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.
Posts about NFL draft
Walsh wins NFC Special Teams Player of the Week
Posted by: Mark Craig Updated: December 19, 2012 - 11:21 AM
And you thought Blair Walsh and Randy Moss didn't have anything in common ...
Multiple winners of an NFC player of the week award:
BLAIR WALSH WINS NFC SPECIAL TEAMS PLAYER OF THE WEEK HONORS
Eden Prairie, MN(December 19, 2012) –Vikings rookie K Blair Walsh has been named the NFC’s Special Teams Player of the Week for his Week 15 performance against the St. Louis Rams. The 6th-round draft pick from Georgia connected on all 5 of his field goals attempts including 3 from 50+ yards. During the 36-22 victory, Walsh was true from 50, 38, 42, 53 and 51 yards. His 3 50+ yard FGs tied an NFL record for most 50+ yard FGs in one game and also set a Vikings record. On the season, Walsh is 8-8 on 50+ yard FGs which is a Vikings record and ties an NFL record.
Walsh joins Adrian Peterson and Randy Moss as the only rookies in Vikings history to win the Player of the Week Award multiple times in their first NFL season. His first award came after his Week 1 performance against Jacksonville. The 175th player selected in the 2012 NFL Draft is having a banner year for the Vikings. He currently holds the Vikings’ rookie scoring record with 117 points after passing Randy Moss’ 106 points in 1998. His 47 touchbacks are a franchise high and ranks 4th in the NFL. On the season, Walsh is 29-32 on FGs and 28-28 on extra points.
Other Vikings kickers to win the award are: Fuad Reveiz (2x), Gary Anderson (4x), Eddie Murray and Ryan Longwell (2x).
Vikings first-round pick in 1970 passes away
Posted by: Chris Miller Updated: December 4, 2012 - 5:18 PMJohn Henry Ward, who was the Vikings' first-round selection (25th overall) in the 1970 NFL draft and played as an offensive lineman with the team for six seasons, has died.
Ward, 64, was a businessman in Oklahoma City.
Here is a story from the Daily Oklahoman's Berry Tramel.
John Henry Ward, a two-sport all-American at Oklahoma State and a lineman on Bud Grant’s grand Minnesota Viking teams in the 1970s, died of cancer Tuesday in Oklahoma City. He was 64.
“He was much more than an amazing football player and wrestler,” said Ross Powell, who played little league football on a team coached by Ward. “His post-NFL career is every bit as impressive as his football career. He was a mentor to hundreds of kids, not only as a football coach but a life coach as well.”
Ward came to OSU from Tulsa Rogers and became a 1969 all-American tackle in football and a 1969 all-American in wrestling, with a third place finish at heavyweight in the NCAA Championships.
Ward played on two Viking Super Bowl teams.
“One of the most likable guys there,” said Terry Brown, a teammate of Ward with both OSU and the Vikings. “Everybody liked to be around him. He was an ultimate teammate. Would go to battle for anybody.”
Ward loved to hunt. He suffered a broken leg in a Viking game. Two weeks later, his cast came off. Turns out Ward would go hunting with his broken leg. So doctors put him in an L-shaped cast so he couldn’t walk.
“Bud Grant would come to Oklahoma and go hunting with him,” Brown said of the iconicMinnesota coach. “They spent a lot of time hunting together.”
After football, Ward ran a cattle ranch, managed a farm/ranch retail store, was elected a county commissioner and eventually became executive director for the Association of County Commissioners of Oklahoma.
In 2002, Ward became vice president of The Poultry Federation and director of its Oklahoma City operations.
Spielman Part I: On Peterson's recovery, a playoff chase, building through the draft
Posted by: Dan Wiederer Updated: November 14, 2012 - 11:46 AMIn a 40-minute session with print reporters Wednesday morning, Vikings general manager delivered what amounted to a casual “state of the team” address. Spielman discussed everything from Adrian Peterson’s incredible recovery to the Vikings’ potential playoff push to the contract situations of receiver Percy Harvin and head coach Leslie Frazier. Here are some Spielman highlights from that session, in the first of three parts.
