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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.


Posts about Leslie Frazier

Vikings QB Christian Ponder sharpening decision-making as OTAs wrap up

Posted by: Dan Wiederer Updated: June 12, 2013 - 3:48 PM

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 The Vikings will hold their 10th and final Organized Team Activity on Thursday at Winter Park before reconvening next week for a three-day mini-camp. And as the offseason program enters the finishing stretch, third-year quarterback Christian Ponder continues zeroing in on making good reads more consistently.

On Wednesday afternoon, before teeing off at the team’s annual golf outing, an event that benefits the Vikings’ Children’s Fund, Ponder was asked how he’s measuring himself during this OTA stretch.“

The biggest thing is decision making,” he said. “Obviously you want to complete as many balls as possible, especially in things like 7-on-7. But we’re being put into some hard situations as well. Third-and-long. Blitz. A lot of blitz drills and everything. So it’s tough. I think the defense definitely has the upper hand in these drills. But it’s good for us to see that. And it makes the quarterback make smart decisions and get the ball out quick. So you want to see completions and the right decisions.”

Ponder knows the bar has been raised for him in his third year as a starter. And with back-up Matt Cassel now in the picture, his leash might not be quite as long in 2013 if his struggles are extreme. Still, the Vikings quarterback said the key in May and June is to feel things out within the offense without feeling exorbitant pressure.

“This is a time for us as an offense to just try a bunch of new stuff and see what sticks and see what we like,” Ponder said. “And there are a lot of new plays going in and everything. So it’s a fun time. It’s fun to try out quirky plays and see what the defense does. And the defense is doing the same thing, running funky coverages and everything. But our mindset is we want to get better every day and see a progression heading into training camp.”

Injury update

On the injury front, Vikings coach Leslie Frazier reported that Chad Greenway’s Thursday morning arthroscopic surgery to clean up his left knee went well as expected. Greenway will be out of action until training camp begins in late July.

Fellow linebacker Nate Williams, signed in April as an undrafted free agent, has also undergone minor ankle surgery and, according to Frazier, will be sidelined until camp opens in Mankato as well.

The Vikings have their share of injuries to keep tabs on, especially with Pro Bowl defensive end Jared Allen continuing rehabilitation on his left shoulder in which he had a labrum tear repaired shortly after last season ended. Allen has been at Winter Park the past two weeks but not on the practice field. And he won’t be back in action during mini-camp next week either.

But Frazier said Wednesday he anticipated very few injury issues to still be a concern when the team reports to Mankato. The longest shot to be ready may be second-year receiver Greg Childs, who continues attacking his recovery from torn patellar tendons in both knees.

Frazier said after Tuesday’s practice that he isn’t certain how quickly Childs will receive medical clearance to return to full action but won’t rule out the receiver getting back to practice early in training camp.

"I have my fingers crossed, hoping that that will happen," Frazier said. "I'm waiting on [head athletic trainer] Eric Sugarman and our medical staff to give us the green light. But that would be my hope. We'll see what happens. I'm not sure what direction it will go."

Center of attention

On Wednesday, Frazier also noted that the team is closely monitoring the progress of standout center John Sullivan, who had microfracture surgery on his left knee.

In Sullivan’s absence during OTAs, the Vikings have tinkered with back-up plans at center. Veteran Joe Berger has seen work there. In addition, Brandon Fusco, who started all 16 games at right guard and is the expected starter there for 2013, has also handled snaps.

“We don’t see any problems with Sully being ready to go,” Frazier said. “But you want to make sure that you have other guys prepared.”

Fusco was a center during his college career at Slippery Rock and could be an option at the position if Sullivan’s recovery was to hit an unforeseen snag or if he had any lingering knee issues that sidelined him during the season.

Sliding Fusco to center, of course, would then open up the competition at right guard where rookies Jeff Baca and Travis Bond as well as veteran Seth Olsen could figure into the mix.

Still, Frazier believes Sullivan’s recuperation will stay on track which would give the Vikings the luxury of opening training camp with the same starting offensive line that started all 16 games last year.

“We’ve still got to see a little more progress out of John Sullivan,” Frazier said. “He’s making progress. But we want to continue to see that. … You just want to see him continue to gain confidence and not be worried about the surgery but just move on. And he’s making progress. From everything that Eric Sugarman tells me, he’s on target. He’s moving in the right direction. And we’ve got enough time for him to continue to improve. Hopefully when we get started, he’ll be able to go full go right away.”

