MN VIKINGS 2006

[rep]

 dbacks...you can never have enough...you are just one wrong twist of the knee on that blasted turf from needing another one.

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOR:

http://sports.espn.go.com/nfl/news/story?id=2709468

Smoot, jaw broken in five places, out Sunday
EDEN PRAIRIE, Minn. -- Minnesota Vikings cornerback Fred Smoot will miss the last game of the regular season because of a jaw that's broken in five places as a result of a recent car accident.

The single-vehicle crash, revealed by coach Brad Childress at his Wednesday news conference, occurred on Friday evening in Smoot's home state of Mississippi. After the Vikings were eliminated from playoff contention with a 9-7 loss to the Packers last Thursday, players were given the holiday weekend off.




Childress said his information, coming mostly from Smoot's agent, Bus Cook, was "sketchy" but that he believed Smoot was recovering from surgery and out of the hospital. Smoot, whose interception return was Minnesota's only score in the game at Green Bay, has exchanged text messages with Childress but is unable to speak. He was placed on injured reserve so the Vikings (6-9) can use his roster spot for someone else.




Rookie cornerback Cedric Griffin, who replaced Smoot in the starting lineup last month, was also placed on injured reserve on Wednesday with a neck injury that kept him out against the Packers. That leaves Minnesota quite thin in the secondary for the final game on Sunday against St. Louis.




The Vikings have allowed more yards passing than any other team in the league this year, and the Rams, who still have a chance at a wild-card spot in a weak conference, are fourth in the NFL in yards passing.




Childress said the team, which released veteran receiver Marcus Robinson on Sunday, was still considering possibilities for filling out the roster. Since they're out of the playoffs, the Vikings will use the Rams game as a head start on next season and plan to give several young players an extended look -- especially receivers and cornerbacks with Robinson gone and Smoot and Griffin out.




Backup quarterback Brooks Bollinger's shoulder has improved, Childress said, but he is still not fully healed. Other injured players whose health is in question this week are fullback Jeff Dugan (foot), tight end Jim Kleinsasser (elbow), punter Chris Kluwe (hamstring) and receiver Troy Williamson (hamstring).

[DeuceTrey]

i would be surprised if steven jackson ran the ball more than 5 times on sunday. 2 starting corners are out on a horrible pass defense, and teams dont run against them anyway. bulger will have 500 yards and 5 touchdowns easy. at one point during the third quarter, winfield will take off his pads and just sit in the middle of the field, and end up being the defensive player of the game with the only secondary tackle becuase holt was running around backwards and accidentaly tripped over him.

[huskers]

I believe their most pressing needs, other than throwing the ball more than 6 centimeters at a time, would have to be a playmaker in the backfield or at wideout (Ginn, Johnson) or a pass rushing DE (Gaines Adams from Clemson or Lemar Woodley from Michigan come to mind). I believe a lot of the secondary problems come from the fact that they get no pressure on the opposing QB. Because the players are definitely there.

[Ming01]

If they pick someone for their secondary it should be either Laron Landry or Leon Hall

[project-pat]

congrats to all the vikings fans that care about draft picks more than championships. So pretty much all of you because your more used to good draft picks than super bowl hopes. haha

[rep]

So pretty much all of you because your more used to good draft picks than super bowl hopes. haha

one day i hope you're more used to good grammer

[project-pat]

oh well, still can't get past the fact that the vikings and winning a championhip will never go together in the same sentence.

[rep]

i can accept it...i'll have fun watching them by default until i move to a part of the country where another team controls the market...then by default, i'll probably be more of a fan for that team because there is more information available on them than anyone else.

besides...if i didn't hate dwayne rudd or morten anderson, brian russell, or now brad childress, how else would i get through a north dakota winter?

[andy_7]

I don't think the big name wideouts are going to be there at #7 and I really dont see them taking another risk like they did with Williamson.  Im willing to bet that they are going to go with a sure thing this time.  Maybe a offensive lineman or runningback.  I don't see them taking a risk again on a wideout.  You never really know anything from this point because all of the juniors that will declare.

[project-pat]

too bad a whole college team can't delcare for the draft as a whole so the vikings can draft a whole new team. "With the 7th pick in the 2007 NFL draft...the Minnesota Vikings select...The Ohio State Buckeyes" haha. Or, the vikings can just trade for every pick in the draft because just drafting one big namer is not going to help them at all.

[rep]

I don't think the big name wideouts are going to be there at #7 and I really dont see them taking another risk like they did with Williamson.  Im willing to bet that they are going to go with a sure thing this time.  Maybe a offensive lineman or runningback.  I don't see them taking a risk again on a wideout.  You never really know anything from this point because all of the juniors that will declare.

i think they would take a risk with ginn or johnson or maybe jarrett because they are complete wide receivers and i don't think there is much risk in picking them...troy was supposed to have nfl speed but he played in a run-first offense and was considered to be raw...that was the risk with him...of course they forgot to mention he had a better chance of catching a leprechaun than he did catching the ball

[ndfan]

Sounds like Minnesota is losing its best coach and that Mike Tomlin the D Coordinator is heading to Pittsburgh. Who gonna replace him? Will it be someone within or outside? Or is Chili also gonna take over the D now?/

[DeuceTrey]

its going to be interesting to see how the tomlin situation turns out, with all of the reports say he is or isnt going. i know i will be disapointed as a vikings fan if he takes the job, i really liked him as a coach.

[rep]

i want to see him in his second year as d-coordinator before i pass judgement on how good he is

the man headed up a defense that could stop the run like no other in the league...and he headed up a defense that allowed passing yards like no other in the league

i still haven't figured out if the vikes defense was 'good' or not this season?