David Shama's Minnesota Sports Headliners

Kill Likely Working Tomorrow at Game

Posted on October 25, 2013October 25, 2013 by David Shama

Jerry Kill hasn’t coached the Gophers in a game since September 28 but tomorrow he could be more involved with the team, working from the press box at TCF Bank Stadium when Minnesota plays Nebraska.

Kill has been searching for answers regarding his seizures, and indications are he is taking a cautious step-by-step approach to resuming responsibilities as head coach. Kill surprised most everyone when his wife Rebecca drove them from Minneapolis to Evanston early last Saturday morning. The coach watched the Gophers and Wildcats from the press box, and inspired his team with his presence including in the locker room.

“He means so much to us,” defensive end Theiren Cockran said.

It’s well documented there is a lot of affection between Kill and his players. “My reaction (to last Saturday) was my heart just dropped and I was so glad to see him up and healthy,” quarterback Philip Nelson said.

Kill didn’t even attend the Michigan game on October 5 because he had suffered a seizure and didn’t do any coaching in Evanston but a Gophers source who didn’t want to be identified expects Kill to be more active in tomorrow’s game.

Tracy Claeys, the team’s defensive coordinator who is temporarily head coach, said Kill was in the office earlier this week and expected him at practice. “I am sure he will be in the press box (tomorrow),” Claeys said.

If Kill isn’t in the press box and taking a larger role with game day direction, it may indicate a setback in his process of trying to find the right medications and other solutions to the recurring seizures that have drawn national attention. Nelson is optimistic about Kill’s progress. “I think the way that he was on Saturday, I think we’re getting pretty close to seeing him around a little bit more,” Nelson said.

Kill frequently talks about having a “signature win” for his program and there is an opportunity tomorrow against 5-1 Nebraska, a top 25 team and a program the Gophers haven’t defeated since 1960. Minnesota is 5-2 after defeating Northwestern and needs one more win to become bowl eligible for a second consecutive season.

The Gophers are 1-2 in the Big Ten with five more conference games remaining on the eight game league schedule. With the midway point of the Big Ten schedule reached tomorrow for Minnesota, here are the latest Sports Headliners power rankings of league teams along with projected final records in conference games.

1. Ohio State, 8-0

2. Wisconsin, 7-1

3. Michigan State, 7-1

4. Nebraska, 7-1

5. Michigan, 5-3

6. Iowa, 4-4

7. Penn State, 3-5

8. Indiana, 3-5

9. Northwestern, 1-7

10. Illinois, 2-6

11. Minnesota, 2-6

12. Purdue, 0-8

Northwestern, 0-3 and a preseason favorite to win the Legends Division, might be better than Penn State and Indiana but early schedule losses and injuries, combined with demanding upcoming games against Iowa, Nebraska, Michigan and Michigan State, will make this a surprisingly difficult season for the Wildcats who will defeat Illinois in the season finale.

The Gophers’ second Big Ten win and sixth overall victory will come at home November 9 against Penn State. Next best opportunity is November 2 at Indiana but that’s a circle-it game for the Hoosiers too.

Worth Noting

Gophers interim coach Tracy Claeys on what he did to celebrate Minnesota’s win over Northwestern Saturday: “I went to bed once we got back (home).”

Gophers sophomore defensive end Theiren Cockran has four sacks in seven games. He is tied with three others for the second most sacks in the Big Ten Conference. Cockran is dedicated to watching video of pro football’s best pass rushers including Aldon Smith and Von Miller. “Their technique is unbelievable…but it’s mostly their will and determination to get back there (into the backfield),” Cockran said.

Peter Mortell, a non-scholarship walk-on sophomore, is the second leading punter in the Big Ten with a 43.6 yard average. Mortell said in high school he received scholarship offers from Air Force and Central Michigan. Northwestern also wanted him to walk-on.

