Vikings Mount Rushmore

Funkytown
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Vikings Mount Rushmore Jul 29, 2017 18:19:01 GMT -6

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Post by Funkytown on Jul 29, 2017 18:19:01 GMT -6

I've seen this discussed off and on over the years, but who would you put on a Vikings Mount Rushmore? Basically, who "made the biggest impact, scored the most points, or otherwise mattered most in the historical myth-making" of the Vikings franchise?

Here is what Brad Gagnon from the Bleacher Report came up with for our Vikes:

Fran Tarkenton, Bud Grant, Alan Page, Adrian Peterson

This was one of the biggest challenges I had. Cris Carter or Randy Moss? Both? Neither? What about Randall McDaniel, Carl Eller, Mick Tingelhoff and Paul Krause?

Tarkenton and Grant were the easy parts. The former led the Vikings to three Super Bowls and retired in 1978 as the most prolific passer in NFL history. The latter coached the Vikes in all three of those Super Bowl seasons and had a .621 winning percentage over the course of 18 non-consecutive seasons in charge of the team.

Beyond that, the Purple People Eaters could get their own separate memorial, but that famous defensive front deserves a representative on Mount Vikesmore. Page (nine Pro Bowls, 1971 MVP) accomplished more than Eller, Marshall and Gary Larsen (combined eight Pro Bowls), so he gets the nod.

The tough decision was Peterson over all of the other strong candidates from more recent eras since the franchise has put together some great seasons since the Purple People Eater days as well. The top contemporary candidates were Carter, McDaniel, Moss and Peterson. They were all dominant, but AP was arguably the best offensive player in football for nearly a decade.

You can't say that about the other three. He was also the only member of that group to win MVP.

Last Edit: Jun 19, 2018 20:18:08 GMT -6 by Funkytown

beckmt Hall of Fame Inductee Posts: 12,220 Likes: 1,584	Vikings Mount Rushmore Jul 29, 2017 23:31:01 GMT -6 Quote Select Post Deselect Post Link to Post Member Give Gift Back to Top Post by beckmt on Jul 29, 2017 23:31:01 GMT -6 would agree with this assessment, but also agree it is very close
	Last Edit: Jul 29, 2017 23:47:18 GMT -6 by Funkytown

Funkytown Owner Purple Pain Big Dog Posts: 67,627 Likes: 31,558 Fan Since: 1998	Vikings Mount Rushmore Jul 30, 2017 17:14:33 GMT -6 Quote Select Post Deselect Post Link to Post Member Give Gift Back to Top Post by Funkytown on Jul 30, 2017 17:14:33 GMT -6 Here are my takes: Past: Grant, Tarkenton, Page, and Marshall ... or Eller? Recent/my fan experience: Carter, Randle, Moss, Peterson Current: Smith, Rhodes, Diggs, ... Griffen?

Funkytown Owner Purple Pain Big Dog Posts: 67,627 Likes: 31,558 Fan Since: 1998	Vikings Mount Rushmore Jul 30, 2017 17:16:02 GMT -6 Quote Select Post Deselect Post Link to Post Member Give Gift Back to Top Post by Funkytown on Jul 30, 2017 17:16:02 GMT -6 It's such a new, up-and-coming group ... doing a current is more challenging. What do you guys think?

Reignman Purple Pain Lap Dog Posts: 44,728 Likes: 30,668 Fan Since: 1984	Vikings Mount Rushmore Jul 31, 2017 14:43:21 GMT -6 Funkytown, twinssouth, and 1 more like this Quote Select Post Deselect Post Link to Post Member Give Gift Back to Top Post by Reignman on Jul 31, 2017 14:43:21 GMT -6 I say we save the Mt Rushmore for our Super Bowl winning team. They don't build monuments for 2nd place, well unless you're in the south LOL ... sorry I couldn't resist.
	Aug 8, 2024 18:42:12 GMT -6 whoskmoon said: if sitting and watching something versus actually doing it made a person great at it, Reignman would be the next Ron Jeremy.

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Vikings Mount Rushmore Jul 31, 2017 19:07:43 GMT -6 via mobile Funkytown likes this

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Post by VikingsBoss on Jul 31, 2017 19:07:43 GMT -6

Past: Grant, Page, Marshall, Foreman (even more than Tarkenton, he made that offense go)
Recent: Moss, Randle, Winfield, McDaniel
Current: Smith, Rhodes, Griffin, Robison
All Z-Fense, all Z-time.

The Cardinals have knocked the Vikings out of the playoffs! NO!-Paul Allen, December 28th, 2003

Deleted Ghosted Member Posts: 0 Likes:	Vikings Mount Rushmore Aug 2, 2017 17:42:13 GMT -6 Quote Select Post Deselect Post Link to Post Member Give Gift Back to Top Post by Deleted on Aug 2, 2017 17:42:13 GMT -6 Page, Tarkenton, Moss and Peterson. I don't put a coach on the mount unless they WIN a super bowl.

