WEEK 15 - MINNESOTA VIKINGS (8-5) AT ARIZONA CARDINALS (8-5)

Transcription

1 Minnesota VikingS AT ARIZONA CARDINALS SUNDAY, DECEMBER 14, 2008

2 WEEK 15 - MINNESOTA VIKINGS (8-5) AT ARIZONA CARDINALS (8-5) 2008 PRESEASON Date Opponent Result Aug. 8 SEATTLE SEAHAWKS L Aug. 16 at Baltimore Ravens W Aug. 23 PITTSBURGH STEELERS L Aug. 28 at Dallas Cowboys L REGULAR SEASON Sept. 8 at Green Bay Packers (MNF) L Sept. 14 INDIANAPOLIS COLTS L Sept. 21 CAROLINA PANTHERS W Sept. 28 at Tennessee Titans L Oct. 6 at New Orleans Saints (MNF) W Oct. 12 DETROIT LIONS W Oct. 19 at Chicago Bears L Oct. 26 BYE Nov. 2 HOUSTON TEXANS W Nov. 9 GREEN BAY PACKERS W Nov. 16 at Tampa Bay Buccaneers L Nov. 23 at Jacksonville Jaguars W Nov. 30 CHICAGO BEARS (SNF) W Dec. 7 at Detroit Lions W Dec. 14 at Arizona Cardinals 3:05 p.m. Dec. 21 ATLANTA FALCONS Noon* Dec. 28 NEW YORK GIANTS Noon* * Game time subject to change/fl exible scheduling WEEKLY MEDIA SCHEDULE Tuesday, December 9 Players Day Off Wednesday, December 10 11:45 a.m. - Childress/Frerotte Available 11:45 a.m.-12:30 p.m. - Open Locker Room 1:30-3:30 p.m. - Practice * Thursday, December 11 11:45 a.m. - Bevell/Frazier/Ferraro Available 11:45 a.m.-12:30 p.m. - Open Locker Room Friday, December 12 11:45 a.m.-12:50 p.m. - Practice * 12:50 p.m. - Brad Childress Available 12:50-1:35 p.m. - Open Locker Room Saturday, December 13 No Access Sunday, December 14 Noon - Minnesota Vikings at Arizona Cardinals Monday, December 15 12:35 p.m. - Childress Press Conference 1:00-1:45 p.m. - Open Locker Room * Practice open through individual drills Sunday, December 14, University of Phoenix Stadium - 3:00 p.m. - FOX GAME SUMMARY Currently on a 3-game winning streak and winners of 7 of their last 9 games, the Minnesota Vikings (8-5) will play their fi nal road game of the 2008 regular season on Sunday, December 14, this time taking on the NFC West division champion Arizona Cardinals (8-5). Kickoff at the University of Phoenix Stadium is set for 3:00 p.m. (CT). This will be the 21st time the two teams have met in an overall series the Vikings lead The Vikings defeated the Cardinals the last time they played in 2006, and Minnesota has won 8 of the last 10 games against Arizona dating back to Sunday s game features 3 of the league s top 10 units on both sides of the ball, as the Cardinals 4th-ranked offense will line up against the Vikings 8th-ranked defense, and the Cardinals 10th-ranked defense will take on the Vikings 18th-ranked offense. The Vikings currently have the 6th-ranked rushing offense and the 2nd-ranked rushing defense. BROADCAST COVERAGE TELEVISION: FOX (Channel 9 in Minneapolis) Play-By-Play: Joe Buck Analyst: Troy Aikman Sideline Reporter: Pam Oliver LOCAL RADIO: KFAN-AM 1130/KTLK FM Play-by-Play: Paul Allen Analyst: Pete Bercich Sideline Reporter: Greg Coleman Pre-Game Show: Joe Anderson 1:00 p.m. CT KFAN/KTLK serve as the fl agship stations for the 73-station, 6-state Vikings Radio Network. WHAT TO WATCH FOR * With a 100-yard rushing performance, RB Adrian Peterson can take sole posession of the team record for most 100-yard games in a single season. Peterson has 8 this year, which is tied with Robert Smith s 8 in * With a 100-yard rushing performance, RB Adrian Peterson can move into a 5th place tie alltime in NFL history for the most 100-yard games in the fi rst 2 seasons. Peterson currently has yard games, and RB Ottis Anderson ( ) ranks 5th with 15. * With 109 rushing yards, RB Adrian Peterson will break the team record for the most rushing yards in a single season. Peterson has 1,413 through 13 games this year, and the record, owned by Robert Smith (2000), is 1,521. * With 3.0 sacks, DE Jared Allen and DT Kevin Williams can each tie their career highs for sacks in a single season. Allen s career high is 15.5, and Williams is Currently Allen has 12.5 in 2008, while Williams has 8.5. * With 1 pass defensed, LB Ben Leber will move into a 1st place tie for most passes defensed in a single season by a linebacker. Leber currently has 11 on the season and the record is 12. STATS OF THE WEEK * DE Jared Allen s 12.5 sacks is the most in a Vikings single season since DT John Randle notched 15.5 in * RB Adrian Peterson currently ranks 9th all time for most rushing yards in the fi rst 2 seasons in the NFL. Peterson has 2,754 yards thus far. He needs 246 yards in his fi nal 3 games (82.0 per game) to become only the 5th player to reach 3,000 in just 2 seasons. * K Ryan Longwell has connected on 5 fi eld goals of 50+ yards in 2008, a team record. * The Vikings defense has allowed 953 rushing yards in 2008, just 4 more than the Pittsburgh Steelers 949.

3 MEET THE HEAD COACHES CHILDRESS IN 3RD SEASON AT HELM NFL Head Coach: 3rd Year Overall NFL Experience: 11th Year Coaching Experience: 31st Year Overall NFL Record: (.489) Regular Season: (.489) Postseason: 0-0 (.000) Record with MIN: (.489) Record vs. ARI: 1-0 (1.000) College: Eastern Illinois ( 78) Entering his 3rd season leading the Vikings, Head Coach Brad Childress has a team built on his principles for winning football. Childress squad features strong play along both lines, a dynamic running game and an opportunistic defense. A bevy of top-fl ight linemen have been important to developing the identity of the Vikings and are now being complemented by emerging playmakers. The offseason addition of 2007 NFL sack leader and All-Pro DE Jared Allen via trade with Kansas City along with free agent starters WR Bernard Berrian and S Madieu Williams fi lled key positions with veteran playmakers. With Allen, the Vikings now have 5 Pro Bowlers along the offensive and defensive lines and 7 members of the 2007 Pro Bowl squad. Coupled with a pair of proven 1,000-yard runners in the backfi eld and an aggressive defense with a nose for the ball, the Vikings enter 2008 with a strong nucleus of experienced talent. Since taking over the team in 2006, Childress has placed a premium on playing smart football, minimizing mistakes and winning the line of scrimmage. The 2007 Vikings became the 1st team in franchise history to rank #1 in the NFL in rushing offense and rushing defense. The duos of G Steve Hutchinson and C Matt Birk on offense joined by DTs Kevin Williams and Pat Williams on defense all made second consecutive Pro Bowl trips in The Vikings offense set franchise records by rushing for 2,634 yards (164.6 yards per game) with rookie phenom Adrian Peterson leading the way with an NFC-best 1,341 yards. Peterson s total ranked as the 2nd-highest in team history, and his 5.6 yards-per-carry average ranked 2nd-best in the NFL. Fellow RB Chester Taylor, coming off his fi rst 1,000-yard rushing season in 2006, fi nished with 844 yards and 7 TDs on 157 carries. Together Peterson and Taylor accounted for 2,185 of the team s rushing total, giving the Vikings the most dangerous rushing tandem in team history in terms of yardage. Second-year QB Tarvaris Jackson showed signifi cant improvement from year one as he threw for 1,911 yards and 9 TDs while rushing for 260 yards and 3 scores despite missing 4 games due to injury. He fi nished the season 8-4 as a starter. Defensively, the Williams tandem shut down the run better than anyone in the NFL, and the Vikings posted the #1 rush defense for the 2nd straight year. Over the past 2 seasons, the team has stifl ed opponents by allowing 67.9 yards per game, 2.9 yards per carry and 0.5 rushing TDs per game in those 32 games. Behind the rugged DTs, the Vikings have an emerging trio of linebackers who have a knack for the big play and ball-hawking defensive backs. The 2007 squad tied a francise record by scoring 6 TDs on interception returns and 2 more on fumble returns. The Vikings 13 defensive TDs (9 INTs, 4 FRs) since 2006 lead the NFL and are 5 more than the runner-up Packers 8. On special teams, the Vikings ranked 4th in the NFL with a 24.8 kickoff return average and 6th in the NFL as they held opponents to an average starting fi eld position just beyond the 26-yard line (26.2). The 2008 season marks Childress 31st in coaching and his 11th on an NFL sideline. He currently has a combined record of , including playoffs and bowl action. CHILDRESS COACHING BACKGROUND Minnesota Vikings Head Coach Philadelphia Eagles Offensive Coordinator Philadelphia Eagles Quarterbacks Wisconsin Offensive Coordinator/QBs/RBs 1990 Utah Wide Receivers Northern Arizona Offensive Coordinator 1985 Indianapolis Colts QBs/Quality Control Illinois Running Backs/Wide Receivers WHISENHUNT LEADS THE CARDS NFL Head Coach: 2nd Year Overall NFL Experience: 12th Year Coaching Experience: 13th Year Overall NFL Record: (.552) Regular Season: (.552) Postseason: 0-0 (.000) Record with ARI: (.552) Record vs. MIN: 0-0 (.000) College: Georgia Tech ( 85) Ken Whisenhunt was named Arizona s head coach on January 14, 2007, when he signed a 4-year contract with a team option for a 5th. In his fi rst year, Whisenhunt led Arizona to its best record in 10 years (8-8) and the team recorded a 6-2 mark at home, it s best since Year one had it s share of excitement and last-second fi nishes. Seven of the season s fi rst 8 games were decided by 7 points or less, and in all, the Cardinals played an NFL-leading 12 games decided by 8 or fewer (6 by a fi eld goal or less). In 2007, the Cardinals set a franchise record for passing TDs (32) and recorded the 2nd-highest season point total in team history with 404 (423 in 1984). Arizon s 94.0 scoring percentage inside the red zone was #2 in the NFL (New England 94.4%). The team scored 20+ points in 12 games (including the last 8 in a row) and 30+ points in 6 contests. Whisenhunt came to Arizona with 10 years of experience as an NFL assistant coach. He also played 9 seasons in the league as a tight end and H-Back. He spent the last 3 seasons prior to joining the Cardinals as the offensive coordinator for the Pittsburgh Steelers and helped the team to a victory in Super Bowl XL. He was a part of the Steelers staff for 6 years, spending the fi rst 3 as tight ends coach before becoming offensive coordinator. Whisenhunt was drafted in the 12th round of the 1985 NFL Draft by Atlanta. During his 9-year career he played with the Falcons, the Redskins, and the Jets, catching 62 passes for 601 yards and 6 TDs. WHISENHUNT S COACHING BACKGROUND Arizona Cardinals Head Coach Pittsburgh Steelers Offensive Coordinator Pittsburgh Steelers Tight Ends 2000 New York Jets Tight Ends 1999 Cleveland Browns Special Teams Baltimore Ravens Tight Ends Vanderbilt Special Teams/Tight Ends VIKINGS-CARDINALS ALL-TIME VIKINGS VS. CARDINALS ALL-TIME Won 11, Lost 9; Home 6-4, Away 5-5 Year Site Result Minnesota... L Minnesota... L St. Louis...W Minnesota... L St. Louis...W *... Minnesota...W Minnesota... L St. Louis... L St. Louis... L St. Louis... L Minnesota...W Arizona...W Arizona... L Arizona... W (OT) Minnesota...W Arizona...W *... Minnesota...W Minnesota...W Arizona... L Minnesota...W * NFC Divisional Playoff Game WEEK 15 - VIKINGS AT CARDINALS - 2

