The way the morning started out with getting the tweet that Vikings Village would be closed until 1 due to high winds was quite unexpected after spending the first 8 days in heat, heat and more heat. The Vikings tried to spread the word, but not fast enough. I pulled in to Mankato about 10:20 and there were several people in line waiting to get in. The outdoor practice had been cancelled and moved into Myers Field House for the walk through. The practice itself had quite a crowd. I watched as security was trying to enforce no flash photography. It was a never ending job.
The practice got over at 11:20 roughly, and the fans made their way back outside to see a drastic change in the weather. The sky was clearing and the sun came out. It was family day today with events planned for the kids. Thanks to the change in weather the football and cheerleading clinic were able to go on.
I went over by the locker room to see if I could meet any players. The one thing I saw was hilarious. A teenage girl saw Chris Kluwe and made a comment t to her friend how cute he was. She had nothing for him to sign so she rolled up her sleeve and had Chris sign her arm.
The night practice was due to start at 7. We went to find a seat about 5:15 due to the fact I know how packed this stadium gets from previous years. It was a good call as after practice I found out the attendance was estimated to be around 10,500 fans. It is an awesome sight to see the stadium full along with several people sitting in the grass. The weather was absolutely beautiful. The sun was out and there was a nice breeze.
The practice itself was very entertaining. The special teams got center stage first with the punt return team. The primary return men were Bryan Walters, Josh Robinson and Jarius Wright. The kickoff return men were next with Marcus Sherels and Jarius Wrights taking the turns. All 4 men showed extreme quickness when the hole opened.
The quarterback play was interesting as starter Christian Ponder seemed to struggle at times. He did throw a nice crossing in the end zone with Percy Harvin coming down with it. Ponder also had a wide open Jerome Simpson on a deep ball and over threw him. I still like Ponder and know camp has 2 weeks yet to work on things.
Sage Rosenfels did not look as good as I have seen him durig the week with accuracy. Tonight he threw a bad ball going right to the defender.
Joe Webb had a very good night. His accuracy and scrambling abilities were fun to watch. He threw a very nice touch pass to the corner of the end zone to tight end, Allen Reisner.
The quarterback who may not get much press I will send the praises his way is McLeod Bethel-Thompson. He is undrafted rookie free agent out of Sacramento State University. His arm strength is incredible. His arm motion just seems so powerful. He threw a beautiful touchdown to the corner of the end zone to Bryan Walters. I will be keeping an eye on this young man during the rest of camp.
Blair Walsh continues to boom the heck out of the ball. He was 7-8 with a long of 59 yards. It is incredible to see this man and the kicks not only cross the goal post, but they leave no doubt they made it over.
The defensive star tonight was Brian Robison by my count had 3 sacks. He was an animal coming off the edge. The defensive backs, I also thought had a very good night. I saw some great break up of passes. Jerome Simpson on a deep sideline pass Chris Cook on coverage made a great well timed leap and knocked the ball away. Josh Robinson, 3rd round pick, made a break on the ball and batted it down. Brandon Burton also had well timed knock down of a pass. The way last year went in the secondary the first week of training camp is looking improved for now.
The weather was perfect, the stadium was packed and the Vikings team was entertaining. The practice ended. Paul Allen, the radio voice of the Vikings, came on the field after the practice had ended. He introduced each player on the 2012 roster. The player had a mini autographed football and threw it in the crowd. The fans reaching for the balls were a crazy scene.
The last event was one of the most beautiful fire work displays I have ever seen in my life. It was simply amazing as players were coming out of the locker rooms and fireworks were overhead. What a 12 hour day I had in Mankato.
Sunday camp is closed so I will rest up for Monday.
Thanks for reading
Purplestick
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