Vikes fans

[JohnRandle]

Hey Briggs, good to see ya. It's been a while for sure.
I know that busy feeling myself. lol

 

[JohnRandle]

EDEN PRAIRIE, Minn. — Christian Ponder dropped back on one 11-on-11 play during the Minnesota Vikings' organized team activities on Wednesday and lofted the ball deep down the field for a receiver.

The long toss was the exact type of pass Ponder didn't try often last year. The second-year quarterback admits he didn't do well throwing the deep ball last year. Ponder didn't have this type of receiver to throw to,either.

On the receiving end Wednesday was Jerome Simpson, signed in the offseason from the Cincinnati Bengals to supply a deep threat for a team that had none in 2011. The 6-foot-2 Simpson's long strides allow him to get down the field in a hurry. Ponder said in April that he can't overthrow Simpson, and on Wednesday Simpson showed he's more than just a runner.

Simpson leaped, adjusted in the air and used two hands to snatch the ball over 6-foot-2 cornerback Chris Cook, who was step-for-step with Simpson. Ponder took notice.

"It was crazy," Ponder said. "He plucked it right off the guy's head. That shows me that I can trust him. I can throw it downfield and he's going to go make a play."

It's no coincidence that Ponder found Simpson quite a few more times during Wednesday's OTAs. With Percy Harvin still working to return from shoulder surgery in April, Simpson is quickly becoming Ponder's go-to receiver in practice.

Ponder and Simpson have had only five OTA practices together, but the connection between the two is growing.

"He finds ways to get open and he's so fast and runs great routes," Ponder said. "I think he's really starting to understand what he's doing, and we're definitely building chemistry. He's definitely a guy I look for downfield, and he looks good."

Simpson, 26, is coming off a career-best season in 2011, catching 50 passes for 725 yards and four touchdowns in 14 starts for Cincinnati. But an indictment for marijuana trafficking had teams keeping their distance from the Bengals' 2008 second-round pick in free agency. Simpson had received a shipment of about two pounds of marijuana at his home in Kentucky. A plea agreement reduced his charges to a prohibited act relating to controlled substances, and he spent 15 days in jail.

The Vikings signed Simpson to a one-year, make-good deal in April, and he has worked to gain the trust of his new coaches and teammates. He's been present for the voluntary workouts and OTAs and has seems remorseful about the legal troubles and genuinely happy to be on the field again. More plays like he made Wednesday will only add to Ponder's trust in his new target.

"Christian just threw a great ball, and I just did what I supposed to do and catch it," Simpson said. "It feels good just to be on the same page with him and catching his balls. It's just making plays, man. It just feels good to just be out here and running around making plays."

Simpson is no stranger to highlights on the field. He had one of the lasting images from the 2011 season when he flipped head-over-feet over a defender to score a touchdown. Teammates cheered Wednesday after he made the circus catch over Cook. Receiver Michael Jenkins greeted Simpson after he came down with the ball one-handed and Ponder was quick to congratulate the receiver on his catch.

Even mild-mannered coach Leslie Frazier could hardly contain his enthusiasm.

"Anybody that witnessed that play, you're going to get jacked up," Frazier said. "That was an incredible play and one of the reasons we get excited about him. We're hoping to see that on Sunday afternoons, plays like that. That will really help our team, help our quarterback's confidence, and we need that."

There is a long way to go before catches like that will matter, but Ponder already seems to have confidence in Simpson.

"I just put some air under the ball and let him go get it," Ponder said.

Unfortunately for the Vikings, the connection between Ponder and Simpson will be put on hold at the end of the preseason. Simpson is suspended for the first three games of the season because of his legal trouble. He is able to participate in everything leading up to the season opener on Sept. 9 but will need to stay away from the team while serving his suspension.

"It's kind of frustrating," Simpson said of missing the first three games. "Yeah it is, because I won't be out there with me guys playing the game I love, but it's the technicality of my situation."

So Simpson and his quarterback are working to make the most of their time together now, one long pass at a time.

 

[MISKO]

good deals jr

 

[powerchord86]

Sounds like this Simpson guy could turn out to be a great offseason pickup as long as he can stay away from the cheeba.