Vikings linebacker Chad Greenway will have minor knee surgery Wednesday

Posted by: Dan Wiederer Updated: June 11, 2013 - 1:39 PM

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Vikings linebacker Chad Greenway will be sidelined until the start of training camp as he prepares to have minor arthroscopic knee surgery. Greenway, who missed Tuesday's Organized Team Activities at Winter Park, will undergo the procedure on Wednesday and will miss the rest of this week’s OTAs as well as next week’s three-day mini-camp.
 
Said coach Leslie Frazier: “He had a little tension in his knee. ... Just some tenderness in the knee. And we ended up doing an MRI and saw some things in there that we thought we needed to go in and clean up.  And that’s what we’re going to do.”
 
The Vikings are due to report to Mankato for training camp on July 25 with practice opening the following day. All expectations are that Greenway will be back at full strength by then.
 
"We just wanted to get it done now," Frazier said, "rather than run into a situation when we get to camp where it continued to bother him and then there'd be some issues that we'd have to deal with there."
 
Among the other big names who missed Tuesday's OTA work:
  • Jared Allen was present at Winter Park but worked inside with the training staff as he continues rehabilitating his shoulder.
  • Adrian Peterson was also present but given the day off by the coaching staff. Peterson worked out inside the building.
  • Greg Jennings, who was absent and out of town Tuesday.

