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YOU GOTTA HAVE HOPE!
TheDelta's Minnesota Vikings Franchise
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Game: Madden 12
System: PS3
Quarter Length: 11 Minutes
Accelerated Clock: 20 seconds (not like there's much choice here...)
Rosters: Madden Week 13 Update
Draft Classes: Madden Generated (I got the european version of Madden, no choice here either)
Sliders: Jarodd's All-Madden Sliders (black set)
Ever since discovering the Dynasty forum here I wanted to make a thread here myself, so this is my first try at this, hope I'm doing this right. One disclaimer, english is not my first language, still I hope not to make too many mistakes and still manage to write an enjoyable franchise.
There will be some "twists" to this franchise, some of which are probably things true Viking fans will be ready to lynch me for, so I'm asking in advance for your forgiveness, I really like the team, but I'm looking for a real challenge here, so I may have to do some things to "break apart" this team to make this franchise fun to play for me. I'm using Jarodd's black set for the toughest challenge, I really hope it'll take me some years to get this team back on track.
I'll borrow some of the style from other succesful franchise threads here, I hope that isn't frowned upon? I'll be starting this off with a couple of "news headlines" that explain the setup of the franchise and lead through the first preseason.
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RECAP & OUTLOOK
The Minnesota Vikings are a team at a crossroads, after the heartbraking end to the 2009 season with Brett Favre's last second interception against the Saints and the ensuing loss in OT of the NFC Championship Game, there followed a 2010 season that saw a failed return of the Brett Favre experiment, the firing of Head Coach Brad Childress and a disappointing 6-10 record, finishing 4th and last in the NFC North.
In 2011, after drafting rookie QB Christian Ponder with their first round pick, the Vikings hope to rebound, carried by their future Hall of Famers, running back Adrian Peterson on offense, and defensive end Jared Allen, but when you share a division with the Chicago Bears, the Detroit Lions and the Green Bay Packers, that is easier said and done... and there were some ugly surprises ahead that no one could've ever expected coming into the season...
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Minnesota Star running back Adrian Peterson suffers career ending injury in car crash - In shocking news, Minnesota radio stations just reported that Minnesota Vikings football player Adrian Peterson, who was involved in a car accident yesterday on his way to the Vikings training facility for the very first training session after the NFL lockout ended, seems to have suffered several complicated and devastating injuries to his left leg.
Reports are still incoming, but as of right now, it seems as if the 26 year old star running back's career might be over, as doctors seemed pessimistic about his chances of recovery. So far, the Minnesota Vikings organisation has refused to answer inquiries regarding the injury, issuing a statement this morning that "All our prayers and thoughts are with Adrian right now, and we are all glad the his injuries are not life threatening."
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Rookie Quarterback Christian Ponder announces holdout - It seems as if the Minnesota Vikings can't catch a break. Only a few days after their star player suffered what has been confirmed to be a career ending injury, their 2010 first round pick, rookie Christian Ponder, has announced that he is not willing to sign a contract with the Vikings organisation. His agent cited personal reasons as motivation for the decision and demanded that the Minnesota Vikings trade the rights to sign Ponder to another team, a move that was outright denied by Vikings owner Zygi Wilf. "Christian plays for us or for no one at all, I can tell you that right now and there is absolutely no changing our mind on that issue." At the same time, Ponder's agent told ESPN Radio that his client was prepared to sit out the whole season, if necessary.
Details are sketchy, but undisclosed sources within the organisations have stated that there seems to have been a falling out between Ponder and Vikings officials during the negotations that lead to an exchange of heated words, but it is unclear what exactly has been said or what lead to the incident.
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Preseason starts with a loss for Vikings - With rookie first round pick Christian Ponder's lockout continuing, the first preseason game came and went, and in a 10-17 loss to the Tennessee Titants, it became obvious that QB depth is becoming a desperate issue for the Vikings. Donovan McNabb, who the Vikings traded for with the Washington Redskins before the season, looked old and sluggish, completing less than 50% of his passes for less than 50 yards and two interceptions in one half of play, while second year player Joe Webb is still struggling with his accuracy, completing 8 of 20 passes for 80 yards, one touchdown and two interceptions against the Titans second- and third-string defense.
The rumor mill in Minnesota went hot immediately after the game, with so many names being brought into the discussion that it is hard to keep track of them all, one that repeatedly came up was that of retired veteran Brett Favre, who again repeated the he was not interested in a return to the NFL. "This time it's for real guys, I swear, cross my heart." He told reporters yesterday. Still, there seem to be some truth to the rumors, as unnamed sources inside the organisation have reported the organisation to already be in contract negotiation with another QB, but no names are being released at this moment.
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The first woman in the NFL? - It never gets boring in Minnesota these days. After another preseason loss against the Seattle Seahawks in which the Vikings offense again looked anemic, with McNabb again completing less than 50% of his passes and throwing another two interceptions and no touchdowns, it seems as of the Vikings are ready to drop the next bomb on the NFL.
Insiders report that this morning, the organisation did indeed sign a contract with another rookie quarterback to come in and compete with Donovan McNabb and Joe Webb, but his name is one no one amid all the wild rumors anticipated. Or we should rather say,
her name.
Hope Turner gained fame in college last season as the first woman to throw for a touchdown in FCS football after starting the season as a walk-on backup placekicker for the Columbia Lions, scoring on two fake field goal plays and actually taking on part-time QB duties after two starters went down with injuries late in the season. Still, she was never in any consideration for the NFL draft, in fact she didn't even apply for it.
Reactions to this move have been very mixed, to say the least, with many sources accusing the Vikings of pulling a lame move to create some positive publicity after so much bad news, and of course many questioning whether a woman should actually be allowed to play in the NFL, but commissioner Rodger Goodell was quick to support the move. "We are moving the league into a new age, and if a woman is good enough to play in the NFL, I will not be the one to stand in her way." He went on to add. "And if I have any say about it, hitting the QB will be outlawed soon anyway so really where's the harm in it?" Okay, he didn't really say that, but we can imagine it's not too far from the truth.
Owner Zygi Wilf, of course, defended the move. "The girl can play ball, she did so in high school and did so in college, we wouldn't bring her in if we didn't believe she had a shot to compete. Give her a chance." Suffice to say, we are sure that all eyes will be on the Vikings next week when they may write history in their week 3 preseason matchup against the Cowboys.
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History in the making? - Maybe, in a couple years, when people look back, they will see this week 4 preseason matchup against the Houston Texans as the beginning of a new era. Not only did a woman take the field in the NFL for the first time in history, she actually threw the ball, and, to the dismay of critics everywhere, did so surprisingly well. Hope Turner only played in the second half of the contest so she only faced the backup defense of the Texans, but still, she finished a very efficient 9 of 14, for 108 Yards and 2 touchdown passes. While her 5'6'', 160 pound frame is just about as far from the prototypical NFL passer as you can imagine, she showed surprising mobility (maybe less surprising considering she was a track & field as well as gymnastics athlete in college) and good accuracy on short and intermediate passes, she presented nothing less than the most convincing performance of any QB for the Vikings this preseason.
Nonetheless, Coach Frazier after the game again told the press that Donovan McNabb will be the starter going into the regular season. "Yes, he has struggled at times, and yes, our newest addition at QB had an amazing game tonight, but let's keep it slow here, Donovan has the experience and he has my full support as our starter". One can only wonder how long that support will hold up if McNabb doesn't step up his game soon. Suffice to say, the Vikings are in for an interesting season...
Not all was well for the Vikings, though, as rookie DT Christian Ballard suffered an achilles tear in the first quarter of the game, and it looks as if his season might be over before it has even begun.