Sid Hartman: Bevell, Collins were Big Ten rivals

When the Vikings play host to Washington tonight, the appearance of Todd Collins as the starting quarterback for the Redskins will bring back a lot of memories for Vikings offensive coordinator Darrell Bevell.

The two played in the Big Ten at the same time, with Bevell leading Wisconsin to the 1993 Big Ten championship and a Rose Bowl victory over UCLA. Collins was a two-year starter at Michigan.

Since their college days, each took different routes to where they are now.

Bevell, who went undrafted after his senior season of 1995, began his coaching career at Westmar University in Lemars, Iowa, in 1996. Collins was selected by Buffalo in the second round of the 1995 draft and spent two years as a backup before taking over for the retired Jim Kelly as the Bills starter in 1997. He struggled that season and since has been a backup with Kansas City for eight years and Washington the past two.

Collins, now 36, replaced injured starter Jason Campbell two weeks ago against the Bears and completed 15 of 20 passes for 224 yards and two touchdowns in a Redskins victory. Collins was rewarded with a start last week at the Giants, his first since Dec. 14, 1997, when he started for Buffalo against Jacksonville. Even though he struggled last week, going only 8-for-25 for 166 yards and a poor 56.4 rating, the Redskins beat the Giants 22-10, keeping them alive for an NFC playoff berth and making tonight's game a big one for both teams.

As Big Ten rivals in 1993, Bevell completed 15 of 22 passes for 118 yards and Collins 21 of 31 for 248 yards, one touchdown and two interceptions in No. 21 Wisconsin's 13-10 victory over No. 24 Michigan in Madison, Wis. It was first time the Badgers had beaten Michigan in 12 years and only the second time since 1962. The victory resulted in a stampede in the student section at Camp Randall Stadium that left 73 fans injured.

The following year, the Badgers were struggling, coming off their second loss to the Gophers in as many years. But they went to Ann Arbor's Michigan Stadium unranked and beat the 10th-ranked Wolverines 31-19, with Bevell completing 18 of 26 passes for 161 yards and Collins completing 14 of 25 passes for 172 yards, again with one touchdown and two interceptions. Collins suffered a hip pointer in the first quarter.

Pat Morris, an NFL offensive line coach since 1997 with San Francisco, Detroit and now Minnesota for the past two years, said that the Vikings aren't seeing anything new in the defenses they are facing to stop great running backs Adrian Peterson and Chester Taylor.

Peterson has a total of 82 yards on 34 carries the past two weeks against the 49ers and Bears.

"When people have to stop the run, they've got to find ways to do it," Morris said. "So, you're going to see a lot of different things that can happen and ... sometimes they don't show it on film beforehand, so you've just got to make adjustments during gametime.

"The Bears, they did some things that were a little different, very unusual, that they've never done before, and so some things you've got to correct as you go through the game. They played their standard front, but they did have a few extra things for us."

Morris said the Vikings should consider this a compliment. "I mean, people are going to try to stop the thing you do the best, but they can't; if they go too much, we've done a good job with our passing game," Morris said. "So if you take one thing away, obviously something else is going to open up."

One of the things Peterson is good at is handing out praise to his teammates. About fullback Tony Richardson, the rookie said that Richardson makes his job a lot easier.

"He is a guy out there during the game keeping my head on right and keeping me relaxed," Peterson said. "He is always talking to me on the sidelines, just helping my game develop on and off the field. I couldn't have a better guy in front of me."

About the great downfield blocking by the wide receivers coached by George Stewart, Peterson said: "We understand each other as an offensive group and we are going to get it done no matter if it is passing the ball or running the ball."

It's amazing. A year ago, the Twins front office was debating whether to pick up an option on pitcher Carlos Silva for $4.325 million. Now after a good-but-not-great season -- 13-14 with a 4.19 ERA -- he not only gets a guaranteed $48 million for four years from Seattle but also a fifth-year mutual $12 million option with a $2 million buyout included. The truth of the matter is that one reason the Twins didn't trade Silva over the summer when they were struggling is that he and Johan Santana are best friends -- Santana reportedly was in Silva's wedding party Dec. 1 when Silva got married in Venezuela -- and they thought Silva's presence would help them sign Santana. Now, instead, they will lose both.

Tonight's Vikings game will be only their third of the season for which no tickets remained when the game started. Peterson's emergence as an NFL star has given the Vikings a waiting list of 250 for season tickets next year.

Gophers athletic director Joel Maturi said the $7 million per year received by each school in the Big Ten Network deal is guaranteed, even though the new network is having problems getting carried by cable providers.

A source who knows said that the Twins revenue for each of their spring training games is $200,000, more than any other team except for the Yankees and the Red Sox.