Vikings OTAs: Six under-the-radar players to keep tabs on

Posted by: Dan Wiederer Updated: May 28, 2013 - 8:15 AM

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The Vikings will begin their Organized Team Activities on Tuesday at Winter Park. Wednesday’s session will be open to the media. And Thursday’s workout will wrap things up for this week. Then the team will also hold additional OTA sessions June 4-6 and June 10-13 before the mandatory three-day mini-camp kicks in June 20.
Here’s our promise: We’ll keep our Team Strib filter on as high as we can as we relay info and analysis from OTAs. We’re even thinking about starting our own Twitter hashtag: #itsonlyotas. Just as a reminder to keep it all in perspective.
After all, trying to deliver definitive judgments on individual players and the team as a whole during OTAs is akin to trying to forecast the success of a marriage based on the efficiency of the wedding rehearsal.
But if you’re a Vikings junkie and need your late-May football fix, we’re here for you. Today, we bring you a snapshot look at six under-the-radar players we’ll be keeping an eye on in the coming weeks.
JACOB LACEY
Following the March release of Antoine Winfield, defensive coordinator Alan Williams has been hard at work trying to identify his team’s new options at slot corner. And it may work in Lacey’s favor that he has such familiarity with Williams. Before making nine starts last season in Detroit, Lacey spent his first three NFL seasons working under Williams in Indianapolis. At present, the Vikings’ nickel corner job is open and internally there’s doesn't seem to be a high level of confidence that Josh Robinson is ready for the move inside, having had minimal training in the slot. A.J. Jefferson could be an option. Bobby Felder, a 2012 practice squadder could figure into the competition as well. And the Vikings may not be opposed to experimenting some with a nickel package that’d deploy three safeties. But right now, perhaps it’s Lacey who will get the early nod. And his understanding of Williams’ system has given him a head start on his transition to Minnesota.
“Coming off the jump, it’s not like I’m running a brand new system,” he said. “It’s so much more of a picking up where I left off kind of deal.”
The keys to excelling in the slot? Said Lacey: “You have to be quicker. You have to think a lot quicker. You have to use your eyes a lot more in there because you always have to read the run as well as play the pass. So it’s a different feel. But it’s a feel I have and a feel I like.”
JEFF LOCKE
Tracking the progress of a punter? In May? At OTAs? Ah, the glory of being an NFL beat writer. But hey, this is the obligation now.
The Vikings haven’t had a full-time punter not named Chris Kluwe since 2004 when Darren Bennett held the post. Well, now with Kluwe released and relocated in Oakland, this is Locke’s gig. As a senior at UCLA last fall, he averaged 43.3 yards per punt. (Kluwe’s career average with the Vikings, for what it’s worth, was 44.4 yards.) But once the Vikings determined they needed to get younger, cheaper and better at the position, they spent the pre-draft process doing their homework on Locke. Special teams coordinator Mike Priefer began getting to know Locke first at the Senior Bowl in January and a few weeks later at the combine.
In mid-March, Priefer put Locke through a private workout at UCLA, which provided the closing argument to ink him in as the top punter on the team’s draft board. Locke said he had other private workouts with the Jets, Bills, Eagles, Browns and Ravens but had a hunch he had really clicked with the Vikings. Now he has to keep the team feeling that way.
“I’m just trying to do what I do,” Locke said at rookie mini-camp earlier this month. “I’m not trying to do anything extra.”
JEROME SIMPSON
Simpson has a new contract, new optimism and, yes, a new bed. All three of those things have the sixth-year receiver believing he’s ready for a 2013 breakthrough.
That contract, the one-year, $2.1 million deal Simpson signed in March? Simpson appreciated it as a sincere vote of confidence from the organization, using it as encouragement to push forward into a second season in Minnesota.
The optimism? Well, Simpson knows things can’t be any worse this season than they were last year when he missed the Vikings’ first three games due to suspension, then suffered an odd lower-back ailment that caused a frustrating nerve issue that slowed him for two months.
Rock bottom may have been a Week 12 loss in Chicago when Simpson had several key drops and finished with one catch for 1 yard. The injury, Simpson believes, played a major role in his lack of productivity through October and November.
“It was more my push-off. I didn’t really have my burst to be able to get away from my defenders when I needed to,” Simpson said.
And this new bed? That’s a Tempurpedic mattress with a pillow top.
“It’s helped stabilize my back and keep me in good posture,” Simpson said.
Simpson thought his strength and burst started to return in December and says he’s now back at 100 percent. Which is why he’s envisioning a much more productive season in 2013.
Yes, we’ll take all Simpson’s optimism with a grain of salt, still hesitant of a full buy-in after miscalculating what his 2012 contributions could be. But with rookie Cordarrelle Patterson likely needing significant time to get up to speed with the offense, Simpson will almost certainly start the year with a golden opportunity to be the Vikings’ main outside speed threat.
ROBERT BLANTON
Quietly, Blanton put together a terrific season on special teams as a rookie. And in the one game where he saw extended action on defense – in Week 5 after Harrison Smith was ejected from the win over Tennessee – Blanton held his own, convincing the coaching staff that the game is not too big or too fast for him at this level. So what kind of role can Blanton carve out for his second season? While Jamarca Sanford will open training camp as the second starting safety alongside Smith, Blanton and Mistral Raymond will be given every opportunity to make a run at that job. Having made a successful transition from cornerback to safety last year, Blanton should hit the ground running this week. His confidence and passion always needles at high. A significant emergence may not be far off.
AUDIE COLE
We didn’t recognize Cole at first when the Vikings opened the doors to their offseason strength and conditioning program one morning late last month. Gone are the long, blonde Thor-like locks that used to swim out of his helmet. Now, the second-year linebacker has an unfamiliar preppy look and an increased hunger to contribute. Cole has every intention of pursuing a starting spot in his second year. As OTAs begin, a very confident Erin Henderson will man the Vikings’ middle linebacker position, the best bet to own that job heading into training camp. Especially now that we know for certain that Brian Urlacher isn’t walking through that door.
But head coach Leslie Frazier will also give Cole an opportunity to show what he can do in the middle. And Cole feels like he has climbed the steepest part of the college-to-NFL learning curve. He’s also trimmed down after coming into the league, he says, about 10-15 pounds too heavy a year ago. The Vikings drafted Cole in 2012 because they admired his versatility, not to mention his smarts and passion. So certainly, he’d be thrilled if he wound up winning the starting spot at weakside linebacker. But right now, he has his sights set on competing at middle linebacker.
“In the big picture, it’s simple,” he said. “You have to make tackles that are there to make, limit mistakes and be solid in coverage. When you describe it, it’s that easy. Obviously, it’ll be tougher come game time. But that’s all you’ve got to do. That’s the role. Find the ball. Make tackles.”
NATE WILLIAMS
If you’re looking for an OTA darkhorse, we present this 6-foot-3, 241-pound undrafted rookie from Ohio State, whom the Vikings signed last month to add depth at linebacker. Williams didn’t hear his name called over seven rounds and 254 picks in part because he’s something of an outside linebacker/defensive end ‘tweener and was still working back to full strength in 2012 after missing almost all of the previous season due to a knee injury. But Williams is also the kind of unselfish, intelligent, hard-working player this Vikings’ coaching staff is magnetized to. And it wouldn’t be a surprise if the team fell in love with him over these next few months. Of course, that means Williams will have to initially catch the eye of Priefer, needing to show he can contribute significantly on special teams in order to get a foot in the door. With the right mindset, that’s something he’s capable of. And his ability to supply quality depth at outside linebacker would certainly be a plus.
Early prediction: Williams will at least find his way onto the practice squad this season. He also has a legitimate chance to make the 53-man roster.

Hold off on buying that Urlacher jersey ...

Posted by: Chris Miller Updated: May 15, 2013 - 11:43 AM

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The Brian Urlacher-to-the-Vikings rumor reading has moved from tepid to cool today after Vikings coach Leslie Frazier shot down Tuesday's report by a Chicago Sun-Times gossip columnist that Urlacher was leaning toward signing with the team.

