NFL FanHouse

Vikings Getting NFL Films Treatment

JJ Cooper — Wed, 09 Jul 2008 08:03:00 EST

Filed under: Vikings, NFC North, Minnesota

Minnesota is still looking for its first Super Bowl title, but this fall, they will get the NFL Films Super Bowl treatment. As part of the outstanding America's Game series, a pair of Vikings teams will be featured in Missing Rings. Just like with the Super Bowl winning teams, NFL Films will interview three or four players from the team, then tell the story of the season through NFL Films footage and broadcasts from the time.

If you haven't seen an America's Game on the NFL Network, each episode is just about best hour on football that you'll ever see.

NFL Films will feature the 1970 Vikings team that lost to the Chiefs in Super Bowl IV. That team is the one that started an impressive run of four Super Bowl appearances in seven seasons. But the other Vikings show may be even better--it will explain the story of the 1998 Vikings, a 15-1 team that has to rank among the best teams to not even make it to the Super Bowl, and one of the best offenses of all time. Both should be great stories, and are good ways to feature a pair of teams that were great, just not great enough.

The episodes will air in September and October.

Vikings Getting NFL Films Treatment originally appeared on NFL FanHouse on Wed, 09 Jul 2008 08:03:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Could Favre Become a Viking?

JJ Cooper — Tue, 08 Jul 2008 08:37:00 EST

Filed under: Bears, Packers, Vikings, NFC North, Chicago, Minnesota

In the middle of Peter King's informative look at what's going to happen with the Packers and Brett Favre, he dropped in this nugget which should frighten Packers fans and give Vikings fans plenty of reasons to hope for a Favre return.

Overwhelmingly the team that makes the most sense to sign Favre for a couple of years is Minnesota. The Vikings are training Tarvaris Jackson to be their quarterback of the future, but he's an unproven commodity with promise at best. Their offensive coordinator is Darrell Bevell, who was Favre's quarterback coach for three years, from 2003-05. They have a close relationship. Not Steve Mariucci-Favre close, but Favre has a lot of respect for him. Imagine Favre in purple. It's an absolutely vomitous scenario for the Packers, imagining Favre playing for their arch-rivals -- and imagining Favre charging out of the tunnel at Lambeau Field for the opening game of the 2008 season. Lambeau Field, Monday Night Football, the night Favre was supposed to have his number retired for the Packers.

Obviously, if the Packers decide to release Favre to get out from under his $12 million cap hit, the Vikings should be calling him immediately. Offensively, the only real questions with this team are whether Tarvaris Jackson is ready to lead them to the playoffs. Give Adrian Peterson, Chester Taylor and Bernard Berrian Brett Favre and watch the points pile up. Minnesota is a team that was on the cusp of the playoffs last year with horrendous quarterback play and a mediocre pass rush, adding Favre and Jared Allen would make the Vikes a legitimate Super Bowl contender.
Now there is some risk in picking up Favre. It would slow down Jackson's development, and while Favre was great last year, he was only OK in 2006. There's a chance that Favre would be a good, but not great quarterback, in 2008. However, a good NFL QB would still be a dramatic improvement over last year. And while the Packers would be running a risk of losing Aaron Rodgers if they bring Favre back, Favre seems like a perfect fit with the Vikings, where he could play a year before handing the team back to Jackson next year.

But that would explain one of the reasons that Green Bay can't cut Favre. Beyond the public relations nightmare, Favre's most likely landing spots would be either Minnesota or Chicago, both of which would dramatically improve a team within the Packers' division. It's hard to imagine Green Bay letting that happen. So it's still unlikely we'll see Favre wearing purple this year. But less than a month before training camp starts, the Packers have an ulcer-inducing problem to fix, which can't be bad news for the Vikes.

Could Favre Become a Viking? originally appeared on NFL FanHouse on Tue, 08 Jul 2008 08:37:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Chicago Bears Fan Barack Obama Won't Pander to Minnesota Vikings Fans

Michael David Smith — Fri, 04 Jul 2008 06:53:00 EST

Filed under: Bears, Vikings, Chicago, Minnesota

Barack Obama made a campaign stop in Fargo on Thursday, and the focus of his speech was military veterans benefits. But on Sundays in the fall, Fargo becomes Minnesota Vikings country, so Obama also took a brief moment to talk a little smack to the many Vikings fans in attendance.

"You guys need to be re-educated," the Minneapolis Star Tribune quotes the Illinois senator and presumptive Democratic presidential nominee saying. "Go Bears!"

Obama did find one Chicago fan in the audience, an 11-year-old boy wearing a Bears hat. Obama asked him what he'll be doing this summer, and the boy said he'll play golf and football. Obama responded, "I wish I was doing that for the summer."

That's what Hillary Clinton wishes Obama was doing this summer, too.

Via Sports by Brooks.

