Read More: Donovan McNabb (QB – MIN), Christian Ponder (QB – MIN), Minnesota Vikings, Green Bay Packers

One of the many quarterback changes was the replacement of Donovan McNabb for rookie first round pick Christian Ponder. Ponder is off to a great start, making the Vikings team as a whole look much better. The Vikings have a 14-7 lead over the defending Super Bowl champions, but it may not last long.

Ponder is 5 for 8, 108 yards and a touchdown with no interceptions. Minnesota seems to have struck the balance between passing and rushing with Adrian Peterson that they were expecting from McNabb. If this first quarter is any indication of Ponder’s future, McNabb may not be wearing purple after this season.

The one thing the Vikings have lacked besides employing a mistake free secondary, has been a consistent signal caller. If Ponder continues to develop positively, this could be the start of something great for the Vikings who find themselves in a fierce NFC North division.

I love my Minnesota Vikings, but I have to admit the team can be tough to watch at times. After all, perhaps no other NFL team has produced as many embarrassing moments. Here is my list of the five most cringe-worthy plays in Viking history:

5. Gary Anderson’s Missed Field Goal (NFC Championship, January 17, 1999)

The Vikings were leading the Atlanta Falcons 27-20 with under five minutes to play when Minnesota kicker Gary Anderson lined up for a 38-yard field goal. A trip to the Super Bowl seemed inevitable: Anderson had made all 39 of his field goal attempts during the season, and he was ready to make it a two-possession game. But then the unthinkable happened, and Anderson’s kick missed wide left. The Falcons took the momentum, and rallied to a 30-27 overtime win.

4. The Randy Moss(notes) Moon (NFC Wildcard game, January 9, 2005)

Leave it to the controversial Randy Moss to turn a highlight into an embarrassment in this game against the rival Green Bay Packers. After catching a 34-yard touchdown pass from Daunte Culpepper(notes), Moss chose to celebrate by pretending to pull off his pants and moon the crowd at Lambeau Field. While the Vikings would win the game, Moss would never live this spectacle down.

3. Freeman’s Monday Night Miracle (Week 10, November 6, 2000)

The Vikings and Packers had gone to overtime on a rainy Monday night. With Green Bay controlling the ball, Brett Favre(notes) tossed a long pass to Antonio Freeman. Freeman fell down on the slippery field as the football deflected off of Minnesota cornerback Cris Dishman, though Freeman somehow caught it while lying down. As Dishman was busy prematurely celebrating, Freeman got up and scored to give the Packers the win.

2. The Hail Mary (NFC Divisional Playoffs, December 28th, 1975)

This is the game that coined the term “Hail Mary pass,” although it came at the Vikings expense. Minnesota led the Dallas Cowboys 14-10, but the Cowboys had one last chance against the vaunted Viking “Purple People Eaters” defense. With less than 30 seconds remaining, Dallas quarterback Roger Staubach threw a desperate pass from midfield. Wide receiver Drew Pearson—who later admitted to committing offensive pass interference on the play—caught the ball and scored the winning touchdown. After the game Staubach commented, “It was just a Hail Mary pass; a very, very lucky play.”

1. The Wrong Way Run (Week 7, October 25, 1964)

Never mind the Vikings; this play is a candidate for the most embarrassing play by any NFL team. Minnesota great Jim Marshall recovered a San Francisco 49ers fumble, and proceeded to run it 66 yards into the end zone, where he triumphantly chucked the ball into the stands. The only problem is he had run the wrong direction, giving the 49ers a safety. “My first inkling that something was wrong was when a 49er player gave me a hug in the end zone,” said Marshall. Luckily for him, Minnesota still went on to win.

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The history of the Minnesota Vikings has been full of epic highs and heartbreaking lows. From the glory years of the 1970s to the current troubled season, Vikings fans can point to moments in the team’s history that marked the turning of tides for the team. Unfortunately not all of the moments have been positive and for every great play that brought cheers from the home crowd there has been a crushing moment that will forever live in Viking lore.

Here’s a look at the 5 worst moments in Minnesota Vikings history:

2010 Metrodome Collapse: No moment was more poignant to a Minnesota Viking fan as when the roof of the Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome collapsed in December 2010 taking any hopes for the post season along with it. The hopes of Vikings fans were already crumbling when a record breaking storm brought piles of snow and high winds to bring an early end to the team’s home season.

