minnesota vikings history
minnesota vikings history
An active offseason has Minnesota Vikings ticket holders whispering about things that were unheard of around the Metrodome the last few years. ‘You know, our defense shouldn’t be that bad.’ Linebacker Napoleon Harris was acquired in the deal that sent disgruntled Randy Moss to the Oakland Raiders. The Vikings also plugged up holes in the secondary with cornerback Fred Smoot, a former first-round draft pick of the Washington Redskins, and veteran safety Darren Sharper. Run stopper Pat Williams was inserted into a defensive line that already featured emerging superstar Kevin Williams, the Vikings No. 1 draft pick in 2003. And of course, with Pro Bowl quarterback Daunte Culpepper at the controls of the Vikings’ attack, the offense isn’t expected to skip a beat. Randy Moss may be gone, but as you can see, there are still plenty of reasons to buy Minnesota Vikings tickets.
Daunte Culpepper appears to be the next in a long line of great Viking quarterbacks. The prototype of the modern athletic quarterback, Culpepper is waging a full-out assault on the Vikings record book After becoming the full-time starter in 2000, Culpepper has delighted Minnesota Vikings ticket holders with his versatility and strong arm. He was selected two consecutive Pro Bowls in 2003 and 2004 and twice has thrown touchdowns in more than 20 consecutive games. But even as prolific as Culpepper has been early in his career, the kid from Central Florida has a long way to go live up the legacies of former Minnesota signal callers Hall of Famer Fran Tarkenton and “Two-minute” Tommy Kramer.
A nifty scrambler himself, Tarkenton tops the Vikings all-time passing list with 33,098 yards. He led the Vikings to three Super Bowls and was selected to the Pro Bowl nine times. At the time of his retirement, the charismatic Tarkenton was the NFL’s all-time leader in career passes attempted, career passes completed, career yards gained, career touchdown passes and career rushing yards by a quarterback. He was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1986.
After two seasons as a backup, Kramer succeeded Tarkenton as the Vikings field general in 1979. A first-round draft pick out of Rice, Kramer quickly endeared himself to Vikings ticket holders by leading a dramatic fourth-quarter comeback against the San Francisco 49ers in his rookie season. Trailing 24-7 in the fourth quarter, Kramer entered the game and threw three touchdown passes to lead Minnesota to a thrilling 28-27 victory. Kramer’s knack for pulling off dramatic comebacks earned him the nickname “Two-minute” Tommy. Kramer set a Viking record by throwing for more than 3,000 yards in five seasons during his 12-year tenure in Minnesota.
The rocket arm of Daunte Culpepper and a vastly improved defense appear to be the Minnesota Vikings ticket back to the promise land. Yet, head coach Mike Tice has plenty of questions to answer. How do you replace Randy Moss? Is Michael Bennett or Mewelde Moore the primary ball carrier? You can be the one of the first to find out the answers by reserving your Minnesota Vikings tickets today.
