Christian Ponder will head into next season as the Vikings starting quarterback.

Head coach Leslie Frazier gives end of year presser

Head coach Leslie Frazier gave his end of year press conference on Tuesday, although it was earlier than he had hoped. He is excited about 2013 and thinks the Minnesota Vikings have a very bright future with the likes of rookies Harrison Smith, Matt Kalil and Blair Walsh all stepping up to in their respective positions.

“We were looking at continuing our season but unfortunately that didn’t happen,” said Frazier. “I’m very, very proud of our football team and what they accomplished this season. Our guys worked extremely hard, going all the way back to April 23 when they came back in the building and set a foundation for this 2012 season. Because of their work we were able to secure a playoff spot.”

End of season injury report

Injuries: Jared Allen will have surgery on a labral tear after the Pro Bowl. Chris Kluwe will have surgery on his left meniscus. Tyrone McKenzie will heal on his own. Adrian Peterson is going to be evaluated after the Pro Bowl on his core muscles. Christian Ponder will heal on his own. Antoine Winfield is healing and should make full recovery. There were other minor player injuries that should heal on their own in the offseason.

Will Joe Webb remain a member of the Vikings?

» Continue reading “End Of The Season News Bulletin”

The Minnesota Vikings had four players named to the Pro Bowl roster on Tuesday: RB Adrian Peterson, DE Jared Allen, FB Jerome Felton and rookie kicker Blair Walsh.  The 2012 Vikings, who are in playoff contention, doubled their amount of players they are sending to the Pro Bowl this season from two to four players.

Jared Allen and Adrian Peterson are both heading to their fifth Pro Bowl.

Allen, who is going as a DE backup, has totaled 11.0 sacks this season.

Peterson, on the other hand, is having his best season of his career despite coming off major knee surgery.  AD leads the league in rushing and looks to surpass 2,000 yards on Sunday.

“It just goes to show when you put your faith in God and you put in the work, you can accomplish great things,” Peterson said on his selection.

Jerome Felton and Blair Walsh will both be going to the first Pro Bowl.

» Continue reading “Four Vikings Named To Pro Bowl”

Election day may be over, but there’s still something to vote for

The 2013 Pro Bowl Ballots were released this week and the Minnesota Vikings have quite a few guys showing up on the ballot this year.

The Vikings (6-5) have had many standout players this year that have led to this turnaround season from last year’s dismal 3-13 record. Automatic Pro Bowl bid Adrian Peterson is leading running backs in the league with 1,236 yards, averaging 5.8 yards a run and seven touchdowns, less than a year after having major ACL surgery.

Percy Harvin, also a likely Pro Bowl bid has 62 receptions for 677 yards and four touchdowns. He also has 16 kickoffs and averages 35.9 yards per kickoff return. Harvin appears twice on the Pro Bowl ballot as a wide receiver and kickoff returner. Tight end Kyle Rudolph, among top tight ends, has 39 receptions for 361 yards and seven touchdowns.

On the defensive side of the ball, veterans are having standout seasons. DE Jared Allen has 32 tackles and seven sacks this season. CB Antoine Winfield has 81 tackles and 3 interceptions. DE Brian Robison is having an exceptional season with 30 tackles and 5.5 sacks. LB Chad Greenway has 107 tackles this season, which is good for second in the league.

Rookies also have a good showing on the 2013 ballot with K Blair Walsh going 24-26 on field goals, with a 55-yard FG on his resume. Safety Harrison Smith is also leading rookies with 63 tackles and one interception.

Voting is going on now on Vikings.com and NFL.com. Vote for your favorite Vikings players to get to Hawaii in 2013.

TE Kyle Rudolph scores the Vikings lone touchdown in their loss to the Bears

A quick recap of the Vikings 28-10 loss to divisional foe, Chicago Bears

HOW THE GAME WAS LOST

Plain and simple, the game was lost with the turnover battle. The Vikings committed three turnovers (a fumble by Adrian Peterson, a fumble on an QB to RB exchange and a Christian Ponder interception).  Peterson’s fumble and Ponder’s interception both led to Chicago touchdowns.

