Minnesota Vikings

Nov 24, 2012; Tallahassee, FL, USA; Florida State Seminoles wide receiver Rodney Smith (84) runs the ball during the second half of the game against the Florida Gators at Doak Campbell Stadium. Gators defeated the Seminoles 37-26. Mandatory Credit: Melina Vastola-USA TODAY Sports For 4 years, Rodney Smith was a Wide Receiver for the Florida State Seminoles.  He entered the 2013 NFL Draft hoping that his dreams would come true and be drafted by an NFL team.  Sadly, Draft weekend came and left.  Rodney Smith was not one of the players who was selected. Even though Smith never put up huge numbers at FSU, there are a lot of very interesting things about him.  Here are five reasons why the Vikings should be exited about this young player: 1) Smith is a big target.  Vikings.com lists him as being 6’6″, but in reality, he is closer to 6’4″.  When you combine his height with his nearly 35 inch arm length, he will tower over most opposing Cornerbacks in the NFL. 2) His long legs allow him to make huge strides down the football field and gobble up yards quickly.  He is athletic enough to be elusive after the catch. 3) Smith is very consistent and reliable target for Quarterbacks.  At FSU, he had a catch in 30 straight games. 4) He shows excellent body control when adjusting for catches or throwing blocks.  His small frame allows him to be pushed around a bit, but the effort is there. Oct 13, 2012; Tallahassee, Florida, USA; Florida State Seminoles wide receiver Rodney Smith (84) during the first half of the game against the Boston College Eagles at Doak Campbell Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Melina Vastola-USA TODAY Sports 5) As a 2-year teammate of Vikings Quarterback Christian Ponder at Florida State, they are familiar with each other’s tendencies both on and off the field. Rodney Smith might not be ready for the 53 man roster this year, as he still needs to adjust to the NFL.  He will need to add some bulk to his frame and work on his technique in order to be effective in the league.  If the Vikings keep him as the 5th Wide Receiver on the roster or are able to hide him away on the practice squad, they may have found a gem that they can develop into a big time player.

Three local firms make bids on parking for Vikings stadium deal

Thought this might be a good time killer for those of us who can't wait for football. Here's the rule, you can only comment with a GIF. No text at all. I'm sure some people may not know how to post a GIF. You just place an exclamation point on both sides of the URL for the pic. The GIF could be in response to another GIF, or it could just be something funny or whatever. So have at her. Thought this might be a good time killer for those of us who can't wait for football. Here's the rule, you can only comment with a GIF. No text at all. I'm sure some people may not know how to post a GIF. You just place an exclamation point on both sides of the URL for the pic. The GIF could be in response to another GIF, or it could just be something funny or whatever. So have at her.

This is mostly a reprint of a recent blogpost of mine, but since Part 1 received some positive feedback, I thought I'd include Part 2 here as well. Comment or Flame at your leisure. This fanpost is a continuation of this fanpost. If you’re not sure what the premise is, go back and read the opening paragraphs of Part 1. But in a nutshell, I’ve decided to assign every team in the NFL an instrument in the symphony orchestra. In Part 1, the NFC was assigned the woodwind and brass instrument families, and now it’s time to turn our attention to the AFC, who gets the percussion, keyboard and string instrument families. Most of the teams of the AFC grew out of the old American Football League, which was formed in 1960. These teams were added to the NFL during the merger in 1970. So, without any further delay, here are the Percussion, Keyboard and String instruments, continuing in score order. AFC Teams – Percussion, Keyboards and Strings Timpani – New England Patriots The timpani was for a long time, the only percussion instrument in the orchestra and it was a founding member of the orchestra. They hold an elevated place among all other percussion instruments as they are one of the few “pitched” drums, able to play both high and low and loud and soft. A timpani roll may just be the most stereotypical symphonic sound that there is. Despite their founding member status from the Classical era, their role in the orchestra is merely rhythmic support, and until recently they were rarely featured. And so, it is fitting for the New England Patriots to be the Timpani. They were an early AFC team, originally the Boston Patriots formed in 1959 for the AFL. And until the Tom Brady era, hadn’t won a Super Bowl. Glockenspiel – Denver Broncos The glockenspiel is the fancy German name for a xylophone, although any serious percussionist will point out that a xylophone’s bars are made of wood, while the Glock (not the gun) is made of metal. This instrument entered the orchestral ranks in the early romantic era, and has a very distinctive sound. Despite having no German connections to speak of, the Denver Broncos are a great fit for this instrument. The Broncos entered football in 1959 along with the AFL, and have even won two Super Bowls, making them a fairly prominent team. Their distinction comes from being one of the few teams in the NFL to never move or change names since their founding, just as we're still using the old German name for this instrument today. Snare Drum – Oakland Raiders Another easily recognizable drum of the percussion family, the snare drum gets its name from the metal snares underneath the drum that give the snare its characteristic rattling sound. It entered the orchestra in the early Romantic era. Snares are common in lots of other types of music (rock, marching bands, etc), and a famous snare roll opens the Star Spangled Banner. While the Oakland Raiders are something of a laughing stock these days (haven’t made the playoffs since 2002), they were a well-respected franchise once upon time. They entered the AFL in 1960, and have even won three Super Bowls and a pre-merger Championship. When I think of snare drums, I immediately think of a trap set, and then rock music. And while this may be a stretch, Metallica is a huge fan of the Oakland Raiders, even having given some impromptu performances during tailgating. So, the connection of the Raiders and rock music makes this instrument assignment a good one. Bass Drum – Buffalo Bills The Bass Drum is the driver of many orchestral pieces, and it’s been said that the bass drum player of Sousa’s famous band was the highest paid member of the group. It’s the bass drum’s job to keep the tempo steady, but not once have they been given the spotlight. Like the snare, it entered the orchestra in the early

