Dem Vikings!

     There’s no doubt that this year is special.  I agree with the Players and Coaches when they refer to the upcoming season with “Cautious Optomisum”.   As much as I would like to pencil the Vikings into Super Bowl 43 I realize that there’s alot of time between now and then and alot has to happen and/or not happen.

     Of course the big question is whether or not T-Jak can “manage” the offense and not turn the ball over.  Although Coaches and Teamates both agree that Jackson has improved from last year his early play this Training Camp has been up and down.  Just as important is the health of our favorite teams starters and maintaining the best group of reserve players possible.  Besides Pat Williams sore elbow and Ray Edwards being on the PUP list the team for now is healthy and overall injury free.  I worry about this upcoming Thursday nights Scrimmage with the Kansas City Chiefs in River Falls.  History proves that it’s always a shoving match when these two teams meet.  With tempers flaring and young players trying to prove themselves to make thier teams now shortened rosters, there is usually no shortage of drama.  Add the offseason Jarred Allen trade and the fact that Kansas City has lots of young players, this is a potential reciepe for dissaster.  I know that injuries are part of the game but to loose players before the regular season starts is very unfortunate and could change the whole outcome of a teams season.

     Training Camp and preseason games are the tools used to shape your roster and the Vikings have some work to do.  After last years dissapointing showing for newly aquired and some believe (including me) overpaid TE Visanthe Shiancoe all you hear so far this Camp is praise for the strides he’s taken in his professionalism, pass catching, and overall production from Coaches and Teamates alike.  Garrett Mills has impressed everyone with his strong play seemingly wrapping up the backup role behind Shiancoe.  Along with the obvious battle for the 3rd QB spot, which I believe JD Booty will own, some surprise battles are shaping up in the very beginning of Camp including the 3rd CB spot with Gordon and Sapp impressing the Coaches, the RT position where Marcus Johnson has been working mostly with the 1st offense over Ryan Cook, and E.J. Hendersons brother Erin is battling a solid group of backup linebackers for a spot on the roster.  These welcomed battles are good for a team building a strong deep roster in which I believe the Vikings have.  We will have to see how this next week and a half pans out before the first preseason game with the Seahawks at the Metrodome.  I’m sure Childress is chomping at the bit to get his team on the field to see some of these position battles play out in a game time situation.  I look forward to every Vikings game as I’m sure you do as well!  Go Vikes!!     

     With the vikings reporting to camp today, and starting practice on Friday, we are one step closer to the start of the new season.  With all that can happen between seasons how can you clearly assess where your team is going if you don’t know where your team is.  Let’s take a quick look at the Vikings current situation.

      Adding Jared Allen, Bernard Berrian, and Madeau Williams among others this offseason you can hardly accuse Childress and company of a lack of effort to improve the team whenever possible.  Jared Allen will be a rock at the right end position for many years to come.  Bernard Berrian has the potential to be the No. 1 reciever the Vikings have been in need of, and Madeau Williams is a huge improvement over Dwight Smith. Giving up our 1st round pick for Allen, we selected a heir apparent to Sharper in the 2nd. Other notable picks include a huge steal in JD Booty in the 5th and a senior Center from the University of Notre Dame.

     Is Tarvaris Jackson able to make that next step wrapping up the starting QB spot? Can Adrian Peterson stay healthy?  Can Thomas Tapeh, our new FB, get the job done? Bryant Mckinnie might miss the first four games due to a fight at a Miami nightclub this offseason.  The Williams Wall is back!  E.J, Greenway, and Leber are solid.  Our young CB’s are working hard and learning from Winfield.  Madeau Williams should allow Sharper to look for the ball even more and with all of our quality backups the special teams squad should shine!

     We also can’t forget that without some sort of drama the Vikings wouldn’t be the Vikings. Enter the lastest, the charges from the Packers that the Vikings front office was tampering with seemed to be retired QB Brett Favre. Also, the Stadium issue that has haunted the Vikings for quite some time. A new proposal to use parts of the Metrodome foundation for a “open air” stadium reduces the cost and may be exactly what the Vikings need.

