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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 Super Bowl

Vikings 2013 look ahead: Tight ends

Posted by: Mark Craig Updated: January 22, 2013 - 7:55 AM

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The Vikings coaching staff and front office are in the process of fully evaluating their roster as they plan for the opening of free agency in March as well as April’s NFL Draft. As General Manager Rick Spielman, head coach Leslie Frazier and their respective staffs put their heads together, the Access Vikings team is doing the same. We are in the middle of delivering snapshot evaluations of every position group. Today, we look at the tight ends.
 
TIGHT ENDS
 
Get excited: You want something to get excited about? Check out Kyle Rudolph’s birthdate: 11-9-89. The 2011 second-round draft pick will have nearly three full seasons behind him before he turns 24 years old. He’s also 21 months younger than quarterback Christian Ponder, which means, barring injury and a regression by Ponder, these two should be together for a very long time. With 53 catches this season, Rudolph came within one reception of doubling his rookie total. He came within five yards of doubling his receiving yards total and tripled his touchdown total to nine. Rudolph also became a better blocker. He’ll never be a dominant blocker, but he definitely used that 6-5, 258-pound body to help move aside some of those eight and nine men who were stacked in the box to stop Adrian Peterson.
Rudolph already is a good player. But he’s nowhere near reaching his full potential. He’s a hard worker, so he’ll do his part to get there. Now, it’s up to the Vikings to add some quality receivers to help him out.
Everyone talks about what a bonafide No. 1 receiver would do for Peterson and Percy Harvin. But think what it also would do for Rudolph to have room to work the intermediate zones against smaller safeties or slower linebackers.
Rudolph had a career-high two touchdowns in the Week 3 upset of the now-NFC champion 49ers. But he also had three games in which he didn’t catch a single pass. That should never happen, and it won’t if the Vikings upgrade their receiving corps with a legitimate No. 1 down-the-field threat and more overall depth.        
 
Keep an eye on: The Vikings list Rhett Ellison as a fullback. For our purposes here, we’ll consider him a tight end that can play fullback. Or we’ll just go old school and call him a good football player.
Ellison told reporters a nice story on draft day last year. Ellison said he was sitting on a lake crying after the Vikings selected him in the fourth round. He said he never expected to be drafted.
Don’t believe him. OK, believe the parts about the lake and the crying. But the part about not thinking he’d be drafted is just a blue-collar kid trying to be humble.
Ellison caught only seven passes for 65 yards, so we’re not talking about the next Tony Gonzalez here. But we might be talking about the next Jim Kleinsasser, only a little smaller but faster and more athletic.
It didn’t take long to see that Ellison clearly was the second-best tight end on the team. Whether his growth was stunted by the team’s attempts to involve high-priced free agent John Carlson is hard to tell. But for a rookie fourth-rounder, what Ellison gave the Vikings on special teams and on offense was well worth a fourth-round pick.
 
Reason for worry: This could be off target because a man can’t read another man’s mind, but John Carlson doesn’t look like a guy who enjoys playing football anymore. The Vikings made him their priority in free agency a year ago, whisking him from under the Chiefs’ noses with a five-year, $25 million deal that brought the native Minnesotan back home. But he never got up to speed following a knee injury on the second day of training camp and was slowed again when he suffered a concussion during the season.
Carlson finished with just eight catches for 43 yards, a 5.4-yard average with a long of 14, and no touchdowns. He spent 14 games (six starts) either not being part of the game plan or being unable to get open when he was.
The Vikings argue that Carlson’s blocking was exemplary and went overlooked. That’s true. He gives good effort. But it’s also true that the Vikings had much grander plans when they signed Carlson.
The Vikings envisioned an offense similar to New England’s, which uses two pass-catching tight ends and a slippery slot receiver as their focal points (other than the three-time Super Bowl-winning future Hall of Fame QB, of course). Carlson’s inability to fulfill that role – for whatever reason – was a big blow to the passing attack this season.
Carlson is 28, so he’s still young enough to surprise us. But one certainly has reason to wonder if he can ever be the same player who began his NFL career by catching 106 passes and 13 touchdowns in his first two seasons in Seattle.
Carlson hasn’t looked the same since suffering a gruesome-looking concussion in a playoff game at Chicago during the 2010 season. He missed all of 2011 with a shoulder injury and obviously struggled in 2012.
The Vikings shouldn’t give up on Carlson. Barring a surprise acquisition at tight end, they should head to Mankato with the same intentions they had for Carlson last summer. But they also shouldn’t just hand him a 2013 roster spot based on how much he makes and what he did in 2008-09.
 

