OTA Injury Rundown

May 29, 2013, by 2 comments

One of the biggest keys to the success of a football team is their ability to stay healthy, as well as prove deep enough at any given position to help cover for the unhealthy, and so it is important to keep tabs on the injuries plaguing the Vikings roster even as early as OTAs in May.

For the second day in a row, Jared Allen remains the only player absent from OTAs, but there is no indication that his absence has anything to do with injury.  As we mentioned yesterday, Tom Pelissero of 1500 ESPN says Allen had family obligations this week, and it isn’t particularly abnormal for him to miss OTAs.

Wide out Greg Jennings faces big expectations in 2013 as he tries to improve on his last two injury riddled years in Green Bay.  That is why it is disappointing to hear that Jennings was a scratch only two days into OTAs with an ankle injury suffered yesterday.

“His ankle’s a little bit sore,” Frazier said to 1500 ESPN. “But he’ll be fine. Nothing serious. He’s on the side working with (head athletic trainer) Eric Sugarman.”

Meanwhile, fellow wide outs Greg Childs and Chris Summers were also unable to participate.  Childs is really no surprise, considering he tore both patellar tendons during the 2012 preseason.  An inspirational return from Childs would certainly be a welcomed surprise, but getting any sort of contribution from him in 2013 would indeed be a, well… surprise.  Summers has the potential to compete for a roster spot at the bottom of the depth chart, but he will have to recover from his ankle injury in short order to avoid another season spent on the practice squad.

NFL MVP running back Adrian Peterson had surgery for a sports hernia on February 7th, but that isn’t expected to slow him down much, as it did little to slow him down as he played with the injury for weeks prior to the end of last season.  Peterson says he is “pretty much 100 percent” and was able to fully participate in all the drills and 11-on-11 skirmishes.  Minnesota’s offense lives and dies with Peterson so the importance of his health status simply cannot be stressed enough.  It is a good sign to hear that he is doing so well at the end of May.

Center John Sullivan had microfracture knee surgery this offseason and is not currently participating in OTAs.  After a season that arguably landed him among the top the centers in the league it will be a major disappointment if he has to miss any time, or doesn’t start the season at 100%, but that is not expected to be the case.

Linebacker Michael Mauti, drafted in the final round of this year’s Draft, was expectedly unable to participate.  Mauti’s list of past injuries is so long it can only be written on a scroll, but he could also represent one of the true steals of this class if he can recover from his latest knee reconstruction and stick to the Vikings roster, and he has the talent to challenge for a starting role in the future.  The first order of business, however, will be to get the Penn State product back to full health.

That might seem like a lengthy list of injuries, but outside of Childs and Mauti there is no indication that we need to consider any of them overly serious, and this is the time of year when displays of toughness will often take a backseat to precautionary measures.  We’ll be sure to keep you updated should any other developments surface.

OTAs Get Underway With Near Perfect Attendance

May 28, 2013, by 5 comments

A surprisingly successful 2012 season for the Minnesota Vikings was continuously explained, by both players and coaches, to have been in the works since offseason activities began and the very good attendance they experienced.

This year, the Vikings are getting off to a similar start, as every player was present for the kickoff of OTAs with only one exception.

Jared Allen reportedly was a no-show.  Allen has rarely participated in OTAs in the past and, according to Tom Pelissero of 1500 ESPN, had a family obligation.  He, of course, is also still in the rehab process for his offseason shoulder injury and is entering the final year of his current contract.

There was no real news resulting from Day One, but the media also didn’t have any access on Tuesday.  That should change tomorrow and we’ll be sure to keep you updated on any developments coming out of OTAs.

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:

 

Jared Allen Talks About Contract Status

May 23, 2013, by 8 comments

Jared Allen is in the final year of the contract he signed in 2008, after being traded from Kansas City to Minnesota, and there are a number of reasons we thought the team might approach him about a contract extension.

First, outside of some recent injury troubles, Allen has shown little in the way of regression and continues to be one of the NFL’s more exciting players to watch on Sundays.  He is still a game changer, and provided one of my favorite moments ever in a Vikings game this last season (crappy video here), and still produces like an elite pass rusher is expected to.  Despite being 31 years old, and having some talented younger options on the roster, Allen is a really good player to simply let become a free agent in 2014.

Second, and most importantly, Allen will earn a $14.28 million salary this season and carries a cap hit of $17 million.  In an offseason where the Vikings were perceived to have more needs than the cap could cover many of us speculated that he would be an obvious option for a reduced cap hit via a contract extension.  ”Restructuring” was brought up a lot by some, but the fact is that if a player is in the final year of their contract then a restructuring instead of an extension equates to nothing more than a pay cut.

And it sound like Allen recognizes this.

“You use the word restructure and that to me makes it feel like they’d want me to take a pay cut,” Allen told Dan Wiederer of Access Vikings.  ”And if anybody asked me to take a pay cut, I’d be through the first door out of there. So no. We haven’t talked one iota. It is what it is. And we’re going to go about our business and play good ball and try to win a Super Bowl. And like I said the business stuff? We take care of that in the offseason. I have people to do that. That’s why I don’t get into it. You’re not going to hear it from me. I won’t complain. I go about my business.”