4 VIKINGS-CARDINALS INFORMATION VIKINGS PERFORMANCES VS. CARDINALS Gus Frerotte... 8 games, 132-of-243 for 1,775 yards, 12 TDs, 7 INT, 54.3 completion pct. Maurice Hicks... 6 games, 47 att., 161 yards, 3.4 avg., 17 long, 2 TDs; 10 rec., 43 yards, 4.3 avg. Ryan Longwell... 4 games, 8-for-8 FGs, 13-for-13 PATs, 37 points Adrian Peterson... Has not played the Cardinals Chester Taylor... 2 games, 37 att., 181 yards, 28 long, 1 TD; 6 rec., 60 yards, 10.0 avg., 15 long Kevin Williams... 2 games, 10 tackles, 2.0 sacks, 2 TFL, 7 QB hurries, 1 FF, 2 PD, 1 INT VIKINGS BIG DAYS VS. CARDINALS VIKINGS VS. CARDINALS SERIES NOTES * DE Jared Allen recorded 1.0 sack and 6 solo tackles against Arizona as a member of the Kansas City Chiefs on 10/8/06. * The Vikings lead the all-time series with the Cardinals 11-9, including postseason action and are 5-5 against Arizona on the road. * FB Jeff Dugan caught his fi rst career touchdown pass from 3 yards out against the Cardinals on 11/26/06. * DE Ray Edwards recorded a half sack on Arizona s Matt Leinart and recorded a then career-high four hurries on 11/26/06. * QB Gus Frerotte threw for 157 yards and 2 TDs against Arizona on 9/3/95 as a member of the Washington Redskins. Frerotte fi nished with a QB rating of * RB Maurice Hicks had the best game of his career against the Cardinals, running for 139 yards on 34 carries (4.1 average) and scoring his fi rst career TD as a member of the San Francisco 49ers on 12/12/04. He also caught a career-high 5 passes for 29 yards. * LB Ben Leber forced a career-high 2 fumbles in a win on 11/26/06. * K Ryan Longwell has had some of the best games in his career against the Cardinals, all as a member of the Green Bay Packers. He scored a career-high 17 points and made a career-high 5 FGs against Arizona on 9/24/00 and attempted and connected on a career-high 7 PATs on 1/2/00. * S Darren Sharper picked off Cardinals QB Jake Plummer twice and had a career-high 6 passes defensed as a member of the Green Bay Packers on 9/24/00. * RB Chester Taylor churned out 136 yards and a touchdown on 27 carries and had 3 receptions for 35 yards against the Cardinals on 11/26/06. * DT Kevin Williams posted a career-high 10 tackles, 3.0 sacks, intercepted the fi rst pass of his career and forced a fumble in the fi nal game of his rookie season against the Cardinals on 12/28/03. Williams earned NFC Defensive Rookie of the Month for December in large part because of his effort against the Cardinals. * S Madieu Williams sacked Arizona QB Kurt Warner as a member of the Cincinnati Bengals on 11/18/07. * CB Antoine Winfield registered 10 tackles, 9 solo and had 2 pass breakups against Arizona on 11/26/06. A WIN WOULD... * Give the Vikings their 8th in the last 10 games. * Give the Vikings their fi rst 4-game winning streak since 2007 (11/18-12/17-5 games). * Improve the Vikings record on the road to 4-4 in * Give the Vikings their 1st win in their 1st game at the University of Phoenix Stadium. * Improve the Vikings Dec. record to 2-0 in 2008 and all-time. * Improve the Vikings all-time record against the NFC West to * Give Head Coach Brad Childress a 4-2 record against the NFC West. * The Cardinals knocked the Vikings out of the playoffs in 2003 when they defeated Minnesota in the fi nal game of the season on a lastsecond TD pass. * Minnesota has not yet played in the University of Phoenix Stadium. * Two Arizona head coaches had been Vikings assistants under legendary coach Bud Grant - Bob Hollway and Buddy Ryan. * The Vikings have won 6 of the last 7 games and 8 of the 10 matchups between the two teams since Arizona relocated from St. Louis. * The Vikings and Cardinals have met in the playoffs twice (1974, 1998), both Vikings victories. * Head Coach Brad Childress is 1-0 against the Cardinals, defeating them during his fi rst year as head coach in SERIES BY THE NUMBERS Record vs. Cardinals... Vikings Last regular season game...vikings 31, Cardinals 26 (2006) Vikings largest winning margin...28 (Vikings 28, Cardinals ) Cardinals largest winning margin.42 (Cardinals 56, Vikings ) Current series streak... Vikings 1 Vikings longest win streak... 5 ( ) Cardinals longest win streak... 4 ( ) Most Points, Vikings...41 (1996, 1998) Most Points, Cardinals...56 (1963) Most Points, both teams...72 (Cardinals 41, Vikings ) Fewest Points, Vikings...7 (3 times) Fewest Points, Cardinals...0 (1991) Fewest Points, both teams (Cardinals 17, Vikings ) 2008 STATISTICAL SNAPSHOT (NFL Ranking following Week 14) Vikings Cardinals 8-5 Record (14) Points Per Game 28.6 (1) 233 (18) First Downs 285 (2) (18) Total Offense Per Game (4) (6) Net Rushing Yards Per Game 75.4 ( (25) Net Passing Yards Per Game (2) 16/282 (28t) Had Intercepted/Yards Returned 12/269 (15t) 35/196 (24t) Sacks Allowed/Yards Lost 20/150 (11) 31:22 (10) Possession Average 31:22 (11) 35.6 (13) Third Down Efficiency 43.8 (9) 21.2 (14t) Opp. Points Per Game 24.8 (23) 202 (2t) Opp. First Downs 241 (15) (8) Opp. Total Offense Per Game (10) 73.3 (2) Opp. Net Rushing Yards Per Game 96.5 (13) (20) Opp. Net Passing Yards Per Game (19) 11/58 (16t) Defensive Interceptions/Yards 11/269 (16t) 37/262 (4t) Defensive Sacks/Yards 26/166 (13t) -2 (19t) Turnover Ratio +2 (13) 65/47.0 (3) Punts/Gross Punting Average 43/41.8 (26) 79/623 (20) Penalties/Yards 89/601 (28) WEEK 15 - VIKINGS AT CARDINALS - 3

5 VIKINGS-CARDINALS INFORMATION VIKINGS-CARDINALS CONNECTIONS VIKINGS-CARDINALS CONNECTIONS - Vikings DL coach Karl Dunbar played for the Cardinals from Vikings assistant strength and conditioning coach Martin Streight served in the same capacity for the Cardinals from Cardinals CB Ralph Brown II played for the Vikings from , appearing in 28 games. - Cardinals WR Larry Fitzgerald was a ball boy at several Minnesota Vikings training camps held in Mankato, MN. - Cardinals C Lyle Sendlein s father, Robin Sendlein, was a 2nd round draft pick and played LB for the Vikings from Cardinals scout Dru Grigson signed as a rookie free agent with the Vikings in Cardinals TE Stephen Spach played with the Vikings in LOCAL CONNECTIONS - Vikings WR Bobby Wade is a native of Phoenix and helped Desert Vista HS to a state championship before going on to play at the University of Arizona. - Vikings offensive coordinator Darrell Bevell is a native of Yuma and was a standout at Chaparral HS in Scottsdale, where his father, James, coached. - Minnesota has fi ve members on its coaching staff who coached or played for Northern Arizona. Vikings head coach Brad Childress ( ), OL coach Pat Morris (1978) and quality control-defense/lbs Jeff Imamura ( ) all coached for the Lumberjacks. Bevell played for Northern Arizona in 1989 and assistant DB coach Derek Mason played there from , and is a native of Phoenix. - Vikings quality control-offense/rbs Ryan Ficken played 2 seasons at Arizona State from Cardinals WR Larry Fitzgerald is a native of Minneapolis and attended the Academy of the Holy Angels, where he was a two-time Prep All-American. - Cardinals assistant DB coach Rick Courtright served as the DL coach and strength and conditioning coordinator at Minnesota-Morris in Vikings vice president of operations/legal counsel Kevin Warren is from Tempe and earned his undergraduate degree from Grand Canyon University in Phoenix, where he scored more than 1,100 points for the basketball team in 2 seasons and was an Academic All-American. Kevin Warren s father, Dr. Morrison Warren Sr., was president of the 1982 Fiesta Bowl. Kevin has been a member of the Fiesta Bowl Board of Directors since NFL CONNECTIONS - Vikings TE coach Jimmie Johnson and Cardinals head coach Ken Whisenhunt, assistant head coach/ol Russ Grimm and QB coach Jeff Rutledge were teammates in Washington. - Vikings DE Jared Allen and CB Benny Sapp played with Cardinals LB Monty Beisel in Kansas City while Vikings LB coach Fred Pagac and offensive assistant/wr Chad O Shea were in on staff. - Vikings TE Visanthe Shiancoe and Cardinals CB Ralph Brown II were teammates with the New York Giants in Vikings RB Chester Taylor and Cardinals QB Brian St. Pierre were teammates in Baltimore in Taylor and Cardinals offensive quality control Dedric Ward played together for the Ravens in Vikings QB Gus Frerotte was teammates with Cardinals K Neil Rackers in Cincinnati in Frerotte played for the Washington Redskins while Cardinals assistant head coach/ol Russ Grimm was on staff there. - Vikings G Steve Hutchinson played in Seattle with Cardinals OLB Chike Okeafor and WR Jerheme Urban while Cardinals DB coach Teryl Austin was on staff there. - Vikings WR Bobby Wade, WR Bernard Berrian and RB Maurice Hicks all played in Chicago with Cardinals T Mike Gandy. - Vikings DL coach Karl Dunbar was on staff with Chicago in 2004 when Gandy played there. - Cardinals offensive coordinator Todd Haley was an offensive assistant/wr in Chicago during Wade s rookie season of Vikings DT Pat Williams played for Buffalo while Cardinals WR coach Mike Miller was on staff there. - Vikings K Ryan Longwell and S Darren Sharper played for Green Bay while Vikings offensive coordinator Darrell Bevell and Cardinals LB coach Bill Davis were on staff there. - Vikings WR coach George Stewart and Davis were on staff together in Atlanta from Vikings TE Visanthe Shiancoe played for the Giants while Davis coached New York s LBs in Vikings RB Maurice Hicks played for San Francisco while Davis was the 49ers defensive coordinator. - Vikings T Artis Hicks played with Cardinals CB Roderick Hood, WR Sean Morey, S Matt Ware and TE Stephen Spach in Philadelphia while Vikings head coach Brad Childress was on staff with the Eagles. - Vikings defensive coordinator Leslie Frazier was on staff in Indianapolis when Cardinals RB Edgerrin James played his fi nal season there. - Vikings WR Bobby Wade played with Cardinals DE/LB Travis LaBoy in Tennessee. Wade also played with Cardinals DE Bryan Robinson in Chicago. - Vikings WR coach George Stewart was on staff in San Francisco when Cardinals OLB Chike Okeafor played there. - Vikings S Madieu Williams played with Cardinals DE Bryan Robinson in Cincinnati. - Vikings TE Visanthe Shiancoe played with Cardinals QB Kurt Warner with the New York Giants. COLLEGE CONNECTIONS - Vikings LB Ben Leber was teammates with Cardinals LB Monty Beisel at Kansas State. - Vikings WR Bernard Berrian and CB Marcus McCauley were teammates with Cardinals TE Stephen Spach at Fresno State. - Vikings DE Jared Allen played at Idaho State with Cardinals LB Pago Togafau. - Vikings DT Jimmy Kennedy and Cardinals T Levi Brown both played at Penn State in Vikings LB Dontarrious Thomas played alongside Cardinals LB Karlos Dansby and CB Roderick Hood at Auburn. - Vikings LB Vinny Ciurciu and Cardinals QB Brian St. Pierre and C Pat Ross were teammates at Boston College. - Vikings DL coach Karl Dunbar was on staff at LSU while Cardinals WR Early Doucet played there. - Vikings FB Naufahu Tahi played at Brigham Young with Cardinals FS Aaron Francisco. - Vikings QB coach Kevin Rogers was on staff at Notre Dame when Cardinals T Mike Gandy played there, and was on staff at Virginia Tech when Cardinals CB Eric Green played for the Hokies. - Rogers was also on staff at Syracuse while Cardinals DB coach Teryl Austin was on staff, director of football administration Reggie Terry and pro scout Quentin Harris COACH CHILDRESS ON... QB Tarvaris Jackson s play at Detroit: He certainly played with confi dence and was about his business. He was precise in what he did. You didn t see a whole bunch of inaccuracy. You didn t see extra steps. He knew exactly what he needed to do against what he needed to do it against and that is what you want. We talked early about any indecision or things like that, that you have got to let those things go. So I thought he did a great job in terms of his preparation and obviously getting it on the fi eld. On whether or not he envisioned Jared Allen s personality and leadership: No, I don t think you could possibly. You have to have a really vivid imagination. I m not talking about the sack portion; I m talking about cut up in the locker room, personality, etcetera. WEEK 15 - VIKINGS AT CARDINALS - 4

