The Minnesota Fightin' Vikings officially (kinda) open up US Bank Stadium Sunday at noon as they welcome in the Los Angeles Chargers of Anaheim San Diego Super Chargers for an afternoon of full speed football that doesn't count. Teddy Bridgewater says he's playing. Adrian Peterson says he's not. Still a few positons and roster spots up for grabs before the team has to whittle the roster down to 75 by 4pm ET on Thursday. We discuss some of those items as well as what we want to figure out about t...
Aug 26, 2016•39 min
90-man rosters are like an episode of Game of Thrones: Not everyone is going to make it. But what lies ahead for some of these fringe Minnesota Vikings players that are likely to be cut in the next two weeks? I do my best Miss Cleo (RIP) impression and look into my magic ball to see the future of these players. Some of their futures include football. Some include being a manager at HuHot. All that and other "CALL ME NOW." chatter on this edition of the Purple FTW! Podcast! An Andy Carlson Joint ...
Aug 24, 2016•31 min
Teddy Bridgewater has a mysterious and sudden shoulder injury. Matt Kalil bowed out of practice Sunday. Brandon Fusco has a neck. Who the heck knows about Mike Harris. Sharrif Floyd and Eric Kendricks are perpetually banged up. Jarius Wright has a calf. Tre Roberson has a broken hand. Xavier Rhodes has a hamsting. WHAT IS HAPPENING?! WHY CAN WE NOT HAVE NICE THINGS? Austin Belisle (@austincbelisle) of Vikings Territory joins me again to talk Teddy, preseason, and Vikings as we mercifully rumble ...
Aug 22, 2016•50 min
Teddy Bridgewater didn't play in a game that doesn't matter, but Vikings fans still freaked out. The Minnesota Fightin' Vikings mercifully ended their late start game with the Seattle Seahawks. Here are a few half-awake thoughts. Tonight/This Morning's Talking Points Include: • Why Didn't Teddy Play? • Shaun Hill Looked Good Enough • WTF, Joel Stave • Well Hello Cordarrelle Patterson • Adam Thielen is WR3. Period. • Lack of Running Game This Preseason is Worrisome • Kyle Rudolph Is Alive • CJ Ha...
Aug 19, 2016•33 min
The 'doesn't count' portion of the NFL schedule is almost half over as the Minnesota Fightin' Vikings roll into Century Link Field in Seattle play some Friday Morning Thursday Night West Coast football. I rattle through a few things I'm going to be looking for in Game 2 and also find a way to poke fun at new 49ers quarterback Christian Jerome Ponder (somehow). Seattle's Best Talking Points Include: 1) Exum-Kearse Round Two 2) Hai, Anthony Harris 3) Can Treadwell Build on a Solid Debut 4) Can Nic...
Aug 17, 2016•31 min
Usain Bolt is cool and all, but he's no Jerick McKinnon. I open the show with an opining love letter to #21 and how I hope the Minnesota Fightin' Vikings will actually use him this year. Then we turbo through a couple roster battles that I'm keeping an eye on. There's a lot of suss out over the next few weeks for the Vikes. Battle Talking Points Include • Joel Stave vs Taylor Heinicke • Matt Asiata vs CJ Ham • Adam Thielen vs Jarius Wright • David Morgan II vs Rhett Ellison • Willie Beavers vs E...
Aug 15, 2016•34 min
The Minnesota Fightin' Vikings got their first free skate of the year out of the way Friday night in Cincinnati getting a win 17-16. There was some good, bad, and ugly to go around and we talk about it all in tonight's recap as we also get in some preseason reps. #Reps Preseason Feeling Talking Points Include: • The “Teddy Can't Throw the Deep Ball” Party is OVER • Trae Waynes is Your Starting LCB • 1st Team Offensive Line is Still a Concern • John Sullivan is Not the Same Player. Accept That. •...
