David Shama's Minnesota Sports Headliners

Source Says Vikings-Cowboys Talk AP

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

The Vikings talked with the Cowboys last week about a trade involving Adrian Peterson, according to a Sports Headliners source. “I think he’ll probably move on to Dallas,” said the source who is close to the Vikings.

The source stated yesterday he didn’t have an update on talks, but two of his contacts have acknowledged discussions between the Cowboys and Vikings organizations. Flamboyant Cowboys owner Jerry Jones is capable of putting together a trade offer for Peterson that the Vikings can’t refuse.

“Jerry Jones, you never know what he is going to do,” the source said. “He goes beyond the extravagant.”

The Cowboys need a quality running back and Peterson is a former All-Pro. The source believes another reason Peterson could end up in Dallas is because of his personal controversy. Peterson’s beating of his four-year-old son with a switch last year still draws condemnation from some Minnesotans and others around the country but the source said the former NFL MVP will find more tolerance in Dallas. “They accept that type of discipline,” he said.

A deal for the Texas native involving the Cowboys or another NFL team might be made on Thursday or Friday of this week—the first two days of the three-day draft. Internet speculation of late targets teams like the Bucs, Cardinals and Jags as more likely destinations for the disgruntled Peterson who is under contract to stay with the Vikings.

Connor Orr, writing yesterday for NFL.com, made the case the Cardinals who need a running back to complement potent offensive players already in place and he speculates they might make a trade with the Vikings on Friday. It’s believed a second round draft choice, not a first round, is the most any team will offer for Peterson who is scheduled to make about $13 million (not guaranteed money) with the Vikings this season.

Vikings general manager Rick Spielman said at a news conference this afternoon about the NFL Draft that his franchise’s view on Peterson remains status quo. “Our position has not changed since all of the statements we’ve made down at the owners meetings (last month). …I think coach (Mike) Zimmer stated it pretty clear that we have no interest in trading Adrian Peterson.”

Vikings Draft Notes

The 80th annual NFL Draft will be held in Chicago with ESPN and the NFL Network televising all three days of rounds one through seven. The first round will be Thursday starting at 7 p.m. Minneapolis time. Rounds two and three will be Friday with drafting starting at 6 p.m. The draft concludes Saturday with rounds four through seven and begins at 11 a.m. Time allocated for each selection in the first round will be 10 minutes per team while the second round allows seven minutes. Teams will have five minutes for picks in the remaining rounds.

Doors open at 5:30 p.m. Thursday for the Vikings Draft Party at the Minneapolis Convention Center. Current and former players will be signing autographs during the evening. Xavier Rhodes, John Sullivan, Charles Johnson, Babtunde Aiyegbusi, Chuck Foreman, Matt Blair, Dave Dixon and Tyrone Carter are scheduled to attend. Players are subject to change. Check Vikings.com for event details including ticket availability.

The Vikings have seven draft picks but Spielman, speaking at his news conference today, left open the possibility of maneuvering for additional selections. His goal in each draft is to have 10 selections.

The Vikings have the No. 11 choice in the first round and Spielman said there may not be that much difference in the quality of players who will be selected from about No. 7 or 8 through No. 20. He would “love” to move down in the first round and acquire more picks. The Vikings have talked with all the top prospects in the draft except for quarterbacks Jameis Winston and Marcus Mariota but are undecided as to who they will choose at No. 11.

Character will play a major role in who the Vikings select throughout the draft and Spielman said the team has eliminated certain players from consideration. The club is also using a consultant to help with analytics and Spielman indicated the Vikings might be ahead of other NFL teams in what they are doing. He didn’t offer details other than to say that analytics can play a role in such areas as analyzing players and where a franchise drafts for certain playing positions on the team.

“This person is a lot smarter than I am in spinning numbers,” said Spielman, adding that analytics is just another tool for evaluation and that studying players on tape and what his “gut” tells him remains paramount.

