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***OFFICIAL*** MINNESOTA VIKINGS TRAINING CAMP THREAD (1 Viewer)

The Gatekeeper

The Gatekeeper

Footballguy
Training Camp starts tomorrow so lets get a thread going to report all first hand observations and news plus any rumors or reports we hear. Josh Robinson got signed today and hearing Kalil will be done by tomorrow so lets get fired up Vikes fans! SKOL!!!!!!

 
Vikes Centric blog posts about the ten players that are the most pivotal to the Vikes success this season. Good stuff.

Part 1

Part 2

Any updates on Kalil signing???

 
'snellman said:
:blackdot: Hoping to get to Mankato at some point again this year, but not sure if it will happen.
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This is the only time of year anyone would say they were looking forward to going to Mankato.
 
Sweet just heard that Kalil was inked this afternoon on my way home from work. You guys that are going to watch camp could you take a couple minutes and report back on here how you see them using Rudolph and Carlson on the field at the same time? I am real interested to see these two working together to make matchup nightmares for opposing defenses. I think with having defenses always having to respect our run game plus the speed we have acquired with Simpson, Wright, and Childs to go along with Harvin of course our 2 TE sets could be unstoppable. I know all this is contingent on Ponder staying upright but I am real excited about our offense this year.

 
'The Gatekeeper said:
Sweet just heard that Kalil was inked this afternoon on my way home from work. You guys that are going to watch camp could you take a couple minutes and report back on here how you see them using Rudolph and Carlson on the field at the same time? I am real interested to see these two working together to make matchup nightmares for opposing defenses. I think with having defenses always having to respect our run game plus the speed we have acquired with Simpson, Wright, and Childs to go along with Harvin of course our 2 TE sets could be unstoppable. I know all this is contingent on Ponder staying upright but I am real excited about our offense this year.
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:yes: Yeah guys. If you head to 'kato throw us a quick post on what you're seeing. That would be much appreciated for those of us that have fled from the motherland. TIA
 
'The Gatekeeper said:
Anyone hear any reports of how the Matt Kalil/Jared Allen matchup went this afternoon?
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Pretty good.STrib video

espn 1500 camp blurb

MANKATO, Minn. -- The first time they met, the rookie left tackle stood up the veteran pass rusher.

The second time, Jared Allen got the edge on Matt Kalil and made sure everyone knew it, yanking off his helmet and holding it aloft as he grinned and circled through the line of Minnesota Vikings teammates waiting for their turns in the one-on-one pass rush drill.

Would Kalil really expect anything else?

"Oh no, he's a great guy," Kalil said, flashing a smile of his own after the first padded practice of training camp on Monday afternoon.

"We've got along really well in this camp, and I'm just glad he's on the same team as me."

Kalil didn't seem fazed by a perennial Pro Bowl pick having a little fun at his expense.

In fact, he held up fairly well overall in his first padded practice as a professional, save for that turn in one-on-ones and one snap during team (11-on-11) drills in which Allen beat him for a touch-sack.

"It's a good matchup," coach Leslie Frazier said. "Looking forward to continuing to watch that over time. It looked like Matt held his own for the most part. There were a couple times Jared got around him, but that's to be expected."

Kalil got extra turns with the second and third units on Monday, because backup tackle DeMarcus Love was sitting out with a shoulder injury.

Asked to grade his performance, Kalil said, "Well, it's the first day. There's always something I can improve on. I'm rusty on some things. You only get better on those things by practicing in pads, so I'm looking forward to improving every day."
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KFAN camp blog

Mankato, MN - As the Vikings prepared for their first padded practice on Monday afternoon, Leslie Frazier laid out a disclaimer that lent insight into the current mental makeup of his team.

"I'm sure some of the younger players are a little bit nervous," Frazier said Monday morning. "It'll be their first time putting pads on and lining up against some guys that they've watched on TV for a number of years."

