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Links Of The Week: There’s Always Money In The Banana Stand

May 27, 2013, by 1 comment

Greetings everyone.  Sorry for the lack of content this weekend but I just figured it was best not to compete with the holiday weekend or the return of the Bluth family.  Of course, it is also possible that I was too busy enjoying my holiday weekend and the return of the Bluth family.  Anyways, some people did decide to write some stuff these last few days, and I’ve compiled it all right here:

  • There are some rational reasons to not be worried about the middle linebacker position this season.
  • Chad Greenway didn’t hesitate to say he wanted to play his entire career with the Vikings.
  • Some members of the Vikings secondary decided to do the Harlem Shake in a sauna.  Yikes.
  • A fire destroyed land owned by Bud Grant and he says he won’t live to see it grow back.
  • Joe Webb will be battling for his roster spot from the receiver position this year.
  • Some people seem really convinced that Jared Allen is going to be an overrated player moving forward.  I don’t.
  • Is another year of insane productivity a fair expectation of Adrian Peterson this season?
  • DB Bobby Felder and WR Chris Summers are two players to keep an eye on throughout the offseason activities.
  • Qualifications to be an NFL Reporter in 2013:  Willingness to ask every player you come across how they stand on the gay marriage issue.
  • Brett Favre settled some of his lewd texting lawsuits from back in the day.
  • Harrison Smith made a name for himself as a rookie, and now ESPNexpects big things from him as a sophomore.
  • Rookie Gerald Hodges might have taken one too many shots to the head in college as signs are starting to show:  He looks forward to taking on Adrian Peterson.
  • The Governor of Minnesota wants to put “butts in seats” at the new Vikings stadium.  He also wants to help pay for that stadium by charging you through the butt for some butts.  How many butts is that?  A lot.
  • A look at the process behind the new stadium design.
  • The Vikings come up a lot when you discuss the best defensive tackle duos of all time (scroll down), but I was really surprised not to see the WilliamsWall included in the list.
  • Our new punter is pretty interesting.  Pretty close to being as interesting as the old one, actually.
  • Jared Allen has no idea where he will be playing football in 2014.
  • A good list of five areas the Vikings most need to see improve during this upcoming season.
  • OTAs are set to begin Tuesday and here is a breakdown of what will take place.
  • And, here it is, your moment of Zen:

 

Links Of The Week: A Little Slow These Days

May 11, 2013, by 4 comments

The news isn’t exactly hard to keep up with these days, because there isn’t much of it, but that didn’t stop us from digging up some good stuff to pass along this weekend:

  • The Vikings seem to have a thing for tall defensive backs these days.
  • A look at what undrafted quarterback James Vandenberg might bring to the #3 quarterback competition.
  • The Vikings finalized their agreement to play at TCF Bank Stadium and there are some interesting details regarding the situation.
  • Nick Reed may not have lasted long with the Vikings, but that hasn’t stopped him from having a bad ass career path.
  • A year after “experts” failed to give the Vikings a chance at the playoffs it appears they are now gaining some respect.
  • An old cohort of mine is now running Vikings Gab.  Congrats to Chris Boynton 0n his new gig.
  • A look at how the post-Draft depth chart is shaping up at the linebacker position.
  • Cris Carter has finally been voted into the Hall of Fame so we are now left to wonder who the next Viking to receive that honor will be.
  • Count Governor Mark Dayton as one of the clueless who think the Vikings weren’t justified, in terms of football reasons, to draft Chris Kluwe’s replacement.
  • Rick Spielman recently said Christian Ponder deserves as much credit as Adrian Peterson in the franchise making the playoffs last year.  Seriously.  He said that.  With word.  From his mouth.  And he wasn’t drunk.
  • The Vikings have 39 players on their roster right now that they drafted which ranks 7th in the NFL.
  • Linebacker Michael Mauti has a lengthy history of dealing with injury, but so does Vikings trainer Eric Sugarman.
  • The Vikings have started yet another community oriented campaign called “WE DAY.”
  • Rick Spielman is making it clear that he expects Ponder to make a big jump this season.
  • Vegas is not being kind to the Vikings when it comes to predicting their 2013 chances.
  • If the Vikings had their own “Mount Rushmore” who would you put on it?
  • And now, here it is, your moment of Zen:

Peterson Part Of Bizarre TMZ Video

April 3, 2013, by 4 comments

Adrian Peterson is used to making NFL defenders fall down on the football field, but his most recent stroll caused a TMZ reporter to take a stumble on a sidewalk.

Peterson was being his normal congenial self while on a stroll in Washington D.C. when a TMZ  paparazzi decided to ask Peterson a really, really stupid question.  After a very intuitive and safe answer came from Peterson the cameraman was the victim of a vicious orange sidewalk cone jumping out and tripping him.

