Draft Party through the years and its changes

The draft party is something I hope every Vikings fan gets a chance to go to some year. I started going in 1996 and have not missed any year they have offered one.

I started in 1996 when it was held at the Mall of America. It was just packed with the combination of shoppers and Vikings fans. I remember have two places to meet players and that was the Rotunda and on the 4^th floor at America’s Original Sports Bar, which is now closed.

I remember meeting players in the Rotunda then hustling up to the 4^th floor to meet more. I remember in 1999 when the Vikings took Daunte Culpepper with their first pick. The area I was in really was unhappy with the name Jevon Kearse being chanted throughout the 4^th story. Did the Vikings make the right choice?

In the early 2000’s the scene then moved to Winter Park which was absolutely amazing. It was just so fun as a fan to be walking on the turf the players practiced on. I just remember my first time in there looking around in amazement as how big it was. There was plastic on the field to try and protect the turf but still once in a while you could see and actually walk on the turf. It was such a strange feeling to feel.

I remember lines for autographs but also players walking around meeting fans. They were not in jerseys so you just had to know your players.

If you looked up from the floor where we were standing you could see coaches once in a while at the window looking down onto the crowd. My thought was I would love to be in the war room and experience a draft.

Who can forget 2003 draft party where the Vikings pick came up and fans were chanting Suggs, Suggs, Suggs as in Terrell Suggs.  The Vikings took Kevin Williams. Fans were in shock and as it turned out Kevin was a great pick and has been a leader since. Kevin went number 9 and Terrell went 10 that year. I am very pleased with the Williams pick.

Every year has been a blast. The MOA experience was great although I did not know any different.  Winter Park enters the scene and MOA was just a memory in the rear view mirror of life.

2012 the draft party for the first time in history was at Mall of America Field. I at first was disappointed because I loved the atmosphere at Winter Park. I had to give the MOA field a chance and it was a blast and a memory I will not forget.

It was just amazing how the team had things set up. There was plenty of room to walk around and take things in.

The tour of the locker room was a great offer for fans. The huge stage with a monstrous TV screen was a plus. There were chairs set up for first come first serve for those who wanted to sit and watch the draft. Vikings announcer, Paul Allen was the emcee and had great guests such as Chris Doleman and Adrian Peterson.

The amount of things to do for fans let something for all ages to enjoy.

2013 Vikings draft party returns to MOA field for another great time. The last year of the dome and a chance to be part of a last, I can’t resist.

Please come out and see what I am talking about on Thursday April 26^th.

Thanks for reading

Purplestick

Players not drafted still can make it big

The NFL draft is a major event for young football players who are trying to live out a dream that started when they were young.

The sad part is a lot of players who feel they may have been good enough go through all 3 days in waiting to get the call from a team that they were selected and it just does not happen.

The thing about this is the draft may have come and gone but the chance to get an invite to a team still is not over.

It is called becoming a rookie free agent, the day after the draft teams make calls and invite players to go to minicamp and get a shot at making the team. The players then go to minicamp and if the team likes what they see this player may just get a shot at training camp.

The names in the NFL that have gone this way are impressive. I have found a list on NFL.com that goes as follows: Kurt Warner, Warren Moon, Priest Holmes, Arian Foster, Antonio Gates, Wes Welker, London Fletcher, Rod Smith, Jeff Saturday, James Harrison, Adam Vinatieri, Wayne Chrebet just to name a few. Alright Vikings fans, anyone heard of John Randle? The man not only was undrafted making it the hard way but he is now one of the elite as he was enshrined in the Football Hall of Fame in Canton, Ohio. John’s hard work through his Vikings career has paid off.

The Vikings have a few on the current roster, but 2 in particular that I am pulling for to have big careers.

Erin Henderson who was signed in 2009 by the Vikings as an undrafted rookie free agent has worked his butt of so much he became a starting linebacker for the Vikings in 2011.

Erin I have met several times in Mankato and you will not find a nicer man. I have watched him through his Vikings years in camp with his older brother, E.J. It was such a great sight to see the 2 brothers on the same team. I felt bad for Erin because of the amount of people that would called him E.J. Erin has made a name for himself now and his play speaks for himself. He just signed a contract in the offseason to remain a Vikings for a couple more years.

I am relieved as this is the man who deserves the reward of the contract. If you are a radio listener and listed to KFAN, Erin is a regular on the show and does a wonderful job during the season.

I got a firsthand experience as I went in the locker room in Winter Park to conduct interviews with players after practice. I interviewed a few players but later I came on an interview that was being conducted with Erin. It was the weak prior to Thanksgiving and Erin was asked what he was going to do over the break.

Erin, answered he was going to watch football and see how the linebackers play. If this is not a man who wants to be better than I do not know what is. Good Luck to Erin this upcoming season.