 

[powerchord86]

"It feels good just to be on the same page with him and catching his balls."

 

[JohnRandle]

I though that was a stupid thing to say too PC..
Wondered if he thought about it after the interview was over..lol

 

[JohnRandle]

EDEN PRAIRIE, Minn. — Jasper Brinkley has heard his critics dating back to 2009 when he was a fifth-round draft pick of the Minnesota Vikings.

"He's just a hitter," they would say. "He's a liability in pass coverage."

The analysis was right there on Brinkley's draft biography on the NFL.com website after he was selected: "The Vikings add a hard hitter to their lineup with the selection of Brinkley. The former Gamecock punishes ball carriers and will add a bit of toughness to the Vikings defense. He also fills a need for Minnesota at linebacker."

Now, with his first chance at a regular starting assignment in the NFL, Brinkley remembers the words. As he takes the place of the unsigned E.J. Henderson as Minnesota's starting middle linebacker, he's ready to play his game and show that the descriptions were misleading. Yes, the 6-foot-1, 252-pound Brinkley is a thumper as a run defender, but he feels he's ready for all of the responsibilities of the middle linebacker in the Vikings' Cover-2 scheme.

"I really haven't had to change much in my game," Brinkley said. "Because coming out of college it's what some scouts dubbed me as, just a hitter. But you know, I can cover. I guess I can show it to you guys this year. To all the critics, I can show it to all the critics."

Brinkley, 26, fell to the fifth round in 2009 after a strong senior season at South Carolina where he was named an all-Southeastern Conference second-teamer. The comparisons to Henderson started immediately and Brinkley was considered the heir apparent to Henderson.
Brinkley started four games in his rookie season after Henderson broke his femur. But his chance to be a starter was short-lived after Henderson made an incredible comeback from the injury to return the following season. Brinkley played 16 games the following season, becoming a key special teams' player.

Following last year's lockout, Brinkley was in competition for a starting spot, but not in place of Henderson. He was competing with Henderson's brother, Erin, to replace the departed Ben Leber on the outside. But Brinkley had to have hip surgery in the preseason and missed all of last season. In his place, Erin Henderson took advantage of the chance and became a capable starting linebacker.

Fully healthy, Brinkley is now assuming his expected role as Henderson's replacement.

"I knew I would get the chance," Brinkley said. "But it's up to me to continue to earn it. Nothing's given to you in this league and you just have to go out and earn your keep every day. That's my mindset, go out and earn your keep every day."

And maybe silence his critics at the same time.

The coaches believe in Brinkley's ability. Overcoming his hip injury might be the biggest obstacle, even more than covering the deep part of the field.

"There are still some things that he's holding back on and I was talking to him about that this morning," coach Leslie Frazier said last week at Minnesota's organized team activities. "He's got to get to the point where he can let it go a little bit. We're still early. We've only had two practices and we'll see how he progresses over the next few workouts that we'll have. We'll need him to let it go at some point but he still has some things mentally that he has to get past."

Brinkley is taking as many reps as possible with the first team in OTA practices. This week, he was on the field with the starters at the beginning of Wednesday's open session, but seemed to also be eased in, later watching 11-on-11 drills from the side.

Neither Brinkley nor his teammates are too worried about his progress right now. His teammates just want him ready for the start of the regular season.

"I tell him every day, ‘I need you in September. I need you in September,'" Erin Henderson said. "I think he understands that. I think he gets that. I think our training staff and our coaching staff understand that as well. You just go out here, you do what you can do, and you try to get better every day when you get a chance to step out on the field. If something don't feel right or is not where you feel is supposed to be, then go sit down. We need you in September."

September is when Brinkley will need to be ready, especially in pass coverage. His chance at a starting spot comes, in part, to E.J. Henderson's decreasing effectiveness in covering downfield following his broken femur. Brinkley will need to show his capable of playing the run and pass and his surgically-repaired hip will need to let him do both.

He feels he's 100 percent healthy and he's happy he hasn't had any setbacks. He was around the team often last year while rehabbing and made sure he took part in team meetings so he would stay abreast of the defensive plans and coverages. For the most part, Brinkley's been dealing with a normal offseason because he felt he was ready physically by the end of last season.

