This may be the NFL's dead period before training camp opens in two weeks but two of the Vikings star players are keeping their competitive juices flowing this weekend. And they will be joined by an ex-Twin who has been too busy in the past to get away in mid-July.
Wide receiver Adam Thielen and tight end Kyle Rudolph, along with Joe Mauer, are among the 91 past and present pro athletes and other celebrities participating in the American Century Golf Championship in Lake Tahoe.
There's money and pride at stake for this Minnesota trio who will join the likes of defending champion and former Cowboys quarterback (and current CBS analyst) Tony Romo, NBA star and golf nut Steph Curry and music superstar Justin Timberlake. That trio will make up one of the top-watched groups on Friday before the groups are reshuffled for the final two rounds over the weekend.
Thielen finished in a very respectable tie for 18th (with none other than Packers rival Aaron Rodgers) in last year's American Century tourney. He shows the same work ethic on his golf game as he has in rising from an undrafted player to a two-time Pro Bowler who is coming off a 113 catch season. He will tee it up with Cardinals star cornerback Patrick Peterson and Giants receiver Golden Tate in Friday's first round.
Rudolph did not play in last year's tournament but he is a golf lover like Thielen who will be part of an all-tight end grouping on Friday with Kansas City's Travis Kelce and former Notre Dame teammate Tyler Eifert from the Bengals. It should be a fun week for Rudolph after a stressful offseason of contract negotiations and trade chatter until his extension was signed last month.
As for Mauer, he's had plenty of time to work on his golf game in his first year of retirement after a Hall of Fame caliber baseball career. And judging from his excellence in every sport he's participated in (going back to being a top football and basketball player in high school), he'll probably do well on the links too.
Mauer's Friday threesome includes former major leaguers Shane Victorino and Jimmy Rollins.
The tournament continues with the final two rounds on Saturday and Sunday when the groupings will be according to score.
NBC SN will televise the tournament on Friday with NBC (KARE 11 locally) taking over on Saturday and Sunday afternoons.
So if you're missing the Vikings during their down time, you can tune in and see how Thielen and Rudolph fare and also check out a long-time Minnesota favorite in Mauer.
Around the NFL Observations:
Tom Brady sure knows how to stir up the Patriots fan base during the NFL's pre-training camp down time. First, he worked out with suspended wide receiver Josh Gordon three weeks ago. Then this week he created an even bigger buzz when he had a throwing session with recently retired tight end Rob Gronkowski.
The all-time great Gronkowski has spent the offseason insisting that he is done with the NFL after nine seasons that included three Super Bowl championships and five Pro Bowls. I had my doubts that the future Hall of Famer would stay retired and after his Los Angeles workout with Brady, I'm convinced that he will be back after sitting out the New England offseason program and missing training camp that opens July 24 in Foxboro.
Gronk even opened the door a bit more when he told NFL Network, "There's definitely going to be times when you miss it. I can't really say how I'm going to feel about it when the games start rolling around." Then he jokingly added that the Patriots should "call me when you get to the playoffs." I think that call will come long before postseason comes in January.
I also think it's telling that Patriots Coach and de facto GM Bill Belichick did not draft a tight end or sign a top free agent at the position. And that when Brady and Gronk got together in L.A. this week, they were in football mode as opposed to hanging out at the beach or at a great restaurant.
Gronkowski has battled injuries in recent years but at age 30, he still has some great play left in his tank. His return would be great news for the Patriots and their fans and bad news for opposing teams.
Gronk loves the spotlight on and off the field and I'll be surprised if he's not in the starting lineup for the Pats in their Sunday night regular season opener in Foxboro on September 8 for a high profile matchup against the Steelers.