Chicago Bears Fan Barack Obama Won't Pander to Minnesota Vikings Fans originally appeared on NFL FanHouse on Fri, 04 Jul 2008 06:53:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Chris Cooley Is Selling an Adrian Peterson Autographed Rookie Card on eBay

Michael David Smith — Wed, 02 Jul 2008 21:22:00 EST

Filed under: Redskins, Vikings, Minnesota, Washington, DC

If you go to eBay right now you can bid on an autographed rookie card of Minnesota Vikings running back Adrian Peterson. No surprise there.

But it is a little surprising that the seller, identified as cooley717523, is none other than Washington Redskins tight end Chris Cooley. Cooley explains on the Shutdown Corner blog that he has always loved football cards, and he and his wife are now becoming collectors and sellers:

At home with hundreds of cards, we decided that it would be fun to create our own account on eBay and sell them. We tried to take great pictures and then describe the cards. Christy wants to describe every card as beautiful. I don't know if that's a great way to describe a card, but it seems catchy enough.

We have our first cards listed for sale and three of them have bids already. I'm pretty sure we'll spend way more money buying cards than we'll ever make on them, but we've had a blast giving it a try.

Cooley has set the starting bid on the Peterson card at $150.

Chris Cooley Is Selling an Adrian Peterson Autographed Rookie Card on eBay originally appeared on NFL FanHouse on Wed, 02 Jul 2008 21:22:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Vikings Do Right Thing for Udeze

JJ Cooper — Wed, 02 Jul 2008 09:19:00 EST

Filed under: Vikings, NFC South, Minnesota

Less than a year ago, the Vikings got plenty of bad publicity when they announced that they were docking the pay of Troy Williamson when he failed to return promptly after attending his grandmother's funeral. Whether it's a case of learning from that experience or just being altruistic, the Vikings deserve a lot of credit for how they're treating Kenechi Udeze.

Udeze, the team's first-round pick in 2004, is battling leukemia. He hopes to be back on the field for the 2009 season, but at this point no one knows when or if he'll ever play football again. When the Vikings placed Udeze on the non-football injury list this week, they told him that they would pay his full $800,000 salary this year, even though they were under no obligation to pay it. By doing so, they've ensured that Udeze will be able to focus fully on his recovery this year, with no financial concerns.

"I just told myself with every day that I go out there, everybody sees that I do the best I can. When I found out the news [of the Vikings guaranteeing his salary] I was kind of taken aback by it. Being in the hospital [while he was receiving treatment] I didn't really ask the kind of question like, 'OK, what's going to happen next?'

The move of putting Udeze on the non-football injury list also ensures that the Vikings will keep his rights if he can return to the field in 2009. By picking up Jared Allen, Minnesota has ensured that it's pretty well covered at defensive end, but Udeze could be a useful complementary piece if he can get back on the field next year. And even that is another piece of good news for Udeze. If he had to go out as a free agent next year, the offers would likely be pretty sparse. Now he'll get a year with the Vikings to prove he's healthy and potentially increase interest in him when he hits free agency for the 2010 season.

Vikings Do Right Thing for Udeze originally appeared on NFL FanHouse on Wed, 02 Jul 2008 09:19:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Hey, San Diego Chargers Defense: Vikings' Adrian Peterson Thinks You're a Joke

Michael David Smith — Sat, 28 Jun 2008 09:46:00 EST

Filed under: Chargers, Vikings, Minnesota, San Diego

The best trash talkers in sports, from Muhammad Ali to Joe Namath to the Fab Five to Deion Sanders, have always had two qualities:

1. They're funny.
2. They can back it up on the field.

By those two standards, it appears that Minnesota Vikings running back Adrian Peterson may be developing into a great trash talker.

This week he was asked to name the toughest defense he had faced, and he answered, the San Diego Chargers. And then he added, "That was a joke."

Peterson, of course, ran for an NFL record 296 yards against the Chargers last season, and he drew a laugh with that comment. Somehow I'm guessing players on the Chargers won't find it funny.

Hey, San Diego Chargers Defense: Vikings' Adrian Peterson Thinks You're a Joke originally appeared on NFL FanHouse on Sat, 28 Jun 2008 09:46:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Dr. Z Thinks the Vikings Could Win It All, I Think Tarvaris Jackson Is Still Their Quarterback

Michael David Smith — Fri, 20 Jun 2008 17:45:00 EST

Filed under: Vikings, Minnesota

I haven't heard too many people picking the Minnesota Vikings as Super Bowl contenders, but Paul Zimmerman of Sports Illustrated sounds ready to get that bandwagon rolling:

Let's get down to basics. Run the ball. Stop the run. Best in the league at both last year. I can't help it -- I'm hooked on the fundamentals. Their middle triangle of tackles Kevin and Pat Williams, backed up by E.J. Henderson, is classic. ...

So far, so good. I agree with Dr. Z when he talks about how good the Vikings will be at running the ball and stopping the run. But then he goes into a long examination of quarterback Tarvaris Jackson, and he fails to persuade me that Jackson is ever going to be a good NFL quarterback. Zimmerman just thinks Jackson is somehow going to get more accurate, without really explaining why.