PART I
On what he saw in Peterson heading into the 2007 NFL Draft …
“You knew the unique skill set that you saw scouting him. There was no question about that. And then the more we spent time around him at the combine and we had him here for a top-30 visit, as talented as he was, he had all those extra elements that came with the talent to make him potentially be something unique in this league. Because you see a lot of guys who are more than talented enough to excel at this level but that ancillary thing -- the drive to be successful, the drive to be the best, the drive to win a championship -- all those things came out when we interviewed him. I don't know how those rumors got out about his collar bone before the draft. But we were very fortunate that he did slip to No. 7 because he was, at the time, the No. 1 player on our board that year. To get the opportunity to get someone with that skill set and that mental makeup we were very fortunate.”
On what Peterson has shown in rushing for more than 1,100 yards in his first 10 backs after major ACL and MCL rehab …
“The biggest thing was, I knew when we spoke to him and the injury occurred, the first thing that came out of his mouth was 'I'm going to get better than I was before this injury.' No one ever envisioned that. But that's what makes Adrian so unique and so special. He put in his mind that he was going to come back and not only come back but be better than he was before the injury. As we go through this last part of the season and how he's performed so far, he seems to be getting better and better each week. I think over the last two or three weeks he is a better player than he was before the injury. … I think he sets a great example of what he did this off-season and how determined he was. I think that filters down. But I also know physically he's probably unique in how he was able to come back
On how a 2012 Vikings team with such low outside expectations is now in a playoff chase …
“I think coming into this season, no one had high expectations for this football team. But I know internally we had very high expectations for ourselves. I think every year you go into training camp you better have high expectations for your football team or why are you in this? Why do you want to play the games? But I think the one thing you've got to credit, I think you have to credit the coaching staff because we knew we were going to have a young team. We knew we were going to have a lot of first and second year players playing for us. I think you have to credit the veteran leadership on this team –the Jared Allens, the Antoine Winfields, the Kevin Williams of the world – knowing they are going to bring these young guys along as well. So I think it's a combination of things, and we've done some good things this season, but I know there's some room that we still [can get better]. And Leslie has talked about it, we still need to improve and we still need to get better. And I still think, what I said in the beginning of the season was you want to see and evaluate each week kind of where you are at. And you are going to have some setbacks, you are going to have some growing pains. We've gone through some of that. But are the guys continuing to progress? Are we a better team in Week 1? Are we a better team Week 5? Are we a better team Week 10? Are we going to be even a better team at the end of the season? And that's kind of what you are hoping to see as we go through this thing. But we still have a ways to go to get better. We still need to get improvement. That's the attitude you have to have, I think.”
On whether he was tempted to wheel and deal before the Week 8 trade deadline passed …
“No, I think our philosophy and my philosophy that I believe in is that you continue to build this through the draft. We're looking forward -- I know our scouts are coming down to our final couple weeks here on the fall scouting. Our scouts are coming in in December, we're getting ready to start our meetings for the draft. Every year, this is the time of year your stomach starts to get excited because you know what's coming up here -- not only during the season, but what's coming up this offseason. With the systems that we have in place and some of the stuff we’ve implemented over the last two years and last year, I'm very excited about continuing and getting ready to improve this roster.”
Frazier, Ponder smiling as Kalil signs with Vikings
Posted by: Mark Craig Updated: July 26, 2012 - 1:38 PMMANKATO -- Matt Kalil, the fourth player taken in the NFL draft, was signed by the Vikings this morning.
The offensive tackle from USC is the final player to agree to terms as the players report today in Mankato.
Kalil's contract is for four years, and there is no "offset" language that would protect the Vikings in case he turns out to be a failure.
The contract is worth nearly $20 million and will be guaranteed. Kalil's signing bonus is almost $13 million, profootballtalk.com reported.
Coach Leslie Frazier obviously was happy about having his franchise left tackle in place a day before camp practices open.
