Mike Zimmer has hit a lot of career milestones in 2014. It all started on January 15 when he was named the head coach of the Minnesota Vikings. After 35 years in the business, Mike Zimmer finally had his first head coaching job. From there, he had a lot of firsts. First Senior Bowl, first Scouting Combine, and first NFL Draft as the head coach. First free agency as the head coach. He was putting together his team. Finally. For a coach that has always seen the job as a teaching job, it was the OTAs and training camp that excited him the most. His team. His practices. His system. His vision. After 35 years, Mike Zimmer is finally the head coach of an NFL team.
Mike Zimmer has probably thought about this day countless times in the last 35 years. He probably thought that it would have come a whole lot sooner. It should have. It's sad that he nearly gave up his pursuit of a head coaching job last January. Too may rejections. Thankfully, he took one more interview. Hopefully, it was the last interview he'll ever have. The Vikings had their head coach and Zimmer had the job that he should have had about a decade ago.
Zimmer has interviewed for several head coaching jobs over the past few seasons. The Vikings were even his second interview last January. The Tennessee Titans had him in their building first. The Titans hired Ken Whisenhut instead. That last rejection was the one that caused Zimmer to pause. To question whether the pursuit of the job was worth the pain that the rejections brought. It's astonishing that the Titans were only the last of several teams that decided that Zimmer wasn't the coach to lead their team. It's astonishing that there are professional football people out there that can have Zimmer in a room talking football and not leave that room shaking hands with their new football coach. The people that know him best, his players and coaching peers, know that he should have had this shot long ago. Those coaching peers applauded the new Vikings head coach upon his arrival in Mobile for the Senior Bowl last January. That's the sort of respect that Zimmer has always had with his fellow coaches. He has his shot. Finally.
The Mike Zimmer era begins today in St. Louis. He's earned it. He deserves it.
Congratulations Coach.
Sunday, September 7, 2014
Saturday, September 6, 2014
2014 Season Awards Predictions
This might be more pointless than trying to predict how each team will fare this season but what the hell? It's fun. Here are the Flea Flicker Predictions for the individual awards of the 2014 NFL Season:
MVP
Aaron Rodgers QB Green Bay Packers
He didn't get off to the best start towards winning this award.
Offensive Player of the Year
Drew Brees QB New Orleans Saints
Sometimes I wonder if the Offensive Player of the Year simply goes to the runner-up for the MVP award. Heaven forbid a defensive player is ever in the running for the MVP.
Defensive Player of the Year
J.J. Watt DE Houston Texans
Offensive Rookie of the Year
Brandin Cooks WR New Orleans Saints
Defensive Rookie of the Year
Anthony Barr LB Minnesota Vikings
The Defensive Rookie of the Year award could be the most hotly contested award of the season.
Comeback Player of the Year
DeMacus Ware DE Denver Broncos
Atlanta Falcons receiver Julio Jones is a serious consideration but Ware has the added issue of coming back from injury with a new team.
Coach of the Year
Mike Zimmer Minnesota Vikings
Zimmer should have been up for this award about a decade ago.
MVP
Aaron Rodgers QB Green Bay Packers
He didn't get off to the best start towards winning this award.
Offensive Player of the Year
Drew Brees QB New Orleans Saints
Sometimes I wonder if the Offensive Player of the Year simply goes to the runner-up for the MVP award. Heaven forbid a defensive player is ever in the running for the MVP.
Defensive Player of the Year
J.J. Watt DE Houston Texans
Offensive Rookie of the Year
Brandin Cooks WR New Orleans Saints
Defensive Rookie of the Year
Anthony Barr LB Minnesota Vikings
The Defensive Rookie of the Year award could be the most hotly contested award of the season.
Comeback Player of the Year
DeMacus Ware DE Denver Broncos
Atlanta Falcons receiver Julio Jones is a serious consideration but Ware has the added issue of coming back from injury with a new team.
Coach of the Year
Mike Zimmer Minnesota Vikings
Zimmer should have been up for this award about a decade ago.
Friday, September 5, 2014
And, We're Off!
Well, the Seattle Seahawks look ready for the 2014 NFL season.
They did a number on the Green Bay Packers last night by the score of 36-16. The worst thing about a Seahawks win is seeing Pete Carroll happy on the sideline. It was horrible to see when he was at USC. That gum-chomping, little maniac is nearly as bad in Seattle.
