Throwback Thursday: Bruno Banducci

If not for an injury, a bust of Bruno Banducci could very well be found in Canton. Despite missing nearly two years in the prime of his career, some may argue that his bust belongs there still.

A 5-11, 215 lb guard, Banducci was a vital part of Clark Shaugnessy’s “Wow Boys” at Stanford. Along with Frankie Albert and Norm Standlee, these were some of the best teams ever seen at the school, winning the 1941 Rose Bowl.

Selected by the Philadelphia Eagles in the 6^th round of the 1943 NFL Draft, Banducci quickly moved into the starting lineup. He earned 2^nd team All-NFL in 1945. With the formation of the All-America Football Conference in 1946, Banducci jumped at the chance to return to northern California. Signing with the San Francisco 49ers, he joined his college teammates Frankie Albert and Norm Standlee. With his NFL seasoning, Banducci quickly established himself as a top lineman in the new league, earning 1^st team All-AAFC in 1946. 49er head coach Buck Shaw stated “Banducci is one of the best blocking guards, both in close line and down field, that I have ever seen”. Banducci repeated as 1^st team All-AAFC in 1947. However, his fortune faded the following year. He was injured at the beginning of the season, played sparingly the rest of the season, and had off-season surgery. He was only able to start in two games in 1949, the final year of the AAFC.

The Cleveland Browns were clearly the class of the AAFC, winning all four championships. The 49ers finished second to the Browns in the Western Division each season. The team was gaining on the Browns at the end. A healthy Banducci might have narrowed the gap even more that final season. The 49ers were a very explosive offensive team. With the passing of Frankie Albert, catching of Alyn Beals, running of  Joe Perry, Norm Standlee, John Strzykalski and Len Eshmont, and a strong line led by Bruno Banducci, the team was a force in the AAFC and were ready for the NFL. It took a while, but Banducci returned to his all-star form in 1951. He made several 1^st and 2^nd All-NFL teams his remaining four years. In his final season, 1954, he made everyone’s All-NFL team and was selected to his only Pro Bowl. The 49ers stumbled in their first season in the NFL, finishing at 3-9. This was the 49ers only losing season during Banducci’s career. In 1955, Banducci jumped to the Canadian Football League, playing one season with the Toronto Argonauts. He returned to the NFL and the Eagles as a line coach in 1958.

The 49ers of Banducci’s days had the misfortune of playing behind some of the greatest teams of any era. The Browns simply dominated football for the better part of ten years. The champion Detroit Lions of 1952 and 1953, like the Browns in the AAFC, just happened to be in the same division as the 49ers. As a result, the 49ers quality of play and the skill of the players are often overlooked. Bruno Banducci is certainly one of those players. If not for an injury, the fortunes of the player and perhaps a team might have been different. 

Close To Home

As the Minnesota Vikings approached training camp, a new coaching staff and a quarterback competition involving a first-round draft pick got nearly all of the attention. After five days of camp that hasn't really changed too much. The coaches and the quarterbacks are still getting the bulk of the attention. A fairly unknown player has been pulling some attention his way. Second-year receiver Adam Thielen played his college football on the very same field that he now practices on as a member of the Minnesota Vikings. The former Minnesota State-Mankato receiver has been hard to miss. He was shining in the OTAs and Mini-camps and he's continued shining through the early days of training camp. Rarely does a practice go by that Thielen doesn't have a splashy play or two, or more. The team is loving it and so are the Mankato locals that saw this kid star in college. This is Thielen's second training camp with the Vikings and he's making the most of it.

As a senior in 2012, Adam Thielen helped lead the Division II Mankato St. Mavericks to a 13-1 record and a national semifinal berth. He finished his college career as the school's second-ranked receiver and third-ranked punt returner. He went undrafted in the 2012 NFL Draft. Unsigned too. All that he earned was a rookie tryout with the local NFL team. The Vikings liked what they saw and invited him to training camp at a familiar place. He made it to the last round of cuts. He was released and then signed to the Vikings practice squad for the 2013 season. He made the most of his time with the team and this offseason. He's worked hard to improve his game and it's definitely shown. General Manager Rick Spielman and offensive coordinator Norv Turner have identified Thielen as the most improved player since the end of 2013. He's also received praise from new head coach Mike Zimmer.

"Adam has been doing a great job; he really has," Zimmer said. "He has improved a lot in his pass cathcing; he's improved a lot in his route running. Adam is a great kid too. I was teasing him about being here at home, I said, 'You're like the superstar around here.'"

Thielen has nice size at 6'3" and just over 200 lbs. He ran a 4.46 at his college prod day, so he has decent speed. Entering training camp, after a nice showing at offseason workouts, Theilen was thought to be in competition with Rodney Smith and undrafted rookies Kain Colter and Erik Lora for the last receiver spot or two on the roster. Most of those following the team have generally assumed that the top four Vikings receivers looked like this:

Greg Jennings
Cordarrelle Patterson
Jarius Wright
Jerome Simpson

It's still real early in camp but Thielen has played his way into the discussion with those receivers. The other receivers are fighting for a roster spot. Adam Thielen may already have one.

Rudy Signs!

The Minnesota Vikings agreed to a contract extension with tight end Kyle Rudolph on Sunday. He was scheduled to become an unrestricted free agent following the upcoming 2014 season. The contract is a five-year deal worth a minimum of $36.5 million and could be worth up to $40 million. Rudolph is guaranteed $19.4 million in the new deal. He'll receive a $6.5 million signing bonus and a $960,000 guaranteed base salary this season. The remaining $12 million in guarantees are for injury only.

Rudolph has 109 catches for 1,055 yards and 15 touchdowns in 39 games over three seasons with Minnesota.

Kyle Rudolph was a second-round pick of the Vikings in the 2011 NFL Draft. He suffered a serious hamstring injury in his final season at Notre Dame. The injury likely kept him out of the first round of the draft and appeared to slow him a bit during his rookie season. He wasn't fully healed until the 2012 season when he earned an invite to the Pro Bowl. The highlight of his three-year NFL career to date was being named the Most Valuable Player of that Pro Bowl. His performance in that game showed what he could do on a football field when decent quarterbacks are throwing to him. When healthy, Kyle Rudolph can be a dominant pass catcher. He's also worked very hard to become a very effective blocker. This contract is proof that the Vikings see him as one of the building-blocks of the franchise.

It's nice to get Rudolph's contractual situation settled before the season. It's never a good thing to have contract questions hanging over a player and a team during the season. It only gets in the way. That's really due to the media. They rarely let team or player forget that there's a business issue hanging over the team. Rudolph was priority #1 of the players set to become free agents at the end of the 2014 season. Now, that title likely lands on right guard Brandon Fusco. He was a sixth-round pick of the Vikings in the same draft as Rudolph. He spent his college days at itty bitty Slippery Rock. It took him a little while to become acclimated to big-time football. He really emerged as key member of the offensive line last season. He may have even been the Vikings best lineman last season. Certainly the most consistent. It would be nice to see Fusco's future with the team insured. For now, it's great news that Kyle Rudolph's immediate NFL future will remain in Minnesota.

The Forgotten One

Christian Ponder. 2011 first round pick. The one-time franchise quarterback hopeful of the Minnesota Vikings. It hasn't really turned out that way for Ponder or the Vikings. The team had the option of retaining Ponder for a fifth year, the 2015 season, this past spring and they declined. The team is resigned to see how this season goes and decide on Ponder's future with the team after this season. He's still wearing his #7 Vikings jersey. He's still entering training camp as a Vikings quarterback. He's just sitting at a different spot on the depth chart. He entered last year's training camp as the unquestioned starter. He enters this year's training camp in presumably the third spot on the depth chart. There's going to be a quarterback competition in Minnesota this summer and Ponder seems to be a part of it in name only. This quarterback competition is really between the veteran Matt Cassel and new franchise quarterback hopeful Teddy Bridgewater. What happened to Christian Ponder? Well, the NFL happened to Christian Ponder.

Most felt that the Vikings reached when they selected Christian Ponder with the twelfth pick of the 2011 NFL Draft. They obviously liked the potential of Ponder. There was no guarantee that no other team had the same lofty thoughts before the Vikings picked again in the second round. It's easy to say that Ponder was not a first round talent now. It wasn't so clear in 2011. That draft had some unique quarterback talent but there was no guarantees with any of them. There rarely is in the NFL Draft. There were questions swirling around athletic throwers like Cam Newton, Jake Locker, and Colin Kaepernick. Andy Dalton played in a different sort of offense at TCU than those seen in the NFL. Besides, he was "too red-headed." It's true. Some scouts questioned his NFL potential due to the hair on his head. We've come a long way. Ponder was considered the most pro-ready of the quarterback prospects based on the offense in which he played at Florida St. His ceiling may not be as high as some of the others but his floor wasn't as low. Ponder was considered a smart, competent quarterback with some nice physical skills. With Adrian Peterson behind him, a competent Ponder could be very good in Minnesota. Unfortunately he entered the NFL at a terrible time. The ridiculous lockout of 2011 was in full bloom. No offseason workouts. An abbreviated training camp. A rookie head coach in Leslie Frazier and a fairly green offensive coordinator in Bill Musgrave. A lot was working against the rookie Ponder. The Vikings then made all of it worse by making the panicked decision of trading for an indifferent, at best, Donovan McNabb. The Vikings, and probably Ponder, would have been better off if McNabb had never been acquired and the novice quarterback started week one. Instead, McNabb threw bounce passes for six weeks until Ponder was named the starter in week seven. Ponder's ten games as a rookie starter was much like the next two seasons as a second-year and third-year starter. Inconsistent. He showed that he had the talent that led the Vikings to draft him with that twelfth pick. He even looked like a very good NFL quarterback. For a few plays. He had some sustained stretches of fine play. He started all 16 games in 2012 and led the team to the playoffs. Unfortunately, he was injured in that 16th game and missed the playoff game. Adrian Peterson's incredible 2012 season was the main reason for the playoff run but Ponder did play a role in the success. He was terrific in the first four games but he relied heavily upon short passes that became longer gains due to the unique skills of Percy Harvin. Ponder was terrible in the middle of the season. He was terrific again for the last four games when he didn't have Harvin. Consistency. That is what Ponder has lacked in his three NFL seasons. He had those terrific stretches where it looked like he could be the quarterback that the Vikings have been trying to find for a decade. Then, he throws a pick-six. It got to the point where no one wanted to see Ponder check a receiver on the sideline. Too many of his throws to the sideline would just hang in the air. He would throw with touch when he had to throw with zip. He often looked rattled in the pocket. Even scared. He looked to run so often that it seemed to be his preferred option. While Ponder showed promise in 2012, last year was a disaster. He played well enough to win some early games but the defense failed to hold late leads in those games. A concussion to Ponder forced Matt Cassel into action and the beginning of a quarterbacking circus in Minnesota. While he was on the field in 2013, Ponder's greatest problem may have been his inability to utilize Greg Jennings. Cassel didn't have any problems finding the talented, veteran receiver. Ponder's "go-to's" were always receivers near the line of scrimmage, a big tight end in the middle of the field, or running the ball himself. Basically, he too often relied upon "bail-out" plays. Plays that show his lack of confidence and comfort in the pocket. A lack of confidence and comfort that resulted in three years of inconsistency.