Finally there is some love for our favorite teams' quarterback Christian Ponder. Check it out, it's not a bad read. I agree with a lot of you all out there that this is the year that Ponder needs to show steady improvement, but expecting him to miraculously transform into the second coming of Fran Tarkington in his third year in the league is a bit much. http://network.yardbarker.com/nfl/article_external/is_minnesotas_christian_ponder_the_rodney_dangerfield_of_nfl_quarterbacks/13655515 Finally there is some love for our favorite teams' quarterback Christian Ponder. Check it out, it's not a bad read. I agree with a lot of you all out there that this is the year that Ponder needs to show steady improvement, but expecting him to miraculously transform into the second coming of Fran Tarkington in his third year in the league is a bit much. http://network.yardbarker.com/nfl/article_external/is_minnesotas_christian_ponder_the_rodney_dangerfield_of_nfl_quarterbacks/13655515

The Minnesota Vikings made a minor roster move on Tuesday, releasing offensive tackle Mark Jackson. Jackson was an undrafted free agent that the team gave a $3,000 bonus to in the wake of the 2013 National Football League Draft. He played his college ball at Glenville State. The news of Jackson's release isn't really that big a deal. What is important about it is the fact that it leaves the Vikings one body below the 90-man roster limit, as they currently have 86 players signed to contracts and contract offers out to rookies Sharrif Floyd, Xavier Rhodes, and Cordarrelle Patterson. This could mean that a signing is coming sometime in the near future here. Could this move have been made to create space on the roster for the rumored Brian Urlacher signing? At this point, that might be too big a conclusion to jump to, but it is a possibility. Hopefully we'll find something out in the next couple of days.

Earlier this week, Voice of the Vikings Paul Allen was asked to compile his list of the Top 50 current NFL players. After some hemming and hawing and a fairly laborious few days in which he went b...