And then Zimmerman concludes with this:

So en fin, do I like the Vikings to go all the way? Well, yeah, why not? A feeling of destiny, that's what I sense about Brad Childress and his baby quarterback.

Until Jackson convinces me I'm wrong about him, I'm not getting that same feeling of destiny. The NFC North will be weak this year, and the Vikings might win it. But they're not a Super Bowl team.

Dr. Z Thinks the Vikings Could Win It All, I Think Tarvaris Jackson Is Still Their Quarterback originally appeared on NFL FanHouse on Fri, 20 Jun 2008 17:45:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Taylor, Peterson Aren't Going to Share

JJ Cooper — Mon, 16 Jun 2008 20:26:00 EST

Filed under: Vikings, NFC North, Minnesota

It sounds like a defense's nightmare. Put Chester Taylor and Adrian Peterson in the backfield together and watch defenses worry about both of them.

But Vikings coach Brad Childress doesn't plan on using Taylor and Peterson together too much. Much like he did last year, Peterson will get a majority of carries, and Taylor will get plenty of snaps as a replacement for Peterson. But they'll rarely get onto the field together.

"At times it will make sense," Childress said. "If we feel like it can create a personnel advantage. There's only one ball to carry. So I would assume that somebody would be a diversion, somebody would be either carrying it or we'd be throwing it. If it creates something that they do personnel-wise to adjust to it that we feel like we an ability to attack than you might see that. But we're not apt to just do that just to say that they're both in the backfield at the same time."

Childress has a good point. There just aren't a lot of ways that getting too tailbacks on the field gives a team advantages in the modern-day NFL. There was a time when nearly every team had a halfback and fullback who were both comfortable carrying the ball, but those days are long gone. And with neither Taylor or Peterson really comfortable in the role of the lead blocking back, there are only a couple of plays in the playbooks that would use them both to an advantage.

So we'll still see a lot of carries for both Peterson and Taylor, but we won't see them getting them at the same time.

Taylor, Peterson Aren't Going to Share originally appeared on NFL FanHouse on Mon, 16 Jun 2008 20:26:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Vikings Wisely Uninterested in Charles Rogers

Michael David Smith — Mon, 16 Jun 2008 14:07:00 EST

Filed under: Lions, Vikings, Detroit, Minnesota

I noted this morning that Charles Rogers' high school coach claimed that the Minnesota Vikings were interested in Rogers' services. And I expressed skepticism that the Vikings would actually want the former Lions draft bust.

Now Judd Zulgad of the Minneapolis Star Tribune reports that Rogers' high school coach was wrong: The Vikings have no intention of bringing in Rogers for a workout.

At this point, it would be a huge shock if Rogers ever set foot on an NFL field again. Although he's only 27 years old, he's had a two-year layoff, he was widely described as lazy and lacking motivation, and he was never any good in all the chances the Lions gave him. He had undeniable talent at Michigan State, but that was six years ago. Unless he wants to go to Canada, he's done as a professional football player.

Vikings Wisely Uninterested in Charles Rogers originally appeared on NFL FanHouse on Mon, 16 Jun 2008 14:07:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Minnesota Vikings Allegedly Interested in Detroit Lions Draft Bust Charles Rogers

Michael David Smith — Mon, 16 Jun 2008 11:26:00 EST

Filed under: Lions, Vikings, Detroit, Minnesota

I always think people overlook Charles Rogers when they list the all-time biggest busts in the history of the NFL draft. Sure, he always makes the list, but he's never at the top, and really, how was he any better than Tony Mandarich or Ryan Leaf? At least Mandarich and Leaf caught on with other teams after they washed out with the Packers and Chargers. Rogers didn't do that.

At least, he hasn't yet. But some people still think it's possible. He said this about his future:

''When I know, you guys will be the first to know,'' Rogers told The Saginaw News. ''That's all I'm saying right now.''

And his high school coach said this:

''He's had a couple workouts with some teams and has a workout with the Minnesota Vikings. He's getting caught up (with playing in the NFL again). I tell him to play where he can play and enjoy it. People get caught up on where the best spot for him is."

I suppose it's possible that the Vikings will really give Rogers a tryout, but color me skeptical that he'll actually be invited to training camp, and extremely skeptical that he'll ever play another regular-season down in the NFL. Rogers wasn't good enough to help the Lions win when they cut him in 2006. What makes anyone think he's good enough to help a team win after a two-year layoff?

Via PFT.

Minnesota Vikings Allegedly Interested in Detroit Lions Draft Bust Charles Rogers originally appeared on NFL FanHouse on Mon, 16 Jun 2008 11:26:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Could Bentley Take Birk's Job?

