Let me begin this column by sending my condolences to Jeanette Sparano over the loss of her husband, and to the three Sparano children and four grandchildren on Vikings offensive line coach Tony Sparano’s untimely passing.
Let me also extend the same to Mike Zimmer, the Vikings coaching staff and the Vikings family on the loss of one of their own. There is never a good time to lose somebody but for Tony Sparano to pass at age 56, just days before the start of a new season, seems especially cruel.
The Minnesota Vikings have asked for time to process Sparano’s passing, but just like when they experienced the loss of Korey Stringer, or were stunned by Teddy Bridgewater’s career-threatening knee-injury, the brutal truth is that the NFL is big business. It's a business that waits for no one. I imagine that every team in the NFL fraternity will reach out to the Vikings in some capacity, but at the same time those teams who are competing with the Vikings in the NFC Conference and in the NFC North will also look at this as an unfortunate opportunity.
Before I get into the mechanisms of how this will impact the Vikings I want to say that while I never knew Tony Sparano personally, I admired how he worked with the Vikings offensive linemen... especially in 2016 when so many things went wrong for that group.
It was Sparano’s first season as the Vikings offensive line coach and it would have been so easy to throw a player (or five) under the bus for the offensive line’s shortcomings that season. Instead, Sparano kept it together and promised the group would improve. Through hard work and three key off-season additions the O-Line, while far from perfect, showed marked improvement last season.
The Vikings 'To-Do' list for this past offseason was long but most people expected the team would make another splash free-agency by signing an offensive lineman, or taking an offensive lineman in the first round of the draft. Neither of those things happened. That’s because the Vikings were banking on another season of improvement in their offensive line under Sparano. The off-season did bring free-agent guard Tom Compton (a Kirk Cousins compatriot), and the Vikes did draft offensive tackle Brian O’Neill out of Pitt in the 2nd round. Neither of those moves really figure to change the landscape of the offensive line, though one or both players could impact the team this season.
By all reports the Vikings offensive linemen respected Sparano and liked playing for him. What’s unique about football is that every position group seems to develop its own personality, and the connection between an offensive lineman and his position coach can’t be overstated.
O-line is one of those positions where you’re usually not talked about unless you’re having a really bad day or a really bad season, and then you get more attention than you ever wanted. Confidence is EVERYTHING to an offensive lineman, and usually that confidence comes in large-part from your position coach. The Vikings invested a lot of money in QB Kirk Cousins, much like they did in Adrian Peterson before him. But, just like with AP, Cousins will have limited success if the offensive line doesn't do their job in front of him.
All eyes will be on the Vikings to see how they deal with the loss of Tony Sparano. His replacement will not only have to fill some very big shoes, but he will have to build relationships with a group of men who are going to have heavy hearts, and a heavy burden on their shoulders. It’s a thankless task which will heavily impact the team’s success or failure in the season ahead.
Dumba signing a 'No-Brainer'
Settle down, Wild fans.
If you follow the Minnesota Wild via social media you know many Wild fans had their collective undies in a bundle over the news that the Wild had signed defenseman Matthew Dumba to a 5-year, $30 million dollar contract Saturday.
Wild fans love to hate on Dumba, and I’ll be the first to admit that there are times he makes me cringe with some of his on-ice decisions. But as I have pointed-out in this column before, Dumba is jstill a baby when it comes to NHL potential. His upside more than cancels-out the negatives.
So while Dumba haters screech about the money, you have to put it all in perspective: The offensive-minded defenseman is coming off a season where he had career highs in goals, assists and points, scored double-digit goals for the third year in a row, and finished the season at a respectable plus-15.
The $30 million contract puts Dumba just inside the top-20 highest-paid defensemen in the league, which seems about right. While he’s known to take chances he’s also quick to defend teammates, and by all accounts is a super-positive influence in the locker room.
Finally, there’s this: While Dumba’s been on the Wild roster for 5 years, he’s still only 23-years old: His best days would seem to be in front of him, and he wants to be here. Add it all up and Dumba’s signing was a no-brainer. Write it down, and get back to me at the end of next season.
Next up, Jason Zucker. Stay tuned Wild fans, you may have more to cry about by the end of the week.
Shilson Storms to National Title
Here's an update to the story we brought you last week about 17-year old wrestler Emily Shilson. Emily followed-her Cadet World Championship by rolling to the 100-lb division title at the USA Wrestling Junior & Cadet National Championships this past week in Fargo, North Dakota.
Shilson made quick work of her opponents, winning five matches by a combined score of 52-2. That includes a 10-nothing Tech Fall in the final.
With her victory Emily has now won five national titles and counting, and 2018 has been quite a year for her. In addition to the 2018 Cadet World Championship, Emily’s also a 2018 Cadet Pan American and 2018 Junior Folkstyle National Champion.
Next up, Shilson is one of just two U.S. girls to qualify for October's 2018 Youth Olympic Games in Buenos Aires. That means Emily can take some time-off, right?
“Well, it’s not really time-off”, Shilson reflects. “I’m still training and stuff, but I don’t have any big tournaments until October. I have a few camps, and yeah, training until then”. I guess this is how one becomes the best at their sport.
Go Emily! Can’t wait to watch you first-hand on the local mats this winter!