MinnesotaSportsScene.com

While the Vikings’ recent signing of DT Kendrick Allen, as a backup to the aging but effective Pat Williams, is a solid move, one might hope that their first defensive lineman of the 2008 free agent period might have beena potential starting end, not a backup tackle.

Of course, Allen’s not a condo hotel type of signing; he’s more of a Red Roof Inn sort of prospect. He’s a solid but not spectacular performer who will be good in relief of Williams and has the potential to develop further.

Starting only three of 31 career games, the big advantage Allen brings is that he’s not likely to be demanding a starting position that would break up the Willaims wall. That, in and of itself, makes him a decent fit for his role on next year’s Viking squad.

If anyone can fill the considerable gloves left behind by the trade of Johann Santana, it is Francisco Liriano; although out for over a year after blowing out an elbow, Liriano was right on pace to be just as sharp as Santana two years ago. Now, with the Twins starting rotation depleted of experienced aces, the pressure is on Liriano to not just make a comeback from injury, but a return to is former self.

That will be a demanding role for the Minnesota Twins pitcher to fulfill. Buying mortgage life insurance is a better bet. After an injury like Liriano’s, the chances he will be able to pitch at that level again this season is not strong; while he’ll likely return and do OK, anyone expecting Liriano to return to pre-injury form is probably a season too soon in their expectations.

With no Vikings currently residing in drug treatment centers, it appears Zygi Wilf’s efforts to clean up the team’s image has been bearing fruit. Now that character is being managed, it’s time to consider the question of talent.

One potential weakness is at quarterback. Despite a decent record as a starter, QB Tavaris Jackson is still a question mark as a starter for the Vikings, carrying around an abyssmal passer rating, even though he improved during the team’s five-game winning stretch. The question is, can he improve enough to give an Adrian Peterson-fueled team the firepower it needs to win in the five-to-seven year window that Peterson’s career is likely to provide when it comes to going deep in the playoffs and make a Super Bowl.

Probably the most established name still out there is QB Byron Leftwich, formerly of the Jacksonville Jaguars, most recently of the Atlanta Falcons. Leftwich has shortcomings but is considerably more experienced and could be a proficient enough caretaker to make plays and keep the team from losing off his own mistakes; but Leftwich wants to be an immediate starter, not a number two, and is certain to demand a meaty contract that would be substantial enough to force the team to give up on T-Jack altogether.

Probably not a direction the Vikings are ready to go just yet; look for them to draft a project QB in the middle rounds, perhaps late on Day One.

The Minnesota Vikings are still looking for help at defensive end. Almost a month into free agency, and one of the team’s top three glaring needs remains unaddressed. Although the weakness at wide receiver was strengthened with the signing of Bernard Berrian and the depth at safety was helped by the recent signing of Michael Boulware, as well as Madieu Williams earlier in free agency, the team still has not yet signed a defensive end.

In part, it was the team’s emphasis on these other positions that led to the oversight at DE. The top four or five free agent prospects signed before ever visiting Minnesota, primarily because Zygi Wilf’s private jet was too busy being a one-way ferry service for Williams and Berrian.

It appears that Vikings management may have to stock up on self defense products and hope that they can address their DE deficiency through the draft and post-draft roster cuts.

While Smith is restricted by the NCAA from offering his recruits even so much as a mattress topper for their thin and uncomfortable dorm beds, one of the things he can offer recruits is a chance to play for him; Smith is one of the top coaches in college basketball today, easily among the Top 10 active coaches today.

When Smith first took the Gophers job, he immediately went on a charm offensive, meeting with nearly every single Minnesota high school boys hoops coach to establish good relations and attempt to keep the cream of the Minnesota crop of basketball talent at him, rather than migrating to other Big 10 rivals or other national powerhouses. If successful, that’ll help.

The only criticism of Smith so far might be how well he recruits nationally; despite vowing to keep Minnesota talent in Minnesota, Smith’s first recruiting class has no Minnesota boys in it. While this might be tolerated for a year or two, if the trend continues, Smith may eventually face some critical comments here in Minnesota - instant coaching legend or not.

