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Vikings by the Numbers


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6 minutes ago, swede700 said:

Can I give bonus points to Marinaro as my aunt went out with him a couple of times while he was a Viking?  She didn't know who he was.  xD

I have no problem with you giving him bonus points for personal reasons but is that enough for you to put him over the other #49s? 

I have trouble with Richardson's longevity with the team. That just isn't enough time. I would give it to Nord over him on longevity alone even though he is exceedingly forgettable. I'll give the nod to Marinaro, I suppose, even without bonus points.

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Ed Marinaro was one of those high producing college players (runner up in Heisman voting to the eventual winner, a QB), but had at best an average career in the pros. he was well liked by his teammates, as he had an upbeat, prankster type personality.

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Vikings that have worn the number 50:

  • **** Grecni (1961)
  • Jim Hargrove (1967 - 1970)
  • Jeff Siemon (1972 - 1982)
  • Dennis Fowlkes (1983 - 1985)
  • Randy Scott (1987)
  • Ray Berry (1987 - 1992, and no, not that Ray Berry)
  • Bobby Abrams (1993 - 1994)
  • Jeff Brady (1995 - 1997)
  • Antico Dalton (1999)
  • Pete Bercich (2000)
  • Patrick Chukwurah (2001 - 2002)
  • Max Yates (2004)
  • Rod Davis (2005 - 2006)
  • Marquis Cooper (2006)
  • Vinny Ciurciu (2007)
  • Erin Henderson (2008 - 2013)
  • Gerald Hodges (2014 - 2015)
  • Terrance Plummer (2016)
  • Eric Wilson (2017 - Present)

There are some interesting names here.  It surprises me that there are so many Vikings who have worn this number...yet, to me, there is one obvious standout.  Middle Linebacker Jeff Siemon.  Not the biggest, or the fastest, or the strongest middle linebacker, but he was smart, always around the ball, and a sure and ferocious tackler.  He is a 4 time pro bowl player and in 2010 named as one of the 50 Greatest Vikings.  Jeff Siemon earns the nod!

 

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Vikings that have worn the number 51:

  • Jim Leo (1962)
  • Dave Tobey (1966 - 1967)
  • Godfrey Zaunbrecher (1971 - 1973)
  • Jim Hough (1978 - 1986)
  • Peter Najarian (1987)
  • David Howard (1987 - 1989)
  • Carlos Jenkins (1991 - 1994)
  • Broderick Thomas (1995)
  • Ben Hanks (1996)
  • Ron Holmberg (1999)
  • Mitch Palmer (2000)
  • Lance Johnstone (2001 - 2005)
  • Ben Leber (2006 - 2010)
  • Larry Dean (2011 - 2013)
  • Josh Kaddu (2014)
  • Edmond Robinson (2015 - 2016)

Godfrey Zaunbrecher!  What a name!!  He was a backup center for three seasons, sitting behind Tinglehoff.  I doubt that he ever saw the field.  Carlos Jenkins was a big, fast linebacker that was full of unrealized potential.  He did return an interception for a touchdown his rookie season.  Lance Johnstone had a pretty decent 5 year career with the Vikings playing defensive end and recording 42 sacks.  Larry Dean was a productive linebacker...unfortunately, most of that production came in the CFL.  Ben Leber was a consistently good, not great, linebacker during his 5 seasons in Minnesota.  He was a part of the 2009 team that played in the NFC Championship game.  Sure tackler, not bad in coverage, Leber had good all around game.  The nod goes to Ben Leber.

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2 hours ago, Virginia Viking said:

Vikings that have worn the number 51:

  • Jim Leo (1962)
  • Dave Tobey (1966 - 1967)
  • Godfrey Zaunbrecher (1971 - 1973)
  • Jim Hough (1978 - 1986)
  • Peter Najarian (1987)
  • David Howard (1987 - 1989)
  • Carlos Jenkins (1991 - 1994)
  • Broderick Thomas (1995)
  • Ben Hanks (1996)
  • Ron Holmberg (1999)
  • Mitch Palmer (2000)
  • Lance Johnstone (2001 - 2005)
  • Ben Leber (2006 - 2010)
  • Larry Dean (2011 - 2013)
  • Josh Kaddu (2014)
  • Edmond Robinson (2015 - 2016)

Godfrey Zaunbrecher!  What a name!!  He was a backup center for three seasons, sitting behind Tinglehoff.  I doubt that he ever saw the field.  Carlos Jenkins was a big, fast linebacker that was full of unrealized potential.  He did return an interception for a touchdown his rookie season.  Lance Johnstone had a pretty decent 5 year career with the Vikings playing defensive end and recording 42 sacks.  Larry Dean was a productive linebacker...unfortunately, most of that production came in the CFL.  Ben Leber was a consistently good, not great, linebacker during his 5 seasons in Minnesota.  He was a part of the 2009 team that played in the NFC Championship game.  Sure tackler, not bad in coverage, Leber had good all around game.  The nod goes to Ben Leber.

I also want to point out that Carlos Jenkins in addition to returning and interception for a TD, also returned a fumble for a TD the same season.  I believe the Vikings defense scored 7 times that season (1992).

Edited by Worm Guts
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26 minutes ago, SteelKing728 said:

Lance Johnstone was pretty good right? I only watched 1 year of him though.

I'll go with Leber.

He was okay...he was a pure pass rusher though and was darn good at it.  Couldn't stop the run for the life of him, as I recall, but I could certainly be wrong.  

Edited by swede700
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1 hour ago, swede700 said:

He was okay...he was a pure pass rusher though and was darn good at it.  Couldn't stop the run for the life of him, as I recall, but I could certainly be wrong.  

My recollection as well.

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Vikings that have worn the number 52:

  • Bill Lapham (1961)
  • Bill Swain (1964)
  • Mike Reilly (1969)
  • Noel Jenke (1970)
  • Ron Porter (1973)
  • Joe Harris (1979)
  • Dennis Johnson (1980 - 1985)
  • Randy Rasmussen (1987 - 1988)
  • Jim **** (1987)
  • William Kirksey (1990)
  • David Bavaro (1992)
  • Richard Brown (1994 - 1996)
  • Kailee Wong (1998 - 2001)
  • Henri Crockett (2002 - 2003)
  • Keith Newman (2004 - 2005)
  • Chad Greenway (2006 - 2016)

This nod has to go to Chad Greenway.  Some see his career as a minor disappointment as he was thought to be the next great Viking linebacker.  However, it's a miracle of modern orthopedic medicine that he played at all!  He has some very serious knee problems even before he played in his first NFL game, and he lost serious playing time his first two seasons.  After that, while not spectacular...not great...not a hall of fame caliber career...Greenway turned in a really good career.  I'm nodding at you Chad!

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Greenway was never really appreciated during his time here. He was a great linebacker for a long time, he just was never a very splashy guy that made highlight plays. Just a solid all-around WLB. In his 7 peak years he almost never missed a game, averaged 120+ tackles, and INT, a FF, and a couple sacks. Only a tiny fraction of NFL players ever have the productive career he had.

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He was never really appreciated anywhere, hence only the 2 Pro Bowls.  He was often overshadowed by the bigger names at LB in the NFC, like Willis, Ware and Matthews, so he didn't often get the respect he probably deserved.  No, he wasn't flashy, but he was remarkably consistent and solid.  

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