6 VIKINGS-CARDINALS INFORMATION 2008 INDIVIDUAL LEADERS (Qualifying Players Only) 2008 Minnesota Vikings Category Player Total NFC Rank NFL Rank Scoring Longwell t...5t Rushing Yds. Peterson... 1, Rushing Att. Peterson Passing Yds. Frerotte... 2, Receptions Wade t...61t Receiving Yds. Berrian Interceptions 4 players t...45t Fumble Rec. Leber t Sacks Allen t...4t Punting Avg. Kluwe Punt Ret. Avg. Allison DNQ... DNQ KO Ret. Avg. Hicks Arizona Cardinals Category Player Total NFC Rank NFL Rank Scoring Rackers Rushing Yds. James Rushing Att. Hightower Passing Yds. Warner... 4, Receptions Fitzgerald/Boldin t...4t Receiving Yds. Fitzgerald... 1, Interceptions Rodgers-Cromartie t...19t Fumble Rec. Dockett/Smith t...4t Sacks Berry t...29t Punting Avg. D.Johnson Punt Ret. Avg. Breaston KO Ret. Avg. Arrington VIKINGS-CARDINALS HISTORY REWIND This weekend s fi nal regular-season road trip to Arizona could offer the Vikings the chance to bring the NFC North title home from the desert. The game will be the 1st in franchise history inside the gleaming University of Phoenix Stadium and the 1st time in Arizona since the 2003 regular season fi nale. The stadium was the site of Super Bowl XLII, one of the greatest games in NFL history that featured the underdog Giants upsetting the undefeated Patriots in February Despite the Vikings making their fi rst visit to the state-of-the-art facility, the clubs have played in more unusual surroundings. The 1983 preseason opener featured the teams meeting at London s storied Wembley Stadium on 8/6/83, a Vikings win. The Cardinals are fresh off winning the NFC West title last week and the Vikings could seal the NFC North title with a victory coupled with a Chicago loss on Thursday Night Football against the Saints. The Vikings and Cards could both fi nish the 2008 season in the playoffs for the 1st time in 10 years, the last time coming in the 1998 season when the Cardinals visited the Metrodome in the NFC Divisional Round. Over the history of the rivalry the clubs have played tight games. The Vikings lead the all-time series 11-9, including 2 playoff wins. The series is even, 5-5, in road games for the Vikings. The last meeting between the clubs was on 11/26/06, a Vikings win. The Cardinals made their home in St. Louis in the early decades of the Vikings franchise, playing 10 games between the teams from before the franchise moved to Arizona. In 1974, the Vikings opened playoff action against the St. Louis Cardinals in the NFC Divisional Round with a win before advancing to face the LA Rams, who now make their home in St. Louis, in the NFC Championship game, winning The 1974 campaign ended with the Super Bowl IX meeting against Pittsburgh in New Orleans. The Vikings and Cardinals have had several coaching connections over the years. Former Vikings defensive line coach Bob Hollway, the architect of the Purple People Eaters from , was head coach of the Cardinals in 1971 and 72, including the 1972 Vikings-Cardinals game that the birds won The Cards have been tutored by some notable names in the history of football, including University of Oklahoma legend Bud Wilkinson, former Vikings assistant Buddy Ryan and in 2006 Dennis Green brought his Arizona club to the Metrodome in his fi nal season at the helm. The Cardinals and Vikings experienced an oddity of scheduling in 1991 when the teams played twice in 3 weeks, squaring off in the Metrodome on 10/13/91, a 34-7 Vikings win. Two weeks later the teams met in Arizona on 10/27/91, a 28-0 Vikings win. The clubs met each regular season in 1994, 95, 96, 97 and in the 1998 playoffs. One of Minnesota s favorite sons, Larry Fitzgerald, is a 2-time Pro Bowl WR for the Cardinals and is making his mark on the NFL as one of the top players in the league. The former Holy Angels star worked as a Vikings ball boy during training camps as a youth and was able to pick up tips from Vikings greats Cris Carter and Randy Moss during that time. BEST PERFORMANCES VS. CARDINALS MOST TACKLES BY VIKINGS VS. CARDINALS Jack Del Rio, 10/2/ Matt Blair, 10/25/ Ed McDaniel, 10/2/ LONGEST CATCHES BY VIKINGS VS. CARDINALS Gene Washington, 10/8/ t (from Joe Kapp) Gene Washington, 10/19/ (from Joe Kapp) Joe Senser, 10/25/ (from Tommy Kramer) RECEIVING YARDS BY VIKINGS VS. CARDINALS Cris Carter, 10/2/ Cris Carter, 11/12/ Cris Carter, 11/12/ RECEPTIONS BY VIKINGS VS. CARDINALS Cris Carter, 10/2/ Cris Carter, 11/12/ Cris Carter, 11/12/ RUSHING YARDS BY VIKINGS VS. CARDINALS Chester Taylor, 11/26/ Robert Smith, 11/12/ Dave Osborn, 11/11/ RUSHING TDs BY VIKINGS VS. CARDINALS Herschel Walker, 10/27/ Tommy Mason, 10/6/ PASSING YARDS VS. CARDINALS Warren Moon, 10/2/ Tommy Kramer, 10/25/ Warren Moon, 11/12/ PASSING TDs BY VIKINGS VS. CARDINALS Brad Johnson, 12/1/ Warren Moon, 11/12/ SACKS BY VIKINGS VS. CARDINALS Kevin Williams, 12/28/ Chris Doleman, 10/13/ INTERCEPTIONS BY VIKINGS VS. CARDINALS Dwight Smith, 11/26/ Nate Wright, 11/4/ NFC North Standings Team W L T Pct. PF PA Home Away Conf. Div. Minnesota Chicago Green Bay Detroit *Division Champions in NFC NORTH STANDINGS WEEK 15 - VIKINGS AT CARDINALS - 5

7 VIKINGS TEAM NOTES 2008 AWARDS * DE Jared Allen NFC Defensive Player of the Week, vs. Chicago, 11/30/08-9 total tackles, 2.5 sacks, 2 QB hurries * CB Antoine Winfield * NFC Defensive Player of the Week, at New Orleans, 10/6/08 * GMC Sierra Defensive Player of the Week, at New Orleans, 10/6/08-8 total tackles (7 solo), 4 tackles for a loss, 1.0 sack, 1 forced fumble, 1 fumble recovery, 1 pass defensed - Also returned a blocked fi eld goal 59 yards for a touchdown, the fi rst Vikings blocked fi eld goal returned for a score in the regular season in team history. * RB Adrian Peterson * Fed Ex Ground Player of the Week, vs. Houston, 11/2/08-25 rushes, 139 yards, 1 TD, 5.6 avg., 40 long * NFC Offensive Player of the Week, vs. GB, 11/9/08 * Fed Ex Ground Player of the Week, vs. GB, 11/9/08-30 rushes, 192 yards, 1 TD, 6.4 avg., 29t long; 3 rec., 33 yards * Also nominated for awards were: Head Coach Brad Childress Motorola NFL Coach of the Week - vs. Chicago, 11/30/08 DE Jared Allen GMC Defensive Player of the Week - vs. Chicago, 11/30/08 WR Bernard Berrian - * NFC Offensive Player of the Week - vs. Detroit, 10/12/08 P Chris Kluwe * NFC Special Teams Player of the Week - vs. Chicago, 11/30/08 K Ryan Longwell * NFC Offensive Player of the Week - vs. Detroit, 10/12/08 DT Kevin Williams * NFC Defensive Player of the Week - vs. Detroit, 10/12/08 RECORD-SETTING STADIUM Over the years, Vikings fans have witnessed some of the most exciting plays in NFL history at the Metrodome. The stadium is now the home of the: Longest play in NFL history: 2007: Chargers CB Antonio Cromartie returns a missed fi eld goal 109 yards for a touchdown vs. Vikings (11/4/07). Longest run in NFL history: 1982: Cowboys RB Tony Dorsett runs 99 yards for a touchdown (date of game was January 3, 1983 but 82 season) vs. Vikings. Longest pass in NFL history (ties NFL record): 2008: Vikings QB Gus Frerotte throws a 99-yard touchdown pass to WR Bernard Berrian vs. Bears. THIS WEEK S MILESTONES Statistics * WR Bernard Berrian needs 9 catches for 200 in his career. * WR Bernard Berrian needs 1 TD to reach 125 career points. * RB Chester Taylor needs 4 more rushing yards for 4,000 in his career. * RB Adrian Peterson needs 3 more TDs for 25 in his career (rushing & receiving) and 150 career points. * TE Jim Kleinsasser needs 39 receiving yards for 1,500 in his career. * TE Visanthe Shiancoe needs 6 catches for 100 in his career. * S Madieu Williams needs 3 more tackles for 300 in his career. Career Starts/Games Played * K Ryan Longwell will play in his 190th career game. * DT Pat Williams will play in his 170th career game. * S Darren Sharper will play in his 165th career game. * RB Chester Taylor will play in his 105th career game. * DE Jared Allen will play in his 75th career game. * DE Ray Edwards will play in his 40th career game. * LB Chad Greenway will play in his 30th career game. VIKINGS LATEST ROSTER MOVES Date Player Transaction Dec DT Kevin Williams...Removed from res./suspended Dec DT Pat Williams...Removed from res./suspended Dec WR Robert Ferguson...Released Dec DT Jimmy Kennedy...Signed Dec DT Kevin Williams...Placed on reserve/suspended Dec DT Pat Williams...Placed on reserve/suspended Dec 2... S Roderick Rogers...Signed to practice squad BY THE NUMBERS 5 Field goals of 50+ yards K Ryan Longwell has connected on in 2008, a career high and a Vikings record yard games RB Adrian Peterson has in 2008, which ties Robert Smith (2000) for the most in a single season Kickoff return average for rookie free agent WR Darius Reynaud, who has returned two 40+ yard kickoff returns in the last two weeks Rushing yards per game RB Adrian Peterson has to average in the fi nal 3 games to reach 3,000 rushing yards in his first 2 seasons. Only 4 players have accomplished the feat. 96 Rushing yards RB Chester Taylor needs to move into 12th place alltime in Vikings history for rushing yards. Taylor currently has 2,380 career yards, and QB Daunte Culpepper ranks 12th with 2,476. VIKINGS VS. NFC/NFC WEST * The Vikings are a combined (.561) against the NFC alltime. * The Vikings are a combined against the NFC West. * Minnesota is against the NFC West in December. * The Vikings are at home against the NFC West and on the road against the division. * The Vikings are 6-4 in postseason action against the NFC West. WEEK 15 - VIKINGS AT CARDINALS - 6

