"In our league nowadays, every single team, it feels like I talk to you guys (the media) every week and it's another week where I'm talking about interior impact defensive players with length and explosiveness and athleticism," O'Connell said. "You have to be able to combat that with strength and the body type like Donovan has. Envisioning him being on a front with potentially Ryan Kelly and Christian Darrisaw, Will Fries, and Brian O'Neill, that's a pretty formidable group on paper. We’ve got to make it come to life on the grass.
"We've learned over time how people defend us," O'Connell said. "And the ability to win consistently at the line of scrimmage is going to be something that I think bodes well for not only our ability to run the ball, but our ability to throw the football as well when people feel like they've gotta do different things than maybe they have in the past to defend us" - KOC

Very telling quotes above, I expect for opponents to see O'Connell's teeth more often in big boy situations, he'll go for the jugular because he's got the plow horses now. He's been waiting to amass this type of offensive line and defensive line. He'll be confidently aggressive....he's got an intelligent playcaller's fearlessness and no-mercy attitude. Expect to see it in HD this year. He'll have something different for Sean McVay and The Meathead this year: his bitch slapping hand out.

https://twitter.com/i/status/1915794233862074720

Former Minnesota Vikings running back Adrian Peterson was arrested Friday morning on a suspected DWI, according to the Minnesota Star Tribune.

Peterson — who attended the team's draft party Thursday evening — was booked in a Hennepin County jail at 5:15 a.m. on Friday. He's facing a misdemeanor count of fourth-degree driving while impaired and remains in custody, per the Star Tribune.

The arrest comes hours after Peterson was at U.S. Bank Stadium in Minneapolis attending the Vikings' draft party. Peterson did an interview on KFAN while at the event. The Vikings selected offensive lineman Donovan Jackson with the No. 24 overall pick in the NFL Draft.

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Peterson, 40, starred with the Vikings after he was the team's first-round pick in the 2007 NFL Draft. Peterson emerged as one of the best running backs in football immediately, winning the Rookie of the Year award in his first season.

Over the next nine seasons, all of which came with the Vikings, Peterson made six Pro Bowls, four All-Pro first teams and won the 2012 MVP award after rushing for 2,097 yards. That figure ranks second on the all-time list of most rushing yards in a single season. Peterson sits behind Eric Dickerson, who rushed for 2,105 yards in 1985.

Peterson left the Vikings following the 2016 NFL season. He bounced around the league the next few years, seeing time with the Arizona Cardinals, Detroit Lions, New Orleans Saints, Seattle Seahawks, Tennessee Titans and Washington Commanders.

Peterson last played in the NFL in 2021, though never officially retired, and was trying to make a comeback as recently as 2023.

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Once he's eligible, Peterson is expected to be inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame. He sits fifth on the all-time rushing list with 14,918 career yards.

Peterson has been involved in a handful of off-field incidents during and after his playing career. He was suspended for six games during the 2014 season after disciplining his son with a switch. In 2022, he was arrested for alleged domestic violence. Last September, Peterson was ordered to turn over assets to settle a $12 million debt.

The Giants have Russell Wilson penciled in as the starter. They have veteran Jameis Winston as insurance. Dart, meanwhile, is the quarterback of the future, which means Tommy DeVito looks potentially like the odd man out. This could ultimately be like a redshirt year for Dart -- the Giants look at this as a "really good spot where he can sit and learn behind a couple of veterans," Schoen said. Dart seems to be embracing the situation.

I can't see both Wilson and Winston staying on the roster with Dart and DeVito.

As I previously mentioned, after Booker, Zabel, Barron, and especially Harmon came off the board I was a bit pissed (MB can confirm). Really wanted Harmon and Zabel, in that order. But, I think Jackson is an excellent pick and should vault us into that top 5 OL area. Strong OLs are a great deodorant for just about any shortcoming. The fact that we were looking at Jackson last year makes me wonder if Nic Singelton isn’t on our radar for 26. Bookmark that one. 

I’m not surprised the Chargers went with a RB, I am surprised they drafted a guy who is pretty much the same as the guy they signed in FA. 

Sean Payton finds new ways to re-establish himself as a massive douche. Going CB makes no sense to me when your D is already pretty good. Getting Nix another target would have been the move. 

The brain trust in Cleveland is mind numbing. You’ve got a fucking unicorn sitting there and you take quantity over a 1 of 1 prospect. I like Mason Graham but I can get Mason Graham next year. 

Will Campbell. Love the emotion. 

If I’m Kwesi I’m on the phone with my good buddy Andrew Berry and I position myself to get Trey Henderson. Find a way. Just do it. Double Buckeye draft.

Sounds like he's still dealing with injury issues.  I know some on this board were hoping we'd sign him on the 28th with the compensatory period is over.

For the last few weeks, there have been some intriguing rumors floating around about the possibility of the Minnesota Vikings signing free-agent cornerback Asante Samuel Jr., who spent the last four seasons as a member of the Los Angeles Chargers.

Unfortunately, any Vikings fans who have fallen in love with the idea of the team signing Samuel this offseason might end up with a broken heart thanks to a recent report about an injury that the veteran cornerback is currently dealing with.

According to NFL Media's Mike Garafolo earlier this month, Samuel is still dealing with symptoms related to a neck/shoulder injury that kept him off the field for 13 games last season, and this has had an impact on the amount of interest that he's been able to generate since the start of free agency in March.

