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”

Percy Harvin missed Thursdays practice

Percy Harvin was missing from today’s practice due to a family matter, but should return tomorrow according to Leslie Frazier.  Harvin is still questionable for Sunday’s game, but Frazier is “convinced” that he will be ready to play.

Here’s some more notes from Leslie Frazier courtesy of yesterday’s press conference:

• TE John Carlson has still not been cleared to practice yet.
• Frazier has not named a CB replacement for Chris Cook yet. He will be looking at A.J. Jefferson and Josh Robinson over the next few practices to decide who gets the spot.
• Asked why they haven’t made a move yet and if they were waiting for the trade deadline, Frazier responded by saying “You want to do everything you can to try and improve the team and help your team be better. You want to exhaust all avenues in doing that”.
• Asked about why they worked out punter Brian Stahovich, Frazier answered by stating “We worked out some different guys” and went on to say “It’s something we’ll do throughout the season. We’ll probably bring in some other guys next week as well. Rick and the personnel department are helping us to have a Rolodex of players  that could potentially be available if we have an injury or something else occurs. So it’s something that will be ongoing for us throughout the year, we’ve always done that”.
• When he was asked about Chris Kluwe’s recent struggles he said, “Chris is a pro, he’ll figure it out”.

» Continue reading “Vikings Quick Hits: 11/01″

On Wednesday June 13th, the Minnesota Vikings hosted a golf tournament at the Rush Creek Golf Club in Maple Grove, MN, according to Vikings.com.

The tournament featured 30 Vikings players, including QB Christian Ponder, RB Toby Gerhart and TE Kyle Rudolph.  The entire coaching staff, executives, Victor the Vikings mascot, and the Vikings cheerleaders were also in attendance.

Proceeds of the event will benefit the Vikings Children’s Fund.

“Good chance for us to go out and do something in the community and raise some funds for some kids and people who are less fortunate than we are,” Vikings Head Coach Leslie Frazier said.

Below are pictures and tweets from the event: » Continue reading “Vikings Go Golfing For Charity”

The NFL will allow all teams to take 90 players to training camp, which is where the current Minnesota Vikings roster stands (however, the 10 draft picks remain unsigned).  Below is the breakdown of each position, as of May 21st, 2012:

Offense

Quarterbacks: **Christian Ponder, Joe Webb (back-up), Sage Rosenfels and McLeod Bethel-Thompson

Running backs: **Adrian Peterson, Toby Gerhart, Jordan Todman, Derrick Coleman, Lex Hilliard and Jerome Felton

Wide receivers:  **Percy Harvin, **Jerome Simpson, Manny Arceneaux, Devin Aromashodu, Stephen Burton, Michael Jenkins, Greg Childs, Jarius Wright, Chris Carr, Bryan Walters, Kamar Jorden and Kerry Taylor

Tight ends: **Kyle Rudolph, **John Carlson, Mickey Shuler, Allen Reisner and Rhett Ellison

Offensive linemen: **Matt Kalil (LT), **John Sullivan (C), **Phil Loadholt (RT), **Charlie Johnson (LG), Geoff Schwartz (OL), Kevin Murphy (OT), DeMarcus Love (OT), Brandon Fuscco (OL), Chris DeGeare (OG), Pat Brown (OL), Joe Berger (OL), Tyler Holmes (OG), Darrion Weems (OT), Quentin Saulsberry (C) and Austin Pasztor (OG)

Fullbacks: Ryan D’Imperio and Matt Asiata

Defense

Linebackers: **Chad Greenway, **Erin Henderson, **Jasper Brinkley, Tyrone McKenzie, Larry Dean, Audie Cole, Marvin Mitchell, Tyler Nielson, Corey Paredes and Solomon Elimimian

Defensive linemen: **Jared Allen (DE), **Brian Robinson (DE), **Kevin Williams (DT), D’Aundre Reed (DE), Letroy Guion (DT), Everson Griffen (DE), Fred Evans (DT), Christian Ballard (DL), Trevor Guyton (DL), Nick Reed (DE), Anthony Jacobs (DE), Chase Baker (DT), Terrell Resonno (DT), Tydreke Powell (DT), Ernest Owusu (DE) and Eric Latimore (DE)

Safeties: **Harrison Smith, Robert Blanton, Eric Frampton, Mistral Raymond, Jamarca Sanford and Andrew Sendejo

Corner backs: **Chris Cook, **Antoine Winfield, Marcus Sherels, Brandon Burton, Asher Allen, Josh Robinson, Zach Bowman, Reggie Jones, Bobby Felder, C.C. Whitlock and Nick Taylor

Special Teams

Kicker: Blair Walsh

Punter: Chris Kluwe

Long snapper: Cullen Loeffler

** indicates likely starter/will receive major reps

Chris Kluwe is the Minnesota Vikings punter and one of the most interesting people on twitter (seriously, go follow him!).  Below he talks about the Vikings, the NFL, life, music, and video games. Enjoy!

What are your thoughts on the new Vikings stadium? 

Chris Kluwe: I’m just happy that it’s finally been resolved.  It’s been almost 10 years now that the Vikings have been trying to get t his thing figured out and it’s nice to get some closure.

