Daily Norseman - June 30 Day ChallengeThe Purple and Gold Standardhttps://cdn.vox-cdn.com/community_logos/48653/dailynorseman_fave.png2015-06-30T14:20:05-05:00http://www.dailynorseman.com/rss/stream/84655362015-06-30T14:20:05-05:002015-06-30T14:20:05-05:0030 Day Challenge: Looking Forward To 2015
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<figcaption>Bruce Kluckhohn-USA TODAY Sports</figcaption>
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<p>We've made it to the end of the <a href="http://www.dailynorseman.com/2015/6/1/8701495/june-30-day-challenge-minnesota-vikings" target="_blank">30 Day Challenge</a>, with 30 different topics of discussion over 30 days. Hopefully some of these posts gave folks the opportunity to let their minds work a little bit and give us something to talk about concerning the <a href="https://www.dailynorseman.com/" class="sbn-auto-link">Minnesota Vikings</a> during what is, generally, the longest and most boring month of the NFL offseason.</p>
<p>With the 2015 NFL season just around the corner, it's time we start looking forward to it a little more, and that's where we're going with our final topic.</p>
<p>Of all the things there are to look forward to about the Minnesota Vikings' 2015 season, which one are you looking forward to the most?</p>
<p>The Vikings have to be considered one of the NFL's more intriguing teams in 2015, with the continued development of quarterback <span>Teddy Bridgewater</span> and the return of running back <span>Adrian Peterson</span> to the offense. But, for me, I'm focused on the other side of the football. The thing I'm looking forward to the most is how this team's defense continues to develop under Mike Zimmer's eye.</p>
<p>Just a couple of weeks ago, wludford took a look at <a target="_blank" href="http://www.dailynorseman.com/2015/6/8/8750195/so-what-exactly-is-a-mike-zimmer-defense">what, exactly, a "Mike Zimmer defense" is</a>. And we've discussed before how Zimmer's defenses have <a target="_blank" href="http://www.1500espn.com/sportswire/Year_two_has_treated_Zimmer_defenses_well_what_are_Vikings_prospects012915">improved dramatically</a> from his first year with a team to the second year. The Vikings' defense really came together nicely over the course of last season, and after a couple of years to sort of weed out some of the proverbial dead weight, the Vikings have one of the younger and more exciting defenses in recent memory.</p>
<p>The Minnesota secondary has generally ranged from "average" to "dumpster fire" for most of the past couple of decades, but now it might be as much of a strength as the defensive line. <span>Harrison Smith</span> and <span>Xavier Rhodes</span> are on the fast track to being on the short list of the NFL's best at their positions, and the team really like rookie <span>Trae Waynes</span> and the host of safeties they have competing for the spot next to Smith. The defensive front, with young stars like <span>Everson Griffen</span> and <span>Sharrif Floyd</span>, made great strides last season, and should continue to do so this year as well. Even the linebacking corps, which has elicited numerous four-letter words from fans of the purple over the past few years, appears to be coming around, with <span>Eric Kendricks</span> joining his former UCLA teammate <span>Anthony Barr</span> at the second level.</p>
<p>Even though it appears the Vikings have an outstanding young quarterback to lead their team in Bridgewater, the old adage still holds true. . .<a target="_blank" href="http://www.fieldgulls.com/2013/7/5/4488544/reloaded-super-bowl-2013-49ers-vs-ravens-does-defense-win">defense wins championships</a>. And it's been a very, very long time since the Minnesota Vikings had a defense that could really be counted among the league's best. But the current unit appears to be headed in that direction in a pretty rapid manner, and that's why that's the aspect of this football team that I'm looking forward to the most in 2015.</p>
<p>What part of the 2015 Minnesota Vikings are you looking forward to the most?</p>
https://www.dailynorseman.com/2015/6/30/8871885/30-day-challenge-looking-forward-to-2015-minnesota-vikingsChristopher Gates2015-06-29T14:46:29-05:002015-06-29T14:46:29-05:0030 Day Challenge: Favorite Vikings Memory
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<p>The finish line is in sight, folks. . .we've had 28 different topics for discussion in this thing over the month of June, and today we have number 29.</p>
