Author: Gregory Simbeck

The Minnesota Gophers Football team had the wind in their sails to start the season. After beating three outmanned squads to start the season, they defeated Michigan State in East Lansing in convincing fashion, 24-6. The Gophers were hitting on all cylinders, and head coach P.J. Fleck was “Rowing the Boat” at full speed. Some of that enthusiasm has been dashed after the Gophers were beaten by a well-coached Purdue team 20-10 last Saturday at Huntington Bank Stadium. This was a disappointing loss on Homecoming Day, and the Gophers need to refocus and make the necessary improvements for them to…

Has anyone seen Lewis Cine? The Eden Prairie Minnesota Police Department has put out an all-points bulletin for the missing Minnesota Vikings first-round draft pick. He purportedly has not been seen in Purpleland since the initial press conference introducing him to Vikings Nation. You remember Lewis Cine. He was the all-everything safety from Georgia who the Vikings traded down to get at pick number 32 in the NFL Draft. He is the player who was going to make everyone forget about Harrison Smith. No, he was the player that was going to play alongside Smith to form the top safety…

The Minnesota Gophers football team barnstormed their way through their non-conference schedule in dominating fashion. They made mincemeat out of New Mexico State, Western Illinois, and Colorado, dispatching these cupcakes in a convincing fashion. They dominated both sides of the ball and outscored these three opponents 149-17. In other words, they played like a Power 5 school should play against outmanned opponents. But the day of reckoning has arrived. It’s time for coach P.J. Fleck’s team to man up. The Big Ten season is starting and there is little room for error. First up are the Michigan State Spartans in…

The Minnesota Gophers rolled to a 49-3 win over the Colorado Buffalos on Saturday. The Gophers dominated every facet of the game and now start their Big Ten season with a record of 3-0. However, they also lost their star receiver to a season-ending injury during the game. Minnesota Gophers Lose Chris Autman-Bell Wide Receiver Chris Autman-Bell suffered a non-contact lower leg injury in the first half trying to catch an errant Tanner Morgan pass. Autman-Bell left the game immediately and today Gophers coach P.J. Fleck made the announcement about his wideouts status for the rest of the season. Autman-Bell…

The Minnesota Vikings thought that linebacker Jordan Hicks would be an ideal fit for their new 3-4 defense. If Sunday’s game against the Green Bay Packers was any indication, the Vikings will be overjoyed with their new playmaker. https://twitter.com/i/status/1569088062231027716 Hicks led the Vikings in tackles with 14 and tallied a sack on Aaron Rodgers. On that sack, he also forced Rodgers to fumble which stalled the Packers’ first possession of the second half. He led a spirited defense that held the potent Green Bay offense to seven points. Minnesota Vikings Acquire Jordan Hicks Jordan Hicks was acquired by the Vikings…

There was optimism before the Temple Owls played their first football game of the 2022 season. They were starting a new chapter under rookie Coach Stan Drayton. And they were playing a Duke team that had also fallen on hard times. All that optimism fell like a thud as the Owls were outclassed, outrun, and outscored by the Blue Devils 30-0. It certainly wasn’t the way Coach Drayton wanted to start his tenure at Temple. The Owls were dominated on offense, defense, and special teams. As Coach Drayton said after the game; “I don’t think that we really showed up…

In a surprise move last week, the Minnesota Vikings acquired wide receiver Jalen Reagor from the Philadelphia Eagles in exchange for a couple of draft picks. Reagor you may remember was the receiver that was taken two picks before All-World end Justin Jefferson in the 2020 NFL Draft. So, in a strange redux, the Vikings now employ both Jefferson and the guy who was destined to be an NFL draft trivia quiz question for decades. Let’s examine the chronology of this story. Both Justin Jefferson and Jalen Reagor were considered premium picks before the 2020 draft. Jefferson was considered to…

Through the years, I’ve met many a character as a participant in a fantasy football draft. This opportunity has become more difficult by the day as more and more people are choosing to draft virtually. The act of getting together to drink a few beers and give each other crap is slowly going away. But to celebrate the era of stale chips, cardboard draft boards, and ten thousand pages of cheat sheets, here is my homage to the in-person draft. These are composite profiles of people you have met at past drafts. I hope you enjoy it. Fantasy Football Commissioner…

When the Temple Owls Football program hired a new coach, they were looking for a serious reboot. Stan Drayton takes over a team that was a combined 4-15 over the past two seasons. The first-time head coach is determined to bring the team back to its pre-2020 stature. That era saw the Owls go 43-24 from 2016-19 with five bowl appearances. Fortunately, the cupboard is not completely bare as Drayton guides the Owls to hopefully a successful future. While the offensive and defensive lines need significant improvement, there is some talent at the skill positions. Success won’t come immediately but…

The Minnesota Vikings have made several moves in the past few days as they seek to reduce their roster down to the 53-man limit tomorrow. Along with roster cuts and players being placed on waivers, there are also rumors of possible trades that are seeping out of the TCO Performance Center facility. Let’s track what we know so far. Dropping the Roster to 80 To get down to their 80-man limit last Thursday, the Vikings made the following moves: Traded for: Acquired Nick Mullens from the Las Vegas Raiders, presumably to take up the backup quarterback duties. Released: Albert Wilson-Free…