Julio Jones Hires Dive Team to Locate $150K Earring Lost in Lake Lanierhttp://bleacherreport.com/articles/2723911-julio-jones-hires-dive-team-to-locate-150k-earring-lost-in-lake-lanier?utm_source=cnn.com&utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=editorial

As the Rookies and Veterans start piling into Mankato for the Last Time, Head Coach Mike Zimmer has a lot of decisions to make. Here is a quick look at whats going to be going on in Training Camp.

QB Sam Bradford is coming off an NFL record setting season for completion percentage, this time with more than 6 days before the season starting, having a full off season, OTAs, and Training Camp. Back up competition will come from Case Keenum, Taylor Heinicke, and Wes Lunt, but don't count out Teddy Bridgewater, as video of him practicing and looking pretty good is everywhere. Bradford will actually be getting some help this year with the addition of Latavius Murray and top Draft Pick, Dalvin Cook that should form a dynamic duo at RB after last season's non existence at the RB position. Depth will come from Jerick McKinnon, Bishop Sankey and C.J. Ham and Terrell Newby, Add in the signings of Riley Reiff and Mike Remmers to shore up the Tackle positions as well as high draft pick of Pat Elflein who will be battling for the starting Center job. Also the depth competition should be a real good one this season with players like T.J. Clemmings, Joe Berger, Jeremiah Sirles, Rashod Hill, Nick Easton, Willie Beavers, Aviante Collins, Reid Fragel, Zac Kerin, Freddie Tagaloa, and a guy I really like Danny Isidora. The Receiving Corp has Stefon Diggs, Adam Thielen and Kyle Rudolph all coming off career years, Laquon Treadwell looking to make the progression on non existent Rookie season and the addition of Michael Floyd who will have to serve a 4 game suspension to start the season, add in veteran Jarius Wright and competition coming from Moritz Bohringer,  Isaac Fruechte, Cayleb Jones, R.J. Shelton, and rookies Rodney Adams, Stacey Coley. Rounding off the Tight End spot are David Morgan, Rookie Bucky Hodges, with competition coming from Kyle Carter, and monster Nick Truesdell.
The Defense is coming off another great season with the Defensive Line of Everson Griffen, Brian Robison and Danielle Hunter as the go to guys off the Ends with competition coming from Stephen Weatherly, Tashawn Bower, Sam McCaskill and FA signing Datone Jones, the tackle spots are Linval Joseph, and with Shariff Floyd still injured the battle comes from a slew of Dylan Bradley,Tom Johnson, Shamar Stephen, with FA signings of Will Sutton, Chunky Clements, and draft picks of Jaleel Johnson and Ifeadi Odenigbo. Linebackers have incumbents of Eric Kendricks and Anthony Barr with the competition coming from Kentrell Brothers, Emmanual Lamur, Edmond Robinson, Shaan Washington, Eric Wilson and draft picks Ben Gedeon, and Elijah Lee. The Secondary has Xavier Rhodes starting at one CB spot with Terrance Newman expected to win the opposite side CB, Harrison Smith is one starting safety with Andrew Sendejo expected to start at the other safety spot, competition at CB comes from Trae Waynes, Mackensie Alexander, Jabari Price, Marcus Sherels, Terrell Sinkfield, Horace Richardson and Tre Roberson, Safety competition is Jayron Kearse, Anthony Harris, Antone Exum, and rookie draft pick Jack Tocho.
Special Teams has Kicker Kai Forbath and Marshall Koehn fighting for the job, Punting job is between Taylor Symmank and Ryan Quigley, long snapper is Kevin McDermott. Marcus Sherels looks to keep the Punt Returners job and the Kick Returners job is wide open.

THE Q AND A.

Will the OL be better? I say YES!!
WR will Floyd and/or Treadwell help? again I say YES
With Shariff Floyd most likely out for a long time again, who wins the the DT spot? thats a huge question mark
With Chad Greenway retiring the third LB is a crap shoot, I look for Edmond Robinson to win that spot.
With Captain Munnerlyn leaving, can Newman keep that bottle he has of Fountain of Youth full? will Waynes step up and perform as a starter? will Alexander step up and take the nickel CB role? 
Who will step up as the top backups at safety?
Special Teams just may be the biggest question marks on this team as they hit Training Camp. I think Rodney Adams takes over the KR spot for the departed Cordarelle Patterson.
The Kicker and Punter spots still scare the heck out of me... that's BAD!!!

Really glad to see Andrew Krammer join the Strib press corps...