<p>What is your favorite all-time <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="https://www.dailynorseman.com/">Minnesota Vikings</a>' memory?</p>
<p>Yes, we talked about our earliest memories in another post in the 30 Day Challenge, but this one is for your all-time favorite. As I've missed all of the team's <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="http://www.sbnation.com/super-bowl">Super Bowl</a> appearances. . .and, let's face it, those aren't exactly happy memories anyway. . .I need to look elsewhere for my favorite memory.</p>
<p>The 2004 season was a bit of a strange one for the Vikings. The team got off to another fast start, going 5-1 in their first six games. However, in their fifth game, <span>Randy Moss</span> suffered a pretty serious leg injury that would hamper him over the remainder of the season. In their final ten games of the year, the team went just 3-7, with just one victory in the final five weeks of the season (a 28-27 victory over the <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="https://www.prideofdetroit.com/">Detroit Lions</a> in Detroit when the Lions borked the extra point after scoring what appeared to be a tying touchdown).</p>
<p>The Vikings had a chance to win the NFC North in Week 16 of the season, but lost to the <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="https://www.acmepackingcompany.com/">Green Bay Packers</a> at the Metrodome by a score of 34-31, leaving the Vikings to fight for their playoff lives in Week 17 at Washington. That game was the game that saw Randy Moss infamously leave the sideline and return to the locker room early, and the Vikings fell 21-18.</p>
<p>Still, thanks to the incompetence of a couple of other teams, the Vikings managed to back their way into the playoffs with an 8-8 record and earn a third game against the Packers, this one coming at Lambeau Field. The Vikings were in turmoil. . .in addition to the losing skid, there were rumors flying that Moss had been confronted by center <span>Matt Birk</span> after the game against the <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="http://www.sbnation.com/nfl/teams/washington-redskins">Redskins</a> for his early departure. There wasn't anyone outside the greater Twin Cities area that gave the Vikings even the slightest chance of advancing to the next round of the playoffs as 9 January 2005 rolled around.</p>
<p>I think that's what I remember about the game more than anything. . .just how completely and utterly dismissive the "experts" were of the Vikings in that game. The Packers had swept the Vikings in the regular season, winning both games on field goals by <span>Ryan Longwell</span> as time expired. To hear the talking heads speak about it, you would have thought that Green Bay won both of those games by 40 points. That attitude came despite Minnesota having an offense that averaged 25.3 points a game and led by a quarterback in Daunte Culpepper that the Packers had no answer for in those first two games, whether Moss was on the field or not. In previewing the game for ESPN, Steve Young himself said outright that picking the Packers over the Vikings in that game was "the easiest pick he'd made all year."</p>
<p>But, we all know how that ended up.</p>
<p>Culpepper threw four touchdown passes and was generally flawless on the afternoon, while <span>Brett Favre</span> threw four interceptions to help the Vikings along en route to a 31-17 Minnesota victory. The capper, as we know all too well, was this rainbow from Culpepper to Moss in the fourth quarter. (Warning, there's some naughty words at the end of this one.)</p>
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<p>Yeah. . .think the guy at the end of the video summed it up pretty well. I'm guessing that what Moss did distracted Buck from doing another plug for <i>Temptation Island</i> or whatever other crap FOX was generally airing at that time. Joe Buck could suck it before any of us even knew who John Marty was.</p>
<p>I know, it wasn't a Super Bowl victory or anything. But after a solid week of listening to the national media crap all over the Minnesota Vikings, it sure was satisfying to see the team walk away with a victory.</p>
<p>So, what's your favorite Minnesota Vikings memory, ladies and gentlemen?</p>
