Vikings overview updates ......

[Lee Borgersen]

       Vikings list Hill ahead of Bradford on depth charts.

Sep 6, 2016


  ......
The Minnesota Vikings listed veteran Shaun Hill as the starting and first-team quarterback in the unofficial depth chart released Tuesday. Recently acquired quarterback Sam Bradford is the backup.

The announcement is no surprise since Bradford is still settling in at Winter Park after Saturday’s trade, but also doesn’t mean he won’t start in Sunday’s season opener at Tennessee.
Bradford said his goal is to play Sunday and is working hard to learn the Vikings offense.

“That’s the goal, you know, to progress to that point to where I feel comfortable enough to get out there and play if I’m needed to,” he said. “But I can’t tell you if that’s going to be the case or not.”

Coach Mike Zimmer on Monday wouldn’t commit to starting Hill or Bradford.

The depth chart at left cornerback listed veteran Terence Newman as the starter with Trae Waynes as the backup, but there’s still uncertainty about who will actually start Sunday.

Charles Johnson and Stefon Diggs were listed as the first-team wide receivers with 2016 first-round draft pick Laquon Treadwell backing up Johnson.

Bridgewater scheduled for surgery on Thursday:


Quarterback Teddy Bridgewater is slated to undergo major knee surgery on Thursday.

ESPN reported Bridgewater will undergo the operation to repair the ACL in the left knee that he also dislocated on Aug. 30 during practice. He will be sidelined all of this season and his availability for the 2017 campaign will be determined at a later time.

Minnesota doctors believe Bridgewater will make a full recovery.

Bradford plans to help Bridgewater with his recovery. He has recovered from two ACL surgeries.

“I wanted to make it known that I was available and willing to talk to him about it, and then I asked him if he could please be here as much as possible to help me out, I would really appreciate that too,” Bradford said in reference of his need to quickly learn the Vikings’ offense.

Bridgewater was injured on a non-contact play during practice.

His mental outlook has remained positive despite the injury hardship.

“In order to have a testimony, you have to have a test,” Bridgewater said last week. “I come from amazing DNA, I watched my mom fight and win against breast cancer. We will, as a team, attack my rehab with the same vigor and energy. My faith is strong, my faith is unwavering and my vision is clear. My purpose will not be denied.”

Lions DT thinks Vikings have best offensive line in NFC North:

  ...
While the continuity of the Vikings’ offensive line is still a major concern with the season opener on Sunday against the Tennessee Titans looming, Detroit Lions defensive tackle Haloti Ngata seems pretty impressed with the unit as a whole.

Ngata told the Detroit Free Press that he considers the Vikings’ offensive line the best in the NFC North.

“They paid a lot of money to a lot of good offensive linemen that came from different teams,” he told the Free Press.

The Vikings were active in free agency, signing former San Francisco 49ers guard Alex Boone to a four-year, $26.8 million contract, and former Cincinnati Bengals tackle Andre Smith to a one-year deal worth $3.5 million with as much as $1 million more in incentives.

Adding those players to returners Matt Kalil (tackle), Brandon Fusco (guard), center Joe Berger (center) should, in theory, give the Vikings one of the best units in the division. It’s certainly one of the most expensive.

“You think of Minnesota having so many guys signed in the offseason, thinking that they could probably do a lot of good things,” Ngata said.

In four preseason games, the Vikings never fielded what is anticipated to be their starting five: Kalil, Boone, Berger, Fusco and Smith.

[Reinhard]

I'm not surprised that Bradford is not listed as a starter [but that could change] for he was just traded and has to learn the Viking Playbook.  I'm sure he will do fine once he starts.  Glad the Vikings traded for him, for we need experience to retain the division and onward.  Skol Vikings!!!!  good luck.

[Boar]

they just aint letting  on to the titans whos starting. smooth move..

[Lee Borgersen]

    All or nothing: The Vikings are still a notch below the NFC’s elite.
 
Where they left off:

When we last saw the Vikings, Blair Walsh was missing a 27-yard-field goal that would have sent them to the NFC Divisional Round. The NFC North champs lost 10-9 to the Seahawks.


