WEEK 17 - MINNESOTA VIKINGS (8-7) AT DENVER BRONCOS …prod.static.vikings.clubs.nfl.com/assets/images/...Dec. 2 DETROIT W 42-10 Dec. 9 at San Francisco W 27-7 Dec. 17 CHICAGO W 20-13

2007 PRESEASON Date Opponent Result Aug. 10 ST. LOUIS L 10-13 Aug. 17 at New York Jets W 37-20 Aug. 25 at Seattle L 13-30 Aug. 30 DALLAS W 23-14

2007 REGULAR SEASON Sept. 9 ATLANTA W 24-3 Sept. 16 at Detroit L 17-20 (OT) Sept. 23 at Kansas City L 10-13 Sept. 30 GREEN BAY L 16-23 Oct. 7 BYE Oct. 14 at Chicago W 34-31 Oct. 21 at Dallas L 14-24 Oct. 28 PHILADELPHIA L 16-23 Nov. 4 SAN DIEGO W 35-17 Nov. 11 at Green Bay L 0-34 Nov. 18 OAKLAND W 29-22 Nov. 25 at New York Giants W 41-17 Dec. 2 DETROIT W 42-10 Dec. 9 at San Francisco W 27-7 Dec. 17 CHICAGO W 20-13 Dec. 23 WASHINGTON L 21-32 Dec. 30 at Denver 3:15 p.m.

WEEKLY MEDIA SCHEDULE Monday, December 24 12:35 p.m. - Coach Childress Press Conference Tuesday, December 25 Players Day Off Wednesday, December 26 11:35 a.m. - Childress and Players Available 11:45 a.m. - 12:30 p.m. - Open Locker Room 1:30 - 3:30 p.m. - Practice* Conference Calls TBD Thursday, December 27 11:35 a.m. - Bevell, Ferraro, and Frazier Available 11:45 a.m. - 12:30 p.m. - Open Locker Room 1:30 - 3:30 p.m. - Practice* Friday, December 28 11:45 a.m. - 12:45 p.m. - Practice* 12:45 p.m. - Childress and Players Available Saturday, December 29 No Access Sunday, December 30 3:15 p.m. - Minnesota Vikings (8-7) at Denver Broncos (6-8)

* Practice is open to media through individual drills

With their playoff hopes still alive, the Minnesota Vikings (8-7) close out the 2007 regular season this weekend at the Denver Broncos (6-8) on Sunday, December 30. Kickoff is set for 3:15 p.m. (CT). This will be only the 12th time the two teams have met, with the Vikings holding the edge in the overall series 7-4. Minnesota is 3-2 when playing at Denver. In order to advance into the postseason, the Vikings need a win against the

Broncos and a Washington Redskins loss to the Dallas Cowboys.

Last weekend LB Heath Farwell set a new team record for the most onside kickoff recoveries in a season when he recovered his 2nd of the year. With the recovery, he also tied a team record for the most onside kickoff recoveries in a career.

TELEVISION: FOX (Channel 9 in Minneapolis)Play-By-Play: Sam Rosen Analysts: Tim RyanSideline Reporter: TBD

LOCAL RADIO: KFAN-AM 1130/KTLK 100.3-FMPlay-by-Play: Paul Allen Analyst: Pete BercichSideline Reporter: Greg ColemanPre-Game Show: Joe Anderson – 1:15 p.m. (CT)KFAN and KTLK serve as the fl agship stations for the 73-station, 6-state Minnesota Vikings Radio Network.

WEEK 17 - MINNESOTA VIKINGS (8-7) AT DENVER BRONCOS (6-8)Sunday, December 30, 2007 - INVESCO Field at Mile High Stadium - 3:15 p.m. (CT) - FOX

The Vikings have an all-time record (regular season and postseason) of 70-72-0 (.493) versus the AFC. Against AFC West opponents, the franchise is a combined 20-24 (.455) in the 44 games against the division. The Vikings are 6-12 (.333) against the West on the road and 3-6 (.333) against the division during the month of December. This will be the fi rst time the Vikings and Broncos have met in December.

* With 46 rushing yards, the Vikings can eclipse the 2002 team’s rushing record of 2,507 yards. Currently the Vikings have 2,462 yards on the ground. * With one rushing touchdown, RB Adrian Peterson can tie a team record for the most rushing TDs in a single season. Peterson currently has 12 TDs on the ground and the record, which is held by Chuck Foreman and Terry Allen, is 13. * With a 100-yard rusher, the 2007 Vikings can set a team record for the most individual 100-yard rushing performances in a single season with 9. Currently the team has 8 games with 100-yard rushers (Peterson 6, Taylor 2), which is tied for 1st all-time with Robert Smith’s 8 in 2000. * With an interception return for a touchdown, the Vikings can break a team record for the most INT returns for TDs in a single season. The 2007 Vikings are currently tied for 1st in team history with 6 on the year. The 1992 Vikings team also had 6 INT returns for TDs.* With 6 points, K Ryan Longwell can tie Jim Breech (1979-1992 for the 25th most points in NFL history. Currently Longwell ranks 26th all-time with 1,240 points, while Breech stands in 25th place with 1,246.

GAME SUMMARY

BROADCAST COVERAGE

WHAT TO WATCH FOR...

VIKINGS VS. THE AFC/AFC WEST

STAT OF THE WEEK

WEEK 17 -- VIKINGS AT BRONCOS -- 2

VIKINGS-BRONCOS CONNECTIONS

LOCAL CONNECTIONS

NFL CONNECTIONS

COLLEGE CONNECTIONS

VIKINGS-BRONCOS INFORMATION

- Broncos assistant defensive backs coach Ronnie Bradford played safety for the Vikings in 2002.- Vikings director of football administration Dave Blando was the Broncos director of salary cap from 1997-2000 and was a part of two Super Bowl championship teams.

- Vikings running backs coach Eric Bieniemy earned unanimous All-America honors at the University of Colorado in 1990 and fi nished 3rd that season in Heisman Trophy balloting.- Broncos head coach Mike Shanahan was the offensive coordinator at the University of Minnesota in 1979.- Broncos T Ryan Harris was born in Minneapolis and attended Cretin-Derham High School in St. Paul.- Broncos G Isaac Snell is a Pipestone, MN native and attended North Dakota State.- Broncos asst. strength and conditioning coach Dwayne Chandler was a strength and conditioning coach at the University of Minnesota from 2001-06.- Broncos G Chris Kuber and TE Chad Mustard played at the University of North Dakota.

- Vikings K Ryan Longwell, S Darren Sharper, WR Robert Ferguson, and offensive coordinator Darrell Bevell were in Green Bay with Broncos WR Javon Walker, DE Kenny Peterson, asst. head coach/defense Jim Bates, and defensive coordinator/defensive backs Bob Slowik.- Vikings DT Pat Williams and CB Antoine Winfi eld played in Buffalo with Broncos RB Travis Henry.- Henry was also a teammate of Vikings WR Bobby Wade and S Tank Williams with the Titans.- Vikings S Dwight Smith was a teammate of Broncos S John Lynch, LB Nate Webster, LB Ian Gold in Tampa Bay.- Smith was also a teammate of Broncos G Montrae Holland with the Saints in 2005.- Vikings S Tank Williams played for Tennessee when Broncos asst. head coach/quarterbacks Mike Heimerdinger was the Titans offensive coordinator.- Vikings RB Chester Taylor and Broncos WR Brandon Stokley were teammates with the Ravens.- Vikings QB Brooks Bollinger played for the Jets when Broncos asst. head coach/quarterbacks Mike Heimerdinger was New York’s offensive coordinator.- Vikings QB Kelly Holcomb and Broncos DT Alvin McKinley and TE Chad Mustard were teammates in Cleveland.- Vikings S Mike Doss and defensive coordinator Leslie Frazier were in Indianapolis with Broncos WR Brandon Stokley.- Vikings QB Brooks Bollinger was tutored by Broncos wide receivers/quarterbacks coach Jeremy Bates with the Jets in 2005.- Vikings offensive line coach Pat Morris coached on Detroit’s staff when Broncos CB Dré Bly and WR Glenn Martinez played for the Lions.- Vikings WR coach George Stewart coached in Tampa Bay when Broncos S John Lynch played for the Buccaneers.- Vikings offensive line coach Pat Morris and WR coach George Stewart coached in San Francisco when 49ers DE John Engelberger, RB Paul Smith, and LB Jamie Winborn played for the 49ers.

- Vikings Head Coach Brad Childress and Broncos Head Coach Mike Shanahan both attended Eastern Illinois and are Illinois natives. - Vikings LS Cullen Loeffl er, DE Brian Robison, and CB Cedric Griffi n played at Texas with Broncos RB Selvin Young and DE Tim Crowder.- Vikings LB E.J. Henderson and FB Jeff Dugan played at Maryland with Broncos CB Domonique Foxworth.- Vikings T Bryant McKinnie played at Miami with Broncos LB D.J. Williams.- Vikings G Steve Hutchinson and Broncos LB Ian Gold were teammates at Michigan.- Vikings S Mike Doss and Broncos DE Kenny Peterson played together at Ohio State.- Vikings RB Mewelde Moore was a teammate of Broncos QB Patrick Ramsey at Tulane.- Vikings G Anthony Herrera blocked for Broncos RB Travis Henry for a season at Tennnessee.- Vikings DT Pat Williams’ position coach at Texas A&M was Broncos defensive line coach Bill Johnson.- Vikings RB Adrian Peterson and Broncos DE Larry Birdine were teammates at Oklahoma.- Vikings S Eric Frampton played in the defensive backfi eld at Washington State with Broncos S Hamza Abdullah and CB Karl Paymah.- Vikings running backs coach Eric Bieniemy and Broncos assistant defensive backs coach Ronnie Bradford were teammates at the University of Colorado.- Bieniemy also coached on the staff at Colorado when Broncos TE Daniel Graham played there.- Vikings LB coach Fred Pagac coached at Ohio State with Broncos RB coach Bobby Turner.

HIGH SCHOOL CONNECTIONS- Vikings S Mike Doss and Broncos DE Kenny Peterson were teammates at McKinley High School in Canton, OH.

VIKINGS PERFORMANCES VS. BRONCOS

VIKINGS BIG DAYS VS. BRONCOS

VIKINGS VS. BRONCOS SERIES NOTES


2007 STATISTICAL SNAPSHOT

LAST TIME

(NFL Ranking Before Monday Night Football) Vikings Broncos 23.1 (12) Points Per Game 19.7 (18) 336.5 (13t) Total Offense Per Game 353.9 (8) 164.1 (1) Net Rushing Yards Per Game 124.1 (9) 172.3 (28) Net Passing Yards Per Game 229.8 (12) 29:31 (20) Possession Average 29:18 (23) 33.3 (30) Third Down Effi ciency 42.4 (10) 19.3 (10) Opp. Points Per Game 24.5 (30) 336.5 (19) Opp. Total Offense Per Game 336.4 (18) 70.5 (1) Opp. Net Rushing Yards Per Game 140.2 (30) 266.1 (32) Opp. Net Passing Yards Per Game 196.2 (7) +4 (10t) Turnover Ratio +0 (16t)


INDIVIDUAL LEADERS(Qualifying Players Only/Rankings Before Monday Night Football)

2007 Minnesota VikingsCategory Player Total NFC Rank NFL RankScoring Longwell 96 11 22tRushing Yds. Peterson 1,305 1 3Passing Yds. Jackson 1,736 14 27Receptions Wade 49 33t 58tReception Yds. Wade 555 36 70Interceptions Sharper/Smith 4 8t 19tFumble Rec. Greenway 4 1 1tSacks Edwards/Udeze 5.0 30t 53tPunting Avg. Kluwe 44.6 4 8Punt Ret. Avg. Wade 10.9 DNQ DNQKO Ret. Avg. Allison 28.7 1 2

2007 Denver BroncosCategory Player Total AFC Rank NFL RankScoring Elam 103 9t 17tRushing Yds. Henry 680 15 28Passing Yds. Cutler 3,096 6 12Receptions Marshall 86 8 12tReception Yds. Marshall 1,136 5 8Interceptions Bly 5 6t 9tFumble Rec. Crowder 2 10t 17tSacks Dumervil 11.0 6t 12tPunting Avg. Sauerbrun 46.8 2 5Punt Ret. Avg. Martinez 11.8 DNQ DNQKO Ret. Avg. Hall 25.2 DNQ DNQ

The last time the Vikings and Broncos met was on October 19, 2003, when Minnesota defeated Denver 28-20 at the Metrodome. Offensively the Vikings were led by QB Daunte Culpepper, who connected on 19-of-26 passes for 277 yards and 2 TDs. Ten of those completions went to WR Randy Moss, who fi nished the day with 151 yards receiving. Moss also had the play of the day when, after a 44-yard completion and as he was being brought to the ground, he lateralled the ball over his shoulder to a streaking RB Moe Williams, who snagged the ball and ran the fi nal 15 yards into the end zone, giving the Vikings a 14-7 lead at halftime. Williams also led the team on the ground as he fi nished the day with 42 yards on 14 carries. On the defensive side of the ball, the Vikings collected 5 sacks - DE Lance Johnstone notched 1.5, LB Chris Claiborne and DEs Kenny Mixon and Chuck Wiley all collected one and rookie DT Kevin Wil-liams had .5. The Vikings also intercepted Denver QB Steve Beuerlein 3 times with Johnstone, S Brian Russell, and S Corey Chavous all snagging one, with Johnstone returning his 33 yards for the touchdown. Claiborne led all Vikings with 13 tackles.

