Tom Pelissero‏Verified account @TomPelissero 6m6 minutes ago

https://twitter.com/TomPelissero/status/...7120169995

http://www.vikings.com/news/article-1/NO...c7b5f72a37


In a related story, Newton volunteers for CTE study...

http://profootballtalk.nbcsports.com/201...is-season/

Contract would have to be reworked...but man, get his mind right and 3t issue is solved...big time...

http://www.startribune.com/vikings-vastl...462435153/


Rushing yards weren’t coming easy for the Vikings in Atlanta after halftime. But Latavius Murray’s 12th carry — the fifth of this surgically methodical drive — backed Falcons defenders’ heels to the edge of their own end zone.
Murray exploded off his left foot, cutting once to his right into the open field between right guard Joe Berger and right tackle Rashod Hill. The 7-yard gain might have been the easiest third-and-1 conversion of Murray’s career. It was the Vikings’ eighth handoff and 13th play of the game-winning drive, which spanned 8 minutes, 11 seconds.
“It wears them down,” Murray said. “I think it takes a little life out of them. That’s huge when we can flip the field like that. Not only flip the field, but put it in for a touchdown and kill some clock.”
That’s what a top-10 running game is doing for this Vikings offense. It’s what the Vikings didn’t have at all last season.
Minnesota’s turnaround in the running game — from dead last in 2016 to sixth this season (122.8 yards per game) — is not only impressive, it’s historical.
Not since Hall of Famer Marshall Faulk was drafted by the Colts in 1994 has an NFL team gone from the league’s worst run game to the top 10.

The Carolina Panthers have some impressive rankings, but they may not be quite the challenge for the Minnesota Vikings that their raw numbers suggest.
Ron Rivera’s team enters Sunday’s matchup with the Vikings in sixth place in total yards allowed and 10th in points allowed. However, the Panthers’ numbers may be inflated by very good performances against very bad offenses.
They allowed a total of nine points to the 49ers, Bills and Bucs, But against teams with more comparable offenses to the Vikings, they were much less effective, gaving up 65 points in two games against the Saints, 30 to the Patriots and 28 to the Eagles.
Two weeks ago, Josh McCown and the New York Jets dropped 27 points and 391 yards on Carolina. The Panthers gave up several huge plays, including 30-yard and 54-yard touchdown pass.
Overall, the Panthers’ pass defense has relied entirely upon its pass rush to have success. They rank fourth in sack percentage (sacks vs. dropbacks) but have also given up 18 touchdowns to only five interceptions and an opponent quarterback rating of 94.6.
Vikings head coach Mike Zimmer said that success for the Panthers’ defense starts with the blitz and run stuffing, but the Vikings may be able to take advantage of blitzes...
http://www.1500espn.com/vikings-2/2017/1...s-defense/

Cam Newton has been one of the NFL’s better quarterbacks since starting all 16 games as a rookie out of Auburn in 2011, but it’s been rough sledding against Mike Zimmer’s Minnesota Vikings.
Newton, 28, is in many ways the prototypical NFL quarterback: 6-foot-6, 260 pounds with a strong, accurate arm and the ability to take off and make tacklers miss. In 2015, he led the Panthers to a 15-1 regular-season record and the franchise’s second Super Bowl appearance.
The Vikings, however, have kept the 2010 Heisman Trophy winner in check. Since Zimmer became the Vikings’ coach in 2014, Newton is 0-2 against Minnesota with four interceptions and 12 sacks. In a 35-21 loss last September in Charlotte, N.C., Newton was sacked eight times and intercepted thrice without throwing a touchdown.
“Well,” Panthers coach Ron Rivera said Wednesday, “different year, different group of players. So, we’ll see what happens.”
http://www.twincities.com/2017/12/06/vik...n-griffen/

The last time the Vikings went to the Super Bowl, they were led by scrambling quarterback Fran Tarkenton. Could another scrambler get them there this season?
Former Minnesota running back Chuck Foreman, who was on three Super Bowl teams in the 1970s with Tarkenton, isn’t making any predictions. But Foreman said Case Keenum does conjure up some memories of Tarkenton eluding pass rushers.
“They’re similar in a lot of ways because (Keenum) has the ability to escape a problem and make that problem into an asset,” Foreman said Wednesday. “When it comes to that, he’s got a lot of the traits that Fran had. It makes (Keenum) special.”
Keenum is 8-2 as a starter for the Vikings, who are 10-2 and in position to have the No. 1 seed in the NFC. The top seed would assure that Minnesota, with Super Bowl LII at U.S. Bank Stadium, would play all potential playoff games at home.
http://www.twincities.com/2017/12/06/vik...tarkenton/

Cornerback Captain Munnerlyn said Wednesday he turned down a deal worth millions of dollars more when he left the Vikings in free agency last spring to return to the Carolina Panthers.
Munnerlyn played three years with Minnesota after being with the Panthers from 2009-13. The Vikings and Panthers play Sunday in Charlotte, N.C.
“When you leave millions of dollars on the table, it’s definitely a tough decision,” Munnerlyn told Carolina reporters. “But at the same time, Charlotte was my home. This is a place that I wanted to be.’’
Munnerlyn wouldn’t say specifically how much Minnesota offered. He signed a four-year deal with the Panthers that could be worth as much as $21 million.
“To come back here was a no-brainer for me,’’ Munnerlyn said. “I still had my house here. This is the organization that drafted me, that gave me the opportunity to play the game I love.”
http://www.twincities.com/2017/12/06/ex-...anthers-2/

Anyone near the wildfires? Stay safe and check in when you can. Sending love and light to all of you.