12 minute read
INSIDE Football creates lasting relationships
by MIKE SONNTAG
Co-Publisher, Let’s Play Football
My youngest son recently finished his football playing career following the pandemic interruption of his junior year in college. When he made the emotional decision to hang it up, he proclaimed had he not played football he would never have met the guys that will be his life-long friends. If you asked anyone who has played the sport of football what the most important aspect of the game they took with them after their career was over, you can bet many would echo his sentiment.
We have hit that stage in the season when many high school and college players have put the pads on and wore their school’s colors for the last time. Last week we wrapped up the Minnesota high school football season crowning seven new state championship teams. Players on those teams ended on the highest note possible, but there were undoubtedly bittersweet tears shed in victory for those whose playing days are over.
For the eighty-eight outgoing high school seniors, the Minnesota Vikings are giving them one more chance to wear their pads and put their talents on display during the Minnesota Football Showcase on December 5th at US Bank Stadium. Though it is likely many nominated to play in this game will play at the next level in college, the opportunity these young men receive during the week leading to the game will underscore how quickly lasting relationships are built from playing this great game.
Most of these guys competing may have known of each other via social media or watching highlights on Prep Sports Extra, now will play their final high school football game together or against each other. The teams are split into North and South rosters and will have a handful of practices at best prior to the game. In that short time previous foes will become quick friends by bonding during team meals and other scheduled activities. One common tradition from past “All-Star” games is the exchanging of helmet decals. When it is time to get to work lineman have to gel with a new face on their left and their right, the quarterbacks will have to quickly adjust to throwing to different receivers, defensive players have to learn a quick scheme, and the list goes on and on. Keep in mind most football teams from the youth to the pros get two to three weeks to practice, run plays, watch film before they take to battle on the gridiron. Like all competitors these guys will quickly want to win the game to gain bragging rights for the South team over the North team or vice versa.
Pregame introductions will take place, the flag will be raised for the national anthem, and the game will kick off at noon. Living up to the event’s name talent will be showcased all over the same field the Minnesota Vikings compete in front of 66,000 fans on Sundays. There will be great plays made on both sides of the ball, replays will be shown on the huge video board, a winning team will emerge, and just like that the experience of playing in the Minnesota Football Showcase will be over.
All the things previously mentioned is nothing new to the reader or lover of football. What will make this a special experience for these young men is how when the game is over they will stay on the field or in the locker room as long as they are allowed to. They will shake hands and hug each other, share phone numbers, create group texts and follow each other on social media. A week earlier they competed against each other or knew nothing about the other. Some of them may go on to play together in college and further their friendships, and those who don’t will find a way to stay in touch. Having the honor to have played in this game 30 years ago I know they will be successful in life and keep tabs on each other. I know Todd played QB in the NFL, Trent is a successful dentist, Mike painted the interior of my house, Ken is partner of a law firm, Matt is an anesthesiologist, Eric owns a roofing company, and Tony is a Division One head coach. I could easily continue on with another seven to eight names but hopefully you see where I am going with this, and it is all from one week of playing football together. This is a great way for these eighty-eight young men to cap off their high school football careers, and I believe they will always proudly say they playing in the Minnesota Football Showcase 2021 created memories and relationships that they will never forget.
Let’s Play Football
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by MIKE SONNTAG
Co-Publisher, Let’s Play Football
Following the Golden Gophers’ axe claiming victory over Wisconsin Saturday it was announced that starting quarterback Tanner Morgan was going to return for his 6th NCAA season in 2022. Within the next 24 hours it was also announced that head coach PJ Fleck had fired offensive coordinator Mike Sanford Jr. and backup quarterback Zack Annexstad has entered the NCAA transfer portal. There is much to unpack in all three of those decisions, and I will try and do so in reverse order.
As a Gopher fan it is hard not to feel bad for the Mankato native Annexstad, who came into the program at the same time as Tanner Morgan in 2018. It was Annexstad who won the starting quarterback job in 2018 and started seven games before an ankle injury forced him out against Nebraska and Morgan has been the Gophers starting signal caller ever since. It says a lot about Annexstad as a person and a player who clearly proved himself a Division I caliber talent as a true freshman to wait in the wings as long as he did for another shot to be the Gopher’s starter. Wherever Annexstad lands I expect to see him as the starter with the question being will it be at another Division I school or FBS? Regardless his decision is completely understandable and Gophers fans should wish him nothing but the best.
Also understandable is Fleck’s decision to go a different direction on offense and move on from Sanford Jr. In the 2019 season when the Gophers went 11-2 highlighted by wins against Penn State and Auburn the Gophers offense finished the season ranked No. 22 in the nation. Now 8-4 in 2021 and awaiting a bowl invitation the offense has scored on average seven points less per game and 73 fewer yards than 2019 giving them a No. 96 offensive ranking according to ESPN.com. Though the Gophers will graduate over half of their starting offensive line, the emergence of running backs Ky Thomas and Mar’Keise Irving and the return of Mo Ibriham should give the new OC a running game to be dangerous for opposing defenses in 2022.
