Transaction

Two Days Before Camp, Vikes Make A Move

July 24, 2012, by 2 comments

A number of fairly substantial moves have been made around the league in recent days, but none of them have involved the Vikings.

Still, don’t think that the front office is just sleeping on the job.

As proof of their consciousness, the Vikings opted to sign offensive tackle Kevin Murphy for the second time this offseason.

The Niners picked up the Harvard player as an undrafted free agent but then waived him.  I actually got pretty excited when the Vikings used their waiver priority to beat out the Texans and the Lions to nab Murphy off the wires.

A day later, however, the Vikings waived Murphy because of some health issue that came up during his physical.  Today’s signing, however, should indicate that Murphy is now healthy enough to compete for a backup position on the offensive line.

The Vikings waived offensive tackle Darrion Weems to make room for Murphy.

Vikings Sign Former Saints Defender

June 29, 2012, by 1 comment

When the Vikings released former Saints bounty hunter defender Remi Ayodele, it was widely assumed due to the timing of the move that it had to do with his involvement as a member of the 2009 Saints that we now know think had a $35,000 bounty on Brett Favre in the NFC Championship game.

On Thursday, however, the team opted to sign another player that was a member of that team.

29 year old defensive end Jeff Charleston signed with the Vikings Thursday after spending four seasons in New Orleans, after a rookie season in Indianapolis.  During that time he has played in 65 games with four starts accumulating 87 tackles, eight sacks, five batted passes, and three forced fumbles.

At 6’ 4” and 265 pounds, Charleston figures to provide depth and competition at defensive end which may end up losing Everson Griffen to the linebacker position if he can excel there during training camp.

Terrell Resonno, an undrafted rookie defensive tackle out of Missouri, was waived as a result of the signing.

Some Wide Receiver News On Tuesday

June 5, 2012, by 8 comments

In filling their last remaining roster spot, the Vikings signed South Florida receiver A.J. Love as an undrafted free agent on Tuesday.

This isn’t really anything earth shattering, but I can remember in the flurry of UDFA signings right after the Draft finished it was reported by numerous outlets at that time that Love was signing with the Vikings.  At the end of the day those reports were erroneous, but in the long run I guess they turned out to be correct.

Love stands at 6’ 2” and weighs 208 pounds.  In 2008 and 2009, combined, he managed 56 catches for 843 yards and six scores.  In 2010, he had to sit out due to a knee injury, and his production lacked big time in 2011 where he only had nine grabs for 122 yards and a lone touchdown.

The story sounds similar to that of Greg Childs, which we discussed here, and Love could end up having some upside.  Childs, coincidentally enough, has not been participating in OTA practices due to a calf strain.

Some good news, however, is that Percy Harvin has rejoined the team during practices after initially sitting out and rehabbing as a result of his bone spur procedure from April.  Chad Greenway has also reportedly joined the team after dealing with a family issue.

Another Interesting Acquisition

June 5, 2012, by 7 comments

Rick Spielman and his scouts have had an interesting offseason when it comes to finding depth players.  They found the CFL’s hardest hitter.  They found a point guard.  They nabbed a running back that has overcome an inability to hear.

Now, they are at it again, for better or worse.

The Vikings filled the roster spot left by Asher Allen’s sudden retirement by picking up undrafted rookie Corey Gatewood out of Stanford.

The big question here is where Gatewood will fit in.  He started six games at cornerback in 2009 but, according to 1500 ESPN, requested to be put back at his original position of receiver.  In four seasons at Stanford (he sat 2008 out) Gatewood only had two career receptions, 10 career rushing attempts, and 10 kick returns.

At corner, the 5’ 11” Gatewood contributed on defense and special teams.  He has been credited with 40 career tackles, two interceptions, and one pick was returned for a touchdown.  He has no tackles for a loss, no sacks, no forced fumbles, and no fumbles recovered, according to this stats site.

Gatewood reportedly ran a 4.44 second forty yard dash at Stanford’s pro day, and may see his best chance of sticking to the roster by impressing on special teams.

The Vikings have listed Gatewood as a cornerback on their official roster.

First Round Safety Smith In The Fold

May 31, 2012, by 31 comments

Third round cornerback Josh Robinson and first round left tackle Matt Kalil are now the only members of the Vikings 2012 Draft class not under contract.

Jeremy Fowler of the Pioneer Press reports that first round selection Harrison Smith, a safety out of Notre Dame, agreed to a four year deal on Thursday.  There is no indication as to whether or not a fifth year option is in the deal, as no details have yet to be released.

Under the new Collective Bargaining Agreement, there is no reason to believe that Kalil (or any other rookie) could potentially be a training camp holdout.  All contracts are likely to be finalized in a relatively short period of time.

So… About That Asher Allen Fella…

May 30, 2012, by 3 comments

Earlier this offseason I predicted that cornerback Asher Allen, a 2009 third round selection out of Georgia, would not be on the opening day roster in 2012.

What I didn’t predict:  That it would be his choice.

By now, (I know, I know, I’m late on this… Happy Memorial Day everybody!) most of you have heard that Asher Allen informed the Vikings last Thursday that he will be retiring from football after having played three seasons with the team.

At age 24, the decision is a curious one, but Leslie Frazier thinks that in time Allen will explain that decision in full.  As of right now, however, both the team and the player are leaving it up to us to speculate as to the reasons why he retired.

“He’ll talk about it more at some point, but he explained to me that this was something he wanted to do. He had given it a lot of thought and that’s what he wanted to do,” Frazier said when he announced Allen’s decision on Wednesday.

With an onslaught of concussion coverage plaguing our normal enjoyment of the NFL these days, it is reasonable to suspect that Allen had worries about his life after football.  Allen has suffered two known concussions in his three year career, including one in week 15 of last season.

“Surprised. I didn’t see that coming,” admitted Frazier, “but everybody has to make decisions that are best for them.”

While I was admittedly not sold on Allen as any sort of reliable option at the corner position, he had plenty of supporters that were hopeful he would break out in 2012, and now we will never know the extent to which he could have produced on the NFL stage.

Seven Draft Picks Now Under Contract

May 22, 2012, by 5 comments

The Vikings picked Tuesday to get a lot of work out of the way in signing their rookie class.

We already mentioned that the Vikings signed their two seventh rounders in a post earlier today.  Now, the number of rookies under contract has grown to seven.

Fourth round receivers out of Arkansas have both signed their deals along with fourth round tight end Rhett Ellison.  Safety Robert Blanton and kicker Blair Walsh have also signed.

First round picks Matt Kalil and Harrison Smith should be signing soon, along with third round cornerback Josh Robinson, thus completing the process of signing the entire draft class.

Long gone are the days of rookie holdouts, which is one of the most visible improvements from the last CBA to the current one.