Vikings Receiver Legacy

With Camp Ponder essentially being a passing camp, I was once again thinking of the Vikings legacy at the receiver position. Doesn't everyone? It's interesting to look at teams and see a golden history at a particular position. The San Francisco 49ers have had an incredible run at QB. There has been a bit of a drought recently, but there is no denying their past. The All America Football Conference days of the late '40s had Frankie Albert. He was followed by Hall of Famer Y.A. Tittle. John Brodie prompted the 49ers to trade Tittle to the Giants. Brodie may not have lived up to his immense potential, but he was an excellent QB. He led some strong teams in the early '70s. After a few bleak years, the 49ers hit the mother lode with Joe Montana and Steve Young. In a 50+ year stretch the 49ers had three Hall of Famers and two excellent QBs (Albert and Brodie) lead the team. The Bears have had a similar run of excellence at the linebacker position, middle linebacker in particular, with Bulldog Turner, Bill George, Dick Butkus, Mike Singletary and Brian Urlacher. With Urlacher's likely, I consider questionable, induction into the Hall of Fame, all five will be honored in Canton. I meant to use this Flicker to talk about the Vikings history at the receiver position. I'll get to that now. The Vikings have had a nice run of very good to excellent receivers. Paul Flatley had a much too brief career in the '60s. He was outstanding for a few years, including rookie of the year honors. The '70s with Fran Tarkenton is when the run really started. John Gilliam was All-Pro in the early part of the decade. When Sammie White and Ahmad Rashad joined the team in '76, passes filled the air in Minnesota. White was rookie of the year, and was the deep threat to Rashad's underneath routes. If Rashad had played his entire career with the Vikings and Tarkenton, he'd be in the Hall of Fame. The first half of his career was wasted with the Cardinals and Bills. The '80s were mostly a dark time for the Vikings, but the Carters helped bring the team back into the light. Anthony and Cris were a dynamic duo. Cris Carter was incredible throughout the '90s. With perhaps the best hands ever, he defined how the position should be played. His absence from the Hall of Fame is a crime. Cris Carter and Jake Reed were dominant later in the decade. Each gained over 1000 yards for at least 3 consecutive years. In 1998, the Vikings receivers went from great to insane with the addition of Randy Moss. Defenses were helpless. Moss is the most physically gifted receiver to ever play. When properly on his game in his prime, he could not be defended. After Carter and Moss, there was a receiver void in Minnesota for too many years. That void has been filled. When healthy, Sidney Rice can be as dynamic as Larry Fitzgerald. Both have a similar skill set. Percy Harvin is something else entirely. He is simply a great football player. Some parts of his game remind me of Anquan Boldin. Great hands, very physical. They are both surprisingly powerful for receivers. Harvin takes his game further with running skills more comparable to a back. A great player. The Vikings receivers may not have the championships and hardware of the 49ers QBs and the Bears linebackers. The Vikings were on the cusp of championships several times in the '70s, and in 1987, 1998 and 2009. Ahmad Rashad played at a Hall of Fame level while in Minnesota. Cris Carter should be in the Hall of Fame. He'll be there soon. It diminishes the Hall every year that he is not. Moss, despite some foolishness, will be there too. Rice and Harvin are just starting their careers. Hopefully they will hold the honors and championships the Vikings so richly deserve.