"He's a key part of what we want to do in 2012," Frazier said earlier today when addressing reporters. "I don't know who's happier, he or [quarterback] Christian Ponder."
Frazier said Ponder was the first person to congratulate Kalil after he signed. Frazier said the QB and the LT rode down to Mankato together.
Here is the Vikings' release:
Tackle Matt Kalil becomes the final member of a 10-member 2012 draft class to sign with the Minnesota Vikings. The Vikings selected Kalil with the 4th choice in the 1st round after making a trade with the Cleveland Browns. The Southern California product was the highest offensive line-man selected in the 2012 Draft and became the 2nd-highest drafted offensive lineman in Vikings history behind Hall of Famer and fellow USC Trojan OT Ron Yary, who went No. 1 overall in 1968.
Did you hear? The Vikings’ offseason in 50 quotes
Posted by: Dan Wiederer Updated: July 23, 2012 - 7:35 AMThe Vikings will report to training camp Thursday at Minnesota State University in Mankato, the official beginning to the 2012 preseason. And just to bring you up to speed with everything that’s happened since the final snap of the 2011 season, here are 50 quotes to sum up the action since New Year’s Day.
****
“In departing this locker room, I just expressed my appreciation for the fight our guys showed throughout the year. With as difficult as this season has been and with the number of close losses we’ve had, [it was encouraging] for them to show the resolve they have shown.” – Head coach Leslie Frazier on Jan. 1 after a 17-13 home loss to the Bears gave the Vikings a 3-13 record for the 2011 season
“It's an exciting day. It really is. 2011-12 is over. It was miserable record-wise, so I'm glad it's over. We can start building for the future now.” – Defensive end Jared Allen on Jan. 2, as the Vikings closed the books on 2011 and headed into the offseason
“Relieved. We can finally close this book up and throw it in the trash.” – Receiver Percy Harvin, echoing Allen’s sentiments
“Our ownership, our head coach, our coaching staff, all the people involved in this decision process will get a voice to say what they think. The difference will be when we make our personnel decisions and when we go forward I will have the final authority on what that decision is going to be.” – Rick Spielman, upon being promoted from vice president of player personnel to general manager
“The general manager's role allows the franchise to look at goals in a more longer-term vision. Because they realize that the long term puts the franchise on solid footing. I think that's the major aspect of having this structure; it's for the franchise to really give long-term stability to this organization.” – Owner Zygi Wilf, explaining Spielman’s promotion
"I’m a position coach. I’m not a coordinator. I’m not a head coach. When I look at what I did with the Minnesota Vikings, my piece of the puzzle was to make the defensive line play as well as they could. We played well against the run. I think we finished No. 11 against the run. And we finished No. 1 in sacks. And the guy I coached led the league in sacks with 22 on a team that really didn’t have a lead the last eight games of the year. So I thought that was my piece of the puzzle. I can’t worry about running backs, defensive backs, receivers, linebackers. When you do it, you focus on your job, put your piece of the puzzle in and go from there." – Defensive line coach Karl Dunbar, reacting after he was fired from the coaching staff in early January
“I would think what I do best is to be able to develop a young player and have him at a winning level early in his career. And when I say early, I mean in the first part of his career, the first year. … What I did in Indianapolis was I developed the young players so that when a veteran was out, a young player could hold down the fort and play winning football until that veteran, until the starter came back.” – Alan Williams, hired to be the Vikings’ new defensive coordinator after 10 years as a defensive backs coach In Indianapolis
“In 2012, as we’re putting this together, I really want to be involved in what we’re doing and how we’re playing things. I really want to make sure we’re headed in the right direction … I don’t want to say I want to take [the defense] over, now. I don’t want to do that. I don’t think it would serve me very well to immerse myself to the point where I can’t oversee some of the things I need to see.” – Frazier, immediately after Williams’ hiring, acknowledging his desire to have a hand in how things are run
“He’s a fiery guy. I like that about him. He’s going to get after our butts. He gets really excited. Some coaches might be more reserved. But he’ll get really fired up when you make a good play or even a bad play. That’ll be a different element that will hopefully be good for us.” – Defensive tackle Kevin Williams, on the hiring of Brendan Daly to be the new defensive line coach. Daly had previous been an assistant d-line coach for the Vikings from 2006-08
“The fact that we get a chance to get our hands on the players is huge. We get to talk with them, spend time with them, eat in the cafeteria with them, talk to them about their lifestyle. It will be immeasurable the time that we’ll be able to be around them and be able to evaluate these players.” – Frazier, on the Vikings’ opportunity to coach the North squad at the Senior Bowl in Mobile, Ala. There the Vikings worked closely with safety Harrison Smith and linebacker Audie Cole, players they drafted in April.
