David Shama's Minnesota Sports Headliners

Zimmer’s Vikings Path Similar to Grant

Posted on December 28, 2015December 28, 2015 by David Shama

Notes following last night’s Vikings win, and prior to today’s Gophers bowl game.

Coaching legend Bud Grant led the Vikings to a division title in his second season in Minnesota. Next Sunday in Green Bay second-year coach Mike Zimmer can lead the Vikings to the NFC North Division championship with a victory over the Packers.

In Grant’s first season of 1967 his record was 3-8-3 (14-game regular season). But in 1968 a rebuilt roster helped Grant coach the Vikings to a division winning 8-6 record.

Zimmer’s record last season was 7-9 but this fall his club has been one of the NFL’s surprise teams. Given minimal chance to win the NFC North before the season started, the 10-5 Vikings can put an end to the Packers’ recent dominance of the division with a win next Sunday night in Green Bay.

Bud Grant (photo courtesy of Minnesota Vikings.)

There’s already some speculation Zimmer will become the Vikings’ best coach since Grant, the stoic field boss who led the franchise to four Super Bowls. Both men have shown a common sense and no-nonsense approach to leading their teams. The two are pure football men who are about substance, not flash. They have reputations for being able to judge personnel including whether players are committed to minimizing mistakes and doing what’s necessary to win.

Who wins at Lambeau Field next Sunday in a matchup of 10-5 teams? The offensive lines might have more to do with the game’s outcome than any other units. The Packers’ line was dreadful yesterday, allowing eight sacks in a 38-8 loss to the Cardinals in Arizona. Quarterback Aaron Rodgers was under so much pressure he had two fumbles that the Cardinals scooped up and ran into the end zone for touchdowns.

The Vikings’ defense, including the team’s sack specialists, might be “drooling” this week while watching film of the Green Bay offensive line. Zimmer has one of the NFL’s highest defensive I.Q.’s and is a master of disguising and then bringing pressure on quarterbacks.

The Vikings’ offensive line has also struggled with pass protection while showing efficiency to run block for Adrian Peterson, the NFL’s leading rusher. The Packers’ defense isn’t equal to the Vikings, but Green Bay did hold Minnesota to two touchdowns when the teams met in Minneapolis on November 22.

In that game the Vikings rushed for only 94 yards, including 45 from Peterson in a 30-13 loss. The Vikings will almost certainly need more than 45 yards from Peterson on Sunday. His offensive teammates can help him with a solid run-pass mix, and they do have a hot quarterback in Teddy Bridgewater who has only one interception in his last seven games while completing 60 percent or more of his passes.

Rodgers and the Packers have dominated the Vikings in the past. Minnesota’s last win in Green Bay was during the 2009 season. Some fans who root for the Purple might be cocky after last night’s 49-17 Vikings’ win over the Giants and the Packers’ meltdown in Arizona. Maybe the Packers’ offensive line has too many holes to patch but Rodgers is probably the NFL’s best quarterback and he can work miracles for his teammates. Just ask the Lions who Rodgers beat with a Hail Mary in Detroit earlier this month. …

A Gophers insider who is typically cautious didn’t hesitate in predicting a Minnesota win over Central Michigan tonight in the Quick Lane Bowl at Detroit’s Ford Field. The 5-7 Gophers are favored by several points over the 7-5 Mid-American team and Minnesota seems likely to cover the spread and win its first bowl game since 2004.

The program’s seven-game bowl losing streak is something head coach Tracy Claeys has talked to the team about, mentioning how the seniors can be the first upperclassmen to earn a postseason victory in several years. Claeys and most of the coaching staff have been at Minnesota since 2011 and are 0-3 in bowl games.

Among the top seniors is wide receiver KJ Maye who led the Gophers in receptions with 65 and receiving yards at 706. He is a much improved player after early career numbers that included 16 catches for 298 yards as a junior.

Maye believes he had a “great year” and when asked for a letter grade said “A-.” The 5-10, 199-pound former high school quarterback expects to be drafted by an NFL team and looks at the bowl game as an opportunity to impress pro scouts. What would he do with his first paycheck as a pro? “I’d put it in the bank,” he said laughing. “I am not touching it.”

