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Minnesota Vikings football in the 2000s was a lot like Minnesota Vikings football in the 1980s. Too often, it was disappointing. They made it to NFC Conference Championship games at the beginning and the end of the decade but the years in between were often difficult. The Vikings employed four head coaches through the first 11 years of the new century. That’s one fewer than they employed in the previous four decades. Despite the difficulties of the 2000s, the 2009 team that fell a play short of the Super Bowl was one of the most fun teams in franchise history. Here's the Vikings 2000s All-Decade Team.

Minnesota Vikings 2000s All-Decade Team

Quarterback
Daunte Culpepper

Daunte Culpepper is one of the greatest “what ifs?” in franchise history. What if Culpepper hadn’t shredded his knee during the 2005 season? He was coming off consecutive Pro Bowl seasons in 2003 and 2004. His play in 2004 probably gets him the MVP award in nearly any other season. After the knee injury, Culpepper never took another snap for the Vikings and was never the same player.

Running backs
Adrian Peterson
Chester Taylor

Adrian Peterson was a brilliant running back. One of the best I’ve ever seen. Chester Taylor had a terrific season in 2006 and then the Vikings drafted Peterson. Taylor was an excellent #2 to Peterson’s #1 from 2007-09.

Receiver
Randy Moss
Cris Carter

Randy Moss was one of the most stunning, most physically gifted receivers I’ve ever seen. It was an absolute blast watching him play for the Vikings. I only wish that he had never worn another team’s uniform. It's disappointing that Cris Carter’s final two seasons with the Vikings is enough to pair him with Moss on this team. After decades of strong receiving groups, the Vikings often trotted out disappointing groups after Carter retired and Moss was traded. It’s tempting to pair Moss with Sidney Rice or Nate Burleson but each really had only a single season of note with the Vikings during the decade.

Tight End
Visanthe Shiancoe

Visanthe Shiancoe was productive all five of his years in Minnesota. With 11 TDs, his 2009 season was easily his best.

Tackles
Bryant McKinnie
Korey Stringer

Bryant McKinnie was a consistently good left tackle. Unfortunately, he had the talent to be an all-timer. Few Vikings players have ever disappointed me more. He was even sent home from his lone Pro Bowl. Incredible. Right tackle is a tough one. Mike Rosenthal? Ryan Cook? Phil Loadholt showed great promise as a rookie in 2009. Korey Stringer gets the nod for his final season. A Pro Bowl season. RIP Big K.

Guards
Steve Hutchinson
David Dixon

The guards are easy. Steve Hutchinson is one of the best guards in league history. He has a bust in Canton. David Dixon was an underrated bulldozer of a guard.

Center
Matt Birk

Matt Birk was the Vikings center for nearly all of the decade. He was very good, earning six Pro Bowls and a 2nd-team All-Pro.

Defensive Ends
Jared Allen
Lance Johnstone

Jared Allen arrived in Minnesota in 2008. He immediately started terrorizing quarterbacks. He’ll be honored in Canton soon. Lance Johnstone’s five years in Minnesota seem to have been forgotten over the years. Perhaps it’s because he was a full-time starter for only one of those years. He was a pass rushing specialist and his double digit sacks in 2003 and 2004 shouldn’t be forgotten.

Defensive Tackles
Kevin Williams
Pat Williams

The Williams Wall. Kevin and Pat Williams were great. Kevin Williams should eventually find his way to Canton. Pat Williams is one of the best free agent additions in franchise history. Individually and especially together, they were so much fun.

Linebackers
Chad Greenway
E.J. Henderson
Ben Leber

Matt Blair, Jeff Siemon, and Wally Hilgenberg might say differently but I have Chad Greenway, E.J. Henderson, and Ben Leber as the best linebacker trio in Vikings franchise history. They’re an easy pick for the best of the 2000s. I’ve often wondered how different the 2009 playoffs might’ve been if the Vikings hadn’t lost Henderson to that brutal leg injury late in the regular season.

Cornerbacks
Antoine Winfield
Cedric Griffin

Antoine Winfield was a fun, fantastic football player. In my opinion, he’s the best cornerback to play for the Vikings. He finally earned a couple Pro Bowls at the end of the decade. His career should’ve been filled with league honors. Cedric Griffen was a solid corner and a nice compliment to Winfield.

Safeties
Corey Chavous
Brian Russell

Corey Chavous is an underrated football player. I really liked him in the 1998 draft and I was thrilled when he signed with the Vikings as a free agent in 2002. Chavous was excellent in 2003, earning his lone Pro Bowl. It often seemed like he made every damn tackle during that 2003 season. Brian Russell’s best season was also in 2003. That’s when his nine interceptions paced the league.

Kicker
Ryan Longwell

Through the Vikings kicking woes of recent years, I’ve often thought about Ryan Longwell. I fear every kick now. I didn’t fear kicks when Longwell was kicking them. Plus, he’s a Cal alum.

Punter
Chris Kluwe

Chris Kluwe ranks with Bobby Walden, Greg Coleman, and Mitch Berger as the best punters in Vikings history. Kluwe’s five years tops Berger’s two as best of the decade. Minnesota Vikings football in the 2000s was a lot like Minnesota Vikings football in the 1980s. Too often, it was disappointing. They made it to NFC Conference Championship games at the beginning and

Our latest episode of VR is out, and we talk about Kwesi's press conference, NFL Combine news, and our positional analysis rolls on with the tight end spot.

Come join us!


Our latest episode of VR is out, and we talk about Kwesi's press conference, NFL Combine news, and our positional analysis rolls on with the tight end spot. Come join us

The Scouting Combine has become an oddly big, televised event on the NFL’s offseason schedule. For younger fans that’s all they’ve known of the event. It wasn’t always like that. It used to be a very secret thing. There were no cameras and no news. It was as if draft prospects and team decision-makers disappeared into a black hole for a few days. That was a very different time. This is a brief look into the origins of the Scouting Combine.

Thanks to then Philadelphia Eagles owner Bert Bell, the NFL Draft was introduced in 1936. At the time, all of the best college prospects gravitated to the league’s best teams. The Chicago Bears, Green Bay Packers, and New York Giants annually re-stocked and played for championships. The rest of the league’s teams collected scraps and hoped for the best. Today’s college football isn’t much different from the NFL’s pre-draft days. There had to be a better way of spreading the football talent more evenly and more fairly across the league. Bell suggested the draft. George Halas, Curly Lambeau, and Tim Mara reluctantly agreed. For the first few decades, scouting for the draft was an afterthought. Today’s average fantasy football participant takes part in their drafts far more prepared than those NFL team decision-makers did for their real drafts. Coaches and owners would show up to the draft and just randomly pluck names out of a college football magazine. Maybe a few of them had hot tips from friends in the college coaching ranks. There were no scouts. The first true scouts didn’t appear until the late 1940s and 1950s. Ed Kotal is generally regarded as the first person in league history to travel, watch, and evaluate college football talent. He helped build the Los Angeles Rams into an annual contender and league champion in 1951. Dick Gallagher and Sarge MacKenzie helped stock the powerful Cleveland Browns. A little later, Jack Vainisi built the Green Bay Packers team that Vince Lombardi took to ridiculous heights in the 1960s.

It’s difficult to imagine a time when football scouting was an afterthought. One of the hardships of football scouting, especially thorough scouting, is the size of this country and the number of colleges, at all levels, that pepper it. To cover it all is an incredibly daunting task. With hundreds of colleges to visit and thousands of players to see and limited resources to cover them, NFL teams started to enter into partnerships to share the costs and labor. Imagine that. NFL teams working together, sharing resources and information in an effort to get better. It’s inconceivable. Two of these partnerships began in 1963. One was the Lions, Steelers, Eagles Talent Organization, LESTO. The Bears joined in 1964 and LESTO magically became BLESTO. The Baltimore Colts, Cleveland Browns, Green Bay Packers, and St. Louis Cardinals formed National Football Scouting (NFS). In 1964, the Dallas Cowboys, Los Angeles Rams, San Francisco 49ers, and expansion New Orleans Saints formed a partnership that would come to be known as Quadra Scouting. The Minnesota Vikings joined BLESTO in 1966. Jerry Reichow insisted the team join as a condition of his becoming the team’s director of scouting. The Vikings are still with BLESTO and Mitch Johnson-Martin is the team’s BLESTO scout. All of the NFL teams were part of some scouting partnership during the 1960s.

Prior to the 1970s, NFL teams didn’t typically give physical exams to draft prospects. Medically, the teams had little to no knowledge of the players that they were selecting. During the 1970s, that started to change as teams scheduled individual visits with draft prospects to check them out physically and medically. In both time and money, it was a very costly process. As with most NFL business from 1960-89, Dallas Cowboys general manager Tex Schramm was in the middle of change. He proposed to the league’s Competition Committee holding a centralized event at which evaluations of the draft prospects could take place. In 1982, National Football Scouting, which had expanded to 16 teams, held the first National Invitational Camp (NIC) in Tampa. This camp formed the foundation of all those that followed. BLESTO and Quadra held their own camps.

From 1982-84, BLESTO, NFS, and Quadra held separate camps. To share costs, they decided to merge in 1985. They decided to COMBINE. This merging of the three scouting organizations is why the Scouting Combine is called the Scouting Combine. The first Scouting Combine was held in Phoenix. The second was held in New Orleans. In 1987, the event was moved to it’s, so far, permanent home, Indianapolis. This is the home city of NFS so it’s nice and convenient for them.

The Scouting Combine did not allow media coverage for nearly two decades. It was a very secret event. It was secret to the extent of being somewhat suspicious. It was definitely mysterious. Everything changed in 2003 when the NFL launched their own television channel, NFL Network. The 2004 Scouting Combine was the first to be revealed to the public. With each year, the television production and coverage has gotten bigger. Now, it’s a prime time event. The evolution from a very secret event to a very public event has been astonishing. It’s gotten to the point where the actual work being done in Indianapolis is secondary to the coverage of it. The Scouting Combine has become an oddly big, televised event on the NFL’s offseason schedule. For younger fans that’s all they’ve known of the event. It wasn’t always like that. It used to be a very

Selecting the best Minnesota Vikings of the 1980s is a challenge. Picking the best of the 1990s team is a relative breeze. The 1990s was an interesting decade for the Vikings. It started with the final two years of Jerry Burns as head coach. It was Dennis Green’s team the rest of the decade. Under Green, the Vikings were competitive every year. The only year that the team didn’t make the playoffs was 1995. After four one-and-dones, Green got his first playoff win in 1997. That win was the appetizer for the brilliant but excruciating 1998 season. The 1990s was a fun decade for the Vikings, especially offensively. Here are some of the best Minnesota Vikings players of the 1990s.

Minnesota Vikings 1990s All-Decade Team

Offense

Quarterback
Randall Cunningham

One of the frustrating aspects of the 1990s Vikings was Dennis Green’s revolving door at quarterback. Instead of showing patience with a young quarterback like Rich Gannon it felt like there was a new “old guy” each year. A couple of those “old guys” were great. Warren Moon and Randall Cunningham. It was football poetry to watch Moon throw to Cris Carter for about 2.5 seasons. Cunningham’s incredible play in 1998 edges Moon for the quarterback spot on this team.

Running back
Robert Smith

Robert Smith is one of the best running backs in franchise history. Once he got past a string of injuries and maladies (chicken pox!), he was great.

Fullback
Rick Fenney

Perhaps it’s the nature of the position he played but I feel like Rick Fenney has been forgotten over the years. The final two years of his career were 1990 and 1991. He was a very good fullback for all of his five years in Minnesota.

Receiver
Cris Carter
Randy Moss
Jake Reed

I’m including all three members of 3-Deep. Cris Carter and Randy Moss are two of the best receivers the league has ever seen. Jake Reed was an excellent big play compliment to Carter for several years. Then Moss joined the team.

Tight end
Steve Jordan

Steve Jordan’s best years were in the latter half of the 1980s. He still had a couple Pro Bowl seasons in the 1990s. Jordan is the best tight end in Vikings franchise history. His was a time in which the tight end position really began to emerge as an offensive weapon. He was one of the league’s best during that time.

Tackles
Gary Zimmerman
Korey Stringer

Gary Zimmerman’s best Vikings years were in the 1980s. He was still very good, if not great, from 1990-92. His protection of whichever quarterback was behind him always looked so effortless. That’s why he ended his career with a bust in Canton. The final three years of his Hall of Fame career edges the seven very good years of Todd Steussie for the left tackle spot on this team. Korey Stringer was a very good football player sadly taken far too soon.

Guards
Randall McDaniel
David Dixon

This is an easy one. Randal McDaniel is a Hall of Famer and one of the 2-3 best guards to ever play. David Dixon didn’t get a lot of attention outside of Minnesota but he was a bulldozing force in the run game.

Center
Jeff Christy

Following Mick Tingelhoff and Kirk Lowdermilk and preceding Matt Birk, Jeff Christy continued the Vikings long, strong center tradition.

Defense

Defensive ends
Chris Doleman
Al Noga

The first few years of the 1990s were the last few years of a great era of Vikings defense. Much of this All-Decade defense is made up of players that made those defenses great. Their peak years were the late 1980s but they still had a couple strong years in the 1990s. Al Noga is an example of that. He edges out Roy Barker, Fernando Smith, and a couple first round busts in Derrick Alexander and Duane Clemons. Chris Doleman was a offense-wrecking pass rusher throughout his 10-year Vikings career and 15-year NFL career. He was even great at 38 when he returned to the Vikings in 1999.

Defensive tackles
John Randle
Henry Thomas

John Randle is a Hall of Famer and one of the best players in franchise history. He was also one of the most fun players. Like Gary Larsen before him, Henry Thomas was a somewhat anonymous difference-maker on an outstanding defensive line.

Linebackers
Ed McDaniel
Jack Del Rio
Mike Merriweather

Ed McDaniel was a steady player and leader of the Vikings defense for much of the decade. Jack Del Rio was the middle linebacker from 1992-95. He was a solid player, earning a Pro Bowl nod in 1994. Those four years gets him the spot here. The Vikings acquired Mike Merriweather from the Pittsburgh Steelers for a first round pick on the eve of the 1988 NFL Draft. I was thrilled with the trade. I just wish that he wasn’t 29 at the time. He was an excellent linebacker for the Steelers. He was close to that player with the Vikings.

Cornerbacks
Carl Lee
DeWayne Washington

From 1988-90, Carl Lee was one of the best cornerbacks in the league. He wasn’t quite that player from 1991-93 but he still gets this spot over Corey Fuller and Jimmy Hitchcock. When DeWayne Washington was selected in the first round of the 1994 NFL Draft, it was the first time the Vikings selected a cornerback in the first round. He was an immediate starter as a rookie and played well for four years. Then he left in free agency. The Vikings should never have let that happen.