Funkytown Owner Purple Pain Big Dog Posts: 67,627 Likes: 31,558 Fan Since: 1998	Vikings Mount Rushmore Aug 2, 2017 18:00:59 GMT -6 Quote Select Post Deselect Post Link to Post Member Give Gift Back to Top Post by Funkytown on Aug 2, 2017 18:00:59 GMT -6 Aug 2, 2017 17:42:13 GMT -6 @norsemanjack said: Page, Tarkenton, Moss and Peterson. I don't put a coach on the mount unless they WIN a super bowl.

Reignman
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Vikings Mount Rushmore Aug 2, 2017 21:39:02 GMT -6

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Post by Reignman on Aug 2, 2017 21:39:02 GMT -6

Aug 2, 2017 17:42:13 GMT -6 @norsemanjack said:

Page, Tarkenton, Moss and Peterson. I don't put a coach on the mount unless they WIN a super bowl.

And what about players who choke away 3 Super Bowls lol? Or ones who never even make it to one?

Aug 8, 2024 18:42:12 GMT -6 whoskmoon said:

if sitting and watching something versus actually doing it made a person great at it, Reignman would be the next Ron Jeremy.

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Vikings Mount Rushmore Aug 5, 2017 1:05:31 GMT -6

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Post by Deleted on Aug 5, 2017 1:05:31 GMT -6

Aug 2, 2017 21:39:02 GMT -6 Reignman said:

Aug 2, 2017 17:42:13 GMT -6 @norsemanjack said:

Page, Tarkenton, Moss and Peterson. I don't put a coach on the mount unless they WIN a super bowl.

And what about players who choke away 3 Super Bowls lol? Or ones who never even make it to one?

Did you mean to say *four* Super Bowls? Or, are you at least letting me fault Grant for one of them? We should have beat the Chiefs. Two of the others were against clearly superior teams who were able to control the ball on the ground and wear us out. The Raiders could have gone either way, but we were getting pretty darned old by then.

Reignman
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Vikings Mount Rushmore Aug 5, 2017 3:02:33 GMT -6

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Post by Reignman on Aug 5, 2017 3:02:33 GMT -6

Nah I meant 3 in reference to Tarkenton lol. I never much cared for the guy, he talks too much. He was before my time as a fan, and for all the great numbers he put up, he clearly failed when it mattered most. It can be forgiven if it happens 1 time, but the guy had 3 chances. He was choking long before our franchise trademarked the practice lol.

Aug 8, 2024 18:42:12 GMT -6 whoskmoon said:

if sitting and watching something versus actually doing it made a person great at it, Reignman would be the next Ron Jeremy.

Minniman Moderator Posts: 13,640 Likes: 8,134	Vikings Mount Rushmore Aug 16, 2017 16:21:41 GMT -6 Quote Select Post Deselect Post Link to Post Member Give Gift Back to Top Post by Minniman on Aug 16, 2017 16:21:41 GMT -6 So far ... Coach, QB, Offense, Defense: Grant, Tarkenton, McDaniel, Page
	Logic is the beginning of wisdom - not the end.

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Vikings Mount Rushmore Aug 16, 2017 16:33:34 GMT -6

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Post by Minniman on Aug 16, 2017 16:33:34 GMT -6

They were all dominant, but AP was arguably the best offensive player in football for nearly a decade.

No ... not even close.

Does this guy not understand what quarterbacks are?

When Favre suited up in the purple, he was instantly the best offensive player on the team.

Adrian Peterson was a very good running back, but he was not a good blocker, had limited catching skills, and could only play well under deep formations. He also fumbled away important games.

McDaniel was the most dominant lineman of his era: 9 times All-Pro, 12 straight Pro Bowls, and 202 consecutive starts. He gets my vote.

Logic is the beginning of wisdom - not the end.

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Vikings Mount Rushmore Jun 13, 2018 18:01:07 GMT -6

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Post by Funkytown on Jun 13, 2018 18:01:07 GMT -6

Related:

NFL.com: All-Time NFC North by Adam Rank

Minnesota Vikings

1) Adrian Peterson, RB (2007-2016)
2) Randy Moss, WR (1998-2004, 2010)
3) Paul Krause, S (1968-1979)
4) Cris Carter, WR (1990-2001)
5) Fran Tarkenton, QB (1961-1966, 1972-1978)
6) Alan Page, DT (1967-1978)
7) John Randle, DT (1990-2000)
8) Chris Doleman, DE (1985-1993, 1999)
9) Carl Eller, DE (1964-1978)
10) Randall McDaniel, OG (1988-1999)
11) Mick Tingelhoff, C (1962-1978)
Coach: Bud Grant (1967-1983, 1985)

The Vikings: Four trips to the Super Bowl; zero Super Bowl wins. That has to sting. I mean, at least the Lions have all of those championships from the 1950s to hang their hat on. The Vikings? Nothing. But plenty of great players. I had a harder time with them than I thought, because there is no shortage of good options. Just like there was no shortage of patrons at Matt's, waiting to try the Juicy Lucy during Super Bowl week.