https://www.dailynorseman.com/2015/6/29/8863241/30-day-challenge-favorite-minnesota-vikings-memoryChristopher Gates2015-06-28T14:41:08-05:002015-06-28T14:41:08-05:0030 Day Challenge: Favorite Running Back
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<p>Only a few days left in the 30 Day Challenge for this month, and we're on the last of our position groups to that need an all-time favorite declared, so let's get to it.</p>
<p>Who is your all-time favorite <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="https://www.dailynorseman.com/">Minnesota Vikings</a>' running back?</p>
<p>I'm guessing the choice for most people, from an on-field perspective, is a pretty obvious one. And that choice is <span>Adrian Peterson</span>.</p>
<p>When it comes to running the football, there hasn't been a player in the history of the team quite like Peterson. He's got power, he's got speed, he has all of the traits and abilities you want in a running back at the National Football League level, and he's given fans of the Minnesota Vikings a ton of memories over the years. He even brought home a Most Valuable Player Award months after having his knee reconstructed. He's the best running back that's ever suited up for this franchise, and on the short list of the best Minnesota Vikings players of all time.</p>
<p>I'm not going to waste any time getting into the off-field aspects of Adrian Peterson, even though I'm sure it will come up in the comments eventually. Frankly, that discussion is pretty much over.</p>
<p>But on the field, I don't think there's any question about who the best running back in Vikings history is.</p>
<p>Who do you have for this one, folks?</p>
https://www.dailynorseman.com/2015/6/28/8859395/30-day-challenge-all-time-favorite-minnesota-vikings-running-backChristopher Gates2015-06-27T12:36:45-05:002015-06-27T12:36:45-05:0030 Day Challenge: Favorite Vikes Offensive Lineman
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<figcaption>Yeah, we don't have many Randall McDaniel pictures. Sorry. | Joe Kohen/Getty Images</figcaption>
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<p>We're at the 90% point of the 30 Day Challenge, folks, and since I've got a few other things going on today, this one's going to be a quick one.</p>
<p>Of all of the offensive linemen that have suited up for the <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="https://www.dailynorseman.com/">Minnesota Vikings</a>, which one is your all time favorite?</p>
<p>My answer hearkens back to one of the earlier posts in this 30 Day Challenge, when I asked which former Minnesota Vikings great <a href="http://www.dailynorseman.com/2015/6/5/8737943/30-day-challenge-bringing-one-former-minnesota-viking-back/in/8465536" target="_blank">you could bring back</a>. I'm going to go with Hall of Famer Randall McDaniel. I sang a lot of his praises and went over his incredibly impressive resume in the earlier post, so I'm not going to rehash everything he's done again. Sufficient to say, though, in the 31 years that I've been a fan of this team, I haven't seen a more dominant player at any spot on the offensive line for the Minnesota Vikings than Randall McDaniel.</p>
<p>I know that McDaniel eventually got his <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="http://www.sbnation.com/super-bowl">Super Bowl</a> ring. . .with the <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="https://www.bucsnation.com/">Tampa Bay Buccaneers</a> (as did the man that played so many years in Minnesota next to McDaniel, center Jeff Christy). It's a damn shame that he didn't get it with Minnesota. He had a couple of solid chances, but wound up having to go elsewhere to get that ultimate prize.</p>
<p>There were very few guards in McDaniel's day that were on the same level as he was. Heck, there were very few players at any position in his day that were at the same level as Randall McDaniel. He was the Minnesota Vikings' best offensive lineman for a very long time, and a dominant force throughout his career. That's why I'm going with him as my favorite Vikings offensive lineman of all time.</p>
<p>Who do you folks have for this one?</p>
https://www.dailynorseman.com/2015/6/27/8856955/30-day-challenge-favorite-minnesota-vikings-offensive-linemanChristopher Gates2015-06-26T15:18:21-05:002015-06-26T15:18:21-05:0030 Day Challenge: Favorite Vikings Play
