#Vikings are finalizing a big-money 5-yr extension for star CB Xavier Rhodes, I'm told. @SunnyTheAgent is in town to hammer out the details

MANKATO, Minn. -- Mackensie Alexander played 64 defensive snaps as a rookie for the Minnesota Vikings in 2016. In 2017, he likely will get the first chance to man a position that has taken on increased importance across the NFL over the past decade.
Alexander, who has received first-team snaps at nickel cornerback throughout the offseason and was with the Vikings' top defensive group in their first full-squad practice Thursday, could become something of a 12th starter this fall, as the Vikings give the former second-round pick an opportunity to replace Captain Munnerlyn.
Munnerlyn, signed in 2014 to fortify the nickel spot after the Vikings' botched experiment with Josh Robinson in 2013, had long stumped for nickel corners to be added to the Pro Bowl ballot, and was finally given his wish a year ago. It's a sign of the more lucrative opportunities available to corners who can cover slot receivers, but it's also an indicator of how heavily a player like Alexander might be counted on this fall.
As more teams use multiple-receiver sets as a de facto base offensive package, defenses have leaned heavily on their defensive-back depth over the past decade. According to ESPN Stats & Information, the frequency of NFL teams using five or more defensive backs climbed from 44.2 percent in 2007 to 59.3 percent in 2014, before dropping to 50.2 percent and 50.1 percent the past two seasons. That's mirrored a steady rise in the prevalence of offenses with three or more receivers; such sets were used 50.6 percent of the time in 2007 and jumped to 64.8 percent last season.

At home with P.J. Fleck, where family life is just as fast and furious as footballFall football practice begins Tuesday at the U, and the Flecks are all aboard 
The house fits P.J. Fleck’s outsized personality, with six bedrooms and nearly 6,000 square feet. It is white with black trim, soaring roofs and modern decor. A construction crew has been busy adding an elaborate swimming pool. The whole place was built to entertain.
P.J. and Heather Fleck love their Edina home, which they purchased after the Gophers hired P.J. as football coach in January with a five-year, $18 million contract. But it’s not just the outward appearance. It’s what has happened inside those walls that has brought the most joy.
Four years after one of the low points of Fleck’s life — when he went 1-11 at Western Michigan while going through a divorce and grieving the 2011 death of a newborn son — he is proud of the life his blended family has built in Minnesota.
Besides laying groundwork for his program and recruiting at a turbocharged pace, the 36-year-old has reanchored himself at home, with the Gophers set to open training camp Tuesday.
http://www.startribune.com/at-home-with-...437395073/

A Monster Calls...

87% Rotten Tomatoes 

The description of the plot doesn't hint at the emotional depth, beautiful graphics and stark storylines. Well worth the rent imo. Not sure I'd have a kid under 10 watch it. 

We didnt think it was a kid movie at all...

http://profootballtalk.nbcsports.com/201...lback-job/

The slot corner job belongs to Mackensie Alexander
In OTAs, Newman took some reps at nickel, but that hasn’t been the case so far in Mankato. Alexander, a second-round pick in 2016, has gotten all of the work in the slot. He will be under the microscope this season after spending most of his rookie year on the bench and struggling in limited snaps. On the first day of pads, he was aggressive, which we can expect throughout camp because Alexander is known as having a chip on his shoulder.
The most interesting thing about the slot corner spot is that Antone Exum might win a roster spot by finding a place as the backup nickel CB. He was a shutdown corner in college, but moved to safety after being picked by the Vikings in the seventh round, but this year Mike Zimmer decided to try him at corner because he has strength and quickness.

In the N.F.L. 2012 draft, I always thought Riley Reiff was the best tackle. Even better than Matt Kalil. To say that them was taboo. The experts said otherwise and nobody questioned them. Now, we will all get to see who really was the better tackle. Reiff or Kalil.

MANKATO, Minn. – Michael Floyd used the one-on-one drills during his first day of training camp with the Vikings on Thursday to show what he could potentially bring to the offense. On one occasion he beat second-year cornerback Mackensie Alexander and on another it was Pro Bowl corner Xavier Rhodes who was victimized.The Vikings, of course, will have to wait well into the regular season before Floyd is able to display his talents in a game. The wide receiver has been suspended for the first four games of the season after being arrested for drunken driving last December in Arizona.

In his first comments since the NFL announced the suspension on July 14, Floyd acknowledged, “I’m happy it’s all over, now I can just focus on football and what’s important. … You always hope it’s a lesser suspension, but they gave me what they decided on. I’ve got to live with it and move forward.”
Floyd, who was let go by the Cardinals after his arrest last season and ended the year with the Super Bowl champion New England Patriots, signed a one-year, $1.4 million non-guaranteed contract with his hometown Vikings this spring.
http://www.1500espn.com/vikings-2/2017/0...uspension/

Koehn’s range
Marshall Koehn could take Kai Forbath’s job as the Vikings kicker if Koehn has a preseason as strong as his leg. Undrafted last year out of Iowa, Koehn figured he could still clear a field goal from deep despite forecast 10-to-15-mile-per-hour wind gusts this week.
“With this wind, I think 60 [yards] isn’t out of the question,” Koehn said.
http://www.startribune.com/vikings-antho...437296483/