Aug 13, 2016•40 min
The Minnesota Fightin' Vikings begin their two days of practice with the Cincinnati Bengals before Friday's first preseason game in Southern Ohio (but really Northern Kentucky). Mankato Training Camp is in the rear view mirror. Impressions were made, but still plenty of time for jobs to be won or lost. But that won't stop us from recklessly speculating who will (Teddy Bridgewater) and who won't (Antone Exum) be in Purple to start the 2016 season. Follow along with our 53-man roster projection on...
Aug 10, 2016•31 min
My time at Minnesota Fightin' Vikings Training Camp has concluded. I enjoyed my time watching the team in the Crown Jewel of South Central Minnesota. Everyone loved Ribfest, but it's time to get serious about some football. Here's 14 observations from Mankato. Today's Topics Include • How's Teddy Look? • Everson Griffen Might Be a Top-5 Edge Player • I Don't Know About Xavier Rhodes – Elite or Just a Guy • Adrian Peterson Is Ready to Go • MyCole Pruitt & David Morgan II Look to Be Big Factor...
Aug 08, 2016•48 min
The annual dead period between the Saturday morning walk-through and the famous Night Practice is upon us. No worries though as we've set up at Boulder Tap House again with Sam Ekstrom (@SamEkstrom), Luke Inman (@Luke_Spinman), and Eric Thompson (@Eric_J_Thompson) to talk a little Minnesota Fightin' Vikings and what we've seen from the squad as they round out their final weekend in Mankato this season. (Note: Eric's audio kicked out about 3/4 of the way through the show. Ah well.) All that and o...
Aug 06, 2016•1 hr 1 min
Another picturesque day in sunny and 77 degree Mankato. I welcomed in Josh Zimmer (@JZimmer_NFL) of NGSC Sports and Luke Inman (@Luke_Spinman) in to have a frank and open conversation about the latest happening with the Minnesota Fightin' Vikings as Training Camp draws to a close. Today's Topics Include: • Why Tre Roberson is Impressing • Trae Waynes Made a Leap in Year 2 • Vikings Have the Deepest Defensive Line Unit in the NFL • Thoughts on Matt Kalil • The Great Berger or Sully Debate • Andre...
Aug 05, 2016•46 min
On the ground in Mankato. Some AM showers rolled over the Crown Jewel of South Central Minnesota Thursday morning, but it didn't stop the Minnesota Fightin' Vikings from taking the field for walkthroughs. It also didn't stop me from rounding up Arif Hasan (@ArifHasanNFL), Sam Ekstrom (@SamEkstrom) and Eric Thompson (@Eric_J_Thompson) at the media center and playing a quick NAME GAME. Names Include: • Jayron Kearse • Willie Beavers • Matt Kalil • Zach Moore • Tre Roberson • Charles Johnson • Trae...
Aug 04, 2016•37 min
The Minnesota Vikings had the day off today (they apparently take Taco Tuesday VERY seriously). But it gave us time to collect our thoughts on the goings on in Mankato before they strap em back on again Wednesday. Show Topics Include: • Why Training Camp Fights Are Good • Jayron Kearse is Rising • Mike Priefer Defends Jeff Locke • Vikings Breaking Ground on Eagan Practice Facility • The Backup QB Situation is Ungood • O-Line Not Solidified Yet • Honey Badger Gets Paid MORE Than Harrison • Jerick...
Aug 02, 2016•41 min
Had time to kill on a Sunday afternoon (and I don't golf), so I swung on down to Mankato to take in the Minnesota Fightin' Vikings afternoon practice. Arif Hasan (@ArifHasanNFL), Sam Ekstrom (@SamEkstrom) and Daniel House (@DanielHouseNFL) joined me to recap the session, what's been impressive (and not so impressive) so far, and I finally get a definitive answer on "HOW'S TEDDY LOOK?" (This is also the first pod where we got rained on and Arif list trying to move a patio umbrella.) Show Topics I...