The most notable of these situations drew most of the attention when Monday's padded practice was underway. For the first time since he was drafted with the number four overall selection in the 2012 NFL Draft, Matt Kalil lined up opposite of Jared Allen who was fully padded and ready to come at him full speed.

Kalil came to Minnesota highly accomplished out of the University of Southern California. Winner of the 2012 Morris Award, given to the top linemen in the Pac-12, Matt was the top rated linemen in the most recent draft class but throughout all his time at USC, he never saw anybody like Jared Allen.

"It's the amount of experience that he has. The amount of moves he has, he's just quick and great with his hands," Kalil said of Allen. "[He's] just an overall great player."

On the field Monday afternoon, all eyes were on Allen and Kalil.

Opening up the team session with 11-on-11 drills, Kalil held his own against Allen as Christian Ponder went 3-for-4 passing. Allen spent much of the first session bull-rushing the rookie trying to overpower the 6'7", 308lb tackle. During the second session, Allen began to mix it up a bit while Kalil did his best to keep up.

Allen's barrage of swim moves, spins and pure power during the second match up got the best of Kalil. My unofficial count had Jared Allen in on the quarterback for one, maybe two touch sacks as the veteran's combination of speed and strength proved to be too much for the rookie.

Following the 11-on-11 session, the offensive and defensive linemen moved over to the middle field for 1-on-1 work, Allen and Kalil were first out of the gates.

The goal of the drill was for the offensive line to protect a cone on the ground while the defense attempted to "sack" (grab) the cone. While Allen never technically got to the cone, he was seen beating Kalil around the edge prompting Allen to perform Cartwheels and raise his helmet and run around the field circa Brett Favre and Super Bowl XXXI.

Later, back in team drills, Allen got inside on Kalil to violently stuff Toby Gerhart at the line and got what was officially deemed a touch sack on Ponder as Leslie Frazier blew the play dead.

While Jared was an obvious handful for Kalil, Matt looked dominant when #69 was on the sidelines. Maybe a true testament to how good Jared Allen is, when Kalil squared up against Nick Reed and Jeff Charleston he resembled the dominant lineman that we became familiar with via YouTube clips back around draft day.

After the practice a few of the involved parties chimed in on Kalil's first day with pads.

"Seventy-five? Yeah he did real well," quarterback Christian Ponder said. "He's a specimen."

"We're really expecting big things from Matt," Coach Frazier said Monday, "Although he is a rookie, we have high hopes for him. We think that left side of our line is really improving."

Kalil was understandably a little hard on himself.

"It's the first day, there's always something I could improve on," Kalil said. "I'm rusty on some things and you only get better at those things by practicing in pads."

Despite the first day jitters, Kalil continues to keep a positive attitude and welcomes the opportunity to square off against one of the best.

"[Jared's] been a pro-bowler for the last five years," Kalil said. "[He's] the sack leader for however long he's been. Just from having that experience and being in the number of games he's been in, and for me being in no games he's definitely going to help me out and get a glimpse of what I'm going to get in games...I'm just glad he's on the same team as me!"

All in all, it should not be assumed that bad day for Kalil is a bad sign for his future. Firstly, he is going up against the best 4-3 defensive end in the NFL. Secondly, had Kalil come in and rocked Allen's world, he might have started to rest on his laurels and get a big head. Vikings fans have seen the demise of heady offensive linemen more than once over the past few seasons.

Kalil seems to have his head on straight and there is no backing down in the kid. He'll strap those pads on again for the team's next practice, he'll take whatever Jared Allen has to dish out and he'll be better for it.
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:lmao:
 
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Thanks for those articles griff. Going against Allen everyday in practice is going to make Kalil such a great LT. I can just imagine the battles between the likes of Doleman/Zimmerman and Randle/Mcdaniel and Yary/Page and Eller.

 
Anyone at the scrimmage today when Childs went down? Hope it isnt as bad as I am reading it may be. Childs just cant seem to catch a break and stay injury free.

