With the college season starting to wrap up, scouts are starting to finish up their initial reports on seniors. Some only have a game or two left depending on if they are in a bowl or not. Its still too early to know exactly which rounds guys are going to be drafted or which juniors are going to declare, but it is a good time to start keeping your eyes on a few players. Here are 7 seniors who I think, (and one or two I know) the Vikings are looking at and where it looks like they will be taken in the 2010 draft. Plus some juniors to watch if they declare. Critical assumption: We are doing this based on the Vikings having one of the last 4 picks in each round.

1. George Selvie, OLB, USF 6'4'' 250 - Normally, I wouldn't think to look at Selvie, who has been considered a 3-4 OLB by most scouting sites since he was a junior. However, via SB Nations Mocking the Draft, there is a link to Chris Steuber of Scouts.com's twitter page where Chris states he knows the Vikings are interested in him. This got me asking, "Why would the Vikings be interested in a college DE that is considered too small to play DE in the NFL and most consider a 3-4 OLB?". The conclusion I come to is that most 3-4 OLB would actually make good to great SAM LBs in a 4-3 scheme. Need an example? Ben Leber played OLB for 2 years in San Diego's 3-4 (In the years before that San Diego ran a 4-3) before coming to Minnesota. He wasn't overly successful at it, but he was used more in coverage it seems than rushing the QB. Both Leber and Selvie have similar size, but Selvie is considered a much better athlete. One knock I can think of is that since he plays DE for USF, he doesn't have much experience in coverage and right now there isn't a way to tell how good he would be covering WRs , TEs, and RBs, but he definitely has the athletic ability to do so. He came into his senior season as the active NCAA leader in tackles for loss and second in sacks for active players. He also came into the season as a first round prospect, but while he has had a good season, it hasn't been up to most peoples expectations and his DE teammate, JR. Jason Pierre-Paul, has been getting way more ink and praise.  Here is a link to a ESPN Draft Lab were KC Joyner uses his metrics system to evaluate Selvie. You have to be a Insider to read it all, but if you arent, I will try to post what it says in the comments, but I don't know it that is something that would be able to stay up (i.e. after the Nostradamus posting last week, I wouldn't want to put something here to make Gonzo have to delete the whole post). Either way: Joyner's metrics make Selvie look like a good player.

2. Dan Williams, DT Tennessee 6'3'' 327 - Here is a guy I am very intrigued with. There doesn't seem to be any real consensus on where he should be drafted. He is #21 on Mel Kipers Big Board, but then over at the Nation Football Post, he doesn't even make the top ten draftable DTs. I think he will be closely watched by the Vikings and Minnesota fans for a couple of reasons. 1) He is about the same size as Pat Williams and is considered to be athletic, 2) He currently plays Phat Pats position in Tennessee, 3)Tennessee runs the same defense that Minnesota runs and is coached by the guy who taught Fraizer (and everyone else) the Tampa 2, Monte Kiffin. As it looks right now, he is a younger version of Phat Pat and would be a great choice as the heir to his position.

3. Greg Hardy, DE Ole Miss, 6'5'' 275 - Even if the Vikings get Ray Edwards to sign back with the team (funny how well he is playing in the contract year, but the year he proclaims he will break the sack record he only got 5 with 3 coming in the last 2 games, but I digress) the depth at the position seems thin. With Ray Edwards, having Brian Robison and Jayme Mitchell as rotation guys sounds pretty good. But with out Ray, that just doesn't seem good enough. Hardy is a guy that is going to drop a lot because of his injury concerns, but he has tremendous ability when he is healthy and could be used as a situational player as he lets his body heal and continue to develop for the NFL.

4. Jon Asamoah, OG Illinois 6'5'' 315 - While the O-line is playing great and the Vikings have two players who fill in as back ups very well in Hicks and Cooks, I wouldn't want those back-ups starting and while Herrera can still be called young, Hutch is on the wrong side of 30. Asamoah is very similar to Hutch in size and athletic ability, and plays in a zone blocking offense, but he could use some time to develop into a full time NFL starter. He could step in as a guy who can fill in for injury early in his career as he gets ready for a full time starting spot.