Aug 01, 2016•58 min
The Minnesota Fightin' Vikings have invaded their August home as the eyes of the Purple Faithful all shift towards Mankato, the Crown Jewel of South Central Minnesota. We talk about the major early storylines from Training Camp and get Arif Hasan on the horn from Mankato to fill us in with some updates. Can't wait to get down there on August 4th-6th and setup base camp at Boulder Tap House again! Today's Talking Points Include: • Mike Zimmer Extended • Harrison Smith Rode the Bus • Alex Boone St...
Jul 29, 2016•36 min
I got Chris Tomasson (@ChrisTomasson) of the Pioneer Press to sit still for a conversation about his extensive world travels and the upcoming season of Minnesota Fightin' Viking football. We chatted about his memories of the late-Denny Green (Chris was a student at Northwestern when Denny became their head coach), what Phil Loadholt's retirement means for the embattled Vikings offensive line, how he met Adrian's dad, why he thinks Mortiz Boehringer has a legit shot of making the 53-man roster, t...
Jul 26, 2016•48 min
Former Vikings head coach Denny Green passed away this week at the young age of 67. Denny coached the Vikes from 1992 to 2001, was the 2nd winningest coach in franchise history (behind only Bud Grant), and was a pioneer in the African-American head coaching world. Both in the NFL and in college football. We take time to look back and remember the life of Coach Green and the legacy he leaves behind. Also in lieu of flowers, Denny's family requests donations to the Boys and Girls Club of San Diego...
Jul 22, 2016•25 min
Head coach Mike Zimmer met with a herd of Vikings fans Thursday night at the Fan HQ Eden Prairie. Coach signed autographs and took photos as part of the #MoreThanWords campaign benefiting the Mike Zimmer Foundation. Happy to say that this event helped smash MTW's original $10,000 fundraising goal and we're currently over $12k. Still plenty of time to donate before the August 9th deadline. Let's run up the score on this mother! In the podcast I recap the event and playback the chats I had with Co...
Jul 22, 2016•28 min
Pokémon GO has taken the world by storm. And as we've seen, I never let a pop culture phenomenon go by unincorporated into Purple FTW's sphere for both the LOLs and for SEO purposes. So there's the Pokémon GO one. (Damn we need football back.) Today's Talking Points Include: • Which Pokémon Are The Vikings? • 3-Year $300,000 Bird Death Study Commissioned for US Bank Stadium • Jared Allen Told Brett Favre to Stay Retired • Joe Berger Adopts Daughter • Teddy Working Out With..... • Adrian Sees Gre...
Jul 15, 2016•42 min
[Editor's Note: Taking the week off to head down to Podcast Movement! But I wanted to leave you guys with some content to get you through this desert of football news with one of our most downloaded episodes ever. Please enjoy and I'll catch you next week. -Andy] Hindsight is 20/20. That's why we jumped in our DeLorean and went back to save the Vikings from themselves in 2011. There was a run on quarterbacks early in the first round and de facto GM Rick Spielman panicked and overdrafted Christia...
Jul 05, 2016•37 min
The Minnesota Fightin' Vikings defeated the Green Bay Alien Packers last year to secure the NFC North Division crown. But we always knew they'd be back..... We gear up for another year of battle with our gruesome, green, over-weight nemesis from across the Mississippi with some Vikings talkers leading into your 4th of July Weekend. Today's Topics Include • Alan Roach is a Hot Damn BOSS • Troy Williamson Said it was All in his Head • Buddy Ryan Changed Cris Carter's Life • Kyle Rudolph Believes i...
Jun 30, 2016•39 min
Alright fine. I've been famously (infamously?) curmudgeon about all of the endless US Bank Stadium construction updates. I'm a big "skip the labor, show me the baby" sort of guy. But now that the baby has been born, I'm in love with this $1.1 billion dollar bundle of joy. We'll hop into some of the gritty details of the Minnesota Fightin' Vikings latest encampment this week. LUKE BRYAN..... Hooray. All that and other “Ice Up, Arden Hills” nonsense on this edition of the Purple FTW! Podcast. An A...
