Yardbarker: Robert Ferguson

[Vikings] Vikings WR Robert Ferguson Fined $5,000 By NFL

Sat, 11 Oct 2008 01:19:36 -0500

Receiver Robert Ferguson was fined $5,000 for a late hit on a punt return in the third quarter. *Source:* Yahoo Sports...

[Vikings] Vikings WR Robert Ferguson Fined $5,000 By NFL

Sat, 11 Oct 2008 01:19:36 -0500

Receiver Robert Ferguson was fined $5,000 for a late hit on a punt return in the third quarter. *Source:* Yahoo Sports...

Vikings @ Packers

Mon, 08 Sep 2008 19:16:43 -0500

Minnesota Vikings @ Green Bay Packers Here's my attempt at a pseudo-live blog, as the Cover It Live blog I wanted to do did not get set up. Injury Report @ 6:46 EST Vikings Madieu Williams - Out Maurice Hicks - Doubtful Tarvaris Jackson - Probable Robert Ferguson - Probable Packers Josh Sitton - Out James

Packers-Vikings Injury Report

Wed, 03 Sep 2008 22:54:24 -0500

MINNESOTA VIKINGS Practice Report (Team Did Not Practice on Wednesday) Wednesday WR Robert Ferguson (ankle), RB Maurice Hicks (foot), QB Tarvaris Jackson (knee), S Madieu Williams (neck) GREEN BAY PACKERS Practice Report (Team Did Not Practice on Wednesday) Wednesday S Atari Bigby (ankle), T Chad Clifton (knees, chest), DE Kabeer Gbaja-Biamila (knee), RB Ryan Grant (hamstring), LB A.J. Hawk (chest), WR James Jones (knee), S Charlie Peprah (hamstring), G Josh Sitton (knee), DE Jeremy Thompson (groin), C Scott Wells (back), LB Tracy White (ankle)

Vikings-Packers Injury Report

Wed, 03 Sep 2008 20:38:43 -0500

53-Man Roster Announced

Sat, 30 Aug 2008 17:28:47 -0500

The finalized 2008 53-man roster was just released on Vikings.com (in PDF format for some screwed up reason). Here it is all sorted by position (don't say I don't work hard for you) followed by the final cut list: Offense Quarterback Tarvaris Jackson Gus Frerotte John David Booty Running Back Adrian

First Cuts - Roster Update

Mon, 25 Aug 2008 14:45:40 -0500

The Vikings announced four cuts today and none of them are particularly exciting (unless you were really rooting for Derrick Pope to unseat Vinny Ciurciu). The jettisoned players are: LB Derrick Pope OT Sean Dumford OT Brock Pasteur WR Daniel Davis This gives me a chance to post a revised roster plus

Jackson OK; Vikings Top Ravens 23-15 in Baltimore

Sun, 17 Aug 2008 11:49:45 -0500

Just a brusied knee. That's the very best news for the Vikings coming out of Saturday night's 23-15 win over the Baltimore Ravens in Baltimore. That bruised knee belongs to QB Tarvaris Jackson, and spoiled what was a great night for the young QB, going 7-for-11 for 82 yards and a touchdown. He also ran twice for 22 yards before leaving during Minnesota's second series. He got hit on a run, and after the next play left the game, but all seems to be well as the team will simply limit him and what he does the next few days as they get set for Pittsburgh in the next preseason game. "He just banged his knee," Minnesota coach Brad Childress said. "We're calling it a contusion right now. … I'm not concerned." The Vikings were impressive on offense most of the evening, putting up 23 points against a stout Ravens defense. Jackson was the key, leading the team to a TD drive on their their first series. The Vikings started the game with a 70-yard drive to put them up 7-0. After running for 13 yards on a third-and-11, he threw a 23-yard touchdown pass to Martin Nance, who deftly tapped both feet in the back corner of the end zone. After the Ravens tied it, the Vikings came back on the series that Jackson got hurt. After he left, Gus Frerotte took over, taking them the rest of the way for the first of three field goals by Steven Hauschka. Frerotte went 4-for-9 for 32 yards and threw a 5-yard touchdown pass to Robert Ferguson for a 17-7 lead. The Vikings are now 1-1, and as stated above will be home for the Steelers on Saturday night.

TOP 10 SPORTS USES FOR A TIME MACHINE

Wed, 30 Jul 2008 23:52:32 -0500

by DMtShooter, Five Tool Tool

You are given the ability to go back in time and prevent specific events in sports history. This is my list of things that I'd change. Feel free to add yours in the comments.