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<p>Over the course of their history, the <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="https://www.dailynorseman.com/">Minnesota Vikings</a> have had a bunch of great plays and moments that we'll always remember. However, today we want you to narrow it down to just one.</p>
<p>What is your favorite all-time Vikings play?</p>
<p>You can watch the video for mine <a href="http://www.nfl.com/videos/minnesota-vikings/09000d5d82085cb4/Moss-catch-and-lateral" target="_blank">right here</a>, but I'll do the text version of it anyway.</p>
<p>The date was 19 October 2003, and the Vikings were looking for their sixth consecutive victory as they faced the <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="https://www.milehighreport.com/">Denver Broncos</a> at the Metrodome. The Vikings struck first on a 47-yard pass from Daunte Culpepper to <span>Kelly Campbell</span>, but the Broncos evened it up with a Clinton Portis touchdown run just after the two-minute warning to tie things at seven. The Vikings got the football back and pushed into Denver territory. However, consecutive sacks of Culpepper by the Broncos pushed Minnesota back to their own 41-yard line, where they faced a 3rd-and-24 with 12 seconds remaining.</p>
<p>The Vikings could have taken a knee at that point, or they could have done something awesome. They decided to do something awesome.</p>
<p>Culpepper dropped back to pass, and drifted towards the right sideline as time ticked down. He finally launched one down the center of the field just before getting hit, and the ball found <span>Randy Moss</span> at the Broncos' 10-yard line. Bronco defenders quickly closed on Moss, pushing him back to the Denver 15, and it looked like the game would go into the locker room tied.</p>
<p>And then, amazingly, Moss flipped the ball over his shoulder. . .seemingly blindly. . .to a waiting Moe Williams, who took the lateral and sprinted the remaining 15 yards for a score. The touchdown was held up on review, and the Vikings took a 14-7 halftime lead en route to a 28-20 victory.</p>
<p>Now, after numerous re-watches of the play, I'm pretty sure that Moss saw Williams as he was getting tackled. However, at the time and in the flow of the game, it looked like Moss was just trying to pull something out of his rear end and managed to get lucky. Either way, it was the sort of play that normal football players just don't make, but Moss made it look like something he might have even practiced at some point.</p>
<p>Of all the great plays the Vikings have had over the years, that one is truly the best, in my opinion. But I'm sure that there are lots of other opinions out there on this one.</p>
<p>So, what's your favorite Minnesota Vikings play of all time?</p>
https://www.dailynorseman.com/2015/6/26/8854003/30-day-challenge-favorite-all-time-minnesota-vikings-playChristopher Gates2015-06-25T13:43:46-05:002015-06-25T13:43:46-05:0030 Day Challenge: Favorite Vikings Quarterback
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<p>We're getting to the end of the 30 Day Challenge, and we haven't touched on the most important position on the field to this point, so let's go ahead and remedy that now.</p>
<p>Who is your favorite <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="https://www.dailynorseman.com/">Minnesota Vikings</a> quarterback?</p>
<p>For me, if I continue to stick to the guys that I've actually be able to seen live, I can't go with Fran Tarkenton. . .I've only seen him play through the magic of NFL Films. (As has been the case for most of this, I'm sure many of our longer-tenured fans will more than make up for that.) So, out of all of the quarterbacks that I've seen put on the purple during my time of being a fan, there's one guy that stood out above all the rest.</p>
<p>When the Minnesota Vikings traded away <span>Brad Johnson</span> after the 1998 season, they needed a younger option at quarterback. They had 35-year old Randall Cunningham running the show, and they brought in 32-year old Jeff George to compete with him. But, as had been the case since Tarkenton retired, the team was looking for a young quarterback to develop that could be their long-term answer. And, with the 11th pick in the 1999 <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="http://www.sbnation.com/nfl-draft">NFL Draft</a>, they got that guy in Central Florida quarterback Daunte Culpepper.</p>
