Vikings Sign Quarterback Thigpen

The Minnesota Vikings signed 7th round choice quarterback Tyler Thigpen from Coastal Carolina last week. He is the 1st player drafted from the Big South Conference and from Coastal. Thigpen was the 1st of the Vikings 8 draft choices in 2007 to sign. "It's a great relief to have the contract done and a weight off my shoulders," Thigpen said. "Playing in the NFL some day is something every kid thinks about when they first pick up a football. It's like a dream come true to actually be in the NFL now and I look forward to getting to work and helping this team."

Vikings Vixen likes Thigpen’s record and could see Thigpen as a future poster child for Minnesota Vikings football. He helped lead Coastal to the NCAA Division I-AA playoffs in 2006 and is the most decorated player in school history. He was a consensus All-America choice as a senior and finished 7th in the balloting for the Walter Payton Award, honoring the I-AA offensive player of the year. Thigpen posted a 30-8 record as a starter for the Chanticleers and led the team to a national ranking of #13 during his senior season. He ended his collegiate career with 53 touchdowns through the air and added another 13 on the ground. He passed for 6,598 yards and had a career completion mark of 55.3%. Let’s hope this young quarterback will be able to contribute to the Vikings offense soon!

Chad Greenway is Back

Word on the street is that Chad Greenway is FINALLY ready to go. Vikings Vixen has been spending more time than she should worrying about the Vikings players health and injury status. If the Vikings would just draft healthy players, I wouldn’t have to worry so much. Anyway, there is no brace on Chad Greenway's left knee and he has no pain in the surgically repaired joint and no limp left over from the months of rehab. Greenway said he is still working on strengthening the leg, but all signs point to him being 100 percent for training camp, which opens in late July. So the word is that Greenway is back on the field with his teammates and has been penciled in on the starting lineup of the Minnesota Vikings!

Last year was agonizing for Greenway and Vikings fans. Everyone was so anxious for Greenway to make his debut with the NFL team he grew up rooting for as a kid in tiny Mt. Vernon, South Dakota. After starring at Iowa, Greenway's dream came true when the Vikings picked him Number 17 overall in the 2006 draft. He signed a big contract, got married and couldn't wait for his friends and relatives to see him in action in the Metrodome, but it all ended before it really started. He was injured while busting a wedge on the kickoff against Oakland on August 14, and just like that, his season was lost. Vikings Vixen is ready to put that behind her and see Mr. Greenway run onto the field with all of the cheering that a star quarterback would get. I want to hear as many fans cheering for Greenway as cheer for Joe Mauer at a Minnesota Twins game – Greenway is almost as lovable and local as that Mauer kid, anyway.

No Surgery for Adrian Peterson

Well it looks like Vikings draft pick Adrian Peterson has been cleared for takeoff. It was announced that Peterson will not need surgery to repair a collarbone that was broken twice last season, an injury that may have caused him to slip to the seventh pick in April's NFL draft. The Vikings said Wednesday that the injury was healing fine on its own and they will not have to insert a protective plate to prevent further injury, a procedure that would have kept the former Oklahoma running back out of action for three to six months.

The team said Peterson will be ready for contact drills when training camp opens. Vikings Vixen sincerely hopes Adrian Peterson can hold up and that all of my ill feelings towards the Vikings picking a potential lame duck will be dismissed. Vikings Vixen is excited to see the new backfield formation of Peterson and Chester Taylor. Let’s hope those two can add the fuel to the burnt out offense of the Minnesota Vikings.

Is Adrian Peterson just another pretty face?

Rookie Running Back Adrian Peterson made his first stop at Minnesota Vikings camp during last weeks mini rookie camp. Vikings.com caught up with Peterson and asked him a few questions – I am posting a few questions and answers below as an opportunity for us Vikings fans to get to know our newest man.

Q: Well has it hit you that this is your first practice as a pro?
A: Yeah, it's all sinking in. Just being out here and having that purple helmet on, representing the Vikings, it's tangible. It's finally here.

Q: Is there something you can take away from this rookie mini-camp?
A: Yeah, the relationships you build with the guys and just the whole rookie class...just coming out here and working hard and competing.

Q: Does your collarbone feel okay?
A: Yeah, I felt good out there running hard and just being there, just getting it done.

Q: Have you made any progress this week on the decision surrounding your collarbone?
A: Actually I'm feeling good right now, so I'm just focused on learning my playbook, getting my playbook in and just coming out here and making guys better and working hard.

Q: Is there some point during the offseason where you will decide one way or the other to have surgery or not?
A: I'm pretty sure eventually. Like I said, right now I'm just focusing on me. Right now I'm just focusing on getting these plays in. It's something you really have to study and put time in for to get these plays and the different terminology, the language. That's really my main focus right now. I've been out here practicing. It hasn't given me any problems so I'm just going to push right ahead.

Q: Have you gotten an appreciation for the fan buzz around here?
A: Oh yeah, definitely. As soon as I got off the plane, or on the plane on the way to Dallas, Vikings fans were congratulating me and just welcoming me to Minneapolis. Like I said, I'm excited. I'm just here to try to help turn things around.

Q: Did people recognize you on the plane?
A: Oh yes, coming from Dallas, flying in.

Q: Did you wear a Vikings hat or shirt ?
A: I had a Vikings shirt on.

Q: Is this something you're prepared for, being what some may call the face of this franchise?
A: Yeah, I'm definitely prepared for it. It's on a totally different level being in the NFL, but (college) kind of helped me work my way to being able to handle it. I feel like I've been prepared well, and I'm just looking forward to the experience.


Well, I am sure Adrian Peterson could be the face of our Minnesota Viking franchise as long as he stays healthy! You can see by all the questions surrounding Peterson’s collarbone and health issues Vikings Vixen isn’t the only one who has doubts about this players’ ability to perform well, soon. Did the Vikings really need to pick up an injured player that will spend more time in rehab than on the field? I don’t think so and I hope Peterson won’t be another rookie let down because the Vikings could really use some young talent to beef up the excitement at the Metrodome. Everyone was so excited about Chad Greenway last year and then we never even saw him play – another let down due to injury would just plain suck for the Minnesota team and fans.

Vikings take Adrian Peterson in Draft

Vikings Vixen breathed a sigh of relief when the Minnesota Vikings selected Adrian Peterson in the first round of the NFL draft. Peterson, drafted 7th overall, could have been taken earlier and I was so worried that the Vikings would make a stupid move and select a Defensive back or something other than an offensive stronghold that we so desperately need. Vikings.com stated that the Vikings were decisive and savvy in their ways draft weekend, trading up to grab a coveted player, Brian Robison, and trading back to land a third-round pick in next year's draft.

I like Adrian Peterson because he has big play potential. He is very competitive and if he can stay healthy, he should be able to contribute to the Vikings offense early in his career. He is 6’2” and listed at 217 pounds and is regarded as one of the best prep running backs to ever come out of Texas. By adding Peterson to the lineup, the Minnesota Vikings have a one-two punch in the backfield. With Peterson and incumbent Chester Taylor, opposing defenses have two tough runners to worry about each week. Now I am not sure the Vikings filled a need (we did just get Taylor!) but at least they didn’t make a stupid move, either.