What they added:

Minnesota has a new starting quarterback after Teddy Bridgewater went down with a season-ending knee injury in training camp. The Vikings sent first- and fourth-round picks to Philadelphia for Sam Bradford. Two free agency acquisitions will be charged with protecting him. Andre Smith was brought over from Cincinnati to play right tackle. Alex Boone joined from San Francisco and will start at left guard. The Vikings added receiver Laquon Treadwell in the first-round of the 2016 draft. He adds some size to the receiving corps but may not see a lot of early playing time after a rough preseason

What they lost:
Bridgewater is gone for the season. That's a shame for the third-year pro, who was fantastic during his three preseason appearances. He was Minnesota's only significant loss. Disappointing WR Mike Wallace is also gone, but that's an addition-by-subtraction move. The Vikings return most of their division-winning lineup.


Reason for optimism:
This team is loaded with young talent and has the right coach to capitalize on it. Mike Zimmer has a well-earned reputation for developing players, so expect this young defense to be even better than it was in 2015. The defensive line could be one of the best in the league. It starts in the middle with disruptive tackle Linval Joseph. His presence inside will allow ends Everson Griffen and breakout candidate Danielle Hunter to feast on one-on-one opportunities on the edge. Strongside linebacker Anthony Barr is a star. He can rush the passer or make plays in coverage. The captain of the defense is safety Harrison Smith, who is always around the ball.

Of course, the running game will be stellar with Adrian Peterson in the backfield. The Vikings will lean on him heavily while Bradford learns the offense. If the strong-armed quarterback can stretch the field vertically - something Bridgewater has struggled to do early in his career - and defenses can't load up against the run, Peterson could be in for a huge year.

Reason for pessimism:
The offensive line is still a mess, especially on the right side. Smith's play has steadily declined over the last few years. Right guard Brandon Fusco has been inconsistent and is coming off a terrible 2015 season. The left tackle spot is also a big concern. 2013 first-rounder Matt Kalil is a low-level pass blocker who struggles against top rushers. This offense needs to hit on more downfield passes, but the line will struggle to hold up long enough for those plays to develop. And what happens if Peterson isn't his usual dominant self? He is on the wrong side of 30 and coming off a season in which he carried the ball 327 times. If the star running back's play slips even a little, this offense will be in trouble.

All or nothing?:
The Vikings answered this question for us. Obviously they are all-in with this roster, having given up a first-round pick to upgrade the quarterback position. The front office clearly thinks this team is capable of making a Super Bowl run. There's a lot of talent on this roster, but it still may be a year or two away from really contending.


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[Lee Borgersen]

Vikings players told Shaun Hill will start Sunday, report says.




UPDATED: September 9, 2016 at 4:38 pm

  .......
Vikings coach Mike Zimmer confirmed after practice Friday that he has chosen who will start at quarterback for Sunday’s season opener against the Tennessee Titans.

Not surprisingly, though, Zimmer isn’t showing his hand.

“I guess we’ll find out Sunday,” he said when asked whether the starter would be Shaun Hill or Sam Bradford.

NFL.com reported that the team was informed Hill will start.

The two have split reps with the first-team offense in practice this week.

So has Zimmer told the team?

“Maybe,” he said with a smirk.

[LPS]

Ha Ha gotta love that guy.... I think Hill wil start and maybe Sam will come in at half time.  Or will he be called Sammy....

[glenn57]

oh dem poor bears...........dere already bottom dwellers!!!!!!!!!!!

HOW BOUT DEM VIKINGS lee!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[Retired on Osakis]

Good thing the defense came through or we'd be down there next to the Bears. 

[glenn57]

As with any sports it's a team effort!

[greatoutdoors]

I thought Shaun Hill did a good job, some penalties held them back in the first half.  Adrian looks like he's hesitating when coming to the line, maybe sitting out the entire pre-season didn't help him??

[LPS]

Good win for the Vikes..  Sure wish the Pack would have gotten beat though.

[Boar]

D Line  has it dialed in, now to ge the o line popping. good game!

[glenn57]

Lee Da Bears Borgerson appears to be AWOL!!!

[Lee Borgersen]

Lee Da Bears Borgerson appears to be AWOL!!!

       It's Borgersen "Da Bears"  Just ran out of time

[snow1]

Turned the game off after the 2nd quarter,offense still sucks,def looks good tho.