Then there is the Tanner Morgan debate. Despite being the all-time winningest quarterback in the history of The University of Minnesota Football Program, it is widely viewed that Morgan has regressed since his fantastic 2019 season. Morgan has proven inconsistent both the last two seasons and chatter of his NFL draft stock, which was very complimentary two years ago has diminished to a whisper. Yes in 2019 Morgan had two of the best Wide Receivers to ever wear the maroon and gold in Tyler Johnson and Rashod Bateman, but has the system Sanford Jr. run since taking over in 2020 hurt Morgan’s draft stock and public opinion? What is Morgan’s motivation for coming back in 2022? He will be losing another high-end receiver in Chris Autman-Bell to graduation. Is there enough coming back in the wide-receiver core to give Morgan down field threats? In answering criticism of Morgan’s erratic play in 2021 Fleck repeatedly defended the quarterback by reminding everyone that the Gophers have won a lot of football games with Tanner Morgan. Considering the Gophers have now finished in the top half of the Big Ten in two of the last three years I think Gophers fans should welcome back his experience and expect a new more explosive offense which hopefully at long last puts them in the Big Ten title game in 2022. Having high expectations for Gophers football is somewhat new around here and I think Fleck and Morgan together have earned the opportunity to keep raising the bar.
by ERIC KOHN
Have you ever watched a football game from the perspective of only looking at the players use of their shoulders? Think about it for a minute. Think of how important the shoulder is in the game of football. The quarterback throws, the receiver catches, blocking, and tackling. All of those major actions that take place in a football game require the shoulder to be utilized in different ways. The shoulder is truly an amazing joint with the all of its qualities put on display during a football game. The amount of mobility in the shoulder that is needed to perform the movements on the field is nearly 360°. In addition, in order to perform the movements, the shoulder must also be stable. The shoulder has to be able to absorb and deliver forces in order to be successful. In this article, I will discuss the amazing shoulder, the injuries that can occur to the shoulder and how they can be prevented. The shoulder complex consists of 2 major bones; the humerus or the upper arm bone and the scapula or the shoulder blade. This complex is held together by a multitude of ligaments, a capsule and muscles. The combination of these in the shoulder create stability but also allow mobility to perform movements. The stability of the shoulder is accomplished by two types of stabilizers: Dynamic stabilizers which are the muscles surrounding the humeral head and the static stabilizers which include the capsule, ligaments and the labrum. The dynamic stabilizers are the muscles that surround the shoulder, including the rotator cuff muscles and biceps tendon, which can be strengthened with exercise. The static stabilizers are structures that are not under our conscience control but provide stability to the shoulder. These stabilizers work together to keep the ball in the socket. The challenge is that the ball is more like a baseball in size compared to that of a golf tee size of the socket. This size difference allows for significant mobility or movement but creates a significant challenge to keep the ball from sliding off of the tee. When the shoulder becomes unstable there are two terms that we utilize to described the injury. The first term is a dislocation. A dislocation is when the ball of the humeral head completely slides off and over the edge of the socket or the tee. This injury can occur when an athlete has the arm in an outstretched position either out to the side or overhead and a force pushes the arm backwards causing the head to slide off the front of the socket. Football movements include arm tackling, diving on an outstretched arm overhead or the quarterback being sacked with the arm overhead. The athlete will have immediate pain and limitation of the shoulder holding his arm tightly to the front of his body. Approximately 95% of dislocations will occur with the humeral head moving anteriorly or forward. The sports medicine professional will assess the shoulder on the sideline and determine if the shoulder can be relocated on the field or in the emergency room. This relocation needs to be performed by the sports medicine professional as there can be complications that can occur such as nerve or circulatory damage to the shoulder if performed incorrectly. The other term associated with shoulder instability is subluxation. A subluxation occurs when the humeral head slides or moves towards the edge of the socket but does not completely slide out and the stabilizers return the head back to its anatomical resting spot. This episode can occur in any number of movements of the shoulder but most importantly the stabilizers help to prevent the episode to becoming a full dislocation. If the athlete continues to have episodes of subluxation, the shoulder can be classified as unstable. These episodes may start out as painful but with subsequent recurrences become less painful. In some cases, the athlete can actually subluxate the shoulder voluntarily without pain. This means the static structures including the ligaments, capsule and labrum have become loose and do not perform their job as stabilizers. In these cases, the stability of the shoulder is reliant only upon the dynamic stabilizers or the rotator cuff and biceps tendon. The dynamic stabilizers of the shoulder can be trained by a progressive strengthening program with emphasis on the rotator cuff and bicep tendon muscles. This can be accomplished with the use of free weights, elastic bands or body weight exercises in push up or plank positions. Make sure not to neglect the muscles that stabilize the shoulder blade to the trunk, these dynamic scapular stabilizing muscles help to create the base of support for the shoulder complex. The prevention of shoulder injuries begins in the off season with specific shoulder stabilization exercises. Please consult your sports medicine professional or strength and conditioning specialist to help prevent and rehabilitate the amazing shoulder and keep you on the field. Good luck to all of those teams that are still playing for championships. Eric is a Board Certified Orthopedic Clinical Specialist, Doctor of Physical Therapy and Certified Strength and Conditioning Specialist. He practices at St Cloud Orthopedics in Central Minnesota and is an adjunct professor at The College of St. Benedict/St John’s University. He can be reached at ekohn@stcloudorthopedics.com
