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 Brad Childress
Vikes try to avoid rare back-to-back 0-2 starts
Posted by: Mark Craig Updated: September 17, 2011 - 11:57 AM
The Vikings posted back-to-back 0-2 starts only once (2001 and 2002) in their first 50 seasons. Sunday, they'll try to avoid doing it a second time when they return to the Metrodome to face the Buccaneers in a game between two 0-1 teams.
Since 1990, only 12.5 percent of the teams to start 0-2 have reached the playoffs. The Vikings were one of them in 2008. And, of course, the best exception to the rule that 0-2 is a time to panic is the 2008 Giants, who not only made the playoffs but beat an undefeated Patriots team to win the Super Bowl.
The Vikings have started 0-2 just 10 times in their first 50 seasons, with half of them coming in the past 10 seasons: 1962, 1965, 1967, 1981, 1984, 2001, 2002, 2005, 2008 and 2010. Brad Childress' 2008 team is the only one of those to go on and make the playoffs. He benched Tarvaris Jackson and went with Gus Frerotte after that 0-2 start.
Hall of Fame coach Bud Grant started 0-2 only twice in 18 seasons, scattering them 15 seasons apart. Bud lost his first four games as Vikings coach, but seemed to bounce back OK.
Prediction: Vikings 21-17. Although MLB E.J. Henderson's swollen left knee and questionable status makes me question this pick, I don't think the Bucs' offensive line will hold up well enough in the Metrodome for Tampa Bay to gain control of this game.
Former Vikings linebacker Herron rejoins team
Posted by: Mark Craig Updated: August 26, 2011 - 12:29 PMThe Vikings have signed linebacker David Herron and released linebacker Mark Washington, who was out this week with a shoulder injury.
If Herron's name rings a bell, that's because he was a pawn in the early stages of the feud between former Vikings coach Brad Childress and Patriots coach Bill Belichick.
In 2007, the Vikings signed Herron as an undrafted rookie. When teams began cutting players, the Vikings decided to put in a claim for Patriots tight end Garrett Mills. Childress not only claimed Mills, he then went public with details on how Belichick called and tried to get him not to claim Mills so that the Patriots could add Mills to their practice squad.
Childress said Belichick offered to not claim a released Vikings player if Childress agreed. Childress declined the offer, so Belichick claimed Herron.
"Belichick didn't really care for that," Childress said at the time. "He was trying to leverage, but you always find out who is honest and straightforward."
The Patriots ended up releasing Herron, who ended up back with the Vikings in 2007-08. Herron also was with the Chiefs in 2009, the Chargers in 2010 and the Jets earlier this offseason. Mills never made a significan contribution to the Vikings, but the relationship between Childress and Belichick remained frosty, at best.
Belichick, of course, got the last laugh. He traded Randy Moss to the Vikings for a third-round draft pick during the 2010 season. Moss ended up being released 26 days later in a move that played a major role in Childress' firing.
Herron gives the Vikings some depth at an injury-depleted postion. Heath Farwell (hamstring), rookie Ross Homan (concussion) and Jasper Brinkley (hip) all missed practices this week.
Raiders sign Sheppard: Former Viking Lito Sheppard was signed by the Raiders today. Sheppard, 30, played in 13 games with two starts for the Vikings a year ago.
Webb will be No. 2 QB vs. Cowboys
Posted by: Mark Craig Updated: August 25, 2011 - 2:30 PMCoach Leslie Frazier said Joe Webb will be the No. 2 quarterback in Saturday night's third preseason game against the Cowboys. With Donovan McNabb and the rest of the starters expected to play into the third quarter, Webb most likely will finish up the third and possibly begin the fourth quarter, while rookie Christian Ponder would finish up the game.
Frazier then said, "maybe we'll do something different in the last preseason game." Later in the press conference, I asked if that means the team is thinking of resting McNabb and starting either Webb or Ponder (after about 21 years of covering preseason football, you tend to notice trends).
Frazier smiled and said, "You been in our staff meetings? Something like that."
Webb was the No. 2 QB in the preseason opener. Ponder was No. 2 in the second preseason game. A winner for the regular season probably won't be determined until after the final preseason game a week from today.
The Vikings would like Ponder to win the No. 2 job so that Webb would be freed up to use his athleticism some at receiver and in Wild Cat formations. The Vikings ran a few Wild Cat plays in practice today.
Asked if it the team can use Webb in a Wild Cat if he's the No. 2 quarterback, Frazier said, "Sure can. It's not the most ideal. If he becomes our clear-cut No. 2, then you may not want to risk it as much. But we'll see."
