David Shama's Minnesota Sports Headliners

Split Opinion: Vikes’ Playoff Chances

Posted on November 4, 2012November 4, 2012 by David Shama

With the NFL now at midseason does it appear the Vikings are a playoff team?

Depends on who you listen to.

Former Vikings assistant coach Dean Dalton, who now has an NFL show on Sirius Satellite Radio, thought before the season the NFC North would have three teams contending for the playoffs—the Bears, Lions and Packers. Now he’s replaced the Lions with the Vikings who play at Seattle this afternoon.

“I believe the NFC North will have two playoff teams—three in the hunt and I think two will actually make it,” Dalton told Sports Headliners. “It’s possible that three could make it.”

Dalton predicted the Bears (6-1) and Vikings (5-3) will be the NFC North playoff teams, besting a Packers team (5-3) facing a run of injuries but with a talented roster. “Green Bay has all kinds of possibilities but I like Minnesota right now because I think week in and week out they’re going to be more consistent and that’s a credit to Leslie. And it’s not a discredit to Mike McCarthy (Packers coach).”

Dalton admits he’s a “fan” of Vikings coach Leslie Frazier and likes the coaching staff. “You can see this team learning as a young group, growing,” Dalton said.

But Frazier’s record was 3-13 last season and the Vikings haven’t made the playoffs since 2009. In the “coaches are hired to be fired world of the NFL,” there’s not much job security. That’s why it wasn’t surprising Sports Illustrated included the Vikings on a short list of “teams to watch” regarding coaching changes in the coming months.

The magazine’s November 5 issue featured an NFL midseason report with a lot more than speculation about job security. S.I. forecast who will make the playoffs and did include two teams from the NFC North—but the Vikings didn’t make the cut with the magazine predicting the Bears and Packers will join the Falcons, 49ers, Giants and Seahawks in the NFC playoffs. (The Giants are predicted to defeat the Texans in the Super Bowl.)

In the same issue two Vikings made Peter King’s All-Pro midseason team, 35-year- old cornerback Antoine Winfield and wide receiver Percy Harvin, described as “football’s most dangerous receiver/returning weapon.” King chose Harvin as his Offensive Player of the Year.

U Bowl Fate & More Notes

With three games remaining on the regular schedule, the 5-4 Gophers need one more win to be bowl eligible and the only likely “w” is the Illinois game next Saturday. The 2-7 Illini will have the Gophers at home but Illinois is 0-5 in the Big Ten and the team’s only wins are over Western Michigan and Charleston Southern.

The Gophers’ other two remaining games are against 7-2 Nebraska in Lincoln and 5-5 Michigan State in Minneapolis. After yesterday’s 35-13 loss to Michigan at TCF Bank Stadium, the Gophers were still targeting a bowl game for the first time since 2009.

“We gotta look forward to the next game,” said cornerback Troy Stoudermire. “We gotta help the young guys keep their heads up. Gotta keep motivating Philip (Nelson) because if he goes in the tank, we don’t have a chance to get to a bowl game.”

The Gophers played a strong first quarter against Michigan but were dominated the rest of the game. Nelson, Minnesota’s freshman quarterback, believes the Gophers weren’t “embarrassed.” “At the same time there’s nothing to be happy about,” he said.

“We gotta erase it right now,” said wide receiver MarQueis Gray after the Michigan game. “Just start getting ready for Illinois tomorrow.”

ESPN plans to have Chris Berman interview Mitt Romney and Barack Obama during halftime of Monday night’s Saints-Eagles game, according to various reports.

The Gophers basketball team plays its second and final exhibition game tomorrow night at home against Southwest Baptist. Right now it looks like Minnesota’s starters are forwards Joe Coleman and Rodney Williams, center Elliott Eliason, and guards Andre Hollins and Austin Hollins.

Wild coach Mike Yeo and Gophers basketball coach Tubby Smith are among those growing moustaches in November to raise awareness about prostate cancer. Smith is a prostate cancer survivor. Learn about the Wild’s efforts, www.wild.com/movember.

The St. Thomas men’s basketball team scored 41 points more against Winona State last Thursday night than when the two teams met in 2011. In last week’s exhibition between the Division III Tommies and Division II Winona State, St. Thomas won 93-83 in Winona while making 15 three pointers and 28 of 32 free throws. A year ago this month Winona State won 84-52.

Responding to a question via email, Tommies coach John Tauer said his nationally ranked team has high expectations. Tauer wrote: “With 10 of our top 11 back from last season, along with a talented group of newcomers, we have a chance to be very good. …”

Congratulations to Eagan-based author Ross Bernstein on his two new books, World Series Winners: What It Takes to Claim Baseball’s Ultimate Prize; and Wearing the C: Leadership Secrets of Hockey’s Greatest Captains. The baseball book has a foreword by Hall of Famer Paul Molitor, with insights from many other former Twins players. The hockey book includes interviews with a long list of well-known Minnesota names from Matt Cullen to Bobby Smith.