Mortell completed a pass last year on a fake field goal attempt against Michigan. Asked if the Gophers might have a fake punt play where he passes, he said, “Yes, sir. I hope so.”

Josh Freeman has lost nine of his last 10 starts as an NFL quarterback including his debut with the Vikings on Monday night. Christian Ponder, the man he replaced, is 5 and 5 in his last 10.

The Packers, who play the Vikings on Sunday night at Mall of America Field, have won three consecutive games and are in first place in the NFC North with a 4-2 record. The Packers (nine) and Vikings (five) have won 14 of the last 19 NFC Central/North Division championships.

Mike McCarthy, Packers head coach since 2006, is 10-4 against the Vikings during regular season games and swept Minnesota in four seasons, 2006, 2007, 2010 and 2011.

Vikings running back Adrian Peterson said his hamstring injury dates back “four or five weeks” but the coaches didn’t know about it until last week. The hamstring has improved and Peterson expects to run with confidence Sunday in a game he describes as a “must-win.”

“This is a divisional game. It’s a home game,” Peterson said. “We’re 1-5 so we need to pull out everything we can.”

Vikings defensive end Jared Allen has 17 career sacks against the Packers, the second most ever against Green Bay by an NFL player. Steve McMichael, with 18, has the most.

The game Sunday evening will be televised on NBC with Edina’s Michele Tafoya doing sideline reporting. Analyst Cris Collinsworth criticized the pass blocking of Vikings left tackle Phil Loadholt during a preseason game in August. It will be interesting to hear if he critiques Loadholt and the struggling Vikings line.

Former Viking and Packer Darren Sharper will be the radio sideline reporter for WestwoodOne Sports.

The Vikings continue to negotiate with the Gophers regarding details for use of TCF Bank Stadium in 2014 and 2015. Issues include possible seat expansion, field heating and concession stands.

Bethel (6-0, 4-0 MIAC) hosts Gustavus (4-2, 2-2) tomorrow in a showcase conference football game. Bethel will try to limit the productivity of Gustavus running back Jeffrey Dubose who has 845 rushing yards and 14 touchdowns in six games.

The Timberwolves are the eighth best team in the Western Conference, according to Sports Illustrated’s NBA preview issue published this week. The review of the Wolves includes quotes from an anonymous scout who raves about point guard Ricky Rubio’s passing and court vision. “Rubio’s ability is so off the charts that even if he only became a passable shooter, he could be an All-Star,” the scout said.

Gophers men’s and women’s basketball coaches Richard Pitino and Pam Borton will host a joint media day on campus Monday. Thursday they will be in Chicago for Big Ten Basketball Media Day. Pitino will bring Andre Hollins and Austin Hollins to Chicago to meet with the media while Borton’s players will be Rachel Banham, Sara Nogi and Micaella Riche. BTN.com will stream live coverage of media day from Chicago.

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Tyus Jones Open to Early College Exit

Posted on October 23, 2013October 23, 2013 by David Shama

Debbie Jones, mother of Apple Valley senior point guard Tyus Jones, told Sports Headliners her son is open to playing only one year of college basketball. “If the opportunity presents itself, then absolutely,” Debbie said.

Leaving for the NBA after one season has been discussed with coaches recruiting Jones. The possibility of playing only as a freshman hasn’t deterred the biggest names in college coaching from pursuing Jones who is rated by Rivals.com as the No. 5 player in the nation for the prep class of 2014.

The final schools Jones is considering signing a Letter of Intent with are Baylor, Duke, Kansas and Minnesota. NCAA rules allow high school seniors to sign from November 13-20. There is a second signing period next spring from April 16-May 21.

Jones plans to sign with a school in November. An announcement regarding his college choice will come during the first or second week next month, according to his mom.

How the announcement will be done hasn’t been determined but Debbie said, “We’ll probably do something at the school (Apple Valley).” She indicated her son’s announcement is likely to happen at the same time as Jahlil Okafor’s. A well publicized pact between Jones and Okafor to attend college together is likely to remain in place. Okafor is a center from Chicago’s Whitney High School and is rated by Rivals.com as the No. 1 player nationally in the 2014 class.

