https://wolvesdaily.com/news-rumors/front-page/page/288/?d=4WordPress Posts: WordPress Postsenhttps://wolvesdaily.com/news-rumors/front-page/life-without-jimmy-wolves-coaches-being-interviewed-and-draft-talk/Football is back! NBA playoff basketball in the bubble is awesome, and we’re nearing the start of the MLB and WNBA postseason.   Sports, baby!   For Minnesota Timberwolves’ fans, we’ll get to see Jimmy Butler try to lead the Miami Heat to the NBA Finals. Most Timberwolves’ fans can't stand Butle...8645Thu, 01 Jan 1970 00:00:00 +0000https://wolvesdaily.com/news-rumors/front-page/breaking-down-kirk-cousins-perplexing-performance-against-green-bay/Usually when you look at Kirk Cousins' box score after a game, you know exactly how he played, for better or worse. For that reason, though, his performance in the Minnesota Vikings season opener is tough to square. Cousins went 19-of-25 for 259 yards and a pair of touchdowns, yet his interception...8643Thu, 01 Jan 1970 00:00:00 +0000https://wolvesdaily.com/news-rumors/front-page/a-punchless-vikings-pass-rush-let-aaron-rodgers-have-his-way/Sunday's Week 1 loss contained several firsts for head coach Mike Zimmer, and not positive ones.   The prideful defensive mind had spoken confidently about his defense's ability to withstand the loss of five starters, not including the absence of Danielle Hunter, who is on injured reserve. Instea...8641Thu, 01 Jan 1970 00:00:00 +0000https://wolvesdaily.com/news-rumors/front-page/the-bombas-are-back-the-minnesota-twins-use-the-long-ball-to-sweep-cleveland/The Minnesota Twins got what they needed: A series sweep against the division-rival Cleveland Indians. Minnesota won 3-1 on Friday, 8-4 on Saturday and 7-5 on Sunday. Coming into the series, the two teams were tied for second in the AL Central. Now, the Twins have put some distance between them an...8640Thu, 01 Jan 1970 00:00:00 +0000https://wolvesdaily.com/news-rumors/front-page/the-vikings-must-embrace-their-offense-to-have-a-chance-in-2020/The Minnesota Vikings were embarrassed in their season opener with the Green Bay Packers on Sunday afternoon. Although the final score looks like the Vikings put up a good fight in the 43-34 loss, this game was controlled by the Packers throughout. Early in the game they put Minnesota in a hole th...8639Thu, 01 Jan 1970 00:00:00 +0000https://wolvesdaily.com/news-rumors/front-page/instant-reaction-packers-carve-up-vikings-43-34-in-opener/The Minnesota Vikings had few answers for the Green Bay Packers offense and fell feebly, 43-34. Mike Zimmer and Co. sounded optimistic all preseason about their younger defense, but the Packers put the pedal down and never let up, scoring 43 points -- the most ever allowed by a Zimmer defense in M...8638Thu, 01 Jan 1970 00:00:00 +0000https://wolvesdaily.com/news-rumors/front-page/3-things-we-learned-from-the-packer-loss/The Minnesota Vikings allowed Aaron Rodgers plenty of time in the pocket on Sunday, and the Green Bay Packers quarterback was able to pick apart a young and inexperienced secondary. The 43-34 loss was embarrassing from a defensive standpoint, and the Vikings have now dropped three straight to thei...8637Thu, 01 Jan 1970 00:00:00 +0000https://wolvesdaily.com/news-rumors/front-page/the-lynx-get-much-needed-rest-after-earning-a-first-round-bye/For the first time since the 2017 season, the Minnesota Lynx will be playing beyond the first round of the WNBA Playoffs.   