David Shama's Minnesota Sports Headliners

Spielman: Wilfs Best NFL Owners

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

Rick Spielman has worked in the NFL for 22 years but the “best owners” who have employed him are the Wilf family.

The Vikings general manager told Sports Headliners that Mark and Zygi Wilf have impressed him with their commitment to the organization and willingness to learn. In a word, the Wilfs want to win.

“They’re willing to do whatever they have to do from their end to make that happen,” Spielman said. “They believe in the direction we’re going right now. How we’re building this roster. How we will continue to build this roster, and they’re just very, very supportive of what transpires as we go forward.

“Just being able to speak with them almost on a daily basis—or every other day basis—it’s not ownership that’s absentee. They want to know what’s going on. They want to know why we’re doing this or doing that, so they understand it as well.”

The Wilf’s involvement includes sitting with Spielman during the NFL Draft each year including the 2012 selections last week. Spielman said it’s “exciting” to have the NFL’s “best owners” in the room with him.

“They are front and center every year. They are very passionate owners but they also give you the sense that they don’t interfere. They put you in charge because they ultimately believe you are going to do the right things for the organization, but they are very, very supportive. They enjoy the draft very much.”

Part of Spielman’s philosophy in shaping the roster is to look for more than physical ability. He wants players with high football intelligence. That’s particularly an asset for what Spielman describes as the middle of a team.

Spielman believes he has the right football intelligence in new draft choice Harrison Smith at safety, along with inside linebacker Chad Greenway, center John Sullivan and quarterback Christian Ponder. “The middle of that football team from the safety to the linebacker to the center to the quarterback, those are the ones that are making all the calls and adjustments during the games,” Spielman said.

Ponder, a rookie last season, had his progress interrupted by the labor dispute that prevented players from working with coaches during the off-season. Spielman expects improvement from Ponder in 2012.

“We’re looking for strides every year,” Spielman said. “Different quarterbacks hit it at different times. I know Christian has been working extremely hard since we’ve been allowed back in the building (Winter Park). He came back in great shape. He’s out there throwing with our receivers.”

How good can Ponder become? “Time will tell,” Spielman said. “We have a lot of faith in Christian and his ability to be our franchise quarterback.”

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Worth Noting

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

Adam Weber said he’s being given an equal opportunity in Denver to demonstrate his value as a backup quarterback to Peyton Manning. The former Gophers quarterback is starting his second season with the Broncos and is confident in his abilities.

“I do know what I am doing,” Weber told Sports Headliners when asked to describe his strengths. “I am a smart quarterback, can move the ball and create plays when they break down. I am trying to be the best I can be.”

Weber, who signed last season with Denver as a free agent, worked while in college at a passing camp headlined by Manning. He describes Manning as one of the first players to practice, last to leave, and a “good person.”

Weber said that with Manning’s pass-first approach and determination to throw long, this could be a “big season” for former Gophers wide receiver Eric Decker. This will be Manning’s first season with Denver and Decker’s third. “I think all the wide receivers are excited,” Weber said.

Peyton’s brother, quarterback Eli Manning of the Super Bowl champion Giants, hosts NBC TV’s Saturday Night Live this Saturday night. Peyton has also hosted SNL.

Sports industry experts might be startled by the lack of knowledge some Minnesota legislators have displayed during the Vikings stadium debate this spring. What’s also alarming is you can be certain some legislators aren’t too savvy on other issues that also involve policy making.

Gophers athletic director Joel Maturi told Sports Headliners he understands his replacement, Norwood Teague, will be on campus for a “couple of visits” before taking over full time in early July. Teague’s pre-July work is expected to include meetings with Maturi and Gophers associate athletic directors, and also major donors and backers of the program.

Maturi said he has no announcement yet on a major Gophers home basketball game for the 2012 nonconference season. Nor is there any final word on coach Tubby Smith’s possible contract extension. “You know as much as I do,” Maturi said.

In a group email sent by Maturi this week to Gophers supporters, he reported that 413 Gophers student-athletes have been honored for maintaining a 3.0 cumulative GPA during their careers.

If you keep a Big Ten football calendar, circle Saturday, September 1 for the game in Arlington, Texas between defending national champion Alabama and Michigan. Other Big Ten nonconference games that day include Boise State at Michigan State, and Iowa at Northern Illinois (Soldier Field, Chicago). The Gophers open their schedule on August 30 at UNLV.

The Big Ten has announced kickoff times for two of the Gophers conference games. The September 29 game at Iowa starts at 11 a.m. Minneapolis time. The October 13 game at home against Northwestern also begins at 11 a.m.