Ponder's bruised right arm gave him no chance to play

Posted by: Dan Wiederer Updated: January 7, 2013 - 1:38 PM

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As it turns out, Vikings quarterback Christian Ponder did very little in practice last week. Some light throwing on the side. Delivered handoffs during team drills. But the deep bruise on Ponder’s right arm caused so much discomfort and stiffness in his triceps and elbow that he was never truly himself.

It all led up to a strange plot twist Saturday evening at Lambeau Field when Ponder was declared inactive for a first-round playoff game against the Packers. He was replaced by Joe Webb, who struggled throughout the Vikings’ 24-10 loss.

On locker clean out day Monday at Winter Park, Ponder removed a protective sleeve from his right arm to reveal the nasty bruise that sidelined him. Here's what that looked like in a photo from the Star Tribune's Shari Gross.

 

 

Ponder also expressed disappointment in having his season end in that fashion, on an odd Saturday in which his only throws were some feeble soft tosses in a last ditch effort to test the arm in pre-game warm-ups.

“It was [crazy],” Ponder said. “Obviously it wasn’t as much fun as I wanted it to be. I wanted to be out there. Frustrating day. But out of my control. It’s something that makes me hungry to be able to get back and play in a playoff game next year.”

The move to declare Ponder inactive Saturday snuck up on everybody. Head coach Leslie Frazier told the media early in the week that Ponder was dealing with an elbow injury, a result of having banged his arm on the helmet of Green Bay safety Morgan Burnett during the first half of the Vikings' 37-34 win on Dec. 30.

Even after that hit, however, Ponder played the rest of the game. And he and Frazier downplayed the severity of the injury throughout last week before the quarterback was stamped as “questionable” on the official injury report  Friday afternoon.

Ponder’s range of motion in the arm was severely limited, rendering him incapable of making even the simplest and softest of throws with any strength. Hence the Vikings were forced into a late change and the move to Webb. With the offense never really in sync -- Webb hadn't thrown a pass during the regular season -- the Vikings magical 2012 run abruptly ended.

And so now Ponder heads into the offseason with emptiness on not being able to suit up in the postseason.

Yet he also will take with him a final performance (234 yards, three TDs) in the regular season finale against Green Bay that seemed to be evidence of growth and his ability to deliver on a big stage with the stakes high. That effort completed a four-game stretch in which Ponder threw only one interception as the Vikings surged from 6-6 to snatch the NFC’s final wild card berth.

Ponder said he used the final four games as a push to show greater care with the offense, “realizing that I needed to take calculated risks and understanding what risks I should and shouldn’t take and getting a wrap around that.”

He also took great pride in the win over Green Bay in the regular season finale.

“That was one of my best memories I’ll ever have playing this game -- hopefully, not the best one,” he said. “Obviously, I have some games and some years ahead where hopefully, we have a Super Bowl ring on our finger.

As for Ponder’s arm injury, he continues to regain movement and flexibility and will just need time for it to heal completely. Alas, the Vikings’ next meaningful game won’t come until September.

Playoffs nothing new to Charlie Johnson

Posted by: Dan Wiederer Updated: January 1, 2013 - 1:02 PM

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The Vikings haven’t played a playoff game since the NFC Championship loss to New Orleans on Jan. 24, 2010. Only 13 players who participated in that game remain on the active roster. But it’s actually left guard Charlie Johnson who has the most playoff experience of any player on this year’s team.

Johnson will be playing his 11th playoff game Saturday in Green Bay. He went to the playoffs in all five of his seasons in Indianapolis and played in Super Bowls XLI and XLIV with the Colts.

Johnson has played on teams that were favored and expected to reach the Super Bowl. Now he’s enjoying a different path as part of this year’s surprise underdog story.

“It gives you hope for us to win four straight and to get that momentum and then to get into the playoffs,” he said. “Once you get in, anything can happen. It’s been done before. There’s a precedent set for teams like this getting on a roll.”

Johnson also said, unless it’s specifically requested by younger players, he wouldn’t offer up any playoff advice this week.

“I think by doing that you plant a seed in their heads, saying, ‘Well, this is more than a game,’ when it’s not,” Johnson said. “I think if you look at the teams that are successful in the playoffs, they approach the playoffs like they would a Week 6 regular season game. Nothing changes. You can’t go out of what you do.