8 VIKINGS TEAM NOTES LAST WEEK Last week the Minnesota Vikings defeated division foe Detroit at Ford Field. After trailing the entire game, the Vikings scored twice in the 4th quarter to grab the victory. With the win, the Vikings retained the top spot in the NFC North at 8-5, one game ahead of the 7-6 Chicago Bears. Minnesota ended its 2008 divisional schedule with a respectable 4-2 record, and the team is now 5-1 since the bye weekend. Vikings on Offense After a slow fi rst half, the Vikings offense found its rhythm, scoring on 3 of 4 possessions in the fi nal 30 minutes, including 2 drives of 10 plays or more and a 90-yard touchdown drive. After starting QB Gus Frerotte left the game shortly before halftime with a lower back injury, QB Tarvaris Jackson entered the fray and led the Vikings on both of their touchdown drives and another that resulted in a fi eld goal. Jackson completed 8 of 10 attempts for 105 yards and a touchdown good for a QB rating. His TD pass came on an 11-yard strike to TE Visanthe Shiancoe, who led all receivers on the day with 5 catches for 65 yards. It was the tight end s 5th touchdown of the season, which ties him for 3rd among TEs in the NFL. The Vikings other touchdown came when RB Chester Taylor, playing in his hometown, scampered for 17 yards into the end zone. He ran for 27 yards on 6 carries (4.5 average) and also caught 2 passes for 26 yards. RB Adrian Peterson again broke the century mark; the 8th time he has done so this season, which ties a team record. Peterson fi nished the day with 102 yards on 23 carries (4.4 average) and remains the league s leading rusher with 1,413 yards. Vikings on Defense The Vikings defense limited the Lions to only 16 points on the day and just one touchdown. Minnesota was stout in the red zone, where they surrendered just 6 points off 3 Lions trips inside the 20-yard line. Vikings defenders also stopped Detroit on both 4th down attempts on the afternoon. Minnesota s 2nd-ranked rushing defense held the Lions to just 76 yards on the ground. Lions QBs Daunte Culpepper and Drew Henson were sacked 4 times, twice by DE Jared Allen. Allen s sack total now sits at 12.5 on the season, which ties for most sacks among defensive linemen and defensive ends and ranks 4th overall in the NFL. DE Ray Edwards and DT Ellis Wyms recorded the other sacks. DT Kevin Williams led the team with 9 tackles (5 solo, 2 for a loss) while LB Chad Greenway had 8. Vikings on Special Teams K Ryan Longwell converted both of his fi eld goal attempts, including one from 50 yards out. Longwell is 5-for-5 on the year from 50+ yards and ranks tied for 5th in the NFL in scoring. KR Darius Reynaud for the second week in a row took a kickoff back for 40+ yards when broke up the middle for 43. HONORARY CAPTAINS The following is a list of honorary captains named in 2008: * vs. Indianapolis (9/14) - Hugo Mayor Fran Miron, Hugo Fire Chief Jim Compton and Washington County Sheriff Bill Hutton (In honor of their extensive relief efforts in the tornado tragedy that hit Hugo, MN, in the summer of 2008) * vs. Carolina, 9/21 - Robert Griffith (Retired Vikings safety) LAST TIME The last time the Vikings and Cardinals met was on November 26, 2006, at the HHH Metrodome. With 412 yards of total offense, the Vikings defeated Arizona Offensively the Vikings were led by QB Brad Johnson, who threw for 271 yards and 3 TDs on 27-of-41 passing. His 271 yards moved him into 37th place in NFL history with 28,208 passing yards, which surpassed Ron Jaworski s 28,190. Johnson became only the 38th QB in NFL history to reach 28,000 yards. RB Chester Taylor ran for 136 yards and a TD on the day. It was his 4th 100-yard day in his fi rst season as a Viking, which set a then team record for the most 100-yard games in the fi rst season on the team, breaking Chuck Foreman s record of 3 in Taylor also set a new team record for the most rushing yards in the 1st quarter when he gained 66. Johnson found 8 receivers on the day, with his favorite target being WR Marcus Robinson, who fi nished with 7 catches for 82 yards. Robinson caught one of the 3 passing TDs, along with WR Billy McMullen and TE Jeff Dugan. It was Dugan s fi rst TD as a Viking. TE Jermaine Wiggins caught 6 passes and WR Travis Taylor also pulled in 5 of Johnson s passes. Defensively, S Dwight Smith had a big day as he picked off Cardinals QB Matt Leinart twice. DEs Ray Edwards and Jayme Mitchell each collected half a sack, while CB Antoine Winfield led the team with 10 solo tackles. K Ryan Longwell, also in his fi rst season with the team, connected on a 40-yard FG and was 4-for-4 on PATs. P Chris Kluwe punted 5 times for an average of 42.8 yards per punt. VIKINGS VS. NFC NORTH Team Total Games All-Time Series Titles* Chicago Bears Detroit Lions Green Bay Packers * Since 2002 division realignment The following numbers are combined NFC Central and NFC North: Playoff Appearances Division Titles 22 - Minnesota Vikings 16 - Minnesota Vikings 11 - Chicago Bears 7 - Chicago Bears 10 - Green Bay Packers 5 - Green Bay Packers 7 - Detroit Lions 5 - Detroit Lions 6 - Tampa Bay Buccaneers 3 Tampa Bay Buccaneers GJALLARHORN SOUNDERS The following is a list of the Gjallarhorn Sounders in 2008: vs. Seattle, 8/8 - Dennis Koslowski - (1998/1992 Olympic Medalist) vs. Pittsburgh, 8/23- Ron Stolski (Brainerd High School Football Coach) vs. Indianapolis, 9/14 - Heath Farwell (Vikings Injured Linebacker) vs. Carolina, 9/21 - Robert Griffith (Retired Vikings Safety) vs. Detroit, 10/12 - Eric Hilgenberg (Son of former Viking LB Wally Hilgenberg) vs. Detroit, 10/12 - Karen Collier (Breast cancer survivor) and Lisa Dierbeck (ZTA Think PINK! Campaign Representative) * vs. Green Bay, 11/9 - Kenechi Udeze (Vikings defensive end who is battling leukemia) * vs. Chicago, 11/30 - John Randle (Former Vikings DT and 2008 Vikings Ring of Honor inductee) vs. Atlanta, 12/21 vs. New York Giants, 12/28 WEEK 15 - VIKINGS AT CARDINALS - 7 vs. Houston, 11/2 - Mardy Fish (International Tennis Pro) vs. Green Bay, 11/9 - Shawn Johnson (2008 Olympic Medalist - U.S. Women) vs. Chicago, 11/30 - John Randle (Former Vikings DT and 2008 Vikings Ring of Honor Inductee) vs. Atlanta, 12/21 vs. New York Giants, 12/28

9 VIKINGS TEAM NOTES VIKINGS COORDINATORS Offensive Coordinator Darrell Bevell Offensive Coordinator Darrell Bevell enters his 3rd season with the Vikings with 2 Pro Bowlers along the offensive line, the 2007 NFC-leading rusher in the backfi eld, a more experienced quarterback and a new playmaking wide receiver. In 2007, Bevell helped put together the best rushing attack in the NFL as the Vikings averaged yards per game and 5.3 yards per carry. Their 2,634 rushing yards was the highest total in team history while their 22 rushing touchdowns ranked tied for 2nd. The Vikings were led by the rushing tandem of rookie RB Adrian Peterson and RB Chester Taylor, who amassed a combined 2,185 yards on the ground, shattering Daunte Culpepper and Robert Smith s previous highest rushing total by a tandem of 1,991 yards in Against San Diego, Peterson broke the NFL single-game rushing record when he gained 296 yards on the ground. Peterson, along with C Matt Birk, G Steve Hutchinson, and FB Tony Richardson earned trips to the 2008 Pro Bowl. This offseason, Bevell s offense saw the addition of deep threat WR Bernard Berrian and RB Maurice Hicks. Asst. Head Coach/Def. Coord. Leslie Frazier On the defensive side of the ball, Assistant Head Coach/Defensive Coordinator Leslie Frazier will begin his 2nd season with the Vikings and his 9th season in the NFL. In his fi rst year with Minnesota, Frazier led the team to its 2nd-consecutive #1 ranking against the run, holding opponents to 74.1 yards per game on the ground. The team notched 8 defensive touchdowns and led the league with 6 interceptions returned for scores. The Vikings tied for 9th with 31 takeaways and tied a team record for the most defensive points scored in a season with 50 (8 touchdowns, 1 safety). Prior to joining the Vikings, Frazier won a Super Bowl in 2006 as a member of the Indianapolis Colts staff, coaching defensive backs and serving as a special assistant to Tony Dungy. During that championship season, the Colts defense posted 13 takeaways in the playoffs and allowed only two second-half TDs in the four postseason games. During the 2008 offseason, Frazier saw his unit add key pieces at defensive end with the trade for Jared Allen, who led the NFL with 15.5 sacks in 2007, and at safety with the signing of free agent Madieu Williams. Frazier now has 3 Pro Bowlers along the defensive line and 4 members of the 2007 Pro Bowl squad. Special Teams Coordinator Paul Ferraro The 2008 season marks Paul Ferraro s third as the Vikings Special Teams Coordinator, his 4th season of NFL coaching and his 27th season of coaching overall. Ferraro s 2007 special teams units, the core of which have returned in 2008, were some of the most successful in team history. The 2007 squad set team records for kickoff return average, the longest kickoff return in team history, the most punts landed inside the 20, and the most 50+ yard punts. The team also converted a pair of onside kicks. Leading the way on special teams in 2007 was LB Heath Farwell, who topped the team in special teams tackles for the 2nd straight season, was voted by his teammates as the Special Teams MVP and was recognized as a Pro Bowl alternate. The Vikings ranked 4th overall in the NFL with a 24.8 kickoff return average, which also ranked as the highest return average in team history, and 6th in the NFL as they held opponents to an average starting fi eld position just beyond the 26-yard line (26.2). WR Aundrae Allison ranked #1 in the NFC and #3 in the NFL with an average of 28.7 yards per kickoff return, while Kluwe shattered his record of 28 punts inside the 20, as he landed 34. VIKINGS ASSISTANT COACHES Juney Barnett (Assistant Strength and Conditioning); Eric Bieniemy (Running Backs); Brendan Daly (Defensive Assistant/Defensive Line); Karl Dunbar (Defensive Line); Ryan Ficken (Quality Control-Offense/ Running Backs); Jim Hueber (Assistant Offensive Line); Jeff Imamura (Quality Control-Defense/Linebackers); Jimmie Johnson (Tight Ends); Tom Kanavy (Strength and Conditioning); Derek Mason (Assistant Secondary); Pat Morris (Offensive Line); Brian Murphy (Assistant Special Teams); Chad O Shea (Offensive Assistant/Wide Receivers); Fred Pagac (Linebackers); Kevin Rogers (Quarterbacks); Ryan Silverfi eld (Offensive/Defensive Assistant); Kevin Stefanski (Assistant to Head Coach); George Stewart (Wide Receivers); Martin Streight (Assistant Strength and Conditioning); Joe Woods (Defensive Backs) VIKINGS ELECT 2008 CAPTAINS The following are the Minnesota Vikings captains for the 2008 season, as voted on by teammates: Offense - Steve Hutchinson Defense - Kevin Williams * Special Teams - Ryan Longwell * (LB E.J. Henderson was original defensive captain before being placed on IR) The 2008 season marks the second year of the NFL s renewed emphass on season-long captains on offense, defense and special teams through the team captain leadership program, which was created in 2007 by the league and the NFL s Player Advisory Council. PLAYER OF THE WEEK CAPTAINS After each Vikings victory, the team honors offensive, defensive and special teams players of the week to serve as captains at the next game with G Steve Hutchinson, DT Kevin Williams and K Ryan Longwell, who are the team s season-long captains. Below are the captains for the 7 games following a win (listed offensive, defensive, special teams): * at Tennessee, 9/28 - G Artis Hicks, CB Antoine Winfield, and S Eric Frampton * vs. Detroit, 10/12 - WR Bobby Wade, TE Garrett Mills * at Chicago, 10/19 - WR Bernard Berrian, LB Ben Leber and CB Charles Gordon * vs. Green Bay, 11/9 - RB Chester Taylor,CB Cedric Griffin, and RB Maurice Hicks * at Tampa Bay, 11/16 - G Anthony Herrera, DT Ellis Wyms and CB Benny Sapp vs. Chicago, 11/30 - TE Visanthe Shiancoe, DT Pat Williams and S Husain Abdullah at Detroit, 12/7 - C Matt Birk, LB Chad Greenway, and S Eric Frampton at Arizona, 12/14 - VIKINGS BUILD PRACTICE SQUAD The following 8 players are currently on the Vikings practice squad: #61 Martail Burnett... DE...Rookie...Utah #75 Chris Clark... T...Rookie...Southern Miss. #63 Brian Daniels... G...1st Year...Colorado #11 Jaymar Johnson... WR...Rookie...Jackson State #27 Derrick Roberson... CB...1st Year...Rutgers #31 Roderick Rogers... S...2nd Year...Wisconsin #24 Marcus Walker... CB...Rookie...Oklahoma #34 Albert Young... RB...Rookie...Iowa WEEK 15 - VIKINGS AT CARDINALS - 8