JJ Cooper — Wed, 11 Jun 2008 22:41:00 EST

Filed under: Vikings, NFC South, Minnesota

Pro Football Talk's Mike Florio admits this is just an educated guess, but he wouldn't be surprised to see LeCharles Bentley end up in Minnesota.

At first glance, it doesn't seem to make a lot of sense. The Vikings have veteran Matt Birk at center. Birk may not be as good as Bentley was at his best, but then, Bentley's best was two missed seasons, a staph infection and knee injury ago. There's a pretty good bet that Birk is a better player than Bentley right now.

Florio agrees with that, but he still believes that the Vikings may sign Bentley anyway, because they don't appear to have any plans to bring Birk back in 2009 with a new contract. That may be true, but it's hard to believe the Vikings would be able to avoid a revolt if they replace Birk with Bentley this season. Birk is a veteran team leader and a guy who can help the Vikings win in 2008. At this point, Bentley is an complete unknown. If Minnesota was aiming to rebuild that could make sense, but it would be a very big risk for a team with serious playoff hopes.

Could Bentley Take Birk's Job? originally appeared on NFL FanHouse on Wed, 11 Jun 2008 22:41:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Long Bombs Aren't Jackson's Big Problem

JJ Cooper — Mon, 09 Jun 2008 09:30:00 EST

Filed under: Vikings, NFC North, Minnesota

A lot has been written about Tarvaris Jackson this offseason, which is understandable when you consider that the Vikings quarterback's development will be the biggest factor in whether Minnesota goes to the playoffs or doesn't.

And today we have another update on Jackson's development. During the offseason workouts, he and the receivers are working extensively on improving Jackson's accuracy on long bombs. After seeing Jackson miss some open receivers deep last year, the Vikings are hoping that some improvement in that area will go a long way toward forcing teams to pull a safety back into coverage, which would open up more running room for Adrian Peterson and Chester Taylor.

Jackson agrees that he has some work do.

"Last year I had a problem with leading guys too much," he said. "I was overthrowing guys a lot. But this year I feel a lot more comfortable with my receivers and their speed. Just knowing the different guys and who is a burner and who is more of a slower guy who I can just give them a chance to go up and catch the ball. That's pretty much it. Just trying to get a better feel for it."

But while it is true that Jackson overthrew some guys last year, the reality is that his deep passing was actually one of the best parts of his game last year. Jackson connected on four passes of 40+ yards last year in 274 attempts. His percentage of 40-yard+ passes (1.36 percent of his attempts), ranked 18th in the league. That doesn't sound great, but there aren't a whole lot of categories where Jackson came close to ranking in the middle of the league.

And it also points out just how rare a successful long bomb is. Only four NFL quarterbacks had more than 10 40-yard+ passes all of last year, and Brett Favre was the only one to complete an average of one a game.

So if Jackson shows some improvement in his deep ball accuracy, it will likely mean an extra three or four successful bombs. That's significant, but it still probably won't be enough to get teams to back a safety out of the box in first and second-down situations.

Where Jackson really needs to improve the most is in his mid-range passes. When it came to 20-yard+ passes, Jackson was absolutely awful. He completed only 15 passes of 20+ yards all season, while 12 different quarterbacks had 40 or more 20-yard+ passes. Just 5.10% of Jackson's attempts were completed for more than 20 yards, which was 32nd out of the league's 33 quarterbacks who qualified for the passing title.

While improvement on long bombs would likely net Minnesota another three or four deep balls all season, Jackson could bump his number of 20-yard+ passes from 15 to 30 and still just be in the middle of the pack. That would be significant, but also realistic improvement. If he could do that, it would go a long way toward forcing teams to respect that pass, instead of forcing Peterson and Taylor to run against eight and nine-man fronts.

Long Bombs Aren't Jackson's Big Problem originally appeared on NFL FanHouse on Mon, 09 Jun 2008 09:30:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Vikings' Tarvaris Jackson Shows Why Completion Percentage Isn't Everything

Michael David Smith — Mon, 26 May 2008 08:10:00 EST

Filed under: Vikings, NFL Media Watch, Minnesota

I have believed since last year that the Minnesota Vikings are one player away from being Super Bowl contenders, and that one player is a quarterback to replace Tarvaris Jackson.

Peter King writes about Jackson today on SI.com, and he seems to think Jackson is improving. King writes:

Before I spoke with Jackson, I looked at his bio and his game-by-game numbers from last year. This stunned me: In the final seven games last year, when Jackson and the Vikings went 5-2, he completed 65.2 percent of his passes. Look at these game by completion accuracy numbers, in percentages: 77, 83, 75, 64, 62, 61 and 52. The biggest thing he had to do after his career at Division I-AA Alabama State was work on accuracy (in his three seasons there, he completed 51, 52 and 61 percent of his throws, respectively) and knowledge of the pro game.

King's numbers are right, and he's correct that accuracy is where Jackson was most in need of improvement coming out of college. But I still don't buy King's argument that those completion percentages show an improved quarterback.