The Seahawks defense looks terrific. Big surprise there. Everyone knows about their defensive backs. The self-titled "Legion of Boom." They talk a lot. Less vocal middle linebacker Bobby Wagner makes plays all over the field. The Packers biggest play of the night came on a pass interference call against Wagner. Guarding receiver Randall Cobb is a tall task for most defensive backs. Wagner was running with Cobb forty yards down field. There might not be another middle linebacker in the league that can do such a thing. He just had to look back for the ball.
It's been difficult to watch the migration of former Minnesota Vikings players to the Pacific Northwest. Two of my favorite Vikings receivers of the past decade made that move. Sidney Rice and Percy Harvin. Rice is no longer with the Seahawks but Harvin certainly is. Due to a hip injury, Harvin played in one regular season game for the Seahawks last season. He got well for the Super Bowl but he's still something of a secret weapon. No one really knows what exactly Harvin can accomplish in an offense led by quarterback Russell Wilson. No one really knows what exactly Harvin can accomplish if he can stay healthy. There isn't much that he can't do with the ball in his hands. He changes games by simply stepping on the field. He just has to stay on the field.
This offseason, defensive tackle Kevin Williams joined offensive coordinator Darrell Bevel, Harvin, linebacker Heath Farwell, and quarterback Tarvaris Jackson as former Vikings in Seattle. Williams made one of the many big plays made by the Seahawks defense last night. He swatted down an Aaron Rodgers pass to stall a promising Packers drive. The pass was heading to running back James Starks and Starks had some room to run. Williams has some football left in him. He could make a nice impact in defensive coordinator Dan Quinn's defensive line rotation.
I don't think that Packers general manager Ted Thompson and head coach Mike McCarthy have put enough thought or effort into putting together a solid offensive line in front of Aaron Rodgers. I've seen some games in which Rodgers is hammered and/or running for his life and McCarthy made no in-game adjustments. Chips, double teams, etc. The line has been a weak link for years. Rodgers has the quarterbacking skills to be effective behind a shaky line. He's had enough practice operating behind one that he should have the skills to do so. The Packers decision-makers seem to be taking advantage of those skills by doing little to improve things. When right tackle Bryan Bulaga left last night's game with an injury, things really fell apart for Rodgers and the Packers. Derek Sherrod replaced Bulaga and struggled with speed rushes all night. Including a strip-sack that resulted in a safety.
The Seattle Seahawks looked great but it's a little early for the crown that some are already handing them. It's also way to early too early to write off the Green Bay Packers. The 2003 New England Patriots opened their season with a 31-0 loss to the Buffalo Bills. They Patriots went 14-2 that season and beat the Carolina Panthers in the Super Bowl.
Football's back!
They did a number on the Green Bay Packers last night by the score of 36-16. The worst thing about a Seahawks win is seeing Pete Carroll happy on the sideline. It was horrible to see when he was at USC. That gum-chomping, little maniac is nearly as bad in Seattle.
The Seahawks defense looks terrific. Big surprise there. Everyone knows about their defensive backs. The self-titled "Legion of Boom." They talk a lot. Less vocal middle linebacker Bobby Wagner makes plays all over the field. The Packers biggest play of the night came on a pass interference call against Wagner. Guarding receiver Randall Cobb is a tall task for most defensive backs. Wagner was running with Cobb forty yards down field. There might not be another middle linebacker in the league that can do such a thing. He just had to look back for the ball.
It's been difficult to watch the migration of former Minnesota Vikings players to the Pacific Northwest. Two of my favorite Vikings receivers of the past decade made that move. Sidney Rice and Percy Harvin. Rice is no longer with the Seahawks but Harvin certainly is. Due to a hip injury, Harvin played in one regular season game for the Seahawks last season. He got well for the Super Bowl but he's still something of a secret weapon. No one really knows what exactly Harvin can accomplish in an offense led by quarterback Russell Wilson. No one really knows what exactly Harvin can accomplish if he can stay healthy. There isn't much that he can't do with the ball in his hands. He changes games by simply stepping on the field. He just has to stay on the field.
This offseason, defensive tackle Kevin Williams joined offensive coordinator Darrell Bevel, Harvin, linebacker Heath Farwell, and quarterback Tarvaris Jackson as former Vikings in Seattle. Williams made one of the many big plays made by the Seahawks defense last night. He swatted down an Aaron Rodgers pass to stall a promising Packers drive. The pass was heading to running back James Starks and Starks had some room to run. Williams has some football left in him. He could make a nice impact in defensive coordinator Dan Quinn's defensive line rotation.
