LINKS OF THE WEEK: Gone Fishin’

The Vikings are no longer involved in any sort of playoff possibility, but this week’s matchup against the 7-7 Miami Dolphins presents a decent challenge and plenty of people will be watching this road game for continued progression out of Mike Zimmer’s young roster.  Here is the best of the best from around the internet:

• My favorite weekly podcast had a baby, which makes me happy!  Subscribe to the newborn podcast with a chance to win something nice by CLICKING HERE.
• A preview of this week’s game and how the Vikings matchup against the Fins.
• Arif speculated on the future of Gerald Hodges (among other things) in his weekly mailbag feature at Vikings Journal.
• Analytics site Pro Football Focus seem to have a little more optimism about Hodges than Arif does.
• An excellent recap of how the Vikings ended up losing to Detroit last week.
• Do you think Marcus Sherels still ranks among the top NFL punt returners?
• A very early look at some very early mock drafts and what people think the Vikings might do.
• Five players the Vikings might consider releasing this offseason.
• An evaluation of where the Vikings group of receivers are currently at and where they might be headed.
• Norv Turner thinks Christian Ponder could rejuvenate his career elsewhere with a career path similar to that of Rich Gannon.
• Xavier Rhodes is getting a lot of respect for his performance against Calvin Johnson last week.
• Five things to keep an eye out for during this upcoming game in Miami.
• Darren Page lays out a gameplan for the Vikings and their attempt to topple the Dolphins.
• Some extra details about Anthony Barr’s “minor” knee surgery.
• Chad Greenway is this year’s Community Man of the Year.
• Teddy Bridgewater is putting up 300 yard games despite throwing a lot of very short passes.
• The makeshift offensive line the Vikings are currently fielding is getting tested on a weekly basis.
• Only one Minnesota player made the PFF Pro Bowl roster and it wasn’t Everson Griffen or Xavier Rhodes.
• This game marks a homecoming event for both Bridgewater and Rhodes.
• Despite efforts from the Vikings, there are still opponents to the stadium construction due to bird collision worries.
• It is possible that other NFL players, past or present, could have been involved in Darren Sharper’s absolutely horrible string of alleged actions.
• Some storylines to chew on involving both teams playing in this game.
• And now, your moment of Zen: