Minnesota head coach Kevin O’Connell is optimistic concerning the workforce’s future, however points on the … [+] quarterback place stay in place. (Picture by David Berding/Getty Photographs)
Getty Photographs
Successful a job interview has lots to do with understanding what possession desires to do, after which presenting a plan for making that concept work. It doesn’t imply that these presenting the plan really imagine it may well occur.
The Minnesota Vikings employed Kwesi Adofo-Mensah to function the workforce’s steward because it navigates the tough waters of the Nationwide Soccer League. First mate Kevin O’Connell will take the expertise Adofo-Mensah offers him and try to ship victory after victory within the upcoming 17-game 2022 season.
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Each have been in a position to learn the tea leaves throughout their respective job interviews. Each understood the Vikings have been caught with Kirk Cousins on the quarterback place regardless of his lack of impression in big-game conditions. However, each have proven full assist for his or her moneyed quarterback since they have been employed for his or her present positions.
Adofo-Mensah and O’Connell can do a number of issues to enhance this workforce because it prepares for the upcoming season, however the major concern will stay in place it doesn’t matter what else is completed. Because the late Texas governor Ann Richards mentioned about President George H.W. Bush’s financial plan in 1992, “Effectively, you may put lipstick on a hog and name it Monique, however it’s nonetheless a pig.”
Adofo-Mensah has already added OLB Za’Darius Smith from the Inexperienced Bay Packers, ILB Jordan Hicks from the Arizona Cardinals and CB Chandon Sullivan from the Packers, and people major signings seem like constructive developments for a protection that dragged the workforce down in every of the previous two seasons.
New defensive coordinator Ed Donatell will possible make use of a 3-4 protection an excellent proportion of the time to assist enhance the workforce, as there’s a sure versatility to his teaching fashion.
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Adofo-Mensah has extra work to do within the upcoming NFL Draft beginning April 28. It appears fairly possible that if the Vikings are going to pick a top-ranked cornerback with the No. 12 decide like Derek Stingley Jr. of Louisiana State or Trent McDuffie of Washington in the event that they don’t commerce up or down with that choice.
As soon as Adofo-Mensah finishes the draft and provides key undrafted faculty free brokers – this may be a particularly beneficial instrument – it’s going to fall on O’Connell to meld these gamers right into a workforce that can be a menace to the Inexperienced Bay Packers within the NFC North.
That may be a enormous ask, contemplating the issue beneath middle will stay in place. So far as stealing first place from the Packers and threatening the opposite energy groups within the NFC, that’s going far past the real looking. However enchancment over the 8-9 file the Vikings had in 2021 will enable Adofo-Mensah and O’Connell to enter the 2023 season with an elevated energy base of their second season collectively.
O’Connell involves the workforce from a profitable run on Sean McVay’s teaching workers with the Tremendous Bowl champion Los Angeles Rams. O’Connell is supposedly a complicated thinker with regards to offensive soccer, however how a lot credit score does he actually deserve? McVay has been operating the Los Angeles offense, and whereas O’Connell didn’t damage the workforce and is clearly a quarterback whisperer, operating the Vikings offense can be his first probability to place his signature on an NFL workforce.
He has some wonderful weapons to work with in operating again Dalvin Cook dinner and extensive receivers Justin Jefferson and Adam Thielen. That trio has been fairly productive beneath former head coach Mike Zimmer, and so they should be even higher beneath O’Connell.
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The Vikings offense definitely wants assist with its offensive line depth and on the tight finish slot, however the issue for Minnesota is its lack of consistency. The offense would usually provide you with a key drive early within the first half after which disappear for lengthy stretches. That has to vary in 2022.
The true concern is Cousins on the quarterback slot. Apologists for the quarterback can level to the revolving door on the offensive coordinator slot throughout his 4 years with the Vikings, however irrespective of who crammed the place, the outcomes have been comparable. Cousins places spectacular statistical performances on the board on a season-long foundation, however his efficiency in huge video games towards the hardest opponents has been poor.
It doesn’t matter if we’re speaking concerning the 2018 season, the 2021 season or the 2 within the center. Cousins has struggled to make impression performs when the Vikings want them most. It doesn’t appear possible that the mix of O’Connell and new offensive coordinator Wes Phillips will change that.
Adofo-Mensah and O’Connell may help all the encompassing elements, however the Cousins concern stays intact – irrespective of how a lot lipstick is used to fairly the image.
Donovan Mitchell scored 36 points, Darius Garland added 29 and the NBA-leading Cleveland Cavaliers took control in the second half and beat the Minnesota Timberwolves for a 124-117 on Saturday night.
With the teams tied at halftime, Cleveland (35-6) outscored Minnesota by 10 in the third quarter and opened the fourth with a 10-0 run to seize control.
Anthony Edwards scored 28 points and Julius Randle finished with 20 points, 14 rebounds and nine assists for Minnesota.
