My Report From Mankato

by CitrusFLViking on Aug 10, 2009 8:57 AM CDT Comment 32 comments

I've only gotten to one practice so far and going tomorrow. My site line was poor as it was hard to position myself with a mobility scooter. But, i had some fun moments to share.

I was more impressed with Copter than I thought I would be. He was hitting some good shots to WR at mid and long range attempts.

Harvin! Oh my Gosh! This kid is a mini Randy Moss. He has that 2nd gear where just when you think the ball is overthrown, he turns it up a notch and reaches the ball.

It was hard to get a good evaluation of the line. The D was working very hard and although far off the young guys seem to add alot of speed.

My highlight of the day came when I asked where a good spot for photo ops would be. I was directed to a line with othr disabled and given a special section. I met at least 20 players and was overwhelmed by their genuine kindness to the fans. I have never seen this at other camps. I knew a guy that played with Harvin and had a Gators Helmet to hopefully get signed. Percy walked right over and we chatted at least 10 minutes. He is a very personable young man and i told him what a great place Minnesota is and how the fans will embrace you. He commented how friendly people were here and hopes he can play here a long time. We also spoke of his friend (a Gator team mate) and fishing spots to visit near the Twin Cities.

Antionne Winfield visited with me and I told him about DN and how excited we all were that he resigned and will be a viking a long time more. Another very friendly person.

Jared Allen really shocked me as he was so friendly to everyone. He really enjoyed visiting with the fans. We talked about his last hunting trip and gave me advice on how to get back out hunting despite my physical limits. He took time to visit every disabled person and signed anything we wanted. He still went out and visited for a long period with the other fans.

Sidney Rice was very cool. I encouraged him to hang in there and spoke of his days at So Car. He has a very positive attitude and said he has worked harder than ever to show he can be a better and more productive WR this season.

Asher Allen is an absolute fishing and Fantasy football nut. He was just great. Keven Williams was a gentle Giant and helped me stand out of my scooter for a picture. Keinsausser, Dugan, Kleuwe and Copter were also mingling with us alot.

I had a visit with Copter too. I whispered to him "Go out and win that spot. Show em what you can do" He winked at me and whispered back "I have no intention of sitting the bench (backup) anymore" Gave me a thumbs up and smile.

What impressed me most was Chilly. As hard as i have been on him, his cold, boring image is totally torn off when you meet him. He loved visiting and answering questions. One guy in a wheelcahir who couldn't talk well asked him about Favre. Chilly was cool as a cucumber and explained he would have liked to have had him but it ultimately came down to BF's choice. He told the guy I just have to do the best with the guys we have and believe in them and asked the fan to do the same. The guy agreed and Chilly gave him a big hug and thanked him and all of us for coming.

It was a memorable day and will post some pics when I can.

I was proud to see the type of people we see on TV each Sunday. They were not cocky athletes bu tgenuinely nice guys like i have never seen as much of in the past. Made me more proud to be a Viking Fan.

Hope to go tomorrow and get a better report.

This FanPost was created by a registered user of The Daily Norseman, and does not necessarily reflect the views of the staff of the site. However, since this is a community, that view is no less important.

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Wow.

That is simply awesome. Thank you so much for sharing your experience. That’s so incredible. Sounds like you had an amazing time.

Just reading it is kinda overwhelming. At least some football players are humble.

That’s such a fantastic story. Look forward to more updates!

Visit:
http://www.vikingvigil.com

Skol Vikings!
Woot Woot!

by Manimal on Aug 10, 2009 9:03 AM CDT reply actions 0 recs

Tim Tebow will fit right in

I don’t care what his critics say, he is also a class act as a COLLEGE player this man fits right in with your fanpost…
A guy with that kinda love for the game as well as those around him and the overall skill he has in the game of football, he better become a viking

And he is already well associated with Percy Harvin

by Vikingsfan17 on Aug 10, 2009 9:59 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

Unless...

The Vikes fall completely apart this year, or Tim Tebow suffers a horrific injury, I don’t see him getting out of the top five of the draft.

When you go to somebody's house, you don't crap on their floor. Being a fan of one team does NOT give you license to be a dick to fans of another.

by Robert Rence on Aug 10, 2009 10:57 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

FWIW, tebow was projected as a late first or even second round pick in this past draft. highly doubtful that he makes the jump into the top 5.

by Natty Bumppo on Aug 11, 2009 12:43 AM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

Everybody has a boner for him, though.

I anticipate with his work ethic, resume in college, and potential a few teams will get high on him and we’ll have a Mark Sanchez type of deal where he’ll go high in the first, much higher than anticipated. That is, of course, assuming he has another stellar season.