MANKATO – The Vikings are working on a few more contract extensions, according to General Manager Rick Spielman, but Sam Bradford’s does not appear at this time to be one of them.Bradford, who passed for 3,877 yards and 20 touchdowns with five interceptions last season, is entering the final year of his contract. That timing means the Vikings are approaching a crossroads at quarterback with Bradford’s deal (and a potential franchise tag option in the back pocket) coming up alongside Teddy Bridgewater’s continued recovery.
The Vikings have not rushed to be locked in one way or another.
Bradford, 29, has said he would like to find a long-term home after playing his first seven seasons for three different teams.
He was traded to Minnesota a week before the 2016 regular-season opener and emerged efficient for a limited Vikings offense, setting the NFL completion percentage record (71.6 percent) but ranked just 18th in yards per pass.
Now he’ll again be playing for a new deal after a full offseason in the Vikings system, a familiar coordinator in Pat Shurmur and help from the front office in the additions of running backs Dalvin Cook and Latavius Murray along with left tackle Riley Reiff.

I'll be interested in seeing: who lines up at the WIL, nickel, RB1, 3rd WR, C, and 3T...won't be indicative of who the eventual starters will be, but it will interesting to see who the early leaders are...

Ahhhhh...real football

The Minnesota Vikings have 90 men on the roster, but they might still have an eye on undrafted free agents or veteran players to help bolster depth in the secondary.
Head coach Mike Zimmer suggested additions could be on the way during his Tuesday morning press conference.

“We’re probably a little thin at corner,” Zimmer said. “We probably need to keep looking for guys so that we can strengthen that position in case of injuries or something like that.”
The Vikings lost free agent Captain Munnerlyn to the Carolina Panthers this offseason. Thus far, the plan has been to replace his nickel corner position with Mackensie Alexander, but moving the former second-round pick into a starting role cuts down on depth.
zimmer-hints-vikings-seek-help-secondary

Harrison Smith PC
http://www.vikings.com/media-vault/video...a160c06a9a

Vets arrive with essentials
http://www.vikings.com/media-vault/video...2e813a7f87

Tons more at vikings.com

MANKATO — Vikings quarterback Teddy Bridgewater was placed on the Physically Unable to Perform list Wednesday after his physical, the team announced.

I will absolutely miss the "small town kitsch" of tc in Mankato...But for the future? Sounds pretty amazing:

When Minnesota Vikings fans descend on the team’s training camp next summer in Eagan, they will be greeted with large plazas for events, two small lakes and looping, landscaped walking and biking trails.
A land bridge between the lakes will have a Viking ship theme, with a boardwalk and a team hall of fame paying homage to former players with decorative paving and plaques.
Meanwhile, future plans call for a large “Skol Pavilion” for events.
The bells and whistles are found in a plan the team recently presented to Eagan city officials for areas around the team’s new headquarters and practice areas, now under construction on 40 acres of what was the former Northwest Airlines campus east of Dodd Road and south of Interstate 494.
http://www.twincities.com/2017/07/25/new...-interact/

MANKATO — Sack master Everson Griffen signed a $58 million contract extension Wednesday that secures the defensive end through 2022 while the man who negotiated the deal could get a pink slip if the Vikings face plant again.
Rick Spielman has been playing with house money since owners Zygi and Mark Wilf promoted him to general manager in 2012 and empowered the longtime personnel director to shape the 53-man roster and coaching staff in his image.
Minnesota is 0-2 in the playoffs and has missed the postseason three of the past four seasons during Spielman’s reign. Last year’s 5-0 launch death-spiraled to 8-8. There will be a reckoning in 2017.
Mike Zimmer’s fourth year commanding the Vikings sideline will define his ambiguous head coaching career and answer the central question — is this the ascending 11-win team that ground out a 2015 NFC North championship, or a snake-bitten franchise that collapsed last season under haughty expectations and biblical crises?
http://www.twincities.com/2017/07/26/bri...ng-season/

MANKATO — A day before Vikings veterans arrive to training camp, head coach Mike Zimmer took some of the blame for Trae Waynes’ lack of productivity since the team selected him in the first round in 2015.
“When he came in, he had a lot to learn,” Zimmer said Tuesday at training camp. “I probably messed him up a little bit by trying to play him at nickel some. I was giving him a little more to do with some of that. He’s not a real talkative guy, he’s pretty quiet and reserved in the things he’s done.”
Zimmer said he believes Wayne has learned a lot from teammates such as Terence Newman and Xavier Rhodes, as well as defensive backs coach Jerry Gray.
“I think he’s handled it really well,” Zimmer said. “I think this will be a big year for him, hopefully he comes in and he plays great. That’s what we’re expecting.”
http://www.twincities.com/2017/07/25/vik...struggles/