I don't think that Packers general manager Ted Thompson and head coach Mike McCarthy have put enough thought or effort into putting together a solid offensive line in front of Aaron Rodgers. I've seen some games in which Rodgers is hammered and/or running for his life and McCarthy made no in-game adjustments. Chips, double teams, etc. The line has been a weak link for years. Rodgers has the quarterbacking skills to be effective behind a shaky line. He's had enough practice operating behind one that he should have the skills to do so. The Packers decision-makers seem to be taking advantage of those skills by doing little to improve things. When right tackle Bryan Bulaga left last night's game with an injury, things really fell apart for Rodgers and the Packers. Derek Sherrod replaced Bulaga and struggled with speed rushes all night. Including a strip-sack that resulted in a safety.
The Seattle Seahawks looked great but it's a little early for the crown that some are already handing them. It's also way to early too early to write off the Green Bay Packers. The 2003 New England Patriots opened their season with a 31-0 loss to the Buffalo Bills. They Patriots went 14-2 that season and beat the Carolina Panthers in the Super Bowl.
Football's back!
Thursday, September 4, 2014
Throwback Thursday: Kickoff Thursday
The 2014 NFL Season kicks off tonight. On a Thursday. It's a real shame.
The NFL is a greedy little group. For the past several years, the NFL has had an opening week that has included prime time games on Thursday, Sunday, and two(two!) on Monday. More games that are on national television mean more money for the owners. The NFL props up all these nationally televised as treats for the fans but it's really for the money. It's always about the money.
There;s actually a lot of fans that love all these extra games on the opening week of the season. Actually there is only one extra game. The second Monday night game. It just feels like there's a bunch of extra games. Fans do love these games. As much as I love the game, I don't love the extra games. I certainly don't love the Thursday games. I suppose that it's the football traditionalist in me. The NFL is made for Sundays and Thanksgiving Thursdays. I've grown to accept Monday night games. Perhaps the same growth will one day occur for the Thursday games. But, I doubt it. It's ludicrous to think that an NFL player can recover in time to play a Thursday game following a Sunday game. That issue isn't an issue for tonight's game. It's the opening game of the 2014 NFL Season.
The NFL has been opening the season on a Thursday since 2002. The 2012 Kickoff game was held on a Wednesday due to Barrack Obama's Acceptance Speech at the Democratic National Convention. That Wednesday night game probably got the NFL thinking about taking over that day as well. Despite my feelings on the matter, the Thursday Kickoff game has been a hit since 2002. They wouldn't be doing it if it wasn't. Since 2004, the game has been a showcase for the defending Super Bowl champion. The defending Super Bowl champion had won every game until the Dallas Cowboys defeated the New York Giants on that Wednesday night in 2012. The Super Bowl champion lost again last year when the Denver Broncos took apart the Baltimore Ravens.
The NFL has turned these Thursday Kickoff games into a real show. They even have a splashy concert preceding them. Bon Jovi, Aerosmith, Elton John, Carlos Santana, John Mellencamp, and many others have performed. Pharrell Williams and Soundgarden perform tonight. Ariana Grande will perform the National Anthem. Nothing says "NFL" like a rock concert.
The best thing about Kickoff Thursday is that the NFL is finally back. The NFL should be making it's kickoff on Sunday but this Thursday game is here to stay.
The NFL is a greedy little group. For the past several years, the NFL has had an opening week that has included prime time games on Thursday, Sunday, and two(two!) on Monday. More games that are on national television mean more money for the owners. The NFL props up all these nationally televised as treats for the fans but it's really for the money. It's always about the money.
There;s actually a lot of fans that love all these extra games on the opening week of the season. Actually there is only one extra game. The second Monday night game. It just feels like there's a bunch of extra games. Fans do love these games. As much as I love the game, I don't love the extra games. I certainly don't love the Thursday games. I suppose that it's the football traditionalist in me. The NFL is made for Sundays and Thanksgiving Thursdays. I've grown to accept Monday night games. Perhaps the same growth will one day occur for the Thursday games. But, I doubt it. It's ludicrous to think that an NFL player can recover in time to play a Thursday game following a Sunday game. That issue isn't an issue for tonight's game. It's the opening game of the 2014 NFL Season.
The NFL has been opening the season on a Thursday since 2002. The 2012 Kickoff game was held on a Wednesday due to Barrack Obama's Acceptance Speech at the Democratic National Convention. That Wednesday night game probably got the NFL thinking about taking over that day as well. Despite my feelings on the matter, the Thursday Kickoff game has been a hit since 2002. They wouldn't be doing it if it wasn't. Since 2004, the game has been a showcase for the defending Super Bowl champion. The defending Super Bowl champion had won every game until the Dallas Cowboys defeated the New York Giants on that Wednesday night in 2012. The Super Bowl champion lost again last year when the Denver Broncos took apart the Baltimore Ravens.