The Twins have the No. 2 pick in next month’s MLB amateur draft. Mark Appel, a junior pitcher at Stanford, has to be one of the prospects the Twins have under review. He’s 6-1 this year with a 2.73 ERA and struck out 81 batters in 79 innings.

Not only do the Twins have the worst record in Major League Baseball at 6-18 but their Rochester Triple-A farm team is off to a slow start at 10-16.

Second baseman Tsuyoshi Nishioka continues to struggle at Rochester hitting .203 with no home runs and three RBI. Joe Benson, considered one of the organization’s better outfield prospects, is hitting .186. Starting pitcher Scott Diamond is 4-1 with a 2.84 ERA. He’s tied for the league lead in wins.

Drew Butera, who the Twins recalled from Rochester this week, led all Twins catchers in games caught last year, 93. He threw out 20 base stealers last season, ninth most in the American League.

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Put the Lynx near Your Heart

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

If you only reserve your money and emotions for winning teams, then invest in the Lynx. That’s the advice of Sports Headliners after contemplating likeability rankings of the major local pro sports franchises along with the Gophers.

Season outlooks for Minnesota teams are often dreary as real estate values. The April start by the Twins is the latest evidence of our “Losers Club,” but as we look toward the next 12 months we aren’t without hope.

Here are Sports Headliners’ rankings as to who is most and least likely to make us happy:

Love those Lynx. The 2011 WNBA champs brought the first pro title to town since the 1991 World Series Twins. The Lynx opened training camp last Sunday and have their star players returning, including three who will play for Team USA in the Olympics. Seimone Augustus, Maya Moore and Lindsay Whalen are winners, and that’s what these rankings are all about. No guarantees but it will be no surprise at all if the Lynx win the WNBA title again.

The hockey Gophers played in the NCAA semifinals where they lost to eventual national champ Boston College. Minnesota goalie Kent Patterson had a great season but is a senior and will have to be replaced. If the Gophers don’t see young talents like Nick Bjugstad leave for the pros during the off-season, or somehow experience other important personnel losses, Minnesota might be even better next winter than last. The Gophers could certainly start the season ranked among the top college hockey teams in the country.

Before Spanish point guard Ricky Rubio tore his ACL and was sidelined, the Wolves were approaching unprecedented recent popularity. Injuries later hit other teammates and the team’s collapse was as attention demanding as the wonderful start to the season led by Rubio and star forward Kevin Love. What’s next for this franchise isn’t easy to answer. Rubio might not be the same player next season as last, and the complementary pieces to Rubio and Love aren’t in place yet.

The Gophers basketball team looks good on paper. We’ll wait and see how they look on the court in February before moving them higher in the rankings. Academics, off-court behavior issues and injuries have wrecked past Tubby Smith teams. Like their predecessors, this Gophers team will not be deep in talent but Minnesota does have three exceptional starters in forwards Rodney Williams and Trevor Mbakwe, and point guard Andre Hollins. Pray for good fortune.

Jerry Kill has more admirers than any coach or manager I can remember who won just 25 percent of his games in a first season. Maybe all these admirers know something. I think they do. Kill’s second year team could win half its games and earn a bowl game invitation. More important, the Gophers just might look pretty good even in games they play against the better teams in the Big Ten. Put your money and emotions on Kill’s Gophers in 2014 and 2015.

The Wild has off-season personnel acquisition intentions like the Wolves. The franchise had a fast start under first year coach Mike Yeo who looks like the right guy on the bench for this team. But the Wild faded miserably during the season and missed the playoffs for a fourth consecutive season. Too many injuries and too few goals. This is a franchise that has shown it can draw fans, but not win many games. We’re waiting.

Maybe it’s the optimism of the off-season and the glitz of last week’s NFL draft, but we’re nudging the Vikings ahead of the Twins in the rankings. Yeah, the 3-13 record of last season will be remembered for a long time but this club has some playmakers. Like they say, on a lot of Sunday afternoons running back Adrian Peterson or wide receiver Percy Harvin can be worth the price of admission. And don’t you just feel better about yourself when Jared Allen does his calf-roping celebration after another franchise record sack? Come on downtown to see the Vikes before they head west. (Just kidding. I think).

It’s not all bad news about the Twins. I am still smiling after that acrobatic double play turned last week by shortstop Jamey Carroll and second baseman Trevor Plouffe against the Red Sox. New left fielder Josh Willingham can even hit balls over the fence at anti-home run Target Field. So far the starting pitching is probably the worst in the franchise’s 51 season history but there’s a way around that. The Sports Headliners method is to watch the half innings when the Twins bat. When the Twins pitchers are throwing, tune in the Golf Channel. Both your mood and golf swing will improve.

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