My friends, it was an eventful offseason for THE GURU and THE FAIR CLAUDINE as our guy, THE TRE MAN, left our Jersey City nest to matriculate and play football for the next two years at The Hun School in Princeton, N.J.
The youngster is off and running – and catching – with three games already under his belt but you’ll hear much more about our offspring over the course of the season. For now, let’s turn our attention to the National Football League, where change remains the only constant.
Yes, there was certainly movement aplenty over the winter with numerous well-known players now in new spots. Among the big names, Myles Garrett (Rams), Kyler Murray (Vikings), A.J. Brown (Patriots), D.J. Moore (Bills), Rashan Gary (Cowboys) and Stefon Diggs (My Beloved Commies) all changed teams for 2026.
Action on the sidelines was just as eventful with John Harbaugh (Giants), Mike McCarthy (Steelers), Kevin Stefanski (Falcons), Robert Saleh (Titans) and Mike McDaniel (Chargers) among the coaches who changed addresses.
I’m not plowing new ground here, of course. The dedicated football fan or fantasy general manager is well aware of each of these news items. Heck, even the average bloke – I’m looking at you, TOMMY BIRD – understands what is going on.
But, for every big-name move, there were a dozen transactions that slid under the radar. News involving those who operate out of the spotlight. Two examples: longtime Vikings stalwarts Adam Thielen and C.J. Ham, both newly minted retirees.
The two men are connected by more than their time as teammates as they have deep Minnesota roots. Indeed, Thielen (Detroit Lakes) and Ham (Duluth) grew up in the state before playing Division II football in the local Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference (NSIC) for Minnesota State (Mankato) and Augustana (S.D.), respectively.
Like our old pal BROTHER BLUENIK, the NSIC has been around since 1932 and, as with Division I conferences, has expanded in size. In fact, the NSIC now numbers 16 institutions of higher learning1.
Among the conference’s 14 football-playing members:
University of Sioux Falls, the playing and coaching alma mater of Alabama’s Kalen DeBoer. DeBoer’s record as HC: 67-3 with three national titles;
Bemidji State University, which counts do-everything QB Sam McGath, son of ERIC THE GREAT, among its alums. Eric is a dear friend, and Sam was a stud for the Beavers, leading them to the first NCAA Division II playoff quarterfinal trip in team history in 2024;
Minnesota State University Moorhead, which sent QB Jack Strand to the NFL this season. The 6’5” gunslinger, a disciple of quarterback guru - and Hun School offensive coordinator - Tony Racioppi, even threw a few balls to THE TRE MAN in the offseason as he was preparing to get the call from the league.
An undrafted free agent, Strand impressed Atlanta’s brass in the NFL preseason and made the team’s initial 53-man roster. Keep an eye on this young man: he is big, strong and can throw the pill.
Sure, football in the NSIC is different than, say, the Big Ten but there are few leagues that breed a brand of toughness like this one. Messrs. DeBoer, Ham, McGath, Strand, and Thielen, are all shining examples of that hardiness.
That said, the recently retired Vikings wideout is the rare NSIC name the average NFL fan knows. Thielen played one of the league’s more glamorous positions and caught more than 700 balls for nearly 8,500 yards in 13 seasons. A two-time Pro Bowl selection, he recorded more than 100 receptions twice and snagged 14 touchdown passes in 2020, a Minnesota single-season number topped only by Hall of Famers Cris Carter and Randy Moss2.
Ham also earned two Pro Bowl trips, but he toiled at fullback – the most anonymous position this side of long snapper – so few NFL diehards know his name or his game.
But Ham’s anonymity doesn’t extend to a certain retirement community in Southwest FLA where, at the mere mention of surname, THE CHIEF salivates.
How much does my old man love the pig? Well, as my late pal HAIRMAN KEN – a legend of legends – might say, “He’d crawl naked over broken glass and bottle caps to hear someone slice a ham over a pay phone.”
That’s no joke, friends, and neither was C.J. Ham’s career, a 10-year testament to hard work and dedication. A D-II guy who beat the odds and became great.