The NFL has turned these Thursday Kickoff games into a real show. They even have a splashy concert preceding them. Bon Jovi, Aerosmith, Elton John, Carlos Santana, John Mellencamp, and many others have performed. Pharrell Williams and Soundgarden perform tonight. Ariana Grande will perform the National Anthem. Nothing says "NFL" like a rock concert.
The best thing about Kickoff Thursday is that the NFL is finally back. The NFL should be making it's kickoff on Sunday but this Thursday game is here to stay.
Wednesday, September 3, 2014
Book Review
I'd been eyeing Nicholas Dawidoff's Collision Low Crossers since it's release last November. I saw it on the shelves of one of the few bookstores left in this land. I've really enjoyed football books such as this. Books from an author that has spent a year with an NFL team. Roy Blount Jr. did this with the Pittsburgh Steelers of the early 1970s in About Three Bricks Shy of a Load. John Feinstein did this more recently with the Baltimore Ravens in Next Man Up. Dawidoff does it here with the New York Jets during the 2011 season.
First of all, Nicholas Dawidoff is a terrific writer. I enjoy a lot of football books simply because of the subject matter. The writing is often secondary. When the writing does the football justice you've got quite a book. Collision Low Crossers is quite a book. One of the best football books that I've read. Right there with David Maraniss' classic When Pride Still Mattered about Vince Lombardi. Dawidoff's emersion into the day-to-day workings of the 2011 New York Jets is complete. It's so complete that he even takes part in the interview process at the Scouting Combine. He's in the coaches meetings. He even calls the defense for a play in a Jets preseason game. He's in the press box with the coaches for most of the games. He's on the sideline for several of the games at the end of the season. In passing, you'd think that he was one of the coaches. Only smaller. Perhaps a trainer. He's accepted and even embraced by the coaches. A very tall order in the exclusive NFL.
Dawidoff spends most of his year with the Jets with the defensive coaches. He gets to know them best. The defensive side of the ball was the strength of that Jets team. The defensive coaches were also loaded with entertaining personalities. It helped that Rex Ryan is the head coach. A defensive guy that hired "his guys." Defensive coordinator Mike Pettine, secondary coach Dennis Thurman, line coach Mark Carrier, linebacker coaches Bob Sutton and Mike Smith. A fun staff led by a fun head coach.
There was a lot of drama around the New York Jets in 2011. They had an excellent defense. They had a stumbling offense. An offense that paled so much in comparison to the defense that there was building animosity throughout the season. An offense led by offensive coordinator Brian Schottenheimer and franchise quarterback-wannabe Mark Sanchez. In 2011, the Jets were coming off consecutive AFC Championship game appearances. Expectations were sky-high for the team. The 2011 offseason was the offseason of the ridiculous lockout. A several month fiasco. No one knew what was happening. The coaches couldn't talk to, let alone work with, the players. The coaches had so much time and excruciatingly little to do. When the lockout was finally settled, the New York Jets could never grasp the magic that was so present the two years before. The offense was a mess and the defense couldn't save the day every day.
Nicholas Dawidoff couldn't have picked a more unique season to focus a microscope on an NFL team. Hopefully, there will never be a repeat of that ridiculous lockout. If nothing else, the lockout provided for Dawidoff an opportunity to better know the coaches that would become a part of his life. The lockout might have hindered the football but it may have enhanced the story. Collision Low Crossers is a fun, entertaining read. One so rich that I'll turn to it again. And again.
First of all, Nicholas Dawidoff is a terrific writer. I enjoy a lot of football books simply because of the subject matter. The writing is often secondary. When the writing does the football justice you've got quite a book. Collision Low Crossers is quite a book. One of the best football books that I've read. Right there with David Maraniss' classic When Pride Still Mattered about Vince Lombardi. Dawidoff's emersion into the day-to-day workings of the 2011 New York Jets is complete. It's so complete that he even takes part in the interview process at the Scouting Combine. He's in the coaches meetings. He even calls the defense for a play in a Jets preseason game. He's in the press box with the coaches for most of the games. He's on the sideline for several of the games at the end of the season. In passing, you'd think that he was one of the coaches. Only smaller. Perhaps a trainer. He's accepted and even embraced by the coaches. A very tall order in the exclusive NFL.