Marcus Sherels made the team in 2010 as an undrafted rookie free agent. This man I am pulling for because of his story being a Minnesotan his whole life.

I live in Owatonna and the high school is part of the Big 9 conference. Marcus played for Rochester John Marshall Rockets who are also part of this conference.

Marcus then played for the University of Minnesota before getting the call for the Vikings. A home town boy with a storybook ongoing is a great story to follow.

The punt return he had last year in Detroit that went for a touchdown was a great sight from our hometown kid.

I got to do a better job of recognizing young kids and their potential future. I remember going to training camp and watching a young kid playing catch with Cris Carter and Randy Moss. Who was it? It was Larry Fitzgerald Jr, a Vikings ball boy back in the day. What is Larry Jr now? He just might be the best receiver in the NFL. Larry also got drafted with the number 3 pick in 2004 by Arizona.

I go to Owatonna football games and when they played Rochester John Marshall little did I know I was watching a future Vikings player.

Good luck to all players in the draft and if you are not called do not give up as you see the examples of players before you and what they have accomplished.

Thanks for reading

Purplestick


source: NFL.com

 

The draft has benefited the Vikings well

The Vikings draft is coming up shortly with many questions by fans on who the team is taking. I do not know if there is an event like this in any sport with this much speculation. The countless mock drafts that change month to month and sometimes week to week makes the anticipation to the event even harder to wait.

The drafts in the past the Vikings have done a very good job of drafting guys not just to take someone but the pick actually makes the team.

The last 4 drafts alone the Vikings have made 33 picks with 24 on the roster currently.  That calculates to almost a 73 percent of the draft choices taken that have made the team

2009

1^st round- Percy Harvin

2^nd Round- Phil Loadholt

3^rd round- Asher Allen

5^th Round- Jasper Brinkley

7^th Round- Jamarca Sanford

2010

2^nd Round- Chris Cook

2^nd Round- Toby Gerhart

4^th round- Everson Griffen

5^th round- Chris DeGeare

5^th round- Nate Triplett

6^th Round- Joe Webb

7^th Round- Mickey Shuler

7^th Round Ryan D’Imperio

2011

1^st Round- Christian Ponder

2^nd Round- Kyle Rudolph

4^th Round- Christian Ballard

5^th Round- Brandon Burton

6^th Round- DeMarcus Love

6^th Round- Mistral Raymond

6^th Round- Russ Homan

6^th-Round- Brandon Fusco

7^th Round- D’Aundre Reed

7^th Round- Stephen Burton

2012

1^st Round- Matt Kalil

1^st Round- Harrison Smith

3^rd Round- Josh Robinson

4^th Round- Jarius Wright

4^th Round- Rhett Ellison

4^th Round- Greg Childs

5^th Round- Robert Blanton

6^th Round- Blair Walsh

7^th Round- Audie Cole

7^th Round- Trevor Guyton

In looking at the last 2 seasons only 2 picks have not made the team with Russ Homan and Trevor Guyton. Greg Childs is question mark to come back from his terrible injury.

The draft has made the Vikings younger and in my opinion better. A youthful team we can enjoy for years to come.

Thank you to the Vikings organization for bringing in the athletes they have. I look forward to watching this team keep on building and winning.

Thanks for reading

Purplestick

 

 

 

 

Vikings draft mania: numbers to think about

I can actually say now less than a week until the draft. I have been doing a ton of reading and research on numbers involved in Vikings drafts in the past.

Did you know the Vikings have drafted 604 players since the first year of the team back in 1961 through 2012 season?

The team has had 51 first round picks through the years. If the draft numbers stay where the Vikes are slotted for 23rd and 25^th, it will be the 8^th year of multiple first round picks. It has happened in 1967, 1974, 1994, 1995, 1999, 2005, and 2012 and unless something happens it will be 2013 as well.

This will be the 3^rd straight draft the Vikings have had double digit draft choices. The Vikings have never selected 23^rd but have 25^th four times (1970, 1974, 1975 and 1976)

I went back to the last 5 drafts to see who went 23^rd and who went 25^th courtesy of the Vikings draft guide and see some pretty good players who were picked at this number.

2012 Player name- Position- College –who drafted them

23-Riley Reiff  OT-  Iowa-  Detroit Lions

25-Don’t’a Hightower LB- Alabama - New England Patriots

2011

23-Danny Watkins G- Baylor- Philadelphia Eagles

25-James Carpenter T- Alabama- Seattle Seahawks

2010

23-Bryan Bulaga OT- Iowa-  Detroit Lions

25-Tim Tebow QB- Florida- Denver Broncos

2009

23-Michael Oher OT- Ole Miss - Baltimore Ravens

25-Vontae Davis CB-Illinois- Miami Dolphins

2008

23-Rashard Mendenhall RB- Illinois Pittsburgh Steelers

25-Mike Jenkins CB- South Florida- Dallas Cowboys

The Vikings have 11 picks and with one of them at number 120. The Vikings found a very good player at pick 120 back in 2007. He wears number 96, and his name is Brian Robison.