5. Walter Thurmond III, CB Oregon 6' 183 -  Walter has been one of the best corners in the PAC-10 since his sophomore year. He has excelled in zone coverage and as a return man, however, the reason he drops here is because while he is good at every thing, he isn't elite at anything and he has some injury concerns. Before he was injured this season, he was on the Jim Thorpe Award (Nations best DB) watch list and returned two punts for touchdowns. He was considered better in college than his former teammate and current Buffalo Bill Jariyus Byrd who has been a revelation for that defense.

6. Jeron Masturd, TE Kansas State 6'6'' 253 - Another luxury pick for the Vikings as they don't have many holes to fill (at least until FA starts after the season). TE is another position the Vikings are getting kind of old at and could use another TE that can excel at blocking. Jeron has the size and ability to be a good blocker in the NFL and his size would be a benefit in the red zone.

7. Bobby McClintock, FB/RB Portland State 5'10'' 240 - Plays in a run and shoot system that has him work more as a runner than a blocker. Bobby is a bowling ball running up field and has very reliable hands in the passing game. could develop into a FB who also can sub in for Peterson and deliver punishment to defenders that would wear them down more as the game goes on.

Here are some other guys to keep your eye on:

Ryan Mallett, QB Arkansas 6'6'' 220 - Ryan is a very talented 3rd year sophomore who could declare and would be worthy of 1st round consideration. In one year at Arkansas, he is already setting a lot of the schools passing records and he is similar to Joe Flacco in size and ability. I think with the talent already on the Vikings roster, they could be led effectively, just like Flacco did for the Ravens last year.

Ryan Mathews/ Toby Gerhart, RBs Fresno State/Stanford, 5'11'' 220/6'1'' 235 -  I like both of these guys for the same reason. In the hypothetical situation where Chester Taylor doesn't stay with the Vikings for whatever reason (IMO his vaule is with the Vikings and he won't actively leave), the Vikings should look at a RB to compliment Peterson or contribute if he should somehow get hurt (God forbid). Harvin and/or Young can serve has the fast/scat back option and either one of these guys could serve as the battering ram that hammers down defenses, making them wish the game would just end. Both are big backs that deal out punishment and both are having fantastic seasons for their teams.

Ras-I Dowling, CB Virginia 6'2'' 200 -  Ras is considered one of the best Jr. coverage corners who is also physical in the run game. Fits very well into a Tampa 2 system, but still has a year of eligibility.

Austen Lane, DE Murray State 6'7'' 270 - My favorite cliche is "You can't teach size" and Lane is a great example of that. He dominates the FCS level because of his size, but could use some time to develop at the NFL level. Still has a ton of athletic ability and could add some depth to the DE position while spending some time developing.

Kurt Coleman, Safety from Ohio State

Watching this game, this guy stood out to me

he made some good plays against the run

and also has two interceptions

the second one, he made a great play to jump infront of the reciever and came down with the ball

his hands seem to be great and his coverage seems good too

Continue reading this post »

Hi, all. Long-time lurker, first-time poster here. I was browsing some other forums and came across a video link from Europe. I thought it would be interesting to everyone to see it. My favorite parts is when a grandmother swipes all the pictures of her children off her nightstand to make room for her Favre picture. lol Good stuff.

The pic is like R4F's avatar too:

http://www.tackfilm.se/?id=1258817844365RA89

Don’t hold back! Cause there’s a party over here, so you might as well be here, where the people care…
Don’t hold back! If you think about it too much, you may stumble, trip up, fall on your face…
Don’t hold back! It’s time that you get up, crunch time, like a sit up, come on keep pace…
Don’t hold back! Put apprehension on the back burner, let it sit, don’t even get it lit…
[Minnesota], you’re holding back, the time has come to… GALVANIZE!!!   –the Chemical Brothers, Galvanize

So you say you bleed purple…

I’ve heard that phrase countless times through the years. Hell, I’ve said that countless times through the years.

“I bleed purple.”

1998: I bled purple. More accurately, I cried purple at the hands of defeat and a premature knee, courtesy of Dennis Green and the Atlanta Falcons in the NFC Championship game.

“I bleed purple.”

2001: I bled purple. The NY football Giants defeated my team, my Vikes, 41-0 in the NFC Championship game.

“I bleed purple.”