Christian Ponder's inconsistency led to the drafting of Teddy Bridgewater this past spring. Bridgewater is the Vikings new franchise quarterback hopeful. He's part of the quarterback competition with Matt Cassel while Ponder seems to be forgotten.

Newbies

Each of the 32 NFL teams have spent the entire offseason working on their rosters. The better teams have made minor changes. Except the Denver Broncos. They were in the Super Bowl and still made a ton of changes. The lesser teams have done what they could to join the better teams. Every team has new players that will make an impact on the 2014 season. Here are the Flea Flicker choices for impact newbies for each of the 32 teams.

Minnesota Vikings:
LB Anthony Barr
Barr was selected 23 spots before Teddy Bridgewater in the 2014 NFL Draft. You wouldn't know it by the attention paid to the two rookies. It's always about the quarterback. Barr has the ridiculous sort of athletic ability to be an impact player early. If his understanding of Mike Zimmer's defense and NFL offenses ever catch up with that athletic ability, Barr will be a star.

Green Bay Packers:
S Ha Ha Clinton-Dix
The Packers defense may finally be catching up with their terrific offense. Clinton-Dix should play a big role in that. Plus, he has one of the best names in the entire league.

Chicago Bears:
DE Jared Allen
Allen's motor still does not quit.

Detroit Lions:
LB Kyle Van Noy
Van Noy was one of my favorite defensive players in the draft. He can make plays all over the field. He'll also be playing behind one of the better defensive lines in the league.

San Francisco 49ers:
S Antoine Bethea
Bethea was solid with the Colts for a long time. He'll be solid with the 49ers. He will also be an excellent mentor for rising safety Eric Reid and rookie Jimmie Ward.

Seattle Seahawks:
WR Paul Richardson
Percy Harvin, when he's healthy, is the Seahawks most dangerous receiver. The problem with that is that he doesn't really play receiver. He rarely runs the designed route. He just gets the ball and makes something happen with it. Richardson might already be the Seahawks must gifted receiver. Good hands. Fast. Makes plays. Every time that I saw him play at Colorado he took over the game.

Arizona Cardinals:
G Jonathan Cooper
Cooper was the 7th pick in the 2013 NFL Draft. He broke his leg in the preseason and didn't play a snap last year. Cooper will move things in the Cardinals favor this year.

St. Louis Rams:
DT Aaron Donald
Donald was another of my defensive favorites in this past draft. If he was about four inches taller than his listed 6', he might have been the first pick in the draft. He was unblockable at times in college. He will make a very talented Rams defensive line even better.

New Orleans Saints:
WR Brandin Cooks
As with Richardson in Seattle, Cooks might already be the most talented receiver in New Orleans. Drew Brees will love throwing to Cooks.

Atlanta Falcons:
WR Julio Jones
The Falcons offense fell apart when Jones injured his foot last year. He's back. When he's healthy, the Falcons offense is a threat every moment that they are on the field.

Carolina Panthers
WR Kelvin Benjamin
Benjamin simply has to be an impact player early. After letting Steve Smith go in the offseason the Panthers simply have no other receivers that throw a tremble in a defense. Benjamin is nearly tight end-sized. He has the talent to succeed.

Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Offensive coordinator Jeff Tedford
Not a player. The Buccaneers added a bunch of players this offseason. Any one of them (Michael Johnson, Alterraun Verner, Mike Evans) could be the choice here. As Cal's head coach, and as an assistant at Fresno St. and Oregon, Tedford earned a reputation as a quarterback guru. Aaron Rodgers was the only one of his quarterbacks that did anything in the NFL. That's hardly on Tedford as he didn't follow those quarterbacks to the NFL. Now, Tedford is in the NFL for the first time. He's a very good football coach. If he can get the Buccaneers offense humming, he should be a hot head coaching candidate next January.

New York Giants:
CB Walter Thurmond
The Giants made some nice additions this offseason. The addition of Thurmond might be their best. He had a lot of talent around him in Seattle but he proved last season that he can cover NFL receivers. Paired with Prince Amukamara, the Giants have a couple of nice, young corners to help get the defense back on track.

Philadelphia Eagles:
WR Jordan Matthews
It seems that Eagles head coach Chip Kelly has a strange fascination with showing that his offense shines with marginal receiving talent. In an extremely talented receiver draft class, Matthews was probably the most underrated. I wouldn't be surprised if Matthews is the first rookie receiver to make an early impact.

Dallas Cowboys:
DT Henry Melton
Melton was right on the cusp of becoming one of the best defensive linemen in the league. Then he tore his ACL last season and the Bears chose to go another route. If healthy, the Cowboys got an excellent football player.

Washington Redskins:
QB Robert Griffin III
I'm going with the assumption that a Griffin with a bad wheel isn't a real Griffin. He wasn't really around last season so he's a newbie this season. With Alfred Morris, Pierre Garcon, DeSean Jackson, Jordan Reed, and Andre Roberts, Robert Griffin III has some serious offensive weapons around him. With defense's ability to slow an offense in serious doubt, the Redskins could be in some shootouts.

Denver Broncos:
T Ryan Clady
It's incredible that Peyton Manning was able to have the season that he had last year without Clady in front of him. Clady is one of the best tackles in the game. He returns and the Broncos offense is automatically better than it was last season.

Kansas City Chiefs:
The entire offensive line
It's hard to believe that the Chiefs lost tackle Branden Albert, and guards Jon Asamoah and Geoff Schwartz. That's a lot of talent to lose all at once. The Chiefs will be going with a nearly new offensive line in 2014. They have to find some combination of big guys to keep Alex Smith's pocket clean and open holes for Jamaal Charles.

San Diego Chargers:
CB Jason Verrett
If Verrett was 6'2", rather than 5'10", he would have been a top-10 pick. Instead he was the 25th. No matter his size, he's an excellent corner and the Chargers defense will be better with him in it.

Oakland Raiders:
LB Kahlil Mack
The Raiders added a lot of players this offseason. They had to. Mack is an elite football talent.

Indianapolis Colts:
DE Arthur Jones
I thought that the Colts addition of Jones was one of the most underrated in all of free agency. Head coach Chuck Pagano will build an effective defense in Indianapolis. Jones will be a big part of it.

Houston Texans:
DE Jadeveon Clowney
Clowney has out-of-this-world talent. Consistent effort during games was the only question. It's difficult to imagine J.J. Watt allowing anything less than 100% effort on his defense.

Tennessee Titans:
RB Bishop Sankey
Sankey was an excellent back in college. With Chris Johnson in New York, the door is open for Sankey to be the same excellent back in the NFL.

Jacksonville Jaguars:
RB Toby Gerhart
Gerhart got a raw deal when he was drafted to be Adrian Peterson's backup in Minnesota. When he did get a chance to play, he was great. While he is a downhill, power runner, Gerhart can run with a little wiggle. The Jaguars got a terrific football player.

Baltimore Ravens:
LB C.J. Mosley
A year after the retirement of Ray Lewis, the Ravens may have found their new defensive leader. Mosley should make an impact early and often.

Pittsburgh Steelers:
LB Ryan Shazier
For a draft that seemed to be best known for it's receivers and a certain quarterback, there were a lot of excellent linebackers in the 2014 NFL Draft. Mack, Barr, Mosley, Van Noy, and this guy. Shazier is fast. Very fast. It's incredible that the Steelers nearly overhauled their entire defense in about two years. The addition of Shazier should complete the changes at linebacker.

Cleveland Browns:
QB Johnny Manziel
It's difficult to imagine Brian Hoyer starting over Manziel. The likely loss of receiver Josh Gordon to a suspension leaves any Browns quarterback with modest pass-catching talent. If Manziel can play with the playmaking pizzazz that he had in college, it might not matter.

Cincinnati Bengals:
RB Jeremy Hill
After drafting Giovani Bernard in the second round last year, I was little surprised when the Bengals selected Hill in the second round this year. Bernard and Hill bring different sorts of running to the Bengals offense. Bernard will run past you and around you. At over 230 lbs, Hill will just tear you up. The Bengals have a lot of firepower and versatility on offense.

New England Patriots:
CB Darrelle Revis
The addition of Revis to the Patriots defense might be the biggest addition in the entire league. He's nearly two years removed from his ACL injury. Revis and Belichick together at last. Oh my.

New York Jets:
S Calvin Pryor
Rex Ryan should have the sort of fun with Pryor this season that his brother had with Kenny Vaccaro in New Orleans last season.

Buffalo Bills:
WR Sammy Watkins
The top of the rookie crop of receivers. The Bills gave up a decent amount to move up in the draft to select Watkins. His talent was worth the cost. Sammy Watkins and Robert Woods are excellent young receivers for the Bills.

Miami Dolphins:
T Branden Albert
The Dolphins line was a mess last season. Off the field as well as on. They had to get better. They couldn't have had a better start to improving the line than adding Albert to it.

Selling Jerseys

Cleveland Browns rookie quarterback Johnny Manziel has yet to take an NFL snap. He's still talked about more than any other player in the league. Especially now that Jimmy Graham has signed a long-term contract. Manziel is also selling more jerseys than any other player in the league. Here are current top-selling jerseys:

1. Johnny Manziel, Cleveland Browns
2. Russell Wilson, Seattle Seahawks
3. Colin Kaepernick, San Francisco 49ers
4. Peyton Manning, Denver Broncos
5. Richard Sherman, Seattle Seahawks
6. Michael Sam, St. Louis Rams
7. Tom Brady, New England Patriots
8. Drew Brees, New Orleans Saints
9. Aaron Rodgers, Green bay Packers
10. Seahawks 12th Man
11. Marshawn Lynch, Seattle Seahawks
12. LeSean McCoy, Philadelphia Eagles
13. Teddy Bridgewater, Minnesota Vikings
14. Adrian Peterson, Minnesota Vikings
15. Dez Bryant, Dallas Cowboys
16. Jadeveon Clowney, Houston Texans
17. Robert Griffin III, Washington Redskins
18. Blake Bortles, Jacksonville Jaguars
19. Ryan Tannehill, Miami Dolphins
20. Earl Thomas, Seattle Seahawks
21. J.J. Watt, Houston Texans
22. Patrick Willis, San Francisco 49ers
23. Cam Newton, Carolina Panthers
24. Calvin Johnson, Detroit Lions
25. Andrew Luck, Indianapolis Colts

It's a bit of a surprise to see a 7th-round defensive end with a top-selling jersey. Michael Sam isn't your typical seventh-round defensive end. Sam is one of five rookies on this list. Manziel, Sam, Teddy Bridgewater, Jadeveon Clowney, and Blake Bortles. Three quarterbacks, the first pick in the draft(Clowney), and a seventh-round defensive end. This list is based on sales from the league's online store from April through mid-July. The rookies are at a disadvantage when it comes to jersey sales because they weren't on an NFL team until May 8. Sam didn't have a team until May 10. Once they have a team, the rookies have an advantage over NFL players that have actually taken an NFL snap. No one has the rookie jerseys so everyone has to get one. Sales should soar. They should really soar for the quarterbacks. Sales will hit an entirely new orbit if the player is Johnny Football.

