When Longwell was with Green Bay he participated in the first and only New Orleans Superdome game played on grass.  He recalled how hard the surface was with the turf on top of concrete.

Longwell on his role along with Steve Hutchinson and E.J. Henderson as team captains:  “You just want to be a steady influence around the team at all times. And I think that’s what E.J. and Hutch and I have tried to do is be steady and be consistent.”

Part of the captains’ responsibility is the pre-game coin toss and Longwell always calls heads.  He considers tails a “negative call.”  He said the three captains “kind of fight over” who has to make the coin toss call, instead of “who gets to.”

Vikings defensive end Jared Allen on indoor stadiums versus outdoor: “I like playing outside. I prefer playing outside. That’s where football is supposed to be played. …”

Tonight’s game features the NFL’s third ranked offense with the Saints averaging 414.2 yards per game against a seventh ranked Vikings defense allowing 279.2 yards.

Saints quarterback Kerry Collins talking about the Vikings’ defensive line:  “They love to get penetration. They have the guys to do it; they’ve got big guys. They like to get pressure on the quarterback. They like to disrupt the running game with penetration. They are big. They are talented. They are fast.”

The Metropolitan Sports Facilities Commission has retained HKS Architects of Dallas and Mortenson Construction of Minneapolis at a cost of $2.5 million for Phase I work on a proposed multi-purpose facility on the Metrodome site that would be home to the Vikings.  A Phase I report that will include schematic design is expected by March 1, commission executive director Bill Lester reported via e-mail.  HKS was the architect for Lucas Oil Field in Indianapolis and the new Dallas Cowboys stadium, according to Lester.

Assistant general manager Fred Hoiberg expects Timberwolves 20-year-old rookie Kevin Love “to emerge as one of the leaders of the team at a very young age.”

It was 40 years ago last month that O.J. Simpson and his USC team drew a crowd of 60,820 to the old Memorial Stadium where the Gophers lost to the Trojans, 29-20, in one of the classic college football games ever played here.  Simpson, who won the 1968 Heisman, was sentenced to prison last week on robbery charges, 13 years to the day that he was acquitted in the murder trial of wife Nicole and her friend Ronald Goldman.

The Gophers defeated Indiana 16-7 last Saturday, although before the game the over and under was 59.5 points, according to the Star Tribune.

Gopher football coach Tim Brewster said that Duane Bennett, who was injured in the second game of the season, will receive a redshirt season.  That means he will be a sophomore next year.

The Gopher offense consists primarily of freshmen and sophomores but the depth chart on defense last week showed eight juniors, two seniors and a sophomore on the first team.

Marian Gaborik becomes a free agent after next season and there’s speculation his next contract can put him toward the top among the NHL’s best paid players but at least one authority doesn’t even include the Minnesota Wild star among the league’s best 15 players.  In a recent issue of the Sporting News Jay Feaster, former general manager of Tampa Bay, ranked Gaborik No. 17 in a listing of top 50 players.  Washington’s Alex Overchkin was No. 1, Pittsburgh’s Sidney Crosby No. 2 and Detroit’s Nicklas Lidstrom No. 3.

Twins management must be serious about trying Michael Cuddyer at third base in spring training next year.  The team’s official Web site lists him as an infielder on the 25-man roster.  A source told Sports Headliners that when Cuddyer was interviewed awhile ago on WCCO Radio’s Sports Huddle he didn’t sound enthused about third base, a position he has played in both the major and minor leagues before becoming a regular right fielder.

Look for the Twins to re-sign free agent Nick Punto, one of baseball’s most versatile utility infielders.  Punto responded well to hitting toward the bottom of the batting order, finishing with a .284 average after hitting .210 in 2007.

Although they have more assets than liabilities, the Twins face an off-season where they can and need to improve the roster.  With the right moves, and luck, the Twins could move to the front among American League teams in 2009 after missing the playoffs and a Central Division title by one game this season.

Based on conversations with sources that closely follow the team, here’s a suggested to-do list for the folks at 34 Kirby Puckett Place.

First, find a regular third baseman that can be above average in the field and at bat.  Preferably he hits right handed and has power because that fills need No. 2.  The Twins hit 111 home runs all season, the lowest total in the American League and got beat in the last game of the season on a Jim Thome home run, 1-0 by a White Sox team that had 235 homers, best in the majors.  The Twins need to diversify their punch a hit, steal a base, sacrifice a runner offense to include more power.

Void No. 3 is the bullpen where the Twins desperately need right-handed Pat Neshek to make a full recovery from his arm injury.  The Twins are lopsided in the bullpen with too many of their better relievers throwing left handed.  In addition to a Neshek recovery, the Twins need improved pitching from bullpen right handers Jesse Crain and Matt Guerrier, or their replacements.

How the Twins may go about acquiring talent to help in the field, at-bat and on the mound will be watched with scrutiny.  The front office has frequently used a bargain hunting approach in other off seasons, signing over-the-hill types who they hoped could flirt with past glories.  “They have to move out of the Kmart free agent market,” a source said.  “Hoping to catch one of these guys in a rare year is a failed strategy.”

Adrian Beltre, the Seattle third baseman who makes $13.4 million per year according to espn.com and hit 25 home runs last season, is a name that keeps coming up in Twins talk.  A source questioned whether the Twins would go for his big contract and how Beltre fits in the clubhouse.

Good team morale is a Twins organizational must-have.  If the Twins offered Seattle outfielder Michael Cuddyer, who makes almost six million according to espn.com, they could achieve some trade off in salaries.  Cuddyer, though, is a team leader and popular with players and management.

If the right handed hitting Cuddyer, 29, is around next season he needs to play in a lot more games than 71 and produce much better numbers than three home runs and 36 RBI.  So, too, does outfielder Delmon Young who hit only 10 home runs with 69 RBI for the Twins in his first season after coming here in a controversial trade with Tampa Bay.  His defenders say give the 22-year-old time but don’t be surprised if either he or Cuddyer are mentioned in trade talks.  Another alternative could be to have both players in the lineup by moving Cuddyer to third base (he played there in the minors) and keeping Young in the outfield with Carlos Gomez and Denard Span.