The 53

[The Breeze]

http://mmqb.si.com/column/rookie-journey/

Again, unsure wether or not this has been posted, but a cool five part story on Zach Line, of all people. From being drafted to making the cut. Pretty fun reads.

Thanks for sharing that link. What a great series! Should be fun to read about next weeks game.

[NextQuestion]

No Calvin Johnson rule there?

[Eli]

I don't know if it's already been reported or not, but we got our last PS spot filled. UDFA Tristan Okpalaugo, formerly of Fresno State. Had three sacks, one forced fumble and one fumble recovery, per "Phinsider." Krammer of 1500 reported the signing. Appears he was a fan fave with the Dolphins and many were puzzled why he wasn't stashed. Good size at 6'6" and 249lbs.

Were those his college stats or his preseason stats? That's a heck of a preseason. It's good to see the Vikings planning for next year already.

[mondry]

Were those his college stats or his preseason stats? That's a heck of a preseason. It's good to see the Vikings planning for next year already.

sounds like his preseason stats

[TheCoolerOne]

sounds like his preseason stats

Yeah, my bad. Should have been a little more clear, those were his preseason stats. In case you wanted to know, his college stats are...

8 sacks for 36 yards lost, and 20.5 TFL. This is essentially over two years, he really only played from 11-12, though he was with Fresno St. for four years.

http://www.gobulldogs.com/sports/m-foot ... tan00.html

Scroll to about the middle of the page to see them

[Eli]

Do teams get first crack at signing their own players coming off waivers to the practice squad, or is it just that players are mostly likely to sign with the same team? (I was reading about how Okpalaugo wasn't signed to Miami's PS, which is why I ask.)

I wonder how close Okpalaugo would be to challenging George Johnson (Who?) for that 4th DE spot.

[dead_poet]

#Vikings waive RB Joe Banyard off practice squad after Monday's walkthrough, sign RB Bradley Randle

[Texas Vike]

Interesting. I thought they both looked solid in preseason, but it seemed that they had Banyard higher on the depth chart.

[Grashopa]

suprised... but i sure do like Randle and would like to see him as 3rd down back / special teams int he future.

[The Breeze]

Echoing Texas Vike, I too liked them both, but Randle was my fav. Wonder why this was done?....maybe Banyard got hurt?

[Purple bruise]

People really do not believe that coaches won't play Bishop if he is out performing Mitchell in practice and in the opprotunities that he gets on the field do they I believe that Bishop is set and waiting in the "wings" and if and when Mitchell, or Henderson do not live up to high expectations then the fans will see Bishop, Mauti, Hodges, or even Cole take over.
This is a business and the coaches livelyhoods and careers are at stake and you can bet that the best players will be on the field playinmg. This is not Madden 25 honest.

[The Breeze]

I actually like the depth at LB now. I'd argue Mauti over Cole...but the new guys have to be steeped in the system a bit longer I imagine.

Hodges could very well be an upgrade over Mitchell, but until Mitchell proves to be a liability out there those other guys are just fresh horses if needed.

Personally, I'd be in favor of a high motor defense with lots of rotation along the line and at LB. Just to have a slew of guys keeping each other rested and confusing offenses. It's clear that some guys like JA say that creates problems with familiarity and consistency, but I wonder how much of that is just BS. How hard could it be to adjust to having an extra guy or two rotate in? It might take a few weeks to get it dialed in, but the end result would be worth it IMO.

[Eli]

Very worried about this secondary. Probably the team's weakest unit. It's an open question about what the Vikings got in Xavier Rhodes. He's said to be capable of press coverage, but it remains to be seen whether he can do it in the NFL without being penalized for riding his man downfield, or if he's actually capable of man coverage on a receiver that he isn't actively pressing at the line of scrimmage.

Got a feeling we're going to end up seeing too much A.J. Jefferson again this year. I just went back and found what that trade ("undisclosed draft pick") ending up being. It was Jefferson and Arizona's 2013 7th round draft pick for the Vikings 2013 6th round pick. Talk about a team wanting to get rid of a guy!!

[Raptorman]

Very worried about this secondary. Probably the team's weakest unit. It's an open question about what the Vikings got in Xavier Rhodes. He's said to be capable of press coverage, but it remains to be seen whether he can do it in the NFL without being penalized for riding his man downfield, or if he's actually capable of man coverage on a receiver that he isn't actively pressing at the line of scrimmage.

Got a feeling we're going to end up seeing too much A.J. Jefferson again this year. I just went back and found what that trade ("undisclosed draft pick") ending up being. It was Jefferson and Arizona's 2013 7th round draft pick for the Vikings 2013 6th round pick. Talk about a team wanting to get rid of a guy!!

See, you are thinking like a Vikings fan. Think like a Packers fan. Rhodes is the best DB to come into the league in years and is going to win DROY!

[Purple bruise]

I will tell you that Harrison Smith "blew up" CJ last year and for the first time I saw CJ "short arm" two passes as a direct result of Smith blasting him. I hope that he will be gun shy coming over the middle.
http://www.vikings.com/media-vault/vide ... dc6e96e8fc
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ksQNNYJvF9A

My favorite Viking