The list is mostly as expected. I probably expected to see Calvin Johnson a little higher. I'd like to see more than five defensive players represented but that's hardly a surprise. Offense always gets the attention. Seeing the Seahawks 12th Man on the list is just sad. They stole (actually bought) the idea and the name form Texas A&M and then they treat it as if it's their own creation. Be original. Originality goes a long ways.

There it is. The best-selling jerseys in the NFL right now. I expect Manziel to be at or around the top of the list for as long as he's throwing a football on the field and doing whatever the hell he wants off of it.

Zimmer Era

I haven't been shy about my excitement over Mike Zimmer being the head coach of the Minnesota Vikings. He was my top choice to be the coach after Leslie Frazier was fired. He was my top choice once it was clear that Frazier's days were numbered. Which may have been about the day that he was hired. I've said it before and I'll say it again, the Vikings haven't been in such great coaching hands since Bud Grant was brought back in 1985.

The Mike Zimmer era begins today in Mankato. He's been on the job since January. He was part of putting together the roster through free agency and the draft. He coached the team through the offseason workouts. He's been a football coach, a great football coach, since 1979. Today is the real beginning. Today is the day that he's been waiting for his entire coaching life. His first training camp as head coach. Mike Zimmer has always enjoyed the teaching aspect of coaching the most. Most of the teaching is done in training camp. This is his time. He's more than earned it.

Mike Zimmer was a "hot" head coaching candidate for most of the past decade. He'd been on my coaching radar since his time as the defensive coordinator of the Dallas Cowboys. That covered at least three Vikings coaching searches. If you can call what the Vikings did in those instances a "search." There's anywhere form 5-10 head coaching vacancies each year. He was a candidate for many of them. Each year, I was shocked that a team could find a reason not to hire Zimmer. He had some interviews. He never received an offer. I was stunned when Eric Mangini got two head coaching shots before Zimmer got one. It was frustrating for him. So frustrating in fact that he nearly decided not to visit the Vikings last January. The Tennessee Titans had just become the latest team to say "No." The rejections were getting to him. I'm glad that he made it to one more interview. Mike Zimmer is finally, deservedly, a head football coach. He shouldn't have had to wait this long but I'm so glad that he did.

Congratulations Coach Zimmer!

Throwback Thursday: Bemidji to Mankato

There once was a time when every NFL team ventured to some faraway place for training camp. A place with few distractions and often little water. Those were the days. Coaches would lock their teams away from the rest of the world for a month or more and break the players down. It was brutal. More civilized times and a new CBA have taken away much of the brutality. Modern and more familiar locations have taken away most of the rest of the rough edges. Only 14 of the 32 NFL teams hit the road to get to their training camps. The other 18 stay at their own facilities. No more tiny dorm rooms. No more isolation. Just the comforts of home and round-the-clock football. These are the days.

The Minnesota Vikings are one of the 14 teams that still gets away from home for training camp. The team has called Minnesota State University at Mankato their summer home since 1966. Only the Green Bay Packers have a longer continuous stay at a training camp facility. The Packers started going to St. Norbert's College the year before Vince Lombardi coached the team. That was 1958. The Vikings spent their first six years as an NFL team getting ready for NFL seasons at Bemidji State University. Those just happened to be the Norm Van Brocklin years. The Hall of Fame quarterback coached the Vikings from 1961-66. Despite stepping straight from the playing field to coaching responsibilities, Van Brocklin seemed to have no sympathy for the players. His training camps were brutal. They were brutal even by 1961 standards. Van Brocklin's last year as the head coach was the first year that the Vikings held training camp in Mankato. Bud Grant replaced Van Brocklin in 1967. Grant viewed the summer workouts a little differently than the first Vikings coach. He trusted his players to come to training camp in shape. With that out of the way, the team could concentrate more on football than on conditioning. Mankato was no longer the nightmare that was Bemidji.

The 2014 Minnesota Vikings under new head coach Mike Zimmer descend on Mankato this weekend for the 49th time.

Minnesota Vikings Training Camp Roster

Mike Zimmer's first training camp starts Friday. Here are the 90 players that will take to the practice fields of Mankato State University.

QB
16 Matt Cassel
  5 Teddy Bridgewater
  7 Christain Ponder
This competition might bring a little media and fan interest.

RB
28 Adrian Peterson
44 Matt Asiata
31 Jerrick McKinnon
23 Joe Banyard
43 Dominique Williams
FB
42 Jerome Felton
48 Zach Line
Rookie McKinnon's versatility gives the Vikings a different sort of runner behind the great Adrian Peterson.

WR
15 Greg Jennings
84 Cordarrelle Patterson
17 Jarius Wright
81 Jerome Simpson
19 Adam Thielen
83 Rodney Smith
13 Kain Colter
14 Erik Lora
11 Josh Cooper
  2 Donte Foster
12 Kamar Jorden
This position was a disaster as recently as two years ago. There's talent here now.

TE
82 Kyle Rudolph
85 Rhett Ellison
86 Chase Ford
87 Allen Reisner
89 AC Leonard
This should be an interesting, under-the-radar competition in camp. Rudolph could dominate in Norv Turner's offense. Ellison is a jack-of-all-trades, versatile football player. The competition will be for #3.

OL
75 Matt Kalil
74 Charlie Johnson
65 John Sullivan
63 Brandon Fusco
71 Phil Loadholt
61 Joe Berger
60 Jeff Baca
66 David Yankey
68 Kevin Murphy
62 Vladimir Ducasse
79 Austin Wentworth
78 Antonio Richardson
67 Mike Remmers
72 Matt Hall
59 Zac Kerin
76 Pierce Burton
One of the biggest battles of camp will be at LG. Johnson has been the starter for the past two seasons. Baca, rookie Yankey and Ducasse are in the battle. The offensive line should be a team strength.

DL
96 Brian Robison
98 Linval Joseph
73 Sharrif Floyd
97 Everson Griffen
99 Corey Wootton
95 Scott Crichton
90 Fred Evans
91 Chase Baker
92 Tom Johnson
93 Shamar Stephen
79 Kheeston Randall
94 Justin Trattou
76 Isame Faciane
69 Spencer Nealy
68 Rakim Cox
64 Tyler Scott
78 Jake Snyder
No Kevin Williams. No Jared Allen. This is a group in transition. It's also one of the strongest groups on the team. It's perhaps the only strength on defense right now.

LB
52 Chad Greenway
55 Anthony Barr
54 Jasper Brinkley
56 Michael Mauti
57 Audie Cole
54 Gerald Hodges
51 Larry Dean
58 Brandon Watts
49 Dom DeCicco
59 Mike Zimmer
Greenway and rookie Barr are the only plays with a position pretty much locked down. Middle linebacker is a wide open competition. Brinkley is likely penciled in as the starter entering training camp due to his experience. Mauti and Cole will challenge him. There's some young talent here. #59 and the head coach are not the same person.

DB
29 Xavier Rhodes
24 Captain Munnerlyn
22 Harrison Smith
33 Jamarca Sanford
21 Josh Robinson
37 Derek Cox
35 Marcus Sherels
27 Shaun Prater
40 Kendall James
39 Jabari Price
38 Julian Posey
26 Robert Steeples
20 Kurt Coleman
36 Robert Blanton
32 Antone Exum
41 Mistral Raymond
34 Andrew Sendejo
30 Brandon Bishop
Until the Vikings show differently on the field this will be considered a position of weakness. Rhodes and Smith are the building blocks for turning that around. The safety spot opposite Smith joins LG and MLB as the most competitive battles of camp. This one is wide, wide open. Coleman, Blanton, Raymond, and Sendejo have all started NFL games.

ST
  3 Blair Walsh
18 Jeff Locke
46 Cullen Loeffler
There's no competition for the kicker, punter, long snapper positions. These three will be off on some distant, far away field practicing on their own.

The Lonely Two

Training camps will be open all across the NFL by the end of the week. It wasn't too long ago that teams would still be scrambling to get all of their draft picks signed and in camp. Some of the top picks would even be getting comfortable as they settle in for a long holdout. It was a mess. The rookie contracts were out of control. As the money involved increased, the holdouts became a matter of routine. The CBA of 2011 changed all of that. The crazy rookie contracts were reeled in and the holdouts decreased. All of the contracts were basically scripted. There was really nothing to negotiate. It took a few years for all of the parties to understand this new world but it all seemed quite nice. This year was the best. Some teams had all of their draft picks signed before May came to close. It took less than a month for most teams. The Chicago Bears took about a week. The St. Louis Rams didn't appear to do anything for the first month after the draft. Then they signed all of their picks in one day. It was wonderful.

With the set rookie contract parameters there really is very little for the agents and teams to negotiate. So, why are there still two draft picks unsigned? The Cleveland Browns selected Oklahoma St. corner Justin Gilbert with the eighth pick in the draft. He's still unsigned. The Tennessee Titans selected Michigan offensive tackle Taylor Lewan with the eleventh pick of the draft. He's also unsigned. Gilbert says that he doesn't know if he'll sign before the start of training camp. He doesn't sounds too concerned about it. Lewan and the Titans are believed to be at odds over roster bonuses. There's so little to negotiate that it makes no sense that the parties can't come to an agreement. All of the players drafted before them and all of the players drafted after them have been signed and are ready for camp. Most have been signed and ready to go for over a month. The agents of Gilbert and Lewan must have nothing better to do. They certainly aren't doing their clients any favors.

The Man Behind The Stuff

The Minnesota Vikings started more quarterbacks in 2013 than they have had equipment managers in their 54 years. Dennis Ryan's first year with the team was the last year in which the Vikings played in a Super Bowl. Ryan joined the Vikings in 1976 as an assistant to Jim "Stubby" Eason. Dennis Ryan and Stubby Eason are the only equipment managers that the Vikings have ever known.