1998 Playoffs Missed Field Goal: Two words mean more to any die hard Vikings fan than any others – wide left. They could mean just about anything to fans of other NFL teams, but to a true Vikings fan they can only refer to the missed field goal in the 1998 – 1999 playoff game against the Atlanta Falcons. The team had been nearly perfect with a record of 15-1. Nobody was more perfect that year than the team kicker, Gary Anderson, who had made every single extra point and field goal attempt all year. The game came down to Anderson’s golden foot. His first miss of the year went barely wide left ending the Vikings Super Bowl hopes for the season.

2009 NFC Championship Game: The Vikings were on the verge of their first Super Bowl appearance in two decades on the arm of their one-time foe Brett Favre(notes). The team was driving down the field when the new hometown hero threw an interception to the New Orleans Saints forcing the game into overtime. This time it was the kicker who saved the day—the Saints kicker—who won the game with an overtime field goal.

The Herschel Walker Trade: It supposedly sounded good at the time. The Vikings traded five players and six draft picks to the Dallas Cowboys for Herschel Walker at the height of his career in 1989. The end result was a string of Super Bowl appearances in the 1990s for the Cowboys and a lot of “rebuilding” years for the Vikings.

Love Boat Scandal: The Minnesota Vikings have long prided themselves for the positive impact they have on the local community. The players dealt a slap in the face to that reputation in 2005 with the famed “Love Boat Scandal”. A group of players and team personnel allegedly took part in a wild night of partying on Lake Minnetonka which included call girls, strippers, and acts of public debauchery. The night ended with a police investigation and a public relations nightmare for the team.

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It’s time for Minnesota to turn the keys over to rookie Christian Ponder (R).
(Hannah Foslien – Getty Images)
Watching Sunday night’s Vikings-Bears game, Cris Collinsworth pointed out that since they drafted Tommy Kramer in 1977, Minnesota has only used two first-round picks on a quarterback (Daunte Culpepper and Christian Ponder). Instead, the Vikings have elected to mostly go with re-tread quarterbacks, including Wade Wilson, Rich Gannon, Jim McMahon, Warren Moon, Brad Johnson, Randall Cunningham, Jeff George, Brad Johnson (again), Gus Frerotte and Brett Favre. Did I mention the Vikings haven’t made one Super Bowl appearance in that time?

So after roughly 35 years of the status-quo, Minnesota decided to draft Christian Ponder out of Florida State with the No. 12 overall pick. The Vikings liked Ponder so much, that they seemingly reached to draft him, when many experts predicted Ponder may have lasted into the second round. However, even after drafting Ponder, the Vikings could not resist the temptation of wasting precious experience for the young quarterback, in favor of bringing in another re-tread.

With Brett Favre finally out of the picture, one could certainly question Minnesota’s move to bring in Donovan McNabb in the first place. Coming off a disastrous year where he looked washed up, McNabb finished 5-8 and was benched in favor of Rex Grossman.

Of course, the glass half-full argument was that McNabb had the lowly Redskins at 4-3 before coach Mike Shanahan benched him out of nowhere in a winnable Week 8 game vs. the Detroit Lions. Plus, with a running back like Adrian Peterson on your team, how bad can that turn out?

Well, it turned out awful. The Vikings have started out 1-5, and are already out of contention for the playoffs. McNabb meanwhile, has looked uninspired, slow, and frustratingly bad on third downs and big situations. After 11 great years with Philadelphia of going 98-62-1 (61 percent), McNabb is now 6-13 (32 percent) since. The verdict is out: McNabb is washed up.

So when Minnesota finally announces the beginning of the Christian Ponder era this week, for the Vikings’ sake, hopefully this will put an end to Minnesota’s perpetual fixation on the crappy re-tread quarterback. Ahh who am I kidding — Carson Palmer will be available next season.

MINNEAPOLIS – The Minnesota Vikings have won only six games since Prince released “Purple and Gold” in the weeks leading up to the NFC Championship game. After 12 men on the field, a full 2010 season and four disappointing weeks to start 2011…has Minneapolis’ own icon brought bad luck to the Vikings?