Frazier also was asked about Webb showing up every now and then as a receiver in practice.
"It's more experimental at this point, just seeing what he looks like and whether it's something we want to do down the road," Frazier said.
Frazier's predecessor, Brad Childress, wasn't a fan of the Wild Cat. Frazier likes it. Asked if it was a perfect attack for a guy like Webb, Frazier said, "I agree. It's perfectly made for Joe. He's such an all-around athlete and multi-dimensional guy. That's set up for him, without question."
Other highlights from today:
- Right guard Anthony Herrera spoke to the media for the first time this summer. It lasted less than a minute and was terse. Herrera clearly isn't happy with reporters questioning whether he'd be able to come back from his torn left ACL and return to the starting lineup. Asked if he was concerned that he might not back it back in time for the regular season opener, Herrera said, "I didn't have any concerns. You guys were the ones that were out there speculating or whatever. I had no concerns. Neither did the coaches or the training staff." Frazier was asked if he thinks Herrera is playing with a chip on his shoulder. "Oh yeah," Frazier said. "He has something to prove, and he wants to prove something to everybody, including us as coaches, whether or not he can do it or not. We're all excited to see him come back and play, and we're all pulling for him. He's a tremendous competitor, a leader for our offensive line and for our team."
- Running back Toby Gerhart ran some pass patterns at the start of practice, but then stopped when the soreness in his ankle and Achilles' tendon didn't go away. He won't play on Saturday night. Also not playing are Kevin Williams (plantar fasciitis), Ross Homan (concussion), Asher Allen (toe), Visanthe Shiancoe (hamstring), Jasper Brinkley (hip), Mark Washington (shoulder) and Heath Farwell (hamstring). Farwell had returned to practice earlier this week, but wasn't on the field today.
- Chad Greenway had an interception against Ponder in a 7 on 7 goal-line drill. The players didn't wear pads today, but practiced for about an hour and 45 minutes.
- Naturally, Marcus Sherels had an interception in practice. He picked off Webb. Sherels has had a number of picks in practice this summer.
- NFL teams must cut from 90 players to 80 on Tuesday.
Top three areas of comfort for Vikings
Posted by: Mark Craig Updated: August 23, 2011 - 10:12 AMWell, we've all pretty much kicked to death the areas the Vikings should be concerned about. So we'll shift out of doom 'n gloom mode long enough to take a look at three areas in which the Vikings can exhale, knowing what they got is among the best in the league. Here goes:
1, Loeffler to Kluwe to Longwell.
Not quite as well known as Tinker to Evers to Chance, but long snapper Cullen Loeffler to holder Chris Kluwe to kicker Ryan Longwell has to be the most rock-solid place-kicking trio in the league. And that's gold for any team, let alone one that's breaking in a new offense without the benefit of a typical offseason.
Former coach Brad Childress still gets beat up pretty good in these parts, but let's tip the cap to him in this case. One of the first decisions he made as head coach in 2006 was to put an end to the place-kicker nonsense that went on for way too long before he arrived. Longwell was one of the first free agents Childress signed.
Six seasons later, Loeffler, Kluwe and Longwell have been together for every step and snap of the way.
"That's unheard of in the NFL today," Longwell said during training camp.
It's also one of the main reasons Longwell re-signed with the Vikings before training camp started.
"Not only have the three of us been together for six years, but those two guys are also the absolute best at what they do," Longwell said.
Here's a stat for you: Longwell has swung his leg 132 times on place-kicks during the regular season the past two years. He's missed only five times (three of 46 field goal attempts and two of 86 PATs).
2, Running back.
They have the same trio -- Adrian Peterson, Toby Gerhart and Lorenzo Booker -- coming back this season, yet it already looks like an even better backfield. Peterson is a once-in-a-generation back that's still in his prime and getting better. If he can learn to catch the ball better, he'll take himself to an even higher level. And considering how he corrected his fumbling issue last season, I'd expect him to make himself a better pass catcher.
Gerhart, to me, looks a better so far in his second season. He's running with more balance, which gives him more power. He's not getting blasted off his feet as much as he was at this point last season.
Meanwhile, Booker is a very nice change-of-pace guy and an astute acquisition from the UFL last season. And rookie Caleb King, who will sign today after he takes his physical, is an interesting prospect who could end up on the practice squad. The 5-10, 220-pound King went undrafted in Monday's supplemental draft before agreeing to terms with the Vikings. He was declared academically ineligible and had to sit out last season at the University of Georgia.
