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Season Preview 2009 Minnesota Vikings

Anthony Chergosky from DailyNorseman.com gives us a look at the 2009 Minnesota Vikings. When you think of the 2009 Minnesota Vikings, two words probably enter your mind: Brett Favre. But when taking a look at the team, its chances of repeating as NFC North champs, and its opportunity to go further in the playoffs than it did last season, Favre is just the tip of the iceberg. All over the field and on both sides of the ball, the Vikings are a team built for success this season. This team's bread and butter is still its ability to run the...

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Magazines Picking Panthers To Win NFC South

With the opening of training camp now only a little over a month away, the NFL magazines have their season previews out and many of them are picking the Panthers to make a successful defense of their NFC South title.And at least one of them is picking Carolina to make an NFC Championship Game appearance.Lindy's Pro Football Preview picks Carolina to win the NFC South and advance to an NFC Championship game showdown against the Philadelphia Eagles. Pro Football Weekly and a number of other NFL magazines are also picking the Panthers to repeat as NFC South champions.Let's hope that Lindy's is right about the Panthers' NFC Championship Game appearance but wrong about the outcome of the game!...

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Peppers, Panthers Closing In On Long-Term Deal?

Carolina's All-Pro defensive end Julius Peppers is now open to negotiating a long-term deal with the Panthers, according to a report in Friday's edition of the Charlotte Observer.The newspaper cited comments by Peppers and his agent, Carl Carey, in the report. "Julius Peppers has tremendous respect for the people in the Carolina organization and recently had the opportunity to talk with those individuals face to face and we believe we can reach a deal with the Panthers organization that will keep Julius in Carolina for the rest of his career," Carey said.Carey's comments followed a statement released by Peppers earlier in the day. "I have had some very positive and productive discussions with the Carolina organization recently and I am optimistic about my future with the Panthers and very focused as I look forward to the upcoming NFL season," Peppers said in the statement.Sounds like great news for the Panthers...

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Carolina Signs Fourth-Round Picks

The Panthers signed two of their 2009 draft picks on Friday, inking fourth-round picks Mike Goodson of Texas A&M and Tony Fiammetta of Syracuse to four-year deals.The pair will add talent and depth to one of the NFL's best backfields. Goodson, a 5-11, 210-pound running back, will back up DeAngelo Williams and Jonathan Stewart at tailback and will see action as a slot receiver and kick returner as well, while the 6-1, 245-pound Fiammetta will split time at fullback with Brad Hoover.The Panthers have now signed three of their seven 2009 draft picks....

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Panthers Sign Seventh-Round Pick

The Panthers signed the first of their seven 2009 draft picks on Wednesday, reaching an agreement with seventh-round pick Captain Munnerlyn.A 5-8, 185-pound cornerback and kick returner out of South Carolina, Munnerlyn will compete for a job as a kick returner and backup cornerback with the Panthers. He had five interceptions and three fumble recoveries in 36 career games with the Gamecocks.The Panthers do not anticipate any problems in signing their seven draft picks before training camp begins on August 2nd....

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Peppers Signs With Panthers

Defensive end Julius Peppers signed a one-year, $16.683 million franchise tender with Carolina today, ending the contract stalemate between the Panthers and their disgruntled superstar.Great news for Carolina fans and the Panthers, who need the superstar defensive lineman in the lineup to make a successful defense of their NFC South Championship.A four-time Pro Bowl starter and a first-team All-Pro selection in 2004, Peppers is Carolina's all-time leader in sacks (70.5), forced fumbles (24), and blocked kicks (8).Peppers started all 16 games for the fifth time in his career in 2008, making 64 tackles and leading the Panthers in sacks (14.5) and forced fumbles (5)....

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Delhomme's New Deal A Bad One?

There is usually a strong correlation between an NFL team's success on the field and the amount of respect given to that team's quarterback.But that hasn't proven true for Carolina quarterback Jake Delhomme.The Panthers have won an NFC Championship, made a Super Bowl appearance, and posted the fifth best record in the National Football League over the last seven seasons with Jake Delhomme as their starting quarterback.And yet, Delhomme remains an underrated and unsung player despite having the fifth highest winning percentage among active NFL quarterbacks.His new contract with the Panthers (a $30 million deal) was even attacked by many as being a bad move on Carolina's part.But was it?We don't think so.If Delhomme stays healthy and continues to play well, $30 million for a proven and successful NFL quarterback is a bargain price given the rapidly escalating player salaries of the current era.And most of the money in the...

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NFL Top 10: Most Valuable Carolina Panthers

Last year, MVN successfully projected the Carolina Panthers to win the NFC South.  While we were not the only media source to make that prediction, they weren't the type of trendy pick that either the Bucs or Saints were.  The Panthers return most of their talent from last year, but might meet their match in a division that figures to not be the patsy it was last December.   The Saints are almost universally better, the Falcons should have a more consistent effort from start to finish, and the Bucs cut a lot of their dead weight veterans in order to find a team that could improve as the season went on.  Carolina returns as the favorite, but with a very thin margin for error in the NFC South.Below are MVN's hand chosen 10 most valuable players on the Carolina Panthers, courtesy of NFL Top 10:10) LB Thomas DavisIn three...

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NFL Top 10: Most Valuable Carolina Panthers

Last year, MVN successfully projected the Carolina Panthers to win the NFC South.  While we were not the only media source to make that prediction, they weren't the type of trendy pick that either the Bucs or Saints were.  The Panthers return most of their talent from last year, but might meet their match in a division that figures to not be the patsy it was last December.   The Saints are almost universally better, the Falcons should have a more consistent effort from start to finish, and the Bucs cut a lot of their dead weight veterans in order to find a team that could improve as the season went on.  Carolina returns as the favorite, but with a very thin margin for error in the NFC South.Below are MVN's hand chosen 10 most valuable players on the Carolina Panthers, courtesy of NFL Top 10:10) LB Thomas DavisIn three...Read more

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NFL Great Debates: What to Do with Michael Vick?

