The Washington Redskins and Minnesota Vikings will both likely be making
changes in the offseason after disappointing years.

Whether the quarterbacks are among those changes remains to be seen.

The Vikings visit the Redskins on Saturday, needing to win their final two
games to avoid finishing with the worst record in the franchise’s 51-year
history.

Minnesota’s worst 16-game record was 3-13 in 1984 while the 1961 Vikings
went 2-11. This year’s squad has shown little reason to make anyone believe it
can win at least one of its final two games – the last of which will come at
home against Chicago – much less two.

Minnesota’s losing streak reached six – its longest single-season skid since
1984 – with a 42-20 loss to New Orleans on Sunday. The Vikings (2-12) were
outgained 573-207 and had 12 first downs to the Saints’ 36.

This will be the second straight season Minnesota has missed the playoffs
after reaching the NFC title game in 2009.

“There’s a lot at stake,” linebacker Erin Henderson said of the final two
games. “They’re watching closely right now to see who’s still fighting, who’s
still coming out here trying to give their best and give it their all, and look
to see who they can build this team with next year and continue to move forward
with.”

While coaches are often the first to take the fall for a team’s failures,
Vikings coach Leslie Frazier reportedly has the support of the team’s owners.
Frazier took over after Brad Childress was fired last season.

“I’m really optimistic about the future, as difficult and as crazy as that
may sound,” Frazier said. “I think I have a good idea of what we need to do to
not be in this situation in the future. So no, I’m not concerned about 2012 at
this point.”

Frazier hopes quarterback Christian Ponder is part of the team’s plans going
forward. Ponder, the 12th overall pick in this year’s draft, took over when
Donovan McNabb struggled. However, after showing promise early on, Ponder had
regressed. In the last two weeks, he’s 25 of 52 for 235 yards with four
touchdowns and four interceptions.

“With Christian, like so many young quarterbacks, you don’t want to base
your judgment on one or two games,” Frazier said. “Give him a chance to have an
offseason to get with our coaches in OTAs that are going to help him. I think
it’s a little bit too early to panic about Christian.”

With Ponder struggling, Minnesota needs Adrian Peterson at full strength.
Peterson, who is 68 yards shy of 1,000 rushing yards for a fifth straight
season, had 10 carries for 60 yards last week after missing three games with a
sprained ankle.

Like the Vikings, the Redskins (5-9) also face questions about their roster
as they near the end of a third straight losing season.

Washington won for the second time in 10 games, beating the New York Giants
23-10 last Sunday.

Rex Grossman completed 15 of 24 passes for 185 yards, one touchdown and two
interceptions while the defense held the Giants to a field goal until the final
minute of the fourth quarter.

Grossman’s two interceptions give him 18 this season – two shy of his career
high. His 71.4 passer rating ranks 29th among qualifying quarterbacks, just
behind Ponder’s 72.3.

However, Grossman could have better luck against the Vikings secondary,
which hasn’t forced an interception in the last nine games while giving up an
average of 271.9 passing yards.

Grossman will be a free agent at the end of the season, but he has the
support to come back from at least one of his teammates.

“We’ve been feeling that rhythm again once Rex got back out there, giving us
that swag that he carried on the first part of the season,” receiver Santana
Moss said. “That’s leading us to go out there and do what we do. We needed a guy
like that to take advantage of those opportunities that we have.”

The Vikings defeated the Redskins 17-13 in Washington last season in
Frazier’s first game as head coach.

Comment Below!.

Minnesota Vikings Head Coach Leslie Frazier

Conference Call With New Orleans Media

Wednesday, December 14, 2011

Who will start at quarterback on Sunday?

“Christian (Ponder) is our starting quarterback. Barring an injury, he will remain our starting quarterback.”

Can you discuss the status of Adrian Peterson?

“We will get our first chance to see him today at practice but we are optimistic that this is the week that we will get him back.”

Can you discuss how the team is dealing with being in a rebuilding mode?

“It is tough anytime you are going through the things that we have experienced this season but our guys have battled. We are definitely in a transition. They have battled each week and we are going to fight the good fight again this week.”

Can you discuss the attitude of the team this year?

“The resiliency of our players has been incredible. We are down 21-0 in the first quarter of the game last Sunday (at Detroit) and they could have easily tanked that game but they didn’t. There we are on the last play of the game on the 1-yard line with a chance to win the game. They have been very resilient throughout this season. It is a testament to our leadership. We just have some things that we will have to address this offseason to get some things corrected.”

What factors have contributed to the struggles of the team this year?