Tarvaris Jackson Has never played against the BroncosChester Taylor 2 games, 22 att., 65 yards, 3.0 avg., 14 long, 0 TDAdrian Peterson Has never played against the BroncosKevin Williams 1 game, 4 tackles, 0.5 sack, TFL, 2 QB hurriesDarren Sharper 3 games, 17 tackles, INT, 2 passes defensed

* FB Tony Richardson posted a career-high 156 rushing yards on acareer-high 23 attempts vs. Denver (12/17/00) as a member of theKansas City Chiefs.

* S Darren Sharper intercepted a Danny Kanell pass vs. Denver(12/28/03) when he played for the Green Bay Packers.

* DT Kevin Williams recorded a 0.5 sack of Steve Beuerlein andadded 4 tackles, a tackle for loss, and 2 QB hurries vs. Denver(10/19/03) as a rookie.

* S Mike Doss picked off a Jake Plummer pass vs. Denver (1/9/05)when he played for Indianapolis.

* LB Ben Leber sacked Jake Plummer and forced a fumble at Denver(11/16/03) when he played for the San Diego Chargers.

* The Vikings lead the all-time series against the Broncos with a 7-4mark.

* This will be Minnesota’s fi rst trip to Denver since 1999 and theVikings’ fi rst appearance ever at INVESCO Field at Mile High.

* Sunday’s matchup will be only the Vikings’ sixth trip to Denver in teamhistory. Minnesota has a 3-2 record in Denver.

* Seven of the 11 games played between the Vikings and Broncos havebeen decided by fi ve points or less.

* This will be Minnesota’s fi rst game against Denver during the month of December with the previous latest game in the series coming onNovember 18, 1984.

LAST WEEK Last week the the Washington Redskins snapped the Vikings 5-game winning streak as they defeated Minnesota 32-21 at the Metrodome. In the game the Vikings had 3 turnovers and no takeaways and fell behind 25-0 in the 3rd quarter. After two quick touchdowns, Minnesota had a chance to further close the gap but wound up giving up one more touchdown to the Redskins from which they could not battle back. Offensively the Vikings were held to under 100 yards rushing for the fi rst time all season, fi nishing the game with 87 yards on the ground and 299 total offensive yards. QB Tarvaris Jackson threw for 220 yards and a touchdown on 25-of-41 passing, while also rushing 8 times for 44 yards and 2 TDs. Defensively the Vikings were led by LB Chad Greenway, who fi n-ished with 11 total tackles. Fellow LBs E.J. Henderson and Ben Leber each notched a sack.

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NFL Head Coach: 2nd YearOverall NFL Experience: 10th YearCoaching Experience: 30th YearOverall NFL Record: 14-17 (.452)Regular Season: 14-17 (.452)Postseason: 0-0 (.000)Record with MIN: 14-17 (.452)Record vs. DEN: 0-0 (.000)AFC West Record: 2-1 (.666)College: Eastern Illinois (‘78)

Vikings Head Coach Brad Childress is currently in his 2nd season directing the Vikings with a nucleus intact that features stingy defense, aggressive line play on both sides of the ball and a commitment to a strong rushing attack. During his debut season in 2006 the Vikings received impressive contributions from young players and improved on what will be the core of the team for the future. The 2007 season marks Childress’ 30th in coaching and his 10th on an NFL sideline. During his previous 29 seasons at the collegiate and professional ranks, Childress has been a part of teams with winning records 17 times. He currently has a combined record of 218-173-8, including playoffs and bowl action. Solid defense is a calling-card for Childress’ team as it moves forward in the rugged NFC North. The 2006 Vikings ranked #8 in the NFL in total defense, the highest ranking since 1994 and the team ranked #1 against the run for only the 3rd time in franchise history. The 2006 Vikings featured a pair of Pro Bowlers along the defensive line with DTs Kevin Williams and Pat Williams, with Kevin Williams earning 1st-Team All-Pro honors by Associated Press. Offensively the 2006 Vikings produced the 4th-best single-season rushing performance when Chester Taylor ran for 1,216 yards and set a franchise record with 303 rushing attempts. Taylor had a pair of Pro Bowlers paving the way for him up front in C Matt Birk and G Steve Hutchinson. Childress joined the Vikings following a 7-year stint with the Philadelphia Eagles, including the last 4 as offensive coordinator. During his tenure in Philadelphia, the Eagles represented the NFC in Super Bowl XXXIX, amassed a 70-42 (.625) record in the regular season, won 4 straight NFC East titles from 2001-04, and advanced to the playoffs from 2000-04. During Childress’ time as offensive coordinator (2002-05), the Eagles posted a 43-21 record in the regular season, the most wins in the NFC over that span. Throughout his coaching career, Childress has built winners, taking losing programs at Illinois and Wisconsin and turning them into Big Ten champions and Rose Bowl teams. Before joining Philadelphia in 1999, the 1998 squad went 3-13. In two seasons the Eagles were in the playoffs and in three seasons were winning the fi rst of four straight NFC East titles.


2006-07 Minnesota Vikings Head Coach2002-05 Philadelphia Eagles Offensive Coordinator1999-01 Philadelphia Eagles Wide Receivers1991-98 Wisconsin Offensive Coordinator/QBs/RBs1990 Utah Wide Receivers1986-89 Northern Arizona Offensive Coordinator1985 Indianapolis Colts QBs/Quality Control1978-84 Illinois Running Backs/Wide Receivers


NFL Head Coach: 15th YearOverall NFL Experience: 25th YearCoaching Experience: 34th YearOverall NFL Record: 145-94 (.607)Regular Season: 137-89 (.606)Postseason: 8-5 (.615) Record with DEN: 145-94 (.607)Record vs. MIN: 1-2 (.333)Record vs. NFC North: 5-8 (.385) College: Eastern Illinois

Broncos Head Coach Mike Shanahan is currently in his 13th season as the head coach of the Denver Broncos. During the previous 12 seasons, Shanahan has guided the Broncos to two Super Bowl victories along with the most regular-season wins in the NFL during his tenure with the club. Prior to this season, Shanahan had 123 regular-season victories with Denver, which marked the 11th most by a head coach with one franchise in NFL history. Shanahan is also only one of three coaches (Paul Brown and John Madden) in the history of the NFL to have more championships than losing seasons, as he has two championships to his one losing season. Under his guidance, the Broncos have had staggering team accomplishments since 1995, including posting the most wins in pro football history in a three-year period, winning 46 from 1996-98 and winning the most postseason games in the NFL over a two-year period (7 from 1997-98). The Broncos also won back-to-back championships in Super Bowls XXXII and XXXIII. This season is also Shanahan’s 25th in the NFL, as he began his career as a wide receivers coach with the Broncos in 1984. He has spent time with the Broncos, the Los Angeles Raiders and the San Francisco 49ers.

VIKINGS VS. BRONCOS - ALL-TIMEWon 7, Lost 4; Home 4-2; Away 3-2

Year ................. Site .....................Result 1972 ................. Denver ................W 23-20 1978 ................. Minnesota ...........W 12-9 1981 ................. Denver ................L 17-19 1984 ................. Denver ................L 21-42 1987 ................. Minnesota ...........W 34-27 1990 ................. Minnesota ...........W 27-22 1991 ................. Minnesota ...........L 6-13 1993 ................. Denver ................W 26-23 1996 ................. Minnesota ...........L 17-21 1999 ................. Denver ................W 23-20 2003 ................. Minnesota ...........W 28-20

VIKINGS VS. BRONCOS ALL-TIME

1995-2007 Denver Broncos Head Coach1991-94 Denver Broncos Offensive Coordinator1989-90 Denver Broncos Quarterbacks1988-89 Los Angeles Raiders Head Coach1985-87 Denver Broncos Offensive Coordinator1984 Denver Broncos Wide Receivers1983 University of Florida Asst. Head Coach/Off. Coord. 1980-82 University of Florida Offensive Coordinator1979 University of Minnesota Offensive Coordinator1978 Eastern Illinois Offensive Coordinator1977 Northern Arizona Backfi eld Coach1975-76 University of Oklahoma Assistant Coach

“The big thing we do is we get back to our one-week framework. We put this (loss to Washington) in a box. It’s disappointing, certainly. We deal with it these couple of days. We build a game plan for the Denver Broncos and know what we need to do next week. We’re down to a one-game season.”

SHANAHAN’S COACHING BACKGROUND

SHANAHAN IN 13TH YEAR WITH BRONCOS CHILDRESS IN 2ND SEASON AT HELM

CHILDRESS’ COACHING BACKGROUND

COACH CHILDRESS ON BOUNCING BACK

AT

As Brad Childress built his Vikings’ coaching staff, he wanted coaches who were good teachers and hard workers, qualities that he found in offensive coordinator Darrell Bevell, defensive coordinator Leslie Frazier, and special teams coordinator Paul Ferraro. Bevell enters his 2nd season with the Vikings after spending the previous 6 seasons coaching on the Green Bay Packers’ staff, including the last 3 as quarterbacks coach. The 2006 Vikings were led on the ground by free agent acquisition RB Chester Taylor, who set a franchise record with 303 rushing attempts and the 4th-highest total in team history with 1,216 rushing yards. C Matt Birk earned his 5th career Pro Bowl nod while Steve Hutchinson, in his 1st season with the team, earned Pro Bowl honors for the 4th consecutive season. During Bevell’s tenure with the Packers, the team went 57-39 in regular-season play and won 3 straight NFC North titles from 2002-04. Bevell played QB for Childress at Wisconsin and led the 1993 Badger squad to the school’s 1st Big Ten title and Rose Bowl in 31 years. Frazier enters his 1st season with the Vikings after winning a Super Bowl last season as a member of the Indianapolis Colts’ staff coaching defensive backs and serving as a special assistant to Tony Dungy. He enters his 9th season as an NFL coach in 2007 and has another 11 years of collegiate coaching experience. The Colts’ defense posted 13 takeaways in the playoffs and allowed only 2 second-half TDs in the 4 postseason games. Prior to his tenure with Indianapolis, Frazier served as defensive coordinator with Cincinnati from 2003-04 where he helped the Bengals go .500 in consecutive seasons for the 1st time in 12 seasons, and as defensive backs coach for Philadelphia from 1999-2002. Frazier won a Super Bowl as a player as a member of the 1985 Chicago Bears team that won Super Bowl XX. He led the Bears in interceptions in 1983, 1984, and 1985 before his career was cut short by a severe knee injury in Super Bowl XX. Ferraro enters his 2nd season with the Vikings after spending the 2005 season with the NFC runner-up Carolina Panthers and the previous 23 seasons before that coaching at the collegiate level. In 2006, Ferraro’s special teams units generated 4 takeaways, had punt returner Mewelde Moore tie a franchise record with his 2nd career punt return TD, and had newly-acquired K Ryan Longwell make all 21 of his FG attempts under 46 yards. Vikings 2nd-year P Chris Kluwe matched a team record by landing 28 punts inside the 20-yard line on the season. In 2005 with the Panthers, Ferraro helped tutor P Jason Baker, who led the NFC and ranked 3rd in the NFL in net punting average at 38.9 and landed a career-best 20 punts inside the 20. K John Kasay’s 121 points were the 3rd-most of his career and WR Steve Smith fi nished 3rd in the NFC with a 10.6-yard punt return average.

Darrell Bevell Leslie Frazier Paul Ferraro

The Vikings will alternate game captains each week.

Game Captainsvs. Atlanta, 9/9/07 LB Heath Farwell, RB Chester Taylor, CB Antoine Winfi eld

at Detroit, 9/16/07 LB Heath Farwell, S Dwight Smith, WR Bobby Wade

at Kansas City, 9/23/07 LB E.J. Henderson, T Bryant McKinnie, S Tank Williams

vs. Green Bay, 9/30/07 TE Jim Kleinsasser, P Chris Kluwe, DE Kenechi Udeze

at Chicago, 10/14/07 G Steve Hutchinson, LB Dontarrious Thomas, DT Pat Williams

at Dallas, 10/21/07 LS Cullen Loeffl er, FB Tony Richardson, DT Kevin Williams

vs. Philadelphia, 10/28/07 C Matt Birk, CB Charles Gordon, CB Cedric Griffi n

vs. San Diego, 11/4/07 FB Jeff Dugan, S Eric Frampton, LB Ben Leber

at Green Bay, 11/11/07 LB Vinny Ciurciu, DE Ray Edwards WR Robert Ferguson

vs. Oakland, 11/18/07 K Ryan Longwell, S Darren Sharper, RB Chester Taylor

at NY Giants, 11/25/07 LB Vinny Ciurciu, LB Chad Greenway, G Anthony Herrerra

vs. Detroit, 12/2/07 T Ryan Cook, LB Heath Farwell, LB E.J. Henderson

at San Francisco, 12/9/07 S Eric Frampton, QB Tarvaris Jackson, DT Kevin Williams

vs. Chicago, 12/17/07 LB Heath Farwell, RB Chester Taylor, CB Antoine Winfi eld

vs. Washington, 12/23/07 G Steve Hutchinson, K Ryan Longwell, DT Pat Williams

at Denver, 12/30/07


VIKINGS TEAM NOTES

Vikings’ information can be accessed on the world wide web at www.vikings.com; league-wide information is at NFL.com. The Vikings’ site is one of the NFL’s most visited and is the only source for complete audio and video of Vikings press conferences, including Coach Childress’ weekly Monday press conferences during the season.

