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 Pat Williams
Greenway extension talks have begun
Posted by: Updated: July 31, 2011 - 3:56 PM
By Mark Craig
MANKATO -- Some highlights from reporting day while melting away in Mankato (Zulgad saying he's now down to his eighth-grade weight) ...
Coach Leslie Frazier said:
- The team is talking to franchise player Chad Greenway about a long-term deal. Greenway would make $10.1 million in a one-year deal as the franchise player.
- The Vikings aren't talking to Adrian Peterson about a long-term deal, but will "eventually." Peterson is in the final year of a contract that would pay him more than $10 million. "We are in the process of trying to negotiate a long-term deal with Chad, and hopefully, that’s going to get done," Frazier said. "Adrian is a major part, as we’ve talked about many times, of our future. So, we’re going to eventually get to that point where we want to talk to he and his agent about a long-term deal as well."
- Peterson reported at about 5 minutes to 4 p.m., so he is in Mankato.
- The team isn't talking to Ben Leber about bringing the veteran outside linebacker back. "There still are some possibilities maybe here, but couldn't promise him anything. We just have to wait and see."
- Erin Henderson will open training camp Monday as the starting weakside linebacker in Leber's place. Kenny Onatolu and and Jasper Brinkley will be given a chance to compete for the position. Brinkley's name was a surprise. He seems like strictly a middle linebacker, but we'll see.
- RG Anthony Herrera (knee) likely will start the season on PUP. The coaches will discuss that tonight.
- Second-year player Chris DeGeare would be the likely replacement if Herrera can't go.
- CB Cedric Griffin, who's torn the ACL in both knees over the past two years, will not start on the PUP, but will be limited.
- With Donovan McNabb unable to practice until Thursday per rules put in place at the end of the lockout, Joe Webb will work with the first team.
- The team will "keep the door open" for NT Pat Williams.
Other highlights ...
- McNabb, who turns 35 in November, said he didn't want to play until his was 41, a la Favre, but when asked how much longer he wanted to play and thought he could play, McNabb said, "five, six years." Let's see, 35 plus six is ...
- Rookie first-round draft pick Christian Ponder was respectful of McNabb, but didn't just lie down when asked about McNabb being the starter and wanting to play another five, six years. Ponder said having McNabb is a "big advantage for me" and that it "takes the pressure off" having to start right away.
- Ponder said obviously McNabb has certain qualities that have allowed him to be successful for most of his 12 NFL seasons. "Whatever it is, I'll try to copy it and use it against him," Ponder said with a smile.
- LDE Brian Robison showed up at training camp as a starter for the first time. He replaces Ray Edwards, who went to Atlanta via free agency. "This is an opportunity that I've been waiting for a long time, and it's an opportunity that I plan on taking advantage of," Robison said.
- Asked about the impact that McNabb will have on the team, Greenway said, "I think we can sneak up on people this season." He sounded more comfortable sneaking up on people than last year when the team was a Super Bowl favorite. "Last year humbled us," Greenway said.
- Tyrell Johnson, who is in the mix to replace the released Madieu Williams at free safety, said, "This is the most crucial year that I've ever had playing football." Even he admits his career to this point has been a big disappointment.
- Of playing alongside his brother, MLB E.J. Henderson, Erin said, "This is something the NFL has never seen."
Keep checking back. Judd could be bringing more highlights later on.
Vikings agree to terms with Ayodele
Posted by: Updated: July 28, 2011 - 2:40 PMThe Vikings have agreed to terms with nose tackle Remi Ayodele on a three-year, $9 million deal, according to an NFL source.
The agreement comes on the same day the Vikings are expected to announce that they have released defensive tackle Jimmy Kennedy. Nose tackle Pat Williams also is a free agent and might not return. Kennedy was expected to be his replacement at one time.
Ayodele, 28, has spent three seasons with the Saints and finished last year with 21 tackles, a sack and a forced fumble. He started all 16 games for the first time in his career. In 2009, he started 13 of the 15 games in which he played and had 30 tackles and 1.5 sacks.
