http://www.vikings.com/media-vault/video...a53deb0011

Great one this week BRob.  And dayum, Rashad Hill is a BIIG man.

Last season's rookie class played the fewest snaps of any team in the NFL. The Vikings have turned that around in a big way. As Mike Zimmer surveyed his rookie class on Thursday, running through the list of his first-year players at a reporter’s request, the Vikings coach could tick off players who were already key contributors, important role players or promising prospects.
“[Pat] Elflein’s pretty good. [Dalvin] Cook is good,” Zimmer said. “[Ben] Gedeon’s done good. We’ve got a lot of them, right? I think [Stacy] Coley’s going to be a player. [Rodney] Adams, he’s got a chance to be a player. [Jaleel] Johnson, he does, too.”
That’s a far cry from a year ago, when a roster decimated by injuries was still unable to ask for much from a rookie class bereft of immediate contributors. This season, in a year where the Vikings knew they were going to have a younger roster after letting some veterans go, their rookies have been more than capable of filling in the gaps.
The Vikings’ rookies have already logged 1,388 snaps on offense and defense this season, led by Elflein’s 837. The third-round pick, who figures to return from a shoulder injury on Sunday, has played 91.9 percent of the Vikings’ offensive snaps at center and could be in line for All-Rookie Team honors at the end of the season.
Cook appeared on his way to plenty of accolades, too, before tearing his ACL in Week 4. He’s got a good shot to return in 2018 as the Vikings’ featured running back. Gedeon has started seven games as the Vikings’ weak-side linebacker, and fifth-rounder Danny Isidora made a spot start at left guard on Oct. 29.
“Some of those guys you’re talking about — Elflein, Gedeon, Cook — are some of our more important guys,” Zimmer said. “I think some guys just take longer than others.”
http://www.startribune.com/from-pat-elfl...464480193/

http://profootballtalk.nbcsports.com/201...ying-time/

http://www.vikings.com/news/new-stadium/article-1/Alternative-Exit-Route-from-Vikings-Games-Remains-in-Place-Sunday/5ca75cb3-c48d-457f-8050-746f1fa1de37

Alternative Exit Route from Vikings Games Remains in Place Sunday

Fans leaving the Vikings-Bengals game this Sunday can once again expect a new option for accessing nearby freeways via local streets. At the beginning of the 4th quarter, 3rd Street, currently a westbound one-way, will become a two-way street via a contraflow lane between Park Avenue and 11th Avenue S. The reverse lane will allow fans to head east on 3rd Street before merging on to eastbound 4th Street via a crossover prior to the exits leading to I-35W and westbound I-94. Expected to remain in place until approximately one hour after the game, the contraflow lane is designed to improve traffic flow around U.S. Bank Stadium after Vikings games and major events. Because 4th Street, an eastbound one-way, is closed for security purposes prior to and during major events at U.S. Bank Stadium, fans previously have traveled north to Washington Avenue in order to access the freeways. This change provides fans, particularly those departing ramps or surface lots directly north of U.S. Bank Stadium, with quicker freeway access. This will be just the second use of the alternative post-game departure route, and the Vikings are encouraging fans to be patient.

Prevailing wisdom had been that even if Case Keenum kept playing well he was still just keeping the seat warm for Teddy Bridgewater long-term. That narrative might be changing.The Super Bowl in Minneapolis is a little over a month-and-a-half away. The Vikings are 10-3 and have at least a reasonable chance of being the first team to host a Super Bowl in their home stadium.
With that as a backdrop, the Vikings’ 2018 quarterback plans are pretty far down on the organization’s list of priorities. That said, what happens between now and the Feb. 4 Super Bowl could at least have some influence over the answer to the organization’s QB conundrum in 2018 and beyond.
Let’s play out a few “what-if?” scenarios as we try to sort out how the coming weeks might shape the Vikings’ plans. Remember: Case Keenum, Teddy Bridgewater and Sam Bradford will all be free agents in 2018:
What if Keenum keeps playing well and makes a deep playoff run?
When the Vikings were 6-2 and coming off their bye week with Bridgewater added to the active roster and Bradford headed to injured reserve, Keenum was playing good but not great. He’s ramped up his game since then, keeping Bridgewater’s return to a starting role this season — which at one point was starting to feel close to inevitable — from happening.
The assumption from most, at the very least, was that even if Keenum kept playing well he was still just keeping the seat warm for Bridgewater long-term. That narrative might be changing.
ESPN (Insider) quoted an anonymous source in a recent piece about 2018 QB situations, coming to the conclusion that the most likely outcome is that the Vikings try to sign Keenum for 2018 as their starter. The quote: “I think they will keep Keenum, … Keenum looks like he can do more, but they will use the next three to four games to evaluate him.”
If Keenum gets the Vikings into the playoffs with a first-round bye and gets them at least as far as the NFC title game while playing well, he could be the guy. If he makes the Super Bowl — and certainly if he wins it — the likelihood increases.
Keenum turns 30 in February and should hold up physically for several more years. One mitigating circumstance could be the fate of offensive coordinator Pat Shurmur. He’s been credited with some of Keenum’s success, and we’ve seen QBs struggle to adapt to new coordinators in the past both league-wide and with the Vikings (particularly Daunte Culpepper after Scott Linehan left). If Shurmur gets a head coaching job this offseason, that could change things.
What if Keenum falters but we don’t see Bridgewater this year?
My hunch then is the Vikings would go into the offseason planning to make Bridgewater their 2018 starter. They would have seen enough in practice, combined with his body of work pre-injury to feel confident enough to move in that direction. In a perfect world they might be able to keep both Bridgewater and Keenum, but both could command starting QB money and both could want a chance to be the clear-cut starter.
What if Keenum falters and the Vikings turn to Teddy this year?
Let’s say Keenum stinks against the Bengals in a loss on Sunday and Mike Zimmer decides that even though it’s late in the year he’s going to roll with Bridgewater for the final two regular-season games and the playoffs.
That would be a clear signal that the Vikings intend to try to sign Bridgewater for 2018 and beyond.
They would be rewarded if Teddy played well the rest of this year. It would make their future decision that much easier.
That said, what if Bridgewater also struggles — or worse, what if he gets reinjured?
http://www.startribune.com/can-case-keen...464432363/

With our best blocking TE (possibly) unavailable... and our best receiving TE (possibly) unavailable...
I wonder if we'll simple spread it out and run 3-4 WRs?  That would certainly be interesting- and (I think) highly effective (especially with Jet running out of the backfield).

Best to keep your head on a swivel when Bengals come to town

http://www.nfl.com/news/story/0ap3000000893206/article/john-randle-everson-griffen-reminds-me-of-myself

John Randle: Everson Griffen 'reminds me of myself'

"Everson Griffen reminds me of myself," Hall of Fame defensive lineman John Randle said, via the St. Paul Pioneer Press. "I like his style. I definitely love his energy. I love his motor. He's having so much fun out there, and he makes it look like he's having just a casual day out there on the football field."

http://profootballtalk.nbcsports.com/2017/12/15/vikings-promote-te-kyle-carter-from-practice-squad/

Vikings promote TE Kyle Carter from practice squad

He’ll take the spot of Blake Bell, who was placed on injured reserve after missing practice this week with a shoulder injury. Bell had three catches for 19 yards while seeing time in all 13 games this season.

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