****
“Christian’s going to get there. It’s a process. He’s going to have some highs, he’s going to have some lows. But as a quarterback you have to learn how to handle success and lack of success. And that’s how your true grit is going to be determined. And when you have a lack of success early – even Peyton Manning had some – and people say, ‘Well, all you do is throw interceptions,’ well Peyton learned to quit throwing interceptions. That’s part of the process. Every guy comes with a different time on their maturation process. And the teams around them are different.” – Quarterbacks coach Craig Johnson on the need for quarterback Christian Ponder to take a big step forward in his second season
“The payments here are particularly troubling because they involved not just payments for performance, but also for injuring opposing players. The bounty rule promotes two key elements of NFL football: player safety and competitive integrity. It is our responsibility to protect player safety and the integrity of our game, and this type of conduct will not be tolerated." -- NFL commissioner Roger Goodell, dropping the bombshell that a league investigation turned up an organized bounty program within the Saints organization. The investigation also revealed that Vikings quarterback Brett Favre was allegedly a target during the NFC Championship game in 2010.
“This is troubling to me as a human being. Football is a violent game. Guys get hurt all the time. But you want to be out there with the comfort that other guys aren’t purposely out trying to injure you. At that point, you’re not safe.” – Punter Chris Kluwe, on the revelations of the Saints’ bounty program
"There needs to be strong punishment any time a coach or a player thinks they can take someone else's career into their own hands and purposely do something that could end it. We all play hard. But to give bonuses for carting someone off the field? Man, that's just wrong. There's no place for that in the NFL, and I think it's now safe to say you won't be hearing about bounties in the NFL ever again." – Allen, responding to Goodell’s crackdown on the Saints in response to the discovered bounty program
“The only thing bigger is being in God’s kingdom. I’ll tell you that I’m totally blown away by this and just so humbled by it.” – Former Vikings star Chris Doleman, on being elected to the Pro Football Hall of Fame in February
“Is the left tackle that important or is it more important to have playmakers on offense? Because when your quarterback evolves, he learns the system, he gets the ball out of his hand quicker and all of a sudden that left tackle doesn’t need to be a Pro Bowl left tackle. He can be a functional left tackle … That’s the burning bush question. Is it more important to get a left tackle or is it more important to get the playmakers around [Ponder]?” – Spielman, when asked at the combine to assess his interest in Southern Cal left tackle Matt Kalil
“You’ve got to really weigh your options. Because the philosophy [in the NFL] has always been to get the game-changer. And left tackle is not necessarily the game-changer. Usually game-changers are the guys who
can score you points. Receivers. Quarterbacks. So what are we measuring that left tackle against? It’s a loaded debate.” – Frazier, also assessing the worth of Kalil as the Vikings considered their options with the No. 3 overall pick in the draft
“Watching my film and going back, there are so many blatantly dumb mistakes that are easily correctable. That’s the kind of thing that makes me excited about next year, realizing how easy it is to change certain things. It’s just going to make me a lot better and put our team in a much better position to be successful.” – Ponder, assessing his rookie year struggles
"It was a tough decision as we move forward and prepare for the upcoming season and the future of our organization. All three individuals have meant a great deal to the Vikings organization both on and off field over the years. We wish all of them the best and thank them for their service to the Minnesota Vikings." – Frazier, commenting on the release of veterans Steve Hutchinson, Anthony Herrera and Cedric Griffin, the initial roster transactions that set the Vikings’ youth movement in motion.