10. Jeter Isn't There. The 2001 Oakland A's team was absolutely loaded, with a patient meat grinder of an offense and young starting pitcher that was among the best in baseball. After taking the first games of the ALDS in Yankee Stadium, the series shifted to Oakland, with Barry Zito in his prime on the mound and dealing, but the A's unable to push a run across... and when they're finally on the verge of scoring, with Jeremy Freaking Giambi Not Slidng and entering the Fredo Corleone Era forever and ever, Jeter appears out of nowhere to make the flip play that, despite the 2-0 whole, more or less ended the series.

Without that play, I'm convinced that the A's win the game, the series, and go on to win a World Series. They also keep the entire team together, becoming the dominant franchise in the Bay Area, and I don't spend the rest of my life seeing that damned play in my nightmares. Liquor helps.

9. Joe Carter GIDPs. I'm not going to go into the details of this too much, because this list is already going to be the worst thing ever, but Mitch Williams doesn't groove the fastball, and the Phils escape Game Six with a win. Though, to be honest, when Carter hit that thing, every Phillie Fan I knew at the time was (a) in no way surprised, and (b) in some terrible sense, relieved, because it meant that they never had to watch Mitch Williams pitch ever again.

8. Randall Cunningham's leg stays whole. In 1991, the Eagles started the year in Green Bay with a 20-3 win that defined the term "Pyrrhic victory" for the fan base... because early in the game, Randall Cunningham leaves with an injury and doesn't play again that year. Instead, the team used Jim McMahon, Jeff Kemp, Brad Goebel (oh dear Lord), and perhaps the single and best indicator that we had to that date that Rich Kotite was criminally useless... Pat Ryan. A 7-1 record down the stretch wasn't enough to make the playoffs, and it could be argued, Cunningham was never the same again.

7. Eagle Fan Doesn't Boo McNabb. Not that the draft day brouhaha really seems like it made that much of a difference on the actual field... but from the eternal media sideshow and rehash of the event. It'll be in McNabb's obituary, and it's pointless.

6. The Sixers Draft Brad Daugherty, instead of trading for Roy Hinson. Let's see... Daugherty becomes the passing big man with the outside shot that would have worked perfectly with Charles Barkley's inside game. He also doesn't go to Cleveland, which means that the Cavs of that era aren't very good. You still have the rather good backcourt of Johnny Dawkins and Hersey Hawkins, and you conceivably have Barkley spend his entire career in Philadelphia... because he isn't spending his time trying to make chuckleheads like Roy Hinson, who might have been the dumbest player to ever play in the Assocation, fit.

5. Jordan called for pushing off on Craig Ehlo. The Cavs' team that Jordan vanquished was a perfect collection of interlocking talent. Your point guard was Mark Price, a deadeye three-point shooter. The shootiung guard was Ron Harper, who had real explosion before knee surgeries made him into a Phil Jackson point guard. Up front, you had Daughery, the extremely good Larry Nance, and John "Hot Rod" Williams, who was good as a young player with a work ethic. Ehlo was also pretty useful... but when Jordan scored over him, the die was cast, and that team was more or less forgoten. A shame, really. They were great to watch.

4. Boris Diaw and Amare Stoudamire don't leave the bench. Another tragically good visual team, the Suns never got closer to breaking through against the Spurs than the 2006-07 season. Mayhbe they never would have gotten past Duncan, Parker and Ginobili in an elimination game, but you can't tell me that the world was better served by the eventual Spurs-Cavs Finals.

3. The Eagles draft Reggie Wayne, Chad Johnson, Robert Ferguson, Chris Chambers, or Steve Smith, instead of Freddie Mitchell. Hell, I'd have settled for Quincy Morgan. Or Todd Heap. Or Algae Crumper. Or... OK, I need to stop before I get the shakes again.

2. McNabb looks off Rodney Harrison. Maybe there's something to Spygate, in that the Eagles really were a better team than the Patriots in the first half of their SUper Bowl loss, and then suddenly were caught for a million screens in the second half. But evern if there was something untoward going on, there was still McNabb -- a man who has managed to be a great player for a very long time by avoiding picks -- failing to keep the ball. (And yes, Ronde Barber returning him for a clinching touchdown in that Tampa Bay NFC championship game is also hanging around the periphery of my brain...)

1. Rampant gambling and/or team purchases. Hey, I love my teams and all, but I love me some more... and I've got an extrordinary number of wagers to place before I raise enough money to buy the Eagles from Leonard Tose and prevent the worst excesses of the Norman Braman Experience.

