David Shama's Minnesota Sports Headliners

Don’t Bet Against Kirk Cousins Comeback

Posted on January 30, 2024 by David Shama

Kirk Cousins had serious but successful surgery on his right Achilles tendon almost three months ago. At age 35, there is reason to be concerned about future performance by the Vikings’ soon to be free agent quarterback regardless of who he plays for next season.

How will his on-field mobility be? Hardly a turf-field dancer during his 12 season NFL career, a more limited Cousins could be a stationary target and easy prey in the pocket next fall. That status would make Cousins less productive and potentially prone to injuries including a concussion. Best case scenario might be okay maneuverability next season, with improvement the year after.

There is also a possibility of re-injury to the Achilles. That development would almost assuredly end Cousins’ career which other than last fall has been one of good fortune and durability. Even a less than stable right leg could lessen Cousins’ trademark arm strength.

Advances in surgery and rehabilitation have changed the outcomes of serious lower leg injuries for NFL players. The greatest quarterback of all time, Tom Brady, recovered from ACL knee surgery in 2008 and played 14 more seasons. Adrian Peterson, the Vikings GOAT RB, injured his left knee in late 2011 and recovered from ACL surgery to have one of his best seasons in 2012.

However, Achilles tendon surgery is generally considered more problematic than ACL knee surgery for a football player. Rams’ running back Cam Akers, though, made a recovery in less than six months a couple of years ago, shaving multiple months off his scheduled return to the field. Reports now on the recovery by Jets’ quarterback Aaron Rodgers after his 2023 Achilles tendon surgery are cheery and basketball players like Kevin Durant also have success stories following the potential career-threatening injury.

Cousins is a high character athlete who will follow advice and instruction at a GOAT level. He will use intelligence, common sense, work ethic and determination to provide himself with the best possible recovery outcome. He told NBC a while ago he expects to go from walking to jogging by February 1.

Cousins built his reputation as a top-twelve NFL quarterback on his strong arm, accuracy and football intelligence. Never considered a scrambling or running threat, Cousins does need to achieve mobility and lower body strength similar to the past to make his comeback successful. It’s reasonable–with no guarantees—to think of a recovery timeline that allows him to be on the field when the NFL schedule starts up next September.

Don’t bet against him regardless of where he calls home later in 2024.

Worth Noting

NFC North Division rivals Detroit and Green Bay are reminding Vikings fans of the alternatives in building quarterback success.

The division champion Lions have an eight-year career veteran in Jared Goff. He is similar in experience, league quarterback reputation and skill set to Cousins. The Lions have built an impressive total team and coaching support around Goff that could lead them to a Super Bowl in 2025. The Vikings? Much more of a long shot, although a healthy Cousins and significantly improved defensive personnel would shorten the odds.

The Packers have employed three starting quarterbacks in the last 31 years. The GB way is to identify quarterback potential and develop it. Aaron Rodgers sat for three seasons behind starter Brett Favre. After Rodgers left for the Jets in the 2023 off-season, the Packers turned to Jordan Love who had also been in development for three seasons. Love’s hot finish in his first year as a starter almost got the Packers to the NFC championship game this month.

It’s looking like much-admired Vikings defensive coordinator Brian Flores will not be hired away for a head coaching job. Flores, the Dolphins former head coach, has a discrimination lawsuit against the NFL and three of its teams that remains unsettled. His return for at least one more season will be a major plus for Minnesota.

Gabriel Gonzalez, 20, the outfielder who the Twins acquired from the Mariners yesterday as one of four players coming to Minneapolis in return for second baseman Jorge Polanco is only 5-10 and 165-pounds, but he has surprising power and could turn out to be the gem of the trade for Minnesota. In 477 at bats in the low minors last year he hit 18 home runs.

Minnesota Wild general manager Bill Guerin, speaking before a gathering of more than 300 at the Minnesota Breakfast Club in Naples, Florida this month, talked candidly about his disappointing team. The Wild currently has 47 points, the second lowest total in the eight-team Central Division and is 5-9 this month including a two-game losing streak.

