exhibition game against Minnesota State University Mankato on Thursday.   Last season the Gophers were 9-22 overall, 3-13 in the Big Ten and lost their last nine games.  If the Gophers make improvements, Smith will be lauded.  A poor season will be explained away by most observers as not Smith’s fault because the roster lacks talent and depth.

Wanting to embrace Smith, this town is impressed by his 1998 national title, four elite eight NCAA teams, three national coach of the year awards, five SEC regular season championships and 14 consecutive 20-win seasons.  The Smith personality endears him to people quickly, too. Particularly one-on-one, Smith is friendly, engaging and more like a next door neighbor than a high powered college basketball coach.

But talking to the media earlier this week Smith provided a glimpse of the intensity and determination that his players see everyday in practice.  “There’s a lot of question marks about what we’re capable of doing but I expect us to be very competitive,” he said.

Make no mistake, Smith is in charge of the Gophers and he expects his players to be disciplined and grateful.  He said players who are too questioning of how they fit in as individuals will receive a direct answer. “Be grateful” to be on the team because there are others on the outside who want the opportunity.

Smith wasn’t specific about predicting wins and losses for the coming season, and offered some humor on the subject. “I am not Nostradamus,” he said.

His team is sorting out who the starters will be beyond the “triplets.”  Most challenging is the point guard position where McKenzie, freshman Al Nolen, and sophomore Kevin Payton are candidates.  Ball handling is a top priority, Smith said, as the Gophers work on limiting turnovers that helped spoil their last season.

The “triplets” are the highest returning scoring trio in the Big Ten.  McKenzie averaged 14.9 points per game, Coleman 14.2 and Tollackson 12.0.  McKenzie and Coleman made honorable mention all-conference, but there’s plenty of potential for improvement from all three as they try to help the Gophers to the post-season world of the NCAA or even NIT.

Smith wants McKenzie, more a shooter than a playmaker, to make his teammates better, too.  He refers to Coleman as a “workaholic” and mentioned that his 6-9 forward arrives at practice 30 minutes early to start work.  Smith said Tollackson, the 6-9 center, has a “ton of talent” and is a leader.

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