Visit:
http://www.vikingvigil.com

Skol Vikings!
Woot Woot!

by Manimal on Aug 11, 2009 10:08 AM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

i would agree with you if there weren’t so many other blue chip QBs in line this year. i can’t imagine bradford or mccoy having poor seasons either, and both seem to fit the scouts’ pocket passer mold. kiper is generally a hater re: tebow, but the last i saw he had dan lefevour as the #2 QB, mccoy as the #3 QB. i hear you, though. momentum creates peer pressure, and another heisman and/or national championship should bring plenty of “best college QB ever” pronouncements.

by Natty Bumppo on Aug 11, 2009 10:53 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

Personally I don't think he'll go very high

Look at Troy Smith….Heisman Trophy winning QB with 86.7% first place votes, which is a record. Yet he wasn’t taken until the 5th round of the draft. Granted his BCS performance didn’t help him, but scouts pretty much know which QB’s could be NFL QB’s and which ones will probably struggle. I think Tim Tebow falls into that category of non NFL ready QB.

by Loki The Viking God on Aug 12, 2009 9:55 AM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

thank you so much for sharing Citrus

this is exactly what I was hoping for when I asked a couple weeks ago for anyone going to give us a report.

It’s so great to hear stories about these guys on a human level, and not just as Warriors in Purple Helmets. It’s really cool that after a tough day of training camp these guys can put on a smile and shoot the breeze with the fans. Not only do they touch the fans like yourself that actually get to talk to them, but they touch us folks that just get to hear about it as well.

Stoked to hear high praise being sung for Harvin. That’s what I’ve been hearing all camp and I am so excited for the first time that ball gets lobbed down the field his way.

From everything I’ve heard, Jared Allen is genuinely a really great person. Sure he is eccentric and has that “bad boy” persona, but past that he is a truly great human being. I am glad you got to see that.

And last but not least, that little quip you threw towards Sage was great!! Nice to see his confident response, and I’m sure it was very encouraging to him to hear a fan tell him that they were behind him. He needs that.

Again, thanks for the update Citrus. Fantastic read!

"The latest Brett Favre summer saga apparently has come to an end. The 39-year-old reportedly informed the Vikings on Tuesday that he will not come out of retirement for a 19th season."

The greatest news I've heard all year!

by TheViking83 on Aug 10, 2009 9:16 AM CDT reply actions 0 recs

Great Read - Thanks So Much For Sharing!

by Loki The Viking God on Aug 10, 2009 9:17 AM CDT reply actions 0 recs

thx for the post

Jared Allen is to football what Jason Voorhees is to Lake Crystal.
Percy Harvin is Devin Hester, except someone very smart decided to teach him how to catch and run routes.

by SDviking on Aug 10, 2009 9:49 AM CDT reply actions 0 recs

Fantastic

What an excellent post. I personally never really think about these guys as actual human beings, just machines that go out there and tear stuff up. I rarely get to go to games as I live in upstate NY, and I’ll be darned if I am going to go waste my money on the Bills. So, thanks for that post – gave me a neat perspective about the players that I love to watch on TV that I’ve not had in the past.

by Figgs on Aug 10, 2009 10:14 AM CDT reply actions 0 recs

thank you

citrus, thank you for an awesome post!! i hope you get many more chances to visit camp & give us more updates.

by indianavikesfan on Aug 10, 2009 10:28 AM CDT reply actions 0 recs

Great Post Citrus

You’ve given us yet another in a long line of reasons to be Vikings fans and proud of our team.

by purplegrey on Aug 10, 2009 10:43 AM CDT reply actions 0 recs

You should have told Sage

that if he can’t beat out Jackson, thousands (hyperbole Monday) of fans will commit purple suicide by drinking the tainted kool-aide.

by Jepp The Viking on Aug 10, 2009 10:57 AM CDT reply actions 0 recs

I hope Chilli haters understand this is what has improved most since Tice

We’ll have to wait and see if the Vikings can continue to improve on the field. But, we’ve seen a HUGE improvement in terms of having real role-models and a team we can be proud of on a personal level. I’ve been routing for Jackson because I believe he has the best upside potential, but now that we’ve had enough camp to have some feel for the QB battle, I’d say Sage appears to have a slight lead in the race in that he’s looking as good as Jackson without having the time in the system. We expect Sage to improve as he learns the system the first couple months and I think he’s really putting the pressure on Jackson.

by ChemErik on Aug 10, 2009 11:10 AM CDT reply actions 0 recs

Great story...

Hope to see the pictures soon Citrus…

"A government big enough to give you everything you want, is strong enough to take everything you have"
Thomas Jefferson

by RileysCannibalJct on Aug 10, 2009 11:37 AM CDT reply actions 0 recs

Awesome.

I am incredibly jealous, but I’m really glad to hear that it was such a great time. I like the little tidbits from the players that would never say near a microphone (especially Sage’s). I’ll have to try to make a trip out there one day.