Claeys said on WCCO Radio’s Sports Huddle show yesterday his team is the healthiest it has been since midseason. Players who have been injured he indicated could play tonight in the bowl game include Jon Christenson, Scott Ekpe, Brandon Lingen, Steven Richardson and Rodney Smith. Claeys expressed concern about the conditioning of players who haven’t played for awhile.

Claeys expects to name his offensive coordinator soon, replacing Matt Limegrover who was let go. That person will also have responsibility to coach a position group. “My main thing is that whatever position they coach…it needs to be either tailbacks, quarterbacks or the tight ends,” Claeys said. “The less kids you have to worry about in practice, the better off you’re going to be on calling the plays on game days.”

Rumors are that players with remaining eligibility will leave the program after the bowl game. “It happens everywhere,” Claeys said. “Especially at certain positions where only one (player) can play, or two can play at a time. …”

Passionate Gophers fans may speculate that among players who might transfer are reserves Berkley Edwards (running back) and Jacques Perra (quarterback). Competition for playing time next season at running back and quarterback looks challenging.

Claeys had his 47th birthday on Christmas Day in Detroit and the players sang Happy Birthday to their first-year coach.

University of Minnesota officials, including leaders from the Gophers athletic department, fly to Detroit today and return after the game. The team departed Minneapolis on Christmas Eve day and participated in bowl game activities including a dinner on Saturday night attended also by Central Michigan. Players received gifts including $200 gift cards from Best Buy and headphones.

With school not in session at Minnesota until next month, many Gophers won’t directly return to Minneapolis after tonight’s bowl game. Instead, they will head home including to warmer climates where their families reside.

The bowl game will be the coaching debut of Dan O’Brien whose title is assistant to the head coach, assistant defensive backs coach and co-special teams coordinator. O’Brien had been a senior administrator in the Minnesota athletic department overseeing football. Interim athletics director Beth Goetz now directly supervises football and some other sports.

The bowl in Detroit dates back to 1997 and has been known as the Motor City Bowl, Little Caesars Bowl and now the Quick Lane Bowl. Quick Lane Tire & Auto Center has more than 700 locations nationally, according to the company website.

The matchup between the Gophers and Chippewas might attract a crowd of less than 20,000 at Ford Field, a covered facility seating about 65,000. The game will be televised by ESPN2 and may draw a national TV audience of two million viewers or more.

That may seem like a high viewership number for a bowl game far down on the list of attractive sites and team matchups, but positives include being televised by a popular cable network during prime time hours with no other college football in direct competition for most of the event. Sportsmediawatch.com reported on January 14 of this year that the last Quick Lane Bowl had about 2.8 million viewers while the three College Football Playoff games each had 28 million or more viewers.

Comments Welcome

U Frosh 2nd in Big Ten Rebound Average

Posted on December 21, 2015December 21, 2015 by David Shama

Jordan Murphy looks like a candidate to not only average double figures in rebounding but also to lead the Big Ten Conference in that category. The Gophers freshman forward from San Antonio had a season high 18 rebounds in 31 minutes in his last game and is averaging 8.7 rebounds during the nonconference schedule.

Murphy ranks second among Big Ten players in rebounding average. He could be the first Gopher to average double figures and lead the conference since Trevor Mbakwe in 2011. “He’s doing a lot of things that have nothing to do with coaching,” Gophers coach Richard Pitino said about Murphy.

Murphy has particularly impressed with his offensive rebounding. He had 11 offensive rebounds among his 18 in the win last week over Chicago State. But Pitino wants improvement from Murphy with his defensive rebounding.

“I agree with him 100 percent that I could be a better defensive rebounder,” Murphy said. “I think that’s the difference between getting 20 rebounds and 18, just being a better defensive rebounder.”

The defensive numbers can improve, Murphy said, if he becomes more effective in blocking opponents from having superior rebounding position. And both his defensive and offensive rebound totals will almost certainly increase with more playing time. So far Murphy hasn’t been a starter and is averaging 22.4 minutes. That is the fifth highest average on the team and means he is playing only a little more than half of the 40 minutes per game.

Pitino is noncommittal about whether Murphy becomes a starter anytime soon. The coach seems to like having the 6-6, 230-pound Texan provide rebounds, points and energy off the bench. Murphy is averaging 10.3 points per game and while he might continue to be a nonstarter for awhile, he is likely to see his minutes increase closer to 30 per game and be on the floor when the Gophers try to close out opponents.