Safeties
Orlando Thomas
Robert Griffith

Orlando Thomas paced the league with nine interceptions as a rookie in 1995. He looked like he was going to be cornerstone player. He probably would’ve been if injuries hadn’t peppered his career and ultimately shortened it. In his seven years in Minnesota, he played 16 games twice. Thomas was a very good football player. He could’ve been a great football player. Robert Griffith was a steady player and team leader for eight years. He made one Pro Bowl but should’ve made more.

Kicker
Gary Anderson

Sadly, Gary Anderson will always be remembered for the kick he missed rather than all the kicks he made.

Punter
Mitch Berger

Mitch Berger was an excellent punter for the Vikings from 1996-2001. He made the Pro Bowl in 1999.

Returner
David Palmer

David Palmer was a fun, versatile player for the Vikings. I always felt that his talents could’ve been used a bit more. Perhaps a lot more.


It's a real shame that the Vikings defense that entered the 1990s couldn't have been combined with the offense that closed the 1990s. Selecting the best Minnesota Vikings of the 1980s is a challenge. Picking the best of the 1990s team is a relative breeze. The 1990s was an interesting decade for the Vikings. It started with the

We're back, and with the off-season in full swing, it's time to discuss the running back position. What to do with Dalvin Cook (and another RB on the roster no one seems to be talking about), and all the salary cap ramifications. We also look at potential free agents the Vikes could bring in if they move on from Dalvin, and of course, the Drew Big Board for the draft. A lot of great prospects to talk about, and where in the draft the Vikes should get a guy if they look to the draft to replace Dalvin.


 We're back, and with the off-season in full swing, it's time to discuss the running back position. What to do with Dalvin Cook (and another RB on the roster no one seems to be talking about), and all

Last week’s hiring of Brian Flores to be the team’s next defensive coordinator got me thinking about all of the coaches in Minnesota Vikings franchise history. From those thoughts, I couldn't stop myself from piecing together an All-Time Minnesota Vikings Coaching Staff.

Minnesota Vikings All - Time Coaching Staff

Head Coach
Bud Grant

The first coach to challenge Bud Grant for the franchise’s all-time head coach spot will be the first one to guide the Vikings to a Super Bowl title. Hopefully, that head coach is currently employed by the team. That’d mean that we are real close to that glorious day.

Offense

Offensive Coordinator
Jerry Burns

Jerry Burns crafted Super Bowl offenses led by quarterbacks as opposite as Joe Kapp and Fran Tarkenton. His wonderful press conferences are a bonus.

Quarterbacks
Norm Van Brocklin

Despite clear differences in ideas and temperament, Fran Tarkenton always raved about Norm Van Brocklin’s expertise of the NFL passing game. He was tough and volatile but Van Brocklin could coach the quarterback position.

Running Backs
Eric Bienemy

Receivers
Chip Myers

Tight Ends
Brian Billick

Offensive Line
John Michels

John Michels coached Hall of Famers Ron Yary, Mick Tingelhoff, Randall McDaniel, and Gary Zimmerman. As well as Grady Alderman, Ed White, Tim Irwin, Kirk Lowdermilk, etc.

Assistant Offensive Line
Mike Tice

Defense

Defensive Coordinator
Mike Zimmer

Defensive Line
Buddy Ryan

Assistant Defensive Line
Andre Patterson

Linebackers
Monte Kiffin

Defensive Backs
Tony Dungy

Assistant Defensive Backs
Pete Carroll

Special Teams

Special Teams Coordinator
Bud Grant

Assistant Special Teams
Gary Zauner

I tried to place each of the coaches in positions that they held with the Vikings. Mike Zimmer didn't hold the title of defensive coordinator but there's no doubt that he coordinated the defense as the head coach. I also demoted the Vikings first head coach to quarterback coach. Norm Van Brocklin never spent a day as an assistant coach. He went straight from NFL MVP to head coach of an expansion team. Fran Tarkenton said that Van Brocklin had a brilliant mind for offensive football. That's good enough for me. Perhaps he'd be better suited as the team's offensive coordinator but I really want Jerry Burns in that position. The emotional range of Van Brocklin and Burns together would be a riot to see. Tony Dungy coordinated the defense for Dennis Green. He was never the Vikings defensive back coach but he gets that job for this team. Picking a special teams coordinator was an issue. The Vikings' special teams during their Super Bowl years were factors in so many games. I've never seen a team block as many kicks and punts as those teams did. I wanted the special teams coach of those teams to be the All-Time coordinator. The problem is that no Vikings coach had that specific title. Entire NFL coaching staffs of that era could fit into the office of one of today’s head coaches. Assistant coaches often had to work with more than a single position group. Bud Grant stressed the importance of special teams. Because the special teams of his teams were so damn special he gets to be the head coach and coordinate the special teams. It’s a toss-up between Gary Zauner and Mike Priefer to assist him. Hopefully, Matt Daniels develops into the coach that makes any all-time special teams coordinator debates silly. 

From a Vikings perspective, I'm not sure if it's a good or bad thing that former assistants Pete Carroll, Tony Dungy, Brian Billick, and Mike Tomlin went on to be Super Bowl-winning head coaches for other teams. Buddy Ryan wasn't the head coach of a Super Bowl-winning team but he played a significant role in winning one as a defensive coordinator.

I wanted to pick Keenan McCardell as the team’s all-time receivers coach. He’s an outstanding receivers coach. Instead, I went with Chip Myers. The Vikings offensive explosion in 1998 propelled Brian Billick into a head coach opportunity with the Baltimore Ravens. Myers coached the receivers from 1994-97 and quarterbacks in 1998. His work with the receivers and juggling of Brad Johnson and Randall Cunningham during the explosive 1998 season made him an easy choice to replace Billick as the Vikings offensive coordinator. About a month after being promoted, Myers died suddenly at the age of 53 of a heart attack. In a sad case of what might have been, I've often wondered what a Chip Myers-led Vikings offense might have looked like. Playmakers like Randy Moss, Cris Carter, Jake Reed, and Robert Smith can make coaching look easy. I thought that the Vikings offense could build on what they did in 1998. Instead, that was their peak. The sad, sudden loss of Myers left a hole on the coaching staff that Dennis Green never could fill.

There weren't enough positions on this coaching staff for all of the terrific coaches that have impacted the Vikings franchise. Here are a few of the former Vikings coaches that deserve mention:

Jack Patera
Neil Armstrong
Bus Mertes
Floyd Peters
John Teerlinck
Paul Wiggin
Mike Tomlin

Last week’s hiring of Brian Flores to be the team’s next defensive coordinator got me thinking about all of the coaches in Minnesota Vikings franchise history. From those thoughts, I couldn't stop

The latest and greatest Vikings Report is out. We make our Super Bowl pick, talk the Brian Flores hire, and our world famous, regionally popular, and locally sourced off season positional review starts!


Like always, we talk rostered players, potential free agents, and the Drew Big Board is back!!! This week, we talk about the most iportant position in football--the long snapper. No wait, quarterback. Yes, QB that's it. Anyway, come join us!

The latest and greatest Vikings Report is out. We make our Super Bowl pick, talk the Brian Flores hire, and our world famous, regionally popular, and locally sourced off season positional review

The Chicago Bears currently hold the first pick of the 2023 NFL Draft. If they use the pick, it would be the third time that they made the first pick in the draft. The first two didn’t go so well. Tom Harmon never played for them. Bob Fenimore never played all that well. With seven times each, the Baltimore/Indianapolis Colts and the Cleveland/Los Angeles/St. Louis Rams have picked first the most. The Baltimore Ravens, Denver Broncos, and Seattle Seahawks have never picked first. Here are the No. 1 Picks ranked by the teams that have made the pick the most.

The No. 1 Pick In The NFL Draft

1. Baltimore/Indianapolis Colts (7)
1955: George Shaw, QB, Oregon
1967: Bubba Smith, DE, Michigan State
1983: John Elway, QB, Stanford
1990: Jeff George, QB, Illinois
1992: Steve Emtman, DE, Washington
1998: Peyton Manning, QB, Tennessee
2012: Andrew Luck, QB, Stanford

1. Cleveland/Los Angeles/St. Louis Rams (7)
1938: Corbett Davis, FB, Indiana
1952: Bill Wade, QB, Vanderbilt
1960: Billy Cannon, HB, LSU
1963: Terry Baker, QB, Oregon St.
1997: Orlando Pace, OT, Ohio State
2010: Sam Bradford, QB, Oklahoma
2016: Jared Goff, QB, California

3. Tampa Bay Buccaneers (5)
1976: Lee Roy Selmon, DE, Oklahoma
1977: Ricky Bell, HB, USC
1986: Bo Jackson, HB, Auburn
1987: Vinny Testeverde, QB, Miami
2015: Jameis Winston, QB, Florida State

3. Cleveland Browns (5)
1954: Bobby Garrett, QB, Stanford
1999: Tim Couch, QB, Kentucky
2000: Courtney Brown, DE, Penn State
2017: Myles Garrett, DE, Texas A&M
2018: Baker Mayfield, QB, Oklahoma

3. Chicago/St. Louis/Arizona Cardinals (5)
1939: Ki Aldrich, C, TCU
1940: George Cafego, HB, Tennessee
1945: Charley Trippi, HB, Georgia
1958: King Hill, QB, Rice
2019: Kyler Murray, QB, Oklahoma

6. Detroit Lions (4)
1943: Frank Sinkwich, HB, Georgia
1950: Leon Hart, E, Notre Dame
1980: Billy Sims, HB, Oklahoma
2009: Matthew Stafford, QB, Georgia

6. Atlanta Falcons (4)
1966: Tommy Nobis, LB, Texas
1975: Steve Bartkowski, QB, California
1988: Aundray Bruce, LB, Auburn
2001: Michael Vick, QB, Virginia Tech

6. Buffalo Bills (4)
1969: O.J. Simpson, HB, USC
1972: Walt Patulski, DE, Notre Dame
1979: Tom Cousineau, LB, Ohio State
1985: Bruce Smith, DE, Virginia Tech

6. Cincinnati Bengals (4)
1994: Dan Wilkinson, DT, Ohio State
1995: Ki-Jana Carter, HB, Penn State
2003: Carson Palmer, QB, USC
2020: Joe Burrow, QB, LSU

6. New England Patriots (4)
1971: Jim Plunkett, QB, Stanford
1982: Kenneth Sims, DE, Texas
1984: Irving Fryar, WR, Nebraska
1993: Drew Bledsoe, QB, Washington State

11. Philadelphia Eagles (3)
1936: Jay Berwanger, HB, Chicago
1937: Sam Francis, FB, Nebraska
1949: Chuck Bednarik, LB, Penn

11. Pittsburgh Steelers (3)
1942: Bill Dudley, HB, Virginia
1956: Gary Glick, DB, Colorado A&M
1970: Terry Bradshaw, QB, Louisiana Tech

11. Dallas Cowboys (3)
1974: Ed Jones, DE, Tennessee State
1989: Troy Aikman, QB, UCLA
1991: Russell Maryland, DT, Miami

11. San Francisco 49ers (3)
1953: Harry Babcock, E, Georgia
1964: Dave Parks, WR, Texas Tech
2005: Alex Smith, QB, Utah

11. Houston Texans (3)
2002: Dave Carr, QB, Fresno State
2006: Mario Williams, DE, North Carolina State
2014: Jadeveon Clowney, DE, South Carolina

16. Minnesota Vikings (2)
1961: Tommy Mason, HB, Tulane
1968: Ron Yary, OT, USC

The Minnesota Vikings were awarded the first pick in the 1961 NFL Draft as a way to help an expansion team. I believe that the Vikings were the first expansion team to receive such treatment. The year before, the Dallas Cowboys were awarded their franchise at such a late date that they didn’t even take part in the 1960 NFL Draft. The league was in a rush to get the Cowboys going so that they could compete for control of the city of Dallas and the state of Texas with the AFL’s Dallas Texans. It’s wild that the first pick in Cowboys franchise history preceded their second season. They made that first pick count when they selected defensive tackle Bob Lilly. Anyway, this isn’t about the Cowboys. It’s about the Vikings and their two opportunities with the first pick in the NFL Draft. They gained the first pick in the 1968 NFL Draft from the New York Giants as part of the Fran Tarkenton trade. The Vikings did well with both of their opportunities to draft first overall. Along with Tarkenton, Tommy Mason was one of the franchise’s early stars. He went to the Pro Bowl from 1962-64 and was named first-team All-Pro in 1963. If injuries hadn’t whittled away at his talents, he’d be better remembered. Ron Yary is honored in Canton for the career that he had in Minnesota. Simply put, he’s the best offensive tackle of his era and one of the best to ever play.

16. Chicago Bears (2)
1941: Tom Harmon, HB, Michigan
1947: Bob Fenimore, HB, Oklahoma A&M

16. Boston/Washington Braves/Redskins/Commanders (2)
1948: Harry Gilmer, HB, Alabama
1962: Ernie Davis, HB, Syracuse

16. New York Giants (2)
1951: Kyle Rote, HB, SMU
1965: Tucker Fredrickson, HB, Auburn

16. Green Bay Packers (2)
1957: Paul Hornung, HB, Notre Dame
1959: Randy Duncan, QB, Iowa

16. Houston Oilers/Tennessee Titans (2)
1973: John Matuszak, DE, Tampa
1978: Earl Campbell, HB, Texas

16. Jacksonville Jaguars (2)
2021: Trevor Lawrence, QB, Clemson
2022: Travon Walker, DE, Georgia

23. New Orleans Saints (1)
1981: George Rogers, HB, South Carolina

23. New York Jets (1)
1996: Keyshawn Johnson, WR, USC

23. San Diego/Los Angeles Chargers (1)
2004: Eli Manning, QB, Mississippi

23. Oakland/Los Angeles/Las Vegas Raiders (1)
2007: Jamarcus Russell, QB, LSU

23. Miami Dolphins (1)
2008: Jake Long, OT, Michigan

23. Carolina Panthers (1)
2011: Cam Newton, QB, Auburn

23. Kansas City Chiefs (1)
2013: Eric Fisher, OT, Central Michigan

The Denver Broncos, Seattle Seahawks, and Baltimore Ravens have never picked first.

One team that is no longer with us made the first pick in the draft twice:

Boston Yanks (2)
1944: Angelo Bertelli, QB, Notre Dame
1946: Frank Dancewicz, QB, Notre Dame

The Yanks were fond of Notre Dame quarterbacks. Unfortunately, that fondness couldn’t save the franchise. They became the New York Bulldogs in 1949, the New York Yanks in 1950, and the Dallas Texans in 1952. The team folded after the 1952 season and many of the players were folded into the “new” Baltimore Colts.