Frazier said today on NFL AM that the Vikings would continue to plan on using players already on their team at the middle linebacking spot.

Said Frazier: "Brian has been a great player in our league for a long, long time. He was a thorn in our side for many years. At this point we want to look at the guys on our roster, give them a chance to compete for the middle linebacker position then we'll see where it takes us."

Erin Henderson continues to be the leading candidate to move from the outside to the middle for the Vikings.

Tuesday's report, along with the Vikings' rookie signings, can be found here.

Here's the transcript, courtesy of nfl.com, of Frazier's chat:

On if running back Adrian Peterson has wanted to work out too hard this offseason:

“It kind of happened not by his choice. He had the abdominal strain late in the season and that has kind of slowed him this offseason as far as being able to kick things into overdrive and doing things the way he wants to do it. It has slowed him down a little bit, but he just about back to 100% doing everything he needs to be able to do to be in the best possible shape for this season.”

On if the offseason moves were geared towards easing the workload of running back Adrian Peterson:

“We would like to be more balanced. We obviously pride ourselves on being able to run the football and being able to stop the run on defense but we think in order to take that next step, as a team and as an offense, we need to be able to create that balance by being able to pass the ball a little bit better. We think with the acquisition of Greg, along with what we did in the draft, and some of the other guys coming back – a healthy Jerome Simpson, our tight end Kyle Rudolph – we think we are going to be a better team throwing the football, which should, hopefully, open up more holes for Adrian Peterson.”

On quarterback Christian Ponder:

“This will be his third season, his second season as a full time starter. We are expecting him to take another step forward. We saw glimpses in the month in December – when we went 4-0 – of what he can be. We are really excited about some of the things we saw down the stretch of the season and we are looking for him to carry that over to our next season.”

On if the Vikings are interested in linebacker Brian Urlacher

“Brian has been a great player in our league for a long, long time. He has been a torn in our side for many years. At this point, we want to take a look at the guys on our roster, give them a chance to compete for the middle linebacker position and then we will see where it takes us.”

On new Vikings wide receiver Greg Jennings:

“His experience jumps out at you for sure. Knowing where we are, at the receiver position, having a guy of his caliber – a Pro Bowl player, a great player in our league for a number of years now – his leadership, his experience, his big play ability, it’s still there. He was been banged up a bit the last couple of years but he is healthy now. We are looking forward to him having a great season in Minnesota.”

On the three first round draft picks: defensive tackle Sharrif Floyd, cornerback Xavier Rhodes, and wide receiver Cordarrelle Patterson:
“I like our guys. They are going to be good players for our football team. We are hoping they are going to have an impact this first season.”

On if the expects the first round picks to be week 1 starters:

“There is enough competition on our team where they don’t have to come in and start right away. But if that were to happen, it would be a good thing for our team. Each one will have a chance to start.”

On if defensive tackle Sharrif Floyd is upset with how far he fell in the draft:

“He pretty excited about being a Minnesota Viking. Once you get to know Sharrif, you realize he is a very humble guy who kind of gets it for a young guy. He is not caught up on where he was taken. He is happy to be a Viking.”
 

 

 

Quarterback snapshot: How well can the Christian Ponder-Matt Cassel tandem function?