10 VIKINGS TEAM NOTES After trading away their 1st round pick and two 3rd round picks with Kansas City for DE Jared Allen, the Vikings used two picks on defense and three on offense in the 2008 NFL Draft. With their only selection on Day 1, the Vikings traded up in the 2nd round to take S Tyrell Johnson out of Arkansas State. Johnson was the 2nd safety drafted in 2008 and the highest drafted safety by the Vikings since Orlando Thomas in With their remaining four picks, the Vikings chose QB John David Booty, DT Letroy Guion, C John Sullivan and WR Jaymar Johnson. Round 1 Traded the #17 overall pick to Kansas City Chiefs for DE Jared Allen. Round 2 1. Tyrell Johnson (#43), S, Arkansas State (Traded Philadelphia #47 and #117 pick for #43 and #152) 2008 Totals: 13 games played, 7 starts, 29 tackles (18 solo), INT, FR, 4 PD, 1 QB hurry; 3 special teams tackles (2 solo) Round 3 Traded the #73 and #82 overall picks to Kansas City Chiefs for DE Jared Allen. Round 5 2. John David Booty (#137), QB, Southern California (Traded Green Bay #150 and #209 for #137) 2008 Totals: Has not played during 2008 regular season. 3. Letroy Guion (#152), DT, Florida State 2008 Totals: 1 game played. Round 6 4. John Sullivan (#187), C, Notre Dame 2008 Totals: 13 games played 5. Jaymar Johnson (#193), WR, Jackson State (Practice Squad) Round 7 Traded the #209 overall pick to Green Bay 2008 NFL DRAFT OFFSEASON ACQUISITIONS In one of the most active offseasons in recent team history, the Vikings added several players via free agency, highlighted by WR Bernard Berrian (Chicago), S Madieu Williams (Cincinnati), and RB Maurice Hicks (San Francisco). The team also landed 2007 sack leader DE Jared Allen via a trade with the Kansas City Chiefs. Free Agency Notes WR Bernard Berrian (Chi.) Had career-best 71 catches in Averaged 14.6 yards per catch during career before joining Vikings. S Michael Boulware (Hou.) - IR Started for Seattle in Super Bowl XL and intercepted Steelers QB Ben Roethlisberger in the game RB Maurice Hicks (SF) Owns the top 2 single-season kickoff return totals in 49ers history, including team record 1,502 in 2007 CB Benny Sapp (KC) Snared INT off Brett Favre vs. Green Bay last season S Madieu Williams (Cin) Has 9 career INTs, 5 of which have come in the past 2 seasons...also has 268 career tackles DE Ellis Wyms (Sea.) Posted a sack on NFL MVP Rich Gannon in Super Bowl XXXVII during Tampa Bay Buccaneers win Trade Notes DE Jared Allen Led the NFL with 15.5 sacks in 2007 despite missing 2 games...earned 1st Pro Bowl and All-Pro Honors VIKINGS FACTS AND FIGURES Oldest Vikings player Gus Frerotte, 37 Born 7/31/71 Youngest Vikings player Letroy Guion, 21 Born 6/21/87 Most seasons as a Viking Matt Birk 11th Vikings season Most NFL seasons Gus Frerotte 15th season in the NFL College with the most Vikings Maryland, 3 Jeff Dugan, Erin Henderson, Madieu Williams Texas, 3 Cedric Griffi n, Cullen Loeffl er, Brian Robison Conference with the most Vikings Big 12 9 players on 08 roster Largest Viking Bryant McKinnie, T Stands 6-8 and weighs 335 pounds Smallest Viking Antoine Winfi eld, CB Stands 5-9 and weighs 180 pounds Former 1 st -round draft picks 8 Chad Greenway, Napoleon Harris, Steve Hutchinson, Jimmy Kennedy, Bryant McKinnie, Adrian Peterson, Kevin Williams, Antoine Winfi eld Pro Bowlers 7 Jared Allen, Matt Birk, Steve Hutchinson, Adrian Peterson, Darren Sharper, Kevin Williams, Pat Williams Coaches who played in the NFL 5 Eric Bieniemy, Karl Dunbar, Leslie Frazier, Jimmie Johnson, Fred Pagac NEW FACES The Vikings have 16 new faces from the 2007 season - S Husain Abdullah, DE Jared Allen, WR Bernard Berrian, QB John David Booty, QB Gus Frerotte, DT Letroy Guion, LB Napoleon Harris, LB Erin Henderson, RB Maurice Hicks, S Tyrell Johnson, DT Jimmy Kennedy, WR Darius Reynaud, S Benny Sapp, C John Sullivan, S Madieu Williams, and DT Ellis Wyms. WEEK 15 - VIKINGS AT CARDINALS - 9

11 VIKINGS TEAM NOTES The Vikings have 7 rookies on their current roster: HEY ROOK! DRAFT CHOICES * S Tyrell Johnson Vikings fi rst pick in 2008 NFL Draft (2nd round, 43rd overall) Second safety drafted in 2008 and highest-drafted safety by the Vikings since Orlando Thomas in 1995 Highest-drafted Arkansas State defensive player since Cincinnati selected LB Bill Bergey #31 overall in * QB John David Booty Played at USC under former Vikings assistant Pete Carroll Left USC ranked 4th in career TD passes and 5th in career passing yards 6th QB selected in 2008 NFL Draft Brother, Josh, was a QB with the Cleveland Browns. * DT Letroy Guion First Florida State player drafted by the Vikings since CB Corey Fuller in 1995 Youngest Viking, turned 21 on 6/21/08. * C John Sullivan Fourth center taken in 2008 NFL Draft; fi rst Notre Dame center since 2003 Served as team captain his senior season. ROOKIE FREE AGENTS * S Husain Abdullah Honorable Mention All-Pac 10 as a senior Named Cougars Defensive MVP Brother, Hazma, was a starter for Denver Broncos in 2007 Teammates at WSU with Eric Frampton. * LB Erin Henderson Brother of Vikings MLB E.J. Henderson (IR) Led ACC in tackles in 2007 and fi nished 9th in the nation with tackles per game Named 2007 Honorable Mention All-American by Pro Football Weekly, Rivals.com, SI.com and College Football News. * WR Darius Reynaud - Started 32 of the 38 games he played in 3 seasons at West Virginia...Left Mountaineers ranked 3rd in school history with 19 TD catches and 5th with 133 catches...became only the 10th WVU player with 3,000 career all-purpose yards (1,550 rec., 1,126 KR, 410 rush). INTERNATIONAL VIKINGS The Vikings have 2 players who were born outside of the United States: * G Anthony Herrera was born in Trinidad, Tobago, before emigrating to the United States as a child, arriving in Florida on his 14th birthday. Herrera became a U.S. citizen in the spring of * S Madieu Williams is a native of Sierra Leone. He moved to Maryland with his family at age nine. NFL WEEK 15 SCHEDULE (All Times Central) Thursday, December 11 New Orleans at Chicago...7:15 p.m. Sunday, December 14 Minnesota at Arizona...3:05 p.m. Tampa Bay at Atlanta... Noon Washington at Cincinnati... Noon Tennessee at Houston... Noon Detroit at Indianapolis... Noon Green Bay at Jacksonville... Noon San Diego at Kansas City... Noon San Francisco at Miami... Noon Buffalo at N.Y. Jets... Noon Seattle at St. Louis... Noon Pittsburgh at Baltimore...3:15 p.m. Denver at Carolina...3:15 p.m. New England at Oakland...3:15 p.m. N.Y. Giants at Dallas...7:15 p.m. Monday, December 15 Cleveland at Philadelphia...7:30 p.m. VIKINGS S The following players were inactive last week at Detroit: #4 John David Booty... Quarterback #43 Maurice Hicks... Running Back #45 Garrett Mills... Tight End #50 Erin Henderson... Linebacker #55 Dontarrious Thomas... Linebacker #71 Jimmy Kennedy... Defensive Tackle #72 Marcus Johnson... Tackle #96 Brian Robison... Defensive End NFL STANDINGS AFC East Team W L T Pct. PF PA Home Away Conf. Div. N.Y. Jets New England Miami Buffalo AFC North Team W L T Pct. PF PA Home Away Conf. Div. Pittsburgh Baltimore Cleveland Cincinnati AFC South Team W L T Pct. PF PA Home Away Conf. Div. Tennessee Indianapolis Houston Jacksonville AFC West Team W L T Pct. PF PA Home Away Conf. Div. Denver San Diego Oakland Kansas City NFC East Team W L T Pct. PF PA Home Away Conf. Div. N.Y. Giants Dallas Philadelphia Washington NFC North Team W L T Pct. PF PA Home Away Conf. Div. Minnesota Chicago Green Bay Detroit NFC South Team W L T Pct. PF PA Home Away Conf. Div. Carolina Tampa Bay Atlanta New Orleans NFC West Team W L T Pct. PF PA Home Away Conf. Div. Arizona San Fran Seattle St. Louis WEEK 15 - VIKINGS AT CARDINALS - 10