Twins pitcher Glen Perkins will speak at the Oakes Family Benefit next Saturday at Ridges at Sand Creek in Jordan. Assistant Gophers baseball coach Todd Oakes is doing well in his recovery from leukemia. An auction will include courtside Timberwolves tickets. The event begins at 6 p.m.

The Twins probably can’t afford him, but Tigers free agent pitcher Anibal Sanchez is the kind of innings-eater Minnesota needs. He has pitched near 200 innings each of the last three seasons.

The eighth annual Twins Diamond Awards event will be January 24 at Target Field and will benefit brain, nerve and muscle disorders research at the University of Minnesota. Among the award winners are Most Valuable Twin Josh Willingham, Pitcher of the Year Scott Diamond and Ben Revere, Most Improved Player.

Last week’s NWCA/USA Today Coaches Poll had the Gophers wrestling team ranked No. 1 in the country. The Gophers’ season opens on Friday at home against Hofstra. Big Ten teams have won the last seven consecutive national championships.

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Jerry Burns: Give Ponder Time

Posted on November 2, 2012November 2, 2012 by David Shama

Jerry Burns is sometimes as perplexed by Christian Ponder’s decisions as the team’s fans but the former Vikings head coach is supportive of the second-year quarterback.

“Sometimes I am really enthused and sometimes I wonder why did he do this?” Burns told Sports Headliners. “He’s deserving of a full year before any decisions are made.”

The Vikings offense has produced four touchdowns in the last two games. Fair or not, Ponder was booed in the team’s last home game, a 36-17 loss to the Bucs. The Vikings had various issues in the game including poor pass protection.

“That loss can’t be attributed to him (Ponder),” Burns said. “It was a very poorly played game (by the Vikings).”

Ponder has 10 touchdown passes and seven interceptions in eight games. He didn’t throw an interception in the first four but in the last four he’s had three games where he threw two interceptions. He’s criticized for holding the ball too long at times and struggling to make decisions, but Burns said additional experience for Ponder and some of his inexperienced teammates on offense creates potential for better days ahead.

The Vikings (5-3) hope that both the offense and defense play better on Sunday in Seattle against the Seahawks (4-4) than in the Bucs game. A loss would be the Vikings’ third in four games but a win positions the team to stay strong in the NFC North race with consecutive division games starting on November 11 against the Lions, then the Bears, Packers and Bears again.

The Seahawks are 3-0 at home this season, the Vikings 1-2 on the road. “They play very well at home and Seattle is a very rabid city,” Burns said.

Seattle head coach Pete Carroll was Burns’ defensive backfield coach with the Vikings in the 1980s. “He’s a very sharp guy,” Burns said.

Burns also said Carroll is an excellent motivator who relates effectively to both players and coaches. “He’s a very good friend of mine. I wish him well but not particularly this Sunday.”

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10 Wins Ahead for U Football?

Posted on November 2, 2012November 2, 2012 by David Shama

The Gophers might be working on a 10 wins season two years from now, according to J Leman. The former Illinois linebacker is a Big Ten Network sideline reporter and admires Gophers coach Jerry Kill.

Before Leman committed to Illinois, Kill tried to recruit him at Southern Illinois where he was then head coach. Leman has known about Kill not only for his work in turning around a horrible Southern Illinois program but also his success with other teams.

“I think he’s won everywhere he’s went,” Leman told Sports Headliners prior to last Saturday’s Minnesota win over Purdue. “I don’t think coach Kill is flashy but he’s blue-collar and he will win football games. That’s the way he wants it.

“Frankly, I think most college football fans are sick of flashy. They just want wins, and that’s what coach Kill does.”

The Gophers are 5-3 this season and 1-3 in Big Ten games. This is Kill’s second year coaching Minnesota and Leman described the program as making “sold progression” with a chance to qualify for a bowl game.

“I think next year seven or eight wins is definitely not out of the question, and I think in year four you’re going to see a team that is competing in the upper echelon of the Big Ten (Conference). I think eight to 10 wins during that year—year four—is not out of reach with the amount of freshmen and sophomores they have playing right now.”

Worth Noting

Redshirt freshman Jon Christenson started the season as a reserve but the former walk-on became a starter at guard and now is the Gophers center. He’s earned praise from coach Jerry Kill and new starting quarterback Philip Nelson.

“He’s one of the hardest working kids I’ve ever met,” Nelson said. “In the hotel (last) Friday night he’s snapping to me, making sure his snaps are perfect, exactly wherever I want them. He didn’t have any bad snaps throughout that whole game (Purdue last Saturday).”

Nelson expects the extra time spent snapping the ball at a hotel on Friday nights will continue. “John loves feeling confident the night before,” Nelson said. “I can see why. He wants to make sure he’s perfect and that’s something we all want to do. He cares so much that he’s always finding me trying to get more snaps in, and that’s a great thing as a quarterback.”