When the Vikings began volunteer offseason workouts yesterday that was Cordarrelle Patterson’s car parked near the east Fieldhouse door at Winter Park. The car, parked on the other side of where other players leave their vehicles, had the words “flashy” painted on the rear window.

The Vikings chose safety Harrison Smith in the first round of the 2012 draft. He has saved negative comments that were written about him prior to the draft. “I just like to have it as motivation,” he said.

Smith on linebacker Chad Greenway’s decision to play a 10th season with the team: “I don’t think you’d find a guy in the building that doesn’t want him back. He’s a heck of a player, heck of a role model and example for everybody in the building.”

History lesson: Baseball Hall of Famer Dave Winfield, who played baseball and basketball for the Gophers but not football, was drafted by the Vikings during the 17th round in 1973.

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Vikings to Go Offense on First Round?

Posted on April 27, 2015April 28, 2015 by David Shama

The NFL Draft starts Thursday and this could be a historical week for the Vikings franchise. The opinion here is the Vikings will trade disgruntled Adrian Peterson before the clock strikes midnight on Thursday. Here is a list of other Sports Headliners items about the three-day draft during which the Vikings have one selection in each of the first five rounds, none in the sixth and two in the seventh.

With Peterson’s immediate playing future uncertain, the suspicion is the Vikings will select a running back within the first couple rounds of the draft. Even if a Peterson draft week trade doesn’t materialize, the Vikings have to be concerned about the superstar’s age (30) and disposition toward playing for them. A promising running back from this year’s draft makes sense.

Nobody I know about is predicting the Vikings will use the 11th pick in the first round for a running back but general manager Rick Spielman has a history of being trade-active the first night of the draft. If a deal resulted in the Vikings not drafting until late in the first round, a running back like Georgia’s Todd Gurley or Wisconsin’s Melvin Gordon III could be tempting. Yes, in the pass-happy NFL the role of the running back has been diminished but Vikings coach Mike Zimmer still wants a quality guy to pound the football.

As written here awhile ago, it wouldn’t be surprising to see the Vikings choose Louisville wide receiver DeVante Parker at No. 11. That move might help fulfill a big play receiver need and would reunite Vikings quarterback Teddy Bridgewater with a former college teammate.

Ex-Viking Bob Lurtsema, who remains close to the team, is “100 percent certain” Spielman will choose an offensive player in the first round. His thought is the Vikings have improved their defense dramatically under now second-year coach Mike Zimmer, and the need in the first round of the draft is for better players to complement the inexperienced Bridgewater.

The Vikings are trying to build an offense that can compete in today’s high scoring NFL. Lurtsema thinks the Vikings’ approach early in the draft is this: “We’re playing Arena Football. What’s going to make us the best?”

Will Brinson from Cbssports.com has the Vikings choosing Parker at No. 11, although most prominent mock drafts predict the selection will be Michigan State cornerback Trae Waynes. Waynes ran a 4.31 40-yard dash at the NFL Combine this winter and he has plenty of endorsements as the top cornerback in the draft. The Vikings have many draft needs including linebacker and left guard, but it might be hard to pass on Waynes who could give the team another quality young corner along with Xavier Rhodes.

While our five-state area has minimal reputation for producing high school running backs that become pros, this year’s NFL Draft prospects include four guys drawing attention: Wisconsin’s Gordon from Kenosha, Wisconsin; North Dakota State’s John Crockett from Minneapolis; Northern Iowa’s David Johnson, from Clinton, Iowa; and South Dakota State’s Zach Zenner from Eagan, Minnesota.

Gordon is forecast as a late first or early second round choice. Johnson has been compared with the Bears’ Matt Forte and could be selected in the second round, according to his profile on Nfldraft.com. That same source has projected Crockett and Zenner will either be taken in the last few rounds or signed as free agents.

Sports Illustrated’s April 20 NFL Draft issue ranks former Gopher David Cobb the seventh best running back available. The magazine said 2015 is a deep year for quality running backs, and praises Cobb’s durability and how he breaks tackles.