First round picks are the ones who people talk about at draft time but during and after the season is when people can really talk about their teams draft choices and how the player performed.

The pick is just a number. The player that is picked is the one who has to prove himself. First round or 7^th round the player better bring their A game to training camp or they might be looking for work elsewhere. Good luck to all the 2013 draft choices as they can help make the best sports in the world even better.

Thanks for reading

Purplestick

 

 

What a schedule the Vikings face

The time has finally come and now I can see when I will be making a trip to Mall of America Field and when I will be home in front of the TV.

September starts out tough as the first week the Vikes get to go on the road to Detroit and face a team who was extremely disappointing last year. A home opener for Detroit and their first opponent is the Vikings. If the Lions can’t be up for this I would be shocked.

The team goes from the Motor City to the Windy City for back to back NFC North battles. Hey, speaking of windy the Vikes face Jay Cutler and all the tantrums he throws when receivers drop balls.

2-0 or 0-2 to start is one thing but with the ties breakers in the division the Vikes have to come out at least 1-1. I of course, as a diehard see 2-0.

The next 2 are home in theory as the Cleveland Browns will be part of future Vikings football trivia. The question will be: Who was the Vikings opponent to come to Mall of America Field for the last home opener in stadium history?

The team then goes to London to play the Pittsburgh Steelers and the Vikes will be the home team. I know the Vikings were going to London but I wish it was a different opponent. The Steelers fans travel so well. It would have been fun to see all the black and yellow. Oh well, it was just a hope.

The bye week is next in week 5. The only reason I like this so early is the travel the Vikings will be doing coming back. I do not want any excuses if the team does not play well due to tiredness.

The month of October has 3 games with 2 of them in prime time. October 13, the Vikes face Carolina Panthers who were blessed with the toughest strength of schedule in the NFL. I can’t wait to see Cam Newton in person. It will be even better seeing him look at the roof from his back.

Monday night football going facing the New York Giants on the road should be quite the test. It is my hope the team does not falter like it did last season in the Tampa Bay game that was on national tv. The Vikes have had good luck against Eli Manning.

The BIG GAME then follows on Sunday night football as the GREEN BAY PACKERS make their last appearance at Mall of America Field. Anybody remember the last time these 2 played here?

November has 3 road and one home. The Vikings go to Dallas on November 3^rd for the first trip to this billion dollar stadium and face the overpaid Cowboys quarterback, Tony Romo.

The next week the Vikes come home and face the Washington Redskins on Thursday night football. I am so hopeful RG III is ready. The game in Washington, he made the Vikes defense look foolish. It is time for payback. It seems to be an every year game between these 2 except the last 3 have been in Washington.

The next 2 weeks are brutal going to Seattle followed by a trip to Lambeau.  I am more concerned with the Seattle game. I just think Seattle is built very strongly and now they ad Winfield and Harvin. The Green Bay game all I can say is the words, GREEN BAY!!!!! There are no words to describe this rivalry the fans speak and speak loudly. It is the best rivalry in the NFL.

December we see 5 games with 3 at home and 2 on the road. Chicago starts out the month coming to Minnesota. Will Cutler still be the quarterback by then?

The next week go to Baltimore to face the reigning World Champions. I am intrigued by this team with all their player personnel losses including Ray Lewis, Matt Birk and Ed Reed just to name a few. They still have a good quarterback in  Joe Flacco and running back, Ray Rice.

The last 3 have Philadelphia Eagles come to Minnesota with a new head coach. It will be strange to not see Andy Reid on the sidelines.

The team goes to Cincinnati which has been a playoff team the last couple of years. I am real anxious to see how the Vikings secondary does against Bengals star receiver, AJ Green.

The last game of the year is a home game which will be the last season finale at Mall of America Field. The Detroit Lions are the first game of the year and now the last game of the year.

The schedule is tough but as a fan I look forward to the week to week challenges. Three prime time games is a nice reward after having a playoff year.  The fact of no back to back home games I like as well.

I can’t wait, how about you?

Thanks for reading

Purplestick

 

2013, a season of huge matchups

The NFL is announcing the schedule on Thursday April 18^th at 7:00pm (CST) Every team knows their opponents both home and away. I am so pumped for the Vikings games this season but there is also a great slate of games this season. I will look at 10 games in no particular order I think will be tremendous tilts with story lines galore and the draft has not even taken place.

1)      Denver Broncos at New York Giants. Denver had home field advantage wrapped up in hopes to go to the Super Bowl until the shocking loss to the Baltimore Ravens. The Broncos signed Wes Welker that I think with this move makes the Broncos the team to beat in the AFC. The New York Giants finished 8-8 with no playoffs. The Giants are led by the other Manning and that is Eli. We have the Manning vs. Manning show. This should be quite the show in New York.