NFL Outsider's Greg Trippiedi and Anthony Brown debate the issue: Which team is the best spot for Michael Vick if he overcomes the enormous hurdles necessary to get on the field this year?Greg Trippiedi says Vick shouldn't be a starting quarterback:It's pretty clear that Michael Vick is not going to have a job waiting for him when he gets back. He's 29 years old -- too old and too young in different ways. Vick's open field running abilities were already in decline when we last saw him, and that was in 2006. But that doesn't mean he won't stick somewhere. He's still got a good five or six seasons ahead of him as an effective athlete. The question though remains: Where will Michael Vick fit in, and who will take a chance on him? I don't think Vick is a good fit on a team with a clear need...Read more

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NFL Top 10: Coaches on the Hot Seat in '09

You know, I think there are only a handful of topics in sports that would make for great discussion on radio shows, or on blogs, that have no practical meaning in the real world.  I think back to debates about running up the score: you'll get tons of callers in on a topic like that, putting in their two cents.  Is is right?  Did it happen?  Does it matter?Well, to me, I see the ever-present NFL Head Coaching Hot Seat as cut from the same mold.  It's a debate partially on the merits of certain coaches, partially on the trends of certain owners hiring and firing patterns, and mostly on probability.  Does it really matter if Coach 'X' is on the Hot Seat?  We're not even wondering if he should be fired, we're asking if he should be/is in a position where you would consider a coaching change.I don't have...Read more

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NFL Outsider's Draft Winners and Losers

Tomorrow, we'll take a look at process points to see who had the best draft objectively.  Right now, I'm just going to give some off the cuff reaction on some teams that did really well and others who did not so well.Winners1.  Arizona CardinalsI was amazed with the quality of player drafted by the Cardinals.  They never moved up or down in the draft, but still managed to have great draft position to land great values at positions of need in every single round.  Every one of their draft picks, except for RB LaRod Stephens-Howling, an intriguing prospect, was on the MVN Top 150 big board.  There should be between 5-6 full time starters in this draft, and the Cardinals figure to be the class of their division in the next few seasons.2.  Cleveland BrownsConversely, the Browns traded down three times in round one, and ended up picking four times...Read more

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Derrick Williams, Jarron Gilbert, Jared Cook Lead Round 3 Recap

Process points become negligible after the first day, so lets look at round three and the players that each team got in the middle of the draft.65. New York Jets -- Shonn Green, RB, IowaThe Jets traded up for this pick, so the Green pick was really disappointing.  I didn't think he was anywhere near the best available, and with this being the first pick of the day, I expected a great pick here.66. St. Louis Rams -- Bradley Fletcher, CB, Iowa67. Kansas City Chiefs -- Alex Magee, DE, PurdueThe Chiefs pick their second 3-4 DE of the draft.  So what does this mean for Glenn Dorsey?  Will he split time with Magee and Tyson Jackson, or is he already on his way out?68. Chicago Bears -- Jarron Gilbert, DE, San Jose StateChicago moves forward looking for best player available, while making sure to add a defensive lineman every year. ...Read more

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Alphonzo Smith Trade, Rey Maualuga, Pat White Highlight NFL Draft's Second Round

The second round of the 2009 NFL draft was fronted by some high profile trades.  Both the Panthers and the Broncos traded first round picks in 2010 for players they had first round grades on, but drafted in the second round.  Pat White ended up getting drafted by the consummate "Wildcat" offense, which seems like a good fit, if not a reach.  Inside linebackers Rey Maualuga and James Laurinaitis slipped through the first round, but got drafted by teams in the second with defensive issues.  They'll step in right away and help those situations.However, it was some lesser known prospects who will be the story of the second round in a few years.33. Detroit Lions -- Louis Delmas, S, Western MichiganDelmas is a local product who was clearly head and shoulders above all the other safeties in this draft.  After going with the QB with a steep developmental curve in...Read more

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NFL Outsider Mock Drafts: Trippiedi's Final Call

As promised, this will be my best attempt at figuring out how the NFL draft will go on Saturday.  I'll try to project all logical trades in this space, but certainly won't be able to chart all the action that will happen.  Put simply, I'll be satisfied if I nail team intentions correctly in the draft.It seems like the media is catching up to teams in terms of figuring out smokescreens.  That should help me a lot in this process.  We'll check back on Sunday to see how accurately this two round mock really was (don't get your hopes up).Round 11.  Detroit Lions -- Matthew Stafford, QB, GeorgiaJim Schwartz thinks he can win with Matthew Stafford.  And if Jim Schwartz thinks he can win with Matthew Stafford, then I agree with him.  I'm still not convinced that he's worth the money though.  Stafford is a deadly accurate passer who might...Read more

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NFL Top 10: Immediate Impact 2008 Draft Picks

This list might seem familiar to you.  If it does, it's likely because you've seen people vote on the rookie of the year award.  That's essentially the same thing.  But just before NFL Outsider hits the final stretch run prior to the draft, I'm going to spend a day or two looking back at 2008.  What were we right on, and where did we miss the most?This article will look exclusively at players who were drafted last year, and helped to turn potential into wins right away.10.  Leodis McKelvin, CB, Buffalo BillsMcKelvin made an instant impact in kick and punt returns, returning the Buffalo special teams unit to the top of the league.  This year, he'll look to make an impact on defense.9.  Jonathon Stewart, RB/Jeff Otah, OT, Carolina PanthersIt's hard to say which one had a bigger impact on the Panthers' running game, but since I can't give this...Read more

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