Roster Watch

Thu, 24 Jul 2008 12:24:10 -0500

The Vikings go into camp with 80 men on their roster, and will have to trim that to 53 by the time the season starts. The current position-by-position breakdown follows the jump (depth chart positions subject to debate in some cases; starters in italics): Offense Quarterback Tarvaris Jackson Gus Frerotte John David Booty Brooks Bollinger Running Back Adrian Peterson Chester Taylor Maurice Hicks Albert Young Fullback Thomas Tapeh Jeff Dugan Naufahu Tahi Tackle Ryan Cook Bryant McKinnie Marcus Johnson Chase Johnson Drew Radovich Guard Steve Hutchinson Anthony Herrera Artis Hicks Brian Daniels Mike Jones Center Matt Birk John Sullivan Dan Mozes Tim Mattran Tight End Visanthe Shiancoe Jim Kleinsasser Garrett Mills Braden Jones Wide Receiver Bernard Berrian Bobby Wade Sidney Rice Robert Ferguson Aundrae Allison Jaymar Johnson Martin Nance Nate Jones Darius Reynaud Daniel Davis Defense/Special Teams Defensive End Jared Allen Ray Edwards Brian Robison Jayme Mitchell Ellis Wyms Otis Grigsby Martail Burnett Defensive Tackle Kevin Williams Pat Williams Fred Evans Letroy Guiron Kenderick Allen Leger Douzable Linebacker E.J. Henderson Ben Leber Chad Greenway Heath Farwell Vinny Ciurciu Derrick Pope Rufus Alexander David Herron Erin Henderson Jeremy Leman Cornerback Antoine Winfield Cedric Griffin Marcus McCauley Charles Gordon Benny Sapp Dee McCann Marcus Walker Brandon Sumrall Safety Darren Sharper Madieu Williams Michael Boulware Tyrell Johnson Eric Frampton Jusain Abdullah Kicker Ryan Longwell Steven Hauschka Punter Chris Kluwe Long Snapper Cullen Loeffler Hard to find any real positional battles there. The best one is probably at tight end, where I'm hoping Garrett Mills, who showed flashes in the final game of last season, will push Visanthe Shiancoe. Maybe Marcus McCauley or Charles Gordon can make things uncomfortable for Cedric Griffin? Everything else looks set, barring injury or guys suddenly forgetting how to play. I'll continue to update this as camp progresses, reflecting cuts, and any changes in depth chart position.

Fantasy Insider: How to Spot A Fantasy Football Sleeper

Mon, 14 Jul 2008 07:24:12 -0500

How to Spot A Fantasy Football Sleeper is a knack that could make or break your fantasy team. Daniel Kalles gives all you fantasy owners a "How To" locate and find fantasy sleepers and plenty of time to exam the players you feel could be sleepers this season. Best of luck this season. As Daniel Kalles, The first thing you need to know about finding a "sleeper" is figuring out what a sleeper is. Many people will have many different explanations as to what a sleeper really is, where to find them and how important they are, but they will pretty much agree that a sleeper is someone who doesn't have a big name, probably doesn't start, hasn't put up big numbers in the past, who now might have a chance to have a breakout season and be a difference maker on your team. Sleepers are usually either late round draft picks or waiver-wire pick-ups who went undrafted. Now how to spot sleepers, when to draft them, and how long you wait until you believe they are actually worth putting in your lineup are all a little different. Having one of the few sleepers who pan out and be a worthy starter can make the difference in winning your league or not winning. No one starts off the season knowing which sleeper will for sure breakout; all you can do is try and draft one or two and hope that a couple of things fall your way and your sleeper goes from nobody to somebody just like that. It's very hard to go into the draft focused on the guys who will be drafted in the later rounds, but the truth is many drafts are won in the later rounds. If you can have a good draft from top to bottom, it will help you down the line; having a deep team will help you in the event of an injury or to make trades. It's not very difficult to draft players in the first bunch of rounds, guys like Alexander, Tomlinson, Owens, Moss, these players have a history, they have done it before, we can look at their numbers and see where they should be drafted, but a sleeper is different. Most sleepers haven't played enough to accumulate enough stats to make decisions on, so you have to take a small sample (if one exists) to figure out who might be the sleepers of this year's draft. There are many different places and ways to find sleepers. One way is to look for 2nd or 3rd year players who had a chance to play near the end of the year before. At the end of most seasons, the teams out of the playoff hunt will look at some young players, giving them starts and letting veterans sit out. Watching these players can sometimes give you a hint into who might be a good sleeper the next season, if they play a good game or two. Look at Willie Parker who was undrafted out of college and was sitting on the bench in 2004 when the Steelers went 15-1. In the last game of the season, once they had already clinched home field advantage, they decided to rest veteran running back Jerome Bettis, and see what Parker could do. He went into Buffalo, on a cold January Sunday, to face the hottest team in football. The Bills were looking to get a victory and a spot in the playoffs. Well, Parker gained 102 yards on only 19 carries, to help the Steelers win the game, and give anyone who was actually paying attention to this Steelers backup a 1200 yards rusher out of nowhere in 2005. Now this doesn't mean things will always work out for you, but it's a good way of finding a sleeper. Another way of finding a sleeper is to watch the player and coach movement in the off-season, and see which players have been put in situations where they might be able to break out, with the help of certain coaches and their philosophies. A player who might have been going downhill in his career, or hasn't been able to find his way yet might be able to change that by being on a team whose system better suits their abilities. Koren Robinson is a good example. He's a former 1st round pick of the Seahawks, and while he had a couple of solid seasons with them (78 for 1240 yards and 5 TD's in 2002), he was let go at the end of 2004 because of off-field and poor behavior issues. He latched on to the Vikings as their top return man and part time WR. During the off-season they hired new head coach Brad Childress, who brings with him his West Coast offense, and they traded Nate Burleson, leaving the spot of #1 WR open. With those and many other changes the Vikings made on offense, they go into the season looking for players to step up and be leaders. Robinson has a good chance of doing that because he is a step ahead of most of the other WR's because he played in the West Coast offense while in Seattle. He could be in for a very big season. While all this looks good and could very well happen, many times it doesn't, and guys like Robinson will always be picked up for his potential, but might never realize it, because he can't control his other issues. These are just a couple of the many ways to find a sleeper. So, make sure to always pay attention to injury situations, and follow closely what players are doing at training camp. Doing this can help you find many sleepers. Lastly, don't forget that you can still find sleepers after the draft in the first couple of weeks of the season. If you see a player break out and do better then expected, don't sit on the sidelines and watch - make an effort to pick them up and see if they can sustain that output. Or if you know that a starting player has any injury at all, make sure you're the one to get anyone who might back that player up, because once a player goes down, whoever takes over can be a real steal.

