30 Aug 2024

Why the Vikings picked Myles Gaskin over Kene Nwangwu as their No. 3 running back

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The Vikings decision to cut running back Kene Nwangwu this week came as a surprise to many who assumed he was going to be the kick returner this season. It starts to make more sense when listening to general manger Kwesi Adofo-Mensah and head coach Kevin O’Connell talk about running back Myles Gaskin.

“I want to make it more about Myles,” Adofo-Mensah said. “He just has a really diverse skill set to help us.”

“We felt like he earned the opportunity,” O’Connell said. “That’s really where that decision kind of went.”

Technically, the Vikings cut Gaskin this week, too, bringing him back as a member of the practice squad. But Gaskin will almost certainly be activated for the Sept. 8 season opener against the Giants in East Rutherford, N.J.

It sounds like the plan is for Gaskin to serve as the kick returner while playing in other areas on special teams. He also will fill an important role behind starting running back Aaron Jones and backup Ty Chandler. The latter role appears to be what tipped the scales in Gaskin’s favor.

Nwangwu had developed into a dynamic kick returner but wasn’t consistently contributing out of the backfield. Though he showed some increased ability running between the tackles in the preseason, Nwangwu struggled mightily in pass protection.

“You have to be aware where, maybe, if we overvalue any particular individual role,” O’Connell said. “It’s not as easy just to keep that position in a vacuum as it once was.”

Notably, Nwangwu was claimed off waivers by the Saints, then waived less than 24 hours later due to a failed physical.

As for Gaskin, he has steadily improved since joining the Vikings last season, showcasing his versatility in multiple phases of the game. Not only did he take a majority of the reps as the kick returner in the preseason, he turned some heads as a workhorse carrying the ball.

The biggest thing that stood out when evaluating Gaskin?

“His versatility to really be a true three-down back. The work he’s put in that really changed his physical style as a player,” O’Connell said.

That improvement is something Adofo-Mensah saw happening in real time. He mentioned how throughout training camp he would occasionally peek out the window in his office at TCO Performance Center and see Gaskin working in the distance.

“You see a guy after game day doing all kinds of drills, just deciding for himself, ‘I want to be the best version of myself for this team,’ ” the GM said.

Now it’s on Gaskin to prove the Vikings were right about him.

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30 Aug 2024

Minnesota United at San Jose: Keys to the match, projected starting XI and a prediction

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Minnesota United at San Jose Earthquakes

When: 9:30 p.m. CT Saturday
Where: Allianz Field
Stream: Apple TV Season Pass
Radio: KSTP-AM 1500 ESPN
Weather: sunny, 73 degrees, 12 mph south wind
Betting line: MNUFC plus-175; draw plus-280; San Jose plus-120

Form: The Loons (9-11-6, 33 points) fell out of the Western Conference spots for the MLS Cup Playoffs with a 3-2 loss to Seattle last Saturday. Earthquakes (5-19-2, 17 points) beat Real Salt Lake 2-0 last weekend, but still remain in last pace in West by a margin of seven points.

Stat: One. MNUFC’s 2-0 win over San Jose on July 20 is the club’s only victory in 11 league matches since June 1.

Absences: MNUFC are the healthiest they have been all season, with leading scorer Tani Oluwaseyi (hamstring) set to come back. New signing Joaquín Pereyra (immigration process) is not expected to be available to play.

Scouting report: San Jose has conceded an MLS-worst 61 goals this season and Ramsey teased that Yeboah and Oluwaseyi might form a two-forward pairing up top. Yeboah hit the ground running, becoming the first player to score two goals in his debut vs. Seattle. This match could prove to be a great opportunity to engender confidence and develop chemistry.

Projected XI: In a 5-3-2 formation, FW Kelvin Yeboah, FW Tani Oluwaseyi; CM Robin Lod; CM Wil Trapp, CM Hassani Dotson; LWB Joseph Rosales, CB Micky Tapias, CB Michael Boxall, CB Jefferson Diaz, RWB Sang Bin Jeong; GK Dayne St. Clair.

View: Now is the time for the Loons to capture all three points on the road; they haven’t done so since May 4 at Atlanta. And the Earthquakes are ripe for the picking, with a 3-9-1 home record. Only two other MLS teams have a paltry three home victories this season.

Issue: The Loons continue to be held up by their set-piece defending; Seattle scored twice on the second-phase of those plays last weekend.

