Well, that was a bit of a surprise.

Yes, a member of the Vikings will be a member of the 2009 Class of the Pro Football Hall of Fame. . .but it wasn't the one that I expected.

Per the press conference that just concluded on NFL.com and the NFL Network, all three of the Vikings that made the final 15. . .WR Cris Carter, G Randall McDaniel, and DT John Randle. . .made it through the first reduction from 15 down to 10.  However, of those three, only McDaniel made it through the next reduction where the list was shaved from 10 down to 5.

The entire class of 2009 for the Pro Football Hall of Fame is as follows:

Bob Hayes, WR, Dallas Cowboys (Veteran's Committee selection)

Randall McDaniel, G, Minnesota Vikings

Bruce Smith, DE, Buffalo Bills

Derrick Thomas, LB, Kansas City Chiefs

Ralph Wilson, Jr., Owner, Buffalo Bills

Rod Woodson, DB, Pittsburgh Steelers

Congratulations to the entire class of 2009!  More on this. . .and, specifically, the continued snubbing of Cris Carter. . .later on.