In the fall Minnesota had been forecast as a solid bet for the playoffs but prospects are iffy now. Breakfast attendee Marshall Tanick emailed Sports Headliners that Guerin said his in-season head coaching hire John Hynes (who replaced Dean Evason) is a “very detailed, very organized guy” who will help players in their preparations and performances.

Positives this season, per Guerin, include 39-year-old Marc-Andre Fleury becoming the second winningest all-time NHL goalie and the play of former Gopher defenseman Brock Faber who is impressing after joining the Wild for two games last spring.

Entertaining storyteller Bob Hagan, who for many years headed the Vikings’ public relations department, is the latest guest on Behind the Game with co-host Patrick Klinger and Dave Boden. Hagan, whose well-known quip at news conferences was “time for two more,” talks on the show about a career that made him one of the NFL’s well-known team communications leaders. https://youtu.be/maTN5BM4c4o.

Condolences to the family and friends of Phil Frerk who passed away from congestive heart failure earlier this month. He coached St. Louis Park girls’ basketball teams to state championships in 1986 and 1990. In retirement, the mild-mannered Frerk helped lead the CORES organization that hosted prominent speakers at luncheon gatherings in Bloomington. CORES is an acronym for coaches, officials, reporters, educators and sports fans.

Birthday club: Former Gophers All-American tight end and 1970s Viking Doug Kingsriter turned 74 yesterday, January 29. Authoritative Star Tribune Gopher basketball beat reporter Marcus Fuller celebrated his 45^th birthday last week.

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Vikes & Fans Will Be Immersed in Off-Season Drama

Posted on January 8, 2024January 8, 2024 by David Shama

Now the Great Quarterback Watch begins. “Purple Nation” waits in anticipation the next few months to learn how the Vikings intend to solve their quarterback dilemma and who will lead the offense next season.

Fairly or not, the result may define the general manager era of Kwesi Adofo-Mensah. Why fairly? Because it may not be known for a while if the Wilf ownership group dictates a strategy that the franchise’s inexperienced GM disagrees with but is forced to carry out.

The Wilfs have declined past purges of the roster and the resulting long-term strategy to rebuild the club. Their “competitive rebuild” approach of recent years dictates roster patching with a minimum goal of qualifying for the playoffs.

The Wilfs want badly to win the Super Bowl. Zygi Wilf, often seen as ownership’s leader, is a serious football fan who is pained by Vikings losses. The Wilf family has stepped up with a willingness to provide the resources needed for a successful franchise including the state-of-the-art practice facility in Eagan and downtown’s U.S. Bank Stadium.

The guess here is ownership will have to be talked out of re-signing free agent Kirk Cousins if Adofo-Mensah wants to go in a new direction. If Cousins recovers by next fall from his right Achilles tendon tear last October, the offense could be among the best in the NFL. The Wilfs may take that position and argue the defense can be patched up through the NFL Draft and free agency.

The result? A likely playoff team emerging from a competitive NFC North Division but not an elite group.

Cousins is all but certain to favor staying in Minnesota. The 35-year-old likes Kevin O’Connell personally and likes the head coach’s offensive system. That system is not an easy one to master but can produce high scoring results. Cousins has about two years invested in the system, and it makes more sense to enjoy the rewards of familiarity rather than the challenge of starting over.

And how could Cousins not want to stay here and enjoy the company of pass receivers Justin Jefferson, Jordan Addison, and T.J. Hockenson? Jefferson, a superstar, has 11 career games with at least 150 yards in his first four seasons and that’s an NFL record. As a rookie this fall Addison emerged as a talented big play target and complement to Jefferson at wide receiver. Although Hockenson is a tight end, he is also a deep and intermediate threat.

Signing Cousins will be expensive but it’s safe wagering money to think he will demand less money from the Vikings than a rival organization chasing him. Cousins might be willing to accept compensation of $30 to $40 million on a two-year deal. The length of the contract could be a challenge for both Cousins and any front office that pursues him.