“What you find is the difficult thing is to get on the same page is that transition in it being a set-play moment and it not being a set-play moment and everyone crossing over to get back into their normal positions,” Ramsay said. “That is when we look now vulnerable. We got to make sure we are really thorough and really concentrate all the way through until the danger has gone.”

Prediction: Yeboah and Oluwaseyi show MNUFC fans how lethal their partnership might be in the season’s final stretch. But set pieces continue to be a bugaboo. However, Loons win 2-1.

30 Aug 2024

Murder conviction remains reinstated for Adnan Syed in ‘Serial’ case as court orders new hearing

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By BRIAN WITTE and LEA SKENE

ANNAPOLIS, Md. (AP) — A 2022 court hearing that freed Adnan Syed from prison violated the legal rights of the victim’s family and must be redone, Maryland’s Supreme Court ruled Friday, marking the latest development in the ongoing legal saga that gained global attention years ago through the hit podcast “Serial.”

The 4-3 ruling means Syed’s murder conviction remains reinstated for the foreseeable future. It comes about 11 months after the court heard arguments last October in a case that has been fraught with legal twists and divided court rulings since Syed was convicted in 2000 of killing his high school ex-girlfriend Hae Min Lee.

Syed has been free since October 2022, and while the Supreme Court’s ruling reinstates his convictions, the justices did not order any changes to his release.

The court concluded that in an effort to remedy what was perceived to be an injustice to Syed, prosecutors and a lower court “worked an injustice” against Lee’s brother, Young Lee. The court ruled that Lee was not treated with “dignity, respect, and sensitivity,” because he was not given reasonable notice of the hearing that resulted in Syed being freed.

The court ruled that the remedy was “to reinstate Mr. Syed’s convictions and to remand the case to the circuit court for further proceedings.”

The court also said Lee would be afforded reasonable notice of the new hearing, “sufficient to provide Mr. Lee with a reasonable opportunity to attend such a hearing in person,” and for him or his counsel to be heard.

In a dissenting opinion, Justice Michele Hotten wrote that “this case exists as a procedural zombie.”

“It has been reanimated, despite its expiration,” Hotten wrote. “The doctrine of mootness was designed to prevent such judicial necromancy.”

The latest issue in the case pitted recent criminal justice reform efforts against the legal rights of crime victims and their families, whose voices are often at odds with a growing movement to acknowledge and correct systemic issues, including historic racism, police misconduct and prosecutorial missteps.

The panel of seven judges weighed the extent to which crime victims have a right to participate in hearings where a conviction could be vacated. To that end, the court considered whether to uphold a lower appellate court ruling in 2023 in favor of the Lee family. It reinstated Syed’s murder conviction a year after a judge granted a request from Baltimore prosecutors to vacate it because of flawed evidence.

Syed, 43, has maintained his innocence and has often expressed concern for Lee’s surviving relatives. The teenage girl was found strangled to death and buried in an unmarked grave in 1999. Syed was sentenced to life in prison, plus 30 years.

Syed was released from prison in September 2022, when a Baltimore judge overturned his conviction after city prosecutors found flaws in the evidence.

However, in March 2023, the Appellate Court of Maryland, the state’s intermediate appellate court, ordered a redo of the hearing that won Syed his freedom and reinstated his conviction. The court said the victim’s family didn’t receive adequate notice to attend the hearing in person, violating their right under state law to be “treated with dignity and respect.”

Syed’s lawyer Erica Suter has argued that the state did meet its obligation by allowing Young Lee to participate in the hearing via video conference.

Syed appealed his conviction’s reinstatement, and the Lee family also appealed to the state’s highest court, contending that crime victims should be given a larger role in the process of vacating a conviction.

Syed has remained free as the latest set of appeals wind their way through the state court system.

During oral arguments last year, his attorneys argued the Lee family’s appeal was moot because prosecutors decided not to charge him again after his conviction was vacated. And even if her brother’s rights were violated, the attorneys argued, he hasn’t demonstrated whether the alleged violation would have changed the outcome of the hearing.

This wasn’t the first time Maryland’s highest court has taken up Syed’s protracted legal odyssey.

In 2019, a divided court ruled 4-3 to deny Syed a new trial. A lower court had ordered a retrial in 2016 on grounds that Syed’s attorney, Cristina Gutierrez, didn’t contact an alibi witness and provided ineffective counsel. Gutierrez died in 2004.