TURNING POINT

The Vikings came out of halftime strong with an interception on the Bears first drive of the half by Antoine Winfield.  Winfield’s interception led to a two yard touchdown from Christian Ponder to Kyle Rudolph.  This cut the score 25-10.  On the Bears next drive, it seemed like Matt Forte fumbled with Mistral Raymond returning it 52 yards for a touchdown.  Initially, refs said it was confirmed.  However, moments later, they said the play was under review (LOL WUT).

Following the review, the call was over turned and Bears retained possession, while 6 points were taken off the board for the Vikings.

If the call had stand, the Vikings would have been down 7 points with a huge momentum shift towards the Vikings.  However, the Bears continued the drive and god a field goal to put them up 28-10.

» Continue reading “Vikings Lose To Bears 28-10″

RB Adrian Peterson was the only bright spot during Thursday’s loss

The Vikings fell to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers at home tonight, losing by the final score of 36-17.

The loss came as a team effort tonight, even Adrian Peterson, who ran for 123 yards on 15 carries with a touchdown had a costly fumble in the third quarter. The only other offensive player to have a decent night was Percy Harvin, who had 7 receptions for 92 yards and a touchdown. Another bright spot of the game was the 51-yard field goal by rookie kicker, Blair Walsh.  He is now 4-4 on the season from beyond 50 yards.

Although he didn’t have a great night, Christian Ponder did have a better week than last, completing 19 of 35 passes for 251 yards with one touchdown and one interception.  His best throw was an 18-yard pass to Percy Harvin in the end zone. » Continue reading “Vikings Fall (Hard) To Buccaneers, Lose 2 Of Last 3″

Adrian Peterson returned to scene of knee injury, but couldn’t come away with a Vikings victory

Vikings fall to Redskins in dominant fashion 38-26, ending Washington’s eight-game home losing streak.

Christian Ponder led the Vikings on a second-half comeback, but it wasn’t quite enough to stop Robert Griffin III. The Vikings jumped out to a 9-0 lead, kicking three field goals in the first quarter, but never making it to the end zone. The Redskins then scored 24 unanswered points, their defense stopping the Minnesota offense until late in the third quarter, when Blair Walsh booted his fourth field goal of the game.

“We definitely had some opportunities early in that game to alter the approach of our opponent, but we didn’t capitalize on some early opportunities in that first quarter and they ended up coming back to haunt us late on,” said head coach Leslie Frazier.

The 12-point deficit wasn’t insurmountable, until ex-Vikings safety Madieu Williams picked off Ponder and ran it back for six, giving the Redskins a 31-12 lead. Ponder did make things interesting, leading the Vikings to back-to-back touchdowns. The first was a 9-yard pass to wide receiver Michael Jenkins and a two point conversion to tight end Kyle Rudolf, the second was a 1-yard pass to Kyle Rudolf, making the game 31-26. The Vikings defense made good stops on the Redskins’ offense, but on their final try, Griffin III put the Vikings down for good, with a 76-yard touchdown run. » Continue reading “Vikings Fall To Redskins, End Three-Game Win Streak”

Is Percy Harvin on his way to a MVP-type season?

The Minnesota Vikings are 4-1 and in first place in the NFC North. I REPEAT, the Minnesota Vikings are in FIRST PLACE (!!) in the NFC North. Raise your hand if you expected that? And if you raised your hand, you’re lying.

The Vikings not only have beaten TWO 2011 playoff teams this season, they are now beginning to beat up on the lower-tier teams.  After their week two loss to Indy, the Vikings have been putting forth a total team effort in each of their three victories since then.