[Dotch]

I thought Shaun Hill did a good job, some penalties held them back in the first half.  Adrian looks like he's hesitating when coming to the line, maybe sitting out the entire pre-season didn't help him??

Hill was adequate and didn't make many real dumb mistakes. I agree on Peterson. Too much dancing around waiting for holes to develop when he needed to be making something happen. Some of that could be blamed on the O line but he looked off, like he should've played some preseason downs. Am sure Asiata and McKinnon wouldn't mind seeing more playing time if Adrian doesn't step it up. Asiata is a load and trying to tackle that guy all afternoon would wear anyone out. It was a fun game to watch though especially once the defense caught fire and took control in the 2nd half.   

[Lee Borgersen]

Vikings' Zimmer hasn't decided on starting QB against Packers

  ......
EDEN PRAIRIE, Minn. — Vikings against Packers. The first regular-season game at U.S. Bank Stadium. National television.

That’s plenty right there for people to discuss. Minnesota Vikings coach Mike Zimmer is quite willing, though, to add more when it comes to not yet having announced his starting quarterback for Sunday night’s game on NBC

  ....
Turning serious, Zimmer said he hasn’t decided who he will start against Green Bay, Shaun Hill or Sam Bradford. When he does know, he vowed still to “keep my cards close to the vest.’’
That’s what Zimmer did last week prior to Sunday’s opener at Tennessee. He wouldn’t publicly announce a starter, although word got out Friday that Hill would get the nod over Bradford, acquired Sept. 3 from Philadelphia.

Replacing Teddy Bridgewater, out for the season with a knee injury suffered Aug. 30 in practice, Hill completed 18 of 33 passes for 236 yards in a 25-16 win. That wasn’t good enough, though, for Zimmer to say Hill definitely will get the call again.

The Vikings didn’t score an offensive touchdown, with their two touchdowns coming in the second half on a 77-yard interception return by linebacker Eric Kendricks and a 24-yard fumble return by defensive end Danielle Hunter. Zimmer said the Vikings adjusting to a new quarterback shouldn’t be used as an excuse for having six times settled for field-goal attempts.

“No, we want to score touchdowns,’’ Zimmer said. “(Hill) was good with the football. He took care of the ball, like we try to do, and offensively, they did. But, no, we want to score touchdowns. That’s not going to change.’’

The Vikings three times made it into the red zone. Blair Walsh was good on two of three field-goal attempts after those drives bogged down and was 4 of 6 for the game.

“We know we’ve got to get better in the red zone,’’ said Vikings wide receiver Adam Thielen. “There are a lot of things on tape we got to work on and get better at. We got to help our defense by scoring touchdowns.’’

Hampering the Vikings was a shaky running game. With the Titans keying on Adrian Peterson, he gained just 31 yards on 19 carries and Minnesota had just 65 total rushing yards.

Could the presence of Bradford, who is learning the offense as quickly as he can, loosen up the defense? That remains to be seen.

In the meantime, the Vikings might want to score some offensive touchdowns if they plan on beating the Packers.

Green Bay has averaged

27.3 points in four games against Minnesota since Zimmer arrived in 2014.

Then again, when the Vikings won 20-13 at Green Bay in last season’s finale to wrap up the NFC North, they scored just one offensive touchdown.

They got another on a 55-yard fumble return by cornerback Captain Munnerlyn, who knows the Packers will be looking Sunday for revenge.

“We know they’re going to be hungry,’’ Munnerlyn said. “It’s opening up our new stadium. ‘Sunday Night Football.’ So it’s going to be very exciting. We know they want to come out and say they’re still the defending champs and that last year was a fluke, so we definitely got to go out and compete and be ready to roll.’’

The Packers had won four straight division titles until Minnesota broke through last year. Of course, the Vikings then had Bridgewater.

Zimmer no doubt wants to see how Bradford looks in practice this week before making a decision on his starter.

He said Monday he has been pleased with his progress.

Whenever Zimmer does decide, don’t count on him being eager to share it.

“Green Bay is an awfully good team,’’ Zimmer said. “Everybody is picking them to go to the Super Bowl. We’re just trying to be in the fight.’’