 2005: I bled purple. On February 25, Randy Moss was traded to the Oakland Raiders for Napoleon Harris and a few draft picks.

“I bleed purple”

I know I am not the only one who bled purple on those days. I know generations before me bled purple during  fumbles that turned to interceptions, bad calls that cost us games, and, of course, lost Super Bowls.
But for every heartbreak, there are those times that keep us coming back: Tarkenton, Rashad, the Purple People Eaters, AC, Cunningham to Moss, Culpepper to Moss, Carter (‘cuz all he does is catch touchdown passes), Robert Smith, Moss’ lateral to Mo Williams, Chester Taylor and ADRIAN PETERSON, Kevin Williams, Pat Williams and Jared Allen, Percy Harvin, Antoine Winfield and Brett FAVRE!

But no previous amount of bleeding purple will even begin to match what I will bleed if we lose our team, our culture, our history, our major downtown economic source 10 Sundays a year. I know you will bleed too.

CITIZENS OF MINNESOTA & MINNESOTA VIKINGS FANS: THIS IS YOUR WAKE UP CALL!

Over the last 6 months my technical team and I have built a platform for you, the fan and citizen, to stand on and voice your opinion. Where the media wouldn’t give you a voice to express your sense of urgency, SavetheVikes.org has. When nobody wanted to start conversations about a stadium issue, SavetheVikes.org did. Where there was an opportunity to bring you a single source of answers around the Minnesota Vikings stadium issue, SavetheVikes.org delivered just that. SavetheVikes.org has given you, the Minnesota Vikings fans, the citizens of Minnesota and beyond, a conduit to the media, community and State Legislature to stand up and LET YOUR VOICE BE HEARD.

Now the time has come to put a face to that voice. I am asking all of you to bleed purple with me. I have invested thousands of dollars of my personal income to finance this effort. I am stretched just as thin as the rest of you. My technical team has spent countless sleepless nights making my vision a reality. We have bled purple, WILL YOU?
Will you leave work early to come and show your support at the Capitol? Will you make plans to have somebody pick up the kids so you can come to the Capitol on Thursday December 3rd? Will you prove to me, the State, the Minnesota Vikings and the NFL, that fan support isn’t just about joining a group on Facebook or pushing some tweets and emails around? Will you stand with me at the Capitol and have your support be seen and voice be heard?

NOW is the time to act. NOW is the time to get behind Edwards, Williams, Williams and Allen. Now its 4th and 1 on our goal line. Will you stand behind them, along with me and fellow fans, to defend one of our state’s cultural and economic resources? Will you stand up for more jobs, more contract opportunities, and increased revenue to the state and its economy? Will you stand shoulder to shoulder with me and look the State Legislature in the eye and prove once again that this is America? And will you help me show that in America the people speak loudest and not some self-serving facilities committee?

Now is your time to prove once and for all that you bleed purple. You can prove it by making the extra calls, sending the extra emails to make it down in numbers to 75 Martin Luther King Jr Drive, St Paul, MN. You can prove you truly bleed purple by inviting your neighbor, your friends, your family, coworkers, church and children. YOU can make the difference, because without you, it’s only me.

On Thursday, December 3rd, will you make the statement to the media, to the Midwest, and to the Legislature by coming down and proving through a force of numbers that we WILL BE HEARD? Will you shut out the opposition and keep the Metropolitan Sports Facilities Commission (MSFC) from railroading this project another 2 years, exponentially driving up the cost of the project and delaying jobs and economic growth? Will you step up by bringing everybody you can fit into your car or truck? Will you stand with me and prevent the MSFC from running another team out of town?

WILL YOU PROVE DEFINITIVELY, THAT, ONCE AND FOR ALL, YOU BLEED PURPLE? THEN BE THERE THURSDAY, DECEMBER 3rd FROM 2pm-6pm.

STAND UP AND DEFEND YOUR MINNESOTA VIKINGS!

What you can do RIGHT NOW to make this a successful and impactful event:

Mark your calendar with the following:
-State Capitol fan rally Thursday, December 3rd from 2pm-6pm.
-Tuesday, November 24th and Tuesday December 1st , 8am is the day to post and ask all of your social networks to post exactly this in your/their status: REPOST IN YOUR STATUS: Vikings stadium rally MN Capitol Thurs, Dec 3rd from 2-6pm! Come show your support! www.SavetheVikes.org for details!