Juney Barnett (Assistant Strength and Conditioning), Eric Bieniemy (Running Backs), Brendan Daly (Defensive Assistant/Defensive Line), Karl Dunbar (Defensive Line), Ryan Ficken (Quality Control-Offense/Running Backs), Jim Hueber (Assistant Offensive Line), Jeff Imamura (Quality Control-Defense/Linebackers), Jimmie Johnson (Tight Ends), Tom Kanavy (Strength and Conditiioning), Derek Mason (Assistant Secondary), Pat Morris (Offensive Line), Brian Murphy (Assistant Special Teams), Chad O’Shea (Offensive Assistant/Wide Receivers), Fred Pagac (Linebackers), Kevin Rogers (Quarterbacks), Kevin Stefanski (Assistant to Head Coach), George Stewart (Wide Receivers), Martin Streight (Assistant Strength and Conditioning), Joe Woods (Defensive Backs)

VIKINGS ON THE WEB

COORDINATING THEIR EFFORTS VIKINGS ASSISTANT COACHES

2007 CAPTAINS

• Oldest Vikings player Tony Richardson, 36 Born 12/17/71• Youngest Vikings player Sidney Rice, 21 Born 9/1/86• Most seasons as a Viking Matt Birk 10th Vikings season• Most NFL seasons Tony Richardson 13th season in the NFL• College with the most Vikings Auburn, 3 Spencer Johnson, Tony Richardson, Dontarrious Thomas Texas, 3 Cedric Griffi n, Cullen Loeffl er, Brian Robison• Conference with the most Vikings Big 12 9 players on ‘07 roster• Largest Viking Bryant McKinnie, T Stands 6-8 and weighs 335 pounds• Smallest Viking Antoine Winfi eld, CB Stands 5-9 and weighs 180 pounds• Former 1st-round draft picks 8 Chad Greenway, Steve Hutchinson, Bryant McKinnie,

Adrian Peterson, Kenechi Udeze, Kevin Williams, Troy Williamson, Antoine Winfi eld• Former Pro Bowlers 6 Matt Birk, Steve Hutchinson, Tony Richardson, Darren Sharper, Kevin Williams, Pat Williams• Coaches who played in the NFL 5 Eric Bieniemy, Karl Dunbar, Leslie Frazier, Jimmie Johnson, Fred Pagac

The Vikings used fi ve picks on defense and three on offense in the 2007 NFL Draft. The selection of Oklahoma running back Adrian Peterson in the 1st round with the 7th pick made him the fi rst running back that the Vikings have picked in the top 10 of the draft since Darrin Nelson was selected with the 7th overall pick in 1982. The Vikings’ draft class on Day 1 also included 2nd-round WR Sidney Rice and 3rd-round CB Marcus McCauley.

Round 11. Adrian Peterson (7), RB, Oklahoma (13 games, 9 starts) Rushing: 227-1305-12 TD; Receiving: 19-268-1 TD; Kickoff Returns: 13-324Round 22. Sidney Rice (44), WR, South Carolina (13 games, 4 starts) Receiving: 31-396-4 TD; Passing: 2-2-94 Round 33. Marcus McCauley (72), CB, Fresno State (15 games, 8 starts) 58 tackles (50 solo), 10 passes defensedRound 44. Brian Robison (102), DE, Texas (15 games, 4 starts) 24 tackles (16 solo), 4.5 sacks, 4 tackles for a loss, 14 QB hurriesRound 55. Aundrae Allison (146), WR, East Carolina (9 games, 0 starts) Receiving: 7-113; Kickoff Returns: 20-574-1 TD, 28.7 avg., 104t longRound 66. Rufus Alexander (176), LB, Oklahoma (Vikings Injured Reserve)Round 77. Tyler Thigpen (217), QB, Coastal Carolina (Kansas City Chiefs Active Roster)8. Chandler Williams (233), WR, Florida International (Miami Dolphins Practice Squad)

In the offseason the Vikings added several players in free agency that are making contributions in 2007. The Vikings’ free agent class is highlighted by TE Visanthe Shiancoe (N.Y. Giants), LB Vinny Ciurciu (Carolina), S Mike Doss (Indianapolis) and WR Bobby Wade (Tennessee). Wade currently has 49 catches for 555 yards and a TD; Shiancoe has added 27 receptions for 323 yards and 1 TD, while Ciurciu has 15 special teams tackles.


VIKINGS TEAM NOTES

2007 NFL DRAFT

FREE AGENTS

VIKINGS FACTS AND FIGURES

WEEK 17 -- BRONCOS AT VIKINGS -- 7

Despite missing 2 games earlier this season with a knee injury, Vikings 1st-round draft pick RB Adrian Peterson currently ranks 3rd in the NFL with 1,305 rushing yards. He is just 11 yards shy of the leader, Pittsburgh RB Wil-lie Parker (1,316), who has 94 more carries than Peterson. Peterson’s 5.7-yard average also tops the 2007 league list and ranks as the highest average in Vikings’ history, while his 12 rush-ing TDs rank tied for 2nd in the NFL.

In Week 9 vs. San Diego, Peterson set an NFL record for the most rushing yards in a single game when he broke loose for 296 yards on the ground against the Chargers. He also tied a team record with his 3 rushing TDs, only the 11th time it had happened in team history, with the last time coming at Chicago earlier this season as Peterson rushed for 224 yards and 3 TDs. Peterson exploded on to the NFL scene in the 2007 opener against Atlanta when he rushed 19 times for 103 yards and turned a screen play into a 60-yard touchdown. With the 103 rushing yards, Peterson set a new team record for the most yards rushing in the fi rst NFL game. He also became only the 3rd Vikings player to gain 100 yards rushing in his fi rst game as a Viking. 2007 NFL Rushing Leaders 1) Willie Parker, Pit ........................... 1,316 (320 attempts)2) LaDainian Tomlinson, SD ............. 1,311 (280 attempts)3) Adrian Peterson, Min ................. 1,305 (227 attempts)

2007 NFL Rushing Leaders (avg. per game)1) Adrian Peterson, Min ................. 100.42) LaDainian Tomlinson, SD ............. 93.6

2007 NFL Rushing Leaders (yards per carry)1) Adrian Peterson, Min ................. 5.72) Selvin Young, Den ........................ 5.63) Fred Taylor, Jac ............................ 5.44) Chester Taylor, Min .................... 5.2

2007 NFL Scrimmage Yardage Leaders1) Brian Westbrook, Phi .................... 2,0052) LaDainian Tomlinson .................... 1,7723) Adrian Peterson, Min ................. 1,573

2007 NFL Rushing Touchdowns1) LaDainian Tomlinson, SD ............. 142t) Adrian Peterson, Min ................ 122t) Joseph Addai, Ind ........................ 12

2007 NFL Touchdowns1) Randy Moss, NE .......................... 21 (21 receiving)2) LaDainian Tomlinson, SD ............. 16 (14 rushing, 2 receiving)3t) Joseph Addai, Ind ........................ 15 (12 rushing, 3 receiving)3t) Braylon Edwards, Cle .................. 15 (15 receiving)3t) Terrell Owens, Dal ....................... 15 (15 receiving)6) Adrian Peterson, Min ................. 13 (12 rushing, 1 receiving)

RB Adrian Peterson has already broken/tied numerous NFL and team records in only 13 games as a Viking and is pushing to break sev-eral more. In Week 9 vs. San Diego, Peterson broke the NFL record for the most rushing yards in a single game when he rushed for 296 yards and 3 scores against the Chargers. That performance shattered his previous record-setting feat three weeks earlier at Chicago when he broke the Vikings record for rushing yards in a single game with 224; the previous record was held by Chuck Foreman (200). Peterson also tied a team record vs. San Diego and at Chicago with his 3 rushing TDs in each game, only the 10th and 11th times it has happened in Vikings’ history. He also set a Vikings record as the fi rst player to have 2 runs of 50+ in a game when he rushed for a 73-yard TD and a 62-yard TD at Chicago.

Rushing Yards In A Single Game - NFL 1) Adrian Peterson, vs. San Diego, 11/4/07 .........................2962) Jamal Lewis, Bal. vs. Cleveland, 9/14/03 ............................2953) Corey Dillon, Cin. vs. Denver, 10/22/00 ..............................2784) Walter Payton, Chi. vs. Minnesota, 11/20/77.......................275

Rushing Yards In A Single Game - Vikings1) Adrian Peterson, vs. San Diego, 11/4/07 .........................2962) Adrian Peterson, at Chicago, 10/14/07 ............................2243) Chuck Foreman, at Philadelphia, 10/24/76 .........................200

Rookie Rushing Yards In A Game - NFL1) Adrian Peterson .......296 ...........Minnesota vs. San Diego, 20072) Mike Anderson...........251 ...........Denver vs. New Orleans, 20003) Corey Dillon ...............246 ...........Cincinnati vs. Tennessee, 19974) Jim Brown..................237 ...........Cleveland vs. LA Rams, 19575) Clinton Portis .............228 ...........Denver vs. Arizona, 20026) Adrian Peterson .......224 ...........Minnesota at Chicago, 2007

Rushing Yards In A Single Half - Vikings1) Adrian Peterson, vs. San Diego, 11/4/07 (2) ....................2532) Chuck Foreman, vs. Philadelphia, 10/24/76 (2) ..................1453) Robert Smith, vs. St. Louis, 9/13/98 (1) ..............................121

Combined Net Yards In A Game - NFL1) Glyn Milburn ............... 404 ........... Denver vs. Seattle, 19952) Billy Cannon ............... 373 ........... Houston vs. NY Titans, 19613) Adrian Peterson ........ 361 ........... Minnesota at Chicago, 2007

Combined Net Yards In A Game (rush./rec./return) - Vikings1) Adrian Peterson, at Chicago, 10/14/07 ............................3612) Adrian Peterson, vs. San Diego, 11/4/07 .........................3153) Darrin Nelson, vs. Green Bay, 11/13/83 ..............................278

Single-Season Rushing Yards - Vikings1) Robert Smith, 2000 .....................1,5212) Adrian Peterson, 2007 ...............1,3053) Michael Bennett, 2002.................1,2964) Robert Smith, 1997 .....................1,2665) Chester Taylor, 2006 ..................1,2166) Terry Allen, 1992 ..........................1,201

Single-Season Rushing Touchdowns - Vikings1t) Terry Allen, 1992 .........................131t) Chuck Foreman, 1976 ................131t) Chuck Foreman, 1975 ................134) Adrian Peterson, 2007 .................12

Single Season Rushing Average - Vikings1) Adrian Peterson, 2007 ...... 5.72) Robert Smith, 1997 ............ 5.53) Robert Smith, 2000 ............ 5.2

Most Rushing Yards In First Season On The Team - Vikings1) Adrian Peterson, 2007 ............... 1,3052) Chester Taylor, 2006 .................. 1,216

The following is a list of awards RB Adrian Peterson has earned during his fi rst 11 games in the NFL (missed Weeks 11-12 due to injury):

NFL Rookie of the Month (2) - September and OctoberSports Illustrated’s Midseason All-Pro TeamPro Football Weekly’s 2007 Midseason All-Pro TeamNFC Offensive Player of the Week (2) - at Chicago and vs. San DiegoFed Ex Ground Player of the Week (2) - at Chicago and vs. San DiegoDiet Pepsi NFL Rookie of the Week (2) - at Chicago and vs. San Diego

VIKINGS OFFENSIVE TEAM NOTES

EARNING THE ACCOLADES

LEAGUE LEADER RUSHING INTO THE RECORD BOOKS


RB Adrian Peterson was honored as the NFL Offensive Rookie of the Month for both September and October, making him the fi rst rookie in the NFL to win the award in back-to-back months since Giants TE Jeremy Shockey and Colts DE Dwight Freeney earned the honor in November and December of 2002. Peterson is also only the 4th Vikings player to win the award and the 1st offensive player since 1998 to be selected for the award. Peterson’s month of October included his performance at Chicago (10/14/07) when he set a new team rushing record with 224 yards on the ground, had 361 combined yards (224 rushing, 9 receiving, 128 kickoff returns), tied a team record with 3 rushing TDs and became the fi rst Vi-kings player with 2 rushes of 50+ yards in a game. He fi nished the month with 357 yards rushing on 52 carries (6.9 avg.) and 4 TDs. Peterson’s record-breaking debut month in September included an NFC-best 383 rushing yards and NFC-leading 549 yards from scrimmage. During that time, Peterson matched a Vikings’ record for most 100-yard rushing games by a rookie with 3, the same total Chuck Foreman had in 1973 en route to being named NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year. In September, Peterson averaged 137.2 yards per game from scrimmage with 549 combined rushing and receiving yards.