Posted by: Dan Wiederer Updated: April 18, 2013 - 8:37 AM

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As the NFL Draft approaches, the Access Vikings team is taking a position-by-position look at what will be available, offering insight and analysis on top draft prospects both through print and via daily “Access Vikings: The Show” videos. In addition, here on the blog, we’ll give you a brief review of how the Vikings are set up at each position heading into the draft.
Today’s snapshot: Quarterbacks
Current starter: Christian Ponder
Reserves under contract: Matt Cassel, Joe Webb, McLeod Bethel-Thompson
Biggest offseason move: When the inevitable finally occurred and Matt Cassel was released by the Chiefs on March 14, the Vikings quickly pounced. They had put out a “Help Wanted” ad for a back-up quarterback and saw a guy in Cassel whom they trusted to assume that role with professionalism and comfort. Cassel was given a two-year deal that could be worth up to $7.4 million. But there is also a fine-print provision within the soon-to-be 31-year-old’s contract that would allow him to opt out of the 2014 portion of things shortly after next season ended.
In essence, both Cassel and the Vikings have given themselves a safety net. For the Vikings, if it’s determined at any point in 2013 or at season’s end that Christian Ponder is not the long-term answer at quarterback, Cassel’s presence would provide a bridge as the organization searches for its next solution at the position. And Cassel himself could be an option there. 
But if Ponder excels in 2013 and locks down the role as the starter with no signs of relenting it, then Cassel could weigh his alternatives and have the option to seek a starting role elsewhere.
Level of draft need: None. Heading into the season, Ponder is the undisputed starter. Cassel owns the back-up role. With so many other needs, using a pick on a quarterback next week seems impractical.
You should know: Vikings coach Leslie Frazier feels very strongly about what Cassel will bring to the team at practice and in meetings. Here’s an exchange Frazier had with the Star Tribune at the NFL’s annual meetings in Phoenix last month …
Before the offseason heated up, you guys made it very clear that Christian is the starter. The opening was for a back-up. Matt had experience as a back-up in college behind Carson Palmer, behind Matt Leinart. He gets to New England and backs up Tom Brady. What was your feel for his understanding of that role?
Frazier: “You sense that he gets it. In my conversations with him, he made that very clear. He understands the needs for a back-up and how the back-up should conduct himself. That was great to hear. That was such a big part of us consummating this deal -- that he would understand his role and then understand the importance of a back-up handling that role the correct way. He made it very clear to me that he understood that. He’s experienced this league as a starter, he’s experienced this as a back-up. So to me, it was hey let’s get the deal done.”
And obviously he has 2008. Brady gets hurt early in the first game and just like that, he’s got the controls the rest of the season for the Patriots.
Frazier: “Exactly. And we talked about that. And we talked about his time in Kansas City when he was a starter and how his back-ups handled themselves. I like that he’s been on both ends of it. He knows the importance of that role and how to handle it.”
So what can he do with Christian so they are working in tandem and obviously the back-up is at least helping your starter to grow and develop?
Frazier: “Matt’s experience will help Christian. Being in that meeting room and being able to see things, being able to point things out. Christian hasn’t really had that per se since he became our starter. He hasn’t had that veteran back-up who might see some things that the coaches might not see. Or to speak from a players’ perspective. That’ll be big. And I think Matt’s practice habits, the way he prepares are a big deal. All those same things he learned from Tom Brady, Matt will now be able to instill some of those values with our young quarterbacks. We talked about that. He noted a lot of the things he learned from Tom. He took those to Kansas City and now he’ll bring that to our situation in Kansas City. Some of the things he explained to me about his relationship with Tom and watching how he prepared, Matt felt it really helped him. And I think that’ll help Christian now as well.”
One more thing: With Ponder, the Vikings will be looking for more consistency and signs of growth in 2013. The excuse of being a young player with limited experience is no longer valid. Ponder has 26 starts under his belt and now must prove to be reliable week after week after week. To be clear, he won’t ever be asked to be the superstar of this offense. Not so long as Adrian Peterson is whizzing around the backfield. But Ponder will again be asked to be efficient, to cut down on costly errors. That again means avoiding drive-killing sacks and game-turning turnovers.
It’s hard for the Vikings to know which Ponder will show up more often in 2013. Will it be the guy who failed to throw for 100 yards in three contests last season, the guy who had a rating below 60 on five occasions, the guy who torpedoed the team’s upset bid at Lambeau Field in Week 13 by going seven consecutive possessions without a completion while also throwing two brutal red zone interceptions in the second half? Or will Ponder ride the momentum and confidence he built in the final four weeks of the regular season into Year 3? During that stretch, he helped the Vikings’ surge into the playoffs with four straight wins by taking only five sacks and turning the ball over just twice. He helped the team score on its opening possession in all four games (three TDs, one field goal) and the Vikings never trailed thereafter in any of those wins. And in the season finale against Green Bay, Ponder threw for 234 yards and three scores while posting a career-best rating of 120.2. Under the brightest of lights with the pressure at its peak. That’s the guy General Manager Rick Spielman believes will show up more often in 2013.
The worst-case scenario for the Vikings is that Ponder struggles enough to indicate he might never be the team’s long-term answer yet displays enough signs of promise to convince the coaching staff and front office that he still needs just a little more time to get over the hump.
The hope in 2013 is that one way or the other, Ponder proves what he is once and for all.
Lastly, on a side note, there has been speculation that Joe Webb may face a conversion back to receiver in 2013. But when asked on multiple occasions last month about a possible position change for Webb, Frazier said his mindset was to take Webb to training camp as a quarterback, asking him to compete for the team’s No. 3 job.
Could that change? Perhaps. Would the Vikings be better off trying to get Webb on the field in some way with his speed and athleticism rather than stashing him down the depth chart at QB? Maybe. But again, Frazier has said directly that he’d prefer not to have Webb change positions.
“I’m not thinking that way, as we speak,” he had said. “I’m seeing Joe as a quarterback. Things may change. But I see him as a quarterback and I see him coming in and competing for a position.”

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