For starters, note that his completion percentage declined from game to game in each of the last six. If he were really improving his accuracy as the season went on, wouldn't we expect to see the numbers going steadily up?

And then there's a bigger issue I have, and it's an issue I have with a lot of people who talk and write about completion percentage: You can't look at completion percentage in a vacuum. Completion percentage is only helpful if it helps a team move the ball down the field; a quarterback who completes all his passes for zero yards will have a perfect completion percentage and the same net impact as a quarterback with zero completion percentage.

In Jackson's case, those complete passes were mostly for short gains, which is why he never even had a 250-yard game in any of those last seven games, and he had less than 200 yards most of the time. Throw in the fact that he had seven interceptions and five fumbles over those last seven games, and all of a sudden Jackson isn't looking so impressive.

The bottom line is that Jackson's "improvement" in the last seven games last year was really a mirage. The Vikings are still a quarterback away from being contenders.

Vikings' Tarvaris Jackson Shows Why Completion Percentage Isn't Everything originally appeared on NFL FanHouse on Mon, 26 May 2008 08:10:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Ray Edwards (Who?) Takes Aim at Strahan

JJ Cooper — Sun, 25 May 2008 15:27:00 EST

Filed under: Vikings, NFC North, Minnesota

Ray Edwards has eight sacks in two pro seasons, but that hasn't kept him from dreaming big.

"I look up to Strahan. I learned a lot from him watching and studying his film." Edwards said. "This year I definitely plan on going out here and breaking Strahan's record of 22 and 1/2 sacks this year."

Now it's one thing for Adrian Peterson to set a goal of 2,000 yards. That's unlikely but possible. But for Edwards, who might finish third among Vikings defensive ends in sacks this year (behind Jared Allen and Brian Robison) to make that kind of prediction is ludicrous. Next we should hear from Tarvaris Jackson aiming at Tom Brady's single-season touchdown record.

It's nice to have goals, but it's also nice to make them at least a little bit realistic. If Edwards can play the run well and pick up eight sacks this year, the Vikings will be thrilled. Saying you plan on getting 23 sacks this year (almost 1.5 a game) when you've only reach that pace once in your first 27 games just makes it appear that you have an unrealistic view of your self.

Hat Tip: Pro Football Talk

Ray Edwards (Who?) Takes Aim at Strahan originally appeared on NFL FanHouse on Sun, 25 May 2008 15:27:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Vikings Waive Erasmus James; Turn 2005 Draft Into a Horror Show

Sportz Assassin — Sat, 24 May 2008 03:06:00 EST

Filed under: Vikings, NFC North, NFL Injuries, Minnesota

The Minnesota Vikings finally waived Erasmus James after he couldn't pass a physical.

James, who is recovering from three operations on his left knee in a 13-month period, did very limited work during the Vikings' opening four days (Monday-Thursday) of organized team activities this week. "We decided today to waive Erasmus and we wish the best for him in the future," Vikings coach Brad Childress said in a statement on the team's website.

James blew out his knee in Week 2 of the 2006 season. He spent most of last year battling injuries before re-injuring the knee late last season.

And so it goes with the Vikings 2005 draft, which may go down as one of the worst/hardluck in franchise history. James was the #17 overall pick in that draft -- one that sees just OL Marcus Johnson remaining from that class.

Remember that Minnesota traded Randy Moss to the Oakland Raiders for the #7 pick in the draft and linebacker Napoleon Harris. Harris played two years in Minnesota before moving on to Kansas City. That #7 pick turned into WR Troy Williamson, who ~~sucked~~ was less than stellar. Williamson was traded to the Jacksonville Jaguars before last month's draft.

Third round pick Dustin Fox never played a down for the Vikings. Fourth round pick Ciatrick Fason became a goal line back before being release prior to last season. Sixth round pick DT C.J. Mosley played decent in his rookie season ... and was sent to the Jets for QB Brooks Bollinger. Seventh round pick Adrian Ward didn't make the roster.

Vikings Waive Erasmus James; Turn 2005 Draft Into a Horror Show originally appeared on NFL FanHouse on Sat, 24 May 2008 03:06:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Allen Deal Keeps Looking Better

JJ Cooper — Thu, 15 May 2008 19:37:00 EST

Filed under: Jaguars, Vikings, NFC North, NFL Draft, Minnesota

We alluded to the Vikings Jared Allen gamble looking good on draft day, but Mike Florio has added another reason why the Allen trade is not nearly as crazy as some people believed it was.

To fill the team's biggest need, the Vikings traded a first-round pick and two third-rounders for Allen, while the Jaguars traded a first-round pick, two third-round picks and a fourth-round for rookie defensive end Derrick Harvey.
Now the first-rounder the Jags traded was the 26th pick, while the Vikings was pick No. 17, but overall the two trades were pretty comparable as far as what was given up.

