Monday, September 26, 2011
Vikings coach Leslie Frazier says he stands by Donovan McNabb as starting quarterback
September 26 - St. Paul Pioneer Press
"Three games into Donovan McNabb's tenure with the Vikings, he remains winless and coach Leslie Frazier is being asked whether he has considered benching the veteran quarterback.
Frazier dismissed a postgame question about McNabb's status as the starter, with first-round pick Christian Ponder waiting on the sidelines, after Minnesota's 26-23 overtime loss to the Detroit Lions, which dropped the Vikings to 0-3 on the season.
"I don't think the quarterback position is our problem right now," Frazier said. "No. We're not thinking about anything at the quarterback position."
McNabb completed a season-high 22 passes and discovered some chemistry with receiver Michael Jenkins, who caught nine balls for 88 yards. He finally connected with tight end Visanthe Shiancoe for an 8-yard touchdown strike to give the Vikings a 20-0 halftime lead.
But McNabb finished with only 211 yards and misfired badly on several attempts - imprecision coming under greater scrutiny."
Full Article Here
Friday, August 26, 2011
Expect More Playing Time For Kyle Rudolph
The Vikings second round draft pick Kyle Rudolf should expect more playing time earlier in the regular season than anticipated. With Visanthe Shaincoe nursing a pulled hamstring that has kept him out of the first two preseason games, the Vikings will be counting on Rudolph to pick up the offensive slack that is left void without Shaincoe on the field. Shaincoe tweeked his hamstring early on in training camp and has since been scratched in the Vikings home opening pre-season game against the Cowboys. The goal of keeping Shaincoe out of the first three preseason games, and probably the fourth and final preseason game, is that so Shaincoe is ready to suit up for the first regular season game.
Most player’s young and old don’t bounce back quickly from hamstring problems and with Shaincoe being 31 years old it’s especially important that he doesn’t come back too soon. If Shaincoe comes back too soon, or plays too much too soon, and pulls his hamstring again he could easily miss 3 to 4 games, or more. So while Shaincoe will probably be good to go for the first regular season game, look for Rudolph to be getting more reps than earlier anticipated.
Rudolf will do alright in his place. Although Rudolf isn’t known as a great blocking Tight End, he does have speed, size and great hands. These skills should keep opposing defensive linebackers honest in respect to their preference to zone in on Peterson and give McNabb a big target to throw at in Rudolph. Rudolph has caught four passes earning him 32 yards thus far in his first two preseason NFL games.
Monday, August 22, 2011
Ponder sees more, learns more - 08-22-2011
“The education of Christian Ponder continued Saturday night in Seattle.
Playing with the second-team offense, the rookie quarterback completed six of 12 passes for 63 yards during a stint that began in the second quarter and ended after the third.
"I think so," Ponder said when asked if things went a little more smoothly for him Saturday than in his preseason debut the previous week at Tennessee. "Got a chance to do two-minute stuff and got to [be] put in different situations, which is good. Got in with the twos, and I think they still had their one defense out there. So I thought it was OK. Could have made some more plays but played pretty well."
Ponder actually had better stats against the Titans, completing eight of 13 passes for 84 yards. But in that instance he replaced Joe Webb at quarterback and was with the third team going against a third-team defense.
"I think the biggest thing has been getting used to the speed of the game and on top of that learning this offense and building team chemistry," said Ponder, the 12th pick in the April draft. "I think the biggest adjustment is the windows aren't as open as they were in college, and you have to make the reads a lot faster and get the ball [out] a lot quicker than last year. It's an adjustment, and I'm part of that learning curve right now but it's been fun.””
Star Tribune - August 22
Wednesday, August 3, 2011
Bryant McKinnie was a waist of talent - 08-03-2011
"Bryant McKinnie ate himself off the team.
He showed up at training camp fat and out of shape and looked like Jabba the Hutt in a No. 74 jersey.
Apparently, playing on the Vikings' offensive line was less important to McKinnie than grazing at a buffet line.