Ayodele, whose brother Akin plays in the NFL, was part of a Saints defense that was 16th against the run last season, giving up 112.3 yards per game. Remi Ayodele, however, was considered to be strong against the run and likely will step into the first- and second-down role (at least) playing alongside Kevin Williams.
The Saints replaced Ayodele by signing Shaun Rogers to a one-year deal in early March before the NFL lockout.
The 6-2, 318-pound Ayodele went undrafted in 2006 and then bounced from New England to Baltimore to Dallas to Atlanta. Ayodele's name should ring a bell with Vikings fans. He was the player who hit quarterback Brett Favre in the upper body during the 2009 NFC title game while Bobby McCray hit Favre low in the third quarter. Favre suffered a sprained ankle on the play and the NFL later admitted a penalty should have been called.
Ayodele also had a key fumble recovery in the Saints' overtime victory over the Vikings. That set up a 5-yard touchdown pass from Drew Brees to Reggie Bush that gave New Orleans a 28-21 lead early in the fourth quarter.
The Vikings can not officially sign Ayodele until 5 p.m. on Friday and he can't practice until Aug. 4 when the collective bargaining agreement is expected to be ratified. The Vikings also have agreed to terms with journeyman wide receiver Devin Aromashodu, who had been with the Chicago Bears.
Free-agent addition: The Vikings signed undrafted free-agent running back Alexander Robinson out of Iowa State. The Vikings now have 15 undrafted free agents signed. The move came a day after Kentucky running back Derrick Locke failed his physical with the Vikings. Locke ended up signing with the Philadelphia Eagles.
Rice's departure has Vikings shopping for WR
Posted by: Updated: July 28, 2011 - 10:22 AMAnother busy day at Winter Park, so let's get right to it.
- With Sidney Rice gone, the Vikings have turned their attention toward the wide receivers on the free-agent market. One player we're hearing they are making a serious run at is 27-year-old James Jones, who has been with the Packers. Jones caught a career-high 50 passes for 679 yards and five touchdowns last season. A deal with Jones is not yet in place (as of 10 this morning) but it appears to be inching closer to getting done.
- Other potential wide receiver targets include Braylon Edwards (Jets, 28 years old) and Malcom Floyd (Chargers, 29). Certainly there are more on the list, but the Vikings must add some quality depth at this position. As I said, Jones appears to be the target right now.
- The Vikings can officially sign any free agents they come to terms with at 5 p.m. Friday. That means wide receiver Devin Aromashodu will sign on the dotted line at Winter Park around that time.
- The Vikings can begin releasing players today, which means that defensive tackle Jimmy Kennedy and wide receiver Freddie Brown are likely to be officially let go. The only question is are there others? Kennedy and Brown are the two players we know have been told they won't be back.
- The Vikings kept one of their top free-agent targets by agreeing to terms with kicker Ryan Longwell on a contract (four years, $12 million, $3.5 million signing bonus) and lost another when Rice decided to take Seattle's guarantee of $18.5 million. Now, it's expected the team will begin talks with more of its free agents. That list should include linebacker Ben Leber, who might get more elsewhere but would like to stay in Minnesota. There have been no real contract talks with Leber so far. Some in the organization also want to bring back nose tackle Pat Williams, so talks could take place with his agent as well.
- The Vikings have yet to announce the signing of any of their draft picks and quarterback Christian Ponder likely won't sign until Saturday at the earliest. I don't think there is any big issue here but teams are still trying to understand the rules for signing picks and there is a lot of business to take care of in short order. A lot.
- Defensive end Jared Allen, appearing on ESPN, on the loss of Rice: "He was a big playmaker for us. He had injury issues last year, so we didn't get the same Sidney as the year before. But I think as part of this league you're going to lose guys to free agency and injuries and somebody else has to step up and get the job done. We can't lose any sleep over it. We have to move forward."
- Don't know when the Donovan McNabb to Minnesota trade is going to be announced. Sounds like it's supposed to be official today, but I heard the Vikings might not announce it until Friday. That might mean that's when McNabb is introduced to the media.
- Finally, Mark Craig will be hosting a live chat on the Star Tribune website at noon today so join in with your free-agency questions as we get set to go to training camp on Sunday.