On Saturday, the Lynx wrapped up the 22-game regular season schedule with a record of 14-8, good enough to surpass many expectations going into the year and claim the No. 4...8635Thu, 01 Jan 1970 00:00:00 +0000https://wolvesdaily.com/news-rumors/front-page/why-the-vikings-were-right-to-extend-dalvin-cook/After months of negotiations, the Minnesota Vikings and Dalvin Cook finally agreed on a brand-new, five-year contract extension that will pay him $63 million. The eleventh-hour deal will be a split decision for many here because data on running backs has tempered the willingness to pay the positio...8634Thu, 01 Jan 1970 00:00:00 +0000https://wolvesdaily.com/news-rumors/front-page/dalvin-cook-vikings-agree-to-a-5-year-extension/Dalvin Cook and the Minnesota Vikings have agreed to a 5-year, $63 million extension, according to Tom Pelissero and multiple media reports:     According to ESPN's Adam Schefter, the deal pays him $12.5 million per year, and the Vikings restructured Eric Kendricks' contract in order to mak...8633Thu, 01 Jan 1970 00:00:00 +0000https://wolvesdaily.com/news-rumors/front-page/the-wilds-trade-for-local-star-nick-bjugstad-is-a-low-risk-high-reward-proposition/The Minnesota Wild made a splash in the trade market Friday. Well, it was a splash locally.   Minnesota traded a conditional seventh round pick in the 2021 NHL Entry Draft to the Pittsburgh Penguins for Nick Bjugstad. The former University of Minnesota and Blaine star spent parts of two seasons i...8632Thu, 01 Jan 1970 00:00:00 +0000https://wolvesdaily.com/news-rumors/front-page/the-twins-must-exorcise-the-demons-of-2018-as-they-begin-their-home-stretch/Everything seemed to be falling in place for the Minnesota Twins two years ago. But we all know what happened, and the 2020 Twins have to prevent it from happening again.   The 2017 team took a huge step forward, surprisingly finding itself in the Wild Card game against the New York Yankees, and...8631Thu, 01 Jan 1970 00:00:00 +0000https://wolvesdaily.com/news-rumors/front-page/p-j-fenton-co-architect-of-the-wilds-resurgent-farm-system-is-joining-the-panthers-front-office/In hindsight, it seemed as if there were two Paul Fentons helming the Minnesota Wild. There was Bad Fenton, who made rash, unpopular decisions and alienated many in the organization to the point where his reign lasted a mere 14 months. And there was the Good Fenton, the talent evaluator who identi...8628Thu, 01 Jan 1970 00:00:00 +0000https://wolvesdaily.com/news-rumors/front-page/ncaa-announces-delayed-start-hockey-season-player-development-juniors-khl/The impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the NHL will be felt immediately in the form of a flat salary cap, "the bubble" and diminishing hockey-related revenue. The league hasn’t had to deal with the full brunt of whole swaths of players opting out of playing yet. And hockey also hasn’t yet seen the...8627Thu, 01 Jan 1970 00:00:00 +0000https://wolvesdaily.com/news-rumors/front-page/big-matchups-and-key-stats-for-the-packers-game/Danielle Hunter landed on IR and isn’t going to play. Dalvin Cook’s lack of a contract extension is still a smoldering issue. Oh, and there’s no depth at safety. Other than that -- and a few pets’ heads falling off -- the Minnesota Vikings are ready to go for their Week 1 game against the rival Gr...8626Thu, 01 Jan 1970 00:00:00 +0000https://wolvesdaily.com/news-rumors/front-page/yannick-ngakoue-is-learning-to-rush-the-vikings-way/Mike Zimmer has certain words he often comes back to when describing his players. A sure-tackling linebacker might be a "thumper." A quick tight end has some "wiggle" to his game. And a smart offensive lineman might be "conscientious."   