In November 2019, the U.S. Supreme Court declined to review the decision by Maryland’s top court.

More recently, Baltimore prosecutors reexamined Syed’s files under a Maryland law targeting so-called “juvenile lifers” because he was 17 when Hae Min Lee’s body was found. Prosecutors uncovered numerous problems, including alternative suspects and the unreliable evidence presented at trial.

Instead of reconsidering his sentence, prosecutors filed a motion to vacate Syed’s conviction entirely. They later chose not to recharge him after receiving the results of DNA testing that was conducted using more modern testing techniques than initially conducted. DNA recovered from Lee’s shoes excluded Syed as a suspect, prosecutors said.

Syed’s case was chronicled in the “Serial” podcast, which debuted in 2014 and drew millions of listeners who became armchair detectives as the series analyzed the case. The show transformed the true-crime genre as it shattered podcast-streaming and downloading records, revealing little-known evidence and raising new questions about the case.

30 Aug 2024

The Loop: Nipsey Russell’s 2024 NFL Preview

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MINNESOTA VIKINGS

“Sam I Am, Not”

QB Darnold? Alas!
Purple struggles to pass
Get ready to drop misconceptions
Vikings won’t be OK
Unless brilliant JJ
Can manage 200 receptions

Minnesota Vikings wide receiver Justin Jefferson (18) smiles after a NFL football preseason game against the Las Vegas Raiders at U.S. Bank Stadium in Minneapolis on Saturday, Aug., 10 2024. The Vikings beat the Raiders, 24-23 on a last second Vikings place kicker Will Reichard (46) 38 yard-field goal. (John Autey / Pioneer Press)

GREEN BAY PACKERS

“You Can’t Hurry Love”

The Pack thinks they see
The league’s next MVP
After Jordan closed year with a flurry
But now North is so tough
Green Bay’s path will be rough
Their bravado soon turning to worry

Jordan Love #10 of the Green Bay Packers looks to pass during the first quarter against the San Francisco 49ers in the NFC Divisional Playoffs at Levi’s Stadium on Jan. 20, 2024 in Santa Clara, California. (Photo by Lachlan Cunningham/Getty Images)

KANSAS CITY CHIEFS

“They Call Me MISTER Swift!”

Taylor’s big beau
A perennial all-pro
Has been silent on marriage forecasting
But no doubt, his big thrill
Banking one hundred mill
By doing some half-assed podcasting

Travis Kelce #87 of the Kansas City Chiefs kisses Taylor Swift after defeating the San Francisco 49ers 25-22 in overtime during Super Bowl LVIII at Allegiant Stadium on Feb. 11, 2024 in Las Vegas, Nevada. (Photo by Ezra Shaw/Getty Images)

NEW YORK JETS

“Immunity on the Bounty”

Jets’ bragging grows bolder
As Rodgers gets older
They’re planning on Super Bowl action
T’will hardly be shocking
If New York’s lame blocking
Means QB will end up in traction

New York Jets quarterback Aaron Rodgers during the second half of a preseason NFL football game against the Carolina Panthers, Saturday, Aug. 17, 2024, in Charlotte, N.C. (AP Photo/Mike Stewart)

NEW ENGLAND PATRIOTS

“Killed Bill”

With Belichick thrown overboard
New England’s collapse will be quick
The Patriots’ only reward
A guaranteed No. 1 pick

New England Patriots head coach Bill Belichick looks on in the second half during a game against the New York Jets at Gillette Stadium on Jan. 07, 2024 in Foxborough, Massachusetts. (Photo by Winslow Townson/Getty Images)

ATLANTA FALCONS

“Captain Kirk”

To Georgia, here comes Mr. Cousins
Who has Dirty Birds fans a-buzzin’
‘Cause despite past derision
In soft South division
They could rack up wins by the dozen

Kirk Cousins #18 of the Atlanta Falcons passes during NFL training camp at Mercedes-Benz Stadium on Aug. 2, 2024 in Atlanta, Georgia. (Photo by Todd Kirkland/Getty Images)

CHICAGO BEARS

“Where there’s a Williams, There’s a Way?”

They’re very thin-skinned
In the City of Wind
Where all seasons bring deep disappointment
Getting drunk on the hype
All Bears dreams, mostly pipe
We can clearly see flies in the ointment

Caleb Williams #18 of the Chicago Bears warms up before a preseason game against the Cincinnati Bengals at Soldier Field on Aug. 17, 2024 in Chicago, Illinois. (Photo by Quinn Harris/Getty Images)

HOUSTON TEXANS

“Can You Diggs It?”