“I don’t really care about starting,” Murphy said. “I am not really here to just make demands and say I gotta start. It’s not me. I am just here to provide energy whenever I need to and just to do whatever coach asks me.”

Murphy is one of the team’s best players already. His instinctive offensive rebounding, characterized by a sense for finding the ball before others do, makes him a special first-year player. As a rebounder, he might prove to be one of the best in school history.

Murphy acknowledges “having a knack for getting the ball,” and credits his father Bernard with helping him develop. A few years ago his dad told him he had rebounding skills and should focus on becoming better at it. “He would actually take me to the park and start throwing up ‘bricks’ (bad shots), and I’d have to go catch them and put them back up,” Murphy said.

He admitted to being a “little” surprised by his early success with the Gophers. Asked if he could lead the Big Ten in rebounding, Murphy said he didn’t know and will have to work hard to have a chance at it.

The Gophers, 6-5, play their final nonconference game on Wednesday night at home against Milwaukee. Then comes the 18-game Big Ten schedule beginning with the opener at Ohio State on December 30. That will be another test for Murphy but so far he is off to a promising start to his college career.

Comments Welcome

Night Games No Hit with Vikings

Posted on December 21, 2015December 21, 2015 by David Shama

Nighttime—particularly for road games—is no friend of the Minnesota Vikings.

Losing on Sunday, Monday and Thursday evenings is a pattern for the Vikings who earlier this month were told the team’s home game next Sunday against the Giants will be played at night, instead of starting with a noon kickoff. A few conversations with Vikings players focused on how they fret about the boredom and anxiousness of the extra hours at a local hotel, and the change from routine caused by playing after dark.

“I hate it but, you know what, we gotta play a game,” said Vikings defensive end Brian Robison. “We gotta try to win.”

Adrian Peterson (photo courtesy of Minnesota Vikings.)

The Vikings, 9-5, have been one of the NFL’s success stories this fall and could win the NFC North. The Giants, 6-8, had better playoff hopes when the game time was rescheduled but still have a chance at the postseason. Each team has two regular season games remaining. Vikings running back Adrian Peterson leads the league in rushing while experiencing a comeback season from his troubles last season. The Giants have high profile quarterback Eli Manning and their home territory is the nation’s largest TV market. All of that provides background as to why NBC and the NFL wanted Sunday’s matchup in Minneapolis switched to evening when it will be the only pro football game televised to the nation.

The Vikings have lost five consecutive Sunday night games and 11 of the past 14. It hasn’t helped that four of the last five have been on the road. Opponents have beaten the Vikings seven straight times on Monday evenings including an opening game loss to the 49ers this year. The Vikings have lost five of their last six Thursday evening games, including to the Cardinals earlier this month. Ten of those Monday and Thursday night losses have been on the home field of opponents.

Temperatures next Sunday night for the game with the Giants in TCF Bank Stadium will likely be in the high teens or low 20s. That doesn’t warm the heart of Vikings cornerback Captain Munnerlyn. “I think it’s going to be cold. I don’t like the cold but this is an opportunity to go out there to showcase that we’re made to be in the playoffs,” Munnerlyn said. “I think it’s going to be a very good game. I am excited for the opportunity. ….”

Munnerlyn is an “antsy guy” on game days and sleep is difficult for him the night before. Playing on Sunday night presents an extra challenge because it means having too much time to be excited before kickoff. How will he relax and focus during those extra hours before game time?

“I don’t know what I am going to do,” Munnerlyn said last week. “I gotta figure it out.”

Robison can commiserate about the challenge of too much time. “I don’t like sitting in a hotel and just waiting all day,” he said. “I want to get up and be able to go after it. Those noon games, those 3:25 games are awesome. At the end of the day (next Sunday) you’re getting to play a game, you’re playing in prime time. Everybody is going to see you, so it’s about going out there and putting your best (effort).”

Vikings defensive tackle Sharrif Floyd was lighthearted about Sunday’s Giants game, joking about eight more hours in the hotel. “But I will enjoy it (the game). Prime time and we get a chance to play across the country, so it’s a good deal,” Floyd said.

Comments Welcome