So the Vikings cut him just one day after signing another left tackle, Charlie Johnson, who protected Peyton Manning's blind side the past couple of seasons.
If McKinnie had turned more of a blind eye to food and did some conditioning during the offseason, he likely would be a Viking. But based on his frequent Twitter posts chronicling his whereabouts, McKinnie was more inclined to go clubbing along Miami's South Beach and working on a music career.
McKinnie isn't a bad guy. Truth is, he comes off like a fun-loving kid. Trouble is, he liked fun and food more than playing football with the Vikings.
Of course, the Vikings didn't have to release him. They could have made him try working off the tonnage, and maybe that's what Brad Childress would have done. But it was a smart move by Leslie Frazier to unload the load. It sends a message to everyone on the team that Frazier expects players to be accountable for their actions and their weight, and he won't tolerate conditioning scofflaws. "
He showed up at training camp fat and out of shape and looked like Jabba the Hutt in a No. 74 jersey.
Apparently, playing on the Vikings' offensive line was less important to McKinnie than grazing at a buffet line.
So the Vikings cut him just one day after signing another left tackle, Charlie Johnson, who protected Peyton Manning's blind side the past couple of seasons.
If McKinnie had turned more of a blind eye to food and did some conditioning during the offseason, he likely would be a Viking. But based on his frequent Twitter posts chronicling his whereabouts, McKinnie was more inclined to go clubbing along Miami's South Beach and working on a music career.
McKinnie isn't a bad guy. Truth is, he comes off like a fun-loving kid. Trouble is, he liked fun and food more than playing football with the Vikings.
Of course, the Vikings didn't have to release him. They could have made him try working off the tonnage, and maybe that's what Brad Childress would have done. But it was a smart move by Leslie Frazier to unload the load. It sends a message to everyone on the team that Frazier expects players to be accountable for their actions and their weight, and he won't tolerate conditioning scofflaws. "
8-3-11 St. Paul Pioneer Press columnist Bob Sansevere
Tuesday, July 26, 2011
ESPN - Vikings In Talks With Donovan McNabb
With the NFL lockout now over there is chatter coming from ESPN that the Minnesota Vikings are in talks with Redskins quarterback, Donovan McNabb. The Vikings are reportedly in serious talks with the Redskins trying to work a deal to bring the veteran quarterback to Minnesota for the 2011 - 2012 season. McNabb turns 35 this November and was benched twice last season by the Washington Redskins in their 6-10 season. Most would agree that McNabb still has a year or two of good football left in him.
Is this a good indication that Frazier will definitely bring in a veteran quarterback this year?
If the Vikes bring in McNabb is he the right fit to mentor Christian Ponder and Joe Webb, or does he simply give the Vikings their best chance to win this year and at the same time giving the young quarterbacks time to learn?
Monday, July 25, 2011
Brett Favre's agent on rumors: 'He's retired - 07-25-2011
Brett Favre's agent on rumors: 'He's retired - 07-25-2011
"Hattiesburg sports agent Bus Cook, tired of rumors about his most famous client, called The Clarion-Ledger this morning to "set the record straight."
Said Cook: "Brett Favre retired in January. He has not talked to any teams, including Carolina Panthers, Philadelphia Eagles, the Arizona Cardinals and the Seattle Seahawks. He has not talked to anyone about playing football. He's retired, period."
Last week, Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Michael Vick tweeted, "I would be honored to have Brett Farve as a backup. That will be amazing learning how to toy with defenses the way he did his whole career."
That tweet set off another round of rumors about Favre's return to football. Cook insists the rumors have no substance."
Article 7/25 prosportsdaily.com
"Hattiesburg sports agent Bus Cook, tired of rumors about his most famous client, called The Clarion-Ledger this morning to "set the record straight."
Said Cook: "Brett Favre retired in January. He has not talked to any teams, including Carolina Panthers, Philadelphia Eagles, the Arizona Cardinals and the Seattle Seahawks. He has not talked to anyone about playing football. He's retired, period."