 
'The Gatekeeper said:
Anyone at the scrimmage today when Childs went down? Hope it isnt as bad as I am reading it may be. Childs just cant seem to catch a break and stay injury free.
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Tore the patella tendons in both knees, out for the year. This after tearing the right patella tendon in 2010 with Arkansas.
 
i heard they tried to constrtct a play but it collapsed is there any truth to that rumor over there in tiwnky land take it to the bank brohans seriously i hope that ap is ok i would rather him play and have good games between our teams and let the best team win not have one of the best guys in the league not taking the field

 
How long do you guys expect the offensive starters to play tonight? I would hope they play at least 3 series. This isnt a very veteran group so they need all the work they can get with each other.

 
'Abraham said:
Ponder looked good. Two throw aways and three drops.
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Vikings need some more talent at WR. I thought that Chris Owusu and Kyle Williams looked good for San Francisco. With the deepth that San Fran has at the position, it going to tough for some of their younger WRs to make their team. Vikings should be watching those players closely in pre-season and be prepared to work the wavier wire.
 
'Donnybrook said:
'Abraham said:
Ponder looked good. Two throw aways and three drops.
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Vikings need some more talent at WR. I thought that Chris Owusu and Kyle Williams looked good for San Francisco. With the deepth that San Fran has at the position, it going to tough for some of their younger WRs to make their team. Vikings should be watching those players closely in pre-season and be prepared to work the wavier wire.
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:goodposting: Dale Moss also had a decent game for the Packers, I would guess they will bring in someone after cut days.
 
Jerry Rice: Adrian Peterson is rushing back too fast, like I didPosted by Michael David Smith on August 13, 2012, 5:08 PM EDTGetty ImagesIn Week One of the 1997 NFL season, Jerry Rice tore his ACL. In Week 16 of the same season, he stunned everyone by returning to the field, less than four months later. But Rice, who suffered a cracked kneecap while catching a touchdown pass in that Week 16 return, now says he regrets rushing back from his torn ACL. And he fears that Vikings running back Adrian Peterson is doing the same.Rice said today on NFL Live that he believes that second knee injury of 1997 was related to the first one, and that he should have been more cautious about his return from a major knee injury.“I cracked my patella,” Rice said. “I feel that I rushed myself back to the football field. And I think that with Adrian Peterson, he’s doing the same thing. Because we are accustomed to being out there with the guys, sweating with the guys, fighting on the football field. And if you’re not able to do that you just don’t feel connected. And that’s the reason why I rushed back. I hope he doesn’t do the same thing.”Rice was so desperate to get back to work after tearing his ACL that after surgery, he disobeyed doctors’ orders and sawed the cast off his own leg so that he could start working out again. Rice now believes that was foolish.“I thought I was invincible,” Rice said. “I felt I did all the work and it was time for me to get back on that football field. But if I had to do it all over again, I would take more time to heal up, then come back.”Peterson hasn’t rushed back the way Rice did: Peterson, who tore his ACL on December 24, has already rehabbed his knee for more than twice as long as Rice did. But Rice’s cautionary tale is still valuable for the Vikings, who shouldn’t let Peterson go back to full contact until the doctors are certain he’s ready, no matter how badly Peterson himself wants to return to the field.
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http://profootballtalk.nbcsports.com/2012/08/13/jerry-rice-adrian-peterson-is-rushing-back-too-fast-like-i-did/So I kind of expect AD to play but be limited in his carries. Which is ok because each run he gets the most he can out of it. Gerhardt and Harvin will allow us to ease AD back in as the season goes along.The defense still needs a lot of work.
 
Anyone else think the Vikings should make a play for Jeff Demps? I think Harvin could do a little recruiting to his friend from Florida and he immediately would be the favorite for the kick and punt return duties plus a nice 3rd down RB. Speed kills and I will take as much as we can get.