Adrian Peterson, no doubt, was at the top of the list (I don't mean for these to be in order). But I was kind of struck by how many great receivers the Vikings have had in their history. Randy Moss might be the greatest of all-time. Cris Carter was also exceptional. Ahmad Rashad was initially on my list, but I had to cut him. Too many great Vikings defenders.

Speaking of the defenders, Paul Krause was automatic. I met him at the Hall of Fame a few years back, and I'm not sure we walked away as friends. But Krause was legit. He is joined by Alan Page and Carl Eller, two more members from the era of the Purple People Eaters. And there have still been great defenders after the Eaters, including Chris Doleman and John Randle.

Link: www.nfl.com/news/story/0ap3000000936826/article/alltime-xi-nfc-north-aaron-rodgers-no-1-for-qbrich-packers

Last Edit: Jun 13, 2018 18:01:37 GMT -6 by Funkytown

Reignman
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Vikings Mount Rushmore Jun 16, 2018 13:08:49 GMT -6 Funkytown likes this

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Post by Reignman on Jun 16, 2018 13:08:49 GMT -6

I think Krause is probably too high, but I never actually seen him play so I'm strictly going by the INT numbers, which is why I assume everyone thought he was so great. But his numbers are misleading because he played in an era when INT's were much more common than they are today. He literally played when INT rates were the worst. And to be fair to him, he was still the best of that era when it came to ball-hawking.

League averages:

             INT:TD   QB
YEAR   INT%  RATIO  RATING Krause  TM  INT
1960   6.31   1.21   63.2
1961   6.32   1.21   64.6
1962   6.43   1.19   66.8
1963   5.75   1.04   69.1
1964   5.45   1.07   68.0  Krause  WAS  12
1965   5.30   1.02   67.3  Krause  WAS   6
1966   5.30   1.12   65.5  Krause  WAS   2
1967   5.74   1.15   64.8  Krause  WAS   8
1968   5.52   1.12   66.1  Krause  MIN   7
1969   5.24   1.05   68.9  Krause  MIN   5
1970   5.21   1.19   65.7  Krause  MIN   6
1971   5.78   1.40   62.1  Krause  MIN   6
1972   5.33   1.19   66.4  Krause  MIN   6
1973   5.31   1.24   65.0  Krause  MIN   4
1974   5.20   1.33   64.2  Krause  MIN   2
1975   5.34   1.23   65.8  Krause  MIN  10
1976   4.84   1.15   67.0  Krause  MIN   2
1977   5.74   1.45   61.3  Krause  MIN   2
1978   5.40   1.37   65.2  Krause  MIN   0
1979   4.60   1.11   70.3  Krause  MIN   3
1980   4.57   1.03   73.7
1981   4.29   1.03   73.0
1982   4.40   1.09   73.3
1983   4.41   0.99   75.7
1984   4.08   0.95   76.2
1985   4.17   1.01   73.4
1986   4.02   0.99   74.3
1987   4.00   0.88   75.1
1988   3.91   0.99   72.8
1989   3.90   0.96   75.8
1990   3.55   0.83   77.5
1991   3.50   0.95   76.4
1992   3.87   1.01   75.1
1993   3.25   0.91   76.7
1994   3.15   0.81   78.5
1995   3.07   0.77   79.3
1996   3.39   0.87   76.8
1997   3.05   0.78   77.1
1998   3.29   0.77   78.1
1999   3.35   0.85   77.2
2000   3.25   0.84   78.2
2001   3.37   0.86   78.5
2002   3.05   0.76   80.4
2003   3.26   0.82   78.5
2004   3.20   0.72   83.0
2005   3.07   0.79   80.2
2006   3.17   0.80   80.6
2007   3.13   0.74   82.6
2008   2.81   0.72   83.1
2009   3.08   0.74   83.1
2010   2.96   0.68   83.9
2011   2.91   0.68   84.4
2012   2.63   0.62   85.7
2013   2.77   0.62   85.9
2014   2.52   0.56   88.8
2015   2.38   0.52   90.2
2016   2.27   0.53   89.3
2017   2.46   0.58   86.8

This is also why it's impossible to compare QB's from different era's. The position has evolved too much. In fact you can see by how much year to year with this chart. I mean Jiminy Christmas, a QB rating of 90 used to be thought of as great, but it was the league average in 2015.

Last Edit: Jun 16, 2018 13:09:25 GMT -6 by Reignman

Aug 8, 2024 18:42:12 GMT -6 whoskmoon said:

if sitting and watching something versus actually doing it made a person great at it, Reignman would be the next Ron Jeremy.