Last week, Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Michael Vick tweeted, "I would be honored to have Brett Farve as a backup. That will be amazing learning how to toy with defenses the way he did his whole career."
That tweet set off another round of rumors about Favre's return to football. Cook insists the rumors have no substance."
Article 7/25 prosportsdaily.com
Wednesday, July 6, 2011
St. Paul balks at stadium tax - 07-06-2011
St. Paul balks at stadium tax - 07-06-2011
"The St. Paul City Council appears set to unanimously vote Wednesday against a Ramsey County sales tax increase for a proposed Minnesota Vikings stadium in Arden Hills.
Although numerous council members had expressed reservations about the tax, the vote will be their first public stance. The resolution is a formal statement of the council's position in the ongoing political battle but doesn't carry the weight of an ordinance.
Council President Kathy Lantry said it was time for the council to take a stand. "The rumor we've heard is a deal is imminent so we want to make sure our voice is heard," she said. "I love the Vikings, but ... if they're a statewide asset, then there ought to be a statewide solution."
County Commissioner Tony Bennett, a sponsor of the Vikings proposal to build in Arden Hills, said it's easy to vote against the sales tax. "I don't want to vote for the sales tax either, but what other choice do we have?" he said.
Six of the City Council members signed on as sponsors to the one-page resolution opposing the half-cent sales tax increase. Council Member Melvin Carter, who isn't a sponsor, said he "absolutely" supports the resolution.
Bennett and Ramsey County Commissioner Rafael Ortega have proposed using the tax increase to raise $350 million as the county contribution toward the Vikings stadium. The stadium is expected to cost $1 billion, with $407 million coming from the Vikings and $300 million from the state.
"Whether the stadium is the right thing to do or not, it's just too steep a price for St. Paul and Ramsey County taxpayers," said Russ Stark, a City Council member.
Carter said, "The proposal on the table is counting on a tax increase from the people we represent. We owe it to them to be very clearly on the record."
Lantry questioned why the county would raise a sales tax for the Vikings, but not for other services it provides, including the sheriff's protection, jails, solid waste removal and an array of human services. "That would help people 365 days a year," Lantry said."
Article per ProSportsDaily.com & StarTribune.com
"The St. Paul City Council appears set to unanimously vote Wednesday against a Ramsey County sales tax increase for a proposed Minnesota Vikings stadium in Arden Hills.
Although numerous council members had expressed reservations about the tax, the vote will be their first public stance. The resolution is a formal statement of the council's position in the ongoing political battle but doesn't carry the weight of an ordinance.
Council President Kathy Lantry said it was time for the council to take a stand. "The rumor we've heard is a deal is imminent so we want to make sure our voice is heard," she said. "I love the Vikings, but ... if they're a statewide asset, then there ought to be a statewide solution."
County Commissioner Tony Bennett, a sponsor of the Vikings proposal to build in Arden Hills, said it's easy to vote against the sales tax. "I don't want to vote for the sales tax either, but what other choice do we have?" he said.
Six of the City Council members signed on as sponsors to the one-page resolution opposing the half-cent sales tax increase. Council Member Melvin Carter, who isn't a sponsor, said he "absolutely" supports the resolution.
Bennett and Ramsey County Commissioner Rafael Ortega have proposed using the tax increase to raise $350 million as the county contribution toward the Vikings stadium. The stadium is expected to cost $1 billion, with $407 million coming from the Vikings and $300 million from the state.
"Whether the stadium is the right thing to do or not, it's just too steep a price for St. Paul and Ramsey County taxpayers," said Russ Stark, a City Council member.
Carter said, "The proposal on the table is counting on a tax increase from the people we represent. We owe it to them to be very clearly on the record."
Lantry questioned why the county would raise a sales tax for the Vikings, but not for other services it provides, including the sheriff's protection, jails, solid waste removal and an array of human services. "That would help people 365 days a year," Lantry said."
Article per ProSportsDaily.com & StarTribune.com
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