Wednesday Open Thread: August 17, 2016

Happy Wednesday, DN faithful! It's the peak of the week, and we're one day closer to the Vikings' next pre-season game, as they match up against the Seahawks tomorrow night. There are a few things I'll be watching closely. We'll hopefully see improvement on the O line, and it will be interesting to see if Trae Waynes can keep that second corner spot locked down. I also hope to see a lot of improvement in our run defense, it's probably the one area of concern with our defense.

Around the DN since our last open thread:

Chris talked about the Vikings defense with Football Outsiders.

Ted posted Roughing the Podcast, Episode 4.

Vikings news from other sources:

Our friends at Red Cup Rebellion (the Ole Miss Rebels site) have a great story about Laquon Treadwell and his journey to the NFL.

Fox Sports tells us why Adrian Peterson won't have to carry the Vikings offense alone.

Charles Johnson could again be a key contributor for the Vikings, according to Ben Goessling at ESPN.

David Morgan is clearing a path to the lineup, per the Strib.

From Vikings.com:

Here are practice highlights from yesterday, and here are some photos from yesterday's practice..

James Lofton says the Vikings are a championship caliber team.

The Vikings look to stiffen their run defense against Seattle.

Adam Thielen's work ethic has gotten him a bigger role in the offense.

Teddy Bridgewater is excited to go against a talented group.

Coach Zimmer says the Seahawks will provide good competition.

Around the rest of the NFL:

Here is a schedule of upcoming key dates from CBS Sports.

From NFL.com, the Browns have suspended K'Waun Williams for two weeks. This is an odd story, the Browns wanted him to play but he says he's unable.

Bruce Arians was taken to a hospital after experiencing stomach pain, per NFL.com. Hopefully all is well, Arians is a hell of a coach.

NFL.com has 10 things that aren't as stupid as the Joey Bosa holdout.

From ESPN, the 49ers signed Christian Ponder to a one-year deal. I hope the best for Ponder, he seems like a good guy.

Twins update:

The Twins were able to hold off the ever powerful Atlanta Braves last night. Santana pitched a beauty, and Plouffe added some power as the Twins squeaked by, 4-2.

We come to today's media selection. Here's another one from Richard Cheese.

Again, we all know the rules, but in case someone is new:

-No discussion of politics or religion
-No feeding of the trolls
-Keep the bad language to a minimum (using the spoiler tags, if you must)
-Speaking of which, if discussing a newer show or movie, please use spoiler tags 
-No pictures that could potentially get someone fired or in serious trouble at their place of employment
-If you can't disagree in a civil manner, feel free to go away
-While navigating the open thread, just assume it's sarcasm
-This isn't a male version of The View, so leave the gender hatred at the door

With that, the beer light is on and the bar is open. Belly up & tie one on. Don't forget to tip your waitress, & try the blood sausage.