Cortez Thaddeus Ham, Jr., began his football career at Duluth’s Denfeld High School, an institution whose alums include actress Dorothy Arnold, the first wife of baseball Hall of Famer Joe DiMaggio. The slugger’s marital bliss was short lived, and Dorothy eventually sued the Yankees star in the midst of a child custody battle3.
Thankfully, Ham’s marriage to football lasted far longer. He starred for the Hunters as a versatile player - a harbinger of things to come - and was a stud on both offense and defense. In a 2018 article by Lindsey Young, assistant coach Richard Swanson said:
"(Ham) just said, 'OK, where do you need me?' That's why I think he made it at the next level – because he said, 'I want to be on the field. Tell me where to go, and I'll go.'"
After graduation, Ham left for Augustana, about 370 miles from his hometown, to attend a university with 2,000 undergraduates. He redshirted as a freshman for, yes, the Vikings, and earned playing time over the next two seasons, becoming a starter as a junior. He ripped it up for the next two seasons but, alas, was not chosen in the 2016 NFL Draft.
At that point, the odds of C.J. playing pro football - much less becoming a Pro Bowl player - were remote at best. But, like my pops going headlong after a ham and Swiss, he was a man on a mission.
The young running back signed with his home state NFL squad on May 10, 2016, but despite playing well in the preseason was waived during final cuts on September 3rd. He joined Minnesota’s practice squad the next day and in December, was promoted to the active roster as a running back.
In training camp in 2017, Ham made the switch to fullback and the rest is history. Yup, over the next nine seasons, he became Mr. Reliable for the Vikings, excelling in the backfield and on special teams.
Sure, he was an oddity, recording exactly twice as many pass receptions (84) as rushing attempts (42) during his career. No, he won’t be selected to the Pro Football Hall of Fame. But he was named team captain four times. He was revered by teammates, on and off the field. He was one of those men that make the NFL what it is.
In the locker room after the team’s Week 18 win over Green Bay, Minnesota head coach Kevin O’Connell said it well:
“(Ham) has changed my life, made me better in every aspect of my life just being around him on a daily basis. I know many of us feel the same way. When these types of players come into an organization, man, we’re lucky. We are lucky to be around you every day.”
Cortez Ham, of Duluth, Minn. From tiny Augustana College. Undrafted by all 32 NFL teams. Earned his way into the league and, a decade later, left the game on his terms.
What’s better than that?
A few guys like C.J. Ham will be on display tonight when the season kicks off with the Patriots (17-4 in 2025, 9-1 on the road) at the Seahawks (16-3, 8-2 home) in a rematch of Seattle’s resounding Super Bowl LX victory.
NBC and Peacock have the telecast with Messrs. Tirico and Collinsworth joined by Melissa Stark and Kaylee Hartung. The action begins at 8:20 pm ET.
We could go back and forth analyzing this game but there’s little time for that: THE FAIR CLAUDINE is ready for dinner, and my hunger pangs are about to turn into full-body discomfort. It’s go time.
With apologies to CORKY - a dyed-in-the-wool Jim Plunkett sycophant - and THE TRIBECA MULE, let’s take the hosts. Call it 23-20, Seattle…
Thursday, we’ve got a second game on tap and it comes from Melbourne, Australia. Sean McVay and the Rams (14-6, 7-5 road) technically host the rival Niners (13-6, 8-3 road) but make no mistake, this is an away game for both squads.
This contest feels like a “push” but, given San Francisco’s War and Peace-length injury report, I’m picking McVay and LA, 33-27.
Catch the action on Netflix at 8:35 pm ET and, at the half, enjoy an episode of Outer Banks but please stick to season five. The announcers are Noah Eagle, 2026 Hall of Fame inductee Luke Kuechly, Tom Pelissero and MJ Acosta-Ruiz.
That’s all for today, folks. Enjoy the games and God bless.
St. Cloud State University and the University of Minnesota Crookston are the only full members of the NSIC that do not play football.
Thielen is the only man in the top nine in franchise history besides Carter and Moss. The team record is 17 scores: Cris caught 17 in 1995, and Moss did it twice (1998, 2003). Randy also crossed paydirt 15 times in 2000.
Some say Arnold wasn’t a big fan of her son hanging out with Marilyn Monroe. Imagine that.