“But if they ask and say, ‘I want to know what it’s like,’ I will [provide advice].”

Week 17 Picks & Power Rankings: Dome too much for Pack?

Posted by: Mark Craig Updated: December 28, 2012 - 7:27 AM

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What else would you rather do on a Friday morning than watch a poor man swing away at his weekly NFL Picks and Power Rankings? We’ll even throw in some extra purple with Three Reasons for Optimism and Three Reasons to Go `Uh-Oh.’
 
Power rankings
TOP THREE
 
1, Broncos (12-3)
Last week: No. 1.
Comment: Twelve wins. Ten-game winning streak. Sounds like pretty much any other Peyton Manning season the past decade or so. Only this team also ranks No. 3 in defense. With this offense, the Broncos might be better off not having home-field advantage. Manning might want to spend the AFC title game indoors in Houston than outdoors in Denver.
 
2. Falcons (13-2)
Last week: No. 2.
Comment: I don’t believe any records are kept on this, but Atlanta might be the most overlooked 13-2 team ever. Why? Well, for starters, their past two seasons have seen them go 23-9 in the regular season and 0-2 with a 72-23 point differential in the playoffs. The Falcons also haven’t won a playoff game since 2004.
 
3. Seahawks (10-5)
Last week: No. 8.
Comment: The Vikings have Adrian Peterson, but Seattle is the more productive running team. They have three guys averaging 4.6 yards or better with over 350 yards. Marshawn Lynch has 1,490 and 11 TDs on 297 carries (5.0). QB Russell Wilson has 431 yards on 83 carries (5.1). And Robert Turbin has 359 yards on 78 carries. (4.6). So how has Russell, a rookie third-round draft pick, responded with the benefits of having this No. 2-ranked running game? He’s completed 63.4 percent of his passes with 25 touchdowns, 10 interceptions and a 98.0 passer rating. He’s also helped the Seahawks win their last three games by a combined score of 150-30, including a 42-13 win over the 49ers last week.
 
 
BOTTOM THREE
 
30. Jaguars (2-13)
Last week: No. 30.
Comment: Need further proof that Tom Coughlin is a good coach? Here you go: Since the Jaguars fired Coughlin 10 years ago, Coughlin has more Super Bowl wins (2) than the Jaguars have playoff victories (1).
 
31. Lions (4-11)
Last week: No. 31.
Comment: Unfortunately for Calvin Johnson’s receiving numbers, this is the final week that the Lions will be able to fall hopelessly behind in a meaningless game.
 
32. Chiefs (2-12)
Last week: No. 32.
Comment: The Chiefs rank last in interceptions thrown (20) and interceptions caught (7). Ouch.
 
 
6. Packers (11-4)
9. Vikings (9-6)
13. Bears (9-6)
 
 
NFC NORTH
 
6. Packers (11-4)
Last week: No. 7.
Comment: Mike McCarthy won’t win NFL Coach of the Year, but he at least deserves some thought for no other reason than leading this team to a 10-2 mark after the “Fail Mary” fiasco in Seattle. When the replacement officials botched that last-second touchdown that gave Seattle the win and essentially ended the labor dispute with the regular officials, the Packers were 1-2 and looking at three more road games in their next four weeks.
 
9. Vikings (8-6)
Last week: No. 11.
Comment: If not for the “Fail Mary,” the Packers would have less to play for when they face the Vikings on Sunday. Green Bay would have the No. 2 seed and a bye wrapped up. And the Vikings wouldn’t be looking at the likely scenario of having to travel to Green Bay next week if they made the playoffs.  
 
14. Bears (8-6)
Last week: No. 13.
Comment: He’s good, mind you. But at what point do we give pause before we keep referring to Jay Cutler as an elite quarterback and therefore a thorn in the Vikings’ side for years to come? Cutler has 18 TDs and 14 INTs. Christian Ponder has 15 and 12. Cutler an 80.2 passer rating. Ponder has a 78.8. I won’t compare the completion percentages since Ponder has no passing game beyond five yards of the line of scrimmage. Cutler needs better protection, but he also needs to complete better than 58.8 percent of his passes.
 