12 VIKINGS TEAM NOTES 2008 STRENGTH OF SCHEDULE The Vikings face the toughest strength of schedule of all NFC teams during the 2008 NFL season. Minnesota hosts the past two Super Bowl Champions - N.Y. Giants and Indianapolis Colts and plays 6 teams that went to the 2007 playoffs - Green Bay, Indianapolis, Tennessee, Tampa Bay, Jacksonville and N.Y. Giants NFL Strength of Schedule Team 2007 Pct./W-L Pittsburgh Steelers / Indianapolis Colts / Jacksonville Jaguars / Minnesota Vikings / Baltimore Ravens / Cincinnati Bengals / Cleveland Browns / Houston Texans / Detroit Lions / Tennessee Titans / Chicago Bears / Green Bay Packers / Dallas Cowboys / Washington Redskins / NY Giants / Philadelphia Eagles / St. Louis Rams / San Francisco 49ers / Seattle Seahawks / Tampa Bay Buccaneers / Arizona Cardinals / Carolina Panthers / Miami Dolphins / Atlanta Falcons / NY Jets / Kansas City Chiefs / Buffalo Bills / New Orleans Saints / Denver Broncos / Oakland Raiders / San Diego Chargers / New England Patriots / DOME FIELD ADVANTAGE The Vikings currently have a 5-1 record at home in 2008 and a combined record of (.648) all time at the HHH Metrodome in the regular season and the playoffs. The team has never been shut out at the Dome and hasn t been shut out at a home stadium since 10/7/62, when they lost 13-0 to Chicago at Met Stadium. The Metrodome is considered one of the loudest stadiums in the NFL, posing problems for opposing offenses. In 6 home games this season, teams have had 16 false start or delay of game penalties. Carolina - 6 false starts, 1 delay of game Houston - 4 false starts, 1 delay of game Green Bay - 2 false starts, 1 delay of game Chicago - 1 false start CENTURY MARK Nine players on the Vikings roster have played in 100+ career games: K Ryan Longwell S Darren Sharper DT Pat Williams QB Gus Frerotte C Matt Birk CB Antoine Winfield TE Jim Kleinsasser G Steve Hutchinson RB Chester Taylor PRACTICE SQUAD MAKES PERFECT The Vikings have several players on the 53-man roster who have climbed the NFL ladder, starting their careers as practice squad players. Vikings starting G Anthony Herrera was a practice squad player as a rookie in Vikings LB David Herron (2007) and WR Darius Reynaud (2008) began their careers as practice squad members with the club and moved into regular roles with the team. Veteran RB Maurice Hicks was a member of the 49ers practice squad in 2004 before moving to the active roster and setting team record for kickoff return yards in 2006 and Special teams standout Vinny Ciurciu entered the NFL in 2003 on the Panthers practice squad but ended that season playing in the Super Bowl for the team against New England. The Vikings top special teams player, Heath Farwell (IR), came into the NFL as a rookie free agent and spent the majority of his rookie season on the Vikings practice squad before moving to the active roster. UNDRAFTED DOESN T MEAN UNDESERVING For many NFL players, not being selected in the 7 rounds of the draft is extra motivation to prove their worth. The Vikings feature a number of undrafted players who have earned valuable roles on the team. The most notable is 2-time Pro Bowl DT Pat Williams, who was a rookie free agent with Buffalo in 1997 before moving into a starting role with the Bills in The Vikings have 3 undrafted rookies on the 53-man roster currently - S Hussain Abdullah, LB Erin Henderson, and WR Darius Reynaud. Vikings LS Cullen Loeffler was a rookie free agent with the club as was starting G Anthony Herrera. Vikings lineman Artis Hicks was a rookie free agent with the Eagles and went on to start in the Super Bowl for the team. The Vikings most notable all-time undrafted players include future Ring of Honor inductees John Randle and Mick Tingelhoff. VIKINGS PRONUNCIATION GUIDE Players Husain Abdullah...WHO-sane ab-dul-la Bernard Berrian...bare-E-an Vinny Ciurciu...chur-choo Jeff Dugan...DOO-gan Gus Frerotte... FUR-ott Letroy Guion...LA-troy GUY-on Otis Grigsby...grigs-BEE Anthony Herrera... HA-rare-ah Tarvaris Jackson...ta-VAR-is Tyrell Johnson... TIE-rell Jim Kleinsasser... KLINE-sauce-er Chris Kluwe... CLUE-ee Ben Leber...LEE-ber Cullen Loeffl er...leff-ler Darius Reynaud...RAY-nod Brian Robison... ROB-ah-sin Visanthe Shiancoe...vi-sahn-tay SHANK-oh Naufahu Tahi...nah-fah-WHO TAH-hee Dontarrious Thomas... don-tare-ee-us Madieu Williams... muh-dee-you Antoine Winfi eld... an-twan Ellis Wyms...wims Coaches Eric Bieniemy... bee-en-uh-me Tom Kanavy... ka-nay-vee Fred Pagac... PUG-itch IMPORTANT 2008/2009 SEASON DATES January Wild Card Playoffs January Divisional Playoffs January 18 - Conference Championships February 1 - Super Bowl XLIII, Tampa, Florida WEEK 15 - VIKINGS AT CARDINALS - 11

13 VIKINGS TEAM NOTES KEEP AN EYE ON IN 2008 TEAM * The Vikings will look to reach the postseason for the 1st time since * The Vikings will look to capture their 1st winning season under Head Coach Brad Childress and their 1st since * The Vikings will look to win the division for the 1st time since 2000 and win the NFC North for the 1st time since the NFC Central was realigned in * The Vikings offense will try to lead the league in rushing yards for the 2nd consecutive season, a feat that has never been accomplished by Minnesota. * The Vikings offense will look to have a 3,000-yard passer for the fi rst time since * The Vikings will look to have a 1,000-yard receiver for the 1st time since * The Vikings defense will look to lead the NFL against the run for the 3rd straight season. The unit currently ranks 2nd behind Pittsburgh. * The Vikings will look to become the fi rst NFL team to hold opposing teams to less than 75.0 rushing yards a game for 3 consecutive seasons. * The Vikings will look to rank in the top 5 defenses for the fi rst time since 1994, when the team ranked 5th overall. The Vikings currently rank 8th in total defense. * The Vikings will look to have a double-digit sack leader for the fi rst time since INDIVIDUAL Offense * QB Gus Frerotte can become the 1st QB to throw for 15+ touchdowns in a season since Daunte Culpepper in He currently has 12 passing TDs on the year. * RB Adrian Peterson will look to lead the NFL in rushing for the 1st time. He currently ranks 1st with 1,413 yards on the ground. * RB Adrian Peterson will look to lead the NFC in rushing for the 2nd straight season after fi nishing #1 in 2007 with 1,341 yards. He is currently in 1st place with 1,413 yards. * RB Adrian Peterson could become only the 5th player in NFL history to reach 3,000 rushing yards in his fi rst 2 seasons. Peterson has 2,754 rushing yards for his career. He needs 246 in the fi nal 3 games (82.0 yards per game) to reach 3,000. * RB Adrian Peterson is on pace to set a new team record for average rushing yards per game. He is averaging per game in * RB Adrian Peterson is yard game away from moving into 5th place in the NFL for most 100-yard games in fi rst 2 seasons in the league. Peterson has 14 and Ottis Anderson ( ) ranks 5th with 15. * RB Adrian Peterson needs 109 rushing yards to break the Vikings all-time single-season rushing record of 1,521 yards. Peterson currently has 1,413 yards on the ground in 2008, which ranks 2nd in team history, with 3 games remaining. * RB Adrian Peterson needs 1 more game of 100+ yards to take sole posession of the team record for 100+ yard games in a single season. Peterson currently has 8 games in 2008 which is tied with Robert Smith s 8 in * RB Adrian Peterson will look to break the team s all-time record for rushing TDs in a single season. The record, held by Chuck Foreman, is 13, and Peterson currently has 9 rushing TDs in * C Matt Birk will look to make his 7th Pro Bowl appearance and take sole possession of the most Pro Bowl appearances by a Vikings center. Birk is currently tied with Mick Tingelhoff with 6. * TE Jim Kleinsasser needs 39 receiving yards for 1,500 career yards. * WR Bernard Berrian will look to gain his fi rst 1,000-yard season. He currently has 824 receiving yards. * WR Bernard Berrian will look to become the fi rst Vikings receiver to have 1,000 yards since WR Nate Burleson fi nished the 2004 season with 1,006. * WR Bernard Berrian will look to break his career high of 6 touchdowns in a season. He currently has 5. * WR Bernard Berrian will look to move into the top 5 all-time for KEEP AN EYE ON IN yard games in a single season. Berrian has 4 in 2008 and Cris Carter s 6 in 2000 ranks 5th. * WR Bobby Wade will look to break his career high of 54 catches in a single season. He currently has 42 receptions on the year. Defense * With a defensive touchdown, DT Kevin Williams will have sole possession of the all-time lead for defensive touchdowns by a Viking. * DE Jared Allen will look to lead the league in sacks for the 2nd consecutive season. He currently ranks 2nd with * DT Kevin Williams will look to reach double digit sacks for the fi rst time since he had 11.5 in Williams currently has 8.5. * LB Chad Greenway will look to lead the team in tackles for the fi rst time. He currently leads with 124 total tackles (86 solo). * LB Chad Greenway needs one sack to rank in the top 5 among Vikings linebackers for single season sacks. Greenway is tied for 8th with 4.0 this year but can move into a 4th place tie with one more. * LB Ben Leber looks to lead the NFL in fumble recoveries for the fi rst time in his career. He is currently tied for 1st place with 4 FR. * LB Ben Leber needs one sack to move into a 2nd place tie for the most in a single season by a Vikings linebacker. Leber has 5.0 in * With a fumble recovery, CB Antoine Winfield can tie former CB Bobby Bryant for most fumble recoveries by a cornerback in team history (7). Winfi eld currently has 6. * With a takeaway, CB Antoine Winfield can move into sole possession of 6th place for takeaways among Vikings CBs. Winfi eld is currently tied with Audray McMillian at 21 total takeaways. * With an INT for a TD, Darren Sharper will move into a tie for 2nd place all-time in the NFL. Special Teams * K Ryan Longwell needs 13 points to move into 22nd place in all-time scoring in NFL history. Longwell has 1,352 points and Fred Cox ranks 22nd with 1,365 points. * K Ryan Longwell needs 7 fi eld goals to move into 19th place all-time for fi eld goals made. He currently ranks 21st with 293 regular season fi eld goals made and Mark Moseley and Matt Bahr are tied for 19th place with 300. * P Chris Kluwe is on pace to break the Vikings single-season gross punting average record - set by Bobby Walden ( 64) at 46.4 yards. Kluwe s average is currently 47.7 on the season. * P Chris Kluwe can move into 2nd place in Vikings history for career punts inside the 20 with 9 more. He currently has 100 for his career, which ranks 3rd behind Mitch Berger s 109 and Greg Coleman s 154. * P Chris Kluwe looks to fi nish in the top 3 in the league for punts inside the 20-yard line for the 2nd consecutive season. He currently ranks tied for 6th with 21 on the year. * KR Maurice Hicks will look to surpass 5,000 career kickoff return yards. He currently has 4,822 yards STATISTICAL MILESTONES Offense * The Vikings have a 1,000-yard rusher for the 3rd straight season and only the 4th time since * QB Gus Frerotte surpassed 20,000 career passing yards. He became only the 87th player in NFL history to accomplish the feat and currently has 21,291 total passing yards. * QB Gus Frerotte surpassed 700 career points and 100 career points as a Viking. * QB Gus Frerotte became the 73rd quarterback in NFL history to win 40 games (44). * QB Gus Frerotte surpassed 3,000 career passing attempts. He has thrown 3,106 attempts all-time. * QB Gus Frerotte tied an NFL record and broke the Vikings record for the longest pass play with his 99-yard TD throw to WR Bernard Berrian against Chicago (11/30). He also connected with Berrian on an 86-yard TD vs. Detroit (10/12/08), which ranks 3rd in team history. WEEK 15 - VIKINGS AT CARDINALS - 12