Allen taking a hard stance on his financial situation should not surprise anyone.  After all, it was that same stubbornness, after being franchised by the Chiefs after his rookie contract expired, that got him traded to Minnesota in the first place.  Allen has played better football in Minnesota than he did with the Chiefs, and has also put his DUI problems deep into the past, so it is no wonder that he doesn’t consider his value to be decreasing from the day he signed that $73 million contract.

Barring a disaster of some sort in 2013, it seems unlikely that the Vikings would simply let Allen leave next offseason, as he is a team leader that helps recruit free agents (such as Greg Jennings) to join his team’s crusade for a Super Bowl victory.  The fact that the Vikings haven’t even approached him about his contract status, however, doesn’t give me any warm and fuzzies in regards to Allen finishing his career in purple.

The lack of warm and fuzzies might be exactly what the Vikings want, though, as it’ll be just that much more motivation for Allen to give 110% to this upcoming season.

Vikings Open Up A Roster Spot

May 21, 2013, by 3 comments

On Tuesday, the Vikings announced that they have already parted ways with undrafted tackle Mark Jackson.

Jackson came out of Glenville State, after spending some time at Illinois, and received a $3,000 bonus for signing with Minnesota after he wasn’t drafted in April.

The team now has an open roster spot and it is unclear how they plan to fill it.  Some of the top free agents currently available include running back Ahmad Bradshaw, wide out Laurent Robinson, offensive tackle Eric Winston, and guard Brandon Moore on offense.  On defense there are still talents out there like defensive end John Abraham, tackle Richard Seymour, linebackers Daryl Smith and Brian Urlacher, cornerback Will Middleton, and safety Charles Woodson.

More likely, however, is that the Vikings have their eye on another undrafted rookie that they would like to know better.

Time To Step Up For Oklahoma

May 20, 2013, by 11 comments

Once again we are left feeling like any football related topic being posted in this space would be utterly meaningless and inappropriate.  Mother nature showed her ugliest side today in Oklahoma, with tornadoes sweeping across the land and leaving a wake of tragedy behind, and we want to use our little corner of the internet to stand beside those in need.

So, while we will surely hear stories in the near future of our Vikings with Oklahoma ties making grand gestures of generosity to help with the recovery, I now ask you to at least make a small contribution.  If you can, please consider donating to the Red Cross to help those that are injured, faced with rebuilding their homes, or lost loved ones today.

Click here to donate.

Chris Cook Speaks Up

May 19, 2013, by 3 comments

Chris Cook hasn’t exactly been Mr. Reliable in his first three NFL seasons.  Multiple injuries and multiple off-field troubles have kept him out of action all too often.  These problems are really the only reasons to consider this to possibly be Cook’s last season in Minnesota, because he has otherwise been a very solid contributor on Sundays, and even more is expected of him during his contract year in 2013.

Cook may not be able to control his medical status as the season wears on, but it sounds like he is trying to keep from letting another knucklehead incident off the field keep him from cashing in on a second contract, as he is distracting himself by continuing his studies at the University of Virginia.

“I just felt like it was something that would keep me grounded, just to keep me from doing too much partying — too much of stuff that I didn’t need to be doing,” Cook told 1500 ESPN. “It’s definitely helped me focus, kept me in one place, not traveling all over the place, having something to focus on definitely helped me out.”

Cook is probably wise to stay out of trouble this offseason if he wants his next contract to be with the Vikings, and that sounds like the case, as another incident would surely be enough reason to show him the door despite his talent.

“I’m looking forward to coming back if that’s in the cards, and I definitely would love to stay here,” he said of his future with the team. “It’s a contract year, but I’m not playing for a contract. I’m just playing for a good year and playing for this team.”

The VIkings created a large duo of cornerbacks when they drafted Xavier Rhodes to play across from Cook, and that is a good thing considering the receivers in the NFC North, but Cook joked that the rookie should let him do the heavy listing when the season rolls around.

“Just let me handle them,” is what Cook said he told Rhodes about Calvin Johnson and Brandon Marshall.

He went on to say that the duo will be asked to play more press coverage than we have seen from the Vikings secondary in the recent past.  He also says that the loss of Antoine Winfield will not cause the Vikings defensive backfield to struggle moving forward.

“I definitely know we’re going to play a lot more press coverage, because we have two big guys on the outside now,” Cook said. “Coach (Leslie) Frazier likes those type of guys on the outside. Everybody seems to like bigger guys on the outside now, and it’s because of the big receivers now.”

“We’ve got a lot of young, hungry guys. We put in a lot of extra time and we communicate very well and we spend a lot of time together bonding. … I don’t think we’ll be what people think we’ll be. I think we’ll be probably, most definitely a top secondary this year.”

That’s a pretty bold statement for a guy that has missed more games than he has played, especially with their fearless leader now in Seattle, but it isn’t too inconceivable that the Vikings secondary could be an improved unit this year.  The addition of Rhodes, and the possible improvement of young players like Harrison Smith and Josh Robinson, could indeed be a recipe for success in 2013.

At the very least, the confidence to press opposing receivers should create more opportunities for a very talented defensive line to torment quarterbacks all season long.