Was able to get a few minutes Friday with Minnesota Vikings coach Brad Childress, who was in his office reflecting on the recent minicamp and planning the upcoming training camp. In between, he's headed to Afghanistan as part of an NFL coaches tour to meet and greet the U.S. troops.
Most of what we talked about will appear in our training camp guide late next month, but he shared a few things that might be of interest to local Vikings fans.
The Vikings will report to Minnesota State for training camp on July 29 and leave Aug. 13, meaning this will be the shortest training camp period ever.
The team will practice once on July 30, twice on July 31 and once on Aug. 1 before settling into the two-a-day routine. The last practice open to the public will be held Aug. 12, then the team will have a short practice on Aug. 13 before leaving for the first preseaosn game at St. Louis.
Childress said that he still thinks about how last season ended, and the frustration remains evident.
He has high hopes that his team can reach the Super Bowl this season, having made a two-victory improvement in each season as head coach.
Showing posts with label Vikings. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Vikings. Show all posts
Friday, June 18, 2010
Tuesday, May 4, 2010
Battles hooks on with Vikings
Former Minnesota State lineman Adrian Battles has signed a free-agent contract with the Minnesota Vikings.
He's the second Mavericks player to sign a free-agent contract with an NFL team in the last two weeks. Defensive tackle Junior Aumavae signed with Dallas shortly after the NFL Draft ended April 24.
Battles attended the Minnesota Vikings' rookie tryout last weekend and was signed Tuesday after completing a physical and taking care of paperwork. Of the 55 draft picks and free agents that attended the tryout, five have been signed.
Battles started 43 of 46 games as a tackle, but his professional future will be at guard, taking advantage of the athletic ability of the 6-foot-3, 300-pounder.
Battles will be taking part in the Vikings' minicamp and organized team activities over the next month and could end up at training camp later this summer, back on the practice fields with which he's so accustomed.
He's pretty pumped up about this opportunity, and check out Wednesday's print edition for his comments.
Cornerback Kelvin Rodgers and defensive tackle Randy Earl also participated in the Vikings' camp but have not been signed. Rodgers said he has another tryout at Baltimore this week.
He's the second Mavericks player to sign a free-agent contract with an NFL team in the last two weeks. Defensive tackle Junior Aumavae signed with Dallas shortly after the NFL Draft ended April 24.
Battles attended the Minnesota Vikings' rookie tryout last weekend and was signed Tuesday after completing a physical and taking care of paperwork. Of the 55 draft picks and free agents that attended the tryout, five have been signed.
Battles started 43 of 46 games as a tackle, but his professional future will be at guard, taking advantage of the athletic ability of the 6-foot-3, 300-pounder.
Battles will be taking part in the Vikings' minicamp and organized team activities over the next month and could end up at training camp later this summer, back on the practice fields with which he's so accustomed.
He's pretty pumped up about this opportunity, and check out Wednesday's print edition for his comments.
Cornerback Kelvin Rodgers and defensive tackle Randy Earl also participated in the Vikings' camp but have not been signed. Rodgers said he has another tryout at Baltimore this week.
Saturday, May 1, 2010
Former Mavericks get chance with Vikings
Had an opportunity to take in about an hour of practice Friday, watching former Minnesota State football players Kelvin Rodgers, Randy Earl and Adrian Battles participate in the Minnesota Vikings' rookie tryout camp at Winter Park.
The first thing you notice is that it's tough to tell them apart from the others who were on the field. That can be a good thing, given that the former Mavericks look the part, but it's also a negative, meaning that it's very hard to stand out.
The practice consisted of the Vikings draft picks and some priority free agents, then a whole lot of filler. Given that the Mavericks were not listed on the team's roster speaks to the uphill nature of their task.
Rodgers, who also will participate in the Baltimore Ravens camp next week, probably has the best chance of the three to stick somewhere. His speed is top-flight, and his ability as a kick and punt returner gives him at least one NFL skill.
Earl and Battles, while big boys at Minnesota State, don't seem to stand out much so they're going to need to find a way to catch a coach's eye.
It's tough for any Division II player to catch on with an NFL team, and the three Mavericks surely have a tough road ahead of them. But their chances are better now than they were before they were invited to this tryout camp.
The first thing you notice is that it's tough to tell them apart from the others who were on the field. That can be a good thing, given that the former Mavericks look the part, but it's also a negative, meaning that it's very hard to stand out.
The practice consisted of the Vikings draft picks and some priority free agents, then a whole lot of filler. Given that the Mavericks were not listed on the team's roster speaks to the uphill nature of their task.
Rodgers, who also will participate in the Baltimore Ravens camp next week, probably has the best chance of the three to stick somewhere. His speed is top-flight, and his ability as a kick and punt returner gives him at least one NFL skill.
Earl and Battles, while big boys at Minnesota State, don't seem to stand out much so they're going to need to find a way to catch a coach's eye.
It's tough for any Division II player to catch on with an NFL team, and the three Mavericks surely have a tough road ahead of them. But their chances are better now than they were before they were invited to this tryout camp.
Wednesday, April 21, 2010
Closing in on NFL draft day
The expanded, three-day NFL draft begins Thursday, and about three hours or more after St. Louis makes its first choice, the Vikings will be on the clock.
It seems to make the most sense that the Vikings will use that No. 30 pick to select a defensive back, perhaps cornerback Kyle Wilson of Boise State or safety Taylor Mays of USC.
But the prediction here is that Rutgers cornerback Devin McCourty will be the choice.
The closer we get to draft day, the more speculation you hear about the Vikings taking a quarterback. Sam Bradford of Oklahoma will be gone, possibly No. 1, and Jimmy Clausen of Notre Dame is also likely to be chosen in the top 29 picks.
That leaves Florida's Tim Tebow and Texas' Colt McCoy as the next two quarterbacks to go, and neither should be taken in the first round.
The Vikings are a team that needs to win now and prepare for the future in other ways. You don't take projects in the first round, and Tebow and McCoy both need work on their throwing motions.
Say what you want about Tarvaris Jackson, but he's more prepared to play in the NFL next season than any of the rookies.
An offensive or defensive lineman would be an easy sell to the fan base, but you know some NFL organization is going to try to prove that he is smarter than everyone else by choosing Tebow or McCoy in the first round.
That would be a classic Denny Green move.
It seems to make the most sense that the Vikings will use that No. 30 pick to select a defensive back, perhaps cornerback Kyle Wilson of Boise State or safety Taylor Mays of USC.
But the prediction here is that Rutgers cornerback Devin McCourty will be the choice.
The closer we get to draft day, the more speculation you hear about the Vikings taking a quarterback. Sam Bradford of Oklahoma will be gone, possibly No. 1, and Jimmy Clausen of Notre Dame is also likely to be chosen in the top 29 picks.
That leaves Florida's Tim Tebow and Texas' Colt McCoy as the next two quarterbacks to go, and neither should be taken in the first round.
The Vikings are a team that needs to win now and prepare for the future in other ways. You don't take projects in the first round, and Tebow and McCoy both need work on their throwing motions.
Say what you want about Tarvaris Jackson, but he's more prepared to play in the NFL next season than any of the rookies.
An offensive or defensive lineman would be an easy sell to the fan base, but you know some NFL organization is going to try to prove that he is smarter than everyone else by choosing Tebow or McCoy in the first round.
That would be a classic Denny Green move.
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