“I saw the future,” Prince told former FOX 9 anchor Robyne Robinson, who was given an exclusive advance copy of “Purple and Gold” on Jan. 21, 2010. The song resembled a New Orleans funeral march – a jab at the eventual Super Bowl champion Saints.

So was “Purple and Gold” an unintended funeral dirge for the Vikings? Even the opening line of the song – “the veil of the sky draws open” could be thrown against the collapse of the Metrodome roof that displaced an already beaten and battered Vikings team last season.

Listen to the song: Prince’s ‘Purple and Gold’

It’s not the first time Prince has collided with football. In 2007, Prince played at Super Bowl XLI in what Billboard called the greatest Super Bowl performance ever – and it rained.

Now, four weeks into 2011, the Vikings stand at 0-4 (6-15 since Prince released his battle cry) and staring at a schedule that only gets harder. After Sunday’s disappointment in Kansas City, not a single win can be penciled in.

Is it the offensive line? The defensive secondary? Or a curse?
 

MANKATO —
Cedric Griffin has the rehabilitation program for a torn anterior cruciate ligament down pat.

After working his way back from perhaps the most common debilitating injury for a player at his position, Griffin was given another challenge last season. He had to do it all over again, this time on the other knee.

“That’s a tough injury, especially for a cornerback with all the running and cutting we have to do,” said Minnesota Vikings teammate Antoine Winfield. “But I know that if anyone can do it, it’s Griff. He’s the hardest working man in America. I mean, that guy TRAINS, and I’m glad to see him out there.”

Griffin signed a long-term contract extension before the 2009 season and led the team with four interceptions, turning in his most well-rounded performance as a pro since being drafted in the second round out of Texas in 2006. During the NFC championship game, though, he tore the ACL in his left knee and wasn’t cleared to return until the third game of the 2010 season.

Voted by his teammates as the Vikings’ winner of the annual Ed Block Courage Award for his effort, Griffin went down again in just his second game back. This time, his right knee was ripped up. So back to the grind he went, first healing from the reconstructive surgery and then strengthening the joint and the surrounding muscles to the point where he’s been able to participate in almost all of the activities during practice this month.

Minnesota head coach Leslie Frazier said he’ll hold Griffin out of the team’s first preseason game Saturday at Tennessee, but considering he returned in nine months the first time. he’s on track to be in the starting lineup for the regular season opener at San Diego on Sept. 11, which would be almost 11 months after the most recent injury. Just as middle linebacker E.J. Henderson essentially wrote the team’s manual on how to rehabilitate from a broken femur, Griffin has become the poster boy for the ACL recovery.

“It’s a different era. When I tore my ACL that was a career-ending injury. Guys were not coming back,” said Frazier, a former cornerback for Chicago who was hurt in the Super Bowl after the 1985 season and never played again. “I remember the doctor when I was in the hospital telling me the surgery they were performing at that time — a year later, it would be different. The whole procedure was going to be different, and that’s just the way it was. Then I was in a cast for six weeks. They don’t even cast you anymore. They start rehab prior to the surgery and then post-surgery they’ve already begun that constant movement, which is what you need to get that flexion back.”

After 18 months of rehabilitation, Frazier’s knee never regained his full range of motion, forcing him to focus on coaching to stay in football.

But Griffin has modern medicine and an inherent determination to thank for his rare near-feat, which will be complete whenever he plays in that first game.

“I know I’m ready physically as well as emotionally — and as far as my confidence as well,” he said. “I’m just glad to be back out here with my teammates and contributing during training camp.”

That’s about as forthcoming as Griffin has been, since training camp began last week at the Minnesota State University campus. He has brushed aside or attempted to downplay almost all questions from reporters about his recovery or his satisfaction or his mindset.

“There was no low point, man. This is football. Injuries are a part of this game,” Griffin said. “If you get hurt, you get back up and continue to work hard. That’s what I do. I work hard at what I do. I work hard for this team and for my family. I’m a hard worker, brother.”

Indeed.

Apparently, he’s hard enough of a worker to be in uniform and in his usual spot when the season formally begins. Griffin and Winfield should be the starters at cornerback with Chris Cook behind them. Husain Abdullah, Tyrell Johnson and Jamarca Sanford are vying for time as the safeties.