Moving the Minnesota Vikings from their Eden Prairie facilities to Mankato for training camp is probably the biggest job of the year for Dennis Ryan. He'll be making that move for the 39th time this week. The first five of those as an assistant to Stubby Eason. When Eason retired in 1981, Ryan took over. At 21, he was the youngest equipment manager in the NFL. Managing the equipment of an NFL team is a year-round job. The handful of weeks during and surrounding training are the most demanding. 90 players in 90 very different sizes need 90 sets of countless items. Ryan needs to keep track of all of it. As well as replacements for all of those items. Ryan has been one of the best in the league for a very long time. In 1984, he designed the first eye shield to be worn by a player in an NFL game. He created the shield to protect defensive lineman Mark Mullaney, who had suffered an eye injury in a previous game. Now, eye shields are routinely seen around the league. In 1995, Ryan received the Whitey Zimmerman Award, named for the longtime equipment manager of the Atlanta Falcons, recognizing the NFL's Equipment Manager of the Year.

The uniform and equipment of an NFL team are often taken for granted. Dennis Ryan is the name and the person behind the gear of the Minnesota Vikings.

A Special Linebacker

Linebacker Lavonte David makes me want to watch more Tampa Bay Buccaneers games. He's a special football player. When I do see him play I see a player that looks like a ten-year veteran. The comparisons to 2014 Pro Football Hall of Fame inductee Derrick Brooks are natural. Same team. Same position. Same ability to always be in the right place on defense. If you followed the ball, you'd always find Brooks. The same is true of David. The weakside linebacker position in the cover-2 seemed to be made for Derrick Brooks. Lovie Smith brings that defense back to Tampa Bay. David will make that weakside position his.

At 6'1" and about 233 lbs, Lavonte David might be considered small by some linebacker standards. Those standards have been changing as NFL offenses keep throwing the ball more. More defensive backs have been showing up on the football field. Often at the expense of linebackers. David is the special kind of linebacker that can do everything well. He can play the run. He can rush the passer. He can cover. He never has to leave the field because he can do everything on it. He's so good that it's difficult to believe that he's always been just a little bit under the football radar. He was regarded as a 2-star prospect coming out of Miami Northwestern. A high school team that was loaded with talent. USA Today even had them as #1 high school football team in the nation. He must have gotten lost in the shuffle. He had to go the Junior College route. He helped lead Fort Scott Community College to the Junior College National Championship Game against Cam Newton-led Blinn. Fort Scott lost that game but David found his way to Nebraska. Two years at Nebraska showed that he was a big time talent. Despite being a first-round talent, the Buccaneers were able to select David in the second round of the 2012 NFL Draft. He's gotten many awards and honors in his three NFL seasons but somehow David wasn't even selected for the 2013 Pro Bowl. Despite that snub, he was named to the 2013 All-Pro team. Even though he's one of the best linebackers in the game, he's still sort of an unknown. That won't be for long. It's a real treat to watch Lavonte David play football.

Here We Go

The start of the 2014 NFL regular season is still over a month away but it all begins today at St. John Fisher College in Pittsford, NY. The Buffalo Bills will be there and and they will be the first team to open training camp. The Bills rookies reported on Wednesday. The rest of the team will join them on the field today. The Bills are an interesting team. Second-year head coach Doug Marrone appears to have the team pointed in the right direction. Any Bills success depends on the development of second-year quarterback E.J. Manuel. Any team success always depends on quarterback success these days. Manuel will have some nice weapons around him. C.J. Spiller, Fred Jackson, Anthony Dixon, and Bryce Brown make up a talented and diverse group of running backs. The Bills paid a lot to trade up in the 2014 NFL Draft to select receiver Sammy Watkins. He's a playmaker and should pair nicely with Robert Woods. Scott Chandler and Tony Moeaki, if he can stay healthy, should be solid targets at tight end. The Bills defense is improving fast. If any team challenges the St. Louis Rams for the best defensive line in the league, it might be the Buffalo Bills. The interior of the line is a force with Marcell Dareus and Kyle Williams. Then you have Mario Williams and Jerry Hughes attacking on the edges. Oh my. The loss of linebacker Kiko Alonso for the season to an offseason knee injury was a rough start. That will be tough to overcome. As long as Bill Belichick and Tom Brady are in the picture, the road to the AFC East title goes through New England. The Bills might throw a scare into the Patriots this season. It all starts today for the Bills in Pittsford, NY.

Rookies in San Francisco and Baltimore have also been hard at work since Wednesday. I wonder what the Harbaughs have against rookies. The youngsters will be working on their own for an entire week. Half of the 49ers rookies have already been placed on the injured list. Maybe that's why they wanted to get them in early. The veterans for both teams aren't scheduled to report until this coming Wednesday. By next weekend all 32 teams will be hard at work preparing for the 2014 season and a shot at Super Bowl XLVIIII in Arizona. Of course, the most anticipated training camp is that of the Minnesota Vikings. Mike Zimmer opens his first camp as a head coach. After about 35 years as an assistant coach he finally has his long-deserved first shot to lead his own team. That will happen this Thursday.

The 2014 NFL season starts today with the Buffalo Bills. By July 27, when the Detroit Lions finally find their way to a football field, all the teams will have ended a very long offseason.

Top Coaches

NFL Media Analyst Elliot Harrison released his annual NFL Head Coach Power Rankings this week. It's never wise to take lists such as this too seriously. Just like the recently concluded NFL Network's Top 100 Players. These lists are a curiosity or a starting point for debate. Basically, they are fun. It's fun to see the opinion of others that have an appreciation for the coaches and players that make up the NFL, in this case Eliot Harrison. Here are his rankings of the 32 head coaches heading into the 2014 season:

32. Dennis Allen, Oakland Raiders
31. Mike Pettine, Cleveland Browns
30. Jay Gruden, Washington Redskins
29. Bill O'Brien, Houston Texans
28. Mike Zimmer, Minnesota Vikings
27. Doug Marrone, Buffalo Bills
26. Gus Bradley, Jacksonville Jaguars
25. Joe Philbin, Miami Dolphins
24. Marc Trestman, Chicago Bears
23. Jason Garrett, Dallas Cowboys
22. Jim Caldwell, Detroit Lions
21. Ron Rivera, Carolina Panthers
20. Ken Whisenhunt, Tennessee Titans
19. Mike McCoy, San Diego Chargers
18. Chip Kelly, Philadelphia Eagles
17. Chuck Pagano, Indianapolis Colts
16. Rex Ryan, New York Jets
15. Marvin Lewis, Cincinnati Bengals
14. Lovie Smith, Tampa Buccaneers
13. Bruce Arians, Arizona Cardinals
12. Jeff Fisher, St. Louis Rams
11. Mike Smith, Atlanta Falcons
10. Andy Reid, Kansas City Chiefs
  9. Mike Tomlin, Pittsburgh Steelers
  8. John Fox, Denver Broncos
  7. Pete Carroll, Seattle Seahawks
  6. Mike McCarthy, Green Bay Packers
  5. Tom Coughlin, New York Giants
  4. John Harbaugh, Baltimore Ravens
  3. Jim Harbaugh, San Francisco 49ers
  2. Sean Payton, New Orleans Saints
  1. Bill Belichick, New England Patriots

First of all, Mike Zimmer will be flying up this list after this season!

It makes sense to lump all of the first-year coaches at the bottom of the rankings. It's nice to see that Zimmer is the highest-rated of those coaches. It's pretty sad that Dennis Allen, going into his third-year as the Raiders head coach, is behind coaches that have not had a top coaching job before. Allen came into a horrible situation with the Raiders. They were lacking in talent and the salary cap was a mess. It's incredible that he hasn't lost his mind during his two seasons in Oakland. A few of Harrison's rankings really surprise me. Bruce Arians at #13 is one. Arians is a terrific coach. I think that he'll be considered one of the better head coaches in the league real soon. . I just don't think that he's there after one year. I'd put him about where Harrison has Marc Trestman right now. In fact, I think that both Arians and Trestman will soar up this list in the coming years. I'm a little surprised by the ranking of the Harbaughs, Jim over John. John has a Super Bowl win. A Super Bowl win over his brother. Jim Harbaugh is one of the best coaches in the league but I'd probably still rank him after his brother, Tom Coughlin, and maybe Mike McCarthy. Three straight NFC Championship games, one Super Bowl appearance is an unbelievable start to an NFL coaching career but I think that Jim Harbaugh needs a Super Bowl win before he's ranked ahead of some of the coaches that have at least one. He did inherit one of the most talented teams in the league. That tends to foster early success.

Throwback Thursday: Bob Reinhard

Despite starting their football lives as teammates, Bob Reinhard and Frankie Albert would become rivals. Together, they helped lead Glendale High School to the 1937 California Interscholastic Federation championship. In college, they would be opponents in the heated California-Stanford rivalry. As professionals, they would do battle as members of the Los Angeles Dons and San Francisco 49ers in the All-America Football Conference.

An all-conference lineman in 1936-1937, Reinhard teamed with Albert to lead the 1937 Glendale High football team A team that is considered one of the greatest in state history. In choosing the University of California, Reinhard hit the Berkeley campus at a period following Cal’s “Thunder Teams” of the late 30’s and before Pappy Waldorf’s great post war teams. As is often the case in the history of the Cal-Stanford rivalry, when one team is down the other is up. Stanford’s “Wow Boys” with Frankie Albert, Bruno Banducci, Norm Standlee and coach Clark Shaughnessy are among the best in school history. Another delightful aspect of the Cal-Stanford rivalry is that anything can happen when the two teams hit the field. In the 1941 Big Game, Stanford needed a win for a share of the Pacific Coast Conference championship. With Cal leading 9-0 in the 4^th quarter, Reinhard pinned the Indians deep with a 45 yard punt. After a three and out, Cal blocked the punt and Reinhard recovered for a touchdown and a shocking 16-0 upset. He also recorded a sack of his high school friend. Reinhard remains the only true lineman in Cal history to earn All-America honors in consecutive years, 1940-1941. Cal’s captain in 1941, he was a devastating run stuffer and blocker, as well as athletic enough to handle kicking duties and even split out at end, catching a 41 yard touchdown against Washington his senior year. Reinhard was inducted into Cal’s Hall of Fame in 1990.

As a Lieutenant, Reinhard served in the Navy from March 1943 to March 1946. Unlike many college and professional football players of  the time, he played no service football.