“There are a lot of different factors. You guys (New Orleans media) have been in it a long time and we are not the first team to play in the NFC Championship game and then disappear for a while – it happens in our league. It also happens where teams you didn’t expect all of a sudden jump up and are playing in the NFC Championship game. Things can change fast in our league. Especially in this age of free agency, this year particularly with so many things that happened in the offseason that had an effect on the regular season. There are a lot of factors that go into where we are now and where we were in 2009.”

Is New Orleans’ loss to the Rams something that you are looking closely at in film study?

“That’s a tape we will take a look at. The Tampa game also. The Green Bay game is a little different with them being a 3-4 team and it was the first game of the season. You are always trying to look for something that will give you some hope that will give you a chance against such a prolific offense and a very good football team. We will search through the tapes and try to find something that will hopefully give us an edge.”

Can you discuss how the defensive line continues to be a strength of the team?

“It has without question been the strength of our defense. We have had some troubles on the backend but our defensive line has consistently played hard for us and played well. Jared (Allen) has led the way and is having an MVP-type season.”

Can you discuss the comments that Jared Allen made to the cities of Detroit and New Orleans last week?

“I talked with him about those comments this morning. I am hoping that we won’t have any more comments like that going forward.”

Can you talk about the progress of Christian Ponder?

“He has had his ups and downs like most rookie quarterbacks that come into our league. He is battling through those things that every young quarterback goes through. Whether you are Peyton or Eli Manning – whoever it may be. Even Joe Montana. We think our team will be much better going forward as he goes through some of the growing pains of being an NFL quarterback. It’s difficult for him and difficult for our team at times but you have to look at the bigger picture. It’s an investment for our future and he is handling it pretty well.”

Leave any suggestions in the comment box.

That’s all the news for today.

Published: Thursday, Dec. 1, 2011 3:10 a.m. MST

There is the quick update of the day.

EDEN PRAIRIE, Minn. — The Minnesota Vikings have been down all year. Now they’re even more depleted.

The transaction list released by the Vikings resembled a virtual white flag, with four key players placed on injured reserve with five games to go in a second straight dismal season. Two safeties, a wide receiver and the long snapper are out, joining two of their best three cornerbacks.

That’s all for today guys, i’ll be back to blog you tomorrow.

Read More: Donovan McNabb (QB – MIN), Tom Brady (QB – NEP), Matt Cassel (QB – KAN), Julius Peppers (DE – CHI), Jared Allen (DE – MIN), Carson Palmer (QB – OAK), Philip Rivers (QB – SDC), Antoine Winfield (CB – MIN), Michael Bush (RB – OAK), Tyler Palko (QB – KAN), Darren McFadden (RB – OAK), Arian Foster (RB – HOU), Tim Tebow (QB – DEN), Christian Ponder (QB – MIN), Denarius Moore (WR – OAK), San Diego Chargers, Oakland Raiders, Kansas City Chiefs, Minnesota Vikings, Denver Broncos

In week 11, the Oakland Raiders play the 2-7 Minnesota Vikings, a team that was just shellacked by the Packers on Monday night, a team reeling from injuries and which is starting a rookie quarterback. The other three teams in the division play teams with a combined record of 17-10. On its surface, this seems to be a golden opportunity for the Raiders to move another game ahead of their divisional rivals. Here’s a preview of each individual game.

Jets @ Broncos: This will be an interesting matchup on Thursday night. The Jets come into the game having been tossed around like rag dolls against the Patriots, committing a ton of turnovers and generally looking awful. The Broncos, on the other hand, rode a triple-option offense to a complete destruction of Kansas City on the road. The Broncos are 3-1 with Tim Tebow as the starter and seem to be tailoring the offense to his strengths, which means they run a lot. It’s difficult to tell how well this will work against the Jets, who allegedly have a good rush defense but actually rank 15th against the run allowing 116 rush yards per game. I don’t think Tim Tebow throws more than 15 passes in this game, but I also don’t think the Broncos will be able to shred the Jets’ defense like they did the Chiefs’. Jets win by three points.

Raiders @ Vikings: The Vikings were so awful earlier in the year they benched Donovan McNabb midway through their sixth game in favor of rookie QB Christian Ponder. He hasn’t been much better, defeating only Carolina and dropping two games to Green Bay. The Vikings have not won a game in their division and their offense consists mostly of Adrian Peterson trying futilely to weave his way through eight-man fronts. The Vikings also lost Antoine Winfield to season-ending injury, although the team has been better without him in the lineup so that may not necessarily be a major loss.

The Raiders, on the other hand, are riding high after a dominant victory over the Chargers last Thursday. Carson Palmer was spectacular and Denarius Moore has turned into a serious weapon. Michael Bush has proved to be a more than adequate replacement for Darren McFadden and the offensive line is playing well. The line play is key, because the strength of Minnesota’s team is their defensive line. If the Raiders can keep Jared Allen away from Carson Palmer, the Raiders should have no trouble moving the ball with ease. However, the Raiders are not great at stopping the run, and that’s bad news against the league’s best running back. However, the total lack of a passing threat from Minnesota allows Oakland to stack the box, and Peterson’s success might come through the air as Arian Foster’s did earlier in the year.

