Posts by Adam Warwas

16 Undrafted Free Agents Announced (With Notes)

May 1, 2013, by 12 comments

The Vikings announced the signing of 16 free agents on Tuesday after days of trying to track down confirmed reports of who was in, who was not, and who might be getting a crack at the roster.  Here are your 16 guys with a brief note on each:

James Vandenberg, QB, Iowa:  Made a name for himself in 2011, as the best quarterback in the Big Ten, but a miserable season in 2012 killed his draft stock.  The big question is whether or not the struggles were his fault or a result of the talent around him.

Erik Highsmith, WR, North Carolina:  A tough and physical receiver, but struggled to get separation in college, and doesn’t have the athleticism to do it as a pro.  Across the middle, in the end zone, and on special teams is where he can make himself stand out.  Not a big play type of guy.

Nicholas Edwards, WR, Eastern Washington:  A big receiver that seemed to be on the rise prior to a knee injury that hampered his senior season.  Like Highsmith, he is more of a possession and end zone receiver, and won’t win a roster spot based off of explosive upside.

Brandan Bishop, S, N.C. State:  Limited athleticism here means a limited ceiling, but Bishop arguably displays more consistency in every facet of his game than Robert Blanton, who the Vikings drafted last year, did coming out of Notre Dame.  If you are looking for a guy with a real shot to stick, this might be him.

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Middle Linebacker Still A Need… But So Is Point Guard

April 30, 2013, by 6 comments

The Minnesota Vikings released defensive back Nick Taylor on Tuesday, according to reports.

Taylor made headlines, and provided an opportunity for sophomoric headlines (look up), when the Vikings signed the Florida International point guard to play cornerback as an undrafted free agent.  Given the recent acquisitions of cornerbacks Xavier Rhodes and Jacob Lacey it is not overly surprising that the Vikings wanted to part ways with their inexperienced long shot.

Taylor caught the front office’s eye when he ran sub-4.4 forty yard dashes at FIU’s pro day, and presumably made an impression on tape from his brief stint in arena football, but he never played a down for the Vikings.  He spent 2012 on injured reserve after suffering a shoulder injury.

Locke Acquisition Shows Conley The Door

April 29, 2013, by 134 comments

It is widely assumed, and for really good reason, that Vikings punter Chris Kluwe will be released following the fifth round investment the Vikings made in UCLA rookie punter Jeff Locke.

Kluwe was not the first punter shown the door, however, as it was T.J. Conley that was cut before ever even practicing once with the team.  Despite his very brief stay in Minnesota, Conley went out of his way to say some nice things on his way out.

The Vikings waited about eight days after drafting Blair Walsh last year before releasing veteran kicker Ryan Longwell. The move coincided with Walsh showing up to the rookie minicamp healthy, able, and willing.

Rookie minicamp begins at the end of this week and, at that point, the Kluwe watch will be in full force.

A Rare Look Inside The War Room

April 29, 2013, by 4 comments

We are still working our way through the newest crop of Vikings hopefuls that were drafted this weekend, taking an in-depth look at each, but this week Vikings.com offered an insiders view of the Vikings war room.

The video can be viewed by clicking here, which you should do.

The video starts of with the phone call to Xavier Rhodes, who the Vikings selected 25th overall on Thursday night, but gets even more fun when the cameras return to film to process that led up to the trade with New England for the 29th spot.  You can feel the excitement in the room, even from owners Zygi and Mark Wilf, and when the coaches take turns speaking with Cordarrelle Patterson you feel like they consider this Draft to be their first victory of 2013.

Vikings Add Another Name To The Cornerback Mix

April 29, 2013, by 8 comments

The Vikings officially announced the signing of defensive end Lawrence Jackson today, which we already knew about last week, but Jackson isn’t the only veteran free agent that inked a prove-it deal with the Vikings on Monday.

The Vikings signed cornerback Jacob Lacey to a one year contract with the Vikings, for which financial details were not immediately available, but it is expected to be minimal.

Lacey, who turns 26 next month, was an undrafted free agent signed by the Colts in 2009. He played three seasons with Colts, starting 27 of those games with five interceptions, two returned for touchdowns, 21 defended passes, three forced fumbles, one recovery, and 158 total tackles.

He then moved onto Detroit for one season where he had nine starts, 29 tackles, four defended passes, and an interception.

Assuming Chris Cook and rookie Xavier Rhodes win the starting corner spots on the outside, Lacey figures to battle in training camp to become the team’s nickel or dime back.  That battle will primarily be against the likes of Josh Robinson, A.J. Jefferson, Brandon Burton, and Marcus Sherels.

One can’t help but notice that both of these recent free agency acquisitions wore Lions helmets last season who the Vikings not-so-coincidentally face in week one of the regular season.

 

Giveaway Winners Have Been Notified!

April 28, 2013, by 2 comments

We wanted to thank everyone for making Vikings Territory a destination during the offseason, and late last night we drew four winning names for our Giveaway Promotion.

We gave away a $25 Amazon gift card, and three more of the $10 variety, which isn’t much but hopefully was a large enough gesture to let you all know how much we appreciate being a part of your daily Vikings fix.

The four winners have been notified via email, so please be sure to check you inbox and get back to us with instructions on how to get you your prize!

Oh, and if the winners feel so inclined, spending that dough in our FanCave would be greatly appreciated!

Decision To Draft Punter Should Perplex Nobody, Including Kluwe

April 28, 2013, by 8 comments

In a Draft that seemed about as predictable as the Powerball numbers from this week’s drawing, there was little I felt comfortable declaring as a true prediction.  At the very least, most of my Draft-related predictions came with a transparent lack of conviction that should have been an obvious signal to readers that I was feeling unsure on about every level about how the event would play out.

I made sure to let you know that I felt absolutely no confidence in the final version of my mock draft.  It was for good reason, too.  I ended up matching only one prospect to the correct NFL team in the whole damn thing.  If the Colts hadn’t selected defensive end Bjoern Werner, I would have gotten a big old goose egg on the mock draft front.

Even though I had been predicting for a long time that the Vikings would select linebacker Manti Te’o if he was available, I went out of my way to chastise 1500 ESPN writer Patrick Reusse for making an absurd claim prior to the Draft.

“It is a 100 percent certainty that the Vikings will wind up with Te’o,” wrote Reusse in a column that has been long forgotten by most readers and for which he will never be held accountable for, not that he should be.

Outside of betting Brett ten thousand dollars, at one point, that Dee Milliner would not go to the Jaguars #2 overall (waiting for that check, Brett) I just wasn’t feeling real sure about anything regarding the Draft.  I was always astonished, given the nature of this year’s class, how many people were willing to use absolutes in discussing what was going to happen on Draft Weekend.

There was one thing, however, that should have surprised absolutely nobody.  I had been predicting it with conviction all offseason long and took every opportunity possible to bring it up in talking with Vikings fans.  I was even spouting off about it during all three days of our live Draft Chat this weekend.

I was 100% positively, unequivocally certain the Vikings would replace punter Chris Kluwe in this Draft.

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