Remember the Vikes’ malcontent?
He’s whined his way off of the Bills
It won’t take him too long to vent
When new mates provide all of the thrills

Stefon Diggs #1 of the Houston Texans looks on prior to the 2024 Pro Football Hall of Fame Game against the Chicago Bears at Tom Benson Hall Of Fame Stadium on Aug. 01, 2024 in Canton, Ohio. (Photo by Nick Cammett/Getty Images)

DETROIT LIONS

“The Gambler”

On the cusp of their goal
Lions’ first Super Bowl
Their colorful coach pulled a blooper
With Campbell making calls
Detroit again falls
Into usual wintertime stupor

Detroit Lions head coach Dan Campbell speaks at a news conference after the NFC Championship NFL football game against the San Francisco 49ers in Santa Clara, Calif., Sunday, Jan. 28, 2024. (AP Photo/Jed Jacobsohn)

SAN FRANCISCO 49ERS

“Santa Clara or Bust”

The Niners have championship feel
While their old San Fran home is a pity
The franchise’s most brilliant deal?
Moving 45 miles from city

Brandon Aiyuk #11 of the San Francisco 49ers catches a pass that was tipped by Kindle Vildor #29 of the Detroit Lions during the third quarter in the NFC Championship Game at Levi’s Stadium on Jan. 28, 2024 in Santa Clara, California. (Photo by Ezra Shaw/Getty Images)

BUFFALO BILLS

“Sean of the Dead”

Every season, the Bills face backlash
For their usual postseason crash
Once they lag in division
They will make wise decision:
Performing a coach’s excision

Head coach Sean McDermott of the Buffalo Bills looks on from the sidelines against the Cincinnati Bengals during the second quarter in the AFC Divisional Playoff game at Highmark Stadium on Jan. 22, 2023 in Orchard Park, New York. (Photo by Bryan M. Bennett/Getty Images)

DALLAS COWBOYS

“Operator Error”

This won’t be the last one for Jerry
Despite Jones’ faux pas ever clearer
True Pokes fans will never be merry
‘Til owner is in rear-view mirror

Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones walks the field before the game against the Washington Commanders at FedExField on Jan. 07, 2024 in Landover, Maryland. (Photo by Patrick Smith/Getty Images)

MIAMI DOLPHINS

“Tale of Tua City”

Despite all the critical dissing
This quarterback’s breaking the bank
But with all Fins’ defensive stars missing
Miami continues to tank

Miami Dolphins quarterback Tua Tagovailoa (1) is sacked by Cincinnati Bengals’ Josh Tupou (68) during the first half of an NFL football game, Thursday, Sept. 29, 2022, in Cincinnati. (AP Photo/Joshua A. Bickel)

PHILADELPHIA EAGLES

“Goal to Go?”

Hurts plunging up middle, they say
Is football’s most maddening play
Without Kelce, that tush
Will be harder to push
Instead, give to Barkley? They may

Jalen Hurts #1 of the Philadelphia Eagles rushes for a touchdown during the third quarter against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers at Raymond James Stadium on Sept. 25, 2023 in Tampa, Florida. (Photo by Mike Carlson/Getty Images)

CAROLINA PANTHERS

“Last and Last Again”

All could be finer
In poor Carolina
The NFL’s worst two years straight
Cats won’t have much to cheer
Seeing Young on his rear
‘Nother high pick is their fate

Bryce Young #9 of the Carolina Panthers is tackled by Shaquil Barrett #7 of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers during the first half of the game at Bank of America Stadium on Jan. 07, 2024 in Charlotte, North Carolina. (Photo by Jared C. Tilton/Getty Images)

CINCINNATI BENGALS

“Cheap is as Cheap Does”

From Burrow to Higgins to Chase
The tiger-striped roster is nifty
But they’ll never win Super Bowl race
When all they lead league in is “thrifty”

Ja’Marr Chase #1 of the Cincinnati Bengals and AFC reacts during the 2024 NFL Pro Bowl Games at Camping World Stadium on Feb. 04, 2024 in Orlando, Florida. (Photo by Megan Briggs/Getty Images)

WASHINGTON COMMANDERS

“The Thin Man”