HOW THE GAME WAS WON
The Minnesota Vikings came out today and flat out dominated the Tennessee Titans in their 30-7 victory.  The Vikings held the Titans, who were playing with their backup quarterback, Matt Hasselback, scoreless through three complete quarters.   Although the Vikings offense was effective and put the game away, credit for the win needs to be given to the surprisingly dominate Vikings defense.

» Continue reading “Vikings Win Big In 30-7 Blowout of Tennessee”

Vikings celebrate a 23-14 victory over the 49ers

Quick recap of the Minnesota Vikings shocking 23-14 win over the proclaimed “Best team in the NFL,” aka the San Francisco 49ers.

HOW THE GAME WAS WON
Essentially, the Minnesota Vikings dominated from start to (almost) finish, when they refs wanted in one the action.

The Vikings took control of the game on their 16-play, 82-yard opening drive.  The Vikings faced a 4-1 at the SF one yard line and Leslie Frazier and the Vikings elected to go for it.  QB Christian Ponder connected with TE Kyle Rudolph for a one yard touchdown catch to put the Vikings up 7-0 and they never looked back.

ALMOST TURNING POINT
The Vikings went into halftime with a 17-3 lead, but people in Minnesota know that this isn’t a huge deficit for the opposing team, especially one as good as San Francisco.

The 49ers received the ball to start the third quarter and Kevin Williams returned it 94 yards to the Vikings 14 yard line, which caused all Vikings fans to go, “UT-OH, NOT AGAIN!”

Thankfully, the Vikings defense held the 49ers offense to a field goal.  On the Niners next next possession, they once again drove down the field.  But this time, the Niners were able to put up 7 when Alex Smith connected with TE Veron Davis to put the Vikings up only 4.

“CRAP, NOT AGAIN!!!” said all Vikings fans. » Continue reading “Game Recap: Minnesota Vikings Beat SF 23-14″

It’s been 11 years since the horrific terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001 and yet it feels like yesterday when life as we knew it changed.  Being an American and living in the greatest country is about each person having freedom to dream big and live their life to the fullest. Although the terrorists attempted to pull our country down, we came together as one to prove there is no country like the United States and we truly are proud to be American.

“Terrorist attacks can shake the foundations of our biggest buildings, but they cannot touch the foundation of America. These acts shatter steel, but they canny deny the steel of American resolve. America was targets for attack because we are the brightest beacon for freedom and opportunity in the world. And no one will keep that light from shining.” – George W. Bush

We are lucky to be American and to live in this great country.  No matter what is thrown our way, we will stand as one.

September 11th is one of those days where everyone stops and reflects on our great country and to thank those who lost their lives or loved ones due to senseless acts of terror.

Below are some Vikings players who took time to reflect on 9/11 on Twitter:

» Continue reading “Twitter Tuesday: Vikings Players Remember 9/11″

Adrian Peterson is all smiles following his return to game action after last year’s knee surgery

Vikings fans have anticipated September 9 for months. Probably for most, since December 24 when Adrian Peterson tore his ACL and MCL in what looked like an injury that may cause him to miss the entire 2012-2013 season. But much to the dismay of his critics, Adrian Peterson stomped back to start in week one, running for 84 yards, two touchdowns and a Vikings opening week 26-23 overtime victory.

With their first home opener since 2007, the Vikings brought the excitement in front of 56,607 fans. Rookie Blair Walsh booted a 55-yard field goal with four seconds remaining in the game to send Mall of America Field into frenzy.

“I’ve been bragging on this guy,” Peterson said.

Winning the coin toss, Christian Ponder lead the Vikings down the field, accompanied by Peterson, who on the eventual game-winning 27-yard drive became the Vikings all-time leading rusher.

“I told him afterward: `I’m not sure you weren’t just faking that ACL,’” Vikings coach Leslie Frazier said. “He looked pretty good to me.”

» Continue reading “Peterson Shines, Walsh Saves in Vikings Overtime Home Opener Win”