As I said in my earlier training camp report, my usual game-day buddy The Commish also joined me in Mankato. Here are some of the photos that he took while we attended the special teams practice.

Defensive Chief Ted Cottrell.

Fred Smoot arrives for practice.

Brad Johnson arrives for practice.

Pat Williams and his close, personal friend Mr. Belly arrive.

Mike Tice wears long sleeves despite the heat.

WR Marcus Robinson watches special teams practice.

Jim Kleinsasser joins the offensive line.

Daunte, joins his teammates on the field.

Special teams practices kick-offs.

I had forgot to leave this comment on my report from yesterday, but The Commish and I both agree that Tice will absolutely go postal if special teams screws up during the regular season. This team has been spending a tremendous amount of time on special teams since Mini-Camp waaayyyy back in May. So, if something bad happens on special teams in pre-season or regular season, turn your eyes immediately to Tice and watch.

OT William Obeng and Bryant McKinnie.

The D-Line chills out.

Rookie Troy Williamson on the sidelines.

Moe Williams and Mewelde Moore on the sidelines.

Some of the larger people on the Vikings roster.

Pulitzer Press winning, Nobel laureate, and Mensa International president, Mr. Cheer Or Die scans the sidelines for a photo op.

Mr. Cheer Or Die gets some sound bites from Mike Tice. Yes, that is a custom t-shirt.

Mr. Cheer Or Die uses his trusty iPod to get some audio from Daunte Culpepper.

You can hear Tice & Culpepper's as well as my interview with Chuck Foreman on my most recent podcast. If you haven't listened to a podcast yet, what are you waiting for? This is a perfect one to try. And you don't need an iPod to do it. Either download iTunes for free or simply use the Pod Alley player for free!

In Case You Missed It

From Pro Football Talk, this little nugget will put an extra hop in your step today:

"Even with Pro Bowl receiver Javon Walker in camp, a scout who has scrutinized the Packers' performance in a recent scrimmage with the Bills tells us that the Pack looked "awful."

Actually, "f--king awful" was the precise quote, with a twist of "very disorganized."

Although there's still a long way to go before the season opens, it's not a good sign for a squad that lost a lot in the offseason -- and did little in the way of upgrading the talent. Coupled with the uncertain status of head coach Mike Sherman and the lack of horses to make Jim Bates' defense as effective as it was in Miami, and it could be a long season for the Cheeseheads.

Then again, folks have been predicting doom and gloom for the Pack prior to each of the past couple of seasons. Meanwhile, they keep finding a way to win the NFC North. Still, it could be different this year. Even with a motivated and committed Brett Favre at quarterback, he simply might not have the surrounding pieces to be successful. And at could mean that former G.M. Mike Sherman soon will also add the word "former" in front of his remaining title with the team."

We'll have to get Cheesehead Craig back on for a podcast soon to discuss this.

Kudos to STrib

Best sports photo of the year showing Vikings rookie Erasmus James running sprints through a tunnel of teammates.

Posted by maasx003 at August 10, 2005 07:09 AM | TrackBack