NFL's Tod Leiweke says Vikings have come a long way under Wilf ownership

There are few sports executives who have had as diverse a career as Tod Leiweke, and few with as close ties to the Minnesota sports scene.

Leiweke — who was named the chief operating officer of the NFL, basically the league's No. 2 executive behind Commissioner Roger Goodell — served as the first president of the Wild before serving stints with the NFL's Seattle Seahawks and the NHL's Tampa Bay Lightning.

He was recently in town to see the new Vikings stadium and had a lot to say about the building, along with how he got his start with the Wild.

"The Wild was one of those unbelievable experiences," Leiweke said. "Hockey left a native state and there were some who said that the void had been filled with all of those Division I programs and hockey didn't really miss a step on the amateur level, but we had the privilege of bringing it back with Bob Naegele and Jac Sperling and others having a strong sense of how to do it right. It sure did work. It will always go down as tied for first or perhaps the best experience I've had in my career."

When it came to U.S. Bank Stadium, the 56-year-old Leiweke couldn't separate his admiration for the facility from the journey he believes the Wilf family started back when they bought the Vikings from Red McCombs.

"It's fabulous, and I think we watched the franchise there that had uncertainty and the Wilfs came in in [2005] and they made a lot of promises of things they were going to do," he said. "They talked about being involved in the community, they talked about building a winning team, but they talked about a stadium solution. That was not preordained. It was a very difficult thing. I think for them, they hung in there. They continued to believe in the fans."

Leiweke said that when Goodell asked him to come on as COO for the NFL last year, there was "real nobility" in the request, and he takes great pride in his role. One of the reasons he felt good about the position was that when he began his stint with the Seahawks in 2003, the team was considered to have one of the worst NFL fan bases. Even in 2002, the first year of their new stadium, the Seahawks had local television blackouts because they couldn't sell out home games.

So one of Leiweke's main jobs was to connect with the fans and build up interest in the team, which the Seahawks certainly succeeded at doing. It helps that they have won three NFC titles and one Super Bowl over the past decade. There might not be a more devoted group of fans in the league now.

He said the NFL is trying to examine those same principles in building up fans around the world.

"There's interesting things happening internationally," he said. "If you're not thinking internationally in today's world, you can't just be about the four corners of the U.S. anymore. We're very popular in Canada and want to do more north of the border. There's a great league up there in the CFL, but there's also a ton of NFL fans. South of the border we're playing a game this year, and tickets went on sale this past week and sold out in 12 minutes. We're playing in the big stadium in Mexico City, an amazing response and success and a lot of fans.

"But sustaining [internationally] is London, and we'll play three games there this year and all are already sold out. It's a cool thing to see something uniquely American like American football being able to be transported over borders."

On U.S. Bank Stadium, Leiweke said he believes it lives up to the best anywhere.

"It's as good as any stadium, not just in the NFL but in the world," he said. "One of my phrases on the stadium, and I think the Xcel Energy Center has it, is does it have a feng shui and a soul? I think that stadium does. It feels a lot more intimate than what the seat count is. If you brought somebody there and you put a blindfold on them and you took the blindfold off and you said, 'Where are you?' They would know they are in Minnesota and they would know they are at the home of the Vikings.

"It just feels like it all fits. Then you pair that up with that football team and it's a very, very exciting time for the Vikings, for sure."

Leiweke was asked what he has thought of the Wilf family ownership from an NFL executive viewpoint.

"They walked into a challenging situation. The first Vikings games I went to at the Metrodome, I was warned that if you need to use the men's room do it midway through the second quarter, because you'll never be back if you go at halftime," he said. "It was a challenged building. They walked into a challenging situation, and I remember some people saying, 'Well, wait, these guys aren't from here, and we're provincial,' I think they've done a magnificent job.

"Zygi, Lenny and Mark, and I consider Mark a friend, they have done a great job. Then the staff they have put together there, the football guys I think are fantastic. I think they have a great general manager, a great coach. I think Teddy [Bridgewater] is one of the finest young quarterbacks in this league. He's not just a great guy on the field, he's a great guy off the field. Kevin Warren, Steve Poppen, Lester Bagley, these guys have done a terrific job. What they announced last week with the practice facility and training center in Eagan, they just keep pushing, and it's a fantastic thing."

JOTTINGS

• Sam Mitchell, fired after serving as Timberwolves interim coach last season, told Sirius XM Radio he believes the firing could persuade Kevin Garnett, who was close with Mitchell and assistant Sidney Lowe, to retire. "To be honest with you, I don't know how he's going to deal with that," Mitchell said. "Kevin takes that stuff personally and it's going to be interesting to see ultimately what he decides to do. It's a shame that if he doesn't come back and play, that his last year in Minnesota ended the way it did."

• I've been waiting for either the Twins or the Gophers to change the time of their Sept. 1 home game so as to not compete with the Vikings that night. Yes, it's only a preseason game, but the Vikings' 7 p.m. game with the Rams will be only their second game at U.S. Bank Stadium. That same night the Gophers open their season against Oregon State at 8 p.m. and the Twins open a homestand vs. the White Sox at 7:10 p.m.

• This December, the Vikings will play on Christmas Eve and the Timberwolves will play on Christmas Day, a first for the franchise. It's a big get for the Wolves, who will play at Oklahoma City, as there are only five NBA games on Christmas and it has become a big event for the league. The other Dec. 25 matchups are Boston at New York, Golden State at Cleveland in an NBA Finals rematch, Chicago at San Antonio and the L.A. Clippers at the L.A. Lakers.

• Vikings quarterback Teddy Bridgewater was asked if he'd like to do a preseason scrimmage every year like the Vikings did against the Bengals last week in Cincinnati before the preseason opener. "Definitely, this is a great environment, great atmosphere for the guys," he said. "They're a 12-4 team last year, it was just a great experience, and it's something I'd be interested in doing [again]."

• Chaska High School product Brad Hand is having a career year pitching out of the Padres bullpen after five seasons with the Marlins. He is 3-3 with a 2.86 ERA with 75 strikeouts over 63 innings.

Sid Hartman can be heard weekdays on WCCO AM-830 at 7:40 and 8:40 a.m. and Sundays at 9:30 a.m. E-mail: shartman@startribune.com