UPDATE: The Vikings have announced the signing of King. Undrafted free agent Rodney Huntley was released to make room for King on the 90-man roster.
3, Tight end.
Those who were puzzled on draft day by the second-round selection of Kyle Rudolph are probably a little less puzzled after watching the big fella in this particular passing game. He's 6-6, 258 pounds and has soft hands and ball skills that allow him to catch balls that aren't perfectly thrown. In this offense, Rudolph will make an immediate impact in multiple tight end formations.
Then there's Visanthe Shiancoe. He's one of the more underrated tight ends in the league, and he's excited to be in Bill Musgrave's offense.
"It's a very tight end friendly offense," said Shiancoe, who had 11 touchdown catches two years ago.
From a blocking tight end standpoint, 34-year-old Jim Kleinsasser has never been more valuable than he is right now. He'll help left tackle Charlie Johnson with the pass rush, and can still surprise teams in the passing game.
That's three starting-quality tight ends. Meanwhile, veteran Jeff Dugan is one of the hidden values on the team. He's probably the hardest working guy on the roster. He plays on all the special teams and can line up at fullback as well as tight end.
And one of the rookie free agents to turn heads this summer is tight end Allen Reisner, a big kid from Iowa who has caught just about everything thrown his way.
Brad Johnson talking, signing in Richfield today
Posted by: Mark Craig Updated: August 19, 2011 - 3:28 PMFormer Vikings quarterback Brad Johnson will be at the Dick's Sporting Goods store in Richfield from 4-6 p.m. today as part of a partnership to increase awareness about the importance of baseline testing to properly treat concussions in youth sports. He'll also be signing autographs.
"I have two boys in youth sports, so that's a concern of ours," Johnson said by phone this afternoon. "I've also had two concussions during my playing days. One playing basketball in college. The other playing football in 1996, I think. So I'm definitely concerned."
Concussions have been a hot-button issue in the NFL for a couple seasons now. Johnson said he wanted to do something to help extend the awareness and treatment of concussion to the lower levels of athletics, particularly youth sports. His sons, Max, 10, and Jake, 8, play multiple sports. Max is a quarterback. Jake is a fullback/tight end.
Dick's Sporting Goods created a program called PACE, or Protecting Athletes through Concussion Education. The program will provide concussion education and baseline testing for up to one million young athletes in more than 3,300 middle and high schools nationwide.
I also talked to Johnson about some other topics. Here are the highlights:
Q: What do you think of the Donovan McNabb trade and how do you think he'll do?
A: I think this transition will be smoother for him. He was in one place for a long time. The first time you make a transition, it's hard. You don't know where you're living. You don't know the system. You don't know your teammates. That will make this transition easier for him. Plus, the system with Bill Musgrave is more similar to what Donovan ran in Philadelphia for all those years. I think that will help. He can still play and it was probably a wise choice for Minnesota to go get him.
Q: What are your thoughts on the fact the Vikings are going to take it slow with Christian Ponder?
A: The slow-path thing is not a bad thing. That's what happened with Philip Rivers sitting behind Drew Brees. That's what happened with Eli Manning behind Kurt Warner. That's what happened with Carson Palmer behind Kitna. That's what happened with Michael Vick behind Chris Chandler. It's what Steve McNair did. It's what I did. I think there's some validity to that path. This is a great situation for Christian and Donovan.
Q: Does McNabb have anything left?
A: Donovan can still play. I wouldn't get caught up into what happened last year. I think the system suits him better this year. And he's still young. I think everyone should jump on his bandwagon and roll with it. When Christian's time comes, he'll get his chance.
Q: Musgrave and coach Leslie Frazier have both made it a point to say how much they like and encourage player input when it comes to molding a system to fit the players. Brad Childress was known for not being open to that and wanting his players to adapt to the system. Was that a problem for you with Brad?
A: Well, you know what, I think you're play-caller and your quarterback have to be on the same page and agree upon things. The more friendly the system is to the quarterback, the more successful the team is going to be, the more successful the quarterback is going to be. That's why you find teams that are good. You got the play-caller and the quarterback who agree upon what plays they want to run and what the audibles are. So I think there has to be some dialogue there. It definitely is something that has to happen. It's different for every team. Coach Childress had his way of doing things. That's the way things go. But you also can't fault him for too much. He did take them to the NFC Championship game in Brett's first year here.
Q: What kind of quarterback is Max at 10 years of age?
A: He's stubborn. He's hard-headed. He wants to do his own thing. So that means he's got a great chance of being a great quarterback some day.
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