2)      San Francisco 49ers at Washington Redskins Two division winners meet this time and my hope is the health of Redskins quarterback, Robert Griffin III will be ok. It would be awesome to see Colin Kaepernick vs RGIII in 2 of the best young quarterbacks in the league. What a display of athleticism it would be at Fed Ex Field in Washington.

3)      Indianapolis Colts at San Francisco 49ers   Colts quarterback, Andrew Luck goes to face his old Stanford college coach, Jim Harbaugh. How will Luck perform against one of the toughest defenses in the NFL?

4)       Houston Texans at Baltimore Ravens   2 AFC playoffs teams facing each other but the story line I am looking forward to is new Texan’s Ed Reed returning to where he played so many seasons including winning the Super Bowl. Matt Schaub vs Joe Flacco, what a matchup!!

5)      Miami Dolphins at Pittsburgh Steelers   The Steelers missed the playoffs last season and are looking to rebound minus one player, Mike Wallace. The reason is Wallace signed with the Miami Dolphins. Is Wallace going to look to light up the team he came from?

6)       Kansas City Chiefs at Philadelphia Eagles   One word, Andy Reid. Yes former Eagles coach Reid is going back with his new team, the Chiefs and going into one of the toughest cities for opposing fans and players to survive. Will there be boing or cheering?

7)      Denver Broncos at Indianapolis Colts    This game might be one of the most talked about pregames there will be all year.  Peyton Manning returned to the place known as the place that Peyton built. He now faces Andrew Luck who is trying to make a name for himself. I would say he did a great job of that last season. It should be quite the shootout or at least I hope so.

8)      Baltimore Ravens at Denver Broncos   A revenge game as Denver looks to pay back the Ravens for ending the Broncos season in an overtime thriller.

9)      Seattle Seahawks at Atlanta Falcons   If this game is anything like the playoff game well fans it should be fun to watch. Seattle has added Antoine Winfield and Percy Harvin to an already talented team. The Falcons are strong and got back tight end, Tony Gonzalez. This team just knows how to win at home lead by Matt Ryan at quarterback.  Russell Wilson vs Matt Ryan, what a matchup!!

10)  Green Bay Packers at San Francisco 49ers. All I have to say is GO 49ERS run for 600 yards this time and keep the Packers in the back of the pack.

There are so many exciting games to look forward to. I just picked 10 and you I am sure you could find more. The point is we have the best sport in the world and I just want to enjoy it as long as I can.

I will write a blog after the shows announcement about the Vikings schedule so until then enjoy  and let’s get pumped.

Thanks for reading

Purplestick

 

 

Vikes have tough road in 2013

As a football fans the time of year is exciting when the NFL reveals the exact schedule with times and dates. The Vikings already know their opponents, just not the date. The only known date so far is the game in England when the Vikings face the Pittsburgh Steelers on Sunday September 29th. Minnesota is the home team.

The winning of a Super Bowl does not give that team an easier or a harder schedule the next year. The opponents are already known soon after the season, it is just a matter of dates and times.

Carolina finished 7-9 in 2012 and now in 2013 will have the toughest road to the Super Bowl bases on the strength of the upcoming schedule.

Carolina strength of schedule is a .543

2) Detroit at .539

3) New Orleans .539

4) St. Louis .537

5) Baltimore .535

6) Green Bay .533

7) Arizona .520

8) Miami .520

9) San Francisco .520

10) Minnesota .516

11) Seattle .516

As you can see the Viking has the 10^th toughest schedule in the NFL. The 2 team from the past Super Bowl, Baltimore is 5^th and San Francisco is 9^th.

The Vikings opponents in 2013

Green Bay, 11-5- won the NFC North

Chicago, 10-6- 3^rd in the NFC North

Detroit, 4-12- finished 4^th in the NFC North

Carolina, 7-9- finished with New Orleans and Tampa Bay with the same record

Seattle, 11-5- and fished 2^nd behind San Francisco in the NFC West

Washington, 10-6- won the NFC East

New York Giants, 9-7 finished 2^nd in the NFC East

Dallas, 8-8- finished 3^rd in the NFC East

Philadelphia, 4-12 finished 4^th in the NFC East

Baltimore, 10-6- 1^st in the AFC North

Cincinnati, 10-6- 2^nd in the AFC North

Pittsburgh, 8-8- 3^rd in the AFC North

Cleveland, 5-11- 4^th in the AFC North

As you can see the Vikings play 3 division winners in Green Bay, Baltimore and Washington.

The NFL has announced that Thursday April 18^th the schedule will be released. I cannot wait.

The schedule to be announced 18^th and the draft the 25^th-27^th. All I can say is 145 days until the first football game.

Thanks for reading

Purplestick

Source: NFL.com