I expect the Vikings to try to pass early and often to develop a balanced offense, but I don’t think they will be able to and I feel most of Minnesota’s drives will stall just like Cleveland’s did when they played the Raiders. Oakland will win by twelve points.

Chargers @ Bears: The Bears are currently enjoying a four-game win streak and just demolished the Lions 37-13. They intercepted Matt Stafford four times. None of this bodes well for Philip Rivers, whose offensive line was just manhandled by Oakland and is extremely thin due to rampant injuries. Chicago has an injury to Chris Williams on their offense line, but otherwise are reasonably healthy. Julius Peppers will try to do his best Kam Wimbley impression and harass Rivers all day. I strongly suspect it will work. San Diego is on a four-game skid and I don’t expect that to change this week in Chicago. Bears by nine.

Kansas City @ New England: With Matt Cassel out due to a significant hand injury, the Chiefs are left starting Tyler Palko at quarterback. That is a very bad sign against a Bill Belichick defense, even one that is the worst in the league against the pass. The Patriots are still good at rushing the passer, and I expect them to get to Palko early and often. The Chiefs don’t really have anything going for them at the moment except a decent pass rush, but Tom Brady gets rid of the ball so quickly that advantage will be quickly mitigated. New England will destroy Kansas City, who will be lucky to win another game this year. Patriots by twenty-six.

That’s all for today guys, i’ll be back to blog you tomorrow.

MINNEAPOLIS (Reuters) – Minnesota‘s governor said on Wednesday that plans for a new stadium for the Minnesota Vikings National Football League team had been thrown into “limbo” after legislative leaders spurned a special session and called for public hearings.

Governor Mark Dayton, whose budget impasse with the Republican-controlled Legislature led to a three-week state shutdown this year, said the lack of support for a session cast doubt on whether any deal could be reached over the next six months.

“We were making progress, I thought, until today,” the Democratic governor told reporters after a meeting with legislative leaders. “It just throws it all into limbo now and the clock is ticking.”

The Vikings, whose stadium lease expires early next year, allowing the team potentially to leave Minnesota after 50 years, said in a statement it was “concerned about the turn of events surrounding a stadium solution in Minnesota.”

“The Vikings stadium issue has been heavily debated in the public for over 10 years,” the team said. “With less than 90 days left on the team’s lease, the urgency to act is on us.”

The Vikings have played at the Metrodome in Minneapolis since 1982 and have not stressed relocation as a possibility.

But an NFL executive said in October it could be a concern if the Vikings’ lease expired with no new stadium plan in place and other cities providing options.

With support for a special session lacking, Dayton scrapped plans to release recommendations for a stadium funding plan on Monday and canceled meetings with the Vikings on Friday. He had planned a special session for later in November.

Senate Majority Leader Amy Koch and House Speaker Kurt Zellers, both Republicans, told reporters the consensus was to hold public hearings on stadium funding proposals.

The Vikings and officials from Ramsey County reached a deal earlier this year to build a $1.1 billion stadium at the site of a former Army munitions plant in the Minneapolis/St. Paul suburb of Arden Hills.

The funding plan called for $350 million backed by a Ramsey County sales tax increase, $300 million from the state and more than $400 million from the Vikings.

The Ramsey County funding portion hit a snag when state lawmakers refused to support an exemption to allow the sales tax increase without a public referendum, something most people believe would be rejected.

At the least, delays in adopting a funding plan would push the stadium’s opening beyond the 2015 date expected by the Vikings and increase its cost, team and state officials say.

(This version corrects to Vikings in headline)

(Editing by Jerry Norton and Peter Cooney)

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Christian Ponder(notes) of the Minnesota Vikings celebrated his first career NFL win yesterday with an impressive performance against the Carolina Panthers. Ponder was 18 of 28 passing for one touchdown and no interceptions, leading the Vikings to only their second win of the 2011 campaign.

The fact that Minnesota has looked respectable in Ponder’s first two career starts cannot be overlooked. Of course, no true Vikings fan could ever be pleased with a loss to the Packers, but for a rookie quarterback to put his team in a position to win against the reigning Super Bowl Champions, one has to have hope that his development will lead to success for the franchise in the near future. Although Carolina was certainly no football powerhouse, Cam Newton(notes) has been one of the best performing quarterbacks in the NFL this year. Ponder stepped up to the challenge in both games, and fans should take notice.