 
Vikings notes: Cornerback Robinson likely to play against BuffaloArticle by: DAN WIEDERER and MARK CRAIG , Star Tribune Updated: August 14, 2012 - 9:54 PMThe rookie cornerback is likely to see his first NFL game action against the Bills, eager to showcase the speed, confidence and body control that convinced the Vikings to draft him in the third round in April.Looking for a young up-and- coming player to keep an eye on during Friday's preseason home game against Buffalo? Cornerback Josh Robinson is worth watching.Robinson is likely to see his first NFL game action against the Bills, eager to showcase the speed, confidence and body control that convinced the Vikings to draft him in the third round in April.The 21-year-old Robinson pulled a hamstring in the first full practice of training camp July 27 and missed more than a week. And while he returned to drills last week, he was held out of the first preseason game in San Francisco as a precaution. Now, Robinson will be thrown into the mix, likely to see significant time against Buffalo with the second- and third-unit defenses.Robinson's upside has head coach Leslie Frazier excited."The burst he has separates him from all the other players that we have in the secondary," Frazier said. "He can close and go from point A to point B as fast as anybody we have or that I've seen. ... A lot of guys can run fast straight ahead but it doesn't show up when you put pads on. But in his case, it shows up."Survival skillsOn Monday morning, Vikings special teams coach Mike Priefer lauded the poise of kicker Blair Walsh after the rookie handled the gusty winds at Candlestick Park with relative ease. Walsh nailed field goals of 39 and 26 yards in Friday night's 17-6 preseason loss to San Francisco and also was impressive on his three kickoffs, despite the swirling wind.On Tuesday, punter Chris Kluwe marveled at the Candlestick conditions that were present for the preseason opener."That was the worst wind I've ever played in at Candlestick," Kluwe said. "It was almost as bad as Chicago [in 2009]."Kluwe had six punts Friday, averaging 40.3 yards per boot."That's one of those games where you just try and survive it and not hit like a 10-yard punt," he said. "I had one [a 30-yarder in the third quarter] that really got caught up in the wind. But at that point, what do you do? I can't control the weather."Here's the good news for Kluwe and Walsh: Mother Nature's elements won't be an issue for a while. The Vikings have only one game outdoors between now and November -- a Week 6 game at Washington. During the regular season, 12 of the team's 16 games will be played indoors.Toby TimeEven as Adrian Peterson works back into the mix, odds are good the Vikings will start the year with Toby Gerhart getting a majority of the carries. Frazier was asked directly Tuesday whether he could envision Peterson being a workhorse back when the season opens Sept. 9 against Jacksonville."There's nothing to say that he could," Frazier said. "But I don't know if there were many things that were said that at 7 1/2 months he would be prepared to do what he's doing now. You don't really want to put parameters on his rehabilitation, you want to just let it go and see where it takes us."Etc.• Both Frazier and offensive coordinator Bill Musgrave asserted that Joe Webb's struggles against the 49ers were partly attributable to poor offensive line play. Webb (4-for-11, 20 yards, sacked twice) will get ample opportunity Friday to redeem himself.Said Musgrave: "Part of what he dealt with was [there were] so many things so many guys in front of him were not able to do. And that affected some of the things he wanted to do at the quarterback position."He's probably the least experienced of all of our quarterbacks as far as playing the position over a long period of time. You just have to continue to let him get reps and let him develop."
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http://www.startribune.com/sports/vikings/166205416.html
 
anyone know if harvin is locked in at kr/pr or have they been giving other guys a chance to win the job?

 
Ponder has looked fantastic all preseason. The biggest thing is he is doing a good job throwing the ball downfield. Of all the 2nd year qbs expected to take the leap, he is getting very little publicity.