Finally, he has the chance to prove the draft "experts" wrong and show his versatility. He still hears the critics, but he's trying not to focus on them.

"Like I talk to coach Frazier, that's something I can't worry about," Brinkley said. "I've just got to go out and do what I'm capable of doing. I can't try to play outside of my body, just do what I can do."

If he silences his critics along the way, so be it.

Follow Brian Hall on Twitter.

 

[JohnRandle]

I hope he can gets the start.
I felt bad for him last season. But at least we got a good look at Erin Henderson.

 

[Hauvster]

He said "Balls".

 

[JohnRandle]

Hauv ya ole son of a gun..
How the hell are ya?

 

[ladyrockess]

1500 ESPN Twin Cities - Live Stream

Geoff Schwartz is on right now talking about the upcoming season and his injuries and the team.

 

[JohnRandle]

Looks like Cheech Harvin wants a new contract..

Percy Harvin hints at holdout over “issues”
Posted by Darin Gantt on June 19, 2012, 1:13 PM EDT
APVikings wide receiver Percy Harvin was on hand at Vikings minicamp Tuesday, but indicated training camp could be a different story.

Harvin, per Tom Pelissero of 1500ESPN.com “repeatedly says he’s not happy. Won’t say it’s the contract but says it “definitely” needs to be resolved before training camp.”

The shoulder problems that limited him earlier don’t seem to be a problem, according to Pelissero, who also tweeted that Harvin referred to “issues” rather than the contract specifically.

Harvin has two years left on his rookie deal, and is scheduled to make $915,000 this year.

 

[JohnRandle]

Well maybe it's not about the contract..here's a quote from frazier in another article..

Frazier said the two have talked and will continue to talk and that he isn't "alarmed" one of his top playmakers is unhappy. Frazier said the issues weren't contract related or due to Harvin's role in the offense.



Maybe he's sick of his teamates hiding his bong..lol

 

[powerchord86]

Saw this posted on the niners threads:

Percy Harvin - WR - Vikings

Percy Harvin has requested a trade from the Vikings, sources tell the Associated Press.
Harvin is scheduled to earn just $2.47 million in base salary over the next two seasons. He's also clashed with the coaches over playing time as he saw just 58 percent of the offensive snaps in 2011. Still, the Vikings are highly unlikely to grant a trade request even if Harvin follows through on his holdout threats. They'd never get equal value for one of the game's most versatile and explosive players. Suspended Jerome Simpson, Michael Jenkins and Devin Aromashodu are behind Harvin on the depth chart.
Source: Jon Krawczynski on Twitter
Jun 20 - 9:09 AM

 

[jeffro151]

Fuck Harvin. Maybe if he could stay healthy for the majority of the season, the team would maybe look into giving into his demands.

 

[JohnRandle]

Yeah PC, I was reading that on Fox. AP. has an article on it.

I would like to say trade the fucker, but that would hurt to lose him.
Now that it's out, maybe we'll hear some specifics of what he wants.

 

[MISKO]

let him jr ... fucker always has a headache

 

[JohnRandle]

let him jr ... fucker always has a headache

If it affected his productivity I'd be with ya on that.
I feel he should play this season and negotiate in his final year like most. But he is a top 20(15-25) receiver. They might as well pay him because I doubt they'll get enough for him in a trade.

 

[anythingispossible]

EDEN PRAIRIE, Minn. — Though contracts were rumored to be on the table, Husain Abdullah was still unsigned long into NFL free agency.

Curiously, the former Minnesota Vikings safety wasn't acting on any of the deals, including one from the Minnesota Vikings. Now it's becoming more clear why he wasn't participating in minicamps this month.

According to multiple reports, Husain and his brother, Arizona Cardinals safety Hamza, have decided to put their NFL careers on hold to commit time to their Islamic faith and go on a pilgrimage to Mecca during the 2012 season.

Husain, 26, started the past two seasons for the Vikings but missed the final seven games last season because of a concussion. Husain and Hamza were both free agents this offseason.

 

[JohnRandle]

Good to see ya AP,
I'm not too sure how Hamza was at his craft, but Husain might as well have retired years ago..lol