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 Vikings management
Vikings fire Childress; Frazier gets interim job
Posted by: Updated: November 22, 2010 - 11:26 AM
The Vikings fired coach Brad Childress on Monday morning and defensive coordinator Leslie Frazier will take over as the interim coach.
Childress was fired a day after the Vikings' 31-3 loss to arch-rival Green Bay dropped them to 3-7 on the season. That came a year after the Vikings went 12-4 and made a run to the NFC title game.
Vikings owner Zygi Wilf and Frazier will address the media at 3 p.m. Monday at Winter Park.
The Vikings confirmed the news in a press release.
Peterson earns NFC honor
Posted by: Updated: September 28, 2010 - 6:26 PMRunning back Adrian Peterson was named the NFC Offensive Player of the Week on Tuesday after rushing for 160 yards on 23 carries with two touchdowns in the Vikings' 24-10 victory over Detroit last Sunday. Peterson also had five receptions for 30 yards.
It is the fourth time in his three-plus NFL seasons that Peterson has earned the award.
Peterson's performance included a career-long 80-yard touchdown run, which ranks as the longest run by a Viking at Mall of America Field and is tied for the fourth-longest run in franchise history. It was Peterson's 21st career 100-yard game and 10th career run of 50-plus yards. Both are second in team history behind Robert Smith's 29 and 12, respectively.
Vikings look at four
The Vikings worked out four players on Tuesday, including two offensive linemen and two kickers.
The offensive linemen were tackles Scott Kooistra (North Carolina State) and guard Donald Thomas (Connecticut). Kooistra, a seventh-round selection by the Bengals in 2003, also has spent time with the Browns. Thomas was a sixth-round pick of the Dolphins in 2008.
The kickers were Hunter Lawrence (Texas) and Swayze Waters (Alabama-Birmingham). Lawrence went to training camp with Tampa Bay as an undrafted free agent but was waived. Waters had most recently been with Oakland.
It's common practice for the Vikings to look at street free agents during the week in order to get a first-hand look at them.
Pat doesn't hold back
Ask Pat Williams a question and you are likely to get an interesting answer. That was the case Monday when the Vikings nose tackle appeared on Sirius NFL Radio.
Williams was asked about the pushing and shoving that took place during Sunday's game.
"They were trying to play us tough," Williams said of Detroit. "They basically tried to cheap-shot us. They use hands to the face and were pulling us down." Williams also added, "I hate when guys act tough when they ain't tough."
The Vikings and Lions will meet again on Jan. 2 at Ford Field.
Would Tomlinson be a good fit?
Posted by: Chip Scoggins Updated: February 22, 2010 - 8:52 PMNews that the San Diego Chargers released LaDainian Tomlinson after nine seasons on Monday is sure to cause a lot of speculation about where the former MVP running back will eventually land.
Some already have suggested that the Vikings could be a good candidate, including Profootballtalk right here and our good friend Kevin Seifert of ESPN.com right here.
The Vikings have made it known that they hope to resign unrestricted free agent Chester Taylor and they are expected to meet with his agent at the NFL Scouting Combine later this week. But Tomlinson could fill an important role if Taylor leaves for another team.
The unknown with Tomlinson, 30, is his willingness to take a backseat to Adrian Peterson and become primarily a backup. Tomlinson told SI.com that his primary focus now is to sign with a team that has a legitmate chance to win a championship and has a proven quarterback.
The Vikings certainly fit that bill assuming Brett Favre returns. It's all speculation now but adding Tomlinson to the Vikings -- even if he's not the same player he once was -- could help soften the blow if Taylor bolts while adding even more star power to an offense that scored the second-most points in the NFL this season.
What are your thoughts?
Spielman, Vikings prepare for combine
Posted by: Chip Scoggins Updated: February 18, 2010 - 1:45 PMRick Spielman, the Vikings vice president of player personnel, and his staff are busy making their final preparations before leaving for the NFL Scouting Combine in Indianapolis early next week.
Spielman said the organization will send about 60 representatives to the combine. The contingent includes coaches, scouts, executives, medical personnel and two officials who handle psychological testing.
“Basically everybody has a role and a responsibility,” Spielman said. “All the people that go have a function there. The position coaches, the scouts, the medical staff, the people that are doing the psychological testing. So it is a pretty big project as far organization and making sure everyone is on the same page and when everyone gets down there knowing what we have to get done and what we have to get answered from all those aspects.”
Spielman reflects on loss, remains optimistic
Posted by: Updated: February 15, 2010 - 10:21 AMGARRISON, MINN. -- The Vikings' 31-28 loss at New Orleans in the NFC title game on Jan. 24 was only a few hours old when various members of the organization started making their way to Mobile, Ala., to scout the Senior Bowl practices.
Rick Spielman, the team's vice president of player personnel, returned to the Twin Cities to help conduct exit interviews with players at Winter Park and then also headed to Mobile to start watching prospects. But while having an immediate focus might have helped Spielman turn his attention elsewhere, it's clear that like many in the state he's still giving plenty of thought to what might have been if things had gone a bit differently at the Superdome that day.
"I think it's more of a frustrating end to the season because you knew you were a better team when you went down and played the New Orleans Saints and kind of gave that game away a little," Spielman told the crowd at the Blue Goose Inn on Saturday during a stop on the Vikings' Arctic Blast snowmobiling event. "I know personally from some people who are in the Indianapolis organization they did not want to play us [in the Super Bowl]. They would rather play the New Orleans Saints than have the Minnesota Vikings come down and play them."
Spielman then quickly turned his comments to the future.
"You have to move on, you don't have any choice," he said. "We have to get ready and we have to build on a roster that we currently have. We have to try to get our own guys back that are going to be up in free agency. I think we are very hopeful that we can have a good draft and get some of these guys back and we'll be right back where we were last year."
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