Debbie said it’s “doubtful” her son and Okafor will choose separate schools, and acknowledged the Chicago superstar doesn’t have the Gophers on his final list of possible colleges. “If they go together to school that unfortunately would eliminate the Gophers,” Debbie said.

Okafor’s list of schools is reportedly Baylor, Duke and Kansas. He and Tyus visited Kansas together last weekend and over Labor Day weekend were at Baylor. Okafor is expected to join his friend at Duke this weekend.

Jones and his mom leave tomorrow for Duke, the last official visit the two will make in narrowing down the list of schools. On Saturday they will watch the Blue Devils in an exhibition game against Bowie State.

Tyus has been one of the most coveted athletes in Minnesota prep history. Debbie said the family is appreciative of all the attention but it will be a relief to end the selection process.

She also said there haven’t been any offers from schools that are in violation of NCAA rules. “I think people kind of know who we are. They know they’re dealing with people who don’t operate that way.”

Worth Noting

Debbie Jones’ youngest son, eighth grader Tre Jones, starts tryouts with the Apple Valley High School varsity on November 11. She said Tre will know after the first week of practice whether he made the team — as older brother Tyus did as an eighth grader.

The Timberwolves play the Sixers tonight who have a preseason roster that includes former Gophers Royce White and Rodney Williams. White leads the Sixers in personal fouls per game, 4.25. In five games he is averaging five points. Williams has played in one game for 19 minutes and didn’t score but had one block, rebound and assist.

Look for the Vikings to honor Cris Carter at their home game on November 7 against the Redskins. The former wide receiver was enshrined earlier this year in the Pro Football Hall of Fame.

Despite the combined dismal 1-10 record of the Vikings and Giants, their Monday night game was the most watched NFL telecast on ESPN in three weeks, according to a story yesterday on Sportsmediawatch.com.

Fans are welcome at the Gopher Gridiron Luncheon program starting at 11:30 a.m. on Friday at Jax Café in northeast Minneapolis. The program includes a Gophers coach and two players with Mike Grimm as emcee. More information is available at GoalLineClub.com. Membership in the Goal Line Club is not required to attend the luncheon which previews Minnesota’s game at home on Saturday against Nebraska.

A hockey source requesting anonymity told Sports Headliners that Wild owner Craig Leipold’s “patience” with coach Mike Yeo may not last more than a few more weeks. “They should be (playing) better than they are,” the source said earlier this week before the Wild defeated Nashville 2-0 last night.

The Wild is 4-3-3 in the first few weeks of the season. Not only is the win total disappointing but the team isn’t reaching its potential in creating “scoring chances,” the source said. The Wild had one goal last night until scoring on an empty net with 24 seconds remaining.

This is Yeo’s first NHL employment as a head coach and third season with the Wild. The team made the playoffs last season after a five year absence but the source suggested the Wild isn’t playing at last year’s level when the final record was a mediocre 26-19-2.

With a ho-hum start, the Wild has been behind the Vikings, Gophers football and even the Timberwolves (season hasn’t started) in generating local sports interest.

Sam Warning, the Gophers 21-year-old junior wing, is tied for the nation’s scoring lead in points with Kevin Roy from Northeastern. Warning has nine points in four games after scoring 23 last season in 29 games. He is the first Missouri native to ever play for the Gophers.

The Gophers men’s and women’s hockey teams are ranked No. 1 in the country in the USCHO.com polls.

Daydreaming about the Twins? What if the front office used some Target Field revenues to acquire Tigers stopper Max Scherzer who is expected to sign with another MLB team during the offseason. Scherzer in a Twins uniform gives the club a No. 1 starting pitcher and signing with Minnesota weakens Central Division rival Detroit. Thoughts of a starting staff in a few years of Scherzer as the No. 1 guy, Alex Meyer No. 2 and Kyle Gibson No. 3 is intriguing.