S.I. projects former Gopher Maxx Williams will be the first tight end taken in the draft, with the Broncos choosing him at No. 28 in the first round. “For $38 million less than Julius Thomas, Denver lands a TE with similar skills,” the magazine wrote.

Worth Noting

Vikings general manager Rick Spielman meets with the media tomorrow afternoon at Winter Park to preview the draft.

Spielman will speak at the May 14 CORES luncheon at the Knights of Columbus Hall in Bloomington, 1114 American Blvd. CORES is an acronym for coaches, officials, reporters, educators and sports fans. Reservations for the program (deadline May 11) can be made by contacting Jim Dotseth, dotsethj@comcast.net.

Bob Lurtsema attended a reunion of former Giants players in Atlanta last week. Fran Tarkenton, who like Lurtsema played for both the Giants and Vikings, attended and so too did Greg Larson, the center on the Gophers 1960 national championship team.

The Wild’s success story continues on after winning Game Six yesterday against the Blues and advancing to the second round of the Stanley Cup playoffs where Minnesota will play the Blackhawks. The Wild entered Sunday’s game with a 3-2 series lead and the 4-1 victory was the work of some timely goals, tight defense and extraordinary play again by goalie Devan Dubnyk who made 30 saves.

Left wing Zach Parise had two goals, while right wings Justin Fontaine (winning goal) and Nino Niederreiter (empty netter) had one each. Parise, who got the Wild off to an important 1-0 first period lead, is now tied for the franchise record in all-time playoff scoring with 22 points. Parise’s totals are eight goals and 14 assists, while former Wild star Marian Gaborik scored 12 goals with 10 assists. Fontaine’s goal was his first of the series and matched the one goal the Blues scored in the second period.

The Wild hasn’t lost consecutive games in regulation since January 11 and 13 (before acquiring Dubnyk from the Coyotes on January 14). Including a shootout loss, the Wild has only lost consecutive games once since the NHL All-Star Game on January 25. In a 36-game span to finish the season, the Wild lost only two games by more than one goal.

Although live horse racing doesn’t begin at Canterbury Park until May 15, the largest wagering day of the year is expected at the Shakopee track this Saturday for the Kentucky Derby.

From the just teasing department: If the Gophers play their way into next year’s national championship football game on January 11 it looks like University of Minnesota president Eric Kaler will miss out. Kaler and his wife are leading a University of Minnesota Alumni Association trip to Vietnam January 2-13.

Except for last weekend’s series against the Mariners, the Twins have faced only AL Central Division teams during the first month of the season. Although the Twins have a losing record (8-10), the club has played 12 of its first 18 games on the road, and won two of three games against the Mariners in Seattle. The Twins start a three-game home stand against the Tigers tonight, a team that swept a 3-0 series in Detroit to begin the season.

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Jerry Kill: 2015 Team Potentially Best

Posted on April 22, 2015April 22, 2015 by David Shama

Now that spring practices are completed Jerry Kill has a better assessment of his 2015 team. The head coach told Sports Headliners the talent is present for his fifth Gophers squad to be his best.

“I think we’ll have a better football team but we also play better people (opponents) next year,” Kill said.

A significant difference in the 2015 schedule compared with last season is playing at Colorado State in a nonconference game. The Rams were 10-3 last season and return junior wide receiver Rashard Higgins, only the second player in school history to be named a first team All-American. Last year the Gophers had one difficult nonconference opponent but this season face two with the Rams and TCU, a team already in conversations about winning the national championship.

Big Ten opponents will be the same as last season except the Gophers are playing teams at home they faced on the road in 2014 and vice versa. The schedule includes a trip to Columbus against defending national champion Ohio State.

Kill’s first four teams had overall and Big Ten Conference records of 3-9 and 2-6, 6-7 and 2-6, 8-5 and 4-4, and 8-5 and 5-3. No question the talent on the roster is better than a couple of years ago but Kill isn’t satisfied with his depth.