31. Lions (4-10).
Last week: No. 31.
 
 
THE REST
 
4. Patriots (11-4); 5. Redskins (9-6); 7. 49ers (10-4-1); 8. Colts (10-5); 10. Bengals (9-6); 11. Texans (12-3); 12. Ravens (10-5); 14. Saints (7-8); 15. Cowboys (8-7); 16. Panthers (6-9);
17. Rams (7-7-1); 18. Dolphins (7-8); 19. Chargers (6-9); 20. Steelers (7-8); 21. Giants (8-7); 22. Titans (5-10); 23. Browns (5-10); 24. Jets (6-9); 25. Bills (5-10); 26. Cardinals (5-10); 27. Raiders (4-11); 28. Eagles (4-11); 29. Buccaneers (6-9)
 
VIKINGS
THREE REASONS FOR OPTIMISM
1, The first drive: It’s baby steps, but given the state of this offense, especially without Percy Harvin, offensive coordinator Bill Musgrave deserves a lot of credit for giving Ponder an early script that has been tremendously successful during the team’s current three-game winning streak. In the first drives against Chicago, St. Louis and Houston, Ponder has looked decisive, confident and all the other things he lacks far too often. He’s 7 of 7 for 111 yards, one rushing touchdown and one passing touchdown. The other drive ended with Adrian Peterson rushing for a touchdown. The Vikings never trailed after those touchdowns.
 
2, Peterson’s high standards: It’s been funny to hear people talk about how the Texans “shut down” or “took away” the Vikings’ run game. If running for 174 yards on 42 carries (4.1) is “shut down,” then shut me down every week. Yes, Peterson didn’t run for 150 yards, but the NFL has ruled that guys who aren’t chasing Eric Dickerson are allowed to carry the ball, too. Plus, I might be one of the few who actually was impressed that Peterson managed to get 86 yards the way the Texans played that game. Houston had cornerbacks completely ignoring the passing game while darting in from the edges to tackle Peterson whether he had the ball or not. Twenty-two of Peterson’s carries went for 25 yards. But three of them went for 61. All in all, it was a very productive running game.
 
3, Defense and the Dome: Before getting thumped 23-6 last week, the Texans hadn’t gone without a touchdown since Matt Schaub joined the team. And the Vikings hadn’t given up fewer points since beating Atlanta 24-3 in the 2007 opener, which was Peterson’s NFL debut. The Vikings haven’t played with this much confidence on defense in a very long time. And they get the significant edge of playing this game at the Metrodome. The Packers have a great passing attack, obviously, but they’re also 27th in the league in sacks allowed per pass play.
 
THREE REASONS TO GO `UH-OH’
1, Packer swagger: No team in the league – other than whichever one Peyton Manning happens to play for – goes into a game with a higher level of confidence than the Packers. It doesn’t matter who’s hurt, where the game is being played or whether the replacement officials cheated them the week before. Aaron Rodgers gives this team a consistency that Brett Favre never did. And right now, the Packers have won a franchise-record 12 consecutive division games.
 
2, Ponder’s nerves: In my ledger, Ponder has played eight games in which I’ve felt he’s shown that the Vikings can continue to build around him as the long-term answer at QB. That means he’s played seven – in my mind – in which he’s shown the opposite. That point is probably moot because the consensus feeling is this next offseason will be bone dry when it comes to quality QBs via the draft, free agency and trade. So Ponder gets at least one more year. Playing well at home against the Packers with the playoffs on the line sure would help. Have you ever been at a wedding and your tie is too tight and you’re miserable? And you get to the reception and you get to loosen the tie and you feel fantastic? A win sure would loosen the noose that Ponder’s wearing.  
 
3, `Claymaker’ is back: Vikings fans kind of figured out that Packers linebacker Clay Matthews was pretty good when he ripped the ball out of Peterson’s hands and returned it for a touchdown as a rookie in 2009. Peterson ran for 210 yards against the Packers four weeks ago. But Matthews didn’t play in that game. Asked how big a deal that was not to have Matthews, coach Mike McCarthy said, “He’s our best player on defense.” In other words, it mattered. Plus, the Packers were humiliated by poor tackling. They’ll give a much better effort this time.
 
THE PICKS
Vikings 24, Packers 21: Blair Walsh opened the regular season with a winning field goal in overtime. He’ll end it with one against the Packers. The Packers are the better team. And they’re on a 9-1 roll. But I’m going with the home team and the fact the Vikings essentially need this to make the playoffs. Sure, they can get in with a loss if the Bears, Giants and Cowboys also lose. But what are the chances in the NFL that three teams you need to lose are going to lose?
 