Now there is a chance that Harvey will make a Jevon Kearse/Dwight Freeney-like impact as a rookie (although it's unlikely), and there's a chance that Allen will go on a four-day bender that leads to a long suspension, but it's much more likely that Allen will continue to be one of the NFL's best defensive ends, while Harvey will be the typical NFL rookie who shows flashes of greatness and flashes of being lost.

And given the choice, you'd rather have the vet.

Allen Deal Keeps Looking Better originally appeared on NFL FanHouse on Thu, 15 May 2008 19:37:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Honor Kenechi Udeze's Fight Against Leukemia by Joining the Marrow Donor Registry

Stephanie Stradley — Mon, 05 May 2008 22:05:00 EST

Filed under: Vikings, AFC North, NFL Fans, NFL Injuries, Minnesota

On Friday, the Vikings announced that defensive end Kenechi Udeze would be on the reserve non- football illness list in 2008. Doctors diagnosed him with a form of acute leukemia in February.

The Vikings want him to focus on fighting his disease, and not worry about financial problems. I wish more employers could be so generous.

Udeze is expected to receive a bone marrow transplant soon. He's very fortunate his brother was a transplant match because only about 30% of patients find a related donor.

Though you can't directly help Udeze's fight against leukemia, you can honor it by joining the National Marrow Donor Registry. Normally, there is a cost to join the registry, but during the "Thanks Mom Campaign," from May 5-19, the charges to join the registry are waived for the first 10,000 online signups. You fill out the form, and then they send you a cheek swab kit by mail. Some irresponsible TV shows make it look like donating marrow is very painful process, but for most people it can be done in a procedure not much different than giving platelets.

The reason why I know all about this stuff was that my sister Deb was diagnosed with leukemia in October 2005. She had a bone marrow transplant in February 2006. The transplant is the only reason why she is alive today.

For those fans who want to know more about what Udeze is likely facing over the next year, I'm going share my sister's story and provide some basic medical facts. I know if a player on my favorite team was going through something like this, I'd want to know more about it.

About Leukemia and Transplants: For some cancers, you have some chemo, maybe an operation, and then you just live your life and hope for the best. Receiving a bone marrow transplant is going to be just the beginning of Udeze's fight against leukemia. The chemotherapy part of the treatment is often much easier than going through the transplant.

Leukemia is cancer of the blood and bone marrow. Anybody can get it at any time. Obviously, because you have blood in every part of your body, you can't cut this sort of cancer out like you can with some localized cancers. Leukemia affects your entire body.

So one way medical science learned to deal with this blood cancer is to do a transplant that creates a new blood and immune system in the body. If you want to read from actual doctors about this, check out this link.

After my sister's transplant, her blood changed from blood type (O+) to the donor's blood type (A-). Strangely, the blood elements to make a good bone marrow match have nothing to do with a blood type.

The reason why we don't know the exact date of when Udeze will receive his transplant is that the medical staff has to time it perfectly. The chemotherapy needs to put the leukemia in remission. In addition, sometimes they also do total body irradiation to prepare the body for the transplant. At the time the transplant is done, the body is very weak, so they want to make sure before the transplant that the person doesn't have any illnesses or infections.

During treatment for leukemia, everyone visiting the patient has to put on gowns, foot protection and masks. (The picture below is me attempting to entertain my sister in full garb). At the hospital my sister was at, you couldn't send her flowers or plants because of the risk of getting infections from those gifts.

For about 9 months, my sister Deb was unable to live with her daughter or anyone with children when she was out of the hospital because they didn't want my sister to get some germ that might be fatal.

Unlike what a lot of people think, the transplant is not an operation. They hang an IV bag up (the above bag is my brother's stem cells) that gives the patient the new blood stem cells. The cells go to the bone marrow cavity where slowly they start creating new cells and a new immune system.

A patient's transplant day is often called their birthday. It's like being a newborn because the patient has little immune system. Eventually, when the patient gets off of anti-rejection drugs, they have to get all their childhood immunization shots all over again

I can tell you that it is hard for me to fathom how someone even thought up how transplants could save people. It was about the most brutal thing I've witnessed in my life. My sister was unable to eat or drink for about a month and a half. For a while, she couldn't even swallow her own spit because she had such bad mouth and throat sores.

In other words, a bone marrow transplant is a big deal. It's not an operation, but it is one of the more difficult things medical science does to the human body.

Post-Transplant and How Blogging Can Save Your Life: After the transplant is over and the patient is released from the hospital, they have to go back to the hospital on almost a daily basis for monitoring. Nobody is even allowed a transplant unless they can guarantee they will 24-hour care for months after they are released from the hospital.

It's hard to say how Udeze will respond to the transplant because everyone's experience is different. Some people have few complications and some have many. The major risks from transplants is getting graft-versus-host (GVH) disease or contracting infections from having a compromised immune system. GVH disease is where the donated cells attack different parts of the body.

