Birk's abrupt exit leaves void for team

They talk about good chemistry being important to having a winning football team in the NFL.

Well, there isn't any reason why the Vikings won't retain the super chemistry from last year that helped them win the division title.

However, the departures of quarterback Gus Frerotte and center Matt Birk, and the likely exit of safety Darren Sharper, who appears headed to New Orleans or Atlanta, could have some effect.

The team will have to make adjustments after losing an 11-year veteran such as Birk.

Birk, Frerotte and guard Steve Hutchinson were inseparable pals on and off the field. Every day after practice, they spent their rest time playing cards in the equipment room, and there was plenty of football talk.

That combination was so close personally that it had a real effect on winning and losing on the field. All three are very football-smart, and they helped a lot of players.

Sharper was a real leader, one of the most popular players on the team and had close ties to the media because he made himself available all of the time -- so did Birk.

The big mystery to me is why Birk didn't accept the same offer from the Vikings that he signed for with the Ravens. As it turned out, money wasn't the deciding factor, because the Vikings would have topped the Ravens' offer to keep him.

Childress and the Vikings wanted to keep him and would have paid the price. Birk has a big family here, has a fantastic home and lots of friends. Now the Vikings might have to go with a young center in John Sullivan because the free agent market for centers is weak. Why did Birk decide to leave? I am speculating that there is some reason outside of football. In time, we will find out. There are too many opportunities for Birk to leave here. With a Harvard degree, he could write his own ticket following retirement.

Meanwhile, to clear up another subject, there never was any chance for the Vikings to land Broncos quarterback Jay Cutler, as had been rumored.

Gophers hot Gophers basketball coach Tubby Smith said he felt the reason his team beat the Badgers on Wednesday is that the young players are getting their confidence.

"What a crowd we had. The Barn was rocking tonight," he said. "We beat the hottest team in the Big Ten. We knew [Badgers coach] Bo Ryan and Wisconsin would respond against us after we beat them at their place. I thought our guys did a great job stopping Wisconsin's half-court offense. The young guys are really getting their confidence. This is a huge win for us, and it's always great to beat your rival.

Now Smith is confident the Gophers have a good chance to be invited to the NCAA tournament.

"We've gotta take care of business on Saturday," he said about the game with Michigan. "And I think we've got a good case right now. We have a pretty good résumé for the selection committee. That's why I keep talking about being on the road five out of seven games in the month of February. [The committee has] to understand we were in most games and we were right there. And I think it's a pretty smart group of guys that'll make the right decision."

Jottings One of the outstanding members of the 2010 state high school football recruiting class, offensive tackle Jimmy Gjere of Irondale, verbally committed to Minnesota on Wednesday. Gjere is ranked second in the state in his class. Cretin-Derham Hall offensive tackle Seantrel Henderson is ranked first. Gjere had offers from Ohio State, Iowa and Wisconsin in addition to Minnesota. Also announcing for the Gophers' 2010 class this week was Antoine Lewis, a cornerback from Proviso East in Maywood, Ill., who as a junior caught 30 passes for more than 600 yards and nine touchdowns and returned nine kickoffs for 185 yards. Committing earlier was linebacker Konrad Zagzebski of DC Everett in Schofield, Wis., who is rated by some as the top 2010 recruit in his home state. And expecting to announce for the Gophers in the next few days is running back Lamonte Edwards of Woodbury.

Former Gophers defensive end Willie VanDeSteeg, linebackers Steve Davis and Deon Hightower, punter Justin Kucek, kicker Joel Monroe and tight end Jack Simmons will take part in Minnesota's pro day, working out for pro scouts at the Gibson-Nagurski complex on March 11. The workout is not open to the public.

Gophers quarterback Adam Weber, who had surgery on his left shoulder some time ago, is making good progress but won't be able to take part in spring practice. However, he is doing some of the drills with the rest of the football team. Receiver Eric Decker is part of that group, even though he is a member of the baseball team.

The Big Ten wrestling tournament is this weekend in State College, Pa., and Gophers coach J Robinson says Iowa is the favorite. "We'd have to have a great tournament to win," he said. "We've got some guys that are seeded pretty good. It will be an interesting tournament for us. Probably our best chance is Jayson Ness at 133 [pounds] and then Ben Berhow, at heavyweight, is seeded No. 2. On paper, those two are probably the best and then probably, Zach Sanders [125] and Mike Thorn [141]. Those are our best chances right there."

Vikings football coach Brad Childress is in San Diego for the graduation of his son, Andrew, from Marine Corps basic training. ... A year ago, Jared Berggren, 6-10 basketball star from Princeton, was ranked one of the state's top recruits, but he sat on the Badgers bench Wednesday -- he's being redshirted this year.