Picking the NFL's Dark Horses - Vikings get mentioned!

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losperros
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Picking the NFL's Dark Horses - Vikings get mentioned!

Post by losperros »

Greg Rosenthal at NFL.com picks the Vikings as one of the NFL Dark Horses for this upcoming season. Here's part of what he has to say:
It's easy to forget that the Vikings' defense, not the clownish quarterback carousel, torpedoed their 2013 season. New head coach Mike Zimmer is a top defensive mind and has some delicious talent with which to work. The defensive line (Everson Griffen, Linval Joseph, Brian Robison, Sharrif Floyd) is one of the most intriguing young groups in football
I still say the D has some questions. But I agree that the Vikings could surprise some teams this year.

More at the link:

http://www.nfl.com/news/story/0ap300000 ... ms-in-2014
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Re: Picking the NFL's Dark Horses - Vikings get mentioned!

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losperros wrote:Greg Rosenthal at NFL.com picks the Vikings as one of the NFL Dark Horses for this upcoming season. Here's part of what he has to say:
I still say the D has some questions. But I agree that the Vikings could surprise some teams this year.
Absolutely.

Thanks for the link, Craig. With so many members of the media picking the Vikings to win 4-6 games, it's good to see a more positive take!
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Re: Picking the NFL's Dark Horses - Vikings get mentioned!

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808vikingsfan wrote:Thanks for the link. Nice to hear something positive for a change. 1000 yds for Rudolph? When was the last time the Vikings had any receiver with 1000 yds?


2009 (Rice).

Harvin came close in 2011 and was on pace for well over 1000 in 2012 before he got injured but the Vikes have gone 4 straight seasons without a 100 yard receiver. Yikes!
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Re: Picking the NFL's Dark Horses - Vikings get mentioned!

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Was it the receivers? I think there was a bigger difference in 2009. Over the last four years. :twisted:
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Re: Picking the NFL's Dark Horses - Vikings get mentioned!

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Mothman wrote:

2009 (Rice).

Harvin came close in 2011 and was on pace for well over 1000 in 2012 before he got injured but the Vikes have gone 4 straight seasons without a 100 yard receiver. Yikes!
Oh yeah, that was the year Harvin broke one of his nails and that sidelined him for the rest of the year :lol:
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Re: Picking the NFL's Dark Horses - Vikings get mentioned!

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Demi wrote:Was it the receivers? I think there was a bigger difference in 2009. Over the last four years. :twisted:
Rice stayed healthy all year? ;)

I know what you're getting at and they obviously haven't had a QB of Favre's caliber since then but as I said, Harvin came close in 2011 and was on pace for well over 1000 in 2012. If he'd stayed healthy, it's likely he would have had a 1000+ yard receiving season with you-know-who throwing to him.
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Re: Picking the NFL's Dark Horses - Vikings get mentioned!

Post by losperros »

808vikingsfan wrote:Thanks for the link. Nice to hear something positive for a change. 1000 yds for Rudolph? When was the last time the Vikings had any receiver with 1000 yds?

This year looks like it's going to be a fun ride.

I'm wondering about Rudolph, too. This could be break out time for him. The guy certainly gets open, even on deeper routes.

I don't want to overdo it in trusting Norv Turner to help the offense. It's just that Rudolph seems like a TE that fits Turner's scheme.
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Re: Picking the NFL's Dark Horses - Vikings get mentioned!

Post by Mothman »

losperros wrote:I'm wondering about Rudolph, too. This could be break out time for him. The guy certainly gets open, even on deeper routes.

I don't want to overdo it in trusting Norv Turner to help the offense. It's just that Rudolph seems like a TE that fits Turner's scheme.
Rudolph looks quicker to me and he definitely seems poised for a big year. It would be great to see that happen.
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Re: Picking the NFL's Dark Horses - Vikings get mentioned!

Post by PurpleMustReign »

Mothman wrote: Rudolph looks quicker to me and he definitely seems poised for a big year. It would be great to see that happen.

Have the Vikings ever had a 1,000 yard Tight End?
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Re: Picking the NFL's Dark Horses - Vikings get mentioned!

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808vikingsfan wrote:Funny when you think about it. If it weren't for Harvin getting hurt, I'd doubt Peterson gets his 2000, Harvin would win the MVP, selected to the pro bowl, and still be a Viking.


That's possible but Peterson was already on a roll when Harvin was lost for the season. He had back-to-back 100+ yard rushing performances and was in the process of rushing for 182 in the Seattle game when Harvin went down. The way things were going, I wonder if the continued presence of an additional big threat on offense might have actually helped AD break the record.
Maybe Peterson is the one who wants out of Minn and asks to be traded. Meanwhile, Ponder gets his stats padded with Percy, and gets a contract extension. Can't image what VMB would be like then.
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Re: Picking the NFL's Dark Horses - Vikings get mentioned!

Post by Ragnar »

PurpleMustReign wrote:
Have the Vikings ever had a 1,000 yard Tight End?
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Re: Picking the NFL's Dark Horses - Vikings get mentioned!

Post by PurpleKoolaid »

I would have thought Steve Jordan.
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Re: Picking the NFL's Dark Horses - Vikings get mentioned!

Post by CbusVikesFan »

PurpleKoolaid wrote:I would have thought Steve Jordan.
:rock: :rock: #83
A little surprised that it is not Jordan. I think if he was playing now, and I believe he could have, he would be right up there with the elite. :v):
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Re: Picking the NFL's Dark Horses - Vikings get mentioned!

Post by John_Viveiros »

Grantland mentions the Vikings as one of the "rising" teams this year:
http://grantland.com/the-triangle/nfl-t ... rove-2014/

I really like Grantland. Obviously, like anyone else, they can be wrong. But they seem to put a lot of thought into their articles. It's not just some guy who looks at 2013 standings and picks the Panthers, Seahawks, Eagles, and Packers to win their divisions this season.

If you haven't read it before, take a look at the pre-draft QB analysis link quoted in the article:
http://grantland.com/features/teddy-bri ... aningless/
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Re: Picking the NFL's Dark Horses - Vikings get mentioned!

Post by John_Viveiros »

Again. Bill Simmons, on this week's picks at Grantland.
http://grantland.com/the-triangle/2014- ... ing-guide/
• I actually like this Vikes team. ... Lots of weapons, new outdoor stadium under construction, Mike Zimmer, All-Day, great 2014 draft, Teddy with a chip on his shoulder … sign me up. In December, when the Vikes are 9-6 and Dallas is 2-13, we’ll be laughing about how Adrian Peterson wanted to be a Cowboy.
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