14 VIKINGS TEAM NOTES 2008 STATISTICAL MILESTONES * RB Adrian Peterson moved into a 3rd place tie for the Vikings most seasons with 1,000+ rushing yards with 2. He is tied with Terry Allen (1992, 1994). * RB Adrian Peterson tied a team record for the most 100-yard games in a single season. He currently has 8, which is tied with Robert Smith s 8 in * RB Adrian Peterson broke his career high for rushing yards in a single season. Peterson has 1,413 in 2008 after fi nishing with 1,341 as a rookie in * RB Adrian Peterson became only the 3rd player in team history to record 2+ consecutive seasons with 1,000+ yards rushing. Only Robert Smith ( ) and Chuck Foreman ( ) have accomplished the feat. * RB Adrian Peterson moved into the Vikings top 10 all-time rushers. Peterson ranks 10th with 2,754 career yards after surpassing former QB Fran Tarkenton, who ranked 10th with 2,548 career yards. * RB Adrian Peterson is now ranked 3rd in team history with yard games. * RB Adrian Peterson reached 20 career TDs (22-21 rush, 1 rec) and 20 rushing TDs (21). * RB Adrian Peterson became the fi rst player since Robert Smith to post back-to-back 1,000-yard rushing campaigns. * RB Adrian Peterson became the 45th Viking to surpass 100 career points. He currently has 132. * RB Adrian Peterson passed Michael Bennett for 2nd place in team history in rushes of 20+ yards. Peterson currently has 28 carries of 20 or more yards. * RB Adrian Peterson surpassed 2,000 career rushing yards, becoming only the 16th player in team history to do so and setting a new team record for fewest games needed to break the mark (21). His 21 games also ranks tied for 3rd in NFL history behind Eric Dickerson (18) and Earl Campbell (20) for fewest games needed to reach 2,000 yards. * RB Adrian Peterson moved into 6th place all-time in NFL history for most 100-yard games in the fi rst 2 seasons in the league. Peterson currently has yard games. Ottis Anderson ranks 5th with 15. * RB Adrian Peterson set a team record for the most yards gained in the fi rst 2 seasons with the team. He currently has 2,754, surpassing RB Chester Taylor s 2,060 from * RB Adrian Peterson surpassed 2,500 career yards (in 25 games) and now has 2,754 in 2 seasons. He is only the 14th player in NFL history to surpass 2,500 yards in the fi rst 2 seasons. * RB Chester Taylor scored his 25th career TD vs. Chicago (11/30/08). He now has 156 career points (26 TDs) * G Steve Hutchinson had a 1,000-yard rusher behind him for the 8th straight year (every year he has been in the NFL). * G Steve Hutchinson blocked for his 50th rusher of 100+ yards in a game. He has now currently blocked in 52 games where a running back has crossed the 100-yard mark. * G Steve Hutchinson blocked for his 20th game with a 100-yard rusher as a member of the Vikings. He has blocked for 21 as a Viking. * TE Visanthe Shiancoe set a career high for touchdowns in a single season. He currently has 5 in 2008 and his former high was 2. * TE Visanthe Shiancoe broke the 1,000 career receiving yards mark. He now has 1,014 yards all-time. * WR Bernard Berrian eclipsed 3,000 career receiving yards. He currently has 3,021. * WR Bernard Berrian set a career high for 100-yard receiving games in a single season. He currently has 5 in 2008 and his previous high was 2 in * WR Bernard Berrian surpassed 100 career points and now has 120, including playoffs. * WR Bernard Berrian set a career high with 131 receiving yards vs. Detroit (10/12), breaking his previous career high of 110 yards from the week before at New Orleans (10/6). He has notched all 3 of his best career performances (131, 122, 110) in his 1st year with the Vikings. * WR Bernard Berrian notched the longest reception in Vikings history and tied the longest reception in NFL history with his 99-yard TD catch against Chicago (11/30). Berrian also caught the 3rd-longest reception in Vikings history with his 86-yard catch against Detroit (10/12). * With 100+ receiving yards at New Orleans (10/6) and vs. Detroit 2008 STATISTICAL MILESTONES (10/12), WR Bernard Berrian became the fi rst Vikings player to gain 100 receiving yards in back-to-back games since Nate Burleson had 2 in December * WR Bobby Wade eclipsed 2,000 career yards. He currently has 2,288 yards. Defense * LB Napoleon Harris notched the 10th-longest fumble recovery for a TD in the NFL in 2008 with his 27-yarder at Jacksonville. It was the 4th longest by a LB in 2008 for a TD. * DE Jared Allen became the fi rst Vikings player to reach double digit sacks since DT Kevin Williams had 11.5 in Allen currently has 10.5 on the year. * DE Jared Allen s 12.5 sacks is the most in a single season by a Viking since DT John Randle notched 15.5 in * DE Jared Allen set a record for the most sacks in the fi rst season with the team. Allen currently has 12.5, which breaks Keith Millard s 11.0 in * With his 2nd safety of the season against Packers QB Aaron Rodgers in Week 10, DE Jared Allen tied an NFL record for the most safeties in a single season. Only 15 players have accomplished the feat. * DT Kevin Williams 4.0-sack game vs. Detroit (10/12) ranked 2nd for most in a Vikings game and was the most since Chris Doleman s 4.0 in * DT Kevin Williams blocked his 1st career fi eld goal at Green Bay in Week 1 and followed it with his 2nd 4 weeks later at New Orleans (10/6). * DT Kevin Williams moved into 9th place in team history for career sacks. He currently has 42.5 all-time. * With his sack of Colts QB Peyton Manning (9/14), LB E.J. Henderson moved into 5th place all-time among Vikings linebackers with 10.5 career sacks. * CB Antoine Winfield moved into a tie for 6th place for takeaways among Vikings cornerbacks with his fumble recovery at New Orleans (10/6). He now has 21 total takeaways as a Viking. * CB Antoine Winfield moved into a 2nd place tie in Vikings history for most touchdown returns in a career with his 4th at New Orleans (10/6) when he returned a blocked fi eld goal. * CB Antoine Winfield tied a team record for the most forced fumbles in a single season with 4. * S Tyrell Johnson notched his 1st career interception at New Orleans (10/6). * S Madieu Williams notched his 1st career interception as a member of the Vikings. He became only the 8th player in team history to record an INT in his fi rst game as a Viking. He now has 2 on the season after missing Weeks 1-7 with a neck injury. Special Teams * K Ryan Longwell broke the team record for most 50+ yard fi eld goals in a season with 4. * K Ryan Longwell moved into a tie for 3rd place in Vikings history for the most game-winning fi eld goals in a career with his 5th gamewinner vs. Detroit (10/12). * K Ryan Longwell moved into 21st place all-time in NFL history for regular season fi eld goals made (293). * K Ryan Longwell became the 24th player in NFL history to reach 1,300 career points. He currently has 1,352 points. * K Ryan Longwell reached 300 career fi eld goals made, including postseason (308). * P Chris Kluwe broke his own record for punts over 50 yards. He has 31 in 2008, and his previous record was 29 in * P Chris Kluwe reached 100 career punts of 50+ yards. He currently has 102 punts of 50+ yards since entering the league in * P Chris Kluwe set a team record for the most 50-yard punts in a single game with 6 at Tennessee. * CB Antoine Winfield s return of a blocked fi eld for a TD at New Orleans (10/6) was the fi rst in franchise history in the regular season. * RB Maurice Hicks surpassed 4,500 career return yards and now has 4,822. WEEK 15 - VIKINGS AT CARDINALS - 13

15 VIKINGS OFFENSE POSITION BY POSITION VIKINGS QUARTERBACKS Fifteen-year veteran QB Gus Frerotte, in his second stint with the Vikings, leads the team in 2008 after playing with the Miami Dolphins in 2005 and the St. Louis Rams for the past 2 seasons. Frerotte spent the seasons with the Vikings where he started 2 games (both wins) and completed 38-of-66 (57.6%) passes for 690 yards and 7 touchdowns. He set the franchise record for single-game passer rating at points and threw 4 TDs in his fi rst Vikings start. He has started 95 career games, including playoff games for 2 different teams. Third-year QB Tarvaris Jackson serves as the backup in 2008 after leading the team in Jackson has started 16 of 18 games played since coming into the league as a rookie in 2006 and has completed 257 of 445 passes (57.8%) for 2,807 yards and 13 TDs while rushing 82 times for 401 yards (4.9 yards per carry) during his career. Serving as the Vikings 3rd quarterback in 2008 is John David Booty, who was drafted out of USC in the 5th round (137th overall) of the 2008 draft. While with the Trojans, Booty posted a 20-3 record as a starter. He currently ranks 4th on the all-time USC career TD passing list with 55 TDs. VIKINGS RUNNING BACKS The Vikings currently boast one of the most dangerous running attacks in the NFL, led by RBs Adrian Peterson and Chester Taylor. Together the two accounted for 2,185 yards on the ground in 2007, which surpassed Robert Smith and Daunte Culpepper s 1,991 combined rushing yards in Peterson and Taylor also fi nished #2 and #3 in the league with rushing averages of 5.6 and 5.4 yards-per-carry respectively. Peterson broke the NFL record for most rushing yards in a single game with 296 against the San Diego Chargers and Taylor has the longest run in Vikings history with a 95-yard scamper at Seattle (2006). RB Maurice Hicks joined the Vikings in the 2008 offseason, after spending the previous 4 years with the San Francisco 49ers. With the 49ers, Hicks had 205 career carries for 869 yards (4.2 avg.) and 6 touchdowns. He was also a weapon on special teams as he owns the top 2 single-season kickoff return totals in 49ers history, including the team record of 1,502 in FBs Jeff Dugan and Naufahu Tahi round out the Vikings backfi eld. Dugan, a 7th-round draft choice (220 overall) in 2004, has started 12 games during his Vikings career, including 7 in He is a physical blocker who helped the Vikings set a team record with 2,634 rushing yards in He can also line up at TE. Tahi is in his 3rd year in the NFL and with the Vikings. He was originally picked up by the Vikings from the Cincinnati Bengals practice squad. VIKINGS OFFENSIVE LINE The Vikings offensive line is anchored by two perennial Pro Bowlers in C Matt Birk and G Steve Hutchinson. Birk, who has appeared in 143 career games with 120 starts since being drafted by the Vikings in 1998, has played in 6 Pro Bowls ( ), which is tied with Mick Tinglehoff for the most by a Vikings center. He has paved the way for some of the best rushing performances in Vikings history, having been a fi xture in the lineup for 5 of the Vikings top 6 single-season performances during his 8 seasons as a full-time starter. He has also helped set the top 3 team rushing marks. Hutchinson joined the Vikings in 2006 and helped the team lead the NFL in rushing yards in 2007 with 2,634. Widely considered the top guard in the NFL, he has appeared in 5 Pro Bowls and is a 5-time All-Pro. Hutchinson has blocked for 1,000-yard rushers in each of his 8 NFL seasons and has blocked in 52 games where a running back has reached the 100-yard mark (21 with the Vikings) T Bryant McKinnie returned in Week 5 from a 4-game suspension. McKinnie had started 87 straight regular season games prior to the suspension and has blocked for 4 of the top 6 single-season rushers in team history. Also starting along the line are T Ryan Cook and G Anthony Herrera. Backup T Marcus Johnson and C John Sullivan fi ll out the rest of the offensive line. VIKINGS TIGHT ENDS The Vikings tight ends unit includes 10-year veteran Jim Kleinsasser and 2 players in their 2nd year with the Vikings in Visanthe Shiancoe and Garrett Mills. Last season, Kleinsasser and Shiancoe played a critical role in the Vikings #1-ranked rushing attack. Averaging yards per game, the team gained 2,634 yards on 494 carries. Kleinsasser was recognized for his unselfi sh blocking with a spot on the USA Today s All-Joe Team. He has now blocked for 4 of the top 5 single-season rushing totals in team history. Not only did the Kleinsasser and Shiancoe duo assist in the Vikings rushing attack, but the two also contributed in the passing game. In Shiancoe s fi rst year with the Vikings, he fi nished with career highs in every category, hauling in 27 receptions for 323 yards and one touchdown. He caught the longest pass by a Vikings TE in team history, a 79-yarder on a reverse by WR Sidney Rice. Kleinsasser added 4 catches for 43 yards and currently ranks 5th in Vikings annals for career catches by a TE with 164. Mills joined the Vikings on September 2, 2007, after his release in fi nal roster cuts by New England. He was inactive for the opening 15 games of the season before dressing in the fi nale at Denver. In that game, he caught 2 passes for 26 yards, including a long of 18. VIKINGS WIDE RECEIVERS In 2008 the Vikings receiving core is benefi ting from the addition of big-play WR Bernard Berrian, who was acquired as a free agent from Chicago this past offseason. The former 3rd round draft pick of the Bears played 4 seasons for the Vikings NFC North foe and used his exceptional speed to rack up 2,197 yards on 150 receptions. Berrian joins incumbents Sidney Rice and Bobby Wade as the Vikings starting wideouts. Rice, 22 years old, is in his 2nd season in Minnesota. As a rookie Rice gained 396 yards and scored 4 touchdowns. His 4 trips to the end zone ranked him 2nd behind Kansas City s Dwayne Bowe for rookie TD catches. The former high school quarterback also threw 2 passes on trick plays that resulted in 94 yards for the Vikings. His longest pass, 79 yards, is the longest in Vikings history by a non-quarterback. Bobby Wade returns to his preferred slot position in 2008 after a strong season last year in which he led the Vikings in receptions with 54, which was also a career high. Second-year man Aundrae Allison, holder of the longest play in Vikings history - a 104-yard kickoff return - and rookie free agent Darius Reynaud round out the rest of the Vikings wide receiving crew. Reynaud is also returning kicks for Minnesota in POSITION-BY-POSITION BREAKDOWN Quarterbacks (3) Running Backs/Fullbacks (5) John David Booty Maurice Hicks Gus Frerotte * Adrian Peterson * Tarvaris Jackson Jeff Dugan Naufahu Tahi Wide Receivers (6) Chester Taylor Aundrae Allison Bernard Berrian * Tight Ends (3) Robert Ferguson Jim Kleinsasser Darius Reynaud Garrett Mills Sidney Rice Visanthe Shiancoe * Bobby Wade * Offensive Line (8) Matt Birk (C) * Ryan Cook (T) Anthony Herrera (G) * Artis Hicks (G/T) * Steve Hutchinson (G) * Marcus Johnson (T) Bryant McKinnie (T) * John Sullivan (C) * Denotes starter WEEK 15 - VIKINGS AT CARDINALS - 14