“Unless you’re Ohio State, you’re always fighting for depth,” Kill said. “They’re three-deep in Big Ten players and we’re not at that point, and it’s hard for us to get to that point.”

For Kill and his assistants to recruit even better players and acquire more depth, the athletic department must build the much discussed Football Development Center. It’s anticipated the center will transform the image of Gophers’ football practice and support facilities from the worst in the Big Ten to among the best.

“The people (including rival coaches) out there understand how tough this (coaching) job is and there’s a lot of things that have to happen here for us to continue to get the great athlete,” Kill said. “We’ve worked our (tails) off with what we’ve had, what we’ve done. It’s kind of amazing some of the players we’ve gotten. (They) disregarded all the stuff—eating in the hallway and all those kind of things to where we are right now.”

Most major college football powers have modern dining and nutrition facilities but the Gophers eat at temporary tables in the lobby of the Gibson-Nagurski Football Complex. The top of the indoor practice facility is so low punters sometimes knock pieces of the ceiling loose. Built in 1985, the facility was once known as the Taj Mahal Holtz—nicknamed after legendary Gophers coach Lou Holtz—and was a trendsetter in college football at that time.

“Now they call it the dungeon and health hazard,” Kill said.

A new football center is part of the University of Minnesota’s master facilities plan for athletics that also includes construction of the Student-Athlete Center for Excellence, and new Basketball Development Center, plus renovation of existing facilities. The plan is being privately financed but a loan from the University may be used to make the project a reality sooner than otherwise possible. Reportedly $70 million of the first phase goal of $150 million has already been secured from private sources. A total of $120 million—or 80 percent of $150 million—is necessary to start construction.

An athletic department spokesman stated awhile ago the Gophers hope to break ground this year on the master facilities plan and won’t do so in piecemeal fashion. That means the football facility won’t begin as a single endeavor.

Kill said progress is being made toward breaking ground, including soil samples examined. He expects groundbreaking for the football center to happen in August.

“I’ve been pushing for four years,” Kill said. “My job is to keep pushing. You talk about the alums, all that. I told them I’d get stuff done. I don’t even want to say we won’t get it, because we will. There’s no question it makes a difference in recruiting. …”

Hockey Notes & More

The Wild’s website lists 10 players on the roster of 25 forwards and defensemen who are 25 years old or younger, with defenseman Matt Dumba the youngest at 20.

Forward Nino Niederreiter, 22, scored an empty net goal in the third period on Monday night as the Wild won 3-0 over the Blues and took a 2-1 playoff series lead. Jason Pominville and Zach Parise scored the team’s other goals while goalie Devan Dubnyk made 17 saves to earn his first playoff shutout ever. In the series Dubnyk has a 2-1 record with 1.67 GAA and .922 save percentage.

Despite playing against a physical Blues team, the Wild had no penalties on Monday night—tying a franchise playoff record and a first for a postseason game at home.

Going into tonight’s Game Four, the Wild is 6-1 at Xcel Energy in playoff games dating back to last season. The only loss was in overtime to the Blackhawks last year.

The Wild will host a pre-game party from 6 to 8 p.m. tonight outside Gate 2 at Xcel Energy Center. Game tickets aren’t required to attend. The game begins at 8:30 p.m.

StubHub.com lists ticket prices ranging in cost from $170.72 to $880.92 for tonight’s game.

Minneapolis native and University of Minnesota law school graduate Tom Stillman is part of the Blues’ ownership group. Stillman is chairman and governor of the team.

Kevin Dorsey, who might start for the Gophers as a freshman next fall, was announced last Thursday as Player of the Year and first team selection on USA Today’s Maryland all-state basketball squad.

Tyus Jones signed autographs and posed for photos at Bloomington Kennedy High School where his brother Tre Jones played in an AAU Tournament last weekend. Tre, a ninth grader at Apple Valley High School, has experienced a growth spurt since last year and is now about the same height, 6-feet, as Tyus who declared for the NBA Draft last week as a college freshman at Duke.

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