I've mentioned my good buddy The Commish before. Good guy...family man....runs our Beer Brotherhood Football Fantasy league.....sits next to me in Row 1, Section 101 on Vikings game days. Just likes Tice a wee bit too much for my taste but then no one is perfect. (He thinks Tice will be the coach to take the Vikes to a Super Bowl title...yeah, and Les Steckel was a great coach!)

Anyway, The Commish didn't waste any tears when Scott Linehan departed the Great White North for Bikini City. Here's his take.

The Commish felt that Linehan was a good coordinator. Linehan had the Vikings offense ranked right up there in yardage every year. But points per game? Not so much.

I agreed with The Commish that the Vikings are built for offense...speed offense. So what was the magic number of points the offense needed to put up on the board for the Vikings to win? If the magic number was not obtained, the oft-knocked Viking defense was too weak to contain the opposition. So this got The Commish intrigued and he sharpened his replica Mike Tice pencil, removed it from behind his ear and got to work. Here is what The Commish found:

In the 2002-03 season, the Vikes were 4-1 when the offense scored greater than 27-points per game. They were 2-9 when scoring less than 27.

In the 2003-04 season, the Vikes were 6-2 when the offense scored greater than 27-points per game. They were 3-5 when scoring less than 27.

In the 2004-05 season, the Vikes were 7-2 when the offense scored greater than 27-points per game. They were 2-6 when scoring less than 27.

Summary for the Tice/Linehan era: 17-4 when the offense went over 27 points in a game. 7-21 when they didn't. Kind of speaks volumes.

Enter Steve Loney. Loney was an offensive coordinator at the University of Minnesota in 1998-99 and at Iowa State from 1995-97 and 2000-01.

Loney returned to Ames for the 2000 season after a two-year stint at Minnesota. Under Loney, the Cyclone offensive line gelled and Iowa State ranked second in the Big 12 in rushing and allowed just seven sacks the entire season. (The Vikings allowed six sacks in two playoff games this past season and forty-six during the entire 2004 regular season!) ISU, a small school, ranked 21st nationally in total offense, averaging 424.5 yards per game. Oh, and Iowa State averaged 27.82 points per game in 2000.

Loney's offensive schemes produced record-breaking results at Iowa State from 1995-97. In Loney's first two seasons at ISU, the Cyclone offense produced the most prolific tailback over two seasons in NCAA history in Troy Davis, who rushed for a two-year NCAA record 4,195 yards. Troy's brother, Darren Davis, rushed for 1,005 yards in just nine games in 1997, giving the Cyclones three straight 1,000-yard rushers under Loney. He also helped develop Tim Kohn, a two-time first-team all-Big 12 selection at offensive tackle, center Pat Augafa, the 1995 Big Eight Conference offensive newcomer of the year and an all-conference choice in 1996, and Oliver Ross, currently with the Dallas Cowboys.

Iowa State increased its offensive production by 20 percent during Loney's tenure in Ames. ISU ranked second in the Big 12 and 37th in the nation in passing offense in 1997 with an average of 231.9 yards per game through the air. The Cyclones ranked fourth in the Big 12 and 13th in the nation in rushing in 1996 with an average of 237.7 yards per game on the ground, which included an impressive average of 5.0 yards per carry. In 1995, Iowa State was third in the Big Eight and 15th in the country with an average of 228.5 yards per game rushing.

What about under the lowly Gophers? Minnesota was second in the Big Ten under Loney's guidance in the 1999 seasonand ranked 11th nationally in rushing, averaging 239.1 yards per game. The Golden Gophers were fourth in the Big Ten and 26th nationally in total offense (415.4). Minnesota finished fourth in the Big Ten and 20th nationally in scoring offense at 31.6 points per game in 1999.

Minnesota broke 19 offensive records in 1999 as the Golden Gophers turned around their program and went to a bowl game. Minnesota produced nearly 5,000 yards of total offense in 1999.

Loney's unit also produced an all-Big Ten first-team rusher in Thomas Hamner (1,362 yds) and a first-team All-America center in Ben Hamilton. Hamner and quarterback Billy Cockerham combined to form the top rushing duo in the country with 2,167 yards for an average of 197.0 yards per game. In addition, Minnesota set team records for points (348), touchdowns (42), total offensive yards (4,569), average yards per play (5.9) and average yards per game (415.4).

So, an established and smash-mouth running game. Pass protection to the tenth degree. This is starting to sound promising.

Who was Scott Linehan again?

From the Sidelines Part One

My son Graham will be turning five this coming April. He can already tool around the computer like a pro, speak Spanish, point out the correct stars and planets in the night sky, is taking Irish Dance (big recital in a month!), can bowl a strike.....and still run around the house naked whilst ignoring pleas to "get your PJs on!"

Graham's new interest is doing mazes. Lots of mazes. Thirty mazes in a day was accomplished just last Saturday. We no longer invest in maze books. My wife and I now spend a portion of our day searching for printable mazes from the 'Net. It's actually a large portion of our day but don't tell our bosses.

Now, think back to win you were four going on five. Could you do a maze like this? Or like this? Or even like this....it even says 'hard' on it! Hell, I was too busy with a finger up my nose or playing with my Tonka trucks to worry about mazes.

Yes, we are proud. And we are bragging. But, this is impressive. So much so that I have taken it upon myself to design and build a kid-size maze in time for Graham's birthday party. He and his buddies will be able to walk through this lifesize maze on their own. Here is hoping for a warm April!

From the Sidelines Part Deux

My guy, George W. Bush, was inaugurated into his second-term Thursday. Watch Bush systematically take apart the soon-to-be extinct Democratic Party over the next four years. He'll do this by forcing the Dems to speak to issues that they really don't want to tackle. (Senator Clinton Urges Use of Faith-Based Initiatives...hah!)

Take apart the party of Roosevelt, Harry S. (a favorite of mine, by the way), and Kennedy? "What you talkin' 'bout Willis!?!?!"

For a spot-on commentary on why the Democratic Party doesn't get IT...read this piece by Brian G. Fortin.

Posted by maasx003 at January 20, 2005 02:41 PM | TrackBack