Jun 23, 2016•32 min
Harrison Smith is the best kept secret in the NFL. He's the most complete safety in the league, yet is continually over-looked for accolades and by the national media. Maybe they'll take notice now that Dirty Harry is the highest paid (by per year average) safety after inking a 5-year, $51.25M deal with $28.578M guaranteed. Now it's time for Harry to earn that cheddar and he seems more than ready to justify the #Faith shown by the Minnesota Fightin' Vikings. Today's Topics Include • Vikings Mini...
Jun 16, 2016•46 min
Harrison Smith is the best kept secret in the NFL. He's the most complete safety in the league, yet is continually over-looked for accolades and by the national media. Maybe they'll take notice now that Dirty Harry is the highest paid (by per year average) safety after inking a 5-year, $51.25M deal with $28.578M guaranteed. Now it's time for Harry to earn that cheddar and he seems more than ready to justify the #Faith shown by the Minnesota Fightin' Vikings. Today's Topics Include • Harrison Smi...
Jun 09, 2016•35 min
The Minnesota Fightin' Vikings are back in the hood that is Eden Prairie as the Purple begin preparation for the 2016 season. Nothing is more meaningless than OTAs, but the only thing getting more attention than them is than lady and her damn Chewbacca mask. But I digress, let's talk some football! (Which we apparently do not do on The Andy Luke & Arif Football Machine.) Today's Topics Include • Vikings OTAs Kicked Off Tuesday • Why Adrian Peterson Showed Up • Players Present But Not Partici...
May 27, 2016•41 min
David Morgan II -- the Pride of the UTSA Road Runners -- stopped by the show to chat about his first weeks with the Minnesota Fightin' Vikings. We talked about what it's like helping build a brand new college football program from scratch, what he envisions his role with the Purple will be, early impressions of the tight end room and new position coach Pat Shurmur, which current NFL player he models his game after, and why he's a "II" and not a "Jr". Also David shares a fishing story that would ...
May 20, 2016•27 min
The Mortiz Boehringer (aka Mortiz Böhringer) story continues as the NFL will allow Borat to rock the umlaut on his uniform this season. He's still a long-shot to make the roster and the feel-good story is over (Mike Zimmer said so, not me), but he'll still be a fan favorite in Mankato for training camp. Plus if he makes a few plays, the fans will be like "Öööööööööööööhhhhhhh!" Töday's Töpics Include • Laquön Treadwell is Signed • Vikings Up tö 90 Men ön the Röster • Öne Punter tö Watch För tö C...
May 13, 2016•52 min
The newest class of Minnesota Fightin' Vikings rookies are in the building this weekend for rookie mini-camp. Draft picks, undrafted free agents, and tryout players alike will try to climb the mountain of making the Vikings 53-man roster (remember, John Randle was a tryout/UDFA), in what could be the most competitive offseason in team history. There is talent everywhere. Today we run through a few of the rookies and forecast what their present and future roles could be in Purple. Beyond the head...
May 06, 2016•47 min
Laquon Treadwell is the newest member of the Minnesota Fightin' Vikings raiding party. We take a closer look at the young man from Ole Miss, how he overcame a gruesome injury his sophomore year to become a first round NFL pick, why I love his demeanor and maturity beyond his 20-years on this planet, and what he brings to the Vikings offense. Teddy Bridgewater, Stefon Diggs, and Norv Turner have to be very pleased getting the "Ambassador of Quon" in the building. All that and other "Cris Carter W...
Apr 29, 2016•30 min
As many Purple FTW! listeners know, I only do one mock draft a year. Mostly due to my lack of expertise and the rest is due to apathy, but it's Draft week! And as Rick Spielman prepares to be the stone cold boss of the Vikings War Room (probably with one-handed pushups), I offer these humble suggestions for potential prospects straight from my weak and feeble fan brain. The WTH is Andy Thinking? Picks Are: 1. (23) Josh Doctson, WR TCU – 6-2 202 1. (30)* Karl Joseph, S West Virginia – 5-10 205 (v...
Apr 26, 2016•40 min