But that’s not to minimize the importance and amount of money the Vikings must be accountable for to their owners and NFL salary cap. Adofo-Mensah will have payroll challenges including with Jefferson who is in line for a deal that annually will rival Cousins. The Vikings have a long list of free agents including starters and headed by sack artist and defensive end Danielle Hunter who will be looking for a per yearly deal of perhaps $20 million.

Because of their 7-10 season, the Vikings will draft at No. 11 in the first round of April’s NFL Draft. They could decide to say no thanks to Cousins and draft a quarterback with the intent of starting the rookie next fall. That says rebuild and a focus on the playoffs in a couple of years.

At No. 11 the Vikings might put a trade package together and jump up even further in the draft. That might ensure the Vikes can select one of the top quarterbacks in the draft and may ultimately be their strategy.

There are six quarterbacks who could go in the first round: Caleb Williams, USC; Drake Maye, North Carolina; Jayden Daniels, LSU; Michael Penix Jr., Washington; Bo Nix, Oregon; and J.J. McCarthy, Michigan. At least a couple of them will likely still be available at No. 11.

However, the catch is it looks like there’s a gap in desirability right now between the first four and the last two quarterbacks. Nix, who turns 24 next month, may not appeal to the Vikings who could prefer McCarthy if positioned to choose between the two and failing to move up in the draft order. McCarthy is as athletic or more so than his prolific rivals, has played in a more conservative offense and is perhaps more intriguing because at 20 years old he is the youngest of them.

Williams, Maye, Daniels and Penix could be year-one starters, with the outlook more uncertain for Nix. Don’t wager anything other than yesterday’s garbage that a young McCarthy will be ready to lead an NFL team next fall.

If the Vikings tell Cousins the plan is to draft McCarthy and school the former Wolverine for a couple of years, then Kirk would almost for sure take that deal if the other contract terms were agreeable. Then the Wilfs remain in their comfort zone of “competitive rebuild.”

How competitive will the team be if there is a Cousins return? Much of that will be answered by if Hunter returns, a quality edge rusher is added or developed to complement him, and the GM finds some cornerbacks who can consistently tackle and not get lost in coverage. And, oh yes, the miracle worker defensive coordinator, Brian Flores, returns rather than accepts another NFL job, possibly as a head coach.

Lots of “Purple” drama is coming in the offseason.

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Glen Taylor Offers News on Wolves Ownership Transition

Posted on January 5, 2024January 5, 2024 by David Shama

Timberwolves and Lynx owner Glen Taylor told Sports Headliner that Marc Lore and Alex Rodriguez met their December 31 deadline to exercise the option to acquire majority control of the franchises. He also offered an update on the widely publicized $1.5 billion sales price.

Payment must be made later this year by the two men to gain 80 percent control of Minnesota’s professional basketball teams. Rodriguez and Lore reportedly already hold a 40 percent ownership share. Taylor said the final payment will not be for several weeks at the soonest and “probably not after 120 days,” with more specifics to be determined.

Asked about the accuracy of the $1.5 billion price, Taylor said, “Sort of. Yeah, kind of, but we have to negotiate a few things.”

Taylor, a long-time friend of this writer, declined to provide further details. The plan is for him to become a 20 percent owner of the teams.

Taylor expressed confidence that efforts of Lore and Rodriguez to acquire investment partners are on track. He knows at least some names of potential owners.

All of those involved with the new ownership group must be investigated and vetted by the NBA. Until the league’s Board of Governors votes approval, Rodriquez, Lore and their partners will not have their 80 percent authority. Taylor isn’t aware of a date yet when the Board of Governors will hold their vote to approve or not approve new ownership.

Fans can raise questions about the future of the franchises and where they will play. Neither Lore nor Rodriguez has ties to Minnesota, and this will be their first venture into pro sports ownership.