     I’m very excited about this team and look forward to the season opener against Green Bay. Along with all of the new additions, the favorable schedule (No winter “open air” away games, a mid season bye week), and the return of the best RB duo in the league, I believe that we have the best postseason shot we’ve had in years. With all that said it’s time to discuss where we’re going.

Last week, a commentor brought up a the point of firing Brad Childress.  I am still on the fence about getting rid of Coach Childress.  There have been many times when I was watching the Vikings in the last 2 seasons, and I kept thinking that the team did not have the greatest play calling on offense, and the same plays seemed to be called over and over.  Also, at other times is was like the team did not use blocking scheems correctly.  This is supposed to be a professional football team and it seemed way to often that the Vikings did not know what was going on.

As for this season, with all the new faces on offense and defense it will be interesting how long it takes to get this group of guys to work together.  I think that the defense will be fine, I just hope that our pass defense has upgraded dramatically.  The offense is what is going to need the most chemistry.  I knolw it isn’t hard to turn around and hand the ball off to Taylor or Peterson, but we need to be able to pass the ball with better consistancy this year.  I hope that our coach can get this team moving on offense this year, otherwise I say get rid of him.

The Vikings have relesed DE Erasmus James.  This is not to shocking, considering he was injured almost his entire career.  Without James our defensive line is still one of the strongest in the NFL.  There is still a rumor that the Vikings are going to trade for DE Jason Taylor.  The possible trade is that we give up a 3rd round pick, but Talor has said that he might only play for one more year.  This could be worth it for the fact that our line would be virtually impossable.  Even without Taylor, the Vikings linebackers will not have to blitz as much, because Jared Allen, Pat Williams, Kevin Williams, and Ray Edwards will be putting on plenty of pressure on the quarterback.  I expect a better pass defense for the Vikings in  2008.

Our offense still needs to prove that it can make plays with out Adrian Peterson in the game, and Tavaris Jackson needs to be able to read the coverage, check into audibles, and complete effective passes to make our offense more than one dimentional.  The play calling needs to be more effective in my eyes because all we seemed to be doing was running the ball to the left.  My prediction is Vikings record is 10-6.

Here we go on our way to the 2008 NFL draft.  With the vikings having the 17th pick I have heard a lot of rumors about what they will do.  The first scenerio is that they draft, Derrick Harvey (DE, Florida), I think it would be a good pick considering the Vikings lack a pass rushing DE.  The second scenerio is that we draft, Philip Merling (DE, Clemson).  Merling really seems to fit the Vikings needs more than Harvey does.  Merling draft status went up after his combine.  He is more of a run stopping DE like Udeze is, and it sounds more and more like we are going to go with Merling with this pick.  The last rumor I have heard is that we trade one of our picks to the Dolphins for pass rushing DE Jason Taylor.  Now I realize that a lot of fans would love this trade but the Vikings would be getting a player with only about 2 great years left in his prime.  I would support this decision but I would rather see the Vikes go with a younger DE. 

Now with the negative news that the team seems to be getting into again.  Former Viking Carl Eller was pulled over for driving under the influence and assulted 2 officers?, this after he was tased but didn’t feel any effects.  Now I know he is not part of the organization or team but his name is affiliated with it.  Just another black eye for the Vikes.  Also, Bryant McKinnie was arrested in February for spitting in the face of a nightclub bouncer, then shoves his cell phone in the face of the bouncer?  What type of professionalism is this?  What has to be going through your mind to do this stuff?  I guess what our teams need is someone to show them how to act when not in-season.  Thanks for reading, see you in a couple of weeks.

Here’s a little bit of Vikings history for those in search of those ancient answers. Expect more like this in the weeks and months to come. Special thanks to TJ for compiling this information in an easy-to-read format.

The Skol Vikings Song

Skol Vikings, let’s win the game!

Skol Vikings, honor your name!

Go get a first down,

Them get a touchdown.

Rock ‘em! Sock ‘em!

Fight! Fight! Fight! Fight!

Go Vikings, run out the score,

You’ll hear us yell for more!

V-I-K-I-N-G-S

Skol Vikings, let’s go!

******************************************************

Viking Firsts

FIRST HEAD COACH — Norm Van Brocklin was selected as the first head coach in franchise history. He retired as a player in 1960 after 12 seasons in the NFL as a Hall of Fame QB.