The Heisman dude hits the ground running
HIs quarterback talents are stunning
But Daniels won’t be great
If injury’s his fate
Since he weighs about one thirty eight

Jayden Daniels #5 of the Washington Commanders warms up prior to the preseason game against the New York Jets at MetLife Stadium on Aug. 10, 2024 in East Rutherford, New Jersey. (Photo by Mitchell Leff/Getty Images)

PITTSBURGH STEELERS

“Danger, Russ”

It’s kind of a pity
In the old Steel City
That Wilson has washed up ashore
But with Fields on bench
If there’s offensive stench
In three weeks they’ll show Russell the door

Russell Wilson #3 of the Pittsburgh Steelers throws an incomplete pass as he is taken to the ground by Greg Rousseau #50 of the Buffalo Bills in the first quarter during the preseason game at Acrisure Stadium on Aug. 17, 2024 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Justin Berl/Getty Images)

BALTIMORE RAVENS

“King Henry’s New Court”

So often, the QB star Jackson
Has hogged Baltimore’s goal-line action
But this year they’ll be quick
Just hand ball to Derrick
It could be their Super Bowl schtick

Lamar Jackson #8 of the Baltimore Ravens hands the ball off to Derrick Henry #22 during training camp at Under Armour Performance Center Baltimore Ravens on Aug. 12, 2024 in Owings Mills, Maryland. (Photo by Scott Taetsch/Getty Images)

DENVER BRONCOS

“Payton’s Place”

Coach used one of vital draft picks
To settle on passer named Nix
While they’re still mile high
Denver’s horses can’t fly
Still a few years away from a fix

Head coach Sean Payton of the Denver Broncos is interviewed between halves during the preseason game against the Green Bay Packers at Empower Field At Mile High on Aug. 18, 2024 in Denver, Colorado. (Photo by Tyler Schank/Getty Images)

NEW YORK GIANTS

“The Nabers Hood”

Big Blue pinned draft hopes on Malik
HIs LSU talents unique
But the air, filled with moans
As the fans destroy Jones
Make receiver an underused Freak

Wide receiver Malik Nabers speaks to the media during New York Giants Rookie Minicamp at Quest Diagnostics Training Center on May 10, 2024 in East Rutherford, New Jersey. (Sarah Stier/Getty Images)

—————

DIVISIONAL RACES

NFC North
Lions (12-5), Packers (10-7), Bears (10-7), Vikings (6-11)
NFC East
Eagles (12-5), Cowboys (10-7), Commanders (8-9), Giants (3-14)
NFC South
Falcons (8-9), Saints (8-9), Buccaneers (7-10), Panthers (6-11)
NFC West
49ers (12-5), Rams (10-7), Seahawks (9-8), Cardinals (7-10)
AFC East
Dolphins (11-6), Bills (10-7), Jets (9-8), Patriots (2-15)
AFC North
Ravens (14-3), Bengals (13-4), Steelers (7-10), Browns (4-13)
AFC South
Texans (10-7) , Colts (8-9), Jaguars (8-9), Titans (7-10)
AFC West
Chiefs (13-4), Broncos (6-11), Chargers (6-11), Raiders (6-11)

PLAYOFF PREDICTIONS

NFC wild card
49ers over Rams, Lions over Packers, Bears over Falcons
AFC wild card
Chiefs over Jets, Dolphins over Bills, Bengals over Texans,
NFC divisional
Eagles over Bears, Lions over 49ers
AFC divisional
Ravens over Bengals, Chiefs over Dolphins
NFC championship
Lions over Eagles
AFC championship
Ravens over Chiefs
Super Bowl LIX
Ravens over Lions

Head coach John Harbaugh of the Baltimore Ravens celebrates with the VInce Lombardi Championship trophy after the Ravens won 34-31 against the San Francisco 49ers during Super Bowl XLVII at the Mercedes-Benz Superdome on Feb. 3, 2013 in New Orleans, Louisiana. (Photo by Ezra Shaw/Getty Images)

COMING NEXT WEEK

The Loop begins our annual drive for prognostication perfection with the Week 1 Fantasy Football column on Thursday and the Week 1 NFL picks on Sunday.

You can hear Kevin Cusick on Wednesdays on Bob Sansevere’s “BS Show” podcast on iTunes. You can follow Kevin on Twitter — @theloopnow. He can be reached at kcusick@pioneerpress.com.

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