-Copy this post/forward this email to everyone you know and ask them to do the same!

-Email your reps by going to www.savethevikes.org/huddle-up/ to find their contact info, and let them know you will be at the Capitol to show your support for the Legislature to work with the Vikings to find a way to build a stadium and keep the team in Minnesota!

-Post this entire letter onto your blog, print off and post in the office break room, and anywhere else you can post it.

-Make preparations now to be able to attend the event (e.g. time off request, babysitter, transportation, etc.)

Can’t wait to see YOU there!

Cory Merrifield
Founder/Fan Advocate
SavetheVikes.org
cory.merrifield@savethevikes.org

I did a little digging and found two pages to contact the Minnesota Legislature and Congress. I also found another site that has info on the Governor as well as the representatives out in Washington that I will list at the bottom of this post. Time to start hammering all of them and repeatedly. I'm also going to be posting this on the "New Mexico Norseman" Myspace and Facebook pages. Get out there folks, pass on the list's, get people to start screaming at them. Even if you're like me and live out of state, write, call, anything. Make them realize it's not only about Minnesota, but everyone everywhere who loves the Vikings. The only way a politician will change his/her stance is when they get enough heat, their polling numbers go down or they get voted out. Time to make all of that happen. It's not about Democrats vs. Republicans, whether you're a Democrat, Republican or Independent. There are those on both sides who are opposed to the Vikings. There are those on both sides who want to save the Vikings. Time to put aside you're political views and support the ones that want to save them, and go after the ones that don't. For any NFL fans out there , even if you're a fan of our rivals who feel just as strongly about losing the Vikings as a part of your teams history, please be heard as well! There are still over 2 years left so there is time to get this done. Remember the Lakers, remember the North Stars, don't let the complacency happen again. The Twins were saved, and so will the Vikings.

SKOL VIKINGS! SKOL MINNESOTA!

Gov. Tim Pawlenty (R) 651-296-3391
Sen. Amy Klobuchar (D) Fax: 202-228-2186
Sen. Al Franken (D) Fax: 202-224-1152
Rep. Tim Walz (D-1) Fax: 202-225-3433
Rep. John Kline (R-2) Fax: 202-225-2595
Rep. Erik Paulsen (R-3) Fax: 202-225-6351
Rep. Betty McCollum (D-4) Fax: 202-225-1968
Rep. Keith Ellison (D-5) Fax: 202-225-4886
Rep. Michelle Bachman (R-6) Fax: 202-225-6475
Rep. Collin Peterson (D-7) Fax: 202-225-1593
Rep. James Oberstar (D-8) Fax: 202-225-6211

Minnesota House of Representatives

Minnesota State Senate

After much deliberation, the winner of the Seahawk Ticket is CitrusFLViking. Thank you for all who participated. The following is CitrusFLViking comment:

Doing this for a friend

who help raise money during my hospital stay. He can’t afford games bu twould love to go. So I’ll try for him.

Simple- Percy is a young stud who let all the negative crap roll off his back when people tried to make a big issue of it. He stood up like a man and played and practiced like a man. In my encounter with him he was genuinely personable and respectful. Especially when meeting with people of special needs. I told him that this state will embrace you if you just keep embracing the the fans. He told me he had heard that and hoped he can live up to what fans expect of him. Percy leaned over and gave me a hug as he went to visit a little girl in a wheelchair. Those little acts make him a man I can respect. He has not embarrassed us as a representative of this state and certainly not as a player. He proved his critcs wrong.
Thanks for your offer R4F.

by CitrusFLViking on Nov 19, 2009 12:28 PM CST

Honorable mention (2nd place):   PurpleEaters 

Procedure for receiving ticket:

Please SEND the following 2 ITEMS at the same TIME STAMP, so I know you are CitrusFLViking.

CitrusFLViking please open 2 windows on your computer.One window will be this FanPost and the other window will be your Email. CitrusFLViking please send me a comment on this FanPost that you still want the ticket and an Email with your Friends Full Name and his Email(the admission gate will need to see a picture ID and the printed ticket information with your Friend's name on it.) Again please send both windows at the same time (same time stamp). Write your FanPost comment and Email, then send both at same time. Thank you.