Vikings All-Time NFL Rookies Of The Month 1997 .......Dwayne Rudd, LB ..............Defense ............December1998 .......Randy Moss, WR ...............Offense .............November2003 .......Kevin Williams, DT .............Defense ............December2007 .......Adrian Peterson, RB ........Offense ............September2007 .......Adrian Peterson, RB ........Offense ............October

Fewest Games Needed To Reach 1,000 Rushing Yards - Vikings1) Adrian Peterson, 2007 ............................... 82) Robert Smith, 2000 ..................................... 103t) 12 times, last Chester Taylor, 2006 ............ 12

Most 200-Yard Games Rushing In Rookie Season - NFL1) Adrian Peterson, 2007, Min ..................... 22t) Clinton Portis, 2002, Den .......................... 12t) Mike Anderson, 2000, Den ........................ 12t) Corey Dillon, 1997, Cin ............................. 12t) Jerome Bettis, 1993, LA Rams .................. 12t) Bo Jackson, 1987, L Raiders .................... 12t) Greg Bell, 1984, Buf .................................. 12t) Curt Warner, 1983, Sea ............................. 12t) Terry Miller, 1978, Buf ................................ 12t) Tony Dorsett, 1977, Dal ............................. 12t) Jim Brown, 1957, Cle ................................ 12t) Tom Wilson, 1956, LA Rams ..................... 1

Most 200-Yard Rushing Games In A Season - NFL1) Earl Campbell, 1980, Hou ................................... 42t) O.J. Simpson, 1973, Buf .................................... 32t) Tiki Barber, 2005, NYG....................................... 34t) 16 times, last Adrian Peterson, 2007, Min ...... 2

Longest Runs By A Rookie - Vikings1) Adrian Peterson ................73t .......... at Chicago, 10/14/072) Adrian Peterson ................67t .......... at Chicago, 10/14/073) Adrian Peterson ................64t .......... vs. San Diego, 11/4/074) Adrian Peterson ................55 ........... vs. Green Bay, 9/30/07

Rookie Combined Touchdowns - Vikings1) Randy Moss ..............17 (17 receiving) ...................... 19982) Adrian Peterson .......13 (12 rushing, 1 receiving) .. 20073) Sammy White ............10 (10 receiving) ...................... 1976

Rushing Yards on Touchdown Runs In A Single Season - Vikings1) Adrian Peterson, 2007 (10) ...................................... 3552) Robert Smith, 1998 (6) .............................................. 244

Most 100-Yard Games As a Rookie - Vikings1) Adrian Peterson ................. 62) Chuck Foreman ................... 3

Consecutive 100-Yard Rushing Games - VikingsRobert Smith, 2000.................. 5Michael Bennett, 2002 ............. 4Adrian Peterson, 2007 ........... 3Chuck Foreman, 1975 ............. 3

Rookie Rushing Yards In a Single Season - Vikings1) Adrian Peterson, 2007 ...............1,3052) Chuck Foreman, 1973 .................8013) Alfred Anderson, 1984 .................773

Rookie Rushing Touchdowns - Vikings1) Adrian Peterson, 2007 ...............122t) Onterrio Smith, 2003 ..................52t) D.J. Dozier, 1987 ........................52t) Fran Tarkenton, 1961 .................5

50+ Yard Rushes In A Single Season - Vikings1) Adrian Peterson, 2007 ...............42t) Michael Bennett, 2002................32t) Robert Smith, 1997, ‘98, 2000....3

Fewest Games Needed to Reach 1,000 Scrimmage Yards - Vikings1) Chuck Foreman, 1976 .................72t) Adrian Peterson, 2007 .............82t) Ted Brown, 1981 ........................8

50+ Yard Plays In A Season - Vikings1t) Adrian Peterson, 2007 ............7 (4 run, 1 pass, 2 return)1t) Gene Washington, 1969 .............7 (7 pass)

Most Yards In First NFL Game - Vikings1) 103 - Adrian Peterson vs. Atlanta, 9/9/072) 57 - D.J. Dozier vs. Detroit, 9/13/873) 47 - Onterrio Smith vs. Chicago, 9/14/03

100-Yard Rushers In First Game As A Viking1) Herschel Walker vs. Green Bay, 148, 10/15/892) Leroy Hoard vs. Oakland, 108, 11/17/963) Adrian Peterson vs. Atlanta, 103, 9/9/07

Combined Net Yards In A Single Season - Vikings1) Herschel Walker, 1990 2,0512) Adrian Peterson, 2007 1,8973) Michael Bennett, 2002 1,296


RECORDS CONTINUED... RECORDS CONTINUED...

ROOKIE OF THE MONTH(S)

A TRIO OF TOUCHDOWNS RB Adrian Peterson and former RB Chuck Foreman are the only running backs in team history to rush for 3 TDs in single games twice during their Vikings careers. The 2007 Vikings are also the fi rst team in history to ever have a running back rush for 3 TDs in a single game more than once in a season. This year the Vikings have done it 3 times.

2007 Vikings 3-Rushing TD PerformancesAdrian Peterson ......at Chicago, 10/14/07Adrian Peterson ......vs. San Diego, 11/4/07Chester Taylor ........vs. Oakland, 11/18/07

AT

The Vikings’ 378-yard rushing performance against the Chargers in Week 9 is the NFL’s 2nd highest rushing total in a single game since the merger in 1970. The highest mark is held by Cincinnati, when they ran for 407 yards vs. Denver on October 22, 2000.



The Vikings rushing attack currently ranks #1 in the NFL, averaging 164.1 yards per game. The team has gained 2,462 yards on 467 car-ries, an average of 5.3 yards per carry, which also tops the league list. The team has a league-high 22 rushing TDs. RBs Adrian Peterson and Chester Taylor rank #1 and #4 in the NFL respectively for average yards per carry, with Peterson averaging 5.7 and Taylor 5.2. Minnesota also has 3 of the top 9 NFL individual rushing performances of the year.

NFL All-Time Yards-Per-Carry AverageTeam, Year Att. Yards Avg. YPG1t) Cleveland Browns, 1963 ......460 ......... 2,639 ........5.7.......... 188.51t) San Francisco 49ers, 1954 ..442 ......... 2,498 ........5.7.......... 208.23) San Diego Chargers, 1963 ....396 ......... 2,203 ........5.6.......... 157.44) Detroit Lions, 1997 ................447 ......... 2,464 ........5.5.......... 154.05) Minnesota Vikings, 2007 .....467 ......... 2,462 ........5.3.......... 164.1

2007 NFL Single-Game Rushing296..................Adrian Peterson vs. San Diego, 11/4/07224..................Adrian Peterson at Chicago, 10/14/07216..................Jamal Lewis (Clev.) vs. Cincinnati, 9/16/07198..................LaDainian Tomlinson (SD) vs. Oakland, 10/14/07196..................Clinton Portis (Wash.) at New York Jets, 11/4/07179..................Justin Fargas (Oak.) at Miami, 9/30/07177..................LaDainian Tomlinson (SD) vs. Kansas City, 12/2/07175..................Chris Brown (Tenn.) at Jacksonville, 9/9/07164..................Chester Taylor vs. Oakland, 11/18/07

The Vikings are a combined 14-2 when one of their current running backs rushes for 100 yards.

Adrian Peterson - 6 games - 4-2 record296..................vs. San Diego, 11/4/07 W224..................at Chicago, 10/14/07 W116 ..................vs. Detroit, 12/2/07 W112 ..................vs. Green Bay, 9/20/07 L103..................vs. Atlanta, 9/9/07 W102..................at Kansas City, 9/23/07 L

Chester Taylor - 6 games - 6-0 record169..................at Seattle, 10/22/06 W164..................vs. Oakland, 11/18/07 W136..................vs. Arizona, 11/26/06 W123..................vs. Detroit, 10/8/06 W113 ..................vs. Carolina, 9/17/06 W101..................at San Francisco, 12/9/07 W

Mewelde Moore - 4 games - 4-0 record138..................vs. Tennessee, 10/24/04 W122..................at Green Bay, 11/21/05 W109..................at New Orleans, 10/17/04 W101..................vs. New Orleans, 9/25/05 W

OFFENSIVE EXPLOSION According to Stats, Inc., the Vikings offense is currently 4th in the league in explosive plays (10+ yards) with 201 (82 rush, 119 pass). The team has also scored 18 touchdowns on plays of 10+ yards, which ranks 10th in the NFL. On the ground, the Vikings rushing offense leads the league with 82 rushes of 10+ yards. The team also has 18 rushes of 20+ yards, which leads the league and 5 rushes of 50+ yards, which ranks 2nd.

2007 Plays of 10+ Yards1) Dallas .................228 (45 rush, 183 pass)2) Cleveland ...........212 (52 rush, 160 pass)3) New England ......208 (40 rush, 168 pass)4) Minnesota ..........201 (82 rush, 119 pass)

2007 Rushing Plays of 10+ YardsTeam 10+ Yard Runs Avg. Distance Per 10+ Yard Run1) Minnesota ................. 82 ......................................19.32) Jacksonville ............... 67 ......................................19.5

2007 Rushing Plays of 20+ YardsTeam 20+ Yard Runs Avg. Distance Per 20+ Yard Run1) Minnesota ................. 18 .......................................41.62) Philadelphia ............... 17 .......................................26.2

2007 Rushing Plays of 50+ YardsTeam 50+ Yard Runs Avg. Distance Per 50+ Yard Run1t) Minnesota ................ 5 ........................................68.61t) Jacksonville ............... 5 ........................................63.0

The rushing tandem of Adrian Peterson and Chester Taylor ranks as the best in team history in terms of yardage. Currently the two have rushed for a combined 2,066 yards, which surpasses Robert Smith and Daunte Culpepper’s 1,991 yards on the ground in 2000. Peterson and Taylor also currently rank #1 and #4 in the league with rushing aver-ages of 5.7 and 5.2 respectively.

Most Rushing Yards By A Tandem - Vikings2,066........... 2007: Adrian Peterson-1,305; Chester Taylor-7611,991........... 2000: Robert Smith-1,521; Daunte Culpepper-470

Returning from a knee injury that sidelined him for 2 weeks, RB Adrian Peterson continues to climb the ranks of the best rookie running backs in NFL history. He currently has 1,305 rushing yards and is 144 yards shy of breaking into the top 10 all-time among rookies.

Most Rushing Yards By A Rookie - NFL1) Eric Dickerson, 1983 ................... 1,8082) George Rogers, 1981 ................... 1,6743) Ottis Anderson, 1979 ................... 1,6054) Edgerrin James, 1999 .................. 1,5535) Clinton Portis, 2002 ...................... 1,5086) Mike Anderson, 2000.................... 1,4877) Curtis Martin, 1995 ....................... 1,4878) Barry Sanders, 1989 .................... 1,4709) Earl Campbell, 1978 ..................... 1,45010) Curt Warner, 1983 ...................... 1,449

VIKINGS RANK 2ND

TOP ROOKIE RUSHERS

WHAT A RUSH

RUSHING YARDS BY A TANDEM

WINNING ON THE GROUND

2007 VIKINGS ON THE MOVEVikings Single Season Rushing Yards1) 2,507 ..................20022) 2,462 ..................20073) 2,343 ..................2003

Vikings Single Season Rushing Touchdowns1) 26 .......................20022t) 22 ......................20072t) 22 ......................1988

Vikings Single Season Rushing Average1t) 5.3 .....................20071t) 5.3 .....................2002

RICE IS NICE Rookie WR Sidney Rice is currently tied for 2nd among rookie wide receivers with 4 touch-down receptions. Rice has 31 catches for 396 yards and 4 TDs, including a 60-yarder and a 40-yarder, on the season. He is averaging 12.8 yards per catch. Rice has also thrown 2 passes for 94 yards and a TD this year, giving him a passer rating of 118.8.

2007 NFL Rookie Receiving TDs1) Dwayne Bowe, Kansas City .......52t) Sidney Rice, Minnesota ..........42t) Calvin Johnson, Detroit .............44) Matt Spaeth, Pittsburgh ..............3

Since returning from a concussion suffered in Week 9, QB Tarvaris Jackson has complet-ed 104-of-143 passes (72.7%) for 1,136 yards and 5 TDs in the past 6 games. He has aver-aged 189.3 passing yards per game since his return, and he has also rushed for 2 scores. Jackson fi nished the Oakland game 17-of-22 for 171 yards. The following week at New York he completed 10-of-12 passes for 129 yards and a TD, a 60-yard strike to WR Sidney Rice. Against Detroit he played his career-best game when he connected on 18-of-24 passes for 204 yards and 2 TDs. It was the fi rst time he’s thrown 2 TDs in a game, and his 110.4 QB rating was a career high. At San Francisco in Week 14, Jackson completed 16-of-25 passes for 163 yards and a score. Two weeks ago vs. Chicago he connected on 18-of-29 passes for 249 yards and last week he went 25-of-41 for 220 yards and a TD. Jackson is 8-3 as a starter in 2007 and 7-2 in his past 9 starts with wins over 2006 playoff teams Chicago (twice), San Diego and the N.Y. Giants.

With WR Robert Ferguson’s 71-yard catch in Week 15 against Chi-cago, the 2007 Vikings tied a team record for the most 50+ yard plays in a season. This year’s team currently shares the record with the 1998 squad with 19 plays of 50+ yards.

Most 50+ Yard Plays In A Single Season - Vikings2007........ 19 ...........6 KOR, 6 passes, 5 runs, 2 INTs1998........ 19 ...........9 passes, 4 runs, 2 FRs, 2 INTs, 1 KOR, 1 PR



100-YARD RUSHERS IN A SEASONThe 2007 Vikings rank tied for 1st in team history with the most 100-yard individual rushing performances in a single season.

8................ 2007 (Adrian Peterson-6, Chester Taylor-2)8................ 2000 (Robert Smith-8)6................ 2002 (Michael Bennett-5, Moe Williams-1)6................ 1997 (Robert Smith-6)

RUSHING AS A TEAMThe Vikings have 4 of the top 15 NFL team-rushing performances on the 2007 season, including the #1 and #2 outputs. The team’s 378-yard rushing total against San Diego (11/4/07) is currently the best on the year, while the 311-yard performance at Chicago (10/14/07) ranks 2nd. The Vikings 228 yards on the ground vs. Oakland (11/18/07) stands as the 7th-best rushing total this year, and the team’s 216 yards against Detroit ranks 15th.