Yesterday’s announcement that Paul Molitor will join the coaching staff with responsibilities that include in-game strategy leaves Twins followers wondering just how “hot” Ron Gardenhire’s manager seat is.

Local business leaders Dave Mona and Susan Adams Loyd are volunteer co-chairs for the National Senior Games to be held at various Twin Cities venues during July of 2015. The National Senior Games is the largest multi-sport event in the world for adults 50 and over, and 12,000 athletes and 30,000 guests are expected to attend the 2015 gathering. Loyd competes in track and field events for seniors, while Mona’s sports interests include co-hosting WCCO Radio’s “Sports Huddle.”

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Jared Allen Wants Angry Vikings Tonight

Posted on October 21, 2013October 22, 2013 by David Shama

Forget whether the 1-4 Vikings are going to win tonight’s nationally televised game against the 0-6 Giants at MetLife Stadium in New Jersey. The question of the moment is will the Vikings play ugly again?

Last week’s 35-6 loss to the 2-3 Panthers was the Vikings’ most embarrassing defeat of the season. The team’s will to win was questioned and the coaches’ ability to prepare was second-guessed.

The Panthers possessed the football for about 13 minutes longer than the Vikings and held Minnesota to 75 yards rushing in their win at Mall of America Field. The results added on to a statistically unimpressive season for the Vikings that includes giving up 418 yards per game, the most in the 32-team NFL.

“You never see yourself losing a game like that. That’s for sure,” said defensive end Brian Robison. “It was not something that we wanted to show in front of our home crowd and we just gotta make sure it doesn’t happen again.”

Robison’s teammate at the other end of the line, Jared Allen, was blunt after last week’s game when talking about expectations for tonight. “I hope people rebound a little angry,” he said. “I hope guys are pissed off. I hope their feelings are hurt.

“I am a positive human being. There’s something to a little negative reinforcement. I hope this sticks in everybody’s guts a little bit. Sticks in their craw and we can come back and remember this feeling.

“This is embarrassing and I hope they (Vikings teammates) remember that and come back and say, ‘Hey, I’ll flip that on somebody else and not on myself.’ That’s how you bounce back. You go to New York and we play physical football.”

Former Vikings defensive lineman Bob Lurtsema was emotional after the Panthers game. “If they (the Vikings) don’t like playing and they can accept getting beat as a competitor, then they’ve wore out their welcome to the National Football League and wore out their welcome to their career. I hate losing but I always learned from losing. How can I improve? How can I get better?”

Lurtsema said it’s not the responsibility of head coach Leslie Frazier to give motivational talks each week, emphasizing that players need to prepare mentally on their own. “Their whole season is on the line next week (Monday night),” Lurtsema said recently. “Everybody. …Any athlete who does not bring his ‘A’ game next week should be cut by the locker room after the game.”

To keep from playing ugly tonight the Vikings will not only need effort but solid fundamentals. That means knowing assignments, holding blocks, using proper tackling angles, eliminating turnovers and a lot more.

The Vikings will try their third starting quarterback of the season, newly signed Josh Freeman. If he can throw accurately and occasionally get the ball deep down field for completions, the offense will take a step in the right direction. But games are won and lost on the lines of scrimmage where both offensively and defensively the Vikings have struggled.

“Living room coaches” and other critics might be questioning whether the team’s defensive linemen are taking the proper angles after the ball is snapped. Asked about that, Robison declined to go into details. “You know you got a job to do and I got a job to do but I can’t really get into schematics right now. It’s just one of those deals where we gotta play better as players. We gotta coach better as coaches and we just gotta find a way to get a win.”