My sister blogged about her experience. She used to blog about just random stuff happening in her life. Then she started blogging about her diagnosis and treatment (warning some profanity) because she was stuck in the hospital, and it was a therapeutic way to keep in contact with people. Later she blogged about the transplant.

Eventually, her blog saved her life.

After her transplant, she contracted encephalitis but nobody knew it. At first the doctors thought she was depressed because she was not hungry, tired and irritable. We told the doctors she had to be sick and showed them her blog posts from the month before It showed someone who had an ongoing fever but was very positive, motivated and forward-focused. Heck, she was so inspirational that the Oprah show wanted to fly her out to Chicago.

Over the course of a few days, the encephalitis stole her ability to read, write, tell time, and even know where she was. I thought my sister was gone forever. Fortunately, because they were able to figure out what the problem was quickly, they gave her massive doses of medicine, and her brain came back.

Today, my sister is doing much better. She has good and bad days. She is still unable to work because of effects of GVH and because her immune system is still underdeveloped. She feels fortunate to be alive, as she has lost 30 friends to leukemia or transplant-related complications.

Okay, I know this rambling post isn't much about football. But I guess that is the point of it. Sportswriters ask Udeze about football, and at this point the NFL just represents hope, insurance and a one-year paycheck for him. He has a hard fight ahead with the upcoming transplant, and how his body will react to it. Thanks to the Vikings for continuing his salary because for many people, an acute leukemia diagnosis means fighting for your life without being able to work and no paycheck.

If you like to pray, please send some his way.

And, please consider joining the National Marrow Transplant Registry and/or providing them a donation to help get more people registered. There is nothing sadder than talking to someone who knows they or their child is likely going to die because they don't have a marrow match.

Please use the power of the interwebs for good and spread the word about such an easy way to save someone's life. There's an "Email This" link at the bottom of the post.

Honor Kenechi Udeze's Fight Against Leukemia by Joining the Marrow Donor Registry originally appeared on NFL FanHouse on Mon, 05 May 2008 22:05:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Vikings' Otis Grigsby Posts YouTube Video: 'Illinois State Police Murdered My Uncle'

Michael David Smith — Thu, 01 May 2008 18:17:00 EST

Filed under: Vikings, NFL Video, Minnesota

Last week a Stateville correctional officer named Lernard Grigsby was shot by an Illinois State Police officer. On Monday he was pronounced dead at Provena St. Joseph Medical Center. His nephew, Minnesota Vikings defensive end Otis Grigsby, considers his uncle's death a murder, and he looks straight into the camera and explains in this video:

According to the Chicago Tribune, police responded to a domestic disturbance call in an employee dormitory at Stateville Correctional Center at about 4 a.m. on Thursday. Police said that when they found the woman who made the call, Lernard Grigsby attacked them. A sergeant shot Grigsby in the abdomen.

Otis Grigsby calls that article "amazingly flawed and ridiculous, and it shows that basically, these people don't earn their paychecks, because if they did, they would have actually asked questions, besides reading a bogus police report."

Says Otis of his uncle, "He defended himself like any person would. No person is going to sit there and take a beating." And for nine minutes, he talks about his uncle's death in a video that raises many questions, provides few answers and won't be easy to forget.

Latest NFL Photos

New England Patriots Chairman and CEO Robert Kraft, right, and is son, team president Jonathan Kraft, left, stand with 2008 first round draft choice Jerod Mayo, a linebacker out of the University of Tennessee, during a media availability at the team's stadium in Foxborough, Mass., Thursday afternoon, May 1, 2008. (AP Photo/Stephan Savoia)

** FILE ** In this Feb. 10, 2008 file photo, new Washington Redskins coach Jim Zorn gestures during a news conference at Redskins Park in Ashburn, Va. Zorn spent so much time preparing for his first NFL draft as a head coach that he hasn't able to finish creating a play book, so he's come up with an abbreviated version for the Washington Redskins three-day minicamp that begins Friday, May 2, 2008 .(AP Photo/Jose Luis Magana, File)

New England Patriots 2008 first round draft choice Jerod Mayo, right, a linebacker out of the University of Tennessee, faces the media after being introduced at a media availability at the team's football facility in Foxborough, Mass., Thursday afternoon, May 1, 2008. (AP Photo/Stephan Savoia)

New England Patriots Chairman and CEO Robert Kraft, right, talks with the team's 2008 first round draft choice Jerod Mayo, a linebacker out of the University of Tennessee, as they walk onto the playing field at the Patriots' football facility in Foxborough, Mass., Thursday afternoon, May 1, 2008. (AP Photo/Stephan Savoia)

New England Patriots Chairman and CEO Robert Kraft, right, and is son, team president Jonathan Kraft, left, walk onto the playing field with 2008 first round draft choice Jerod Mayo, a linebacker out of the University of Tennessee, at the Patriots football facility in Foxborough, Mass., Thursday afternoon, May 1, 2008. (AP Photo/Stephan Savoia)