ACTION JACKSON

GOING LONG

TAYLOR MADE RB Chester Taylor, who rushed for 1,216 yards and 6 TDs on 303 carries in 2006, has gained 761 yards on 147 carries (5.2 avg.) and rushed for 7 TDs this season. He has rushed for over 100 yards twice, including his 169-yard, 3-TD performance vs. Oakland in Week 11, which ranks as the 9th-best individual rushing performance in the league this year. His 3 rushing TDs in that game tied a team record for the most rushing touchdowns in a single game. In Week 14 at San Francisco, Taylor rushed for 101 yards and one TD, an 84-yard scamper that ranks as the 3rd-longest rush in Vikings history. Taylor now has 2 of the top 3 longest runs in team history as his 95-yard run at Seattle in 2006 ranks as the Vikings’ longest run.

Longest Rushes In Vikings History1) 95t ...Chester Taylor at Sea. (10/22/06)2) 85t ...Michael Bennett at TB (11/3/02)3) 84t ...Chester Taylor at San Fran. (12/9/07)

ON THE OFFENSIVEAfter scoring 166 total points over the fi rst 9 games of the season, the Vikings have tallied 180 points over the last 6 games, 5 of which the Vi-kings have won. The Vikings have outscored opponents 180-101 over the 6-game stretch after being outscored 166-188 in the fi rst 9 games. The team is averaging 30.0 points per game in the last 6 weeks, which ranks 3rd to only the Jacksonville Jaguars and the 14-0 New England Patriots over the 6-week span. Total Points From 11/18/07 to 12/17/07 - NFL1) Jacksonville Jaguars .......... 200 (33.3 avg.) 2) New England Patriots ......... 196 (32.7 avg.) 3) Minnesota Vikings ............ 180 (30.0 avg.)4) San Diego Chargers ........... 147 (29.4 avg.)

2007 AWARDSBelow is a list of the numerous awards members of the Vikings have won throughout the 2007 season:

Pro BowlOffense DefenseC Matt Birk S Darren SharperG Steve Hutchinson DT Kevin WilliamsRB Adrian Peterson DT Pat WilliamsFB Tony RIchardson

WR Aundrae AllisonNFC Special Teams Player of the Week - vs. Detroit (12/2/07)

RB Adrian PetersonNFL Rookie of the Month - SeptemberNFL Rookie of the Month - OctoberSports Illustrated’s Midseason All-Pro TeamPro Football Weekly’s 2007 Midseason All-Pro TeamNFC Offensive Player of the Week - at Chicago (10/14/07)NFC Offensive Player of the Week - vs. San Diego (11/4/07)Fed Ex Ground Player of the Week - at Chicago (10/14/07)Fed Ex Ground Player of the Week - vs. San Diego (11/4/07)Diet Pepsi NFL Rookie of the Week - at Chicago (10/14/07)Diet Pepsi NFL Rookie of the Week - vs. San Diego (11/4/07)

S Dwight SmithNFC Defensive Player of the Week - at N.Y. Giants (11/25/07)

DT Kevin WilliamsPro Football Weekly’s 2007 Midseason All-Pro Team

The Vikings defense ranks 8th in the league with 31 takeaways in the fi rst 15 games of the regular season, including 8 that have gone for touchdowns. In the opening weekend, DT Kevin Williams had his fi rst career interception return for a touchdown when he snagged a Joey Harrington pass and rumbled 54 yards for the score. CB Antoine Win-fi eld capped the Vikings scoring with a 14-yard INT return for a TD in the fourth quarter. At Detroit, DE Ray Edwards scored his fi rst career TD when he returned a fumble 9 yards to tie the game at 17. At Dallas, CB Cedric Griffi n returned a fumble 28 yards for the 4th defensive TD of the season, and in Week 12 at New York, the Vikings set a team record with 3 INT returns for touchdowns. LB Chad Greenway, S Darren Sharper and S Dwight Smith all took back passes from Eli Manning for scores. In Week 14 at San Francisco, Williams notched his 2nd TD of the season when he brought back an INT 18 yards for the Vikings opening score. The team has scored 13 defensive touchdowns (9 INTs, 4 FRs) in the past 28 games, a total that leads the league over the 2006-07 seasons. The team also has 36 interceptions since the season opener in 2006, which is tied for 6th in the NFL behind leader San Diego’s 43.

2007 NFL Takeaways1) San Diego...........................412) Indianapolis ........................353t) Cincinnati...........................343t) Detroit ................................343t) Seattle ...............................346t) Tampa Bay ........................336t) Tennessee .........................338) Minnesota ..........................31

NFL Defensive Touchdowns (2006-07)Minnesota Vikings ................ 13 (9 INTs, 4 FRs)Green Bay Packers ................ 8 (5 INTs, 3 FRs)

Vikings Defensive Touchdowns (2006-07)Game Playvs. Chicago, 9/24/06 ............... Antoine Winfi eld 7 INT returnvs. Detroit, 10/8/06 ................. Ben Leber FR in end zonevs. Detroit, 10/8/06 ................. E.J. Henderson 45 INT returnat Seattle, 10/22/06 ................ Kevin Williams FR in end zoneat Green Bay, 12/21/06 ........... Fred Smoot 47 INT returnvs. Atlanta, 9/9/07 ................... Kevin Williams 54 INT returnvs. Atlanta, 9/9/07 ................... Antoine Winfi eld 14 INT returnat Detroit, 9/16/07 ................... Ray Edwards 9 FR returnat Dallas, 10/21/07.................. Cedric Griffi n 28 FR returnat NY Giants, 11/25/07 ........... Darren Sharper 20 INT returnat NY Giants, 11/25/07 ........... Dwight Smith 93 INT returnat NY Giants, 11/25/07 ........... Chad Greenway 37 INT returnat San Francisco, 12/9/07....... Kevin Williams 18 INT returnSCORING ON DEFENSE

With their 8th defensive touchdown in Week 14 at San Francisco, the 2007 Vikings tied a team record for the most defensive scores in a single season. The team now ranks #1 along with the 1992 squad. The Vikings also tied a team record for the most defensive points scored in a season with 50 (8 touchdowns, 1 safety). DT Kevin Williams and CB Antoine Winfi eld are tied for 3rd in the NFL over the past 2 seasons (2006-07) with 2 interception returns for TDs.

NFL INT Return TDs 2006-071t) Jason Taylor ...................... 31t) Ronde Barber .................... 33t) Kevin Williams ................. 2 3t) Antoine Winfi eld ............. 23t) London Fletcher ................ 23t) Vincent Fuller .................... 23t) Thomas Howard ................ 23t) Chris McAlister .................. 2

Vikings LB Chad Greenway is tied for 1st in the league with 4 fumble recoveries while S Dwight Smith and S Darren Sharper rank tied for 19th with 4 interceptions apiece on the season.

Former 2006 1st-round pick LB Chad Greenway anxiously awaited the 2007 season opener after missing the entire 2006 season because of a knee injury suffered during the preseason. His excitement has been obvious on the fi eld, as he ranks 2nd on the team with 120 tackles (81 solo). He is also tied for the league lead with 4 fumble recoveries and has forced 3 fumbles. In Week 12 at New York, Greenway scored his fi rst career TD when he returned an interception 37 yards for the score, capping off the Vikings record-setting day with 3 INT returns for TDs. In the season opener vs. Atlanta, Greenway tied for the team lead with 10 stops; since then he has led the team with 14 tackles at Kansas City, 13 tackles at San Francisco and 11 tackles vs. Washington.

NFL Defensive Fumble Recoveries1t) Chad Greenway, Min ....................... 41t) Jovan Haye, TB ................................. 4

VIKINGS DEFENSIVE TEAM NOTES


RETURN TO SENDERWith 3 interceptions returned for touchdowns against the Giants in Week 12, the Vikings set a team record for the most INTs returned for a TD in a single game. The previous record was 2, which has happened 6 times in team history. The 2007 team is currently tied for the most INTs returned for scores in a single season (6).

Most INT Returns For Touchdowns In A Single Game - NFL1) 4 ......... Seattle ....................vs. Kansas City, 11/4/842t) 3 ........ Minnesota .............at NY Giants, 11/25/072t) 3 ........ Tampa Bay .............vs. New Orleans, 12/11/772t) 3 ........ Cincinnati ...............vs. Houston, 12/17/722t) 3 ........ Houston .................vs. San Diego, 12/19/712t) 3 ........ Buffalo ....................vs. NY Jets, 9/29/682t) 3 ........ Baltimore ................vs. Pittsburgh, 9/29/682t) 3 ........ Philadelphia ...........vs. Pittsburgh, 12/12/652t) 3 ........ Cleveland ...............vs. Chicago, 12/11/602t) 3 ........ Baltimore ................vs. Green Bay, 11/5/50

Most Vikings With INT Returns For Touchdowns - Single Season2007............5 ............. Kevin Williams (2), Chad Greenway, Darren Sharper, Dwight Smith, Antoine Winfi eld1992............5 ............. Audray McMillian (2), Jack Del Rio, Chris Doleman, Carlos Jenkins, Todd Scott

When S Dwight Smith notched 2 interceptions against the Giants, in-cluding one he returned 93 yards for the touchdown, he etched his name into the Vikings record books in 2 categories:

Vikings Longest Interception ReturnsReggie Rutland ..............97t ...................... vs. LA Rams, 12/15/91Walker Lee Ashley .........94t ...................... vs. Chicago, 12/19/888Dwight Smith ................93t ...................... at NY Giants, 11/25/07Darren Sharper ............92t ...................... at NY Giants, 11/13/05

Vikings Single-Game Interception Return YardsDarren Sharper ............123 ..................... at NY GIants, 11/13/05Dwight Smith ................112 ...................... at NY Giants, 11/25/07

SMITH MOVES INTO VIKINGS RECORD BOOKS

TAKEAWAY LEADERS

TAKING IT AWAY

GREENWAY TACKLES THE NFL

The Vikings have collected 37 sacks thus far in the 2007 season, which ranks tied for 7th in the NFL. The team doubled its opening month sack total from 2006 (6) by notching 12 in September. Currently DEs Ray Edwards and Kenechi Udeze lead the squad with 5.0 sacks apiece on the season. Rookie DE Brian Robison and LB E.J. Henderson are right behind them with 4.5 each In the 2007 season opener, the Vikings collected 6 sacks against the Falcons. Robison led the team with 2 sacks for -10 yards. LB E.J. Henderson, DT Spencer Johnson, Udeze and DT Kevin Williams all added one.

NFL Team Sacks1) New York Giants ................. 522) New England ...................... 463t) Dallas ................................ 433t) Seattle ............................... 435t) Chicago ............................. 385t) Tennessee ......................... 387t) Minnesota ........................ 357t) Philadelphia ....................... 35

NFL Sacks By Rookies1) Gaines Adams, Tampa Bay .................................6.02) Amobi Okoye, Houston........................................5.53) Brian Robison, Minnesota ................................4.5

In the Vikings 47-year history, the team has returned 78 interceptions for touchdowns; 9 of those INT returns have come in the past 2 seasons under Coach Childress and his staff. The Vikings 3 INT returns for scores against the Giants is a team record for the most in a single game and ranks tied for 2nd in NFL history for the most in a single game.

PICKS, PICKS, PICKS

LB E.J. Henderson currently leads the team with 138 tackles (107 solo) through 15 games. He has also notched 4.5 sacks, 4 passes defensed, 13 tackles for a loss, 2 fumble recoveries, 1 forced fumble and 19 quarterback hurries. Over the past 3 seasons (2004-2006), Hen-derson has led the team in tackles twice. In 2004 he led the squad with 125 stops and in 2005 he fi nished 2nd with 102 stops. Last year his 142 tackles were a career-high and once again led the Vikings.

SHARPER IMAGE In Week 12, S Darren Sharper returned an interception 20 yards for a touchdown against the Giants. With the return, Sharper tied a Vi-kings team record for the most interception re-turns for a touchdown with 3. It was also his 2nd INT return for a score in the past 2 games vs. the Giants, with his other, a 92-yarder, coming in 2005. In Week 15 vs. Chicago, Sharper notched his 17th INT as a Viking and surpassed 1,000

career return yards, when he returned the ball 41 yards. He now has 1,024 return yards, which ranks 8th in NFL history. Sharper currently leads all active players with the most interceptions (53) as well as the most combined takeaways (58). His 53 INTs are tied with Deion Sanders for 21st all-time.

Interceptions By Active NFL Players1) Darren Sharper ................. 532) Ty Law ................................ 51

Combined Takeaways By Active NFL Players1) Darren Sharper ................. 58 (53 INTs, 5 FRs)2) Ty Law ................................ 56 (51 INTs, 5 FRs)

NFL Career Interception Return TDs1) Rod Woodson ..................... 122t) Ken Houston...................... 92t) Deion Sanders................... 92t) Aeneas Williams ................ 95t) Darren Sharper ................ 85t) Eric Allen ........................... 8

Vikings Career Interception Return TDs1t) Darren Sharper (S) .......... 3 .....................2005-071t) Jimmy Hitchcock (CB) ....... 3 .....................1998-991t) Dewayne Washington (CB) 3 .....................1994-971t) Audray McMillian (CB) ....... 3 .....................1989-931t) Joey Browner (S)............... 3 .....................1983-911t) Bobby Bryant (CB) ............ 3 .....................1967-801t) Ed Sharockman (CB) ........ 3 .....................1962-721t) Rip Hawkins (LB)............... 3 .....................1961-65

A CAREER FIRST For the fi rst time in his career, LB Ben Leber notched both a sack and an interception in the same game at Chicago (10/14/07). Both were fi rsts for Leber in 2007 as well. Against Dallas in Week 7, Leber recovered a fumble that he returned 10 yards before pitching it to CB Cedric Griffi n, who returned it the fi nal 28 yards for a touchdown.