In AP I trust
Just say no to Favre.
F-A-R-V-A =/= F-A-V-R-E

by FarvaForTheVikings on Aug 10, 2009 12:03 PM CDT reply actions 0 recs

Great post Citrus. As others have mentioned, I felt a bit jealous as I was reading this. Sounds like a great time. Did you get to meet Adrian?

by nlemke on Aug 10, 2009 12:12 PM CDT reply actions 0 recs

No. He was in an autograph booth area at the time

by CitrusFLViking on Aug 27, 2009 7:17 AM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

Good post Citrus

Very interesting post. Especially the part about Chilly, I guess I’ve always pictured him as being kind of cold, but obviously he isn’t. Thanks for the info, it was interesting to read all of it. (Though I would have liked it more had it been Packers player haha :)).

by packallday555 on Aug 10, 2009 12:36 PM CDT reply actions 0 recs

Been to 4 differesnt team camps

and despite the rivalry I would love to go see a Packer camp.

by CitrusFLViking on Aug 27, 2009 7:18 AM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

Great post, Citrus.

It sounds like you had an awesome time. I think I really gonna try to make it to camp next year. I’m looking forward for the next update. =)

"He didn’t call me or anything. It was an accident, but a lot of people would have called to see how someone is doing after they got hit in the head. Especially if they had to go on the DL." — Morneau on pitcher Ron Villone after an April 2005 beaning.

by Gonzo2 on Aug 10, 2009 12:42 PM CDT reply actions 0 recs

Well put ChemErik!!!

And Citrus, it’s good to see some of your class has rubbed off on our beloved purple!!!!!!

by kdog69 on Aug 10, 2009 1:12 PM CDT reply actions 0 recs

So happy to hear this!!

Citrus,

Thank you so much for this post. It warms my heart to hear how well you were treated by our boys in purple! I am so excited about the potential of this team this year, and the fact that even the rookies understand the importance of just being quality young men and treating people with respect. I also love the fact that the Vikings are taking special care of their disabled fans, something that this team seems to take great pride in. The extra hassles you have to put up with on a daily basis should be recognized, and it sounds like the team is doing a great job of making that experience special. Your post makes me even more excited to cheer on a group of great people playing for a great team!!

SKOL!

by ctowner35 on Aug 10, 2009 1:30 PM CDT reply actions 0 recs

Great

Was a great read…and can tell you are a big fan like I am…hope you have another great day there and thanks for the reports.

by vikefan1969 on Aug 10, 2009 3:39 PM CDT reply actions 0 recs

great info vanno. glad you had such a great time man, cant wait to see the pix. if you can you should get some vids too. hit ya up later vanno

purple is the color of royalty

by da2213viking on Aug 10, 2009 4:09 PM CDT reply actions 0 recs

Thank you

I really appreciate you sharing that. I’m glad you had such a great time up there, and that the Vikings were such decent people to meet. What a difference from 5 years ago, what a positive difference.

Great post, Citrus, looking forward to your next ‘report from camp’ :)

Ah, ah,
We come from the land of the ice and snow,
From the midnight sun where the hot springs blow.
The hammer of the gods will drive our ships to new lands,
To fight the horde, singing and crying: Valhalla, I am coming!
SKOL!

by DCPurple on Aug 10, 2009 5:26 PM CDT reply actions 0 recs

Mannn you are lucky..

I went to training camp and I was one of the hundreds of people in the stands. IT was an incredibly amazing experience though. I was probably 10 feet away from Pat and Kevin williams and Jared allen. I went “YO JARED!”, he gave me a nod… that was as far as I go besides high fiving Visanthe Shiancoe and sidney rice when they were walking out.

Its good to know that the Vikings are great with their fans… I am just reassured that the team I root for truly idealize the minnesotan way; on the field and off.

by FutureViking43 on Aug 10, 2009 5:42 PM CDT reply actions 0 recs

Amazing post Citrus

It seems like you had a truly memorable experience at training camp. I’m glad everything went so well for you. It really does make me proud to be a Vikings fan and hear about how real and genuine the players are. I follow Sidney Rice on twitter, and he tweeted about how great the fans are, and how one fan made him and a few other players dream catchers. He even posted pictures. For a big time athlete making tons of money, its great to hear that he took the time out of his day to share something so small. Man I love this team.

SKOL Vikings!

by PurplePeopleEaters09 on Aug 10, 2009 9:37 PM CDT reply actions 0 recs

thanks for sharing

it’s good to know how the team members treat folks.

by ZakInOmaha on Aug 11, 2009 7:58 AM CDT reply actions 0 recs

Awesome!

I like this story…i think sage is going to be a starter..he just has so much more heart then t jack

by clones21 on Aug 11, 2009 1:59 PM CDT reply actions 0 recs

i was waiting for this

been so busy this week that i’m just now reading this post! like everyone else who isn’t there with you i’m extremely jealous. i bet you’re even more pumped up and optomistic than before. i know the few vikings games i’ve been able to attend have made me more pumped up. it’s like seeing them in person makes your expectations raise a little higher. and to get to actually hang out with some of them a bs a little bit? awesome! you are a lucky guy citrus!

can’t wait to hear how the rest of your trip went and thanks for dropping a line for all the folks here at the DN!

by iseepurplepeople on Aug 12, 2009 10:52 AM CDT reply actions 0 recs