The Chicago Bears currently hold the first pick of the 2023 NFL Draft. If they use the pick, it would be the third time that they made the first pick in the draft. The first two didn’t go so well.

Hey everyone! We took last week off, and had a hard time getting our schedules to sync up to record this week, so the Vikings Report Rewind Crew will get together live at 2 PM CT today to discuss the Super Bowl, the defensive coordinator search, and the fall of the Byzantine Empire.*

*We will not be talking about the fall of the Byzantine Empire.

Anyway, here's the link we'll be broadcasting on, and it will be live on YouTube and on our Facebook Page, so come join us and say hi.


Hey everyone! We took last week off, and had a hard time getting our schedules to sync up to record this week, so the Vikings Report Rewind Crew will get together live at 2 PM CT today to discuss the

Several years ago, while watching a Minnesota-Buffalo preseason game, I noticed a Bills defensive back by the name of Jumal Rolle. Another Rolle? There'd been quite a string of defensive back-playing Rolles to hit the NFL over the years. Samari Rolle, Antrel Rolle, Myron Rolle, now Jumal Rolle. I checked to see if Jumal played at at a Florida college like the rest. Instead of Florida St. or Miami, I found little Catawba College in Salisbury, North Carolina. This brought a rush of memories. Memories of Steve Sabol talking about "the Catawba Claw." One of the greatest nicknames in NFL history.

Bucky Pope flashed upon the football world in 1964. Then, he was gone. He might have been lost in history if not for his fantastic nickname. Pope was a two-sport schoolboy sensation in Crafton, Pennsylvania, near Pittsburgh. Football and basketball. Duke recruited him to play basketball. He played freshman ball there but grades became an issue. They wanted him to attend summer school to work on those grades. He didn't want to go. So, he returned home. A friend suggested that he check out Catawba. He wasn't too enthusiastic about the place at first. The school eventually grew on him and he enrolled in 1961. Basketball again came first. Pope became eligible on January 27, 1962. He scored 28 points in his first game against rival Lenoir-Rhyne. He averaged 19.4 points in the 61 games that he played for the Indians. Football found Pope when Catawba coach Harvey Stratton noticed him flying around in a flag-football intramural game. "He asked if I'd played football, and I said was from western Pennsylvania, where everybody played football," Pope recalled. The Catawba basketball coach didn't much care for his new star playing football. The two coaches reached an understanding. Pope would play end for the football team but only to make receptions and defend passes. An interesting arrangement. In two seasons, he caught 66 passes for nearly 1200 yards. His huge season was 1962 when he was a startling new weapon for the Indians. His numbers dropped a bit in 1963 due to persistent double coverage.

While Bucky Pope was at Catawba, an artist portrayed him in a cartoon as a hybrid sports hero-half basketball player, half football player. His left arm extending skyward like a claw. "The Catawba Claw" was born.

Pro football scouts had heard about 'the Catawba Claw" despite only two years at a small college in Salisbury, North Carolina. The Los Angeles Rams sent Hall of Fame receiver and then general manager Elroy Hirsch to check out the young receiver. The Rams saw enough in Pope to pick him in the eighth round of the 1964 NFL Draft. At 6'5" and fast, he would fit in well today. His size and speed was unheard of in 1964. In an early training camp practice, Rams quarterback Roman Gabriel threw a pass as far as he could. Pope ran it down. The Rams had something.

In an early season game against the Detroit Lions, Pope caught an under-thrown pass while lying on his back. He hadn't been touched so he got up and ran for a long touchdown. Then came a breakout game against the Chicago Bears. A three touchdown game against San Francisco. A 95-yard touchdown against Green Bay. By December, Pope was in Sports Illustrated. People couldn't get enough of "the Catawba Claw." His rookie season in the NFL was terrific. 25 receptions for 786 yards for an incredible 31.4 yards per catch. He tied Chicago's Johnny Morris and Washington's Bobby Mitchell for the league lead with 10 touchdown receptions. His impact on the league as a rookie reminds of the arrival of Randy Moss in 1998. Both brought jaw-dropping big plays every time they stepped on a football field. Both forced defenses to reevaluate how they approached these unusual receivers.

After the 1964 season, Bucky Pope had six months of reserve duty with the army. This forced him to rush back for an exhibition game prior to the 1965 season. He injured his knee in that game. He was never the same. He missed the entire 1965 season. He played a little in 1966. His one reception was a 14-yard touchdown. He had eight receptions for 152 yards and two touchdowns in 1967. He was in Atlanta's training camp and played briefly for Green Bay in 1968 before calling it quits. He knew that it was over. "The knee-I'd lost the speed, couldn't make the cuts." said Pope.

Roman Gabriel insisted that Bucky Pope was one of the best that he'd ever seen. "The Catawba Claw" was a one season sensation. There's no way to know for sure what he might have been. His unusual size and speed made him a nightmare for defenses. The Rams were an annual contender as the '60s became the '70s. Maybe, Pope would have been the difference. Instead, we are left with one dynamite season and nickname. "The Catawba Claw."Several years ago, while watching a Minnesota-Buffalo preseason game, I noticed a Bills defensive back by the name of Jumal Rolle. Another Rolle? There'd been quite a string of defensive back-playing

The Minnesota Vikings are looking for their next defensive coordinator. If they weren’t looking for their next defensive coordinator, they’d probably still be playing football this weekend. But here we are. The hope is that the Vikings find a defensive coordinator that will be around for a while. If that coach does have a short stay in Minnesota, hopefully it’s because the Vikings defense has ripped apart the league’s offenses. This isn’t a look at the team’s next defensive coordinator. It’s a look at the coaches that have guided the defenses of the Minnesota Vikings since 1961.

Minnesota Vikings Defensive Coordinators Through The Years

The Norm Van Brocklin Years:

Having grown accustomed to professional coaching staffs that exceed a couple dozen, it can be startling to see the coaching staffs of the early 1960s. Norm Van Brocklin, the Vikings first head coach, had only four coaches assisting him. Four! Van Brocklin oversaw the offense. Walt Yowarsky coached the offensive line. Darrel Brewster coached the receivers. Two coaches handled the defense.

1961-63
Harry Gilmer - defensive backs
Stan West - defensive line

Harry Gilmer coached the defensive backs from 1961-64. Stan West coached the defensive line from 1961-63. The linebackers were handled as a blend of the two units. From 1961-63, the Vikings defensive coordinator was essentially Gilmer and West. That dual defensive coordinator setup continued through Van Brocklin’s six years as the Vikings head coach.

1964
Harry Gilmer - defensive backs
Marion Campbell - defensive line

1965
Jack Faulkner - defensive backs
Marion Campbell - defensive line

1966
Jim Carr - defensive backs
Marion Campbell - defensive line

The Bud Grant Years:

The coaching staffs were still small. Some sites list defensive line coach Bob Hollway as the Vikings first “official” defensive coordinator during Bud Grant’s first year as head coach. Pro Football Reference doesn’t list him with that title until 1969. For simplicity, I’m going with Hollway as Grant’s first Vikings defensive coordinator from that first year.

1967-70
Bob Hollway

1971-77
Neill Armstrong

The Vikings great defenses of these years earned the first two defensive coordinators head coach opportunities. Hollway took over the St. Louis Cardinals in 1971. Neill Armstrong took over the Chicago Bears in 1978. Neither found much success away from Minnesota. Hollway eventually found his way back to the Vikings.

1978-83
Bob Hollway

The dreaded Les Steckel Year:

1984
Floyd Reese

Grant’s Back:

So’s Bob.

1985
Bob Hollway

The Jerry Burns Years:

1986-90
Floyd Peters

1991
Monte Kiffin

The Dennis Green Years:

1992-95
Tony Dungy

1996-99
Foge Fazio

2000-01
Emmitt Thomas

The Mike Tice Years:

2002
Willie Shaw

2003
George O’Leary

2004-05
Ted Cottrell

I’d forgotten that Mike Tice went through three DCs in only four years.

The Brad Childress Years:

2006
Mike Tomlin

2007-10
Leslie Frazier

The Leslie Frazier Years:

2011
Fred Pagac

2012-13
Alan Williams

The Mike Zimmer Years:

Mike Zimmer was the Vikings defensive coordinator during the Mike Zimmer years. Someone else still carried the title each year.

2014-19
George Edwards

2020-21
Andre Patterson
Adam Zimmer

The dual DC situation was odd but did it matter? Mike Zimmer was the DC.

The Kevin O’Connell Years:

2022
Ed Donatell

2023-

Here’s hoping that the Vikings next defensive coordinator sticks around for a bit due to outrageous success.
The Minnesota Vikings are looking for their next defensive coordinator. If they weren’t looking for their next defensive coordinator, they’d probably still be playing football this weekend. But here

We have a new episode of Vikings Report with Drew and Ted out. We wallow in the aftermath of another disappointing playoff loss, talk about the Defensive Coordinator position, preview the Divisional round of the NFL playoffs, and use our big board one last time to review the Vikings season.


Thanks for joining us this season, and stay with us this off-season, as we'll still be doing weekly shows, previewing free agency, the draft, looking at team needs by position, and then before you know it training camp will be here.


We have a new episode of Vikings Report with Drew and Ted out. We wallow in the aftermath of another disappointing playoff loss, talk about the Defensive Coordinator position, preview the Divisional

Having secured the #3 seed at 13-4, the Vikings face an equally as lucky Giants team in the first playoff game in the Kevin O'Connell era. Can they set out on the right foot with a win, or end the season in massive disappointment?



Line: Vikings -3 (55% of bets on Giants)
SuperSim Calculated Line: Vikings -5.5 O/U 51.5

Injury Report

Vikings
CB Dantzler - Questionable
RB Nwangwu - Questionable
SS Smith - Questionable

Giants
none


* My Thoughts *

I haven't changed my thoughts a whole lot from Christmas Eve when the Vikings prevailed, minus the fact that we were coming off an emotional win against the Colts that I thought would cause us to lose. Now at mostly full strength, the Vikings are in better shape, but so are the Giants. CB Adoree' Jackson and SS Xavier McKinney are back and should be an improvement to an otherwise poor secondary. They may improve the ability to cover Jefferson, but they still have no options for Hock as their LBs have been horrific coverage.

Just in general, I haven't ever seen a team with more Abysmal ratings, that being a PFF grade in the bottom 10% of their position. Defensively this unit has been carried by the forces of Thibodeaux, Williams, and Lawrence. It will be interesting to see how the Giants attack the Vikings on offense, as they focused on the passing game that mostly worked, minus a bad pick thrown by Jones in the 4th quarter. They could opt to hand the ball to Barkley more, as the Vikings have proven to be weak against the run the past few weeks. If Barkley can run like Aaron Jones did a few weeks back, we could see him reach 30+ points.

Prediction: Vikings 30, Giants 28

Yup, I expect another one possession score. What can I say? We're facing a bad defense that the offense should be able to score on consistently, while our own defense does not have the ability to stop offenses until the final 5 minutes... well, the Giants were an exception the last time. But for as much as the Vikings have been fraudulent, the Giants match them.

Any thoughts?
Having secured the #3 seed at 13-4, the Vikings face an equally as lucky Giants team in the first playoff game in the Kevin O'Connell era. Can they set out on the right foot with a win, or end the

A few years ago, NFL.com posted this list of league records that will be tough to top. Perhaps even unbreakable.

1. Career Receiving Yards: Jerry Rice (22,895)
Next closest: Larry Fitzgerald (17,492)
Closest active player: Julio Jones (13,629)

2. Consecutive Games Started by a Quarterback: Brett Favre (297)
Next closest: Philip Rivers (240)
Closest active player: Tom Brady (110)

3. Most Rushing Yards Titles: Jim Brown (8)
Next closest: 4 titles (5 players tied)
Closest active player: Derrick Henry (2)

4. Coaching career wins: Don Shula (347)
Next closest: Bill Belichick (329)
Next-closest active: Bill Belichick (329)

5. Sacks in a game: Derrick Thomas (7.0 against Seahawks in 1990)
Next closest: 6.0 (Derrick Thomas, Osi Umenyiora, Fred Dean, Adrian Clayborn)

6. Interceptions in a season: Night Train Lane (14 in 1952)
Next closest: 13 (Dan Sandifer, Spec Sanders, Lester Hayes)

7. Most points scored in a game: Ernie Nevers (40 points in 1929)
Next closest: 36 (Dub Jones, Gale Sayers, and Alvin Kamara)

8. Most playoff wins by a QB/head coach: Bill Belichick and Tom Brady (30)
Next closest: Chuck Noll and Terry Bradshaw (14)

9. Career rushing yards: Emmitt Smith (18,355)
Next closest: Walter Payton (16,726)
Closest active player: Derrick Henry (8,335)

10. Most touchdowns in a season: LaDanian Tomlinson (31 in 2006)
Next closest: Shaun Alexander (28 in 2005)

It's a fine list. #4 feels pretty breakable. Whenever I see a list of "unbreakable" NFL records I rarely see any mention of Paul Krause's record of 81 career interceptions. Here's the current Top 10 in career interceptions.

1.   Paul Krause              81
2.   Emlen Tunnell         79
3.   Rod Woodson          71
4.   Night Train Lane      68
5.   Ken Riley                  65
5.   Charles Woodson   65
7.   Ed Reed                    64
8.   Ronnie Lott             63
8.   Darren Sharper       63
10. Dave Brown            62
10. Dick LeBeau            62

On the strength of a ridiculous NFL record, Paul Krause was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1998. His ridiculous record has stood for over 40 years and will be tough to top. It’s been stated many times and many ways that records are set to be broken. Krause’s career record of 81 interceptions is one that might never be. The Woodsons and Ed Reed made recent runs at the record but still fell at least a couple of interception-filled seasons short. The Woodsons played until they were 38. Reed played until he was 35. They were three of the best interceptors the league has ever seen but never really threatened Krause’s record.

How about the active interception leaders?

Devin McCourty: 35
Harrison Smith: 34
Patrick Peterson: 34

Look at that. A couple of current Vikings players. All three are closer to the end of their career than the start and aren’t even half way to Krause’s 81.

There aren’t any young interceptors with 30 career interceptions. Xavien Howard has 28. He’s 29. J.C. Jackson has 25. He’s 27. Both have had fine starts to their career but are well off the pace.  

Paul Krause's 81 career interceptions is a tough record to top. Unbreakable? I don't think that any record is unbreakable. With today’s passing game, I think that Jerry Rice's ridiculous career receiving yards record falls before Krause’s 81. Justin Jefferson? You never know. My general belief is that if something's been done once it can be done again. The fun part is witnessing it.







A few years ago, NFL.com posted this list of league records that will be tough to top. Perhaps even unbreakable. 1. Career Receiving Yards: Jerry Rice (22,895) Next closest: Larry

Our inaugural (and hopefully the first of four this season) playoff edition of Vikings Report With Drew and Ted is out!