Then there is the issue of starters on the defensive line like Allen being on the sidelines more than they might like. “I hate coming off the field, especially in situations where they’re marching the ball down the field and then all of a sudden I gotta go in on the 10 yard line and make a play or something,” Allen said. “I ain’t coming off the field period. That’s not my choice. I am trying to be a team player. I am not trying to fight that. If they don’t need me on the field, or I need a rest, I guess that’s their call.”

So whether it’s schematics, playing time, revolving quarterbacks or other issues like an injury-weary secondary, there is usually drama involving the Vikings. Lots of moving parts that will determine one thing: whether this team shines in the dark tonight.

“If you go down fighting, you’ve won the game,” Lurtsema said.

Worth Noting

MetLife Stadium, the site of tonight’s Vikings-Giants game, will be the first outdoor northern facility to ever host the Super Bowl when the game is played there February 2, 2014.

Vikings ownership will likely host a larger than normal group of family and friends at the game. The Wilf family is based in the New York-New Jersey area. Owner-chairman Zygi Wilf was a passionate Giants fan for years. Owner-president Mark Wilf has also long been a football fan and was the radio voice of Princeton football in college.

If the Wilfs make a change in head coaches after this season it wouldn’t be surprising if NFL TV analyst and former Ravens Super Bowl champion coach Brian Billick has his name mentioned among possible candidates. Billick, who was a Vikings assistant coach from 1992-1998, is an extraordinary communicator and excels at public relations.

The Gophers coaches often talk about their roster’s lack of experience but seniors made some of the most important plays in Saturday’s 20-17 upset road win over Northwestern. Wide receiver Derrick Engle caught a pass for Minnesota’s only touchdown, placekicker Chris Hawthorne kicked two field goals, linebacker James Manuel returned an interception for a touchdown and defensive tackle Ra’Shede Hageman batted down three pass attempts and intercepted another ball. H-back Mike Henry caught two passes for 21 yards and his blocking helped the Gophers rush for 215 yards.

The Gophers depth chart prior to the Northwestern game listed two seniors starting on offense and four on defense. Along with Hawthorne, they made themselves noticed on Saturday as the Gophers, 5-2 overall and 1-2 in the Big Ten, moved closer to six wins and bowl game eligibility.

Minnesota’s losing tradition that includes only 10 conference wins dating back to the 2009 season had at least one Gophers fan feeling pessimistic before Saturday’s game. However, a sense of humor was also in place when he wrote this comment to Sports Headliners regarding his use of Maalox:

“I don’t bother with a spoon. I just unscrew the cap and drink it straight up. I must admit, however, that I’m not sure as to how effective it is. I’m still developing an ulcer from watching them (the Gophers) in action.”

Interim coach Tracy Claeys said on WCCO Radio yesterday morning he doesn’t know if Jerry Kill will coach this week, adding the Gophers head coach is “not 100 percent” but is continuing the process of addressing his seizures.

Don’t be surprised if University of Minnesota alum and former North Stars executive Lou Nanne heads the committee to assist Gophers athletic director Norwood Teague in raising $190 million for new athletic facilities.

The “M Club” Hall of Fame will have 10 new inductees on Thursday night during a ceremony at TCF Bank Stadium: Jon Andresen (baseball), Jim Carter (football), Natalie Darwitz (women’s hockey), Rick Naumoff (men’s tennis), Charlie Sanders (football), Krissy Wendell Pohl (women’s hockey), Gary Wilson (coach of women’s cross country and women’s track & field), Loyd LaMois (men’s track), Louis Lick (men’s golf) and Larry Ross (men’s hockey). LaMois, Lick and Ross will be inducted into the Pioneer Division, honoring those who were at Minnesota prior to 1950.

Mounds View High School football coach Jim Galvin won his 100th career game last week with a 50-47 victory over Roseville. He has a career record of 100-41.

Timberwolves point guard Ricky Rubio has his 23^rd birthday today.

Timberwolves season ticket holders are being invited Wednesday to sample new items on the concessions menu at Target Center.

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