Safety Williams eager to prove his playmaking ability

The word at Winter Park is that Vikings safety Madieu Williams, the free agent who has been sidelined because of a neck injury since the regular season began, will replace second-round draft choice Tyrell Johnson in the starting lineup when practice resumes Monday for the game against Houston a week from Sunday.

"Getting a veteran guy who's [been] playing in this league in our secondary, who's a playmaker, he should be a big plus for us," said Leslie Frazier, the Vikings defensive coordinator. "He's real close to coming back; hopefully after this bye we'll have him back on the field.

"We'll play him at the safety position, opposite Darren Sharper. So, he'll be a big player for us. Tyrell will be a backup when Madieu comes back. He's missed a lot of time since training camp. He's got a lot of catching up to do, but it will be great to have him back."

Williams said he is excited about playing after the bye week.

About his neck injury, Williams said: "Yeah, it definitely happened during training camp. It's one of those things that rarely happens; it's rare that guys get that type of injury. I can't really pinpoint exactly where it occurred. But I am moving forward, I'm excited, I'm healed and I feel confident that I'm healthy now and I'm ready to contribute to this team in the second half of the year.

"It's just a matter of me going out there and doing the things that I know I'm capable of doing, and just doing what I'm meant to do, and execute."

Big game for Gophers Despite the fact the Gophers football team is 6-1, Jason LaFrenz, assistant athletics director for marketing and ticket sales, reports there are 20,000 seats still available for the Michigan and Northwestern home games.

Also at stake Saturday will be a bid to a more prominent bowl game such as the Outback Bowl or Alamo Bowl, which have passed up the Gophers in the past. Representatives of both bowls are expected to be at the game.

Meanwhile, even though the Gophers have lost seven in a row at West Lafayette, Ind., the Las Vegas oddsmakers have made the Gophers a 1-point favorite.

Housley honored Wild assistant coach Mike Ramsey was a veteran member of the Buffalo Sabres when 18-year-old Phil Housley of South St. Paul -- who received the Lester Patrick Award on Tuesday -- reported for his first day at camp in 1982.

"I remember his first day in camp -- obviously everybody wanted to align us together because we were from Minnesota, and I didn't really know Phil that well because I had been playing in the NHL and he had been playing high school hockey," said Ramsey, a Minneapolis native. "But on the first day he walked in, he looked like he was 14 years old. I remember [we] scrimmaged the first day of camp, and they dropped the puck for the scrimmage and his first shift out there he got the puck and he went coast-to-coast around Larry Playfair, and scored a goal. And right there, we knew we had something special."

Jottings Timberwolves owner Glen Taylor was unanimously picked to be chairman of the NBA Board of Governors on Thursday, replacing Miami Heat owner Micky Arison. The board makes the NBA's major decisions, including rules changes and franchise relocation. "This is a unique opportunity to work with Commissioner [David] Stern, his staff and the NBA both nationally and internationally to build the NBA brand," Taylor said.

Speaking of Purdue, the Boilermakers have a 17-game losing streak against top-25 teams.

The Nov. 8 Michigan game will be a big recruiting day for the Gophers, with five outstanding players making visits. They include: quarterback MarQueis Gray, who wasn't admitted to school after the validity of his ACT score was flagged; defensive back Michael Carter, a relative of former Gopher Tyrone Carter; linebacker Spencer Reeves, who had to improve his SAT to get into school; Taylor Lewan, an outstanding lineman; and highly recruited tight end Ra'Shede Hageman from Minneapolis Washburn.

Dominique Barber, the former Gopher now with the Houston Texans, has been bothered by a hamstring injury and didn't play this past week. The former Wayzata star might not get a chance to play against the Vikings a week from Sunday. ... St. Louis Park native and former Gopher Marc Trestman coached the Montreal Alouettes to an 11-5 record and a playoff spot in the Canadian Football League, and is a leading candidate for the CFL's coach of the year.

Dylan Ness, a junior from Bloomington Kennedy, has committed to wrestle for the Gophers. Ness placed third in the Class 3A tournament at 119 pounds as a sophomore and third at 103 pounds two years ago. His older brother, Jayson, is a two-time All- America with the Gophers.

While here for the Lester Patrick Award luncheon, NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman was asked if the NHL will continue to participate in the Olympics. "We will go through 2010 in Vancouver, and then after 2010 we'll have to sit down with the players' association and see what makes sense," he said. "It's great exposure, and it's a good thing but it's not without its issues." A top concern, Bettman said, is interrupting the regular season. "There are problems that flow from that," he said. "The issue is whether or not the benefits are worth the problems and that's something we'll have to reason together with the players' association after we participate in the Vancouver Olympics in 2010."