We take stock of the rest of the NFC North and try and figure out who is the top competition for the Vikes next year as it stands today, we make our Wildcard playoff picks, we preview the game against the Giants, and Ruby dials up another great trivia segment!


Come join us, and get ready for a great weekend of NFL playoff football!



Our inaugural (and hopefully the first of four this season) playoff edition of Vikings Report With Drew and Ted is out! We take stock of the rest of the NFC North and try and figure

Our latest episode is out. Of course, we share our thoughts on Damar Hamlin, answer some viewer questions, preview the Backup Bowl with the Bears, and have an all picture puzzle trivia. 


Our latest episode is out. Of course, we share our thoughts on Damar Hamlin, answer some viewer questions, preview the Backup Bowl with the Bears, and have an all picture puzzle trivia

The Vikings face the pathetic Bears after a horrid outing vs the Packers. My main question for this game... is this is the worst ever team I've made a depth chart for?



Injury Report

Vikings
C Bradbury - Out
DE Lynch - Out
LB Asamoah - Questionable
OLB Smith - Questionable
CB Dantzler - Questionable


Bears
QB Fields - Out
CB Ja Jones - Out
LB Weatherford - Out
DT Blackson - Questionable
CB Gordon - Questionable
OLB Lewis - Questionable


Line: Vikings -6, 62% of money on the Vikings
Super Sim Calculated Line: Vikings -24.5

You're seeing that right, 24.5 points! Of course, that's assuming we play our starters the whole game (they won't), but it's indicative of how little talent there is on this team. This is certainly the worst defense I have ever seen, and by a country mile. Only a single average player with not an above average player in sight. It's so bad that it's apparent that many players on defense are struggling simply because there is nobody good to anchor around - when they had guys like Akiem Hicks, Roquan Smith, Eddie Jackson, Khalil Mack, and Robert Quinn out there, some of these guys weren't bad. Note that they have 4 former Vikings - Watts, Lee, Hand, and Holmes.

The CB group is so shallow that they're down to 2nd rounder Gordon and 3 guys who were all signed within the past couple months and have played less than 50 snaps together.

Offensively the Bears aren't horrible, but with Peterman starting they just might be. They could score some points if they could run the ball, but the Vikings have the luxury to be able to stack the box on any obvious running down. They don't have any receivers who are threatening, as Kmet has been fine and that's it. Claypool has been bad this year and hasn't looked fully healthy, while Pringle, Pettis, St. Brown, and Harry are all #4 receivers at best. They spent a 3rd round Velus Jones Jr. and have barely used him despite being a 25 year old rookie.

The one bright spot on this team is that they appear to have hit a home run on 5th round rookie LT Braxton Jones. With Teven Jenkins looking like a stalwart guard and Whitehair as solid as ever, they at least have a foundation for a quality O-line.

Prediction: Vikings 26, Bears 13

This is a hard one to gauge with the Vikings likely playing backups for at least 50% of the game. The Bears are so bad without Fields that they should still be dispatched by at least 10 points, and they might just nab the first overall pick.

Any thoughts?The Vikings face the pathetic Bears after a horrid outing vs the Packers. My main question for this game... is this is the worst ever team I've made a depth chart for? https://i.imgur.com/

Dan Daly's book, The National Forgotten League, is loaded with fun and informative facts, notes, and stories. This little nugget about the 1929 Orange Tornadoes caught my attention. The Tornadoes were a professional football team that competed in various leagues at various levels from 1887-1941 and 1958-70. From 1929-30 the Tornadoes were an NFL team. Their time in the league was only a blink, a very unique blink. No matter the sport, we are accustomed to seeing numbers somewhere on a player’s uniform. From the time that someone first decided to put personal identifiers on an athletic uniform that identifier has been a number. For some reason, the Tornadoes went a different route in 1929.

Here's their lineup for the first of two games against the Frankford Yellow Jackets:

A-Phil Scott, E, No College
B-Felix McCormick, B, Bucknell
C-Heinie Benkert, B, Rutgers
D-Leon Johnson, E, Colombia
E-George Pease, QB, Columbia
F-Ernie Cuneo, G, Penn State/Columbia
G-Frank Kirkleski, B, Lafayette
H-Ted Mitchell, C, Bucknell
J-Ernie Hambacker, B, Bucknell
L-Ralph Barkman, B, Schuylkill
M-Bob Beattie, T, Princeton
M-Steve Hamas, FB, Penn State
N-Paul Longua, E, Villanova
O-Jack McArthur, G, St. Mary's (California)
P-Bill Feaster, T, Fordham
Q-Bill Clarkin, T, No College
R-Andy Salata, G, Pittsburgh
S-Carl Waite, B, Rutgers/Georgetown
T-Jack Depler, C/T/Coach, Illinois
X-Johnny Tomaini, E, Georgetown

Letters! The 1929 Orange Tornadoes used letters to identify the members of their football team. Teams were often trying gimmicks in the early days of professional football to try and catch the attention of the public. This was their attempt to be a little different. The Tornadeoes’ two-year time with the Bears, Cardinals, Packers, and Giants will be best remembered by their unique use of the alphabet.

The two M's are a curiosity. Daly thought that it could just be a typo.

There's no "I" in team. Or apparently a “K.”

The Tornadoes’ brief time in the NFL does have a “distant” connection to the Minnesota Vikings. In 1929, Duluth Eskimos owner Ole Haugsrud sold his NFL franchise rights to Piggy Simandl, a wholesale meat salesman and sports promoter from Orange, NJ. Simandl named his NFL team the Orange Tornadoes. Due to an agreement made with the NFL through the sale of the Eskimos, Haugsrud would have “first dibs” on any future NFL team in the state of Minnesota. He was a part of the Vikings’ original ownership group in 1961.

If you haven't read Dan Daly's book, I highly recommend doing so.Dan Daly's book, The National Forgotten League, is loaded with fun and informative facts, notes, and stories. This little nugget about the 1929 Orange Tornadoes caught my attention. The Tornado

After yet another close win, the Vikings now have an opportunity to put the dagger in the Packers' season. Somehow the underdogs despite having 5 more wins, the Vikings have a chip on their shoulder and can beat an underwhelming Green Bay team, but can they actually do it? Or is Vegas right and will we get beat by multiple scores?




Injury Report

Vikings
C Bradbury - Out
DE Lynch - Out

Packers 
CB Nixon - Questionable
WR Watson - Questionable


Line: Packers -3 (63% of bets on Vikings)
Sim Calculated Line: Vikings -4.5


* My Notes *

The Packers are in better shape offensively compared to Week 1, with Bakhtiari finally playing and the rookie WRs up to speed. Still, Watson is 50-50 to play and won't be 100% healthy, and Patrick Peterson can erase the likes of Allen Lazard. It won't be hard for Rodgers & Co to move the ball through the air against the Donashell defense, but this is where the bend-don't-break D comes in. The Vikings are one of the best teams against the run, and can hold Jones and Dillon if they stack the box. This wouldn't work if Rodgers had the likes of Adams or a deep threat, but I don't seen Lazard/Cobb/Doubs beating us downfield.

Defensively, the Packers are just not very good. Their run defense has been plundered for 2166 yards, including 5 yards per carry. The Vikings should take advantage and pound the ball with Dalvin Cook early and often. With Dean Lowry on the IR, they'll be forced to play Devonte Wyatt, of whom they've been avoiding to use, and Kenny Clark is having his worst season. The LB corps is nothing to be afraid of, as Walker has flopped so far. Preston Smith is their only pressure generator with Gary on the IR, as the next best edge defender is a 6th round rookie.

On pass defense, the Packers have given up the 3rd least yards, but that's because teams have thrown the least amount of passes against them. They are 24th in yards given up per pass play, so they're still not good. PFF hates their two safeties, who are both ranking in the bottom 10 this year despite having solid careers. Alexander and Douglas are playing well, but neither of them are going to hold a candle to Justin Jefferson. Expect to see JJ and Hockenson be heavily targeted.

Prediction: Vikings 31, Packers 24

Despite their luck and penchant for winning close games, the Vikings are handily the better team and should be motivated enough to retain the #2 seed and kill the hopes of their greatest rival. With Kirk and Jefferson on fire, the Packers don't have the fire engines required to quash the flames.

Any thoughts?After yet another close win, the Vikings now have an opportunity to put the dagger in the Packers' season. Somehow the underdogs despite having 5 more wins, the Vikings have a chip on their shoulder

Our new episode is out, and it's a banger, as the kids would say. Since we didn't do a live post game show last week, we briefly touch on the Giants game, discuss Kirk and JJ as potential MVP candidates, give the Vikes a couple New Year's resolutions, preview the Packers game, trivia, and more!

All to the backdrop of our movie tribute, 'Miracle', the greatest sports movie ever made.


Our new episode is out, and it's a banger, as the kids would say. Since we didn't do a live post game show last week, we briefly touch on the Giants game, discuss Kirk and JJ as potential MVP

After a whirlwind of a game last week, the Vikings have kept the #2 seed to themselves. They'll need to keep winning to fend the 49ers off, and face an overachieving Giants squad that also has a rookie head coach.



Injury Report

Vikings
C Bradbury - Out
ILB Kendricks - Questionable
CB Dantzler - Questionable

Giants
CB Jackson - Out
G Lemieux - Out

Line: Vikings -4 (51% of bets on Vikings)
SuperSim Calculated Line: Vikings -5

* My Notes *

New coach Brian Daboll has this team playing very well despite having a top 10 roster riddled with a bunch of injuries. While Daniel Jones hasn't taken the next step like some thought he would, he's levelled out as an average starter and has worked on limiting the turnovers. In conjunction with a rebound year from Saquon Barkley, it's allowed the offense to just good enough to support the defense. Give Jones a legit receiver like how Hurts got AJ Brown, and the offense might take a big step forward.

Defensively, the Giants rely on the trenches to control the game to hide their problems at LB/CB/S. They've been shockingly easy to run on with Leonard Williams and Dexter Lawrence in place, as they've actually been better pass rushers than run stuffers this year. Thibodeaux has been getting hot the past few weeks, we'll have to see if our OL can hold. If it can, Jefferson & Co should roast this secondary to high heaven, as they lack a single healthy above average starter.

Prediction: Giants 27, Vikings 24

I have to pick the Giants to win after seeing how the Vikings come off emotional wins, especially a long overtime win. The Giants still look bad on paper, but they've consistently outperformed thanks to their far improved coaching. With a mobile QB in Jones, I could see the Giants successfully move the ball by mixing in Barkley runs (and passes, he's a great matchup against our LBs in coverage) and rolling Jones out. The Vikings' luck in one-score games has to come to a close at some point... doesn't it?

Any thoughts?
After a whirlwind of a game last week, the Vikings have kept the #2 seed to themselves. They'll need to keep winning to fend the 49ers off, and face an overachieving Giants squad that also has a

While trying to come down from the exhilaration of a 33-point comeback win, I found myself thinking about Minnesota Vikings drafts of the past. Perhaps, thinking about the past calms me in the moment. Who knows? Anyway, the Minnesota Vikings have been taking part in the NFL Draft for 62 years. In those 62 drafts, the Vikings have selected 64 players in the first round. Here are those first round selections:

1961: Tommy Mason, RB, Tulane
1962: No Pick
1963: Jim Dunaway, DT, Mississippi
1964: Carl Eller, DE, Minnesota
1965: Jack Snow, WR, Notre Dame
1966: Jerry Shay, DT, Purdue
1967: Clinton Jones, RB, Michigan State
          Gene Washington, WR, Michigan State
          Alan Page, DT, Notre Dame
1968: Ron Yary, OT, USC
1969: No Pick
1970: John Ward, OT, Oklahoma State
1971: Leo Hayden, RB, Ohio State
1972: Jeff Siemon, LB, Stanford
1973: Chuck Foreman, RB, Miami
1974: Fred McNeill, LB, UCLA
          Steve Riley, OT, USC
1975: Mark Mullaney, DT, Colorado State
1976: James White, DT, Oklahoma State
1977: Tommy Kramer, QB, Rice
1978: Randy Holloway, DE, Pittsburgh
1979: Ted Brown, RB, North Carolina State
1980: Doug Martin, DE, Washington
1981: No Pick
1982: Darrin Nelson, RB, Stanford
1983: Joey Browner, S, USC
1984: Keith Millard, DE, Washington State
1985: Chris Doleman, LB, Pittsburgh
1986: Gerald Robinson, DE, Aubrun
1987: D.J. Dozier, RB, Penn State
1988: Randall McDaniel, OG, Arizona State
1989: No Pick
1990: No Pick
1991:  No Pick
1992: No Pick
1993: Robert Smith, RB, Ohio State
1994: DeWayne Washington, CB, North Carolina State
          Todd Steussie, OT, California
1995: Derrick Alexander, DE, Florida State
          Korey Stringer, OT, Ohio State
1996: Duane Clemons, DE, California
1997: Dwayne Rudd, LB, Alabama
1998: Randy Moss, WR, Marshall
1999: Daunte Culpepper, QB, Central Florida
          Dimitrius Underwood, DE, Michigan State
2000: Chris Hovan, DT, Boston College
2001: Michael Bennett, RB, Wisconsin
2002: Bryant McKinnie, OT, Miami
2003: Kevin Williams, DT, Oklahoma State
2004: Kenechi Udeze, DE, USC
2005: Troy Williamson, WR, South Carolina
           Erasmus James, DE, Wisconsin
2006: Chad Greenway, LB, Iowa
2007: Adrian Peterson, RB, Oklahoma
2008: No Pick
2009: Percy Harvin, WR, Florida
2010: No Pick
2011: Christian Ponder, QB, Florida State
2012: Matt Kalil, OT, USC
          Harrison Smith, S, Notre Dame
2013: Sharrif Floyd, DT, Florida
          Xavier Rhodes, CB, Florida State
          Cordarrelle Patterson, WR, Tennessee
2014: Anthony Barr, LB, UCLA
          Teddy Bridgewater, QB, Louisville
2015: Trae Waynes, CB, Michigan State
2016: Laquon Treadwell, WR, Mississippi
2017: No Pick
2018: Mike Hughes, CB, Central Florida
2019: Garrett Bradbury, C, North Carolina State
2020: Justin Jefferson, WR, LSU
           Jeff Gladney, CB, TCU
2021: Christian Darrisaw, OT, Virginia Tech
2022: Lewis Cine, S, Georgia

A Breakdown:

Hall of Famers:
Carl Eller
Alan Page
Ron Yary
Chris Doleman
Randall McDaniel
Randy Moss

Adrian Peterson will join this list.