 
'Abraham said:
Seriously, how is no one talking about ponder?
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His two endzone throws (between 2 open TE's) and the fade to Simpson (out of bounds/uncatchable) I believe were horrible on the second drive. Good QB's cash in on those. How's that for your feedback? ;) Actually, Ponder looked solid but I came here to ask about Kyle Rudolph. I only saw parts of the first half, did he sustain a concussion or was it just a cut? Any news on him would be appreciated.
 
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'Abraham said:
Seriously, how is no one talking about ponder?
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I haven't been able to watch it yet but 10-13 for 136 and a TD looks pretty solid to me!!! He looked pretty good last week too. I'm excited to watch him this season, there will be ups and downs but it sure seems like he's headed in the right direction.
 
'Abraham said:
Seriously, how is no one talking about ponder?
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I'm with you, I thought he looked great. Confident and decisive. Sure wish he had one more WR. I still hope they add one via waivers.
 
'BallparkFrank said:
'Abraham said:
Seriously, how is no one talking about ponder?
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His two endzone throws (between 2 open TE's) and the fade to Simpson (out of bounds/uncatchable) I believe were horrible on the second drive. Good QB's cash in on those. How's that for your feedback? ;) Actually, Ponder looked solid but I came here to ask about Kyle Rudolph. I only saw parts of the first half, did he sustain a concussion or was it just a cut? Any news on him would be appreciated.
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Rudolph passed the concussion tests. He seems fine. He almost certainly would have gone back in where it a regular season game.Ponder was pretty good. He consistently hit receivers in stride in the intermediate game which will probably always be his strength. He had one deep throw along the sidelines to Jenkins. It looked to be intentionally underthrown allowing Jenkins to make a nice adjustment and grab it. The announcers thought it was brilliant. But the placement could have been better. He dropped it on the inside shoulder where a better DB could have made a play on it. It should have been further outside. And those two misfires in the endzone did look pretty ugly. Overall not bad but plenty of room for improvement. The protection wasn't great but it was at least better than last year, though that isn't saying much.
 
'BallparkFrank said:
'Abraham said:
Seriously, how is no one talking about ponder?
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His two endzone throws (between 2 open TE's) and the fade to Simpson (out of bounds/uncatchable) I believe were horrible on the second drive. Good QB's cash in on those. How's that for your feedback? ;) Actually, Ponder looked solid but I came here to ask about Kyle Rudolph. I only saw parts of the first half, did he sustain a concussion or was it just a cut? Any news on him would be appreciated.
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Vikings TE Kyle Rudolph, who left Friday's game with a head injury said he passed all the concussion tests and that he is fine.
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http://rotoinfo.com/comments-2012_08_18_09_02_am_Vikings_Kyle_Rudolph_TE-142967.htmlI am still observing Ponder. I have seen some good things, such as good pocket awareness and accuracy on some of the mid range throws but also some pretty questionable decisions. I think he has been working on deep passing accuracy and that may be improved from last year but I still think some of the throws are off.I really expect the Vikings to run the ball a lot which should limit Ponders stat potential this season. Hopefully he does really improve this season but it is still to early to know if he is good enough to compete with starting level QBs. I wouldn't expect that this season due to commitment to the running game but perhaps I am wrong. I do think Ponder could be useful in a QBBC and division games are ones where Ponder may be forced to throw more. There are 2 midseason games vs. Detroit and then late season games against Green Bay and the Bears that I might consider trying Ponder. I think SF and Houston will be able to control the clock better and the other games the Vikings may be able to keep their running game going.I most impressed with Audie Cole. I was a bit disappointed when the Vikings did not draft a MLB until they took Cole in the 6th round. But based on his performance so far Speilman may have really crushed the 2012 draft. Cole was getting some deep drops in coverage that I have not seen from the LBers in awhile. Really exciting to see someone be able to play the ball.
 
I certainly don't expect ponder to be a top 12 qb. I barely think he has a chance at the top 24. It's just that as long as he is getting better than his longterm dynasty outlook is bright.