Robert Ferguson on Favre: "There are a lot of things that are positive about the way he retired."

Tue, 17 Jun 2008 10:05:46 -0500

Really? Which parts were positive? Which alleged retirement are you referring to? Fergie also hints that Brett might not be content retired and just doesn't want to deal with training camp.

Offensive needs? FA still has some

Sun, 16 Mar 2008 09:43:35 -0500

The first wave of free agency is essentially over. However, teams looking for help on the offensive line can still find quality starters. Quarterback Daunte Culpepper Byron Leftwich Quinn Gray Gus Frerotte Tim Rattay Kelly Holcomb Trent Dilfer Craig Nall Marques Tuiasosopo Running Back Kevin Jones Ron Dayne Michael Pittman Musa Smith Mike Anderson Anthony Thomas Verron Haynes Fullback Lorenzo Neal Dan Kreider Cecil Sapp Jim Finn Wide Receiver D.J. Hackett Bryant Johnson Eddie Kennison David Givens Eric Moulds Samie Parker Reche Caldwell Peerless Price Robert Ferguson Keenan McCardell Tim Carter Jerheme Urban Troy Walters Aaron Moorehead Tim Dwight Troy Brown Bryan Gilmore Tight End L.J. Smith (franchise player) Bubba Franks Kris Wilson Marcus Pollard Dwayne Blakley Jason Dunn Stephen Alexander Jerramy Stevens Ryan Krause Christian Fauria Aaron Walker Offensive Tackle Stacy Andrews (franchise player) Fred Miller Max Starks (transition player) Shane Olivea Barry Sims Anthony Clement L.J. Shelton Oliver Ross Jason Fabini Wayne Gandy Mike Rosenthal Nat Dorsey Barry Stokes Stockar McDougle Guard Chris Naeole Jake Scott Fred Weary Floyd Womack John Welbourn Tutan Reyes Ruben Brown Matt Lehr (C) Seth McKinney Todd Steussie Milford Brown Center Justin Hartwig Mike Flynn Casey Wiegmann Mike Flanagan Jeremy Newberry Brett Romberg Kicker Jason Elam Olindo Mare Morten Andersen Aaron Elling Punter Mitch Berger

The Sunday Fantasy Football News Roundup

Sun, 02 Mar 2008 00:20:44 -0500

Free agency has begun in the NFL, which means personnel moves all over the league. FantasyFanatics.com will update you on the latest movements and provide our take. It promises to be an exciting off-season and, with the NFL Draft rapidly approaching, business is about to pick up. Michael Turner, Isaac Bruce, Asante Samuel, Derek Anderson, and Bernard Berrian highlight this week's news roundup.

Week 7 Injury Report

Sun, 22 Oct 2006 00:06:34 -0500

Week 7 NFL injury breakdown by DR U, "fantasy sports guru". He does a nice concise job of going through the players that will matter in fantasy leagues.