Chances of former Los Angeles Chargers CB Asante Samuel Jr. playing for the Minnesota Vikings in 2025 seem low
As Minnesota fans know from the experience the team had with Danielle Hunter in 2020, a neck injury is nothing to mess around with, especially one with lingering symptoms.

So, while it was fun to think about the possibility of Samuel joining the Vikings' secondary this offseason, the likelihood of it actually happening now seems pretty low after what Garafolo revealed.

It's possible that things could change before the start of the 2025 season, but Minnesota's focus has probably already shifted to other free agents and trade possibilities who could be added to the team's secondary this year.

Whether Samuel ends up with the Vikings or not during the next few months, the team's cornerback room is going to look a lot different next season than it did in 2024.

Minnesota was able to re-sign Byron Murphy Jr. this offseason, but Stephon Gilmore and Shaq Griffin aren't expected to be back, and they both played a significant amount of snaps for the team in 2024.

Mekhi Blackmon will be returning from a torn ACL he suffered last summer, and the Vikings also signed Jeff Okudah in free agency. But the team likely still needs to add another more reliable corner or two before the start of the 2025 season.

Source:  https://thevikingage.com/la-chargers-asa...s-hopeless

Unless you offer him an incentive laden contract for games played..sounds like he may not be an option

Are the Giants geniuses or idiots? Obviously too early to tell for sure, but we've got opinions. Not sure this kid has the game to go off script or make plays outside a messy pocket. A dreaded 'game manager'?

Kevin O'Connell on Donovan Jackson

”Just love everything about his play style,” coach Kevin O’Connell said. “He’s got length, he’s got power. And then, the little things that jump out at you about a player’s willingness to jump over to left tackle, and the next week, he’s blocking the third pick [Penn State’s Abdul Carter] in tonight’s draft. He didn’t necessarily need to do that in a year where he was going to be evaluated and drafted the way he was. The idea of Donovan walking into that O-line room that now has some pretty impactful players across the board, that’s something that was a goal. I think tonight really put a stamp on a plan that we set out to accomplish.”

Water is warm, food is good...

Bug Jimmy if you cant find it lol!

GREEN BAY, Wis. ‐ It’s no surprise when NFL free agents signed by the Vikings speak highly of Brian Flores and his defensive scheme.
Many of them have witnessed its strengths in person. Some have seen their offenses dominate it.

Flores’ reputation as a “mad scientist” of defense, as defensive tackle signee Jonathan Allen described it March 19, is well-recognized within the league.

But it’s also caught the attention of some of this year’s top NFL draft prospects, similar to how quarterback prospects saw Minnesota as a favorite landing spot last year because of Kevin O’Connell’s reputation as a “QB whisperer.”

“I love the way he runs his defense,” Kentucky cornerback Maxwell Hairston said of Flores on Wednesday. “So versatile. I feel like I could definitely fit that scheme and go out there and ball, get the ball back to the offense.”

Hairston, who said he met with the Vikings at the NFL scouting combine in March, is one of 15 prospects attending the NFL draft in Green Bay, Wis., hoping to hear his name called during Thursday night’s first round.

Eight of those prospects play defense.

The Vikings have drafted two defenders in the first round since General Manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah and head coach Kevin O’Connell took over ahead of the 2022 draft: edge rusher Dallas Turner, for whom they traded up to No. 17 last year, and safety Lewis Cine (No. 32, 2022), who’s now with the Eagles.

Adding another to that list seems likely, as the Vikings could use more depth at defensive tackle, cornerback and safety.

Safety Malaki Starks arrived at Georgia the fall after Cine, also a Bulldog, was drafted but mentioned the connection when saying he had a “really good” meeting with the Vikings at the combine.

Starks has been connected to the Vikings in several mock drafts. He was a Football Writers Association of America All-American in 2024 with 52 tackles and an interception.

He said Georgia’s defensive scheme prepared him for questions during his combine meeting with the Vikings, which Flores would’ve been present for.

“There’s a lot of checks,” Starks said. “A lot of communication in the back end. It’s always like that. But just being able to communicate on that level, get everybody on the same page is a big thing.”

Michigan cornerback Will Johnson also drew comparisons between the schemes he played in for the Wolverines and what Flores does with his defense.

Johnson made 14 tackles, two interceptions and three pass breakups in six games before a turf toe injury sidelined him for the remainder of the season. He had 27 tackles and four interceptions in a full 2023 season when Michigan won the national championship.

“I know [the Vikings] do a lot of pressure and a lot of fire zones, things like that,” Johnson said. “Kind of similar to what I was just playing in last year. Think that allowed me to make some plays on the ball, so that’d be cool.”

The Vikings secondary was one of the best in the league last year, leading in interceptions and creating viral attention for the celebrations that followed them.
A handful of players had record years, including cornerback Byron Murphy Jr., who led the team with six interceptions and was named the Pro Bowl defensive MVP in February.

But there was plenty last season for guys up front to take notice of, too.

Penn State edge rusher Abdul Carter, projected to go Top 3 in the draft, said while he hadn’t watched much Vikings film, he had paid attention to their edge rushing group, which includes Turner and veterans Jonathan Greenard and Andrew Van Ginkel.

“Definitely one of the best edge rushers in the league,” Carter said of Greenard, who signed with the Vikings in 2024. “Just watching him, how much he wins, how creative he is in his rushes. Learned a lot from him.”

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