vike daddy Posted July 16, 2020 Share Posted July 16, 2020 10 hours ago, Heimdallr said: 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. he also got through his career healthy at the end. no lingering problems. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Krauser Posted July 16, 2020 Share Posted July 16, 2020 Greenway had a solid career but he was nowhere near retire-his-number good. He didn’t have the playmaking upside of an elite LB even in his prime. His performance tailed off considerably over his last couple of years, though at least he was reliable and positionally sound. I think fans overrated him because he was a local farmboy. I wouldn’t have him any higher than 5th on the list of ring of honor inductees from the Childress era team (after Peterson, Allen, Kevin Williams and Winfield, at least). 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
swede700 Posted July 16, 2020 Share Posted July 16, 2020 6 hours ago, Krauser said: Greenway had a solid career but he was nowhere near retire-his-number good. He didn’t have the playmaking upside of an elite LB even in his prime. His performance tailed off considerably over his last couple of years, though at least he was reliable and positionally sound. I think fans overrated him because he was a local farmboy. I wouldn’t have him any higher than 5th on the list of ring of honor inductees from the Childress era team (after Peterson, Allen, Kevin Williams and Winfield, at least). That is certainly fair. I think he'll eventually be in the Ring of Honor...and not just because of his on-field work, but also his off-field work, but I agree otherwise. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted July 16, 2020 Share Posted July 16, 2020 Vikings that have worn the number 53: Mick Tingelhoff (1962 - 1978) Henry Johnson (1980 - 1983) Tim Meamber (1985) Jeff Schuh (1986) Sam Anno (1987 - 1988) Steve Ache (1987) David Braxton (1989 - 1990) Richard Newbill (1990) Ivan Caesar (1991) Fred Strickland (1993) Tuineau Alipate (1995) Kivuusama Mays (1998) This number has been retired by the Vikings. The reason it was retired was because of the Hall of Fame career of center Mick Tinglehoff. Six times to the pro bowl, five times first team All-Pro, two times second team All-Pro, NFL Championship team member (1969), started in four Super Bowl appearances, and he played in 240 consecutive pro games. Not bad for someone who was an undrafted, free agent out of Nebraska. It took until his 32nd year of eligibility, but he was elected to enshrinement in the Pro Football the Hall of Fame. He is deserving of much more than a nod! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
swede700 Posted July 16, 2020 Share Posted July 16, 2020 (edited) I remember most of them from Braxton on. I recall having some hopes about Strickland...he had a decent season, but then moved onto the Cheeseheads and Denny replaced him with someone better...Eddie McDaniel. Braxton was the first draft pick of that year (the Vikings had traded their first round pick for Mike Meriweather) and largely turned out to be a bust in what was one the better drafts we've ever seen (at least at the top anyway, with 4 of the top 5 picks now in the HOF) for everyone else except the Vikings, who didn't get a soul out of that draft as Braxton was the only one to last beyond 1 year. Edited July 16, 2020 by swede700 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted July 17, 2020 Share Posted July 17, 2020 Vikings that have worn the number 54: Karl Rubke (1961) Bob Schmitz (1966) Paul Faust (1967) Fred McNeill (1974 - 1985) Jesse Solomon (1986 - 1989) Walker Lee Ashley (1990) Van Waiters (1992) Bruce Holmes (1993) Dave Garnett (1993 - 1996) Antonio Wilson (2000 - 2001) Greg Biekert (2002 - 2003) Dontarrious Thomas (2004 - 2007) Vinny Ciurciu (2008) Jasper Brinkley (2009 - 2012, 2014) Gerald Hodges (2013) Eric Kendricks (2015 - present) We might have a debate with 54! I will start with Fred McNeill, who was the Vikings first round pick in 1974 and played for 12 seasons in the purple and gold. While his linbacking teammate, Matt Blair got more headlines, McNeil was a steady, consistent force for some of the very best defenses to play. He was excellent in pass coverage and shut down many tight ends and receiving running backs. He never led the league in any statistical categories. He was overlooked, consistently, in pro-bowl and All-Pro voting. But, he did play in two Super Bowls and blocked a Ray Guy punt in the Super Bowl against Oakland. The defense would've been worse without the steady play of McNeill. Unfortunately, his greatest contribution to the game came after his death, when it was learned that he was a main subject of a study of the affects of CTE that has lead to important safety changes in the all levels of football. Jasper Brinkley deserves a mention. He was a 5th round draft choice that had two stints with the team. His first stint came in relief of starting MLB EJ Henderson who suffered a nasty leg injury. Brinkley, young and green, played well in his chance to start in relief. He had a nose for ball carriers and was a good tackler. Eric Kendricks might just be in the top 10 Minnesota Vikings draft choices of all time! A second rounder in 2015 out of UCLA, Kendricks has outplayed expectations. Last season he was a pro-bowler and was elected as a first team All Pro. In his short career he has already amasses a staggering 532 tackles, 9 sacks, 4 forced fumbles, 4 interceptions, 35 pass deflections and 2 defensive touchdowns. I don't know if I have ever seen a middle linebacker with his lateral quickness. It is my hope that he is a Viking for his whole career, as I don't perceive him slowing down anytime soon. Along with Harrison Smith, Kendricks is the most valuable piece of the current defense. Even though he's only played 5 seasons, I'm giving Kendricks the nod. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JDBrocks Posted July 17, 2020 Share Posted July 17, 2020 I think this would have been McNeill if we were having this discussion last year, but Kendricks was stellar last year and is in his prime now. He's just so good and such a likeable player. The only disagreement I have with your write up is that I'd say Hunter is more valuable than Kendricks, but I'm nitpicking 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