 
'Abraham said:
I certainly don't expect ponder to be a top 12 qb. I barely think he has a chance at the top 24. It's just that as long as he is getting better than his longterm dynasty outlook is bright.
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I think he could be relevant in 2013 but I still need to see more.
 
Vikings Head Coach Leslie FrazierWe had a spirited practice today. We came out in pads in what would be a Friday for us during the season and really went through a review of our red zone, our short yardage, our goal line; hit a bunch of different areas. The guys worked hard this week, it’s an important week. The fact that we’re treating it like a game situation, like we would during a regular season game in a lot of ways in our preparation. Not that we’ll put an extensive amount of game planning into this, but it’s been good, it’s been real good for our players. Of course we have a lot of guys fighting for positions so we’re trying to still learn a little bit about our guys who are going to be role players for us but also trying to determine a little bit about our starters. We still have some positions where guys are fighting for starting jobs and we’re trying to make sure we have the right 11 on the field on offense and defense as well as on special teams. In regards to injuries, Bridger Buche will not play in this ball game with a knee inflammation. We’re not going to play John Carlson, Chris Cook, Letroy Guion, Kamar Jorden, Geoff Schwartz; those guys won’t play. We’ll make a determination about Robert Blanton, Larry Dean, Solomon Elimimian and DeMarcus Love as well, whether or not we want to play them in this game. There are a couple more things we want to look at to determine if we want to play those guys or not. Everybody else should be up to go, we’re going to go at it with potentially the only guy we will hold out is Mr. Peterson.Q: Did Letroy Guion aggravate this knee?A: Yes, yesterday it flared up again so we need to give him a little more time before we put him back out there again. He’ll get this weekend and a few days next week as well.Q: Did he have an MRI on his knee?A: Yes, no structural damage, nothing there.Q: Do you have a starter for Chris Cook?A: We’re probably going to see how Chris Carr works in there early and then get Josh Robinson in there as well, rotate those guys and give them a chance. We’ll get Zach Bowman in there too but probably end up starting Carr. We’re still talking about that; that could change after we meet when we’re done here.Q: Josh Robinson would be the third guy in the Nickel then?A: Yes, if we go nickel he would definitely be on the field in there.Q: Before Letroy Guion’s injury, how did you feel he has been coming along?A: I thought he was doing a good job. We were encouraged by his work and the way he had come back with his attitude. He had his weight in a great position which he has maintained, attitude was terrific; we we’re pleased, it’s just unfortunate that he’s missing all these reps, we really need him to get these reps at that position, which is somewhat a new position for him. It’s tough but that’s the way it is right now.Q: Two and a half weeks until the opener, any chance he won’t be ready for that?A: No, we think as long as we give him this time he should be ready for the opener.Q: Is it classified as a concussion with Chris Cook?A: It was a concussion in his case. Today he cleared just about everything that needs to be done. They have one more test they have to do this afternoon. They feel like he’ll be cleared by the end of today.Q: What is the number one thing Letroy Guion needs to do to hold down his spot?A: We need a guy who can demand a double team at that position. We’ve lacked that a little bit and that’s what helps our defense be more successful, especially against the run. If we can get a guy who they have to double team, it frees up our linebackers to make some plays. He needs to show that he can do that and when he’s single blocked he can make those plays and make people have to double team him. If they can block him with a center or guard we have problems and we think he has the ability to demand that double team. We’ll see once we get him back on the field.Q: Jerome Simpson was taking some punts, is that a thought to put him back there?A: No, that’s something he wanted to do. He’s done it in the past but we’re not looking at him being our punt returner or kick off return guy, but the more you can do, it doesn’t hurt anything.Q: How do you size up the punt return situation right now?A: Right now, Marcus Sherels will probably be our opening game guy if we were at that point but we still have guys fighting for that position. We’re going to work Josh Robinson back there, we’re going to give Stephen Burton a chance as well, Bryan Walters will get a chance. We’re still evaluating it but Marcus is still ahead of the rest of the guys right now.Q: How are Josh Robinson and Jarius Wright standing out?A: Jarius has improved dramatically from when we had him back in the early spring. He was drafted as a punt returner and his hands have got better, his concentration has got a little bit better and we’ve put him out there in these two games we had. We haven’t had as much production but we’re going to give him some more opportunities in this ball game, we’ll get him out there and give him a chance. We’re pleased with his progress.Q: Is there a common trait of small school guys coming to the NFL?A: If there is a common trait it’s probably that you have a chip on your shoulder, you want to show people that you can play with the big school guys and that motivates some players to try and compete. It’s a great opportunity to play in the National Football League and you get guys from small schools who haven’t been on national TV. Bobby Felder mentioned to me at our scrimmage, he came up to me and said, “Coach, I’ve never had this many people at one of my games in college.” I was thinking wow that puts it in