MAN IN THE MIDDLE

VIKINGS DEFENSIVE TEAM NOTES

In Week 14 at San Francisco, DT Kevin Williams scored his 4th career TD on an 18-yard INT return, moving him into a 1st-place tie for the most career defensive touchdowns (INTs and FRs) in Vikings history. The interception was also William’s 2nd on the season, which ties a team record for the most in a season by a defensive lineman, and his 4th ca-reer pick, which is a team record for the most in a career by a defensive lineman.

Williams’ NFL TDsvs. Jacksonville, 11/28/04 ....................... 77 fumble returnat Seattle, 10/22/06 ................................ 0 fumble returnvs. Atlanta, 9/9/07 ................................... 54 INT returnat San Francisco, 12/9/07....................... 18 INT return

Most Career Defensive Touchdowns (INT-FR) - Vikings1t) Kevin Williams, 2003-07 (2-2) ..................41t) Orlando Thomas, 1995-01 (2-2) .................41t) Dewayne Washington, 1994-97 (3-1) .........41t) Joey Browner, 1983-91 (3-1) ......................41t) Bobby Bryant, 1968-80 (3-1) ......................41t) Paul Krause, 1968-79 (2-2) ........................41t) Ed Sharockman, 1962-72 (3-1) ..................4

Most Career Interceptions By A Defensive Lineman - Vikings1) Kevin Williams, 2003-07 ........... 42) Chris Doleman, 1987-93, 99 ...... 33t) 4 Players ................................... 2

Most Single Season INTs By A Defensive Lineman - Vikings1t) Kevin Williams, 2007 ....... 21t) Tim Newton, 1985 ............. 2

WILLIAMS WRITES HISTORY


KNACK FOR SACKS

ON THE DEFENSIVEOver the past 6 games, the Vikings defense has given up an average of 16.8 points per game. Teams have averaged only 61.7 rushing yards per game during that stretch with only the Washington Redskins rushing for 100 yards.

Vikings 3rd-year P Chris Kluwe has left opponents inside their own 20-yard line 32 times through the fi rst 15 games this year, which ranks 2nd in the NFL and is a Vikings single-season record. In the season opener against Atlanta, Kluwe tied a team record as he pinned the Falcons inside the 20-yard line on each of his 5 punts. Punting 5 times for 190 yards (38.0 avg), Kluwe gave the Falcons start-ing fi eld position at their own 11, 10, 3, 19 and

12 yard lines. Leaving opponents inside the 20 is familiar territory for Kluwe, as he tied a team record in 2006 for the most punts inside the 20 with 28. That total surpassed his total of 17 from the 2005 season and ranked 2nd in the NFC. Kluwe also tied the team record in 2006 for the most 50+ yard punts in a season with 22. This year Kluwe also broke a single game team record at Detroit when he punted 4 times for 230 yards, a gross average of 57.5 yards per punt. The previous record was held by Mitch Berger (55.8 yards per punt). Kluwe, whose farthest punt against the Chiefs sailed 70 yards, now has 2 of the top 3 gross punting performances in team history. He is currently ranked 9th in the league with a gross punting average of 44.8 yards per punt. Kluwe also broke his previous single-season shared record with Mitch Berger of punts over 50 yards (22) and now has 28 kicks of 50+ yards. Kluwe signed a 6-year contract extension on October 25.

Vikings Single Game Gross Punting AverageChris Kluwe, at Det., 9/16/07 ................ 57.5 (4 punts - 230 yards)Mitch Berger, vs. Cin., 11/15/98 .............. 55.8 (4 punts - 223 yards)Chris Kluwe, vs. TB, 9/11/05 ................ 54.3 (4 punts - 217 yards)

Most 50+ Yard Punts In A Single Season1) Chris Kluwe, 2007............................. 282t) Chris Kluwe, 2006 ........................... 222t) Mitch Berger, 2000 ............................ 22


VIKINGS DEFENSIVE/SPECIAL TEAM NOTES

The Vikings currently rank 4th in the league with an average of 24.5 yards per kickoff return, returning 56 kicks for 1,373 yards, with a long of 104t. The 24.5 average also ranks as the highest in team his-tory. WR Aundrae Allison has returned 20 kickoffs for 574 yards (28.7 avg.), including a team record 104-yard return for a touchdown against Detroit. Allison is the only player in team history to have 3 60+ yard kickoff returns in the same season. WR Troy Williamson has also taken back 17 kickoffs for 387 yards (22.8 avg.) and RB Adrian Peter-son has brought back 13 for 324 yards (24.9 avg.).

Vikings Kickoff Return Average In A Single Season1) 2007 ...........................24.52) 1970 ...........................24.0

The Vikings currently have the #1 rush defense in the NFL, surrending an average of 70.5 yards per game on the ground. In Week 7, the Dallas Cowboys were the fi rst team in 2007 to gain 100 rushing yards against Min-nesota as well as the fi rst team to score a rushing TD. Washington is the only other team to gain 100 yards rushing, while the longest individual rush allowed has been for 30 yards. Against the Packers in Week 4 the Vikings allowed only 46 rush-ing yards. At Kansas City they held Larry Johnson to 42 yards on

24 carries and gave up only 50 rushing yards total, and vs. San Diego in Week 9 they held LaDainian Tomlinson to 40 yards on 16 carries and in Week 13 vs. Detroit the Vikings held the Lions to 23 yards rushing. Last season the Vikings fi nished with the #1-ranked rush defense in the NFL, giving up 61.6 yards per game. Minnesota posted the two best marks in franchise history for rushing yards allowed with -3 at Detroit (12/10/06) and 7 at Miami (11/19/06), breaking the previous record of 12 yards allowed vs. San Francisco on 12/14/69. The Vikings’ record for fewest rushing yards allowed in a 16-game season was 1,090 yards in 1994, the last time the Vikings ranked #1 in NFL rushing defense. The Vikings allowed 985 yards (61.6 yards per game) on the ground. Since the 1969 AFL-NFL merger only the 2000 Baltimore Ravens have held opponents to under 1,000 rushing yards for the season when the Super Bowl champions held teams to 970 yards.

When the Vikings returned 3 interceptions for touchdowns in Week 12 against the Giants, they extended a small piece of team history. Over the team’s 47-year history, only 7 times have the Vikings returned 2 or more interceptions for touchdowns in the same game. In each of those 7 games, the Vikings were victorious.

Game Players with INTs for TDs Result at Green Bay, 10/29/1972 .......................................Wally Hilgenberg and Paul Krause ........................................... W 27-13 vs. New Orleans, 12/4/1988 ....................................Carl Lee and Jesse Solomon .................................................... W 45-3 vs. Detroit, 10/8/1989 ..............................................Issiac Holt and Mike Merriweather ........................................... W 24-17 at Chicago, 11/2/1992 .............................................Jack Del Rio and Carlos Jenkins .............................................. W 38-10 vs. Detroit Lions, 11/23/2003 ...................................Corey Chavous and Brian Williams .......................................... W 24-14 vs. Atlanta Falcons, 9/9/2007 ..................................Kevin Williams and Antoine Winfi eld ......................................... W 24-3 at New York Giants, 11/25/2007 ..............................Chad Greenway, Darren Sharper, Dwight Smith ...................... W 41-17

NOWHERE TO RUN

PICKS FOR SIX

PINNING THEM DEEP

RETURN MEN

POINTS OFF TAKEAWAYS The Vikings have scored 96 points off takeaways this season, which ranks tied for 7th in the league. Fifty-six of those points came directly on the takeaway, while the remaining 40 came from the Vikings offense following opponents’ turnovers. Minnesota is 4-2 this season when scoring on defense and 3-1 when notching 3+ takeaways in a game.

Points Off Takeaways - NFL1) Arizona ............................... 1132) Indianapolis ........................ 1123t) San Diego.......................... 1083t) Tampa Bay ........................ 1085) Detroit ................................. 1076) New York Giants ................. 1027t) Minnesota ........................ 967t) New England ..................... 96

Vikings 2007 Record by Takeaways0 Takeaways 1 Takeaway 2 Takeaways 3+ Takeaways 0-3 2-1 3-2 3-1

The Vikings kickoff coverage units are holding opposing teams to 22.2 yards per kickoff return this season, which ranks 12th in the NFL. Opponents’ average starting fi eld position following Vikings’ kick-offs is just beyond the 26-yard line (26.5), which also ranks 12th.

WHEN THE GAME IS ON THE LINE At Chicago (10/14/07), K Ryan Longwell connected on a game-winning 55-yard fi eld goal as time expired. It was the fi rst 55-yarder of Lon-gwell’s career at any level, and his fi rst 50-yarder as a Viking. The game-winner was also the 12th Longwell has kicked in his outstanding 11-year career. Longwell has made 29-of-29 fi eld goals from inside 45 yards in his Vikings career. His only misses are from 46+ yards.

Longwell’s Game WinnersDate .............Game ...........................FG ...........Time ........... Final12/27/98........at Detroit .......................50 ............9:49 ............ 16-139/17/00..........Philadelphia ..................38 ............0:03 ............ 6-310/15/00........San Francisco ..............35 ............0:54 ............ 31-2812/24/00........Tampa Bay ...................22 ............6:31 OT ...... 17-1411/14/04 ........Minnesota .....................33 ............0:00 ............ 34-3111/21/04 ........@ Houston ...................46 ............0:00 ............ 16-1312/12/04........Detroit ...........................23 ............0:02 ............ 16-1312/24/04........@ Minnesota ...............29 ............0:00 ............ 34-3112/11/05 ........Detroit ...........................28 ............5:17 OT ...... 16-139/11/06 ..........@ Washington ..............31 ............1:00 ............ 19-169/17/06..........Carolina ........................19 ............7:25 OT ...... 16-1310/14/07........@ Chicago ....................55 ............0:00 ............ 34-31

This season the Vikings have recovered 2 onside kicks. In Week 8 the Vikings recovered an attempt in the 1st quarter against the Eagles, which marked the 56th onside attempt in team history and the 13th re-covered by the Vikings. It was also the team’s fi rst successful 1st quarter kick in 3 attempts. In Week 15 vs. Washington, the Vikings recovered their 2nd onside of the season and the 14th in team history (57th at-tempt) Both onside kickoffs were recovered by LB Heath Farwell, who now holds the team record for the most recoveries in a single season. K Ryan Longwell also ranks 2nd in team history for the most successful onside kickoffs in a career with 3.

Most Onside Kickoff Recoveries In A Single Season - Vikings1) Heath Farwell, 2007 .......... 22) 11 players ........................... 1

Most Onside Kickoff Recoveries In A Career - Vikings1t) Heath Farwell (2005-07) .................. 21t) Terry LeCount (1979-84, 1987) ......... 23t) 10 players .......................................... 1

Most Successful Onside Kickoffs In A Career - Vikings1) Fred Cox (1963-77; 12 attempts) ................52) Ryan Longwell (2006-07; 7 attempts) ......33) Rick Danmeier (1978-83; 7 attempts) .........2


VIKINGS SPECIAL TEAMS NOTES

Since coming into the league as an undrafted free agent in 2005, LB Heath Farwell has found his niche as a special teams standout. Accord-ing to Stats, Inc., Farwell currently leads the league in total special teams tackles (59) in the 3 years he’s been in the NFL. This season he is leading the Vikings with 30 special teams stops. In Week 12 at New York, Farwell set a Vikings record when he recorded 7 special teams tackles.

Farwell has also recovered 2 onside kicks this season, setting a team record for the most onside recoveries in a single season and tying a team record for the most in a career. In Week 8 against the Eagles, Farwell recovered the Vikings 1st quarter onside kick, which was the 13th successful onside in team history and the team’s fi rst successful attempt in the 1st quarter and against Washington in Week 16, Farwell recovered his 2nd and the Vikings 14th successful onside kick, Last season, Farwell led the team with 25 special teams stops and was voted Special Teams MVP. This season he has been named a cap-tain 4 times - vs. Atlanta, at Detroit, vs. Detroit and vs. Chicago.

Player Tackles Games Played1) Heath Farwell .................... 57 ........................... 382) Brendon Ayanbadejo .......... 57 ........................... 47(According to Stats, Inc. - Stats Taken From Game Play-by-Plays)

Most Special Teams Tackles In A Single Game - Vikings1) Heath Farwell, at N.Y. Giants, 11/25/07 ............7 2) Wymon Henderson, vs. Detroit, 11/6/88 ..............6

RB Mewelde Moore, who led the Vikings last year with 36 punt returns for 365 yards (10.1 avg), had his fi rst opportunity to return punts in Week 9 vs. San Diego and fi nished the game with 4 returns for 59 yards (14.8 avg.). Moore has returned 10 punts on the season for 109 yards (10.9 avg.).

K Ryan Longwell is currently in 24th place all-time with 269 made fi eld goals. He needs 3 to tie 23rd-place Pete Stoyanovich’s 272.

LONGWELL RANKS 26TH IN ALL-TIME SCORING K Ryan Longwell currently ranks 26th in all-time scoring in NFL history with 1,240 points. To break into the top 25, Longwell needs 6 points to tie Jim Breech’s (1979-1992) 1,246. Since entering the league in 1997, Longwell ranks 4th in total scoring.