If I were to pick a past first round pick that hasn’t received the Hall of Fame consideration that he deserves, that player would be Chuck Foreman. There was a four-five year stretch in which he was arguably the best running back in the league. He was certainly the most versatile. He was such a fun back.

Joey Browner and Keith Millard would be in Canton if injuries hadn’t whittled away at their career.

By position:

Quarterbacks (4):
Tommy Kramer
Daunte Culpepper
Christian Ponder
Teddy Bridgewater

Running Backs (10):
Tommy Mason
Clinton Jones
Leo Hayden
Chuck Foreman
Ted Brown
Darrin Nelson
D.J. Dozier
Robert Smith
Michael Bennett
Adrian Peterson

Receivers (8):
Jack Snow
Gene Washington
Randy Moss
Troy Williamson
Percy Harvin
Cordarrelle Patterson
Laquon Treadwell
Justin Jefferson

Offensive Linemen (10):
Ron Yary
John Ward
Steve Riley
Randall McDaniel
Todd Steussie
Korey Stringer
Bryant McKinnie
Matt Kalil
Garrett Bradbury
Christian Darrisaw

Defensive Linemen (18):
Jim Dunaway
Carl Eller
Jerry Shay
Alan Page
Mark Mullaney
James White
Randy Holloway
Doug Martin
Keith Millard
Gerald Robinson
Derrick Alexander
Duane Clemons
Dimitrius Underwood
Chris Hovan
Kevin Williams
Keneche Udeze
Erasmus James
Sharrif Floyd

Linebackers (6):
Jeff Siemon
Fred McNeill
Chris Doleman
Dwayne Rudd
Chad Greenway
Anthony Barr

Cornerbacks (5):
DeWayne Washington
Xavier Rhodes
Trae Waynes
Mike Hughes
Jeff Gladney

Safeties (3):
Joey Browner
Harrison Smith
Lewis Cine

It’s interesting that defensive line is by far the most popular first round position but a defensive lineman hasn’t been selected in the first round since 2013.

During the NFL-AFL bidding wars of the 1960s, drafted players had options. They could sign with the established NFL team that drafted them or they could sign with the newbie AFL team that drafted them. The Vikings lost 1963 first-round pick Jim Dunaway to the Buffalo Bills. He developed into an integral player on one of the best defenses in the AFL. He would’ve paired quite nicely with Alan Page in the middle of Vikings defensive line. Or, maybe the Vikings don’t draft Page if Dunaway is already playing well on the line. We’ll never know.

The Vikings traded 1965 first-round pick Jack Snow to the Los Angeles Rams before he ever played a snap in Minnesota. Despite playing college football in the Midwest at Notre Dame, I believe Snow didn’t like the snow and wanted to play professionally closer to his Southern California home.

Picks that thrilled me to the point of hyperventilation:
Joey Browner
Randall McDaniel
Dwayne Rudd
RANDY MOSS
Chris Hovan
Bryant McKinnie
Chad Greenway
Adrian Peterson
Percy Harvin
Harrison Smith
Anthony Barr
Teddy Bridgewater
Justin Jefferson

The selection of Randy Moss in 1998 damn near killed me.

Then, there’s this one.
I had watched a lot of Darrin Nelson at Stanford and he was a terrific back. I was thrilled when the Vikings drafted him but my thrill was muted a bit by the fact that Marcus Allen was still available. I hadn't seen as much of Allen in college as I'd seen of Nelson but I'd seen enough. I knew that Allen was going to be the better professional running back but I did really like Nelson’s versatility in the Vikings offense.

Picks that disappointed so, so much as players:
Dwayne Rudd
Bryant McKinnie

I was thrilled when both players were drafted but I can't remember ever being thrilled watching either play. Dwayne Rudd put more energy into celebrating routine plays than he ever put into actually making plays. For the entirety of his career, Bryant McKinnie simply showed no energy and no interest while he was on the field. He made one Pro Bowl, probably because Brett Favre made him look better than he was, and was sent home before the game was even played. Who does that? McKinnie being sent home from the Pro Bowl was less surprising than his actually being selected for the game. I've never been one to hate the players that play for the team that I love but I hated seeing these two players play for the Vikings. I was thrilled when both were drafted but I was more thrilled when they left.

On ten occasions, the Vikings made multiple picks in the first round. The success with those multiple picks is wide-ranging. There’s the high of selecting Clinton Jones, Gene Washington, and Alan Page in 1967. There’s the brutal low of selecting Troy Williamson and Erasmus James in 2005.

On nine occasions, the Vikings made no selections in the first round. Four of those were the rough draft years of 1989-92. The Vikings traded their 1989 first round pick to the Pittsburgh Steelers for linebacker Mike Merriweather. That was a good trade. The Vikings traded their 1990-92 first round picks, several other picks, and several players to the Dallas Cowboys for Herschel Walker. That was a bad trade. A very bad trade.

As a youngster in California, I fell for the Vikings in the early 1970s. The first draft that I really remember following was the 1976 draft that brought James and Sammy White to Minnesota. Thanks to the tremendous work of Joel Buschbaum, Paul Zimmerman, and Mel Kiper I gradually started to understand and appreciate the football fun of the NFL Draft.

While trying to come down from the exhilaration of a 33-point comeback win, I found myself thinking about Minnesota Vikings drafts of the past. Perhaps, thinking about the past calms me in the moment

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J5kXGVhIr0Q&t=1301s

In our latest installment, we talk about the defense, preview the Colts, and have a killer trivia. Also, Rudolph The Red Nosed Reindeer is not 'stupid', it's awesome.https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sP13oQWMeY4 In our latest installment, we talk about the defense, preview the Colts, and have a killer trivia. Also, Rudolph The Red Nosed Reindeer is not

After a disappointing loss to the Lions, the Vikings will look to keep control of the #2 as they host the Colts. It will be an intriguing battle between a bad offense vs a bad defense, and a good offense vs a good defense. Can the Vikings beat the Colts for the first time in 25+ years?



Injury Report


Vikings

C Bradbury - Questionable
CB Dantzler - Questionable
DT Phillips - Questionable
ED Hunter - Questionable
ED Jones II - Questionable

Colts

CB Facyson - Doubtful
CB Moore II - Out
WR Strachan - Out

Line: Vikings -3.5 (68% of bets on Vikings)
Super Sim Calculated line: Vikings -3.5

* Notes *

The Colts offense just isn't the same as it was last year. Matt Ryan isn't even the biggest factor, it's been the interior OL and the run game. Quenton Nelson had been elite in 2019-2020, but PFF has his grades falling off severely in 2021-2022. He still grades out as great because guard play has plummeted in 2022, but he's not the difference-maker he used to be. Ryan Kelly has also fallen off a cliff, and the RG spot has been an issue the whole year. Add in Jonathan Taylor not looking quite the same after he dominated in 2021, and the offense's main power supply has been crippled, and Matt Ryan looking cooked is a byproduct of this.

On defense, the Colts' pass defense has been their primary strength. They are able to get pressure with their 4 man rushes and they have a #1 CB in Gilmore who has had a rebound year. The Colts have been somewhat weak against the run with Shaquille Leonard missing most of the year, but their replacement LBs have been good enough.


Prediction: Vikings 23, Colts 17

This feels like a rebound for the Vikes, as the Colts simply stink. I do think the Colts defense can keep this game close enough to make it yet another one possession win, but I think our defense will have a better outing and finally hold a team under 400 yards.

Any thoughts?After a disappointing loss to the Lions, the Vikings will look to keep control of the #2 as they host the Colts. It will be an intriguing battle between a bad offense vs a bad defense, and a good

We found out today that Vikings has become the second highest rated fan based Vikings podcast on YouTube in terms of subscriptions. All the other channels are from local Minneapolis media outlets or the Vikings official YouTube channel.

Thanks to all of you that have tuned in and subscribed since we came over here. It's been a lot of fun joining and interacing here, and we're all really looking forward to the rest of this season and the years ahead. We're truly humbled, and can't wait for what the future brings.

Drew, Ruby, Ted, and Chris


We found out today that Vikings has become the second highest rated fan based Vikings podcast on YouTube in terms of subscriptions. All the other channels are from local Minneapolis media outlets or

After yet another one score win, the Vikings line up against a feisty Lions squad that is somehow favored to win this one. Will they be able to make it to 11-2?



Injury Report

Vikings
DE Bullard - Out
C Bradbury - Questionable
S Smith - Questionable
LT Darrisaw - Questionable

Lions
G Awosika - Out
LB Barnes - Out
CB Lucas - Out
C Brown - Doubtful
CB Harris - Questionable
CB Okudah - Questionable
WR Raymond - Questionable
QB Sudfeld - Questionable

Line: DET -2 (51% of bets on Vikings)
SuperSim Calculated Line: MIN -9

Notes:

Last time we played, the Lions lost both Swift and St. Brown midway through the game to injuries. Both are now fully healthy and the Lions have already had a ton of success with Jamaal Williams, and with his ability to punch in TDs, they shouldn't have the redzone woes the Jets did. Swift is capable of doing what Tony Pollard did to this defense, it's really a matter of whether their OC schemes in some routes against LBs for him. Losing Hockenson is a pretty big blow since the TE depth chart is mostly 3rd stringers/practice squad types. Josh Reynolds had his biggest game of the year carving up our defense Week 3, and he could be down for more of that with St. Brown drawing attenion. To be fair, we didn't cover him well last time either.

Jameson Williams played his first game last week, but only played 8 snaps. I'd expect 10-20 this week, so don't expect him to have a huge impact.

The Lions OL quieted our pass rush in Week 3 (0 sacks), and is still in great shape. Their primary weakness is RG Stenberg, who was benched for a UDFA. Perhaps Tomlinson can line up on him?

Defensively this unit is still very bad, but they've shown some improvement. They have 3 rookie starters playing at an at least average level, with Joseph recently stepping up and seizing the SS role. Hutchinson isn't quite the monster some envisioned, but he's certainly been better than #1 pick Travon Walker.

The D-line is quite bad against the run, with McNeill being the best stuffer of the group by far. Brockers appears to be cooked and hasn't been getting snaps anymore. They desperately need a 3 tech. The LB position is also quite bad, with 5th rounder Rodriguez being the only positive contributor. It is worth noting that rookie OLB James Houston has 3 sacks the past 2 weeks, which were also his first two games.

The CB room is intriguing, as both Oruwariye and Hughes have been benched. Jacobs has stepped up as the #2 and former safety Harris is locked into the slot CB job. Former top 5 pick Jeffrey Okudah is finally beginning to live up to his draft billing, and he was able to shut down Jefferson in Week 3 (albeit with a bunch of mugging that somehow didn't result in flags).



Prediction: Lions 35, Vikings 26

This has the feel of a grind-it-out divisional game that we should win on paper, but we don't because you simply can't win them all. The Lions' roster is healthier and has players stepping up, and I suspect they will come out swinging and playing more physical than the Vikings. To be frank, I don't think this game will end up being all that important of a loss - perhaps we'll see some regression in the luck category / have some bad penalties or turnovers that usually don't happen to this 2022 Vikings squad.

Any thoughts?After yet another one score win, the Vikings line up against a feisty Lions squad that is somehow favored to win this one. Will they be able to make it to 11-2?

I recently read Joe Kapp's book A Life of Leadership: Joe Kapp "The Toughest Chicano." It's a fun read. That's no surprise as every book about the 1960s Minnesota Vikings is a fun read. They were fun teams. Kapp's time with the Vikings is a bit before my time but I've read, heard, and learned enough about those teams that I feel as if I actually experienced them. Kapp joined the Vikings in 1967. That was the same year that Bud Grant was hired as head coach. After six years of entertaining but mediocre, at best, play, winning football games was about to become the norm in Minnesota. The Vikings won their first division title in 1968. They won the NFL title in 1969. The 1969 team isn't thought of as a champion because they unfortunately went on to lose to the Kansas City Chiefs in Super Bowl IV. That day wasn't their day but the 1969 Minnesota Vikings team is still one of the best in NFL history. In his book, Kapp put together an interesting chart that details how the 1969 Vikings team was put together. The chart broke the team down by the year each player joined the team and their position. The most interesting feature of Kapp’s chart is that he lists a value that each player brought to the team. I've never seen a player, coach, general manager, anybody do such a thing. Kapp called it the Development of the 1969 Minnesota Vikings.

Player/Position/Value
1961 (3-11)
Grady Alderman, T: Control
Paul Dickson, DT: Loyalty
Jim Marshall, DE: Spirit
Ed Sharockman, CB: Commitment

1962 (2-11-1)
Fred Cox, K: Responsibility
Mick Tingelhoff, C: Determination
Roy Winston, LB: Wisdom

1963 (5-8-1)
Bill Brown, FB: Toughness
Karl Kassulke, S: Enthusiasm

1964 (8-5-1)
Carl Eller, DE: Confidence
Milt Sunde, G: Dedication

1965 (7-7)
Dale Hackbart, S: Humor
Gary Larsen, DT: Effort
Earsell Mackbee, CB: Concentration
Dave Osborn, RB: Perseverance
Lonnie Warwick, LB: Intensity

1966 (4-9-1)
Doug Davis, T: Awareness
Jim Lindsey, RB: Reliability
Jim Vellone, G: Empathy

1967 (3-8-3)
John Beasley, TE: Faith
Bobby Bryant, CB: Courage
Bob Grim, WR: Poise
Jim Hargrove, LB: Steadiness
Clint Jones, RB: Attitude
Joe Kapp, QB: Hunger
Alan Page, DT: Resourcefulness
Gene Washington, WR: Respect

1968 (8-6) Central Division Champs
Bookie Bolin, G: Cooperation
Gary Cuozzo, QB: Pride
John Henderson, WR: Courtesy
Paul Krause, S: Patience
Bob Lee, QB: Ambition
Mike McGill, LB: Judgement
Oscar Reed, RB: Desire
Steve Smith, DT: Harmony
Charlie West, DB: Integrity
Ron Yary, T: Trust

1969 (12-2) NFL Champs, lost Super Bowl IV
Kent Kramer, TE: Balance
Bill Harris, RB: Initiative
Wally Hilgenberg, LB: Aggression
Mike Riley, LB: Alertness
Ed White, G: Madness

I find the last one funny. Ed White was an All-American defensive lineman at Cal. The Vikings successfully flipped him to the offensive line. Kapp felt that White brought madness to the team. 

I've long known Dale Hackbart as a hard-hitting, versatile safety for the 1960s Vikings. From Kapp's book, I discovered that his versatility stretched beyond the football field. Kapp valued Hackbart for his humor. The always smiling safety's ability to make his teammates laugh kept the team loose.

Some aren’t a surprise at all:
Jim Marshall: Spirit
Mick Tingelhoff: Determination
Bill Brown: Toughness
Karl Kassulke: Enthusiasm
Gary Larsen: Effort
Dave Osborn: Perseverance
Paul Krause: Patience
Wally Hilgenberg: Aggression

And Joe Kapp was definitely Hungry. Always hungry. 