Reinhard was selected by the National Football League’s Chicago Cardinals in the 5^th round (34^th overall) of the 1942 NFL Draft. Following the war in 1946, he opted to return home and sign with the Los Angeles Dons of the All-America Football Conference. He was an immediate starter on the offensive and defensive lines for the new team in the new league. Rarely leaving the field, Reinhard excelled as the punter, finishing second in average (45.4) to the Brooklyn Dodgers’ Glenn Dobbs (47.8). A 2nd teams All-AAFC tackle, he was considered the outstanding rookie lineman in professional football. Blessed with unusual speed and agility for a man his size (6-4, 230), the Dons experimented with Reinhard at fullback in 1947. His abilities on the line kept it as an experiment, but it didn't keep the Dons from using him as a playmaker on occasion. The Dons acquired Glenn Dobbs two games into the 1947 season, giving the team perhaps the two finest punters in the Conference. Essentially splitting punts, Reinhard led the AAFC in average at 45.7. A second Reinhard joined the team in 1947. Bob’s brother, Bill Reinhard, also a former Cal player, played defensive back, running back, and punt returner for the Dons for two years. In 1948, Reinhard truly emerged as a top lineman, earning 1^st team All-AAFC honors. He was regarded by many as the finest tackle in football. Even with decreased punting duties, only 6 attempts, Reinhard led the Dons in playing time. He repeated as 1^st team All-AAFC tackle in 1949, the final year of the conference. The Chicago Cardinals again decided that Reinhard was their man when they selected him in the open draft of AAFC players. That did not last long when the Cardinals traded him to the Los Angeles Rams for Bob Shaw, Tom Keane and Gerry Cowhig. Reinhard played one season for the Rams. While earning 2^nd team All-NFL, he helped the Rams to the 1950 NFL Championship, losing to the Cleveland Browns. After the season, Reinhard retired to pursue a career in engineering.

Bob Reinhard earned his accolades throughout his football days as a big man doing battle in the trenches. His speed, agility, and ability away from the line are what made him special. His punting stands out as his 44.6 average is second only to Glenn Dobbs’ 46.4 in AAFC lifetime average. Reinhard’s career is dotted with offensive touches of the football, including two touchdown receptions. For most linemen, this is an indication of a unique or trick play. For Reinahrd, it is an indication of a unique player. He had the skills to be effective with the football. His importance on the offensive and defensive lines always kept him there.

In terms of football team success, one could say that Bob Reinhard’s football career peaked with the Glendale High state championship team. After high school graduation, Reinhard’s teams were always chasing Frankie Albert’s. Despite the 1941 Big Game upset, Cal was in the shadow of some great Stanford teams. In the AAFC, everyone fell short of Cleveland, with the 49ers very close at the end. The Dons looked up at both throughout.

Ravens Backers

The Baltimore Ravens are still a fairly new team in name. They were the Cleveland Browns but that name and history is stricken from their past. In their nearly twenty years, the Ravens have been best known for their defense. Linebacker Ray Lewis can be thanked for that. Simply by being a part of the group he made the Ravens linebackers a force. He retired after their last championship in 2012. It may have only taken a year for the Ravens linebackers to become a force again.

Part of my fondness for the Baltimore Ravens linebackers is due to two of their youngest players. Kansas St.'s Arthur Brown was one of my favorite players in the 2013 NFL Draft. Alabama's C.J. Mosley was one of my favorite players in the 2014 NFL Draft. The Ravens selected Brown in the second round last year. Deciding that one terrific young linebacker wasn't enough, the Ravens grabbed Mosley in the first round this year. It sounds like both are competing for the same spot in the starting lineup. The Ravens should find a way to get both on the field at the same time. One of the problems with that is the linebacker talent on the roster. Ray Lewis isn't the only linebacker from 2012 no longer on the roster. The Ravens also lost Paul Kruger and Dannell Ellerbe to free agency following the Super Bowl win. That's a lot of talent to lose at once. The Ravens added longtime Jacksonville Jaguar middle linebacker Daryl Smith last offseason. His presence in the middle of the defense helped replace the tackles and leadership lost when Lewis left for his trip to Canton. Kinkos helped make possible the addition of Elvis Dumervil last year. He replaced Kruger's pass rushing presence. Then you have Terrell Suggs. "T-Sizzle." It seems like he's been around forever so it's amazing that he's only 31. Brown, Mosley, Smith, Dumervil, and Suggs alone make up a real nice linebacker group. But, there's more. There's Pernell McPhee. There's Josh Bynes. There's Mosley's former Alabama teammate Courtney Upshaw. The Ravens can go two deep with starter-level talent. Their likely starters are probably right behind a healthy San Francisco 49ers group (and that's a group that's among the best in league history). No team can touch the Ravens depth at the position. That's amazing considering they lost Lewis, Kruger, and Ellerbe only a year ago. It's tough to take Smith out of the starting lineup but I'd be real excited to see these four linebackers starting for the Ravens this fall:

Terrell Suggs
Arthur Brown
C.J. Mosley
Elvis Dumervil

No matter how the linebacker competition shakes out in training camp, defensive coordinator Dean Pees and head coach John Harbaugh have to be happy with their backers.

Fallen Linebackers

When San Francisco 49ers outstanding linebacker Navorro Bowman suffered a gruesome knee injury in the NFC Championship game it was the beginning of a rough stretch of months for players at the position. From sad to possibly selfish reasons, talented linebackers started falling around the league. Injuries have always been an unfortunate part of football. The risk is always there but it's always sad to see. Injuries may be even more sad to see during the offseason. Maybe it's pride but getting injured in a game is always easier to handle than getting injured in practice. Dallas Cowboys middle linebacker Sean Lee is one of the best in the league at his position. He might even be the best if he can just find a way to stay on the field. It's been one injury after another since he entered the league in 2010. He tore his ACL at the start of offseason workouts. He's out for the season. Atlanta Falcons linebacker Sean Weapherspoon has had injury issues of his own. He tore his achilles tendon this time. He's out for the season. Buffalo Bills lineabcker Kiko Alonso was one of the best rookies in the league last year. He also tore his ACL. He was working out on his own at home in Oregon between team workouts. He's also out for the season. Injuries knocked out four of the best linebackers in the game. Just being stupid knocked out two others. Indianapolis Colts pass rusher Robert Mathis may or may not have been taking an infertility drug to get past some fertility issues. For whatever reason, he took a substance he wasn't supposed to take. As a result, he won't be playing in the Colts first four games of the season. There is little doubt about Arizona Cardinals excellent linebacker Daryl Washington's stupidity. He chose marijuana over football. Again. He'll be skipping the entire season. That's six impact players at the linebacker position that have fallen. Lee, Weatherspoon, Alonso, and Washington will miss the entire season. Bowman and Mathis will be back this season. Mathis is already out for the first four games. There's a chance that Bowman could be back for the start of the season. After seeing Bowman's leg bend like it shouldn't, it would be something of a miracle for him to not miss a game that counts.

As always, it's next man up in the NFL. There will be football players that step up for these fallen linebackers.

San Francisco: Bowman should be back early in the season, if not opening day. If he isn't ready, the 49ers should be able to get by for a game or two with either Michael Wilhoite or rookie Chris Borland.

Dallas: Lee's leadership and quarterbacking of the defense might be the most difficult aspect of his game to replace. The Cowboys recently traded for Oakland Raiders 2010 top-10 draft pick Rolando McClain. He has, or had, the talent to be drafted high. He's been pretty much a disaster ever since. McClain was most recently with the Baltimore Ravens. He signed with them in 2013 but has never played a snap. He hasn't even come close to playing a snap. He signed on April 10, 2013. Retired about a month later. He came back this spring. He retired again. He's about a wink away from being labeled a bust for about the fifth time. The Cowboys are probably better off looking at one of their in-house, younger options.

Atlanta: The Falcons have had to manage without Weatherspoon often enough that they should be fine.

Buffalo: Alonso played in the middle last year. New defensive coordinator Jim Schwartz likely had Alonso playing on the outside. The Bills brought in veteran linebackers Keith Rivers and Brandon Spikes this offseason. It's more likely that third-year Nigel Bradham will get the first shot at replacing Alonso.

Arizona: Although nowhere near as talented as Washington, second-year Kevin Minter and veteran Larry Foote gives the Cardinals talent and some options. If Washington could ever get out of his own way, he could become one of best football players in the league.

Indianapolis: With Mathis out for four games, 2013 top pick Bjoern Werner will have a chance to make an impact.

Hopefully, the linebackers have stopped falling.

Who Plays What?

The money standoff between the New Orleans Saints and Jimmy Graham has brought up the question: "What is a tight end?" Well, to start, Jimmy Graham is a tight end. He may produce yards and touchdowns more like a receiver but he is a tight end. He produces like a receiver because he plays tight end. The Saints argued that Graham is a tight end because of the manner in which a defense plays against him. Tight ends draw the coverage of linebackers and safeties. Graham draws the coverage of linebackers and safeties. The Saints, and teams with explosive tight ends like Graham, use their tight ends to help reveal the coverage of the defense. These versatile playmakers force defenses to show zone or man-to-man defenses before the snap. The battle between the Saints and Graham is stupid. It's stupid because it's all about money. The team and player should come to an agreement based on the importance of the player to the team and not based on the position that he plays. There's really no argument that Graham is right behind Drew Brees in his impact on the Saints offense. The real important part of this argument and it's really no argument at all is the role that Graham, and tight ends like him, are playing in the evolution of football. This evolution didn't start with Graham, Rob Gronkowski, or Jordan Cameron. It didn't even start with Shannon Sharpe or Tony Gonzalez. It goes back decades to the emergence of players like Mike Ditka and John Mackey. Kellen Winslow and Ozzie Newsome. Those early extraordinary tight ends may have blocked more in a single game than Graham blocks in a couple of seasons but they made big pass catchers an offensive threat. Tight end is an evolving position and Graham and the rest are simply part of that evolution. Just like what was once a blocking back is now a quarterback, positions evolve in football. Positions evolve as the game evolves. We once had a middle guard on defense. He stepped away from the line and we found a middle linebacker. The 3-4 defenses of today are really the 5-2 defenses of yesterday. The fullback was once the primary running threat in most offenses. Now, few teams even employ a fullback. The evolution of the tight end is forcing an evolution of the safety position. Teams are looking for safeties that are more like corners in coverage. Football evolves.Positions evolve. Sometimes we even get new ones.

Offensive and defensive innovators and the unique skills of special football players are constantly changing the game. Clark Shaughnessy, Greasy Neale, Tom Landry, Don Coryell, Don Hutson, Sammy Baugh, Lenny Moore, Ditka, Curley Culp, Lawrence Taylor, and so many others brought changes in the game. They did new and different things because they could. Football has always been a game of match-ups. It's a never-ending quest to find mismatches among those match-ups. It's just sad when positions, their distinctions and their importance, are determined and separated by money. Football should define the positions on the field. Not money. It's time to just get rid of the franchise tags. They came about to restrict player movement when free agency changed the business-side of the game. The tags now produce only drama.

