vikings/nfl
Dan Wiederer began covering the Vikings in 2011, enthusiastically delivering insight on the team across the Star Tribune's print and digital products. Prior to joining the Access Vikings team, he spent seven seasons covering ACC basketball at The Fayetteville (N.C.) Observer. He also covered the Chicago Bears in 2003 and 2004. Follow him on Twitter @StribDW.
Mark Craig has covered football and the NFL the past 20 years, including the Browns from 1991-95 and the Vikings and the NFL since 2003. Since 2008, Craig has served as one of the 44 Pro Football Hall of Fame selectors. He can be followed on Twitter at @markcraignfl.
Frazier: 'Our goal is to squelch the talk of an undefeated season'
Posted by: Mark Craig under Injury report, Vikings, Bears, NFC, Packers, Super Bowl, Leslie Frazier, Anthony Herrera, Leslie Frazier Updated: November 10, 2011 - 12:55 PM
Vikings coach Leslie Frazier has been where the undefeated Packers are right now. He's also heard the outside "chatter" that comes with the possibility of joining the 1972 Dolphins as the only team to make it through an entire season undefeated.
Frazier was a cornerback with the Bears in 1985 when they started 12-0, lost a Monday nighter at Miami and then ran the table, including a Super Bowl win. He also was with the Colts as an assistant coach when they started 13-0 in 2005 and 9-0 en route to the Super Bowl win during the 2006 season.
"This early, you might not think about [an undefeated season] quite as much, although you hear a lot about it from people outside of your organization," said Frazier, referring to the Packers' 8-0 start. "But the longer you're undefeated, the more the drama builds and it can be overwhelming if you are not a mature team. But they seem to be.
"Our goal is to squelch the talk of an undefeated season after Monday night. But it can grow to the point where you lose sight of what your goal is, which is to get to the Super Bowl and win the Super Bowl."
Other highlights from Frazier's press conference today:
- We'll update this with the injury report later in the day, but the only injury the team is dealing with, Frazier said, is right guard Anthony Herrera's left knee. Frazier said the damaged lateral collateral ligament is "improving," but Herrera's availability in practice this week is day to day.
- Frazier said he'll be communicating with cornerback Chris Cook from "time to time." Cook was reinstated to the 53-man roster on Monday, but will not take part in team activities as he fights his felony domestic assault charge.
- On Christian Ponder's first trip to Lambeau Field, Frazier said of Ponder, "There's not a whole lot that intimidates or frightens him."
Ponder also spoke to reporters today. Some of the highlights:
- He praised Lambeau Field as one would expect. But he also said he'll "treat it as any other game." The kid does have some serious poise, but we'll have to wait and see if he can pull off Monday as just another game.
- Ponder hasn't had many cold-weather games. Monday won't be terrible, but it will be chilly for a kid from Texas who played college ball in Florida. Ponder said he played in the 32-degree weather with rain in last year's ACC Championship game. "It was brutal," he said.
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