So many things make a football team a TEAM. This is an interesting, inside look at what made one of the best teams in Vikings franchise history.

Roster note: With a roster much smaller than today, the Vikings still kept six running backs. It was a very different time.


I recently read Joe Kapp's book A Life of Leadership: Joe Kapp "The Toughest Chicano." It's a fun read. That's no surprise as every book about the 1960s Minnesota Vikings is a fun read. They we

It is no secret to anyone that if Mike Zimmer was given the choice between a QB like Kirk Cousins or one like Teddy Bridgewater, he would go with Teddy Bridgewater 100% of the time. Zimmer loved Bridgewater, had a strong disdain for Cousins, and preferred a QB who did just enough to get a team to win against bad teams most of the time and good teams some of the time, over a QB who would put up huge stats against bad teams while never beating good teams.

In 2015, Zimmer almost had that QB. Teddy Bridgewater wasn't lighting up a stat sheet by any stretch of the imagination, but he was helping to run an efficient offense and he was winning over two games per loss. In 2022, KOC has Cousins not lighting up the stat sheet, but he is winning five games for every loss, something he never approached under Zimmer, despite putting up significantly better passing stats. Instead of getting blown out by every good team he faces and struggling to put-up double-digit points against top ten pass defenses, Cousins is still struggling against those good defenses, but the offense is succeeding regardless (excluding Philly and Dallas that is). KOC is doing with Cousins what Zimmer had wanted to do with Bridgewater and failed to do with Cousins, and the similarities between the two QB statistically in their winningest years are kind of crazy.

EPA/Play

Expected points added per play the two are nearly identical between Bridgewater’s 2015 season and Cousins current one, with Cousins coming in slightly behind Bridgewaters' .101 at .095. For context, Mahomes currently sits at .182 while Baker Mayfield was at -.013.

QBR

Not quarterback rating but ESPN's QBR, which is one of the better predictors of league MVP (when it is a QB). Cousins QBR this year is ranked 21st out of 31 qualifying QBs at 51.5. Bridgewater in 2015 ranked 17th out of 33 qualifying QBs at 57.7. For context here again, Mahomes currently sits at 78.5 and Mayfield at the bottom at 18.3.

Passing DVOA

This isn't as accurate now as it will be by the end of the year, but Teddy's passing offense ranked 19th at 10.3% in 2015 while Cousins' passing offense ranks 19th at 7.1%. Miami currently sits at #1 in this stat with a whopping 43.0% passing DVOA, while Houston sits at the bottom at a horrifically bad -31.3% (the worst since Josh Rosen's rookie season with AZ in 2018).

PFF Stats

2015 Bridgewater

Overall Grade: 68.9 (17th out of 27)
Average Depth of Target: 7.4 (24th)
Adjusted Completion %: 79.2% (1st)
Turnover Worthy Play %: 3.3 (15th ironically tied with Kirk Cousins that year)
Time to Attempt: 2.79 (2nd longest)
Deep Pass %: 10.6 (20th)

2022 Cousins

Overall Grade: 72.7 (15th out of 28)
Average Depth of Target: 7.6 (19th)
Adjusted Completion %: 76.8(13th)
Turnover Worthy Play %: 3.6 (20th)
Time to Attempt: 2.63 (12th longest)
Deep Pass %: 8.7 (21st)

Other Stats:

2015 Bridgewater

TDs: 14
Ints: 9
YPA: 7.2
Rating: 88.6
Attempts: 471
Completion %: 65.6%

2022 Cousins

TDs: 18
Ints: 9
YPA: 6.5
Rating: 88.1
Attempts: 449
Completion %: 64.6%

For the most part the numbers say these two QBs are the same type of QB with a few key differences. First, Cousins is significantly better in the red zone this year than Bridgewater was in 2015 leading to the difference in touchdown passes thrown despite Bridgewater moving the ball better. Even if you include TDs scored with their legs the difference only decreases to three touchdowns. Second, as most of us know that 2015 relied a lot more on the run then the pass which is why Teddy had a similar number of pass attempts in 16 games to what Cousins has thrown in 12. Still, even with those differences, on a per pass basis the similarities are uncanny.

So how did this happen, and should Vikings fans be happy or upset about it? Tackling the second part of this question first, the answer is probably not very happy. Even the most diehard Teddy Bridgewater fans (Funkytown ) would tell you that if Teddy had played exactly like he did in 2015 in 2016, and shown no progression, it would have been time to move on. Teddy playing like he did in 2015 in his second season is one thing, but that lack of production, even while winning, is something you need to move on from if it continued into his 3rd season. And if it isn’t good enough for Teddy in his third season, it sure as heck isn’t good enough for Cousins in his 10th. On top of that, Bridgewater’s play calling was being done by a very mediocre play caller in Norv Turner, and if KOC can’t do better offensively with an improved Oline, more dynamic RB, experienced QB and significantly better receiving options, it is a concerning indictment of his play calling to say the least.

As for why Cousins has suddenly turned into Bridgewater, or perhaps a better comparison and another Zimmer favorite, Andy Dalton, the answer to that is complex, in that the offense and responsibilities are too complex for Cousins, and there are multiple reasons for the decline in statistics. Cousins is struggling moving beyond JJ as a primary target far more than he has in the past and that shows whenever JJ is taken away by a quality, shutdown CB and this could be attributed to him being asked to do too much at the line. There is likely a reason the Vikings offense shifted away from having the QB call audibles with Cousins under center and it might be wise to simplify Cousins’ responsibilities once again. Then there is the fact that a good majority of pure pocket passers are struggling this year more than most due to a shift in defensive strategies. Teams have figured out how to slow the Ryan/Carr/Cousins type of QBs, taking away the plays that inflated their stats that made them seem better than they were.

It isn’t all bad though and there is a reason Zimmer preferred a Bridgewater over a Cousins. Cousins is winning more now than he ever has in his career, and while the stats would tell you he is having little to do with that, Kirk must be doing something to contribute to those wins. JJ isn’t throwing those passes to himself.

In the end the Vikings are 10-2 with Kirddy Couswater, the offense is above average, and the Vikings will almost certainly win the division. As long as a missed chip shot field goal doesn’t result in a first-round playoff loss, this transformation is better than what we had previously with Kirk. Even if success with this level of QB play isn’t maintainable.

It is no secret to anyone that if Mike Zimmer was given the choice between a QB like Kirk Cousins or one like Teddy Bridgewater, he would go with Teddy Bridgewater 100% of the time. Zimmer loved

VR Episdoe 82 is out. We recorded late, so it's a bit of an abbreviated show, but we still hit all the injury news, do a full preview of the Lions game, and we wrap up with trivia, like we always do. Our movie tribute is 'It's A Wonderful Life' and I'm sorry but if you don't like that movie you're basically un-American. Anyway, enjoy the show!


VR Episdoe 82 is out. We recorded late, so it's a bit of an abbreviated show, but we still hit all the injury news, do a full preview of the Lions game, and we wrap up with trivia, like we always do.

After a mini-bye, the Vikings get the surprisingly good Jets in a third straight home game. Will the defense rebound against new starting QB Mike White, or will they continue to be porous while the Vikings offense gets stopped by a very good defense?



Injury Report

Vikings
LT Darrisaw - Out
TE Ellefson - Out
DT Blacklock - Questionable

Jets
S Davis - Out
RB Carter - Doubtful
RT Ogbuehi - Doubtful
LT Brown - Questionable

Line: MIN -3 (52% of bets on Jets)

SuperSim Calculated Line: MIN -8

Prediction: Vikings 26, Jets 20

The Jets are a well-coached team, but they have many holes that I think O'Connell and co. can exploit. With RBs Breece Hall and Michael Carter down, I think their run game will be ineffective with Tomlinson back in tow. The LT/RT duo is weak, priming Hunter and Smith to feast on a QB who has not played very well under pressure. On the other side of the ball, the Jets have the best CB in football who might be able to slow down Jefferson. Even so, the Vikings have proven themselves able to figure out ways to move the ball against good defenses, and I think this might be a big game for Hockenson.

Any thoughts?After a mini-bye, the Vikings get the surprisingly good Jets in a third straight home game. Will the defense rebound against new starting QB Mike White, or will they continue to be porous while the

The Minnesota Vikings entered the NFL as an expansion team in 1961. They took part in the 1961 NFL Draft that was held December 27-28 1960. That brought 20 rookies to the team. To help the new team be "competitive" with 12 existing teams and the Dallas Cowboys, the NFL allowed the Vikings the opportunity to select veterans from established teams through an Expansion Draft. The Cowboys were excluded from the plucking because they were entering their second season after going winless in their first. The draft was held on January 26, 1961. The 12 established teams listed eight of the 38 players on their roster and the Vikings selected three players from each team's list to fill their roster. Here are the 36 players that the Vikings selecteded and the teams from which those players were selected in the 1961 Expansion Draft.

Chicago Bears
Bill Bishop, DT
Glenn Shaw, FB
Charlie Sumner, DB

Detroit Lions
Grady Alderman, OG
Dave Middleton, WR
Dave Whitsell, DB

Green Bay Packers
Ken Beck, DT
Dick Pesonen, DB
Paul Winslow, RB

Cleveland Browns
Rich Mostardo, DB
Fred Murphy, WR
Gene Selawski, OT

San Francisco 49ers
Hugh McElhenny, RB
Clancy Osborne, LB
Karl Rubke, LB

Los Angeles Rams
Don Ellersick, WR
Charlie Janerette, OG
Jerry Stalcup, LB

St. Louis Cardinals
Ed Culpepper, DT
Mike Rabold, OG
Perry Richards, WR

Baltimore Colts
Don Joyce, DE
Lebron Shields, DT
Zeke Smith, LB

New York Giants
Don Doll, OT
Bill Kimber, WR
Frank Youso, OT

Philadelphia Eagles
Jerry Huth, OG
Bill Lapham, C
Gene Johnson, DB

Pittsburgh Steelers
Tom Barnett, RB
Byron Beams, OT
Jack Morris, DB

Washington Redskins
Dick Haley, DB
Bill Roehnelt, LB
Louis “Red” Stephens, OG

Of the 36 players selected in the 1961 Expansion Draft, the following made the 1961 Vikings' roster:

Grady Alderman
Bill Bishop
Ed Culpepper
Dick Haley
Jerry Huth
Gene Johnson
Don Joyce
Bill Lapham
Hugh McElhenny
Dave Middleton
Jack Morris
Rich Mostardo
Fred Murpy
Clancy Osborne
Dick Pesonen
Mike Rabold
Karl Rubke
Lebron Shields
Charlie Sumner
Frank Youso

1961 starters are in bold.

20 of the 36 players selected made the 1961 Vikings roster. 15 of the 20 that made the team started.

The entire offensive line:
LT Grady Alderman
LG Jerry Huth
C Bill Lapham
RG Mike Rabold
RT Frank Youso

and the entire defensive backfield:
CB Jack Morris
CB Dick Pesonen
LS Rich Mostardo
RS Charlie Sumner

Of the 20 expansion draftees that made the roster in 1961, seven made the roster in 1962. The great Mick Tingelhoff bumped Lapham from the center spot and ultimately the roster. The remaining four offensive linemen returned as starters. The other three were Hugh McElhenny, Clancy Osborne, and Charlie Sumner. McElhenny contributed, Osborne started, and Sumner provided depth. By 1963, only Alderman and Huth remained from the expansion draft. Both were starters. By 1964, it was only Alderman.

Hugh McElhenny is in the Pro Football Hall of Fame for what he did before the Vikings dug him out of the 1961 Expansion Draft heap. He did have a little left in the tank as he made it to his final Pro Bowl in 1961.

Among the expansion draftees, McElhenny might've been the biggest name and made the biggest early impact. The best player, by a very wide margin, was Grady Alderman. In his 14 seasons with the Vikings he was selected to six Pro Bowls and named 1st Team All-Pro once. He arguably ranks behind only Hall of Famers Ron Yary and Gary Zimmerman among the best offensive tackles in franchise history. In 2010, Alderman was named one of 50 Greatest Vikings. He should be in the team's Ring of Honor.

The Vikings were 3-11 in their first season. For good or bad, the 1961 Expansion Draft made up a significant part of that first team.




The Minnesota Vikings entered the NFL as an expansion team in 1961. They took part in the 1961 NFL Draft that was held December 27-28 1960. That brought 20 rookies to the team. To help the new team

In the aftermath of The Game, Drew and Ruby take it surprisingly easy on Ted, but not TOO easy. We also talk about injuries and CB depth, preview the Jets, roll along with our contests, and our movie tribute this week is A Christmas Story.

So, give it a watch. Just don't shoot your eye out, kid.https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cuq8zE2GRiQ&t=4s In the aftermath of The Game, Drew and Ruby take it surprisingly easy on Ted, but not TOO easy. We also talk about injuries and CB

Since 2018, I've been creating draft boards that are based upon the consensus of a few specifically chosen 'draftniks'/scouts in the media that I find to be accurate, throw in some other metrics like RAS (Relative Athletic Score) and PFF grades, and create a board that I use to judge the 'accuracy' of draft picks and what account for as 'reaches' and 'value picks'. For this article, I'll compare every 1st and 2nd round pick from 2018 and 2019 to what my draft board recommended, and see which teams would have benefitted from taking my advice and see which would have suffered. So, for example, here's my 2019 draft board:



And let's see how the Packers did compared to my recommendations:



Key:
Actual = The player the team chose in that pick
Recommend = The player that my board prefers. If both players match, then nothing happens.
Actual AV = PFR's AV stat. This is the per year AV that the team's selection has generated
Actual PFF = PFF grade melted down into a tiered system, that being from 1 (Elite) to 5 (Average) to 9 (Abysmal / Did not play enough). This is what the player who was selected is graded as
My AV = The per year AV that my recommended player has generated
My PFF = The PFF tier that my recommended player falls into

So in 2019, the Packers selected Rashan Gary, while my board would have preferred Montez Sweat since both players are 3-4 edge defenders. In most scenarios, I kept the positions the same in order to reduce complexity. Only in a few situations where I either had a specific opinion on a player (Giants, don't take a RB at pick #2) did I switch the position.

Then Gary and Sweat are compared - both have similar PFF grades, but Sweat has generated more AV, so the Packers are given a -2 score. This totally not arbitrary number is how I ranked all teams.

Now, let's see the graph of all of the teams graded, to see if I (well, the draftniks I chose) know more than NFL teams!