COVERING KICKSLONGWELL’S 269 IS 24TH IN NFL HISTORY

SPECIAL TEAMS STANDOUT

RECOVERING THE ONSIDE

ALLISON WONDERLAND In Week 13 against Detroit, WR Aundrae Al-lison returned a kickoff 104 yards for a touch-down and set a new team record for both the longest kickoff return and the longest play in Vikings history. He also set a team record for the highest kickoff return average in team histo-ry, as he averaged 47.7 yards on his 3 returns. Allison now has 20 kickoff returns for 574 yards (28.7 avg.). He is the only player in team history to have 3 60+ yard kickoff returns in the

same season. Offensively, Allison has added 7 catches for 113 yards, an average of 16.1 yards per catch.

Longest Kickoff Return in Vikings History1) Aundrae Allison, vs. Detroit, 12/2/07 .............104t2) Lance Rentzel, vs. Baltimore, 11/14/65 .............101t3) Eddie Payton, vs. Oakland, 9/14/81 ..................99t

Longest Play In Vikings History1) Aundrae Allison, vs. Detroit, 12/2/07 ............. 104t (kickoff return)2) Lance Rentzel, vs. Baltimore, 11/14/65 ............. 101t (kickoff return)3) Eddie Payton, vs. Oakland, 9/14/81 .................. 99t (kickoff return)4) Charlie West, vs. Washington, 11/3/68 .............. 98t (punt return)5) Reggie Rutland, vs. L.A. Rams, 12/15/91 ......... 97t (INT return)

GIVE ME MOORE


VIKINGS LEADERS IN THE NFLWhere Vikings Rank among the NFC leaders (TOP 10)

Week 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17Allison, Kickoff Return Avg. (28.7) NR NR 1 NR NR NR NR NR NR NR NR NR NR NR NR 1Greenway, Fumble Recoveries (4) NR NR 5T 1T 1T 1T 1T 2T 1T 1T 1 1 1 1 1T 1TKluwe, Punting Average (44.6) NR 2 3 7 8 7 7 4 5 4 4 5 6 6 5 4Kluwe, Net Punting (36.8) 9 6T 3 9 8 NR NR NR NR 9 10 NR NR NR NR 10Peterson, Rushing Yards (1,305) 2 5 5 1 3 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1Peterson, Total Yards Scrimm. (1,573) 1 2 2 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 2 2 2 2 2 2Peterson, Scoring, Non-kickers (78) 4T NR NR NR NR 3T 2T 2T 1 1T 2T 3T 2T 3T 2 2Peterson, Rushing TDs (12) NR NR NR NR NR 1T 1T 1T 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1Sharper, Interceptions (4) NR 1T 2T 2T 2T 4T 5T 6T 10T NR NR 10T NR NR 7T 8TSmith, Interceptions (4) NR 4T 6T 10T NR 4T 5T 6T 10T NR NR 3T 5T 6T 7T 8T

Where Vikings Rank among the NFL leaders (TOP 10)

Week 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17Allison, Kickoff Return Avg. (28.7) NR NR 1 NR NR NR NR NR NR NR NR NR NR NR NR 2Greenway, Fumble Recoveries (4) NR NR 6T 1T 1T 1T 2T 4T 1T 1T 1 1 1 1 1T 1TKluwe, Punting Average (44.6) NR 3 4 10 NR NR NR 9 10 8 8 9 10 10 9 8Peterson, Rushing Yards (1,305) 6 NR 10T 5 9 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 2 1 3Peterson, Total Yards Scrimm. (1,573) 4 6 4 3 7 2 2 2 1 1 2 2 3 3 3 3Peterson, Scoring, Non-kickers (78) 6T NR NR NR NR 8T 6T 7T 3T 4T 7T 8T 5T 7T 5T 6Peterson, Rushing TDs (12) NR NR NR NR NR 3T 2T 3T 1 1T 2T 3T 2 3 2 2T

Where Vikings Rank Offensively and Defensively (NFC)

Week 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17Overall Offense 7 11 14 12 8 4 10 11 7 9 6 9 6 6 5 7Rushing Offense 5T 4 5 3 2 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1Passing Offense 12 13 14 14 14 15 15 15 15 15 15 15 15 15 15 14Points Scored 5 6 12 11 12 7T 11 9 7 10 10T 8 4 4 5T 6Overall Defense 6 10 3T 9 10 14 15 15 14 16 16 15 13 13 11 10Rushing Defense 8 2 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1Passing Defense 5T 13 10 15 16 16 16 16 16 16 16 16 16 16 16 16Points Allowed 1 1 1 3 2 6 7 5 4 8 6 6 4 4 4 4Turnover Ratio 1T 4T 6T 5T 5T 2T 2 2 3T 4 7T 2T 4 3 3 3T

Where Vikings Rank Offensively and Defensively (NFL)

Week 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17Overall Offense 15 22 26 24 20 12 23 23 14 16 13 16 12 13 11T 13TRushing Offense 9T 10 10 9 8 1 1 2 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1Passing Offense 24 25 28 27 27 28 30 30 30 31 31 31 31 31 30 28Points Scored 9 12T 25 24 24 16T 22 19T 14T 20 19T 16 10 10T 11T 12Overall Defense 12 20 11T 18 18 25 26 27 22 29 28 27 24 25 20 19Rushing Defense 14 6 3 1 1 2 4 3 2 3 1 1 1 1 1 1Passing Defense 11T 25 20 29 30 32 32 32 31 32 32 32 32 32 32 32Points Allowed 1T 3 4 6 5T 13 14 14 10 17 13 13 10 8 8 10Turnover Ratio 6T 8T 12T 10T 10T 4T 4 6 7T 9T 13T 6T 8 6 6T 10T

NR-Not ranked in top 10

Done Prior to Monday Night Football

“YOU MADE THE TEAM” COMMUNITY TOUR The Vikings “You Made The Team” community tour, which is designed to connect with Vikings fans, community partners and local leaders while providing an update on the excitement of the Vikings’ 2007 football sea-son, made its fi nal stop on Tuesday, December 4, in St. Cloud. The trip included WR Bobby Wade, former punter and current Vikings Radio sideline reporter Greg Coleman and other Vikings personnel who fi rst led a school assembly at South Junior High followed by a luncheon at the Radisson with the St. Cloud Rotary Club. Kicking off in Mankato during training camp, the tour had made ad-ditional stops in Willmar, Red Wing, Rochester, Fergus Falls and Grand Rapids. Visits included an assembly at an elementary/junior high school to encourage children to be physically active followed by a luncheon with community and business leaders to talk about the Vikings passion for giving back as well as to give an insider’s view on the 2007 season. Appearances included RB Mewelde Moore, Vikings Owner/Chairman Zygi Wilf, Owner/President Mark Wilf, former Vi-kings Bob Lurtsema and Pete Bercich and Vikings play-by-play announcer Paul Allen. Vikings Cheer-leaders, Viktor the Viking, and American Heart As-sociation representatives also took part in the tour.

The Vikings introduced a new team mascot at the opening of their fi rst preseason game against the St. Louis Rams. “Viktor the Viking,” a costumed character that represents the signature Vikings Norseman logo, will provide added entertainment to the Vikings game day experi-ence and will also represent the Vikings at a number of community, char-ity and youth events throughout Minnesota and the Upper Midwest. “Viktor the Viking will be a great addition to the al-ready strong tradition of the Minnesota Vikings,” said Joe Juranitch, who portrays Rag-nar. “I look forward to work-ing with him and providing Vikings fans with an excit-ing game day experience.”

TM

VIKINGS ON THE AIR

Outside of Winter Park, several Vikings players dedicate a signifi cant amount of free time operating their own entrepreneurial ventures.

* Matt Birk opened Matty B’s, a supper club in native St. Paul in the spring of 2006, and Matty B’s Urban Bar and Grill in Minneapolis in the fall of 2006.

* Vinny Ciurciu started a sportswear company, Anger Sports, with his brother that specializes in workout and casual clothes.

* Bobby Wade owns a visual marketing company, Free Mind, that spe-cializes in promotional items.

* Pat Williams owns an automobile detailing company, Automotive Con-cepts, in the Twin Cities.

On September 24, the Vikings Children’s Fund (VCF) Board of Direc-tors approved the distribution of $325,000 to children and family-related causes throughout the state of Minnesota and the upper midwest. Of that amount, the VCF contributed $170,000 to the University of Minne-sota Department of Pediatrics. These funds, distributed annually, were raised through the VCF via fundraising events and programs like the VCF Golf Tournament, the Artic Blast snowmobile rally and the Ride for Life motorcycle ride. The Vikings Children’s Fund was established in 1978 and has since raised over $7.65 million to give back to those in need. In total, the VCF has donated more than $4.4 million to support the University of Minnesota Department of Pediatrics, which boasts highly-skilled pediatricians and excels in breakthrough research.

VIKINGS CHILDREN’S FUND APPROVES GRANT

Catch the Vikings every Saturday from 6:00-7:00 p.m. on back-to-back FSN North shows - Vikings GamePlan and Vikings Week-ly. Vikings GamePlan offers an in-depth look at the upcoming opponent. Hosted by Vikings’ play-by-play announcer Paul Allen, the show lets fans watch and listen to Head Coach Brad

Childress and assistant coaches discuss the week’s matchup and the state of the 2007 Vikings. Vikings Weekly is a 30-minute segment that gives fans an oppor-tunity to see their favorite athletes off the fi eld in a more personal set-ting. Players allow host Ann Carroll and crew to follow them outside of Winter Park to get a glimpse of their hobbies, their families, and other parts of their lives that fans otherwise wouldn’t know.


VIKINGS EXTRA POINTS

BUSINESS VENTURES

VIKINGS INTRODUCE NEW MASCOT

BIRK NAMED MAN OF THE YEAR For the 6th consecutive year, C Matt Birk was named the “Vikings Man of the Year” for his efforts in the Minneapolis community. Since start-ing his own HIKE foundation in 2002, Birk has raised over $450,000 for interactive programming and education assistance. He is also the team spokesperson for United Way and has taken part in countless school and hospital visits and generously supports his teammates’ community initiatives as well.

ALOHA VIKINGSThe 2008 Pro Bowl team was announced last Tuesday and 7 members of the Vikings squad have been selected to represent Minnesota in the annual all-star game. Offensively, rookie RB Adrian Peterson will make his 1st trip, while C Matt Birk, G Steve Hutchinson, and FB Tony Rich-ardson will make their 6th, 5th and 3rd appearances respectively. On the defensive side of the ball, S Darren Sharper will return for a 4th time, along with DTs Pat Williams and Kevin Williams, who were se-lected for the 2nd and 3rd times respectively. The 7 selected players are the most since 7 were taken in 2000.

The Vikings currently have a combined record of 137-76-0 at the HHH Metrodome (.643) in the regular season and the playoffs. The team has never been shut out at the Dome and hasn’t been shut out at a home stadium since 10/7/62, when they lost 13-0 to Chicago at Met Stadium.

DOME FIELD ADVANTAGE


The Vikings recognized one of the all-time greats in franchise history when they inducted RB Chuck Foreman into the Vikings Ring of Honor during the Green Bay game on September 30. The halftime presentation capped off Vikings Alumni Reunion weekend, which included the team wearing throwback uniforms for the game, recognizing the uniforms worn during Foreman’s era of the 1970s. With the induction, Foreman became the 16th member of the Vikings Ring of Honor. Foreman, who was originally selected by the Vikings in the 1st round (12th overall) of the 1973 NFL Draft, ranks as the team’s 2nd-leading all-time rusher with 5,879 yards. He is also tied for the team record with 52 rushing touchdowns and ranks 7th among all-time team scoring. A 5-time Pro Bowl honoree during his Vikings career, Drafted out of the University of Miami, Foreman played for the Vikings from 1973-1979, during which time he earned numerous honors, including 5 straight Pro Bowl berths from 1973-77. He was named the NFC Rookie of the Year in 1973 and All-Pro in 1975. Foreman collected 17 100-yard rushing games, 16 of which the Vikings won. He also had 3 straight 1,000-yard seasons (1975-77) and played an integral part in the Vikings’ appearance in 3 Super Bowls.

Vikings Career Rushing Yards Vikings Career 100-Yard Games Robert Smith ..................6,818 Robert Smith........................29 (22-7 W-L) Chuck Foreman ............5,879 Chuck Foreman .................17 (16-1 W-L)

Vikings Single-Season TDs Vikings Career Receptions By A Running Back Chuck Foreman ............22, 1975 (13 rushing, 9 receiving) Ted Brown............................339 Cris Carter ......................17, 1995 (17 receiving) Chuck Foreman .................336 Randy Moss ...................17, 1998, 2003 (17 receiving) Vikings Rushing Attempts In A Single Game Vikings Career Rushing Attempts Chuck Foreman .................33, vs. San Diego (11/23/75) Bill Brown ......................1,627 Chuck Foreman .................33, at Detroit (12/1/77) Chuck Foreman ............1,529 Terry Allen ............................33, at Pittsburgh (12/20/92) Scottie Graham....................33, vs. Kansas City (12/26/93) Vikings Rushing Yards In A Single Game Adrian Peterson .............296 Adrian Peterson .............224 Vikings Rushing TDs In A Single Season Chuck Foreman 200 Chuck Foreman .................13, 1976 Terry Allen ...........................13, 1992 Vikings Career Rushing TDs Adrian Peterson ..................12, 2007 Chuck Foreman ............52 Bill Brown .......................52 Ted Brown ......................40

Vikings TDs In A Single Game Chuck Foreman ............4, at Buffalo, 12/20/75 (2 rush., 2 rec.) Ahmad Rashad ..............4, vs. San Fran., 9/2/79 (4 rec.)