Just Ugly

In 2004 Daunte Culpepper had one of the best statistical seasons ever seen from an NFL quarterback. The 2005 season didn't start so great for Culpepper or the Minnesota Vikings. It got even worse in game 7 against the Carolina Panthers when Culpepper injured three of the four ligaments that holds his knee together. He never recovered and neither have the Vikings. The most important position on a football field has been just plain ugly in Minnesota ever since. Since that 2005 season, twelve quarterbacks have started games for the Minnesota Vikings. Except for the incredible 2009 season when Brett Favre at 40 somehow played better than Brett Favre at 30, the quarterback position has been keeping some talented Vikings teams from being anything but mediocre. For most of the past decade the Vikings have been searching for that franchise quarterback. Judging by some of the players that have lined up under center since Culpepper went down, that search has been horribly ineffective. Take a look at these starters:

2005:
Daunte Culpepper (7 starts)
Brad Johnson (9)

2006:
Brad Johnson (14)
Tarvaris Jackson (2)

2007:
Tarvaris Jackson (12)
Kelly Holcomb (3)
Brooks Bollinger (1)

2008:
Gus Frerotte (11)
Tarvaris Jackson (5)

2009:
Brett Favre (16)

2010:
Brett Favre (13)
Joe Webb (2)
Tarvaris Jackson (1)

2011:
Christian Ponder (10)
Donovan McNabb (6)

2012:
Christian Ponder (16)

2013:
Christian Ponder (9)
Matt Cassel (6)
Josh Freeman (1)

Favre's 2009 season was special. It ended about a play or two short of where it should have ended but it was special. The Vikings tried the "old guy" stunt again in 2011 with Donovan McNabb and it was a disaster. A new head coach in Leslie Frazier and the chaos caused by that offseason's lockout didn't help but plugging in a clearly disinterested McNabb just didn't work. It also made for a rough start to the career of #1 pick and franchise quarterback hopeful Christian Ponder. 2007 was just U-G-L-Y. It's a good thing that the Vikings had a rookie running back named Adrian Peterson to distract from the revolving door at quarterback in front of him. Brooks Bollinger's one start came against the San Diego Chargers. It was a success because Peterson ran for an NFL-record 296 yards that day. The Vikings started three quarterbacks in a season three times in nine years. There were some injuries involved. Football is a rough game. But, there was a lot of indecision. A lot of waffling. There never seemed to be a plan for the most important position on the field. Head coach Brad Childress picked Tarvaris Jackson in the second round of the 2006 Draft. The supposed "quarterback guru" was going to mold the raw talent. Jackson closed the 2008 season with some momentum. It looked like the Vikings were moving forward with Jackson. It looked like they might have something. They bring in Sage Rosenfels to provide some competition. Training camp brought news helicopters, convoys, and the arrival of Brett Favre. Now, adding Favre was a bold move in 2009. The season was an obvious success despite ending a game short but it was hardly a plan. You can't depend on Favre in the offseason. You can't depend on Favre in the future. He was a walking circus. The 2010 season was about as bad as the 2009 was great. Enter Ponder in 2011. His first three years with the Vikings were much Tarvaris Jackson's first three years. Each got a taste of some action as a rookie under a first-year head coach. Each started the majority of the games their second season. Ponder started all of the games. Each showed some promise but also some inconsistency in that second season. Basically, they played like second-year quarterbacks with some nice potential. Everything fell apart for both in their third seasons. Each started the season playing some decent football. They played well enough to win but they just couldn't get the wins. Each was benched early. Jackson was benched for Gus Frerotte. Ponder was benched for Matt Cassel. An injury helped make the benching of Ponder an easy one for Frazier. But, it wasn't always injuries that made the 2013 season a quarterbacking-carousel.

Excluding Favre's 2009 season, quarterbacking has been simply ugly in Minnesota. It's a little surprising but the revolving door at quarterback, the lack of an obvious plan, has actually been more frustrating than the play on the field. The drafting of Jackson and Ponder have been the only moves made since 2005 with a thought to the future. Both were considered a reach at the spots in which they were selected but the Vikings picked them. They had to develop them. They didn't. Maybe Jackson and Ponder are simply backup-level quarterbacks. Jackson's career is looking that way. If Ponder ever becomes a starter, it will likely be in a different city. It's really no stretch to say that the Vikings quarterback development under Childress and Frazier is an effective script on what not to do.

There's excitement bubbling among fans of the Minnesota Vikings as we creep closer to the 2014 season and future seasons. That excitement started when the Vikings traded up to draft Louisville quarterback Teddy Bridgewater in the first round of the 2014 NFL Draft. Training camp opens in a few weeks. Based on offseason workouts the current depth chart likely reads:

Matt Cassel
Teddy Bridgewater
Christian Ponder

Bridgewater is the future. He may even be the present. Cassel brings dependability and experience. Ponder is the forgotten one. He can start. He can win games. He led the Vikings to the playoffs in 2010. Even if Peterson carried much of the load. From top to bottom, this is probably the most talented group of quarterbacks that the Vikings have had in a very long time. As important as the talent at the position is the coaching surrounding it. First-year coach Mike Zimmer has put together a terrific staff. Norv Turner leads the offense. He knows how offenses should be run. He knows how quarterbacks should play. He knows how they should be developed. For the first time in a very long time the Vikings actually seem to have a plan at the quarterback position. For now and for the future. Maybe the position won't be so ugly in Minnesota.

Great Hands

In a recent column, NFL.com/Network analyst Bucky Brooks ranked the pass catchers with the best hands and ball skills. Hands. It's mystifying that the ability to catch a football is often held with low regard. Scouts and personnel often gloss over an inability to consistently catch a football if the player is fast, athletic, and explosive. Even though it is so hard to display that speed, athleticism, and explosiveness without the ball. The Minnesota Vikings selected South Carolina receiver Troy Williamson with the seventh pick of the 2005 NFL Draft. He couldn't catch. At all! But, he sure was fast. Fast loses it's appeal when the ball is sitting on the field after another drop. Williamson had a terrible set of hands. The Vikings even sent him to a Nike facility specializing in vision and hand-eye coordination. It didn't help. But, he sure was fast. Bucky Brooks was a receiver with the Buffalo Bills in the mid-'90s. He practiced alongside one of the best pass catchers of his generation in Andre Reed. Brooks has spent the last decade as a scout and football analyst. He appreciates the often forgotten skill of catching the football. He put together a nice list:

10. Keenan Allen  WR  San Diego Chargers
  9. Antonio Gates  TE  San Diego Charges
  8. Dez Bryant  WR  Dallas Cowboys
  7. Jordan Cameron  TE  Cleveland Browns
  6. Jordy Nelson  WR  Green Bay Packers
  5. Jimmy Graham  TE  New Orleans Saints
  4. Julio Jones  WR  Atlanta Falcons
  3. Alshon Jeffery  WR  Chicago Bears
  2. A.J. Green  WR  Cincinnati Bengals
  1. Larry Fitzgerald  WR  Arizona Cardinals

It's difficult to question any on the list. Keenan Allen might be a surprise. It might be considered a bold move to include a receiver with a single year of NFL experience in such select company. After watching Allen for three, too short, years at Cal, it's really no surprise here. It's interesting to note that all three tight ends on the list have significant basketball experience in their past. Their positioning and ball skills in football reveal an athlete that might know something about rebounding in basketball. A.J. Green is so smooth. His spot in Brooks' rankings is deserved. That's why it was so stunning to see him drop a possible touchdown in the playoffs against the San Diego Chargers this past January. The Chargers had control of that game. Green scores there and it might be a different game. Green may never live down that drop. As Brooks says, Larry Fitzgerald "remains the gold standard on this list." It's an absolute treat to watch Fitzgerald play football.

It wasn't surprising to see any of these ten pass catchers on Bucky Brooks' list. It was surprising to not see Greg Jennings and Anquan Boldin. I guess that you have to draw the line somewhere. Jennings and Boldin would be on my list. Perhaps at the expense of Gates and Cameron. It was a weekly pass-catching tutorial when Boldin and Fitzgerald were on the field together for the Cardinals.

Thinking about the great hands of today has me remembering the incredible hands of Cris Carter. No one ever caught the football better.

Loophole?

The NFL finally did the right thing by reaching a settlement with thousands of former players over the issue of concussions. The league should have always looked after these former players. Especially when the owners started getting rich, or richer, off of the labors of those players. The settlement received preliminary approval on Monday and provides benefits in the event that a former player suffers from or eventually develops any severe cognitive impairments: early Dementia, moderate Dementia, Alzheimer's Disease, Parkinson's Disease, ALS, and/or death with Chronic Traumatic Encephelopathy(CTE). It's a terrific thing that the league is finally going to provide assistance to those that are in desperate need for it. Unfortunately, the settlement, as it currently stands, provides no benefits for living players who have CTE but none of the other conditions. Current testing requires brain tissue to detect CTE. Living players are still using theirs. Even if/when a test is developed for reliably diagnosing CTE in the brains of living patients, the former players will get nothing until they die. When they die, their estates will be eligible to receive up to $4 million. But any living player with CTE but none of the above covered conditions gets nothing during his lifetime.

Former Tennessee Titans tight end Frank Wycheck estimates that he suffered between 15 and 25 concussions during his eleven-year NFL career. Today, he suffers from migraines, memory loss, and depression. He hasn't been diagnosed with any neuro-cognitive impairment such as dementia, Alzheimer's, Parkinson's, or ALS. As a result, he gets no assistance under the current settlement. Wycheck is far from alone. It's likely that the majority of the retired players suffering the effects of concussions from their football days have yet to be diagnosed with any of covered conditions. They may never be. If they receive any assistance, it will only come when they no longer need it. Well, their family might need it.

This is a strange loophole. One that actually crushes the terrific good that this settlement brings. It's a loophole that really needs to be closed. The former players have 90 days after final approval to appeal the decision or opt out of it.

Throwback Thursday: 1920s All-Decade Team

It took me nearly twenty years but I finally discovered 75 Seasons: The Complete Story of the National Football League. It's an excellent book put together by football writers Will McDonough, Peter King, Paul Zimmerman, Vic Carucci, Greg Garber, Kevin Lamb, Joe Gergen, Harold Rosenthal, C.W. Nevius, Ed Bouchette, Ted Brock, Tom Barnidge, and Phil Barber. That's an all-star lineup. They take a thorough look at each decade ending each with the selection of an All-Decade Team. The artwork for these is themed and it's fantastic. The members of the 1920 All-Decade Team are seen seated in and standing around an automobile in a Hupmobile dealership. Just like the founding fathers of the NFL did on September 17, 1920.