Dawidoff spends most of his year with the Jets with the defensive coaches. He gets to know them best. The defensive side of the ball was the strength of that Jets team. The defensive coaches were also loaded with entertaining personalities. It helped that Rex Ryan is the head coach. A defensive guy that hired "his guys." Defensive coordinator Mike Pettine, secondary coach Dennis Thurman, line coach Mark Carrier, linebacker coaches Bob Sutton and Mike Smith. A fun staff led by a fun head coach.
There was a lot of drama around the New York Jets in 2011. They had an excellent defense. They had a stumbling offense. An offense that paled so much in comparison to the defense that there was building animosity throughout the season. An offense led by offensive coordinator Brian Schottenheimer and franchise quarterback-wannabe Mark Sanchez. In 2011, the Jets were coming off consecutive AFC Championship game appearances. Expectations were sky-high for the team. The 2011 offseason was the offseason of the ridiculous lockout. A several month fiasco. No one knew what was happening. The coaches couldn't talk to, let alone work with, the players. The coaches had so much time and excruciatingly little to do. When the lockout was finally settled, the New York Jets could never grasp the magic that was so present the two years before. The offense was a mess and the defense couldn't save the day every day.
Nicholas Dawidoff couldn't have picked a more unique season to focus a microscope on an NFL team. Hopefully, there will never be a repeat of that ridiculous lockout. If nothing else, the lockout provided for Dawidoff an opportunity to better know the coaches that would become a part of his life. The lockout might have hindered the football but it may have enhanced the story. Collision Low Crossers is a fun, entertaining read. One so rich that I'll turn to it again. And again.
Tuesday, September 2, 2014
Game Day Rosters
Each of the 32 teams in the NFL managed to whittle the size of their rosters to 53 players over the weekends. It's only natural to think that each of those players would be in uniform and ready to play some football in one of the games this Thursday, Sunday, and Monday. One of the more ridiculous rules on the NFL books is the one that limits the number of players active for each game to 46. Every single game, each of the teams have to sit seven players that supposedly made the roster. Teams are debating whether, as part of the 46, there will be four or five receivers, seven or eight offensive linemen, five or six cornerbacks, etc. Going heavy in one position means going light in another. If a team has 53 players, they should be able to play 53 players. The seven players that don't dress for the games aren't much different than the ten players on the practice squad. They practice all week with the team and sit out the games. It's a stupid rule.
The reason behind the rule is injury equality. The NFL decision-makers consider it unfair if a team enters a game at an immediate disadvantage if they are unable to field a full compliment of players due to injury. Supposedly it would be unfair for one team to have all of their 53 players ready to go and the other team has some number less than 53. So, these decision-makers just take seven players from each team and call it all fair. Every NFL team deals with injuries. All teams have players missing from games so it all evens out. Coaches have enough things to worry about without having to pick out seven players that won't be playing each week.
The seven players tapped to sit out each week still get paid. That's some consolation but it's tough to feel part of a team when you're not allowed to play with the team.
The reason behind the rule is injury equality. The NFL decision-makers consider it unfair if a team enters a game at an immediate disadvantage if they are unable to field a full compliment of players due to injury. Supposedly it would be unfair for one team to have all of their 53 players ready to go and the other team has some number less than 53. So, these decision-makers just take seven players from each team and call it all fair. Every NFL team deals with injuries. All teams have players missing from games so it all evens out. Coaches have enough things to worry about without having to pick out seven players that won't be playing each week.
The seven players tapped to sit out each week still get paid. That's some consolation but it's tough to feel part of a team when you're not allowed to play with the team.
Monday, September 1, 2014
Vikings 2014 53-man roster
An NFL roster evolves throughout the season. This is how the Minnesota Vikings roster stands now after Saturday's cuts.
Quarterbacks
Matt Cassel
Teddy Bridgewater
Christian Ponder
Running Backs
Adrian Peterson
Matt Asiata
Jerick McKinnon
Jerome Felton-FB
Zach Line-FB
Receivers
Greg Jennings
Cordarrelle Patterson
Jarius Wright
Adam Thielen
Rodney Smith
Tight Ends
Kyle Rudolph
Rhett Ellison
MarQueis Gray
Offensive Linemen
Matt Kalil
Charlie Johnson
John Sullivan
Brandon Fusco
Phil Loadholt
Joe Berger
Vladimir Ducasse
David Yankey
Mike Harris
Defensive Linemen
Everson Griffen
Sharrif Floyd
Linval Joseph
Brian Robison
Corey Wootton
Tom Johnson
Shamar Stephen
Scott Crichton
Linebackers
Chad Greenway
Jasper Brinkley
Anthony Barr
Audie Cole
Gerald Hodges
Michael Mauti
Brandon Watts
Cornerbacks
Xavier Rhodes
Captain Munerlyn
Josh Robinson
Shaun Prater
Marcus Sherels
Jabari Price
Safeties
Harrison Smith
Robert Blanton
Andrew Sendejo
Antone Exum Jr.