I think the Vikings as whole, even with the losses of Harvin and Winfield are a better team. I am very happy with the starters we have outside of MLB and of course like everyone else; hoping to see Ponder validate himself as a worthy first round draft pick. There are many good and great starters on both sides of the ball and special teams as well. Also a lot of new and younger guys with a mountain of potential. I think having so many good players spread out throughout the team is what in some aspects makes this team a legitimate threat and Vikings' fans should all be very optimistic about their chances this year, as well as years to come, as this is a team built for the long haul. And a team that is built for the long haul certainly must have some good depth players and back ups that could potentially start on other squads. So, what is one of the things that will help Minnesota win games this year that most aren't talking about? I think it is the players that play behind the starters. I am not saying this is a primary reason for the Vikings to have a successful season, but still an important one. Having guys that can step in at a moments notice in the event of an injury or whatever is vital. Though, the second stringers and third will see playing time anyway, and to make an impact with what limited time they get is very important not just to their team, but also their careers. So, who are the back ups that could or should potentially step up and at least have a little positive impact on Vikings' games? I think there are several. Everson Griffen isn't technically a starter, but may be the strongest number two we have. Toby Gerhart is entering his last year in his contract and would not be surprised a bit if we saw his best year with what limited time he will see the field playing behind Adrian Peterson. There wee a lot of big hopes for John Carlson when he came to town only to have them all thrown out the window, now with most fans calling for him to be released, especially with many wanting to see Ellison seeing the field more, who also is another very good number two. John Carlson may surprise us this year a little and put up some decent numbers that will help make other's jobs on the offensive side of the ball easier. He definitely will have the element of surprise if does indeed do what many hoped he would last year. We also have a few younger guys we have been waiting for them to have a break out year, or at least a decent one. Guys like Christian Ballard, Brandon Fusco and even A.J. Jefferson has been marked by many to be an eventually solid contributor to the secondary. There are also a lot of eyes on Patterson, Wright, Webb, Ellison and even Felton this year, and with so many good players; everyone for the most part has to be on their very best game, or they could very well drop a spot down on the depth chart. So, of all these back ups; who will step up the most, and will they step up enough to unseat one of the current starters. As of now, looking at the current starters outside of finding a MLB, Charlie Johnson seems to be the consensus number one that fans want to see replaced. So, who are our best second string players in you opinion? I think the Vikings as whole, even with the losses of Harvin and Winfield are a better team. I am very happy with the starters we have outside of MLB and of course like everyone else; hoping to see Ponder validate himself as a worthy first round draft pick. There are many good and great starters on both sides of the ball and special teams as well. Also a lot of new and younger guys with a mountain of potential. I think having so many good players spread out throughout the team is what in some aspects makes this team a legitimate threat and Vikings' fans should all be very optimistic about their chances this year, as well as years to come, as this is a team built for the long haul. And a team that is built for the long haul certainly must have some good depth players and back ups

Hi Minnesota Vikes fans For those of you who may have me on your Facebook friends list, you may know that I am a big fan of collecting a ton of Vikes collectibles. My office is full of Minnesota Vikings stuff! I don’t want this page to become overwhelmed with links to Vikings stuff, but since I want this to be the most complete Vikings page on the entire net, I decided that I want to showcase some cool Vikings stuff every now and then. I figure there are probably many more of you out there who visit this page that have a similar interest to mine when it comes to getting Vikings stuff. So, here is the featured item for today… NFL Minnesota Vikings Dangle Earrings Hand Enameled Hypoallergenic Officially Licensed NFL Dangle Earrings List Price: $ 9.99 Price: $ 1.10 Tweet This Post

Look at this god damn thing. It's a work of art. The deep purple, the kingly gold, the horizontal stripes. It's like whatever grandmother knitted this reached deep into my wet dreams and retrieved this from the ether to display it so finely on a weird ass mannequin. Not that I'm complaining. While I'd love to wear it, I will also gladly ogle it like a picture of Jennifer Lawrence in a bikini, because dat ass. Or, in other words, dat sweater. I regret to inform you I have no other real information about this sweater. I found it from our Pinterest page (yes, we do have one, and it's only like 74% filled with gay stuff) and while the original link from that post is down, we were able to track this piece of boner material down again, with it likely being the one on a user's page called "andyhaul." Looks similar, yes? I don't know if it's the same one or not, but it doesn't matter. This is apparently a Cliff Engle brand sweater, which is apparently a company that made sweaters that stimulated the clitoris directly, because look at that thing. If you do a Google Image search for "Cliff Engle Sweaters" you find an art gallery of work, rivaling that of the Louvre. So many vibrant colors, so many stripes. So much weird, erotic 1980's models. I feel like I'm watching scrambled HBO porn all over again. This Vikings one is particularly great for many of the same reasons why their classic throwback uniform is great, as well. The purple is an awesome shade of purple, the gold doesn't pussy foot around. The stenciled Vikings font is a classic 1980's look that screams "I'LL KILL YOUR CHILDREN" like only a Viking could, and of course THE STRIPES! Sweet Jesus, anything with stripes will make me weak in the knees, like college lined notebook paper, or braces. I wish the Vikings would just put these over their pads and play in them. That'd be awesome. So if anyone is looking for an idea of what to get me for ... I don't know ... Summer Solstice? You can add this one to the list. I'll make you my forever-lover. [follow]