Vikings Rushing-Receiving Yards In A Game Chuck Foreman ............265, at Phil., 10/24/76 (200 rush., 65 rec.) Darrin Nelson .................256, vs. GB, 11/13/83 (119 rush., 137 rec.) Vikings TDs In A Single Season Chuck Foreman ............22, 1975 (13 rushing, 9 receiving) Cris Carter ......................17, 1995 (17 receiving) Randy Moss ...................17, 1998 (17 receiving) Randy Moss ...................17, 2003 (17 receiving)

NFL Scrimmage TDs (Rushing/Receiving 1973-78) Chuck Foreman ............73 Franco Harris .................53

NFL Rushing TDs 1973-78 Franco Harris ................51 Chuck Foreman ............50 O.J. Simpson..................40

NFL Scrimmage Yards (Rush./Rec.) Per Game 1973-78 O.J. Simpson..................121.3 Chuck Foreman ............105.9 Lydell Mitchell .................104.3

NFL Scrimmage Touches (Rush./Rec.) 1973-78 Lydell Mitchell .................1,897 (1,560 rushes, 337 receptions) Chuck Foreman ............1,763 (1,445 rushes, 317 receptions)

FOREMAN RUSHES INTO RING OF HONOR IN THROWBACK FORM

Foreman is the 16th member of the Vikings Ring of Honor, joining an elite class that includes former players, coaches, staff and administra-tors.

Name Position Year Inducted Fran Tarkenton Quarterback 1998 Alan Page Defensive Tackle 1998 JIm Finks Administrator 1998 Bud Grant Head Coach 1998 Paul Krause Safety 1998 Fred Zamberletti Athletic Trainer 1998 Jim Marshall Defensive End 1999 Ron Yary Tackle 2001 Korey Stringer Tackle 2001 Mick TIngelhoff Center 2001 Carl Eller Defensive End 2002 Cris Carter Wide Receiver 2003 Bill Brown Running Back 2004 Jerry Burns Head Coach 2005 Randall McDaniel Guard 2006 Chuck Foreman Running Back 2007

VIKINGS OFF THE FIELD

AN ELITE CLASS


MEDIA INFORMATION

For credentials for road games please contact Bob Hagan, Tom West, Tom Fanning, or Jeff Anderson at least one week prior to the game. For road hotel arrangements please contact Luther Hippe or Bob Hagan. All hotel arrangements MUST be submitted at least two weeks in advance of the game.

at Denver December 30 Westin Tabor Center (303) 572-7208

Bob Hagan, Director of Public Relations 952-828-6505 [email protected] .netTom West, Asst. Director of Public Relations 952-828-6552 [email protected] .netTom Fanning, Public Relations Assistant 952-828-6511 [email protected] .net Jeff Anderson, Manager of Public Affairs 952-828-6570 [email protected] .netBrett Heltne, Public Relations Intern 952-918-8383 [email protected] .net Jake Winchell, Public Relations Intern 952-918-8382 [email protected] .net

The typical Vikings weekly media schedule is below:

Monday12:35 p.m. - Coach Childress Press Conference2:45-3:30 p.m. - Open Locker Room

TuesdayPlayers Day Off - No Media Access

Wednesday11:35 a.m. - Coach Childress Press Conference11:45 a.m. - 12:30 p.m. - Open Locker Room1:30 - 3:30 p.m. - Practice*

Thursday11:35 a.m. - Coordinators Bevell/Frazier/Ferraro Available11:45 a.m. - 12:30 p.m. - Open Locker Room1:30 - 3:30 p.m. - Practice*

Friday11:45 a.m. - 12:45 p.m. - Practice*12:45 p.m. - Coach Childress Press Conference12:45 p.m. - 1:30 p.m. - Open Locker Room

SaturdayNo Media Access

SundayPost-Game - Coach Childress Press ConferencePost-Game - Open Locker Room

* Practice is open to media through indivicual drills

Head Coach Brad Childress will be available in the fi eldhouse or on the outdoor practice fi eld on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays during the regular season.

Offensive Coordinator Darrell Bevell, Defensive Coordinator Leslie Frazier, and Special Teams Coordinator Paul Ferraro will be available every Thursday during the regular season. All other interview requests for the coordinators should be directed to a member of the PR staff.

Credential requests are honored for accredited media on specifi c as-signments and must be made through the Vikings’ PR department. Credentials will not be issued to writers or photographers working on a free-lance basis unless the request is made by a recognized publication or news entity. Season-long credentials are issued in July; game-by-game credentials must be requested at least one week prior to each home game.

* The media will call window/media check-in is located at Gate D. A se-curity representative will check bags before allowing entrance into the stadium.

Main Press Box* The main press box is located in sections 108-109. Upon entering the concourse, take a right. Seating charts are located in the press box and wireless internet is available.

* A pregame meal will be served in the press box and a halftime meal will be served in the Vikings Lounge directly across the concourse through the glass doors. Meal tickets for halftime will be distributed near the end of the 2nd quarter.

* Vikings PR representatives Bob Hagan and Tom West are located in seats 87 and 88. Visiting team PR representatives are located in seats 55-57. For fi eld access, follow the stairs at the back of the press box all the way down to fi eld level.

Auxiliary Press Box* The auxiliary press box is located in sections 123-125. Upon entering the concourse, take a left. Seating charts are located in the press box.

* Pregame and halftime meals will be served in the press box.

* Vikings PR representative Jeff Anderson is located in seat 58. For fi eld access, follow the stairs at the back of the press box all the way down to fi eld level.

Photographers’ Workroom* The photographers’ workroom is located on the fi eld directly behind the south goal post (closest to the photo check-in tunnel). Upon enter-ing the concourse, take a right and go to the elevator directly across from the main press box and take it to fi eld level or continue through the concourse to the overhead sign that reads “Field Access” and follow the stairwell down.

TV Camera Holding Area* The video waiting area for TV camera operators is located in the back of the fi eld entrance tunnel behind the check-in table. Follow the same procedures as photographers to get to the fi eld.

All position coach interviews must be scheduled through the PR depart-ment a day in advance and cleared by Head Coach Brad Childress. Position coaches are available for questions on specifi c players and the position group but coordinators will always serve as the primary spokes-men in their areas.

COORDINATOR AVAILABILITY

COACH CHILDRESS PRESS CONFERENCES

WEEKLY MEDIA SCHEDULE

CREDENTIAL REQUESTS

VIKINGS PR STAFF ASSISTANT COACH AVAILABILITY

METRODOME GAME DAY INFO

ROAD HOTELS

FROM THE HEAD COACH


SUNDAY, DECEMBER 23, 2007Head Coach Brad ChildressIn terms of injuries in this game, Vinny Ciurciu sprained his ankle and didn’t return. He’ll have an MRI in the morning. (David) Herron had a concussion and did not return. Everybody else that got nicked for any period of time got back into the game. My hat’s off to the Washington Redskins; they did a nice job jumping off to that 21-point lead. I didn’t think we helped things in terms of the takeaways. Anytime you give somebody what I count as 16 points off turnovers…our defense had a great goal-line stand. We weren’t able to push it out and gave them two (points) and punted it back and they get seven points off of that. And then Tarvaris’ (Jackson) second pick gave them another seven points. I didn’t like the big plays that the defense gave up there in conjunction with that, but offensively we were far too gracious with the football. Just a word about that 12 men on the fi eld fi asco at the end when there was a turnover. The rule, as you’ll remember - and I’ve received many memos on this - that Tony Dungy brought to light about allowing you to substitute. I have a picture on the play before of them with a fullback, a tailback and two wide receivers in the game. As they ran to the line of scrimmage they had three wide receivers in the game. It was a play that I was about to challenge, and in fact, they need to let us sub. We were trying to get our guy off and go to our nickel that we matched their personnel with and so they challenged the 12 on the fi eld, but in fact, they subbed people in, and within the rules, you have the ability, as you saw at the end of the game, to allow us to get on the fi eld and match. They ran up, they snapped the football and turned the football over to us, so I’m very disappointed about that, that that wasn’t caught, particularly when you have stills of what the play was before that, what the personnel was, and then what they had on the fi eld there when the turnover occurred. It’s very disappointing, very, very disappointing. I just want to know what the rule is. Call it like you tell me it’s written down.

Q: How did you think that should have happened?A: It should have gotten slowed down. It should have gotten slowed down, allowed us to match their personnel, get our guy off because they, in fact, brought more people on the fi eld and then we had our nickel people on there.

Q: So they can’t snap until the subs are in place?A: That’s correct, just like they did at the end of the football game.

Q: Has the rule been there all along that you can throw your red fl ag when there wasn’t a penalty for 12 men on the fi eld? Can you challenge interference?A: No, you can’t do it with pass interference. That’s one of the reviewable plays is how many people did they have on there as the snap went, and obviously because they lost the football, they wanted to go ahead and challenge that. Now, you’re right, there wasn’t a penalty fl ag with 12 on the fi eld, so who’s counting the 12 on the fi eld?

Q: Have you ever seen this before?A: I’ve never seen it like that. I’ve never seen it lose a possession, and particularly when it’s an area of emphasis, it’s a point of emphasis, that if this is what’s going to happen, and it happened again last year with Tony (Dungy) and the Jets, trying to run on a substitute. We had a long discussion about it, and I just want to see it be even-handed. That’s all I want to see. There was a change of possession; it happened at the 50-yard line where the ball is ours and momentum swings. Did we have 12 on? We did, but they changed personnel, and the video is going to show that, and that’s irritating as hell.

Q: Is your understanding that Coach Gibbs can challenge that?A: He can challenge that there are 12 people on the fi eld, but where it goes back to is that they need to let us match their personnel. We ran our nickel on; Spencer Johnson was trying to get off the football fi eld. They didn’t let it happen. They quick snapped it and lost the football.

Q: Would you have challenged the play before?A: I didn’t see it fast enough to see it. There’s a reason they are running up there because they don’t think he had a foot down. And what ends up happening if you challenge that play, they look at all aspects. Do you have 12 people on the fi eld? Did he get a foot down? Is there anything else going on? So everything end up getting (looked at), but once again, they have to let you have time.

Q: How do you approach your team now? A: The big thing we do is we get back to our one-week framework. We put this one in a box. It’s disappointing, certainly. We deal with it these couple of days. We build a game plan for the Denver Broncos and know what we need to do next week. We’re down to a one-game season.

Q: The last two home games the team hasn’t played very sharp. Do you have any reasons for that? A: Well I think you have to give some credit to that amped-up defense. The numbers weren’t right for us. I’ll take it as a coach. We probably should have started throwing it a little earlier just to back them away a little bit from some of those forcing units. But I didn’t want to see us turn the football over like that when we were throwing it.

Q: Did you have the same confi dence coming out in the second half like you did last week against Chicago?A: Well it’s what we talked about. It’s what we talked about. It was 22 points; it wasn’t 220 points. It was just a matter of taking it one play at a time. There was no play that we could have scored and scored 22 points. We had the ball on the fi rst possession of the second half and we needed to do some things, and we got it rolling too late.

Q: Were they picking on Marcus McCauley?A: Somebody asked me that in the locker room, and I didn’t have that particular sense. I’ll have to go back and look at the tape, but I didn’t feel like that. I knew they were throwing in his direction a little bit, but I didn’t count the number of times.

Q: Did you have to have the talk with Tarvaris about better decision-making early on?A: He had the right decision on (Fred) Smoot’s interception. He didn’t get particularly good protection in his face, and it caused him to release that ball high. But it was a good read; it was going in the right spot but we didn’t have everybody covered up.

Q: Is Adrian Peterson facing different defenses or are defenses geared up for him?


A: Well he’s not a secret anymore; there’s no doubt, and yeah, we’re going to have to do some work in terms of if they’re going to have an extra guy in there, we’re going to have to do a few different things in terms of running the football and throwing the football. It will probably come back to the quarterback, the wide receivers and the tight ends being able to beat people and show that you’re going to beat them that way as opposed to running the ball.

Q: Were you trying to put pressure on Todd Collins?A: It was really different things at different times. I thought they blended it decently in terms of getting after him and then laying back in coverage.

Q: Can the offi cials look at the replay and see that you are subbing?A: No, they need to get it at the beginning of the play and see what’s going on in the context of the football game and realize that there was a substitution change. From that sideline, they changed personnel. Whoever is in charge of noting that needs to note that and needs to note that we also changed personnel with them and we’re trying to get our guy off the fi eld. It was clear what the intent was; it was to get up because there was a challengeable call and snap it quick. Most of the time when that happens, people stay in the same personnel grouping. They didn’t; we matched with them and we got caught with 12 men on the football fi eld. My understanding of the rule and all the memos I’ve gotten on that rule specifi cally, point of emphasis, is that they have to give you time to match personnel. And the fact that there wasn’t a fl ag on the fi eld for having 12 people, so somebody likewise, with the guy coming up on our side, has to drop a fl ag. There was not a fl ag, so let’s get it right, that’s all. It cost a change in possession and it cost momentum in a big football game, and it’s damn disappointing when it’s a point of emphasis.

Q: Were you trying to show the previous play?A: I was showing the previous snap with the fullback in the game, in the I backfi eld, and that last snap was with three wide receivers in the game.

Q: Did he show any interest in looking at it?A: No, he didn’t want to look at it.

FROM THE HEAD COACH

Documents

WEEK 17 - MINNESOTA VIKINGS (8-7) AT DENVER BRONCOS …prod.static.vikings.clubs.nfl.com/assets/images/...Dec. 2 DETROIT W 42-10 Dec. 9 at San Francisco W 27-7 Dec. 17 CHICAGO W 20-13