While most coaches would take a month off after getting bounced from the first round of the NIT tournament next week, Minnesota’s Tubby Smith is not most coaches; he still has a tender or two left for next fall if he cares to use them, and beyond that, Smith is likely already at work formulating his recruiting plan for his Class of 2009.

Certainly, this Gophers team will improve next fall whether Smith adds more kids or not for next season; already, his recruiting class is arguably between first and third in the Big Ten, and a Top 20 class - some say higher - nationally. But Smith isn’t likely to stop looking for ways to improve the Gophers, and one can be assured that he wants to improve on this recruiting mark in 2009 and beyond.

Avoiding kids with black marks against them, like criminal records or backgrounds that include drug rehabilitation, Smith’s Gophers team will hopefully be less likely to make bad decisions that embarrass the team and the school, not to mention Tubby himself.

Two teams are still in the midst of March Madness - Wisconsin and Michigan State - who feature Minnesota players. Michigan State boasts on its roster former Braham, Minn., phenom, Isaiah Dahlman, while Wisconsin features Jon Leuer and Kevin Gullickson. If Minnesota had had Tubby Smith as coach two seasons ago, all three would likely be Gophers today, and Minnesota, rather than bowing out of the NIT tourney in the first round, would be in the Sweet 16 themselves.

Probably.

While a lot of funny t-shirts could be made of all the top recruits lost by former coach Dan Monson, one thing is certain: with Tubby at the helm, those days are sure to be at an end now.

It’s late in the NBA season, a time when teams with no playoff hopes are supposed to tank it to ensure a higher chance of doing well in the NBA lottery. After spending almost half of the NBA season as one of the worst teams in NBA history, not to mention the season, the Wolves are suddenly playing .500 ball and looking like a team with potential.

Just in time to move up the standings enough to lose a lot of lottery balls in this summer’s NBA Lottery and draft.

Strangely, like mortgage lenders out to sell homes in a bear real estate market, the staff of the Timberwolves, led by GM Kevin McHale, is saying the determination to win as many games as possible to close out the season is all part of some master plan.

Would that be the master plan to prevent the team from improving, perhaps? Sure, it’s nice to think the Wolves have turned the corner; but at this point in the season, winning big over the New York Knicks is no big whoop; they were a game up on us and wanted to lose, to improve their lottery chances.

So we won a game that the Knicks wanted to lose; where’s the improvment in that?

The Wolves need to learn how to win, and I can agree with McHale and company on that. But winning at the beginning and middle of a season, when it matters, is of far more importance, I think, than winning in the garbage games at the end of the season, when every team’s fate is pretty much sealed, isn’t my idea of the Wolves winning important games.

Green Bay Packers quarterback shocked some on Tuesday when he announced this retirement after an 18-year career that included 17 years with the Pack. While he set a lot of records during his tenure in Green Bay, and will almost certainly be a first-ballot Hall of Famer, I still insist that he’s overrated in some ways.

Hailed by many, in the wake of his retirement, as one of the best to ever play the game, Favre actually ranks nowhere near the top of my all-time list, for the simple reason of his Super Bowl record. Despite an 18-year career with a lot of solid Packer squads backing him up, Favre managed to travel to only two SuperBowls and only won one of those. While that puts Favre one SuperBowl win ahead of Dan Marino, it puts him one SuperBowl win (and several appearances) behind John Elway

The best two quarterbacks to ever play the game since the invention of the SuperBowl have been Joe Montana and Terry Bradshaw. Both went to four SuperBowls each, and both were undefeated in the big game. Current Patriots QB Tom Brady ranks right up there, also, with four trips and a 3-1 record so far in the championship game.

Favre may have a lot of stats and definitely deserves plenty of accolades; but when it comes to what matters most - title wins - Favre’s name will forever be considerably further down the list. He may get luxury watches for retiring, but there are many other quarterbacks who have more SuperBowl rings that Favre.