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Posted April 23, 2007
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Peterson Pick for
Vikes Good Guess
NFL
draft authority Dean Dalton includes four
players as the “cream of the crop” among the top 15 prospects. Dalton,
the former Vikings assistant coach now in the media, labels the
following as “franchise players”: Georgia Tech wide receiver Calvin
Johnson, Wisconsin offensive tackle Joe Thomas, LSU
quarterback JaMarcus Russell and Notre Dame quarterback Brady
Quinn.
Johnson and Thomas make the select group based on extraordinary talent.
Russell and Quinn qualify on talent and the importance of the
quarterback position.
Don Banks, the Sports Illustrated draft expert who once covered the
Vikings for the Star Tribune, has Oklahoma running back
Adrian Peterson being drafted by the Purple at
No. 7. Although only the Lord himself knows how the draft will go,
Dalton thinks Banks makes a good guess. “I truly think that in several
different draft scenarios. . .Adrian Peterson could fall to them,”
Dalton said.
Peterson, who rushed for 41 touchdowns in three seasons with the Sooners,
is a consensus choice to be the first running back taken on Saturday
when the NFL holds the first three rounds of the draft. Combining speed
and power, Peterson is known as both a racehorse and power horse runner.
His name is established among the best runners in college football
during the last 10 years. “He’ll be a great NFL player,” Dalton said.
Earlier this spring Dalton thought speed rushing defensive end Gaines
Adams of Clemson might be the Vikings choice. He still could be,
although Banks has him going as the second pick in the draft to
Detroit. The one position Dalton doesn’t see the Vikings choosing at
No. 7 is a defensive tackle since the team has Pro Bowl tackles Kevin
Williams and Pat Williams.
Predicting the draft is made more complicated by the trading that teams
can make with their picks. “It’s sincerely a chess match,” Dalton
said. “They all can posture and entertain offers.”
In
the second round the Vikings will pick the 41st player in the
draft and Dalton describes it as “an excellent place to pick up a speed
receiver.” Two candidates are Robert Meacham of Tennessee and
Anthony Gonzalez of Ohio State.
In
the third round the Vikings choose at No. 72. “It’s almost impossible
to project who they will get in the third round,” Dalton said. |
The one position Dean
Dalton doesn’t see the Vikings choosing at No. 7 is a defensive tackle
since the team has Pro Bowl tackles Kevin Williams and Pat Williams.
Kevin Williams
In the second round the Vikings will pick
the 41st player in the draft and Dalton describes it as “an
excellent place to pick up a speed receiver.”
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Tafoya Sub Host on WCCO Radio
Even
with a busy schedule working for ABC and ESPN, no one who knows
Michele Tafoya well is surprised she is
hosting the Don Shelby Show on WCCO Radio this week on Monday,
Wednesday and Friday. Tafoya, a California native who has lived for
years in the Minneapolis area, will be a substitute host from 3 to 6
p.m.
“I am
looking forward to it because I think with three days, even though there
are a couple of gaps there, we can get into some really good content,”
Tafoya told Sports Headliners.
Tafoya, 43, relocated here from Charlotte and went to work for KFAN in
2000. She’s worked her way to a place among the most recognizable women
in American sports media. This spring she is a sideline reporter on ABC
telecasts of the NBA playoffs and in the fall will be returning to ESPN
Monday Night Football for more sideline coverage.
Tafoya’s passions and interests go beyond sports. Although Tafoya
enjoys and is grateful for her national TV sports assignments, she was
asked about a possible eventual change in career path. “I wish I knew,” she
said. “I really love radio. To me it offers the most opportunity to be
expressive, but I also love television. So if I could ever draw it up
perfectly I think I would have a combination of both where I wasn’t held
to any one single topic but where I could kind of spread out my wings a
little bit and talk about a number of things.”
Could
volunteer work in politics be part of her future? “Politics intrigues
me,” Tafoya said. “There are a lot of things locally, nationally and
globally that interest me and consume me. So I think the biggest factor
in making that decision would be in how it would impact my family. If
there were to be any negative impact on my children and my husband I
would avoid it but if I thought I could make a difference, even on a
small scale, I would probably do it. Be a volunteer, absolutely.” |
“I am looking forward to it because
I think with three days, even though there are a couple of gaps there,
we can get into some really good content.”
Michele Tafoya
“Politics intrigues me. There are a
lot of things locally, nationally and globally that interest me and
consume me."
Michele
Tafoya
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Worth Noting
Troy Hudson predicts Detroit will beat San
Antonio in the NBA finals. The Timberwolves guard believes Golden State
will upset Dallas in the first round of the playoffs. The coaching of
the Warriors’ Don Nelson, who used to be the bench boss of the
Mavericks and perhaps knows how to stop their players better than
anyone, will be a difference maker, according to Hudson. (The Warriors
won their opening playoff game against the Mavericks last night,
97-85).
Hudson said he will stay in the Minneapolis area during the off-season.
Although he was used in only 34 games last season, he expressed no
preference about remaining here or going to another team. His contract
with the Wolves is for three more seasons.
The
Vikings have each of their picks in the seven rounds of next weekend’s
NFL draft. Their picks are at seven, 41, 72, 106, 146, 182 and 217. The
first three rounds are on Saturday, beginning at 11 a.m. The fourth
round starts at 10 a.m. on Sunday.
Former Twins player Ron Washington is off to an okay start in his
first season as manager of the Texas Rangers. His team has won two
straight and has an 8-10 record. Washington, 54 and a major league
manager for the first time, is the answer to a good trivia question.
Who replaced Cal Ripken when the legendary
Baltimore infielder ended his 8,243 consecutive innings streak?
Canterbury Park opens on Saturday, May 5, the same day as the Kentucky
Derby. The first race at Canterbury is 1:30 p.m. with post time for the
derby, televised on NBC, about 5 p.m. |
Troy Hudson
John M. Williams, DDS
Cosmetic & Family Dental Care
612-521-7611 |
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