The results are in - NFL teams are right more often than me by a slight measure: about -0.4. Teams in the bottom left are the ones who would have been better off following my board, and the ones in the top right quadrant would be worse off taking my advice. Well, it's not a shocking conclusion, but there were teams that could use my help. Let's see how the Cardinals could improve:



Turns out I liked Lamar Jackson more than Josh Rosen, so the Cardinals would have gone down a much different path in this scenario. Since they found their franchise QB (and I didn't love Murray going at #1), I instead had them take my #1 player on the board, Nick Bosa. Now instead of having one good QB, the Cardinals have one good QB (that I personally think is better) and an elite pass rusher. You can thank me later, Arizona!

Now let's see the opposite side of the spectrum - how would I screw up the Browns? [insert Browns joke here]



While I keep the Mayfield pick the same, I waste the 4th overall pick on Josh Jackson, who fell to the 2nd round and should have fallen farther, as he's already been cut and is a end-of-the-roster player compared to the #1 CB Ward has become. I make one good move in upgrading from Corbett to Daniels (Corbett was a total flop with the Browns but the Rams fixed him, but I'm not counting that), but then completely screw up by not taking Chubb and blowing a pick on Derrius Guice. Then I miss out on Greedy Williams (who has been underwhelming in his own right) for Justin Layne, who has played 150 snaps on defense in his whole career and is only good at special teams work.

Finally, what about the Vikings?



This ends up being basically even. I was clear that I loved Will Hernandez over Mike Hughes, but Hernandez turned out to be a below average guard who got benched. Still, he provided more value than Hughes who was always hurt and usually only played a part-time role. 

I was surprised to see Orlando Brown ranked ahead of Brian O'Neill on my board, and even though Brown would not be a scheme fit, I think the Vikings may have missed out on a really good LT. They don't get dinged for that very much since O'Neill has turned out to be very good in his own right.

Finally, I loved Andre Dillard in the 2019 draft, which turned out to be a very bad opinion since he couldn't even win the starting LT job of the Eagles over a 7th round pick. He's just a swing tackle now, which is even a far cry from Garrett Bradbury. AV makes Bradbury look like a competent center - which he isn't - but Dillard is clearly an even bigger bust than Bradbury.

So, would you like to see any other teams' grades compared to my boards? Or would you like to see some expanded analysis that goes beyond the 2nd round or even into the 2020 draft? Let me know what you think!
Since 2018, I've been creating draft boards that are based upon the consensus of a few specifically chosen 'draftniks'/scouts in the media that I find to be accurate, throw in some other metrics like

On September 17, 1920, representatives of football teams scattered around the midwest and east met in Canton, Ohio to discuss organizing a professional football league. The result of that meeting was the formation of the American Professional Football Association. In 1922, the APFA renamed themselves the National Football League.

The NHL has their “Original Six.” The NFL has an “Original Two.” 14 teams competed in that inaugural 1920 season. Only two of those teams are still competing today. Here’s a look at how the NFL has gone from 2 to 32.

Chicago Bears (1920)
The Chicago Bears got their start as a company team. A.E. Staley had a company that produced a range of starch products. He also had a fondness for sports. His company fielded some teams. In March 1920, George Halas was hired to head the football team. He also put his Chemical Engineering degree to work in the factory but he was really there for the football. When the call came for those with football teams to come to Canton, Halas was there. The team competed as the Decatur Staleys in 1920. The football team turned out to be a significant drain on Staley’s funds. Instead of dumping the team, Halas got his greatest wish. Figuring that a bigger market would be a boost, Staley sent Halas, the team, and $5,000 to Chicago to make a go of professional football. In exchange for the funding, the team would carry the Staley name for a single season. In 1921, the team was known as the Chicago Staleys. George Halas got his football team and the Staley name got the 1921 NFL title. With baseball’s Chicago Cubs in mind, Halas renamed his team the Chicago Bears in 1922.

1920: Decatur Staleys
1921: Chicago Staleys
1922-present: Chicago Bears

Chicago Cardinals (1920)
Dating to the 1890s as a club team, the Cardinals are the NFL’s oldest team by a wide margin. They are also one of the most traveled.

1920-59: Chicago Cardinals
1960-87: St. Louis Cardinals
1988-93: Phoenix Cardinals
1994-present: Arizona Cardinals

Due to the financial and resource struggles during World War II, the Cardinals combined with the Pittsburgh Steelers to compete as a single football team in 1944. 

The two Chicago teams are the NFL’s Original Two. It’s always annoying to hear Chicago Bears-Green Bay Packers described as the league’s oldest rivalry. How could it be? The Packers weren’t even part of the professional football league during the inaugural season. Bears-Packers is the league’s most contested rivalry. It isn’t the oldest rivalry. That distinction belongs to Bears-Cardinals. During most of the 39 years that the two teams shared Chicago it was one of the most heated.

Green Bay Packers (1921)
The Packers were and are a town team. They were formed in 1919 and competed independently during their first two seasons. In 1921, the Packers joined the APFA/NFL. They almost didn’t get a second season. The Packers were kicked out of the league following their first season for using some players with college eligibility remaining. Cheaters. The Packers made whatever amends needed to be made as they were re-admitted before the 1922 season.

All of the NFL teams struggled greatly during those first couple decades. So many teams came and went. Some of that was intentional. Realizing that the NFL’s future was in bigger cities, league President Joe Carr made a concerted effort to weed out the teams from the smaller towns. Canton, Akron, Pottstown, Hammond, etc. Green Bay is the one town team that survived. It helped that the Packers soon became one of the best teams in the league. Much has been made of the Packers “cute” ownership structure. I’m one of those owners. I have a share of their worthless stock. It’s fun to say and think that I own the Packers. I look forward to attending one of their shareholders meetings in full Vikings gear and just hacking up the process.

New York Giants (1925)
Other than playing home games in New Jersey, there isn’t anything remarkable or notable about the Giants. They have a strong history and a fairly straightforward one.


Detroit Lions (1930)
The Detroit Lions got their NFL start in Portsmouth, Ohio. They soon became one of the league’s best teams. Playing for an NFL title in 1932 and winning one as the Detroit Lions in 1935. It’s tough to believe now but the Lions were a powerhouse in the 1950s. They played in four title games, winning in 1952, 1953, and 1957.

Portsmouth Spartans: 1930-33
Detroit Lions: 1934-present

Washington Commanders (1932)
The freshly named Washington Commanders have a fairly troubling history. That happens when a team is owned by a racist and an idiot. George Preston Marshall was the racist. Daniel Snyder is the idiot.

1932: Boston Braves
1933-36: Boston Redskins
1937-2019: Washington Redskins
2020-2021: Washington Football Team
2022-present: Washington Commanders

Philadelphia Eagles (1933)
Pittsburgh Steelers (1933)

1933-39: Pittsburgh Pirates
1940-present: Pittsburgh Steelers

During the World War II years, the Steelers merged with the Eagles in 1943 to form the awkwardly named “Steagles.” In 1944, the Steelers merged with the Cardinals.

Historically and geographically, the Pennsylvania teams feel linked. They entered the league together. Eagles owner Bert Bell and Steelers owner Art Rooney were terrific friends. They even jointly owned the Steelers for a few years until Bell was elected league Commissioner. The Steelers and Eagles even swapped cities in 1941.

Los Angeles Rams (1937)
The Rams have a well-traveled history. As the Cleveland Rams, they jumped from the second AFL (there have been three AFLs) to the NFL in 1937. From there the team bounced around a bit.

1937-45: Cleveland Rams
1946-94: Los Angeles Rams
1995-2015: St. Louis Rams
2016-present: Los Angeles Rams

During the World War II years, the Rams suspended operations for the 1943 season. One of the interesting things about the Rams is that they won NFL titles in each of the cities that they played. They won as the Cleveland Rams in 1945, as the Los Angeles Rams in 1951 and 2021, and the St. Louis Rams in 1999. Yes, the Rams bolted Cleveland the year after they won an NFL title.

Cleveland Browns (1950)
The Cleveland Browns competed in the All-America Football Conference (AAFC) from 1946-49. They won all four of that league’s titles. The Browns joined the NFL, after the folding of the AAFC, in 1950 and continued their domination. They played for the title from 1950-55, winning in 1950, 1954, and 1955. Much has been made of Tom Brady leading his teams to ten title games, winning seven. Otto Graham led the Browns to ten title games in ten seasons, winning seven. Graham did in ten years what Brady did in 23.

The Browns have a strange history in that today’s Browns have really no connection to the initial Browns. Today’s Browns are an expansion team. The initial Browns are in Baltimore as the Ravens.

1946-95: Cleveland Browns
1999-present: Cleveland Browns

San Francisco 49ers (1950)
Like the Browns, the San Francisco 49ers competed in the AAFC from 1946-49. Like the Browns, the 49ers joined the NFL after the folding of the AAFC.

Baltimore Colts (1953)
The Baltimore Colts have a very interesting history. Like the Browns and 49ers, a Baltimore Colts team jumped from the AAFC to the NFL. That Colts team was terrible and folded after a single season. The Baltimore Colts team that’s playing in Indianapolis today can arguably trace it’s roots to an original NFL team. The Dayton Triangles. I’m not going to try and untangle that connection here. For the purpose of this, I’m going with the Baltimore Colts joining the NFL in 1953.

1953-83: Baltimore Colts
1984-present: Indianapolis Colts

An interesting nugget in the Colts interesting history is that owner Carroll Rosenbloom traded the team to Robert Irsay in exchange for the Los Angeles Rams in 1972.


Dallas Cowboys (1960)
As the 1950s came to a close, the NFL felt pretty good and stable with their 12 teams. After three-plus decades of significant struggle, the NFL finally had stability. They had no interest in expanding. The threat of the American Football League changed everything. The new league had what few of the teams in the old league had. Money. The AFL’s owners had serious money and a willingness to spend it. The NFL had established teams, established players, and an established history but the threat posed by the AFL forced the NFL to add teams. The first addition was the Dallas Cowboys to compete with the AFL’s Dallas Texans.

Minnesota Vikings (1961)
The Minnesota Vikings became the NFL’s 14th team in 1961. The NFL’s best and most important team was originally aligned with the AFL. They were supposed to be one of the new league’s original eight teams. They even took part in the new league’s first draft. The NFL successfully pried the Vikings their way.

Atlanta Falcons (1966)

New Orleans Saints (1967)

The NFL-AFL Merger (1970)
One of the most significant events in the NFL’s history was the 1970 merger with the AFL. The merger was originally agreed to in the spring of 1966. A combined title game was played from 1966-69 but the complete merger didn’t take place until 1970. 10 AFL teams joined 16 NFL teams to form one league. The NFL reformed into two conferences. The NFC and the AFC. To balance things, the Pittsburgh Steelers, Cleveland Browns, and Baltimore Colts moved to the AFC.

Kansas City Chiefs (1970)
1960-62: Dallas Texans
1963-present: Kansas City Chiefs

Tennessee Titans (1970)
1960-96: Houston Oilers
1997-98: Tennessee Oilers
1999-present: Tennessee Titans

Buffalo Bills (1970)
1960-present: Buffalo Bills

New England Patriots (1970)
1960-70: Boston Patriots
1971-present: New England Patriots

New York Jets (1970)
1960-62: New York Titans
1963-present: New York Jets

Denver Broncos (1970)
1960-present: Denver Broncos

Las Vegas Raiders (1970)
1960-81: Oakland Raiders
1982-94: Los Angeles Raiders
1995-2019: Oakland Raiders
2020-present: Las Vegas Raiders

Los Angeles Chargers (1970)
1960: Los Angeles Chargers
1961-2016: San Diego Chargers
2017-present: Los Angeles Chargers

Miami Dolphins (1970)
1966-present: Miami Dolphins

Cincinnati Bengals (1970)
1968-present: Cincinnati Bengals

Tampa Bay Buccaneers (1976)
Seattle Seahawks (1976)

These two teams have felt linked to me as they were the first expansion teams during my time as a fan. An interesting thing about the Buccaneers and Seahawks is that each has spent time in both conferences. Geography be damned, the Buccaneers were jammed into the AFC West in 1976. They’ve been an NFC team since 1977. The Seahawks were in the NFC West in 1976, flipped to the AFC West in 1977, and returned to the NFC West in 2002.

Carolina Panthers (1995)
Jacksonville Jaguars (1995)

Baltimore Ravens (1996)

It’s been nearly 30 years and I still can’t think of the Baltimore Ravens and not see the original Cleveland Browns. Nothing about that move felt right. No franchise move feels right but this is a strange one. Baltimore and Cleveland are iconic NFL cities and neither team playing in those cities feels like the ones that should be. It’s also ridiculous that the Ravens have inducted eight former Colts players into the team’s Ring of Honor.

Houston Texans (2002)

From the Chicago Bears and Cardinals to the Houston Texans, the National Football League went from 2 to 32.
On September 17, 1920, representatives of football teams scattered around the midwest and east met in Canton, Ohio to discuss organizing a professional football league. The result of that meeting was

How will the Vikings rebound from an absolute drubbing from the Cowboys? They face the best head coach in recent memory and a top heavy team that is firing on all cylinders defensively, but is a mess on offense. Will our Vikings be able to prevent the first losing streak of the season?



Injury Report

Vikings

CB Booth - Out
CB Evans - Out
LT Darrisaw - Out
DT Tomlinson - Questionable


Patriots

LT Wynn - Out
WR Parker - Questionable
T Cajuste - Questionable
C Andrews - Questionable
CB M Jones - Questionable


Line: Vikings -2.5 (66% of bets on Vikings)

Super Sim Calculated Line: Vikings -4.5

Prediction: Patriots 23, Vikings 13

Give me the team that is better in the trenches, and right now that is the Patriots. While their OL also has some problems, I am afraid that their defense can do similar things that the Cowboys can. While their pass rush isn't as ferocious, Belichick's unit is great at covering up the pass game with their 6 DB sets. Running the ball at them is a must. On offense, NE should be spamming the ball to their RBs after seeing what Pollard was able to do. Their passing offense is flat-out bad and they will be in big trouble if they fall behind. In the end, I think the Vikings' injuries and short break between games will cost them this one.

Any thoughts?
How will the Vikings rebound from an absolute drubbing from the Cowboys? They face the best head coach in recent memory and a top heavy team that is firing on all cylinders defensively, but is a mess

Pop quiz! That’s right, you underperform, you get a quiz.

Question 1: Which of the above guys is the starting quarterback for the Patriots? If you can’t answer that, guess what! You have something in common with Bill Belichick! (answers at the end)

Question 2: Which of the above guys looks like the sort of player you would trust to lead your team?

Question 3: What is "Mac" in Mac Jones, short for?


The Patriots have won exactly 0 games this year on the back of a good passing game by their starting quarterback. Their one impressive passing game came on the back of Backup quarterback Bailey Zappe. The patriots are on a three game win streak, but those three wins have come against:
The Jets
A Colts performance so bad, it made an ESPN announcer subsequently look like a competent coach
The Jets

On the ground Rhamondre Stevenson is a good back, but has only one game where he has really carried the team, a 163 yard explosion against a Lions team that managed zero points that week.