perspective; this is a scrimmage in Mankato. For those guys, it’s a motivator to show guys from the Big Ten or the SEC that, “You know what, I could of played in your league, I’m going to make it in the NFL.”Q: What has Marvin Mitchell shown you? Is he set as an outside or inside guy?A: We’ve played him mostly as an outside backer through camp. We know he has the potential to maybe move inside. He has done a good job not only on defense, but on special teams as well. He is an athletic guy, he is an extremely hard worker, and has a real desire to be good. He’s showing some things with his athletic ability and his ability to be able to blitz as well, which is something that we needed at the outside linebacker position.Q: How is (Chris) Carr going through the adjustment of being on a new team? Is he starting to react instead of thinking?A: It seems that way. He is a very bright guy. He is a very bright guy when it comes to understanding football and the concepts. His experience helps him a lot. Some of the things we do are a little bit different than where he has been. He has adapted very well, and it is good to pick his brain on some things as well. He is a sharp football player.Q: How much more diverse or unpredictable do you think this defense can be now that you have a few more pieces?A: If we can get the right pieces in place we think that we will have the chance to give people different looks and try to be creative with some of the things that we do. The key is keeping those guys on the field that we think can help us, and we have got more depth now than I can remember which bodes well. It should give us a chance to do some things to help our defense be better.Q: What examples do you have?A: There are some things we can do personnel-wise if you have the number of defensive backs that we are thinking about keeping, versus where we have been in the past, now you can match up a little bit better when people go three, four, and five wide receivers. It eliminates the potential of you having to stay in zone coverage all the time like we’ve had to do over particularly this past year. That will help us, that you can’t just go into the game saying ‘well they’ve only got this many defensive backs, they have to play this particular coverage.’ Then the flexibility we have with some of our linebackers that have the ability to cover as well and can blitz off the edge. If we can keep these guys healthy we have a chance to be a little bit more creative with the way that we want to approach opposing offenses.Q: Was that a conclusion that you came to in the offseason? That you want to play more man?A: Well not only this offseason, it’s been a desire. Probably ’09 was the last time we could really play some man on a continuous basis. It just hasn’t worked out injury-wise where we could have enough guys up that could get it done.Q: Does having better safeties impact that too? The way that you guys where rolling the safeties down in that last game it seemed as though that was the emphasis.A: It does. If you know that you have a liability, especially today when you have safeties that have got to cover tight ends, you have a liability there and it’s going to get exposed when you play man so you are less likely to play man coverage because you are going to have problems. It depends how you want to die, slow death or quick death?Q: How much weight do you put on performance in this preseason game (game three) when deciding who stays and who goes?A: It is very important. We talked about it as a staff this morning, we are going to go in and talk about it this afternoon. For the guys that are on the bubble, for the 75 as well as the 53, when they get their turn in the game on Friday night it is going to be so, so important that they show that they deserve to be a part of the next week’s team. We put a lot of weight on what happens when those guys get put into the game in the second half on Friday night. It will mean a great deal as we are trying to make a determination of what 15 are going to remain or not remain.Q: What happened to Larry Dean?A: Larry (Dean) had a shoulder sprain. He has practiced pretty well this week but we still want to talk to him when we go back in just to see where he is. With the pads on today we could have him go on a little contact so he can kind of gage how he feels.Q: Is that something that has been lingering for a while?A: No, it came up after the game. It bothered him a little bit in the Buffalo game.Q: What was it like preparing for the NFC North teams last year?A: Don’t make me go back, those are bad memories. When you know going into the game that you are limited, and know the people look at the tape and know that you are limited… We played a team, I won’t mention the team, one of the secondary coaches called me after the game and said ‘man, going into the game we knew if we put this put this package on the field you could match up, if we did this you couldn’t match up, and I don’t know what you are going to do but you guys have to address your secondary.’ But you are in the season so you are limited with your options, so it is a hard thing, especially if you coached defense before. It’s not a lot of fun, but I think we have addressed some of those issues this offseason and now if we can keep our guys healthy it should help us to answer some questions when we play opposing offenses.Q: Are you rolling with Mistral (Raymond) next to Harrison (Smith)? Or will you give Jamarca (Sanford) one more shot?A: We are going to give Jamarca one more shot just to see how he does. He has had a great camp and he has busted his tail to compete and fight for a job so we are going to give him another shot. We are going to still keep Harrison in there and Jamarca may end up starting it off on Friday night. We are going to talk about that when we go back in.
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http://www.kduz.com/2012/08/22/vikings-coach-talks-chargers-week-3-of-the-preseason/
 