swede700 Posted July 17, 2020 Share Posted July 17, 2020 You didn't mention Walker Lee Ashley? Well, the stint with this number was when he returned after spending a season in KC...and I suppose he wasn't much during his first stint, as he never was a starter, but I do recall him as a decent player at least on a pretty good defense...and he still lives in the area. I'm going to also give the slight nod to Kendricks, because he's actually been slightly more productive than McNeill was and should continue to be for several more. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cearbhall Posted July 17, 2020 Share Posted July 17, 2020 I generally favor longevity and current players haven't had a chance to play as long so they have to climb that hill for me to consider them the best. Kendricks successfully scaled that hill last year. McNeil provided the team with plenty years of competent service but he never came anywhere close to the level Kendricks exhibited last year. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SteelKing728 Posted July 18, 2020 Share Posted July 18, 2020 I had high hopes for Dontarrius Thomas. Why didn't he pan out? I've only watched this team for 15 years now, but from what I've seen, Kendricks is the best in #54 over the years. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted July 20, 2020 Share Posted July 20, 2020 Vikings that have worn the number 55: Cliff Livingston (1962) John Campbell (1963 - 1964) Don Hansen (1966 - 1967) Mike McGill (1968 - 1970) Amos Martin (1972 - 1976) Scott Studwell (1977 - 1990) Jack Del Rio (1992 - 1995) Darryl Talley (1996) Ron George (1997) Bobby Houston (1998) Corey Miller (1999) Olrick Johnson (1999) Lemanski Hall (2000 - 2002) Chris Claiborne (2003 - 2004) Sam Cowart (2005) Jason Glenn (2006) Dontarrious Thomas (2008) Kenny Onatolu (2009 - 2011) Marvin Mitchell (2012 - 2013) Anthony Barr (2014 - present) There are plenty of players on this list that I remember watching play, but can anyone argue that the #55 is really a two man race? Anthony Barr was a 1st round draft choice coming out of UCLA in 2014. He played both running back and tight end his first two years at UCLA and wasn't really introduced to playing defense until 2012. He made an immediate impact being a consensus All-American and winning the Lott Trophy in 2013. As a pro, Barr is criticized for not making the same kind of individual impact. But through week 17 of the 2019 season, for his career, Barr has made 417 tackle, 15 sacks, forced 8 fumbles, made 4 fumble recoveries, 2 pass interceptions and 26 pass deflections. All the while, playing in a system that puts his position in to contain his side of the field. People wonder why he doesn't make more plays? Notice how many times the offense moves away from Barr's side of the field and there is your answer. Of course, he ended Aaron Rodgers 2017 season when he sacked the quarterback and broke his collarbone. That should count in his favor. Scott Studwell was a 9th round pick (yes, 9th round) in 1977 by the Vikings and he manned the middle of the defense for 14 years! He retired as the all time leading tackler for the team with 1,981 career tackles. He holds the team record of 230 tackles for a season, and in 1985, vs Detroit, he recorded 24 tackles in a single game! He was terribly overshadowed and underappreciated by football media, and was elected to the pro-bowl twice towards the end of his career. I appreciated the way he played, so did his teammates who nicknamed him "stud" for more reasons then it corresponding to his last name. Studwell gets the nod. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
swede700 Posted July 20, 2020 Share Posted July 20, 2020 Stud was the Chad Greenway before there was Chad Greenway...he gets the nod from me. And before Singletary came along, there probably wasn't another LB more well-known for his piercing eyes. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted July 21, 2020 Share Posted July 21, 2020 Vikings that have worn the number 56: Hap Farber (1970) Carl Gersbach (1971 - 1972) Scott Anderson (1974 - 1976) Bob Stein (1975) Dave Huffman (1979 - 1983) Bill Dugan (1984) Malcolm Carson (1984) Chris Doleman (1985 - 1993, 1999) Pete Bercich (1995 - 1998) Jim Nelson (2000 - 2002) E.J. Henderson (2003 - 2011) Michael Mauti (2013 - 2014) Garrett Bradbury (2019 - present) Maybe Bradbury will turn into something special...another great center for the Vikings...but, he had a rough rookie season. No, the only name that really counts on this list is Hall of Famer Chris Doleman. He recorded 150.5 career sacks, 8 time pro-bowler and 3 times 1st team All-Pro. He is a member of the 2012 HOF class. He was drafted number 4 overall in 1985 and was assigned outside linebacker in the 3-4 defense the Vikings ran at the time. In 1987 the Vikings returned to a 4-3 base defense and Doleman became a defensive end with his hand on the ground pre-snap. This was his natural position and his career...and the Vikings defense...took off. He made it look so effortless. He had a lightning jump at the snap at the ball, and smooth speed coming around the tackle. He was strong enough to bull rush as well, but his game was built on speed. Unfortunately, Doleman succumbed to brain cancer in 2018...RIP. Chris gets the nod! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
swede700 Posted July 21, 2020 Share Posted July 21, 2020 While Doleman gets the point here, I can't agree with his being the only name that counts. Did you forget about Dave Huffman? While again, he was never really a starter, he was the super sub offensive lineman and still played significant minutes in almost every game. I remember him as a funny, lunchpail guy. Unfortunately, his life was cut tragically short in a car accident. Furthermore, of course, we can talk about EJ Henderson too. I always thought he played out of position, as I believed he made a far better outside LB than a MLB, but with the drafting of Greenway and the free agency addition of Leber, he was left playing inside, where he was okay, but not as great as he could have been. At one time, he was the youth football manager for the Vikings after his career was over, but I'm not sure what he's doing now. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
vike daddy Posted July 22, 2020 Share Posted July 22, 2020 i'm thinking Carl Gersbach was some character in Fargo.... don't ya know? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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