Here is that 1920s All-Decade Team:

Backs:
Paddy Driscoll
Harold "Red" Grange
Jim Thorpe
Ernie Nevers

Ends:
LaVern Dilweg
Guy Chamberlain

Tackles:
Cal Hubbard
Wilbur (Pete) Henry

Guards:
Walt Kiesling
Mike Michalske

Center:
George Trafton

In 1969, the Pro Football Hall of Fame's Selection Committee retroactively selected All-Decade Teams in celebration of the NFL's first 50 years. All eleven of the above players were part of this team. So were seven others:

Backs:
Jimmy Conzelman
Paddy Driscoll
Harold "Red" Grange
Joe Guyon
Earl "Curly" Lambeau
Jim Thorpe
Ernie Nevers

Ends:
Guy Chamberlain
LaVern Dilweg
George Halas

Tackles:
Ed Healy
Wilbur (Pete) Henry
Cal Hubbard
Steve Owen

Guards
Hunk Anderson
Walt Kiesling
Mike Michalske

Center:
George Tafton

It's important to note that one member of the 75 Seasons team and two members of the Selection Committee team have not been inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame. LaVern Dilweg and Hunk Anderson are the two players. Dilweg is the player named to both teams but not honored in Canton. Inclusion on an All-Decade team doesn't mean an automatic induction into the Pro Football Hall of Fame. In this case, it's very much an injustice to Dilweg. He's universally considered one of the best players of the first decade of the NFL. His absence from the Pro Football Hall of Fame has been a six decade mystery. After finally inducting Benny Friedman and Fritz Pollard in 2005, I have the feeling that the Selection Committee has put a bow on the 1920s. They forgot someone. LaVern Dilweg should be honored in the Pro Football Hall of Fame with the rest of the 1920s All-Decade Team. Hunk Anderson is one of the most interesting football figures of the early decades of football. He sort of bounced back and forth between Notre Dame and the Chicago Bears. Playing and coaching for both. He played for Knute Rockne and George Halas. He was an assistant coach for both iconic football figures. He was named the Notre Dame head coach following the tragic death of Rockne in 1931. He was a co-head coach of the Bears while Halas was in the service during World War II.

The artwork of  75 Seasons: The Complete Story of the National Football League is fantastic!!!! Can't say that enough.

Zim!

Mike Zimmer. I'm still skipping through my days happy with the thought that Mike Zimmer is the head coach of the Minnesota Vikings. The team hasn't been in such great coaching hands since Bud Grant was brought out of retirement in 1985. January 15, 2014 was a big day for the Vikings franchise. Mike Zimmer finally got his first chance to coach his team. He should have gotten that chance years ago. The Minnesota Vikings are very lucky that other teams said "No." Zimmer started his football coaching career in 1979 as a defensive assistant at the University of Missouri. He worked with and for Mike Price through the 1980s and into the 1990s at Weber St. and Washington St. He moved to the Dallas Cowboys and the NFL in 1994. He's been the defensive coordinator of the Cowboys, Atlanta Falcons, and Cincinnati Bengals since 2000. He's been a "hot" candidate for head coaching jobs for most of the past decade. It takes most "hot" candidates only a couple of years, at most, to get a head coaching shot. He was tired of not getting these jobs. He was about ready to quit trying. Thankfully, he went to one more interview. The Minnesota Vikings have themselves a football coach. Finally.

I can't think of another football coach, that wanted to be a head football coach, that had to wait as much as 35 years for that first shot. This wait was unbelievable. Bruce Arians coached for nearly 40 years before he was hired in 2013 to be the head coach of the Arizona Cardinals. It may have taken nearly 40 years for an NFL shot but he had a college shot. Arians was the head coach at Temple for six years in the 1980s. Vince Lombardi had a well-publicized long wait before he was hired in Green Bay. That long wait was 20 years. It feels wrong to say that I'm glad that Mike Zimmer had to wait so long but I am glad. 

It doesn't feel like the Vikings have a first-year coaching staff. Part of that it due to the fact that Mike Zimmer is so ready for this opportunity. He's a veteran NFL coach. He knows what he's doing. He may be as ready for this as any first-year coach in league history. Not much will surprise him. He also brought a very experienced coaching staff with him. Offensive coordinator Norv Turner has been in the coaching business even longer than Zimmer. He's been the head coach of three NFL teams. He's coached Super Bowl champions. Defensive coordinator George Edwards has coached for nearly 25 years and has experience working with Zimmer. He has NFL and college experience as a defensive coordinator. Special teams coordinator Mike Priefer has been with Vikings for the past three seasons. He's turned the Vikings special teams from a weakness to a strength. He's been coaching for 20 years. Most of the position coaches have similar coaching experience:

WR: George Stewart: over 30 years coaching, 8 with the Vikings

OL: Jeff Davidson nearly 20 years coaching, 3 with the Vikings

TE: Kevin Stefanski: 8 years with the Vikings

RB: Kirby Wilson: nearly 30 years coaching

DL: Andre Patterson: nearly 25 years coaching

DB: Jerry Gray: 15 years, 8 as a defensive coordinator

Two of the youngest position coaches have a lifetime of being around coaching. Quarterback coach Scott Turner is the son of Norv Turner. Linebacker coach Adam Zimmer is the son of Mike Zimmer. Both paid some NFL dues with teams that didn't employ their fathers. Scott Turner was a college coach from 2002-10. He's been in the NFL ever since. Adam Zimmer has been coaching in the NFL since 2006 after four years at the college level. He was on the staff of the Super Bowl champion New Orleans Saints in 2009. 

The coaching staff of the Minnesota Vikings has the feel of one that has a real firm grasp of what it's doing. It's a very pleasant change. 

Vikings Top Plays

ESPN's website is running a poll to determine the most memorable play in Minnesota Vikings history. Here are the three that have been nominated:

-Gary Anderson misses 38-yard FG to seal '98 NFC title game vs. Falcons

-Tommy Kramer throws "Hail Mary" TD to Ahmad Rashad to clinch division

-Tracy Porter intercepts Bret Favre w/19 seconds left in '09 NFC title game vs Saints

Maybe it's just me but I consider memorable as something that people want to remember. Two of those plays are plays that any Vikings fan would prefer to forget. If ESPN is shooting for nightmare plays, why didn't they include Roger Staubach's "Hail Mary" to Drew Pearson in the 1975 playoffs? That play is right there with Anderson's miss and Favre's interception. How about Darrin Nelson's drop in '87? Kramer's TD throw to Rashad to defeat the Cleveland Browns and clinch the 1980 Central Division title is the only play of ESPN's three that is truly memorable to Vikings fans. Nearly every Vikings fan that was alive to see that play points to it as an all-time favorite. Even the Kramer-Joe Senser-Ted Brown hook-and-ladder that came before Rashad's "Hail Mary" catch is more memorable than ESPN's two nightmare plays. Memorable is supposed to be good. That's why it's memorable. Anderson's miss in the '98 NFC Championship game is memorable for Falcons fans. Favre's interception is memorable to Saints fans. Neither is memorable to Vikings fans.

The Vikings have yet to win a Super Bowl so some of their most memorable big game plays are the plays that got them to the Super Bowl.

-Carl Eller's sack of Roman Gabriel in the 1969 playoffs

-Alan Page's interception of Gabriel to seal that playoff game

-Wally Hilgenberg's interception in the 1974 NFC title game

-Bobby Bryant's return of Nate Allen's blocked FG in the 1975 playoffs

It's interesting that all four of those memorable plays came against the Los Angeles Rams. The Vikings played the Rams in the playoffs fairly often in the late '60s and early '70s.

Some memorable regular season plays:

-Fran Tarkenton TD pass to Bob Schnelker in '61 for the first TD in team history

-Warren Moon to Cris Carter to beat the Bears in OT in '94

-Any of Randy Moss' 3 TDs vs the Cowboys on Thanksgiving '98

-Rookie Moss takes apart the Packers on Monday Night Football

-Moss-Moe Williams lateral stuns the Broncos in '03

-Any one of dozens of Adrian Peterson runs over the years

Randy Moss and Adrian Peterson were/are dependable producers of memorable plays.

Cordarrelle Patterson had two memorable plays in a single game in the snow at Baltimore last season. Both are more memorable than a missed field goal and an interception. ESPN could have picked so many memorable Vikings plays without touching plays that aren't memorable at all.

Another Fearsome Foursome?

A few defensive lines through football history have been saddled with the "Fearsome Foursome" nickname. The Los Angles Rams defensive line from the 1960s is the most prominent. Chicago Bears linebacker Dick Butkus called them "the most dominant line in football history." Keeping Deacon Jones, Merlin Olsen, Rosey Grier, and Lamar Lundy out of the backfield was an every down chore for offensive lines. No offense meant to Grier and Lundy, they were terrific football players, but Deacon Jones, Merlin Olsen and a couple of chairs make a "Fearsome Foursome." The Rams are in St. Louis now and they have put together a defensive front four that is likely the best in the entire NFL. The Seattle Seahawks and San Francisco 49ers have controlled the NFC West the couple of seasons. Their defenses have had a lot to do with that dominance. The Rams defense, with their defensive line, can compete with the defenses in Seattle and San Francisco.

The St. Louis Rams have spent some high draft picks on defensive line talent. All four of the expected starters were selected in the first round:

Robert Quinn #14 in 2011
Michael Brockers #14 in 2012
Aaron Donald #13 in 2014
Chris Long #2 in 2008

It's hard to believe that Chris Long has already been in the league six seasons. At 29, he still has some impact years in front of him and he has a ton of talent around him. Offensive lines used to be able to concentrate on him now they have to contend with Robert Quinn on the other side. Quinn is one of the best pass rushers in the league. He might have been the best defensive lineman last year. 19 sacks. He was a nightmare to play against and he's still learning. Michael Brockers is also still learning the pro game. At 6'5" and 325 lbs, he's got tremendous size. With 5.5 sacks last year, he's shown that he's more than a run stuffer. He can get to the quarterback. So can rookie Aaron Donald. He hasn't even played an NFL down and he's drawn comparisons to Cincinnati Bengals little destroyer Geno Atkins and former Minnesota Vikings Hall of Famer John Randle. Donald gets those comparisons because he's small for a defensive tackle. He's 6'1" 285 lbs. If he was bigger, he would have been in the conversation for the top pick in the 2014 NFL Draft. He's fast. He's strong. And, he never stops. The Rams defensive line starters are terrific. Some of their backups could start on most of the 31 other teams in the league. Defensive end William Hayes can get after the quarterback. Kendall Langford has been a starter. He can play inside and outside and he has unique size at 6'6" and 313 lbs. Seventh-round pick Michael Sam will get a lot of attention. The hope here is that he earns that attention for what he does on the football field. He may not be one of the most athletic football players but he can be one of the more effective. The Rams have incredible talent on their defensive line. The kind of talent that you never want to take off of the football field. It's also the sort of talent that you want to preserve for an entire game and for late in the season. The Rams also have the sort of talent on the bench that you want to get on the field. Too much talent is a problem that head coach Jeff Fisher probably prefers to have. It's far better than not having enough talent.