“Adversity introduces a man to himself. This was definitely an adverse situation and I learned a lot about myself. I control my destiny. My actions control who I am and what I become in the future.” – Cornerback Chris Cook in March, immediately after he was acquitted of all charges in his felony domestic assault trial
***
“We have thoroughly considered Chris’ situation and how he has approached this matter. We will meet with Chris in the near future and believe he deserves the opportunity to rejoin our organization.” – Statement from the Vikings on Cook’s acquittal
“This got his attention. As hard as it was that period of time, I told him if he handles it the right way, it can be a turning point in his life. Yet, we’ll see.” – Frazier, on welcoming Cook back into the mix
"I wouldn't have come back here if I didn't think the Vikings had a great thing going and a chance to be really special on the offensive side of the ball. That's something I want to be a part of.” – Tight end John Carlson, the Vikings’ biggest free agent acquisition this offseason
"Just give us time to put this roster together. We're not only putting it together for 2012. We're building this roster to be able to maintain it for over the next three to four to five years … I don't think we're a player or two away to go out and spend the money that's being spent on all those players that have gotten contracts early.” – Spielman, explaining the organization’s conservative approach in free agency
“We’re fully aware of what’s around the country in terms of stadiums around the league. We believe we have some of the best fans in the NFL. And we want them to have the kind of first-rate experience other cities have.” – Vikings owner Mark Wilf, speaking at the NFL owners meetings with pleas for the franchise to get full approval for a new stadium
“He’s just what the doctor ordered for the Viking offense. He’s an explosive guy who can really adjust and adapt to the football. And it’s really fun watching him after the catch, which is a skill he demonstrated for the whole league last year when he was with Cincinnati.” – Offensive coordinator Bill Musgrave, after the Vikings signed free agent receiver Jerome Simpson
“Everyone thinks you’re crazy if you don’t take the left tackle.” – Star Tribune columnist Sid Hartman, to Spielman at a press conference the week before the NFL Draft
“Maybe I am, Sid. Maybe I am.” – Spielman in response
“We saw [Kalil] as a guy who could be a Pro Bowler for a long time. That was obvious from our standpoint. Along with what we’re trying to do with our quarterback. We wanted to make sure we do the things that are necessary to ensure that he has success. This gives us a chance to take that step in that direction.” – Frazier, immediately after the Vikings drafted Kalil
***
“Going to Notre Dame and being a captain, you’re already on a big stage. Then once you’re the captain you’re getting scrutinized win or lose. There are ups and downs along the road. So I have dealt with being a leader of a team that’s gone through things. Knowing how to deal with guys and helping younger guys interact with the coaches, I think it’s just given me a whole lot of experience you can’t really find in any other role.” Safety Harrison Smith, after being drafted in the first round by the Vikings
“Our theme was getting smart, tough football players who love to play the game. And I think all these guys we were able to draft fit that bill.” – Spielman, after completing the draft with 10 new rookies added to the team
“I love Adrian. But let’s make this clear: I’m still not going to be quoted as saying he’s going to play in the first game. That’s not fair. I don’t know that … He’ll keep throwing that [Sept. 9 date] out there. And good for him. That’s great. That’s obviously our goal, to get him playing the first game. But only if he’s functionally safe to do it. This is our franchise. We can’t be foolish about this.” – Vikings head athletic trainer Eric Sugarman, assessing Adrian Peterson’s rehab progress in May and the running back’s much-publicized goal to be back at full strength for Week 1
“With the experts, I’m sure 90 or 95 percent of the time, they’re right with their estimates. But there are some guys you can’t put the traditional timetable on. Some guys are different. I just happen to feel I’m one of those guys.” – Peterson, a day later, reiterating his vision of being back on the field and contributing in the 2012 season opener
“Attitude is critical with this. If you’re not really stable with who you are, an injury like this can be a huge blow to your ego. You’re the king of the hill, then all of a sudden – uh-oh. But Adrian? He’s been energetic since the day I met him.” – Russ Paine, Peterson’s Houston-based rehab therapist, asserting the keys to the rehab process
“It wasn’t anything like, ‘Aw, man. Here it goes.’ It was more of an ‘Alright, let’s go. Let’s get to work.’ … [I plan to work with Matt Kalil] quite a bit. You’re going to take time out. Again, it’s a new face. And along the offensive line, the whole thing is to work in synch and work together … My skill set is for playing football. I wouldn’t say that I have a skill set for guard or I have a skill set for tackle. I feel like I have a skill set to play offensive line and play football.” – Offensive lineman Charlie Johnson, expressing his willingness to move from left tackle to left guard following the Vikings’ addition of Kalil
