Vikings coach Leslie Frazier asked about what happened to his team in the second half after leading San Diego 17-7 at halftime last Sunday: “We didn’t change a whole lot of things we were doing. We wanted to be able to execute a little bit better and we didn’t always execute as well as we should have. …”
It was almost 50 years ago to the day that the Vikings played their first regular season game ever. On Sunday, September 17, 1961 the expansion Vikings surprised the blue blood Chicago Bears, 37-13. Rookie quarterback Fran Tarkenton came off the bench to throw four touchdown passes in one of the great upsets in NFL history. Attendance at Met Stadium was only 32,236. The largest home attendance of the season was 42,007 for the Green Bay game.
Gophers linebacker Brendan Beal, who has yet to play in a game because of his knee injury, was scheduled to practice yesterday.
It’s not likely Eric Decker’s favorite activity on a football field, but the former Gophers wide receiver and part-time punt returner took a punt back 90 yards for a touchdown on Monday night for Denver, his first such TD of a two year pro career. Punt returners are prime targets for tackling and collision mayhem.
Former Tennessee national championship coach Phil Fulmer will speak at the MFC (Minnesota Football Coaches) Clinic next March at the Doubletree Hotel in St. Louis Park.
The Old Timers Football Banquet will honor Jim Carter, Jerry Keenan and Tom Idstrom on September 20. The event begins at 6 p.m. in the Prom Center. More information is available by contacting Gary Gustafson, 651-777-0286.
The Wild open training camp on Saturday at Xcel Energy Center. Fans can watch scrimmages on Saturday and Sunday from 10 a.m. to 11 a.m. Fans should enter Gate 1 starting at 9:50 a.m. The scrimmages can also be seen at www.wild.com.
Official scorers are criticized for favoring the home team but what fans may not realize is they are paid by Major League Baseball, not the local franchise.