Donovan McNabb’s(notes) play through the first several games of the season left Minnesota fans looking for something more. The Vikings have the league leader in sacks in Jared Allen(notes), the league’s leading rusher in Adrian Peterson, and one of the league’s worst records at 2-6. Something didn’t quite add up, and Christian Ponder’s insertion into the starting lineup has provided fans a look at the future of the Vikings as well as hope that this year might not be totally lost just yet.

Christian Ponder is still a young kid by NFL standards; he is 23 years old and likely to stick with the Vikings as long as his performance allows. Donovan McNabb, despite being a great NFL quarterback in his prime, has now aged to where he might still be able to find success in the NFL, but only in the right schemes.

One thing is for certain: Rookie quarterbacks will make rookie mistakes. We have seen a few from Ponder, especially in his first game. But the positive thing to take away from the situation is that his second game was better. In a year where the playoffs are pretty unlikely barring a major collapse by Detroit or Green Bay and a monumental run by the Vikings, maybe improvement each week is asking for enough.

Jack Grunpe has been a lifelong Minnesota citizen, and avid fan of the Minnesota Vikings.

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What are your opinions.

To say the Minnesota Vikings have had a disappointing start to the 2011 season would be a massive understatement. After Donovan McNabb(notes) was brought in to run an offense powered largely by Adrian Peterson the last four seasons, many fans thought that the final piece had been put in place. The giant puzzle that is the Minnesota Vikings franchise had been solved with the addition of a quarterback with years of experience in a winning franchise.

It was all downhill from game one. Our beloved Vikings are now 1-6, with the lone win coming against the lowly Arizona Cardinals. There might not be much left to look forward to this year, but here are a few reasons why the Minnesota Vikings should have a decent 2012:

1) Adrian Peterson is locked down for quite a while, and doesn’t look like he’s slowing down. Despite being in his fifth NFL season, Peterson is still leading the NFL in yards gained at the running back position.

It is rare for a running back to maintain this type of edge for this long, but Peterson is truly a different type of athlete. As long as he is a Viking, fans have something to be excited for.

2) Christian Ponder(notes) looks like a better pick than we could have first imagined. That is a very good sign. Ponder is 0-1 this year, but his start against the Packers provided fans with a look at his long-range capabilities, his running skills, and his game management. Overall, I think most Vikings fans were impressed. Next year should be a breakout season for the young quarterback.

3) The Packers and Lions can’t stay this hot. Alright, Aaron Rodgers(notes) is a great quarterback, and Matthew Stafford(notes) is pretty tough too. However, both of them are having stellar years. Rodgers has proven himself the last two years, but Stafford is still young and unproven. The Packers have an aging defense that is struggling against the pass this year, and shouldn’t be much better next year barring any major pickups. The Lions are still a relatively young team, but I see their offense hitting struggles without a stronger running game.

The fact is, Vikings fans cannot let this season get them down. While the chances of making the playoffs this year are near nothing, there is always next year. And with players like Christian Ponder, Adrian Peterson, Jared Allen(notes), and Percy Harvin(notes) on the roster, we should be in for some Purple Pride once again.

Viking fans: Keep your heads up.

Jack Grunpe is a Minnesota Vikings fan who has resided in the state his entire life. Read more of Jack’s articles about the Vikings for insight into games, players, and the season!

Note: This article was written by a Yahoo! contributor. Sign up here to start publishing your own sports content.

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Sep 28, 2011 – The Minnesota Vikings come to Kansas City this weekend to visit the Chiefs in a match-up between winless teams who sit at the bottom of their respective divisions. Yet the game automatically holds good news for one of the two teams. Unless the game ends in that rarity of the NFL standings known as a tie, one team will leave Arrowhead Stadium on Sunday with their first win and satisfy, for the time being, a fan base that’s grown tired of losing ways after having higher expectations.

Certainly the Chiefs know well that they were expected to be much better than this. Injuries to Eric Berry and Jamaal Charles among other aside, the Chiefs have failed to live up to fan’s expectations in any way. A sensible fan would have at least expected the Chiefs to be competitive in the AFC West, realizing the Chargers are also very talented with the division’s best quarterback. The schedule was also clearly tougher, so that plays into things, but a 10-win team is a 10-win team.

The Vikings also had high hopes of shaking off a disastrous 6-10 season the year after making the NFC Championship game the year before. Leslie Frazier was supposed to help shake the Brad Childress era, but the Vikes are now 0-3 and have Adrian Peterson publicly complaining about his lack of carries. The team also has the most frustrating start in the NFL with three consecutive games in which they’ve blown the lead. They’re far more talented than this just like the Chiefs.

One team will leave Arrowhead with a win on Sunday and begin to put some of the frustration behind them. There’s still plenty of the regular season left despite the horrible starts thus far.

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