The Patriots offense is slightly worse than the Commanders. I could argue this will be the worst offense the Vikings have faced all season (the problem is the Packers are technically worse, so that's a tough argument to make). The defense needs to play with more intensity after the Dallas debacle, but they should be able to sell out against the Patriots run game.

Last week, the Cowboys were the most difficult team to write a “how to beat” statement for; there was no obvious trend that I found on weak players, schemes that worked, or obvious flaws to be exploited. This isn’t to say the Cowboys are unbeatable, just that they are balanced. The Patriots on the other hand are the easiest of the year, so I'll just get right to that:

How to Beat The Patriots
I mentioned selling out to stop Rhamondre Stevenson, do that.  Dalvin Cook has to out rush Rhamondre Stevenson.   The reason the Patriots are one of the easiest teams to figure out for a “How to Beat” scheme is because of how strong a correlation there is with run game success and winning their games.  In ten games the Patriots have played this year, the team that rushes for more yards has won eight. 8-2 is a really solid track record.  The exceptions are:

The Dolphins beat the Patriots 20-7 despite being our rushed 78-65; that’s a very pass heavy Dolphins team and not a huge run total for the Patriots, so not a shocker.
And
The Patriots beat the Colts despite the Colts outrushing the Pats 78-70 in a game with Sam Ellinger at quarterback; 8 yards is not nearly enough to overcome that liability.

When there is a stat like that with a strong correlation to winning, I also ask, does this make sense? Looking at the Patriots:
- Stevenson is arguable the Patriots best offensive player, taking him away should limit their offense.
- The Patriots passing game has a high completion percentage but isn’t very explosive, it requires a complimentary running game.

The big different between this week and last week is that the Patriots don’t have the luxury of a Good WR1, WR2, TE and QB to support their good RB.

But what about the Patriots Defense

Before I dive into the Patriots defense, I need you to ask yourself a question: what do you think of Jared Goff? (why would I ask about the Lions’ quarterback… this makes no sense!!! Just do it, OK, you don’t even have to type a response, you only need to answer to yourself). I think of Goff as a low end starter, with the right team around him he can be a functional player with a winning record; he is also prone to mistakes and bad throws that an average to poor team won’t be able to cover up. If I were raking all the starting QBs, I'd put Goff in the 20-25 range.

Agree or disagree with me on Goff, it doesn’t matter as long as you have your opinion of him. Now, why that matters.  Jared Goff is probably the best quarterback the Patriots defense has beaten this year. The Patriots have beaten:

Mitchel Trubisky – before he was benched for Kenny Pickett

Goff – Is who he is

Jacoby Brisett – capable of piloting a team with a strong defense, running game and big time addition of Amari Cooper into a 3-7 ditch; so … maybe an equal to Goff.

Zach Wilson – His only game over 300 passing yards. 3 bad interceptions sunk this day and it was still a 22-17 game.

Sam Ehlinger –Why would the Colts think this is a good contingency plan to Matt Ryan? Because Jim Irsay is on drugs… ohhh… well… yeah, then that adds up.

Zach Wilson (again) – This 77 yard, 3 point outburst is more like him.

That’s the list of QBs the Patriots have beaten this year.  Additionally, the Patriots have lost games while Justin Fields threw for 99 yards; great for a pass defense stat sheet, bad for winning football.

With that in mind have a look at the Patriots defense:



Most of their pass rush comes from Deatrich Wise Jr. and Matt Judon, those two along with Ja’Whaun Bentley are the 3 main guys on the front 7, the others all rotate out playing about half of snaps or less. Wise and Judon are the threats. I could write about how Brian O’Niell will need to play better than he did against Dallas and how the Vikings should help Brandle (he will and they should), but this isn’t about what the patriots are good at, this post is about how to beat them. When looking at how to beat them, it is important to know that Wise and Judon are good pass rushers, they are not as good at run defense. This ties into the main thing on how to beat them – beat them with what they are bad at.

Cook and Mattison should be targeted for 30 carries between them. This is a beautiful game to feed them both and use Mattison as a sledge hammer to keep them soften up for Cook coming right at them.

Quiz Answers
#1 – Clockwise from Top Right: Mac Jones, winner of a Mac Jones look-alike Contest, possibly Tom Brady, and Jake Bailey – who is the only correct answer to question #2 as he is the only one who shaves and is also the Patriots punter.  #3 "McCorkle".
Pop quiz! That’s right, you underperform, you get a quiz. Question 1: Which of the above guys is the st

After an exciting and unlikely win against the Bills, the Cowboys are up next. While they are a decent team, you'd think they would be the next team to lose by a single possession to the Vikings... we'll have to see if they play at 100% after a long game against Buffalo.




Injury Report

Cowboys

P Anger - Questionable
LB Barr - Questionable
DT Bohanna - Questionable
CB Brown - Questionable
DE Lawrence - Questionable

RB Elliott - Questionable


Vikings

CB Evans - Out
DT Tomlinson - Out
OLB Smith - Questionable


Line: Cowboys -1.5

SuperSim Calculated line: Vikings -1

Prediction: Vikings 30, Cowboys 24

I can't get behind that the Cowboys are the favorite in this game with how poorly their defense has fared the past two weeks. After they gave up 28+ points to the Justin Fields show and the Aaron Rodgers travelling tire fire, they are primed to be whipped by a Vikings offense that is getting the ball to Jefferson and Cook. On offense, they've been mediocre so far and don't match up great against a Vikings defense that has gotten hot. Until the Vikings start stumbling, I'm not going to predict them to lose against a team that is a couple steps below them on paper.

Any thoughts?After an exciting and unlikely win against the Bills, the Cowboys are up next. While they are a decent team, you'd think they would be the next team to lose by a single possession to the Vikings...

Am I even required to take the Dallas defense seriously after the greenest of Green Bay Packers mocked them despite a ruined season in prime time?  They might as well just throw a bunch of chickens at the Cowboys.

The Dallas defense is fine, but they are running more on reputation than substance (I am aware that is redundant with saying they’re the Dallas Cowboys). Still there are a few things to learn about them. Let’s start with the one good player they have. True or False tests are always an easy way to draw people in, it seems so easy.

True or False: Micah Parsons is a great linebacker for Dallas.
The answer is false. Parsons is good, but he is not playing linebacker, he is playing defensive end. Compare four players in this game and look at their season to date snap counts:

Leighton Vander Esch
Run Defense: 242
Pass Rush: 22
Coverage: 261

Eric Kendricks
Run Defense: 210
Pass Rush: 21
Coverage: 380

Micah Parsons
Run Defense: 216
Pass Rush: 240
Coverage: 60

Za’Darius Smith
Run Defense: 132
Pass Rush: 287
Coverage: 20

Parsons’ numbers look more like Za’Darius Smith than Eric Kendricks. In fact, as I watched games, I started to think Dallas was actually running a 3-4 defense with Parsons lined up as an edge rushing OLB, rather than a 4-3 linebacker. Parsons moved around the formation like a linebacker, but he almost always rushes. This pass rush heavy strategy seems to make sense with another trend I’m seeing: coverage that can be beaten deep. It looks to me like the Cowboys' defensive strategy is to pressure opponents into passes against a secondary that is sitting on routes looking for interceptions.

This play against the Lions is a microcosm of how I think Dallas wants their defense to work. First you see Trevon Diggs sitting on a route as Goff stares down the receiver. Then in the second snap, you can see the Lion receiver has beaten Diggs for the TD, but the ball never got out as Goff was sacked. This risk reward seems to be a trade the Cowboys will willingly make.





Is this strategy working? Not really. The Cowboys have 7 interceptions this season, last year by this time Diggs had 8 by himself.

If it’s not the defense, what drives the Cowboys?
Dak Prescott is a respectable quarterback. He plays his role, but he's not in the elite QB tier - if anything he's about one season away from becoming Tony Romo 2.0.  

Zeke Elliott is a bit like Alexander Mattison at this point, a hard running sledge hammer who forces the defense to man up. People can hate him because he isn’t the #1 pick in fantasy football anymore, but that role still has value.

That leaves two potential guys to answer the question of what drives the Cowboys: CeeDee Lamb and Tony Pollard, which brings me to….

How to Beat Dallas:
The Vikings need to figure out which player they need to take away. There is a good argument for both.

The argument for Tony Pollard – he’s averaging 6.0 yards per carry on 103 carries and had big games when Elliot was out the last two weeks. He could be the guy that drives the team.
The argument for CeeDee Lamb – Cowboy game most often swing on which team has two things: Fewer pass attempts and a higher yards per pass attempt. Lamb is their best guy to get these deep balls.

Looking at Cowboys game logs and player stat lines, their most impressive game are when Lamb has a high catch rate and high yards per reception. My question is, is it the run game opening things up or Lamb, or the threat Lamb drawing the defense deep to make Pollard look great.

Time to look at 3 important passes to Lamb. I picked two from the Commanders game (Lamb had a good game in a win against what has proven to be a strong Commanders defense) and one from the Packers game. I’m looking more for trends than scheme breakdowns.

Catch 1 – A simple Crossing Route that Lamb takes for 23 yards.  Lamb got matched up on a linebacker who was forced to chase him in man coverage.  



There’s a lot of catches like this. This type of pass is #1 on the list because it highlights the dilemma the Vikings will face. Patrol the middle of the field with Kendricks and take this away or come up and stop Pollard.  This play will look extra bad for Washington later when you see Prescot's heat map for passer rating - the Commanders took something Prescott is bad at and made it easy for him.

Catch 2 – This play broke the game open and really put the score out of reach for the Commanders. I’m not sure what to make of this play, Washington is taking the non-traditional approach of not bothering to cover Lamb. I think Harrison Smith can make this cover.



Catch 3 – this pass should have sealed the Packers win, but the Cowboy defense packed up camp too early.



This is the most dangerous play because Lamb faked a post going across the field then just ran away from the defense. It looks like the Packers saw the Cowboys' tendencies and are taking away the middle of the field. I think the Packers overdid it with taking away the middle of the field. And more importantly, I think the Vikings safeties will be better at covering the sideline.

One final image, Prescott’s passing chart:



Before I get to Lamb, This image raises two very important questions.  First, if Patrick Peterson consistently lines up on the right side of the offense, left side of the defense, how will the Vikings cover the left side of the field where Prescott is much better? It’s not Lamb, he moves all over. That will be an interesting game within the game. If you hear the announcers talk about how “the Cowboys have been picking on that guy (on the left) all day.” You know better, it’s not the Vikings player, it’s that Prescott can only throw one direction.  Second question: Is Dak Prescott, the sleep number mattress salesman, really cool enough to be rockin' a tattoo that far up his neck?  Seems like a questionable choice. 

Dak isn’t a great passer over the middle of the field. His 6-4 TD to INT ratio isn’t great. This is an interesting weakness when he has CeeDee Lamb who seems to be strong going across the middle. It also tells me how I would approach the game…

If given the choice, I would favor pass coverage over run support for Jordan Hicks, Eric Kendricks, and Chandon Sullivan. If this means Pollard breaks off a few runs, so be it. Force Dak to make more throws outside and deep where safeties are already lurking. It’s the high percentage catch and runs that the Cowboys feast on.  If the Vikings take those away I don't think something like a 150-yard rush day for Pollard would be enough to pick up the slack.
Am I even required to take the Dallas defense seriously after the greenest of Green Bay Packers mocked them despite a

The band is out on the field…

Whenever there’s a need for a desperation play at the end of a football game, The Play is referenced. Whenever a play must be kept alive with laterals, The Play is referenced. Forty years ago, The Play played before disbelieving eyes.

November 20, 1982. Cal-Stanford. The Big Game. The Battle for the Axe. Over the past 40 years, the 85th edition of the Big Game has been whittled down to it’s final moments.

The band is out on the field…

Trailing 19-17 with 53 seconds to play, Stanford quarterback John Elway guided the Cardinal (the color, not the bird) down the field. Overcoming a fourth-and-17 from their own 13-yard line, it was an agonizing drive. It was a drive that ended with a 35-yard Mark Harmon (not that one) field goal. 20-19 Stanford. Four seconds on the clock.

The band is out on the field…

A Harmon squib kick brought the ball to Kevin Moen. Then it was chaos.

Kevin Moen to Richard Rodgers to Dwight Garner to Richard Rodgers to Mariet Ford to Kevin Moen

“the most amazing, sensational, dramatic, heart-rending, exciting, thrilling finish in the history of college football.”

Five laterals. Stanford claims that Garner’s knee was down. They’re wrong. Stanford claims that the final lateral was more forward than backward. They’re wrong. Cal won 25-20. Elway was sad.

The Stanford Band was out on the field. That entire band was spread out across the field from the 20-yard line through the end zone. Stanford’s idiotic band has always been a clown show. It’s really no surprise that they blundered their way into a football game before it was done. Trombonist Gary Tyrrell was crushed by Moen in the end zone. They’ve been friends ever since. Yesterday, Cal unveiled a statue in front of Memorial Stadium of Moen with ball held high. Looking for a band member to annihilate. Tyrrell is missing. His trombone is at the base of the statue.

It was insane. Last year, ESPN called it the second-biggest American sports moment. It was a moment made by football craziness and Joe Starkey’s classic call.

I was supposed to be in the Memorial Stadium stands that day. That was supposed to be my freshman year at Cal. It was not to be. My Cal admission was redirected to UC Santa Cruz. I had to be a Banana Slug before I could be a Bear. Instead of sitting in the stadium stands I watched the game in the lounge of my UCSC dorm. Grrrrrah! 

The 85th Big Game had some Minnesota Vikings connections.

Joe Kapp was in his first season as Cal’s head coach. He was and is a Cal legend. Vikings legend too. He quarterbacked the Vikings to their first Super Bowl. He quarterbacked Cal to a Rose Bowl appearance in 1958. Sadly, that’s the last time Cal has played in the Rose Bowl. 64 years! Kapp’s last game as Cal’s head coach in 1986 was my only Big Game win as a Cal student.

Paul Wiggin was Stanford’s head coach in 1982. He went on to coach the Vikings defensive line from 1985-91. From 1992-2015, he worked as the Vikings senior consultant for pro personnel.

Joe Starkey has been the voice of Cal football since 1975. I’ve listened to his voice all of those years. In 1977, he was also the radio voice of the Minnesota Vikings.

Today’s Big Game, the 125th edition, will be Starkey’s last game as Cal’s radio voice.

The band is out on the field… Whenever there’s a need for a desperation play at the end of a football game, The Play is referenced. Whenever a play must be kept alive with lateral