This is why Sports Illustrated is ridiculous:

Minnesota: Did the Vikings do enough to shore up one of the worst pass defenses in history?

Donovan McNabb and Christian Ponder were put in what was, almost quite literally, a no-win situation last year: forced to compete despite being paired with the NFL's worst pass defense.

The Vikings surrendered a 107.8 Defensive Passer Rating in 2011. It was both the worst mark in football and in franchise history. Put another way, the Vikings made every quarterback look like Tom Brady or Drew Brees at the peak of their powers.

That's no way to win a football game. In fact, only one team in history posted a Defensive Passer Rating worse than the 2011 Vikings: the 0-16 Lions of 2008 (110.9).

The Vikings should have been all-in on improving the defense in the 2012 draft. Instead, they devoted four of the top six picks to offensive players, grabbing defenders only with late first- and early second-round picks.
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They drafted Smith in the 1st, Robinson in the 3rd, Blanton in the 5th, and Cole and Guyton in the 7th. What a lousy magazine.And did he not notice how bad the offense was last year?

 
Sports Illustrated hasnt been good in years. I thought the Vikings did a nice job of improving both sides of the ball with this last draft and isnt that what you are supposed to do during the draft? I guess the "themed" draft like Green Bay going all defense is in style but I prefer the more well rounded draft that helps both sides of the ball.

 
'FunkyPlutos said:
It will be hard for the team to leave Asiata off the roster.
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He probably the best of a bad bunch of backs. All three fumbled. Asiata fumbled on the 3 yard line. But if Asiata can play both fullback and emergency running back then he will be hard to cut. They need to save roster spots - they have 4 TEs that deserve to be kepted. Vikings should be looking for a 3rd string back that has kick return skills. A Lorenzo Booker type player without the butter fingers.
 
Last edited by a moderator:
'Donnybrook said:
'FunkyPlutos said:
It will be hard for the team to leave Asiata off the roster.
Click to expand...
He probably the best of a bad bunch of backs. All three fumbled. Asiata fumbled on the 3 yard line. But if Asiata can play both fullback and emergency running back then he will be hard to cut. They need to save roster spots - they have 4 TEs that deserve to be kepted. Vikings should be looking for a 3rd string back that has kick return skills. A Lorenzo Booker type player without the butter fingers.
Click to expand...
I agree and think Todman could be that guy, but it seems like he gets injured easily.
 
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