“Down goes Frazier!” Peterson can be heard saying towards the end.  Enjoy!

Links Of The Week: First Of The Offseason

February 10, 2013, by 23 comments

Well, it has been a while since we have done our “links” segment, but we have some stories to direct you towards on this football-less Sunday.

  • Adrian Peterson isn’t the only Vikings to ever be named the NFL’s MVP.  Here is a look at the other two Vikings to win the honor.
  • It is no secret that Jerome Felton is someone we would all like to see sign a new contract in the very near future.  Here is why.
  • It seems to be a trending prediction to put Greg Jennings in purple next season.
  • Whether or not the Vikings have a sixth round pick this year, or not, has become somewhat of a mystery.
  • Another series of questions about Percy Harvin leaves us without any concrete answers.
  • Mike Singletary is still trying to find a way out of Minnesota.
  • Think the Vikings have a good shot at a 2013 Super Bowl?  Place your bet now.
  • “Sources” say that Percy Harvin was not placed on injured reserve because of injury, but because of his attitude, and that the team plans to move on.
  • Former Vikings great Matt Birk hasn’t yet decided if his career will end with Super Bowl win.
  • Minnesota and the Vikings are hoping to host the Super Bowl in 2018.
  • One of the best analytical sites on the internet gives us the Vikings top three needs.  I’d like to tell you there is a shocking surprise, but…
  • The Giants have cast off a few defenders already, and they might be a good fit in Minnesota.
  • A free agent wide receiver like Donald Jones makes plenty of sense for the receiver-needy Vikings.
  • A claim that local beat writers for the Vikings are too often being cheerleaders for the team, and for Christian Ponder.
  • The NFL Scouting Combine is fast approaching and here is a complete list of the 333 prospects that have been invited.
  • Now that Cris Carter is in Canton, which Vikings greats should we champion next?
  • And, here it is, your moment of Zen:

Game Day Answers to Q&A

January 5, 2013, by 10 comments

It’s game day, gentleman (and ladies). We’re about eight hours away from the start of one of biggest game the Vikings have played in quite some time. Just rolled out of bed. Got some coffee in hand. Let’s get to those questions, shall we?

Q: Everybody knows it, but why is Adrian Peterson this year’s MVP? (Malte)

Obviously, I can’t look at the debate between Peyton Manning and Adrian Peterson objectively. That being said, I do not understand the argument for Peyton Manning as MVP over Peterson. If Manning wins, it should be renamed to Most Valuable Quarterback because he is not more valuable to the Broncos than AD is to the Vikings. For one, Manning isn’t even the best quarterback in the league this year. Last time I looked over the stats for quarterbacks, I don’t remember Manning leading in a single one of them. Here’s what it comes down to: Adrian Peterson willed this team to 10 victories. He threw this team over his shoulder and carried them to seven more wins than last season running through [usually] nine defenders in the box on any given play. Especially once Percy Harvin left, Peterson was the Vikings only offensive weapon. Peyton Manning stepped onto a playoff caliber team with a great defense, great receivers and an already pretty solid foundation. Yes, he gave the team five more wins than they had last year, but I believe you put any other ‘elite’ QB in that role and Denver ends the season with the same (if not better) record. What Adrian Peterson did this season could not be done had any other running back been in his shoes. It’s that simple. That is value. Peterson deserves this award. (Alas, if I had to wager today, I would say that Manning ends up winning the dang thing.)

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Vikings at Packers Q&A

January 4, 2013, by 42 comments

I was a wreck last Sunday. Plain and simple. No doubt about it, that game against the Packers with what was at stake and Peterson’s attempt at the single season rushing record made it an instant classic.

Needless to say, this week has been difficult too. I know that the team has already exceeded everyone’s expectations and now everything else is just icing on the cake. But, I can’t get over this feeling that the Vikes can pull this thing off tomorrow. And I’m going to go out on a limb here and make a bold prediction. If the Vikings beat the Packers tomorrow we will advance to the NFC championship. There, I said it.

Today has been dragging. Tomorrow will be worse. And honestly, half the time I’m just daydreaming about the Vikings winning it all this year.
So, formulating a cohesive article right now just seems out of the question. Instead, I thought it would be fun to pretend to be everyone’s favorite Vikings blogger, Adam Warwas, and field some questions from you all.

So, let me have it. Leave your questions in the comments and I’ll respond by tomorrow morning.

Links Of Wild Card Week

January 2, 2013, by 3 comments

Well, here we are, fans of a team that nobody expected to make the playoffs.  Now that they have, nobody expects the Vikings to do much in the playoffs.

Here is the best of the best from around the net: