Quick Hits: Volume CXXXVI

- In the aftermath of the horrific stabbing incident at a St Cloud, MN mall on Saturday evening, Gov. Mark Dayton commented on the attack perpetrated by a man who pledged allegiance to Allah.

The money quote:

I ask everyone in the St. Cloud area and throughout Minnesota to rise above this atrocity and act to make religious and racial tolerance one of the ways in which Minnesotans again lead our country.

My friend and Northern Alliance Radio Network colleague Mitch Berg didn't appreciate Little Lord Fauntleroy's Dayton's insinuation.

You want tolerance?

Get over yourself, “governor”. If Minnesotans weren’t fundamentally tolerant, there wouldn’t be 100,000 Somalis in Minneapolis, and 20,000 in St. Cloud.

And if yesterday’s attack had happened in great swathes of the rest of the world – the Middle East, India, the Balkans, Greece, and or dare I say Somalia itself – this ethnic and religious oriented attack would have been met by death squads roaming the streets looking for Somalis to beat, stab and shoot.

No, “governor”, the intolerant one is the one who says “go along with the program and shut up, or get out of Minnesota”. Which, if you recall – and that is by no means certain – was you, “governor”.

For chrissake, just resign already.

It's funny that Mitch suggested Monday of all days for Dayton to resign. In the "Dayton Retirement Pool" contest Mitch put on nearly two years ago, I picked that exact date (September 19, 2016)  as the day Dayton would retire. Why that date? My rationale is that he would step down the day after the Minnesota Vikings' regular season debut in the Taj MaZygi new US Bank Stadium (pretty impressive that I also nailed the date of the Vikes' 2016 home opener, eh?). Since that seemed to be the crown jewel accomplishment of his administration, Dayton could bask in the glory during the game and then move on with life.

Oh well.


- In the other high profile terror attacks, which took place on the east coast, a suspect has been arrested.

Ahmad Khan Rahami, 28, was charged with five counts of attempted murder of a law enforcement officer after a shootout Monday with police in Linden, New Jersey, Union County Prosecutor Grace H. Park said. He is also charged with second-degree unlawful possession of a weapon and second-degree possession of a weapon for an unlawful purpose.

Authorities said Rahami is "directly linked" to bombings Saturday in New York City and Seaside Park, New Jersey, and is believed to be connected to pipe bombs found Sunday night in Elizabeth, New Jersey, sources said.

"We have every reason to believe this was an act of terror," New York Mayor Bill de Blasio said Monday.

Discovered a few blocks away from the NYC explosion was a pressure cooker, similar to the devices used in the Boston Marathon Bombings nearly three-and-a-half years ago.

I wonder if this means Mr. Rahami will now grace the cover of Rolling Stone magazine.


- The Vikings' win over the Green Bay Packers this past Sunday may prove somewhat costly.

Vikings running back Adrian Peterson’s injured right knee was diagnosed Monday as a torn meniscus.

Coach Mike Zimmer said he didn’t know how long Peterson might be out, but he did not rule out him playing Sunday’s game at Carolina.

“We’re going through the evaluation process to figure out what the next procedure will be, the options we have,” Zimmer said.

Even before Peterson got hurt, he wasn't exactly running like gangbusters up to that point. In two games, he gained only 50 yards on 31 carries. Why such paltry numbers for the future Hall of Fame RB?

• Perhaps zero playing time in the preseason had thrown off his timing. He's started slow each of the past few seasons while not having played in any preseason contests. 
• A revamped Vikings offensive line may also be a factor. 
• Maybe opposing defenses didn't fear the Vikes' passing game, thus they stacked the box with eight defenders committed to stopping Peterson. 

I think a realistic possibility is the inevitable drop off in production for a 30-something NFL running back. There certainly is precedence for it. One of many examples is Curtis Martin. In the 10th season of his Hall of Fame career, the then 31-year old Martin (as a member of the NY Jets in 2004) rushed for 1,697 yards while averaging 4.6 yards per carry, both of which were career highs. The following year? Martin strained his knee in the second game of the 2005 season. As such, his production tapered as he averaged merely 3.3 yards per carry (a career low) and for the first time in his 11 seasons did not rush for 1,000 yards. That would be Martin's final season in the NFL.

While Peterson has done some superhuman things in the NFL (rushing for over 2,000 yards in 2012, the year after tearing ligaments in his right knee; Winning the rushing title in 2015 after basically sitting out all of 2014), Father Time is undefeated. Peterson is also a non-factor in the passing game, specifically being pretty much worthless in play action given his woeful pass blocking ability.

I guess what I'm saying is there should be no reason to rush Peterson back into the lineup. And since he'll be 32 years old next year (and the Vikings have no salary cap implications with Peterson beyond this season), we may well be seeing the twilight of his career. 

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