Their payment plan for the Wolves and Lynx began in 2021 and is unconventional in that they have needed time to raise capital and take in partners. Will they have the money, and willingness, to make their teams competitive?

What’s interesting, too, is that Lore and Rodriguez are buying low on the $1.5 billion deal, or whatever the final number turns out to be. Since the time of their agreement with Taylor, other NBA franchises have sold for more than twice as much.

To their credit, Lore and Rodriguez pushed for the hiring of general manager Tim Connelly in May of 2022. The trades bringing high impact starters Rudy Gobert and Mike Conley Jr. to Minneapolis have been vital to the Wolves now being counted among the elite teams in the NBA this season.

The team payroll, already expensive, could easily go into luxury tax territory for the 2024-2025 season. The Wolves will reportedly pay their two big men, Gobert and Karl-Anthony Towns, over $90 million as they look at an expected NBA luxury tax threshold of perhaps $172 million for the entire team. If the Wolves earn a Western Conference title—or, gulp—an NBA championship, will ownership go beyond $172 million and pay the resulting financial penalty?

Such success followed by financial trimming would disappoint a fan base that has witnessed a lot of struggles in over 30 years of Wolves basketball. The team has never won a Western Conference title and advanced to the Finals. The Lynx, operating on a modest business model in the startup WNBA, have won four league titles since Taylor started the franchise in 1999 partially because he wanted to be supportive of women’s basketball. Many years he has operated both the Lynx and Wolves when they have lost money. He was instrumental in stepping forward in 1994 to end speculation the Wolves might relocate, buying the franchise from original owners Marv Wolfenson and Harvey Ratner.

The Wolves are competing in a league with wealthy owners including Steve Ballmer from the Clippers, worth an estimated $100 billion-plus. Front Office Sports, working off data from Forbes, listed the 20 richest owners in American sports late last year. Included from the NBA were Dan Gilbert of the Cavs at $21.3 billion; Stan Kroenke, Nuggets, $14.6 billion; Jimmy Haslam, Bucks, $8.7 billion; Robert Pera, Grizzlies, $8.3 billion; Tom Gores, Pistons, $8.1 billion; Antony Resler, Hawks, $8.1 billion; Tilman Fertitta, Rockets, $8 billion. Lore’s estimated net worth is over $4 billion, with fellow businessman and ex-baseball star Rodriguez purportedly at $350 million.

And there is more money coming into the league. TV celebrity and Mavericks owner Mark Cuban has sold the majority share of his franchise to casino magnate Miriam Adelson at a reported price of $3.5 billion. Cuban is on record about a future where he sees NBA owners, at least the savvier and more fortunate, tying themselves to real estate endeavors. Cuban envisions a new arena in Dallas being part of a casino-resort complex that creates significant revenue streams beyond basketball.

There is a “keep up with the Joneses’” push in the NBA that includes Ballmer’s soon to open privately financed $1 billion-plus arena in Inglewood, California. The state-of-the-art Chase Center in San Francisco opened in 2019 and is home to the Warriors and is also privately financed. Reported cost was $1.4 billion.

The Wolves’ home, Target Center, is the second oldest in the NBA. Lore and Rodriguez are on record about their interest in a new home for their teams. The Wolves’ lease at the Minneapolis owned facility reportedly expires in 2035.

The push for a new arena and location could go in a couple of directions if it goes anywhere at all. While Wolves ownership probably contributes money to a new building, the safe assumption is public financing will aggressively be lobbied for. The easiest sell to law makers might be if a municipality and the state worked with the Wolves on a new arena tied to a casino gambling complex.

With the state apparently nearing the approval of sports wagering as is already in place in neighboring states, gambling expansion is on the horizon. That could tie to arena development in the suburbs or downtown.

As the commerce heart of the region, urban planners have known for decades it’s important to have an economically viable downtown Minneapolis. To take the teams out of Minneapolis would be a “political basketball” in the public and law-making domains. However, native American sovereignty over gambling in the state will be another hot issue if it’s decided to tie a casino to a new NBA arena.

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