“I don't think there's any question that if this doesn't get done this year, the league's standpoint is it starts back at Square 1 next year, And what's going to change? And if nothing is going to change, you are going to have political dynamics changing. You're going to have lots of different people nominating different sites ... These things cost millions and millions of dollars just to get it to this point. What would be the justification for doing it again on the part of the Vikings?" – Eric Grubman, NFL executive vice president of business operations, expressing frustration and fears of what might happen if the Vikings push for a new stadium didn’t gain approval during the legislative session
“I think it’s time for the Vikings to win a Super Bowl. And we need a new stadium so we can do that here in Minneapolis.” – Ponder, speaking at the state capitol, as the Vikings’ stadium saga reached its critical stage
“If the thought is I'm going to support an inadequate bonding bill or a terrible tax policy approach in order to get a stadium, then we're going to have to sit down and rethink [things] -- by we, I mean the entire House." – State representative Terry Morrow, a leading Vikings stadium supporter, commenting on the political complications involved in the organization’s push for a new stadium.
"This is the time to get things done. I've been here several times on the stadium front over the years. In 2006, they moved forward with a stadium for the Twins and the Gophers. We were asked to move to the next year. And it's now 2012." – Goodell, on a visit to the Twin Cities in April to express his concerns for the obstacles the Vikings were facing in a push to get a new stadium
****
“We’re here to stay, guys. … We knew from Day One that we were going to fight in making sure that this day would come. Our commitment to having Minnesota Vikings football here for generations was always the overriding factor to making sure that got done. And I’m happy that everyone stepped forward to getting that done.” – Vikings owner Zygi Wilf, after the bill to get a new stadium in downtown Minneapolis was finalized and approved
“Uhhhh, I’m not familiar with names yet … When you go 3-13, it happens. This is a business and hopefully change will be good. We have a lot of young guys hungry to compete.” – Veteran cornerback Antoine Winfield, during the Vikings’ first week of organized team activities, assessing all the new faces around him in the secondary
“Anybody that witnessed that play today, you’ve got to get jacked up. That was an incredible play and one of the reasons we get excited about him. We’re hoping to see that on Sunday afternoons, plays like that.” – Frazier, during the second week of OTAs, reacting to a much-talked-about circus catch that Simpson made over Cook on a deep route up the right sideline
“I'll put it this way, it's a lot of different things that have to be sorted out. Just haven't been too happy lately. So we've got a couple things to work on." – Receiver Percy Harvin, delivering a surprise revelation at mini-camp that he was unhappy. Soon after, Harvin and his agent requested a trade
“You definitely don’t want to lose this guy … I’m sure the organization will do whatever it has to do to keep this guy around. If it was me, I would make sure we kept him around but we’ll see.” -- Peterson, reacting to Harvin’s discontent that he said was more bothersome than distracting
“The Minnesota Vikings have no interest at all in trading Percy Harvin. We drafted Percy Harvin here. He’s a key part of our organization, he’s a key part of our football team and any issues that are out there or reported, we always handle those internally and we’ll continue to handle those internally.” – Spielman, addressing Harvin’s unhappiness and his trade request
“The Vikings are aware of the situation and working to gather more detail. We will have no further comment at this time.” – Statement from the Vikings after it was learned in early July that Peterson had been arrested at a nightclub in Houston. The Vikings also had a near-identical version of that statement dusted off five weeks earlier when running back Jerome Felton was arrested and charged with driving while impaired. Five weeks before that running back Caleb King was arrested after allegedly fracturing another man’s skull in an assault outside of a party
“The officer told Peterson that he was under arrest, but Peterson began yelling, struggling as the officer attempted to put on handcuffs and ignoring commands to stop resisting, [according to Houston police spokesperson Kese Smith]. Peterson pulled away from the officer ‘and assumed a violent stance,’ Smith said. A second officer working security at the club began to assist, but it took a third police officer also working security to detain the 6-foot-1, 217-pound Peterson.” – excerpt from Star Tribune report documenting Peterson’s arrest with details from the Houston police
“’A lie gets halfway around the world before the truth has a chance to get its pants on.’ WC” – Tweet from Peterson, quoting Winston Churchill, the day after his arrest.