They haven't even played a down together but it's impossible not to be intrigued by the potential of the St. Louis Rams new defensive line. They will likely be the sort of line that gets a nickname of their own.

Recent Vikings Drafts

Rick Spielman has been a part of the Minnesota Vikings decision-making process since 2006. He was promoted to general manager in January 2012. It can be said that the last three drafts are his. He'd be the first to say that he had the help of many but the final draft day decisions since the 2012 NFL Draft have been his. In those three drafts, Spielman has shown a special fondness for adding first round picks. Who wouldn't? The top of the college talent pool is found there. Plus, the 2011 Collective Bargaining Agreement gave teams a fifth-year option on all first round draft picks. This is actually pretty significant. Acquiring those extra first round picks required the trading of second round picks. Teams can get five years out of their first round picks before it's time to negotiate those often large second contracts. They only get four years for the second round picks. It's great to get those extra top picks. It's more important to use them wisely. The early indications are that Rick Spielman has used those picks first round picks wisely. The Vikings future is in the drafts of the last three years. Here they are:

2012 Draft
1. T Matt Kalil
1. S Harrison Smith
3. CB Josh Robinson
4. WR Jarius Wright
4. TE Rhett Ellison
4. WR Greg Childs
5. S Robert Blanton
6. K Blair Walsh
7. LB Audie Cole
7. DE Trevor Guyton

2013 Draft
1. DT Sharrif Floyd
1. CB Xavier Rhodes
1. WR Cordarrelle Patterson
4. LB Gerald Hodges
5. P Jeff Locke
6. G Jeff Baca
7. LB Michael Mauti
7. G Travis Bond
7. DT Everett Dawkins

2014 Draft
1. LB Anthony Barr
1. QB Teddy Bridgewater
3. DE Scott Crichton
3. RB Jerick McKinnon
5. G David Yankey
6. S Antone Exum
6. CB Kendall James
7. DT Shamar Stephen
7. LB Brandon Watts
7. CB Jabari Price

Matt Kalil, Blair Walsh, and Cordarrelle Patterson have already made Pro Bowl appearances. Harrison Smith is about one completely healthy season from joining them. Xavier Rhodes, Sharrif Floyd, Jeff Locke, and Anthony Barr are starters. Jarius Wright and Rhett Ellison are starters in certain offensive sets. Robert Blanton, Gerald Hodges, Audie Cole, Jeff Baca, Michael Mauti, Teddy Bridgewater, David Yankey, and Antone Exum are in training camp battles for starting spots. Scott Crichton will be a significant part of the Vikings' defensive line rotation. Jerick McKinnon should earn time as the third-down back and is likely in the running to return kicks and/or punts. Greg Childs, Trevor Guyton, Travis Bond, and Everett Dawkins are the only players no longer on the Vikings roster. Childs was released after never fully recovering from a devastating injury in the 2012 training camp. Nearly half of the expected 2014 roster will come from these three drafts. The Vikings went through a tremendous talent drain following a terrific 2009 season. That was a very talented, but veteran, football team. They needed young talent. They needed these drafts. The hope in Minnesota, and here, is that this run of drafts will draw comparisons to the great Pittsburgh Steelers drafts from 1969-74. Those drafts brought four Super Bowl titles. That would be sweet! Of course, it all depends on Teddy Bridgewater. It's been said many times and in many ways. It's all about the quarterback in today's NFL. If Bridgewater becomes the franchise quarterback that the Vikings have spent nearly 40 years trying to find, they might have something. Kalil, Smith, Floyd, Rhodes, Patterson, Barr, and Bridgewater should be franchise cornerstones. Mauti, Blanton, Hodges, Crichton, Yankey, and Exum could join them.

Two More Weeks!

NFL training camps start opening in two weeks! Then time really starts moving to the start of the 2014 season. This offseason felt longer than most. The current offseason always feels like the longest offseason. This one had an extra drag to it due to the ridiculous move of the draft to the first week of May. That shouldn't happen again but it probably will. That would be a mistake. None of that matters now with the opening of training camps approaching. Will Justin Gilbert and Taylor Lewan sign in time? It's amazing that only two first round picks are unsigned. Gotta love that new CBA. Due to their appearances in the annual Hall of Fame game, the Buffalo Bills and New York Giants will be the first teams to open their camps. The Bills will open first when the players report on July 18 and hold their first practice July 20. The Giants will give their players one more weekend of hopefully very mild fun. They report July 21. The Miami Dolphins are also starting early. The team has gotten along so well in the past. They just couldn't stand being apart any longer. Here are the scheduled reporting dates for all 32 NFL teams(All but the Bills will hold their first practice the following day. The Bills first practice is July 20.):

July 18: Buffalo Bills
July 20: Miami Dolphins
July 21: New York Giants
July 22: Dallas Cowboys
July 23: Baltimore Ravens
            Cincinnati Bengals
            Denver Broncos
            Indianapolis Colts
            Kansas City Chiefs
            New England Patriots
            New York Jets
            San Diego Chargers
            San Francisco 49ers
            Washington Redskins
July 24: Atlanta Falcons
            Carolina Panthers
            Chicago Bears
            Jacksonville Jaguars
            Minnesota Vikings
            New Orleans Saints
            Oakland Raiders
            Seattle Seahawks
            St. Louis Rams
            Tampa Bay Buccaneers
July 25: Arizona Cardinals
            Cleveland Browns
            Green Bay Packers
            Houston Texans
            Philadelphia Eagles
            Pittsburgh Steelers
            Tennessee Titans
July 27: Detroit Lions

The NFL is always fun. Even in June. It's really fun when the footballs start flying at the end of July. Two more weeks!

Voting Gone Awry

The NFL Notwork's Top 100 Players of 2014 is approaching #1. #'s 11-20 were revealed Wednesday night. This list is unique as the players are the voters. Despite what Donte Whitner might tweet. It's an interesting look at how the players see the best players. Fortunately, or unfortunately, the players vote with the 2013 season fresh in their minds. These are rankings for the 2014 season so the performances in the 2013 season have to count for something. This is the player's list so it's hard for an outsider to criticize. Still, the players are out of their collective minds if they think that Houston Texans defensive end J.J. Watt is the #12 player in the league and Green Bay Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers is the #11 player in the league. It wouldn't be a stretch at all for each to be moved up ten spots. Watt at #2 and Rodgers at #1 makes far more sense than what was revealed on Wednesday. Rodgers missed a handful of games with a broken collarbone. Watt played for a Houston Texans team that struggled all season. Those unfortunate circumstances most have been the reason for the surprising drop of Watt and Rodgers. Both were terrific when they played in 2013. Both should be terrific in 2014. Both are top five players in the league.

90 players have been revealed. The following 11 players have yet to show up on the Top 100 list.

Peyton Manning
Drew Brees
Tom Brady
Adrian Peterson
LeSean McCoy
Jamaal Charles
Calvin Johnson
Richard Sherman
AJ Green
Julio Jones
Jimmy Graham

That's pretty heavy on the offense. It's also one too many for a Top 10 list. Each of those 11 players is one of the 100 best players in the league. Jones is the most likely to be on the outside of the top 10 list. Which means that he's on the outside of NFL Network's Top 100. That's ridiculous. Julio Jones played in only five games last season due to a foot injury. Rodgers wrongly dropped about ten spots because he missed about a quarter of the season. Jones shouldn't drop at least 80 spots because he missed most of the season. These are the top 100 players going into the 2014 season. The voting for this list is made with the 2013 season in mind. It's also made with an eye on the 2014 season. It looks like the players closed that eye.

Throwback Thursday: Flea Flicker All-Time Team

This just has to be done every so often.

Here are the Flea Flicker choices for the best players at each position in the history of the NFL.

QB
Johnny Unitas, Baltimore Colts
Baugh, Graham, Montana, Marino, Manning. So many have a valid claim to this title. This time it goes to Unitas.

RB
Jim Brown, Cleveland Browns
Adrian Peterson, Minnesota Vikings
Brown is an automatic. Peterson is a homer pick and it's a bit early. If his physical make up can continue to defy nature, Peterson may one day challenge Brown as the best back of all-time.

WR
Jerry Rice, San Francisco 49ers
Don Hutson, Green Bay Packers
There have been a lot of fantastic receivers but Rice and Hutson dominated the game like no others.

TE
John Mackey, Baltimore Colts
Mackey probably had more "splash" plays than any tight end in history. With the recent evolution of the position, some of the current tight ends will probably one day take this spot.

T
Jim Parker, Baltimore Colts
Art Shell, Oakland Raiders
Offensive and defensive tackle could be the two most contested positions on this team.

G
Randall McDaniel, Minnesota Vikings
Larry Allen, Dallas Cowboys
McDaniel and Allen made it fun to watch the guards.

C
Bulldog Turner, Chicago Bears
One of the "old guys" had to take one of these positions. Turner could have played in any era.

DE
Reggie White, Philadelphia Eagles
Deacon Jones, Los Angeles Rams
No disrespect to other great DEs but these choices are pretty easy.

DT
Alan Page, Minnesota Vikings
Joe Greene, Pittsburgh Steelers
The late '60s, early '70s saw some of the best DTs in the game. Page, Greene, Lilly, Olsen, Buchanan.

LB
Lawrence Taylor, New York Giants
Dick Butkus, Chicago Bears
Jack Ham, Pittsburgh Steelers
Taylor is an automatic. It's a nightmare to have to pick only one middle linebacker. Ham just did everything right. Always in the right place. Always around the ball.

CB
Deion Sanders, Atlanta Falcons, San Francisco 49ers, Dallas Cowboys, etc.
Mike Haynes, Oakland Raiders
Sanders is an automatic. It was all over for receivers if he was opposite them. He didn't tackle much but he rarely had to. Haynes was just so smooth. Night Train, Jimmy Johnson, Willie Brown, Darrell Green. There are several corners that deserve these spots.

S
Ronnie Lott, San Francisco 49ers
Emlen Tunnell, New York Giants
Both changed what could be done from the safety position.

K
Jan Stenerud, Kansas City Chiefs

P
Ray Guy, Oakland Raiders

It's hard to go wrong with the only players that put "foot" in football that are in the Pro Football Hall of Fame.