Touching 'em all:
Vikings: The coaching staff would be foolish to try to operate ``fairly" when it comes to receiver snaps. I thought Charles Johnson was going to have a big season. He didn't play well or create separation from defenders when he was healthy. Stefon Diggs should be treated as the Vikings' best receiver until he proves he isn't. So far, he's proved he is.
Gopher football: One of the reasons for optimism about the future of Gopher football going into this season was the downturn of the Iowa program. If Iowa is going to regain its status as a force, Jerry Kill's job just got harder.
Wild: Wrote about Pominville's scoring woes for the Friday paper, but the Wild's biggest concern has to be goalie Devan Dubnyk. He doesn't look as quick or confident as he did last year, and hasn't controlled rebounds well. Too early to panic? It's never too early when you have the Wild's goalie history.
Timberwolves: If the Wolves wind up with a starting five of Ricky Rubio, Andrew Wiggins, Shabazz Muhammad, Karl-Anthony Towns and Kevin Garnett (or whomever eventually replaces him), they will have a potentially dynamic offensive unit. Their defense might be suspect, but they would be interesting.
Twins: The hot cliche these days is that the Twins need a true ace. I disagree. Pitching depth is more important, and they should have that next season. Jose Berrios could add ace-like stuff and depth, but the idea that you have to have an ace ignores the fact that Clayton Kershaw, Zack Greinke, Jake Arrieta and Corey Kluber aren't spraying champagne these days, and David Price might be Toronto's problem more than its leader.
It's comforting to see an ``ace" on the mound. But it's not always pivotal. Pitching depth is more important during the long season.
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