What are your expectations going into the 2012 season?  What’s the vibe around the locker room and around the team heading into off-season workouts?

CK: Hopefully to be atop the NFC North at the end of the year with a chance at the Super Bowl.  It’s going to take a lot of hard work, since the division is pretty tough this year, but I know guys are going to try their best to be ready.

What’s your thoughts on the Vikings mind-set of getting younger?  You lost some veteran presence in the locker room, including your friend Ryan Longwell, how does that affect the locker room?

CK: That kind of thing happens every off-season, and while it’s sad to see Ryan go, it’s an unfortunate part of the business.  We just have to move on and help make this new kicker (Blair Walsh) be the best he can be.

Workouts have begun at Winter Park and OTAs start at the end of the month, but it’s still the “off-season.”  What do you have planned for the rest of your off-season before training camp?

CK: I’m back in Minnesota until June 25 when OTAs end, then I’ll head to California for a month or so.  After that, it’s fall camp into the season.

What are your thoughts on the two years of having Brett Favre on your team?  What kind of presence was he in the locker room?  It was rumored in New York he was a “bad teammate,” was that the case in Minnesota?

CK: I thought it was a lot of fun having Brett around, he was a good guy and I didn’t get any sense of him being a bad teammate.  You could tell he really loved playing the game, and was out there to win every time he stepped on the field.

I know you’re not a kicker, but you must have an opinion on the ever-changing kick-off position and the rumors of the NFL potentially doing away with kick-offs all together? How would that change the game?

CK: It would take a lot of excitement out of the game, but if that’s something they think will make the game a lot safer then it’s hard to oppose getting rid of it.  They’ll have to come up with something to replace it though.

What are your thoughts on Bryan Anger getting drafted in the third round?  Seemed to shock a lot of people.

CK:  A lot of people minimize the kicking game, but a lot of people also don’t understand just how much the kicking game can affect everything else that goes on.  Whether it be your offense starting backed up, your defense having to hold an opponent from mid-field instead of the other 20, or even making field goals; all that stuff affects the outcome of the game.  It’s subtle, but just because it’s subtle doesn’t mean it’s not there.  Punters don’t normally go in the third round but the Jaguars felt they had a need at the position and they felt that Anger was good enough to justify that pick; now it’s on him to perform.

People often discount your comments/rants by saying, “You’re just a punter.”  Tell them why punters are still football players, I mean you are they few players that actually use their foot to play.  (My comeback is usually, well he’s more of a football player than you, who is sitting on your couch..BOOM!)

CK:  I ask them, “Do you make fun of quarterbacks because they can’t play d-line?  Do you laugh at linebackers because they can’t run routes?”  Everyone has a role to play, and to say someone is not a football player just because they do a job you don’t understand is kind of stupid.  Also, feel free to come and take it from me at any time.  Seriously, if it’s that easy to do, come on out to Winter Park and take my spot.  I’ll get to spend more time with my kids.

The Saints bounty issue and the NFLPA has been a hot topic in your twitter rants.  What’s your opinions on the NFLPA’s current stance on the bounty situation? 

CK: The guys accused of placing the bounties deserve an appeal, as that’s their right, but if the evidence against them is airtight then I think it’s best if they just accept their punishment and not try to weasel out of it.  That being said, the NFL needs to produce the evidence, because right now they’ve told everyone they have it but we haven’t had a chance to see it yet.  I don’t think the NFL would make those kind of accusations without proper proof, but you never know, sometimes mix-ups happen.

What’s your stance on the concussion issue in the NFL? Do you believe the NFL is on the right track to bettering the game and making it safer? 

CK: I think you have to do everything in your power to make the game as safe as possible within the constraints of football.  We all know the risks when we step out on the field, and we choose to accept them; the challenge is mitigating those risks as best as we can without taking away from the intensity of the game.  I think the NFL is on the right path, not just from a safety standpoint, but also to avoid future lawsuits.

Roddy White tweeted his stance on making the game safer by saying the former players are killing the game by suing the NFL and that he won’t care if he isn’t able to walk at the age of 50 because of the game.  Any comments?

CK: That’s Roddy White’s choice.  I don’t think the NFL is killing the game by making sure guys have the chance at a certain quality of life after they’re done playing that doesn’t involve drooling from the mouth and falling over.

Two hypothetical questions:    1) What would you do if you were the NFL commissioner?   AND    2) What would you do if you were elected president?

CK: 1) Fine everyone $10,000 and use it to build myself a moonbase.
2) Tax everyone $100 and use it to build myself a moonbase.

For one of the most interesting person on Twitter, what is it like being Chris Kluwe?

CK: Mainly long boring episodes filled with sheer moments of absolute terror.

Any updates with your band?

CK: We released our latest CD at TrippingIcarus.net, and we’re recording another one this May. Listen to it!

You’re an avid gamer, what are you into these days?  And one of my fellow writers wants to know if you have ever played Starcraft?

CK:  Started playing Tera, which is a lot of fun, and of course I’m going to be jumping into Diablo 3 when it comes out Tuesday.  I have played Starcraft (both 1 and 2) but never really competitively or multiplayer, I mainly enjoy going through the campaigns.

Thank you soo much Chris!

CK: No problemo