<p>Culpepper was a total anomaly in 1999. At 6'5" and about 260 pounds, he was able to move around like a much smaller quarterback while still maintaining a huge throwing arm. He didn't see any significant time in his rookie year, as Cunningham was benched early in the season and George took the Vikings to the playoffs. But after the 1999 season, Cunningham and George both moved on, and coach Dennis Green. . .after a brief flirtation with the possibility of bringing in Dan Marino. . .eventually handed the reigns to Culpepper.</p>
<p>The Vikings went to the <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="http://www.sbnation.com/nfc-championship-game">NFC Championship</a> Game in Culpepper's first season as a starter, but then he had a couple of rough seasons in 2001 and 2002, including a season-ending knee injury in 2001. He started really putting things together in 2003, as he finished the season with 29 total touchdowns and just 11 interceptions. His best season, however, was the season he put together in 2004.</p>
<p>People generally don't realize just how good Culpepper's 2004 season was. . .anyone that needs the proper perspective on it can read <a href="http://www.pro-football-reference.com/blog/?p=316" target="_blank">this post from Pro Football Reference</a> about what he accomplished that year. Long story short, with basically half a <span>Randy Moss</span> and not a whole lot else, Culpepper might have put together the best season a Minnesota Vikings' quarterback has ever had. He accounted for 41 total touchdowns (39 of which came through the air) and just 11 interceptions. He wound up finishing runner-up in the Most Valuable Player voting that year to <span>Peyton Manning</span> (who set the single-season record for touchdown passes that year).</p>
<p>For whatever reason, people continue to latch on to the "Randy Moss made Daunte Culpepper" meme. The 2004 season should pretty much prove that theory to be garbage. Seriously, Culpepper made <i><span>Nate Burleson</span></i> into a 1,000-yard receiver that year. Nate. . .Burleson.</p>
<p>Sure, Culpepper's 2005 season and his exit from Minnesota both wound up being fairly messy. But that notwithstanding, he's still the best quarterback of my Vikings' fandom and, in my opinion, the best non-Tarkenton quarterback in the history of the franchise.</p>
<p>Who do you have for this one, folks?</p>
https://www.dailynorseman.com/2015/6/25/8846631/30-day-challenge-favorite-minnesota-vikings-quarterbackChristopher Gates2015-06-24T13:43:15-05:002015-06-24T13:43:15-05:0030 Day Challenge: Favorite Opposing Stadium
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<p>We've talked a lot over the past couple of years about the new <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="https://www.dailynorseman.com/">Minnesota Vikings</a>' stadium (newly christened U.S. Bank Stadium) and how awesome it's going to be when it finally comes online for the start of 2016. However, there are other teams that have outstanding stadiums as well, and that's the subject of today's discussion for the 30 Day Challenge.</p>
<p>Which opposing stadium in the National Football League is your favorite? It can be one that you've attended a game at or one you've just seen on television.</p>
<p>I'm going to go with one that I've actually attended a game at in this past. . .a number that is sadly limited. . .and go with CenturyLink Field in Seattle. I attended two games up there when I was stationed in that part of the country, one in the preseason and one in the regular season. I don't remember much about the preseason game, except that my wife and I had really good seats, and the regular season contest was the Sunday night game where Shaun Alexander scored about twelve touchdowns in one half of football, so let's not talk about that, either.</p>
<p>The stadium itself is outstanding, though. It offers a view of pretty much the entire Seattle skyline. . .and I know that because, for the regular season game, I had a seat that required a sherpa and two mountain goats to reach. The inside of the stadium was pretty outstanding as well, with plenty of room to move around on the concourses and things like that.</p>
<p>As far as the noise. . .well, there's a reason that announcers on television are constantly raving about how loud the place gets, because the noise levels are ridiculous. The regular season game I went to wasn't the loudest sporting event I've ever attended (Game 7 of the 1991 <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="http://www.sbnation.com/world-series">World Series</a> at the Metrodome takes those honors), but I still had some issues hearing things as I left the stadium that night.</p>