“I’m out there practicing with my team,” Griffin said, “so whatever you’d like to take from that is what you can take from that.”

Read More: Donovan McNabb (QB – MIN), Minnesota Vikings

The Minnesota Vikings went from first to worst in the NFC North the last two seasons. That’s life in the National Football League where games are decided by razor thin margins and rules are in place to establish competitive fairness across the league. The Vikings’ nose-dive cost Brad Childress his job, opening up the door for veteran defensive assistant Leslie Frazier to try his hand as a head coach for the first time.

After righting the ship down the stretch, Frazier and the Vikings look to rebound and compete for a playoff spot in ‘11. To do so, they’ll have to receive much better quarterback play than they did last season. Hence the trade for Donovan McNabb. Obviously McNabb isn’t considered the long-term solution; that’s where Christan Ponder comes into play. But McNabb could do just fine this year playing indoors and with Adrian Peterson. He’ll have to be better than just average though if the Vikings hope to return to the playoffs. The Chicago Bears look to be better and, of course, the defending Super Bowl champion Green Bay Packers won’t be an easy out.

Frazier sure sounds excited about his team’s chances at being solid. On Sunday, Frazier joined KFAN from training camp to talk about the start of camp and the Vikings’ outlook for 2011.

On the signing of Donovan McNabb:

“He was pretty excited about the opportunity. We had some discussions about a lot of different things that needed to be talked about. He was extremely excited about the opportunity to come to Minnesota with the players that we have around him. It didn’t take a whole lot of convincing.”

How concerned he is with McNabb’s struggles in Washington:

“I’ve had a chance to work with Donovan in the past. My first four years in the NFL as a coach and his first four years in the league as a player I was around him, watching his growth and saw what he did for our football team in Philadelphia and throughout his career. There were some bumps in the road in Washington and I didn’t get overly concerned or alarmed about what was happening. I feel like I know Donovan well, I know what his makeup is like, and also have an idea of what the problems were in Washington. I felt like for our football team and the circumstances that we were coming from this offseason he would be a good fit for what we needed to have done.”

On trying to get Chad Greenway and Adrian Peterson locked up long-term:

“Yeah we gotta get Chad taken care of, but Adrian is not far behind. It’s a priority to hopefully secure him in a long-term contract at some point. We will sit down with him and his agent and try to get that done sooner than later.”

Whether or not he believe Minnesota can win the division:

“No doubt about it. No doubt about it. That’s exactly what I’m gonna talk to our team about. I do believe we can win our division without question.”

(Transcription via: SportsRadioInterviews)

Read More: nfl free agency, 2011 nfl free agency, 2011 nfl free agents, donovan mcnabb vikings, 2011 nfl free agency rumors, donovan mcnabb trade rumors, donovan mcnabb trade, mcnabb vikings, Donovan McNabb (QB – WAS), Joe Webb (QB – MIN), Christian Ponder (QB – MIN), Philadelphia Eagles, Minnesota Vikings, Washington Redskins, Seattle Seahawks

The Minnesota Vikings have agreed in principle to trade for Redskins quarterback Donovan McNabb, according to reports. Washington is set to receive a 2012 sixth round pick and a possible 2013 sixth round pick contingent on McNabb’s performance. The deal is not yet finalized, and is reliant on 34-year old veteran agreeing to a substantial pay cut.

McNabb has been named to six Pro Bowls since being drafted with the second pick of the 1999 NFL Draft by the Philadelphia Eagles. In his 11 seasons with the team, the Chicago-native led the Eagles to five NFC Championship Games and an appearance in Super Bowl XXXIX.

After enduring a significant falling-out with Philadelphia during the 2010 offseason, McNabb was dealt to hated division rival, the Washington Redskins. He started the first 13 games of the season until his increasingly tumultuous relationship with coach Mike Shanahan led to an extremely public benching.

McNabb lands on a Minnesota team without a clear starter at the quarterback position, joining first round pick Christian Ponder and second-year youngster Joe Webb. Longtime Viking Tavaris Jackson signed with the Seattle Seahawks on Tuesday.

For more NFL free agency rumors, stay tuned to this StoryStream. For more on the Skins, head to Hogs Haven and SB Nation DC. Vikings fans, visit Daily Norseman and SB Nation Minnesota.