One of his go-to words for physical pass-rushers is "violen...8625Thu, 01 Jan 1970 00:00:00 +0000https://wolvesdaily.com/news-rumors/front-page/mikko-koivus-quiet-excellence-and-loyalty-made-him-the-joe-mauer-of-the-minnesota-wild/Mikko Koivu and Joe Mauer were born 38 days apart, on opposite sides of the Atlantic Ocean. Neither of them knew it, but they were destined to mirror each other. Yes, Koivu played hockey in St. Paul for the Minnesota Wild, while Mauer played baseball in Minneapolis for the Twins. But other than th...8621Thu, 01 Jan 1970 00:00:00 +0000https://wolvesdaily.com/news-rumors/front-page/after-splitting-a-doubleheader-in-st-louis-the-twins-need-to-make-a-late-push-to-get-home-field-advantage/The Twins had a legitimate chance to sweep a doubleheader against St. Louis on Tuesday. Up 2-0, starting pitcher Randy Dobnak was looking strong, as he has most of this season.   That was until he got to the third inning. Dobnak lost his control and was pulled from the game, and the Twins were do...8620Thu, 01 Jan 1970 00:00:00 +0000https://wolvesdaily.com/news-rumors/front-page/how-danielle-hunters-absence-affects-the-green-bay-game/The optimism surrounding the Minnesota Vikings took a big hit on Wednesday when the team announced that Danielle Hunter was placed on injured reserve. Hunter's injury is still unknown outside of Mike Zimmer describing it as "a tweak," but the injury is bad enough to sideline Hunter for at least th...8618Thu, 01 Jan 1970 00:00:00 +0000https://wolvesdaily.com/news-rumors/front-page/michael-pineda-has-returned-from-his-suspension-and-picked-up-where-he-left-off/Michael Pineda has been a reliable starter for the Minnesota Twins ever since the middle of last season. With the Twins competing in the closest division in baseball this year, they are getting him back at the perfect time.   But just how good has Pineda been since the back half of the 2019 seaso...8617Thu, 01 Jan 1970 00:00:00 +0000https://wolvesdaily.com/news-rumors/front-page/film-breakdown-the-screen-game-could-unlock-the-minnesota-vikings-offense-in-week-1/A couple weeks ago, we looked into Kirk Cousins and the Minnesota Vikings’ offensive collapse in their two games against the Green Bay Packers last season. Each game had its separate reasons for being a disaster, ranging from shoddy offensive line play to the Packers' suffocating press coverage. I...8616Thu, 01 Jan 1970 00:00:00 +0000https://wolvesdaily.com/news-rumors/front-page/you-expect-a-reward-dalvin-cook-is-still-without-a-new-contract-as-week-1-approaches/The contract standoff between the Minnesota Vikings and Dalvin Cook has been about as friendly as one could hope -- in the public eye, at least.   Through months of negotiations, both sides have remained respectful. Cook held out for some of the Vikings' virtual meetings in late spring, but he ne...8615Thu, 01 Jan 1970 00:00:00 +0000https://wolvesdaily.com/news-rumors/front-page/will-irv-smith-jr-become-an-elite-tight-end/Just over a year ago, Irv Smith Jr. was "swimming," according to then-offensive consultant Gary Kubiak. Smith, a second-round pick, was 20 years old and trying to pick up the complexities of Kubiak and Kevin Stefanski's offense.   "We'll catch him up," Kubiak said at the time.   While rookie wid...8614Thu, 01 Jan 1970 00:00:00 +0000https://wolvesdaily.com/news-rumors/front-page/the-minnesota-wilds-draft-and-develop-strategy-needs-a-tweak/Player development for an NHL team is either everything, or it’s nothing. You could argue that with better scouting and an ability to identify key traits in young 17 and 18 year old kids, teams don't need to emphasize player development. However, not every rebuilding team gets to pick in the top-3...8612Thu, 01 Jan 1970 00:00:00 +0000https://wolvesdaily.com/news-rumors/front-page/what-do-the-vikings-do-if-harrison-smith-or-anthony-harris-get-hurt/When the Minnesota Vikings released their final depth chart, there was one notable omission: a backup safety. Apparently this wasn't a mistake, and the team is prepared to roll into Week 1 with no depth there unless they announce a roster move soon.   What happens if either Harrison Smith or Anth...8610Thu, 01 Jan 1970 00:00:00 +0000