New England Patriots Chairman and CEO Robert Kraft, right, stands with 2008 first round draft choice Jerod Mayo, a linebacker out of the University of Tennessee, at their football facility in Foxborough, Mass., Thursday afternoon, May 1, 2008. (AP Photo/Stephan Savoia)

New England Patriots chairman and CEO Robert Kraft, right, and is son, team president Jonathan Kraft, left, stand with 2008 first round draft choice Jerod Mayo, a linebacker out of the University of Tennessee, holding up a Patriots jersey indicating he is the team's number one choice at their football facility in Foxborough, Mass., Thursday afternoon, May 1, 2008. (AP Photo/Stephan Savoia)

New England Patriots 2008 first round draft choice Jerod Mayo, a linebacker out of the University of Tennessee, holds up a Patriots jersey indicating he is the team's number one choice at their football facility in Foxborough, Mass., Thursday afternoon, May 1, 2008. (AP Photo/Stephan Savoia)

President Bush receives a football jersey from New York Giants wide receiver Amani Toomer , left, Wednesday, April 30, 2008, on the South Lawn of the White House in Washington during a ceremony honoring the Super Bowl XLII champion New York Giants football team. (AP Photo/Ron Edmonds)

President Bush high-fives Lt Col. Greg Gadson, the New York Giants inspirational co-captain, as they participate in a photo opportunity with the members of the Super Bowl XLII champion New York Giants, Wednesday, April 30, 2008, on the South Lawn of the White House in Washington. Super Bowl most valuable player, quarterback Eli Manning is at right. (AP Photo/Ron Edmonds)

Vikings' Otis Grigsby Posts YouTube Video: 'Illinois State Police Murdered My Uncle' originally appeared on NFL FanHouse on Thu, 01 May 2008 18:17:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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NFL Draft Grades: Minnesota Vikings

JJ Cooper — Sun, 27 Apr 2008 20:39:00 EST

Filed under: Vikings, NFC North, NFL Draft, Minnesota

Minnesota Vikings 2008 Draft Picks:

Round 2 (43): Tyrell Johnson, FS, Arkansas State
Round 5 (137): John David Booty, QB, Southern California
Round 5 (152): Letroy Guion, DT, Florida State
Round 6 (187): John Sullivan, C, Notre Dame
Round 6 (196): Jaymar Johnson, WR, Jackson State

The Good: There's a reason the Vikings introduced Jared Allen at the team's draft celebration--take him away and there wasn't really any action. After trading away their first, two thirds and fourth-round picks, Minnesota knew they would come out of this year's draft without a whole lot of talent. But second-round safety Tyrell Johnson was rumored to be a late first-rounder by many, and he could step in and start before too long in a secondary led by aging safeties.

The Bad: Sorry Vikings fans, but John David Booty isn't likely to take over for Tarvaris Jackson anytime soon. He's more of a product of a West Coast system who could eventually develop into a solid backup/mediocre starter. He's not the kind of polished quarterback who can push Jackson immediately. Guion was barely a starter at Florida State before surprisingly declaring for the draft after his junior year. He does have some pass-rushing skills, but is a very raw talent. Normally saying that you drafted the best lineman for Notre Dame would mean a lot, but Sullivan was the anchor of one of the worst lines in Fighting Irish history. The hope is that he can eventually replace Matt Birk at center, but he first has to prove he's worthy of a roster spot.

The Grade: D-. We don't get to count Allen's trade in this grade. If so, it would raise the grade to a B-. With only one pick before the fourth round, Minnesota better win soon, because there will be few starters coming out of this year's draft, which will hurt the team over the long run.

NFL Draft Grades: Minnesota Vikings originally appeared on NFL FanHouse on Sun, 27 Apr 2008 20:39:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Allen Trade Looks Better And Better

JJ Cooper — Sat, 26 Apr 2008 16:03:00 EST

Filed under: Vikings, NFC North, NFL Draft, Minnesota

Minnesota knew they had to get a defensive end to fix a struggling pass rush, and if they hadn't trade for Jared Allen, they would have turned to the draft. But the worry was that by the time pick No. 17 arrived, there wouldn't be a defensive end worth taking.

If Derrick Harvey had somehow slipped to No. 17, the decision to trade a first and two thirds for Jarred Allen may have looked a little foolish. Harvey could end up being the kind of player that Allen is for a lot cheaper.

But the Vikings' hunch has proven correct. With Jacksonville trading up to No. 8 to take Harvey, the top three defensive ends are all off the board, leaving a big gulf to the next best defensive end (probably Phillip Merling). Chris Long, Vernon Gohlston and Harvey are thought to be immediate impact guys, but none of the remaining defensive ends are thought to be guys who can step in and star.

Given the choice between picking up another project at defensive end or a proven star, Minnesota's gamble seems more and more like the right call.

Allen Trade Looks Better And Better originally appeared on NFL FanHouse on Sat, 26 Apr 2008 16:03:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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