“Adrian Peterson did not resist arrest this past Saturday morning and any suggestion that he pushed, struck or shoved a Houston Police Officer is a total fabrication. He, in fact, was struck at least twice in the face for absolutely no legitimate reason, and when all the evidence is impartially reviewed, it will clearly show Adrian was the victim, not the aggressor.” – Rusty Hardin, Peterson’s high-powered attorney, issuing his first statement on his client’s arrest
“For me, you take excitement in the process. You look at the small steps and how things continue to build. And you have to acknowledge progress and show guys not only where they are but where they’re headed and where they’ve come from … You may not see all this from the outside. But internally you can see all this starting to come together. And that’s exciting. With the understanding that it takes time.” – Spielman, addressing his eagerness for training camp to begin in Mankato
ADVERTISEMENT
recent posts
- Update: Winfield and Ponder on Vikings' injury report
- Behind Enemy Lines: After slow start, Aaron Rodgers carved Vikings up last week
- New cast may be key to keeping Winfield on the field Saturday
- Peterson, Walsh named NFC players of the month
- Michael Jenkins justifying his title as "The Professor"
- Sanford's investment, rapid growth typifies Vikings' resurgence
- Frazier on Harvin not being around team: 'It's purely up to him'
- Vikings experimenting with slot options in case Antoine Winfield can't play
- Ponder limited with bruised right elbow
- The words in Christian Ponder's pre-game speeches don't matter
- Ex-Viking Larry Bowie dies
- Walsh wins his third NFC special teams Player of the Week award
- Jared Allen: No 5-year plan, 'I'm here to win now'
- Practice indoors or outside? Vikings opt to straddle the fence
- Vikings defense still has plenty to worry about after Green Bay's explosion
- 'Instant Classic': Erin Henderson couldn't get enough watching Sunday's win back
- Playoffs nothing new to Charlie Johnson
- Pro Bowler Felton hopes he's found long-term home with Vikings
Post By Category
- Update: Winfield and Ponder on Vikings' injury report
- Behind Enemy Lines: After slow start, Aaron Rodgers carved Vikings up last week
- New cast may be key to keeping Winfield on the field Saturday
- Michael Jenkins justifying his title as "The Professor"
- Sanford's investment, rapid growth typifies Vikings' resurgence
- Frazier on Harvin not being around team: 'It's purely up to him'
- Peterson, Walsh named NFC players of the month
- Timing of marriage dictated by 'a lot of personal reasons'
ADVERTISEMENT
inside the StarTribune
-
425 Portland Av. S.
Minneapolis, MN 55488
(612) 673-4000
- Company
- Subscriber Services
- Website
- Buy Ads
- Store
- Connect with Us
© 2013 StarTribune. All rights reserved.
StarTribune.com is powered by Limelight Networks
Newspaper Subscriptions
eEdition
RSS
Newsletters