Cleveland was without forward Evan Mobley, who sat with right calf soreness, and Isaac Okoro, sidelined with a right AC joint sprain. Both played in Thursday’s loss to Oklahoma City.
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Minnesota was also missing a key player as guard Donte DiVincenzo sat for the second straight game with a left great toe sprain.
Edwards became the third-youngest player in NBA history to score 8,000 points. Only LeBron James and Kevin Durant reached 8,000 points at a younger age than Edwards.
Takeaways
Cavaliers: Cleveland responded well after its biggest loss of the year, a 20-point rout by the Thunder on Thursday. The Cavs’ win prevented what would have been just their second two-game losing streak of the season.
Timberwolves: Minnesota seemed to run out of gas after halftime on the second night of a back-to-back after beating the Knicks on Friday in New York. The Wolves are 2-4 this season in the second game of back-to-backs.
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Key moment
Ty Jerome scored six straight points to end the third quarter, including a three-point play with 4.1 seconds remaining in the quarter, to give Cavaliers a 10-point lead. Minnesota couldn’t recover from that double-digit deficit as the momentum swung in Cleveland’s direction.
Key stat
Cleveland had 15-point efforts from bench players Ty Jerome and Georges Niang.
Up next
Both teams play Monday. The Cavaliers host Phoenix, while the Timberwolves play at Memphis.
Minnesota Timberwolves (22-20, eighth in the Western Conference) vs. Memphis Grizzlies (27-15, third in the Western Conference)
Memphis, Tennessee; Monday, 2:30 p.m. EST
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BETMGM SPORTSBOOK LINE: Grizzlies -1.5; over/under is 218.5
BOTTOM LINE: Minnesota will try to keep its four-game road win streak intact when the Timberwolves play Memphis.
The Grizzlies have gone 14-12 against Western Conference teams. Memphis ranks sixth in the NBA averaging 14.2 made 3-pointers per game while shooting 37.3% from deep. Desmond Bane leads the team averaging 2.2 makes while shooting 37.0% from 3-point range.
The Timberwolves are 16-12 in conference games. Minnesota averages 14.8 turnovers per game and is 10-5 when turning the ball over less than opponents.
The 123.4 points per game the Grizzlies average are 15.4 more points than the Timberwolves give up (108.0). The Timberwolves are shooting 46.1% from the field, 1.2% higher than the 44.9% the Grizzlies’ opponents have shot this season.
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TOP PERFORMERS: Jaren Jackson Jr. is scoring 22.6 points per game with 6.3 rebounds and 2.1 assists for the Grizzlies.
Anthony Edwards is averaging 26.1 points, 5.8 rebounds and 4.3 assists for the Timberwolves.
LAST 10 GAMES: Grizzlies: 5-5, averaging 121.7 points, 46.4 rebounds, 26.8 assists, 9.6 steals and 4.4 blocks per game while shooting 48.0% from the field. Their opponents have averaged 119.6 points per game.
Timberwolves: 5-5, averaging 112.9 points, 45.5 rebounds, 24.3 assists, 6.0 steals and 4.7 blocks per game while shooting 47.0% from the field. Their opponents have averaged 110.1 points.
INJURIES: Grizzlies: Cam Spencer: out (thumb), Marcus Smart: out (finger), Ja Morant: day to day (foot), Vince Williams Jr.: out (ankle), GG Jackson II: out (foot ).
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Timberwolves: Terrence Shannon Jr.: out (ankle), Donte DiVincenzo: day to day (toe).
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The Associated Press created this story using technology provided by Data Skrive and data from Sportradar.
Josefin Bouveng posted a hat trick and the third-ranked Gophers women’s hockey team scored the first four goals of the contest on its way to a 5-2 win over Minnesota State Saturday afternoon in Mankato, Minn., completing the series sweep.
It didn’t take long for Bouveng and the Gophers (19-5-1) to strike Saturday afternoon. For the second consecutive day, it was Bouveng who found the back of the net first, scoring a power-play goal 1 minute, 47 seconds into the game.
Allie Franco scored with 2 minutes, 52 seconds remaining in the first period to make it a two-goal advantage for the U. Abbey Murphy scored 3 minutes, 18 seconds into the second period on a goal Bouveng assisted on, then Bouveng made it a 4-0 Gophers lead with a goal midway through the period. That all but sealed the series sweep for Minnesota.
But the Mavericks (10-13-1) found some life later in the period, getting a power-play goal from Alexis Paddington with 1 minute, 27 seconds remaining in the second period. JuliAnna Gazdik scored unassisted 10 minutes, 23 seconds into the third period to give Minnesota State one last longshot at tying it up over the final 10 minutes of the contest.
But Bouveng scored an empty-netter, and completed a hat trick, with 27 seconds remaining. The hat trick was the second of her career and first since Oct. 15, 2022, which also came against the Mavericks. Her first career goal came that day.
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Bouveng ices the game with her 2️⃣nd career HATTY! 🎩🚨
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