Specialists
Blair Walsh-K
Jeff Locke-P
Cullen Loeffler-LS
Practice Squad
Joe Banyard-RB
Kain Colter-WR
Donte Foster-WR
Chase Ford-TE
Mike Remmers-T
Zac Kerin-C
Justin Trattou-DE
Isame Faciane-DT
Kendall James-CB
Chris Greenwood-CB
Starting this year, the Vikings, and the other 31 teams, can have ten players on the practice squad. That's an increase from the eight allowed in previous years.
Receiver Jerome Simpson is suspended for the first three games of the season.
The biggest surprise is keeping two fullbacks on the roster. Jerome Felton and Zach Line. Most teams carry zero fullbacks these days. The Vikings have two. One thought that occurred to me is that the team sort of has an extra roster spot with the suspension of Simpson. When he returns in week four perhaps Line or Felton is released. We shall see.
All ten of the Vikings selections in the 2014 NFL Draft made the roster. Nine made the 53-man roster:
Anthony Barr
Teddy Bridgewater
Scott Crichton
Jerick McKinnon
David Yankey
Antone Exum Jr.
Shamar Stephen
Brandon Watts
Jabari Price
The tenth draft pick, Kendall James, is on the practice squad.
Stephen, Watts, and Price were seventh-round picks that showed that they are ready for the NFL. Very nice.
Quarterbacks
Matt Cassel
Teddy Bridgewater
Christian Ponder
Running Backs
Adrian Peterson
Matt Asiata
Jerick McKinnon
Jerome Felton-FB
Zach Line-FB
Receivers
Greg Jennings
Cordarrelle Patterson
Jarius Wright
Adam Thielen
Rodney Smith
Tight Ends
Kyle Rudolph
Rhett Ellison
MarQueis Gray
Offensive Linemen
Matt Kalil
Charlie Johnson
John Sullivan
Brandon Fusco
Phil Loadholt
Joe Berger
Vladimir Ducasse
David Yankey
Mike Harris
Defensive Linemen
Everson Griffen
Sharrif Floyd
Linval Joseph
Brian Robison
Corey Wootton
Tom Johnson
Shamar Stephen
Scott Crichton
Linebackers
Chad Greenway
Jasper Brinkley
Anthony Barr
Audie Cole
Gerald Hodges
Michael Mauti
Brandon Watts
Cornerbacks
Xavier Rhodes
Captain Munerlyn
Josh Robinson
Shaun Prater
Marcus Sherels
Jabari Price
Safeties
Harrison Smith
Robert Blanton
Andrew Sendejo
Antone Exum Jr.
Specialists
Blair Walsh-K
Jeff Locke-P
Cullen Loeffler-LS
Practice Squad
Joe Banyard-RB
Kain Colter-WR
Donte Foster-WR
Chase Ford-TE
Mike Remmers-T
Zac Kerin-C
Justin Trattou-DE
Isame Faciane-DT
Kendall James-CB
Chris Greenwood-CB
Starting this year, the Vikings, and the other 31 teams, can have ten players on the practice squad. That's an increase from the eight allowed in previous years.
Receiver Jerome Simpson is suspended for the first three games of the season.
The biggest surprise is keeping two fullbacks on the roster. Jerome Felton and Zach Line. Most teams carry zero fullbacks these days. The Vikings have two. One thought that occurred to me is that the team sort of has an extra roster spot with the suspension of Simpson. When he returns in week four perhaps Line or Felton is released. We shall see.
All ten of the Vikings selections in the 2014 NFL Draft made the roster. Nine made the 53-man roster:
Anthony Barr
Teddy Bridgewater
Scott Crichton
Jerick McKinnon
David Yankey
Antone Exum Jr.
Shamar Stephen
Brandon Watts
Jabari Price
The tenth draft pick, Kendall James, is on the practice squad.
Stephen, Watts, and Price were seventh-round picks that showed that they are ready for the NFL. Very nice.
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