FIRST COLLEGE DRAFT — On Dec. 27, 1960, RB Tommy Mason of Tulane was taken with the 1st overall choice and the first-ever draft pick utilized by the Vikings. Also selected that year were QB Fran Tarkenton (3rd round) and DB Ed Sharockman (5th round).

FIRST GAME — In the first game in franchise history, the Vikings played the Dallas Cowboys in a preseason game in Sioux Falls, SD, on Aug. 5, 1961. The Cowboys defeated the Vikings, 38- 13.

FIRST HOME GAME — The Minnesota Vikings played the Los Angeles Rams in preseason action at Metropolitan Stadium in Bloomington, MN, on Sept. 10, 1961, the team’s first game in the Twin Cities. The Rams defeated the Vikings, 21-17.

FIRST REGULAR-SEASON GAME — In a stunning upset, the Vikings defeated the Chicago Bears, 37-13, at Metropolitan Stadium in the Vikings’ first NFL regular-season game on Sept. 17, 1961. Kicker Mike Mercer scored the first points in team history with a 12-yard field goal. Bob Schnelker scored the team’s first touchdown on a 14-yard pass from Fran Tarkenton. In his NFL debut Tarkenton came off the bench to complete 17-of-23 passes for 250 yards and 4 touchdowns.

FIRST PRO BOWLERS — On Jan. 14, 1962, RB Hugh McElhenny and WR Jerry Reichow became the first Vikings to compete in the Pro Bowl. They were part of the Western Conference All-Stars who beat the Eastern Conference squad, 31-30, at the Los Angeles Coliseum.

FIRST ALL-PRO — In 1963 RB Tommy Mason, who was the team’s first ever draft choice, was the first Vikings player to earn All-Pro recognition. He was a consensus pick after rushing for 763 yards and 7 touchdowns on 166 carries (4.6 avg.).

FIRST WINNING SEASON — Minnesota won its final 3 regular-season games in 1964 to achieve the first winning season in team history with an 8-5-1 record. The Vikings tied for 2nd in the NFL Western Conference behind Baltimore.

FIRST DIVISION TITLE — On Dec. 15, 1968 the Vikings defeated the Philadelphia Eagles, 24- 17, at Franklin Field then retired to the dressing room to listen to the Chicago-Green Bay game on the radio. Minnesota needed the Bears to lose to clinch the Vikings’ 1st Division title. Chicago tried to rally from a 28-10 4th quarter deficit but eventually fell 28-17.

FIRST PLAYOFF GAME — On Dec. 22, 1968, in the first playoff game in franchise history, the Colts defeated the Vikings, 24-14, in the Western Conference Championship Game at Baltimore’s Memorial Stadium. Minnesota trailed 21-0 in the 4th quarter but a late rally fell short.

FIRST PLAYOFF WIN — On Dec. 27, 1969, in the first NFL playoff game in Minnesota, the Vikings came from behind to defeat the LA Rams, 23-20, in the Western Conference Championship Game. Minnesota overcame deficits of 17-7 at halftime and 20-14 in the 4th quarter for the franchise’s 1st postseason win.

FIRST NFL CHAMPIONSHIP GAME — The Vikings defeated the Browns, 27-7, in the NFL Championship Game on Jan. 4, 1970, at Metro - politan Stadium. Minnesota became the 1st modern NFL expansion team to win an NFL Championship Game. The Vikings dominated the game, leading 27-0 at one point.

FIRST SUPER BOWL — On Jan. 11, 1970, the Vikings lost to Kansas City, 23-7, in Super Bowl IV at Tulane Stadium in New Orleans. Not only was the game the 1st Super Bowl in franchise history, but it was the 1st Super Bowl played by a modern expansion team.

Dem Vikings!

During the weeks and months to come, the staff of VikingsCards.com will begin work on what we hope to be an all-encompassing cross section of the Minnesota Vikings. Skol Vikings will include articles written about such things as Vikings History, Football Collectibles, Vikings Players Past and Present, and personal editorials written by the staff of VCC.

In the meantime, enjoy surfing the already vast collection of Vikings Cards, Memorabilia, and Publications found here on VikingsCards.com. While you’re here, be sure to sign the Guestbook, and tell the staff what you think of their work.

Sincerely,

Us