Nelson, a true freshman, makes his third start for the Gophers tomorrow at TCF Bank Stadium against Michigan. If Nelson were injured, MarQueis Gray told Sports Headliners he could switch from wide receiver to quarterback. “I feel like I am good enough health wise to go out there and play quarterback again,” Gray said.

Would Gray, who was the Gophers starter at quarterback before missing games because of a high ankle sprain and knee injury, be asked to replace Nelson? Or would the replacement be sophomore Max Shortell, leaving Gray at wide receiver?

“I really don’t know,” Gray said. “Most likely be Max—probably because he’s the No. 2 and I am strictly the receiver, but who knows? Time comes, and they need me to play quarterback, I’ll be ready.”

Gray was optimistic about beating Michigan for the first time in Minneapolis since 1977 and claiming the Little Brown Jug: “I know that’s going to be good for us—and plus, the alumni who hasn’t won it.”

Gophers senior Troy Stoudermire entered this season needing only 315 more kickoff return yards to set the NCAA record for total yardage. But with four games remaining, he is 129 yards short of the 315. “I feel I will crack it open,” said Stoudermire. He made it clear, though, that seeing the Gophers play in a bowl game is more important to him.

Here are Sports Headliners’ weekly Big Ten power rankings: Ohio State, Nebraska, Penn State, Michigan, Michigan State, Northwestern, Wisconsin, Minnesota, Iowa, Indiana, Purdue and Illinois.

St. Thomas, 6-0 in the MIAC standings, heads to Concordia, Moorhead this morning for a game tomorrow afternoon against the 5-1 Cobbers. Concordia and Bethel are tied for second place in the league football standings.

The first place Tommies also have a game remaining against 4-2 St. Olaf. “It seems like every week is a big game,” St. Thomas coach Glenn Caruso told Sports Headliners. “We know we get everybody’s ‘A’ game.”

Concordia sophomore quarterback Griffin Neal had almost 300 yards in total offense last week and accounted for five touchdowns in a 51-27 win over Carleton. “We knew he was good,” Caruso said. “We recruited him as well. He’s a nice combination passer and runner.”

Caruso likes the Cobbers’ defensive experience. “They return 10 starters and seven are seniors,” he said.

St. Thomas has been hit by injuries, particularly on offense where eight backups have stepped in as starters over the course of the season (five on defense). “It’s been a tumultuous year for injuries. We finished with our third string quarterback last Saturday,” Caruso said.

But the Tommies keep winning with amazing personnel balance. No St.Thomas player has more than 500 rushing or receiving yards. No Tommie is averaging more than five receptions per game. (See the St. Thomas football website for a more complete description of how so many players have contributed to the team’s success.)

Although the trip to Moorhead is the longest of the year, Caruso enjoys the outing. He met his wife in Fargo and the couple still has friends in the area. With a nationally ranked Division III team, and friends to see, not even the prospect of gloomy weather in the North Country can deter the coach’s enthusiasm.

Caruso has been checking weather forecasts since Sunday and has steadily seen predicted temps for Saturday go down and skies darken. Saturday could be a high of 36 degrees with snow. “I look at the weather about eight times per day,” he said. “I should stop looking.”

The American Hockey League announced yesterday that Aeros center Mikael Granlund is the CCM/AHL Rookie of the Month for October. The 20-year-old Granlund, the Wild’s No. 1 draft pick in 2010, had three goals and seven assists in seven games, along with a plus-five rating.

Maybe Adam Wilcox can record a second career shutout tonight at Mariucci Arena or Saturday evening in Mankato. The Gopher freshman shutout Canisius 1-0 last Sunday and could win the job as Minnesota’s regular goalie. Minnesota hosts Minnesota State, Mankato tonight before playing on the Mavericks’ home ice Saturday. The No. 2 ranked Gophers have 15 players on the roster who have been drafted by NHL teams.

USA Today columnist Michael Hiestand reported in Monday’s edition that the seven lowest television ratings for the World Series are the last seven years. Multiple sources reported the 2012 World Series drew record-low ratings.

If Twins manager Ron Gardenhire resigned or was fired next season, a guess is the leading candidates to replace him will be minor league manager Gene Glynn or Hall of Famer Paul Molitor.

Minnesotan Thomas Friedman, the Pulitzer Prize winning author and New York Times columnist, was in Minneapolis this week. Friedman said he and WCCO TV’s Mark Rosen attended journalism class together at St. Louis Park High School.

David Jones will speak to the C.O.R.E.S. group at a noon luncheon on Thursday, November 8 in Bloomington. Jones is known for his presentations on historical figures and will talk to C.O.R.E.S. about factors influencing ongoing discussion and debate of President John Kennedy’s assassination. Anyone interested in further information can contact Jim Dotseth, dotsethj@comcast.net.

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