Record picking Vikings games: 8-5.
 
GB minus-3 ½ at VIK: Vikings by 3.
NYJ plus-3 ½ at BUF: Bills by 7.
MIA plus-10 at NE: Patriots by 14.
BAL plus-3 at CIN: Bengals by 7.
CLE off at PIT: Steelers by 7.
JAC plus-4 at TEN: Titans by 7.
PHI plus-7 ½ at NYG: Giants by 3.
DAL plus-3 at WAS: Redskins by 10.
CHI minus-3 at DET: Bears by 7.
TB off at ATL: Buccaneers by 3.
CAR plus-5 at NO: Saints by 7.
KC plus-16 at DEN: Broncos by 10.
OAK off at SD: Chargers by 14.
ARI plus-16 ½ at SF: 49ers by 10.
STL plus-10 ½ at SEA: Seahawks by 14.
 
 
Overall Record Last Week: 10-6. Vs. Spread: 8-8
 
Record Season: 127-76-1. Vs. Spread: 99-99-1.
 
 
UPSET SPECIAL
HOU minus-6 ½ at IND.
 
Colts 28, Texans 20: The Texans still need to win to clinch home-field advantage after last week’s lifeless 23-6 loss to the Vikings at home. But they’re heading for the perfect storm: A division road game that features the return of Colts coach Chuck Pagano, who has spent the past three months battling leukemia.
 
Last week: CHI minus-5 ½ at ARI. Prediction: Cardinals 28, Bears 21. Actual: Bears 28, Cardinals 13.
Record: 8-7.

Peterson didn't want to be `selfish' against the Texans

Posted by: Mark Craig Updated: December 27, 2012 - 1:20 PM

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Adrian Peterson said the Vikings' 10-point lead wasn't a factor in him leaving last Sunday's game with just under seven minutes left and the Vikings at the Houston 27-yard line. The abdominal injury that has nagged him in recent weeks was, he said, the only reason his day ended early.

"That was the factor, that was the reason I came out," Peterson said. ":I felt like it was best for Toby to go in at that point of time, that he would give us a better opportunity to get it in the end zone. I didn't want to be selfish just because we were down by the end zone and go in there and not be able to go 100 percent. Toby did a good job of executing and finishing that drive."

Gerhart finished the game with eight carries for 31 yards, including a 3-yard touchdown that capped the drive in which Peterson left.

Peterson didn't practice Wednesday because of the adbomen, but said, "it's feeling good." Today's practice starts soon, but he'll be limited at best today.

Asked if the injury will affect him on Sunday, Peterson said, "I don't think so." He's called the injury just normal wear and tear.

Other Peterson highlights from today's press conference with reporters:

  • On whether running the ball is the key to beating Packers and, oh yeah, getting the 208 yards necessary to beat Eric Dickerson's NFL single-season rushing record of 2,105 yards: "We're going to do a good job establishing the line up front and being productive in the run game. But we have to be balanced. So the receivers and Christian [Ponder], those guys are going to have to contribute. Like last week, those guys did a good job of making plays in the pass game and keeping us balanced. Keeping [the Texans] on their heels somewhat and taking advantage of the opportunities that they presented to us. I feel like that same type of game plan will give us the victory."
  • On the first Green Bay game, in which he ran for 210 yards in a loss at Lambeau Field on Dec. 2:  "The guys up front just outwilled the guys in front of them. I was just able to make some big plays when the opportunities were presented to me. I also missed some. But it was a good day."
  • On going to the Pro Bowl, which is the week before the Super Bowl, which means guys who go to the Super Bowl don't play in the Pro Bowl: "What are my thoughts? I don't plan on going back. It's good to be selected to a fifth Pro Bowl. I just give thanks to God and the guys who helped me get there. [Fullback] Jerome Felton will be joining me and all my receivers and my offensive linemen. It's shocking that none of those guys made it. But it's an honor just to have that again."
  • On whether he feels "deep down" that he'll get the record: "I feel like I have a good chance. I believe it. And in order to accomplish it, you got to believe it. Deep down inside, I feel like i'll get it."
  • For our Sunday story, I asked Peterson to describe his running style in one word. "Vicious," he said. Perfect.
  • On getting the Packers at home with a win-and-you're-in situation: "It feels good to get those guys in our stadium and get some payback from our last visit to Lambeau."

 

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