Thanks again for all who participated. SKOL VIKINGS!

Great video/audio of Favre against Lions.  Besides stuff I mentioned in subject, we get him complimenting Stafford, and lots of butt slapping by the old man.  I saw this earlier this week, I kept figuring someone else would post it, but it looks like no even ever did, so ... enjoy.  Definitely 6 1/2 minutes well spent to get insight into team chemistry right now on offense.

vikings.com link to video

Post your favorite line.  Mine is from him talking to first Tarvaris, then Bevell as they're looking at playshots on the sideline: To Tarvaris:

We don't need to keep making it so d--- complicated, just ... keep it simple!

To Bevell, Tarvaris, and Sage:

H---, just run and go.  They don' wanna ... they can't cover Sidney.  How you wanna cover him {holding his arms up in the air, palms up]  Off?  Bump?  Who cares! It's gonna be ... stealing.

Then the next clip shows the play where Favre throughs it up for grabs for Sidney deep on the free play they got with the Detroit offsides.  Then it shows Favre and Sidney on the sidelines, I can't figure out hte first two sentences Favre says to Rice, but then it's:

I just let you make a play.  That's what you do.  That's what you do.

Then Favre talking to Childress, geturing towards Rice:  "They can't cover him."  Childress: "Well, you've always said that."  Favre: "Right.  Now you startin' to believe me."

From ESPN

Continue reading this post »

This is a completely copied and Paste Post via Twincities.com just for everyone to know!  The original link is here!

And the best line of the post that I thought I should post twice!(One in the actual story and one as a quote.)

What we've been finally wanting somebody to say:

On the Vikings and New Orleans Saints: "It would be a great matchup between those two. But if (Antoine) Winfield comes back, Minnesota defensively has the edge on New Orleans. And offensively, with that running game and Favre's experience, I know New Orleans puts up a lot of points but I would give Minnesota the edge."

Continue reading this post »

Some people believe the runestone in Kensington, Minnesota is fake.   Or perhaps the stone's author knew more about writing in runes than some ivory tower folks who are centuries removed from it being commonplace. 

In the future, perhaps people will wonder if the NFL Vikings ever visited Minnesota as well.   Just reflect on the original Vikings.  Look around the state and you may notice some Nordic-descended residents, but if the real Vikings ever came to what is now Minnesota in the olden days, they did not remain there, unless perhaps they have intermarried with the prior residents and perhaps are now working at a casino somewhere.  Maybe some casino will save the NFL team, but I really doubt it at this stage.

The point is that once the current NFL Vikings are gone, they won't be back.    If you think the other NFL owners are eager to extend charity to the north star state because they have some flag written in French, please clean your glasses, get the wax out of your ears, and listen to Cowboy's owner Jerry Jones.   If Minnesota fumbles, the refs will not overrule it on a replay.

NFL football will not return, so just get ready for arena football.   Maybe they'll take the arena team's colors from some other high school team and you will be happy.   Maybe you'll really enjoy not hearing about the Minnesota Vikings on ESPN any more.    

Whatever happens, my take is that this is the begining of the end.  What the stadium commission just did is throw the first punch, and the heated part of the fight is on.  

Zygi Wilf and company own the Vikings, not Minnesota.   So if they get disgusted enough to lateral the football to billionaire Ed Roski out in Los Angeles, Ed is never going to let go.   He's recently finished building his new digs for the Lakers, and he's got the Guvernator clearing the path for his coming football stadium outside LA.

Here's an article from mndaily.com about the commission's offer:  http://www.mndaily.com/2009/11/20/hold-berserk-keep-vikings     

Eric is a good Nordic name.  I think he sizes things up in Minnesota rather well in his article.

I don't know Zygi Wilf that much, but I did shake his hand once after hearing him speak at a chamber of commerce meeting.   I believe he had good intentions in coming to Minnesota, certainly a lot better than those intentions of the ancient Viking explorers, but the thing I remember most was the fire in his eyes when he said he was not one to let other NFL owners push him around.   That was back when they had grabbed Hutch from Seattle.   I'm certain the actions the stadium commission just took made him want to get mad as hell.   But as the Kennedy's always said, don't get mad, get even...