<p>The fans were pretty great, too, for the most part. They didn't give me <i>too</i> much flak as I sat there with my Vikings hoodie watching our favorite team get stomped. . .not as much as I expected, anyway.</p>
<p>Hopefully over the course of the next few years I'm going to be able to expand the list of stadiums that I've watched Vikings football in. But for now, the opposing stadium that tops my list belongs to the two-time defending NFC champs.</p>
https://www.dailynorseman.com/2015/6/24/8839995/30-day-challenge-favorite-opposing-stadiumChristopher Gates2015-06-23T12:52:36-05:002015-06-23T12:52:36-05:0030 Day Challenge: Favorite Vikings Linebacker
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<figcaption>Don't look into his eyes DON'T LOOK INTO HIS AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!! | Allen Steele/Getty Images</figcaption>
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<p>Another day, another entry into the 30 Day Challenge series, ladies and gentlemen. We're sticking with the posts about different positions for today, and moving on to the next level of the defense.</p>
<p>Who is your favorite all-time <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="https://www.dailynorseman.com/">Minnesota Vikings</a> linebacker?</p>
<p>As big a fan as I am of <span>E.J. Henderson</span> and the perseverance he showed in coming back from a career-threatening injury, for me the discussion of Vikings linebackers begins and ends with Scott Studwell. (Again, I'll put the disclaimer out there that I wasn't a Vikings fan until the mid-80s, so I missed the crew from the Purple People Eaters.) Studwell, to me, was everything that a prototypical, old school middle linebacker was supposed to be. He was a tackling machine, as he holds virtually every Vikings' record in that category.</p>
<p>-He's the team's all-time leading tackler with 1,981<br>-He holds the team record for most tackles in a single season (230 in 1981)<br>-He holds the team record for most tackles in a single game (24 in a 1985 game against the <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="https://www.prideofdetroit.com/">Detroit Lions</a>)</p>
<p>Most of the recognition that Studwell got from folks outside of the Vikings' faithful came towards the end of his career. He was a two-time Pro Bowler, making the team in 1987 and 1988, and a three-time All-Pro, garnering that honor in 1984 (for a truly disastrous Viking team, no less), 1988, and 1989.</p>
<p>Studwell was a member of the Vikings for a long time. How long? He is the only Vikings' defensive player that played with both Jim Marshall and John Randle. He was drafted in the ninth round of the 1979 <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="http://www.sbnation.com/nfl-draft">NFL Draft</a> (back when the draft was twelve rounds long), and spent his entire career with the Vikings until his retirement following the 1990 season. He was a member of the Vikings 25th Anniversary Team, as well as their 40th Anniversary Team, and was named one of the 50 Greatest Vikings in 2010. He's also a member of the team's Ring of Honor.</p>
<p>I should correct myself. . .Studwell's <i>playing</i> career with the Vikings ended in 1990. Starting in 1991, he has been part of the team's staff, working for the team in the following capacities:</p>
<p>-Assistant to the President/Player Relations (1991)<br>-Player Personnel Coordinator (1992-2001)<br>-Director of College Scouting (2002-2014)</p>
<p>That gave him 38 seasons as a member of the Vikings in some capacity. I might be missing my guess on this, but I believe that only Bud Grant and long-time trainer Fred Zamberletti have more years with the Minnesota Vikings than Scott Studwell. Studwell is still with the team in a smaller capacity, though I'm not totally sure what that capacity is.</p>
<p>Studwell was a great player on the field, and his loyalty to the team off the field is truly admirable. The combination of those two things are what make him my favorite Minnesota Vikings' linebacker.</p>
<p>Which direction are you folks going on this one?</p>
https://www.dailynorseman.com/2015/6/23/8833635/30-day-challenge-favorite-minnesota-vikings-linebackerChristopher Gates