Longwell agrees to terms with Vikings
Posted by: Updated: July 27, 2011 - 6:40 PMKicker Ryan Longwell has agreed to terms on a four-year contract to return to the Vikings after being on the free-agent market, according to NFL sources.
The veteran won't be able to sign the deal until Friday and can't practice until Aug. 4 because that's when the NFL Players Association will recertify. Longwell's new deal is worth $12 milion and includes a $3.5 million in guarantees.
Longwell, 36, joined the Vikings as a free agent in 2006 after nine seasons with the Green Bay Packers. Last season, he made 17 of 18 field goals and 30 of 31 point-after attempts. Longwell has made 113 of 129 field-goal attempts since joining the Vikings and was 26 of 28 in 2009 as the team went to the NFC title game. With kickoffs being moved from the 30- to the 35-yard line this season Longwell becomes more valuable because his touchbacks will increase.
Longwell is the first of the Vikings' free agents that the team has retained. Given that Longwell signed quickly it's clear the team put a priority on keeping him.
The Vikings also are known to be trying to keep wide receiver Sidney Rice, who has drawn strong interest from Seattle and reportedly also is on the Rams radar. On Tuesday, the Vikings came to terms on an agreement with free-agent wide receiver Devin Aromashodu, who had been with the Chicago Bears.
Starting weak-side linebacker Ben Leber is another of the of the Vikings free agents but he said in a text message this afternoon that there is nothing new to report about his situation. It's also believed that talks have not started with veteran nose tackle Pat Williams, whose chances of returning appeared to increase when Jimmy Kennedy was told he would be released on Thursday.
Kennedy surprised by Vikings decision
Posted by: Updated: July 26, 2011 - 2:15 PMThe Vikings began to clear salary-cap space on Tuesday, informing veteran defensive tackle Jimmy Kennedy that he would be let go.
Kennedy, 31, revealed that he would be cut on his Twitter account. "Viking fans, thank you for accepting me as your own, but I'm sorry to inform you I am no longer with the team. I love you guys."
Kennedy actually can't be let go until Thurday afternoon when the waiver period will begin for the 2011 league year. Kennedy joined the Vikings late in 2008 when it looked as if defensive tackles Pat and Kevin Williams could be suspended for violating the NFL's anti-drug policy in what turned into the StarCaps case.
He played in 13 games, primarily as a backup in 2009, and then was signed to two-year contract before last season. Kennedy, though, appeared in only nine games in 2010 and had little impact on the defense.
The Vikings shave off a $2.5 million cap hit by letting him go. The most recent reports put the Vikings at $4.3 million over the $120 million salary cap.
The decision to jettison Kennedy leaves the Vikings thin at nose tackle, especially if 38-year-old Pat Williams is allowed to leave as a free agent. The Kennedy move could be an indication the Vikings will try to bring back Williams on a one-year deal.
“It definitely was a surprise," Kennedy said when reached on the phone. "I appreciate the opportunity that the Vikings gave me. I think it’s a fantastic organization that allowed me to be Jimmy Kennedy so you go out there and play next to great guys like Jared [Allen], Kevin [Williams] and to learn in year nine, be proud to call myself Pat Williams’ apprentice, was fantastic for me. It definitely was a shock and a surprise [to be released].
"I talked to d-line coach [Karl Dunbar] last night. He was talking positive and everything was great. The conversation today, like literally, we were stunned. I love the team, I love the Vikings. Like I said, I thank God for the opportunity [from the Vikings] to even deal with me and allow me to show my talent and I wish them the best.”
Kennedy was the 12th overall pick in the 2003 draft by the St. Louis Rams but never lived up to expectations. He also has played for Denver, Chicago and Jacksonville.
The Vikings also have informed wide receiver Freddie Brown that he will be released.
Also, as expected, the Vikings have been in talks with the agent for free-agent safety Eric Weddle, who has been with San Diego. However, the talks between David Canter and the Vikings seem to be very exploratory at this point.
Weddle's preference is to remain in San Diego but he recently listed the Vikings, Jacksonville, Dallas and Carolina as potential landing spots if he does leave.
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