16 VIKINGS OFFENSIVE TEAM NOTES VIKINGS A RUSH UNDER CHILDRESS Since Brad Childress took over in 2006, the Vikings have rushed for 6,279 yards over the past 3 seasons, which ranks 4th in the NFL during that time frame. The Vikings fi nished with the #1 rushing offense in 2007 with 2,634 yards, and currently the team ranks 5th in 2008 with 1,825 yards on the ground. Rushing Yards 2008 Team Rushing Yards Yards Per Game 1) N.Y. Giants... 2, ) Atlanta... 1, ) Tennessee... 1, ) Baltimore... 1, ) Minnesota... 1, Rushing Yards (Regular Season) Team Attempts Yards Avg. Per Game 1) Jacksonville... 1, , ) Atlanta... 1, , ) N.Y. Giants... 1, , ) Minnesota... 1, , * The team s 4.6 yards-per-carry average over the past 3 seasons ranks tied for 2nd in the NFL. Yards Per Carry Average (Regular Season) Team Attempts Yards Avg. 1) N.Y. Giants... 1, , t) Minnesota... 1, , t) Atlanta... 1, , t) Jacksonville... 1, , * The Vikings 174 rushes of 10+ yards from (12.9% of Vikings rushes) ranks 4th in the league. Rushes of 10+ Yards Team Rushes of 10+ Yards 1) Jacksonville ) Atlanta ) N.Y. Giants ) Minnesota PASTING POINTS ON THE BOARD After averaging just 18.8 points per game over the fi rst 6 games (113 points), a total that ranked 24th in the NFL, the Vikings have scored 194 points over the past 7 games, an average of 27.7 points per game. The team s 27.7-point average ranks tied tied as the 6th highest average in the NFL over the past 8 weeks, and among teams that have played 7 games during that time, the Vikings 194 points ranks tied for the 3rd highest in the league. Average Points Per Game Weeks 7-14 Team Total Points Avg. Points Per Game 1) Baltimore ) N.Y. Giants ) Carolina t) Arizona t) Green Bay t) Minnesota t) New Orleans Total Points In Weeks 7-14 (Teams that have played 7 games) Team Games Played Points 1t) Arizona t) Green Bay t) Minnesota t) New Orleans Weeks 1-6 (6 games)- 113 points Weeks 7-14 (7 games) points Difference points more points per game EXPLOSIVE ON OFFENSE According to Stats, Inc., the Vikings are currently ranked tied for 1st in the NFL with 13 touchdowns on plays of 20+ yards. Of those 13 explosive TDs, 4 have come on the ground, which is also ranked tied for 1st. The Vikings rank 3rd in the league with 9 TD passes of 20+ yards, 2nd with 18 rushes of 20+ yards and are 11th in the NFL with 48 plays of 20+ yards Touchdowns On Plays Of 20+ Yards Team TDs of 20+ Yards 1t) Minnesota t) New Orleans * RB Chester Taylor s 95-yard TD run against Seattle (2006) ranks as the longest run in the NFL in the past 3 years. * The Vikings have rushed 308 fi rst downs from ; that total ranks 7th during that time. * The Vikings have scored 48 rushing touchdowns during that time, which ranks tied for 5th in the NFL. Rushing Touchdowns Team Rushing TDs 1) San Diego ) Jacksonville ) Tennessee ) New England t) Minnesota t) New Orleans * The Vikings 2007 ground attack ranked #1 all-time in team history and the 5.3 yards-per-carry average also ranked tied for 1st. The Vikings 22 rushing TDs that year ranks tied for 2nd all-time. CONTROLLING THE CLOCK The Vikings currently rank 10th in the NFL in time of possession, as they have controlled the clock for an average of 31 minutes and 22 seconds through the fi rst 13 games. WEEK 15 - VIKINGS AT CARDINALS Rushing Touchdowns On Plays of 20+ Yards 1t) Minnesota t) Carolina/N.Y. Jets/Tennessee Passing Touchdowns On Plays Of 20+ Yards Team TDs of 20+ Yards 1) New Orleans ) Dallas ) Minnesota Plays of 20+ Yards Team Plays of 20+ Yards 1) Houston ) New Orleans ) San Francisco t) Dallas t) Denver t) Philadelphia ) Atlanta t) N.Y. Giants t) San Diego t) Washington ) Minnesota Rushes of 20+ Yards Team Rushes of 20+ Yards 1) N.Y. Giants ) Minnesota ) Washington... 16

17 GUS FREROTTE NOTES IN GUS WE TRUST Since taking over in Week 3, QB Gus Frerotte has helped the Vikings to an 8-3 record over his 11 starts (left Week 14 due to injury). During that time, Frerotte has completed 17 passes of 25+ yards, which ranks tied for 9th in the NFL from Weeks Frerotte has also thrown 8 TDs of 20+ yards, which is 3rd in the league in Frerotte s yards per completion average of is the 7th highest in the league, and his 99-yard TD pass to WR Bernard Berrian ranks as the longest pass in 2008 and tied for the longest in NFL history. Completions of 25+ Yards (Weeks 3-14) Player Completions of 25+ Yards 1) Drew Brees, NO t) Kurt Warner, ARI t) Matt Ryan, ATL t) Jay Cutler, DEN t) Donovan McNabb, PHI ) Tony Romo, DAL ) Jake Delhomme, CAR ) Aaron Rodgers, GB t) Gus Frerotte, MIN t) 4 others Touchdown Passes of 20+ Yards Player TDs of 20+ Yards 1) Drew Brees, NO ) Tony Romo, DAL t) Gus Frerotte, MIN t) Philip Rivers, SD/Aaron Rodgers, GB... 8 CAREER WIN NO. 40 The Vikings win over Detroit (10/12) was Frerotte s 40th career victory. He is only the 73rd QB in NFL history to win 40+ games. He currently has 45 career wins. FREROTTE 10-3 AS VIKINGS STARTER Frerotte is only one of 4 Vikings quarterbacks to begin 3-0 as a Vikings starter and is now 10-3 as a Vikings starter, dating back to his 1st stint with the team in 2003, when he won twice. Vikings Quarterbacks To Start 3-0 Player/Season Consecutive Starting Wins 1) Daunte Culpepper, ) Jeff George, ) Bob Lee, ) Gus Frerotte, 2003, Vikings Most Touchdown Passes In First Start Player/Game TDs 1t) Gus Frerotte, vs. San Francisco, 9/28/ t) Todd Bouman, vs. Tennessee, 12/9/ ) Jeff George, vs. San Francisco, 10/24/ HIGHEST PASSER RATING Frerotte holds the highest passer rating in Vikings history with his rating against the 49ers in Vikings Single-Game Passer Rating Player/Game Rating 1) Gus Frerotte, vs. San Francisco, 9/28/ ) Warren Moon, vs. New Orleans, 11/19/ THROWING IT DEEP Of players that have completed at least 20 passes of 20 or more yards, Frerotte s 37.7 yards per 20-yard completion ranks as the highest in the NFL. Average Distance Per 20+ Yard Completion Player 20+ Yd Passes Avg. Distance 1) Gus Frerotte, MIN ) Tony Romo, DAL ) Drew Brees, NO * Frerotte s 99-yard TD pass to WR Bernard Berrian vs Chicago (11/30) tied a record for the longest pass in NFL history. Frerotte and Berrian became only the 11th tandem since the NFL s inception to accomplish the feat. Longest Completions - NFL 1t) 99t, Gus Frerotte to Bernard Berrian, MIN vs. CHI (11/30/08) 1t) 99t, Jeff Garcia to Andre Davis, CLE vs. CIN (10/17/04) 1t) 99t, Trent Green to Marc Boerigter, KC vs. SD (12/22/02) 1t) 99t, Brett Favre to Robert Brooks, GB vs. CHI (9/11/95) 1t) 99t, Stan Humphries to Tony Martin, SD vs. SEA (9/18/94) 1t) 99t, Ron Jaworski to Mike Quick, PHI vs. ATL (11/10/85) 1t) 99t, Jim Plunkett to Cliff Branch, LA vs. WAS (10/2/83) 1t) 99t, Sonny Jurgensen to Gerry Allen, WAS vs. CHI (9/15/68) 1t) 99t, Karl Sweetan to Pat Studstill, DET vs. BAL (10/16/66) 1t) 99t, George Izo to Bobby Mitchell, WAS vs. CLE (9/15/63) 1t) 99t, Frank Filchock to Andy Farkas, WAS vs. PIT, 10/15/39 * Frerotte now owns 2 of the Vikings longest 3 completions in history. Longest Completions - Vikings 1) Gus Frerotte to Bernard Berrian, vs. Chicago, 11/30/ t 2) Fran Tarkenton to Charley Ferguson, vs. Chicago, 11/11/ t 3) Gus Frerotte to Bernard Berrian, vs. Detroit, 10/12/ t 4t) Warren Moon to Qadry Ismail, vs. Detroit, 9/10/ t 4t) Joe Kapp to Gene Washington, vs. St. Louis, 10/8/ t TARGET PRACTICE Over the past 8 weeks, Frerotte has found a favorite target in WR Bernard Berrian, who has caught a touchdown in 5 of the past 8 games and has yard games on the season. Berrian has the 5 longest completions from Frerotte in 2008, including the longest scrimmage play in team history, a 99-yard TD catch vs. Chicago (11/30) Vikings Longest Receptions In ) 99t... Bernard Berrian, vs. Chicago (11/30) 2) 86t... Bernard Berrian, vs. Detroit (10/12) 3) Bernard Berrian, vs. Houston (11/2) 4) 49t... Bernard Berrian, vs. Houston (11/2) 5) Bernard Berrian, vs. Carolina (9/21) RACKING UP YARDS QB Gus Frerotte s yards per completion average ranks as the 7th highest in the NFL. Yards Per Completion Average Quarterback Yards Per Completion 1) Tony Romo, DAL ) J.T. O Sullivan, SF ) Philip Rivers, SD ) Matt Ryan, ATL ) Jake Delhomme, CAR ) Drew Brees, NO ) Gus Frerotte, MIN WEEK 15 - VIKINGS AT CARDINALS - 16

18 ADRIAN PETERSON NOTES RUSHING TO THE TOP RB Adrian Peterson currently ranks 1st in the NFL with 1,413 rushing yards through the first 13 games of the season. Peterson s average of yards per game also ranks 1st, and his 9 rushing touchdowns rank tied for 9th. Peterson has 35 rushes of 10+ yards, which is 1st in the league. His 4.8 yards per carry average ranks tied for 7th, and his 1,405 scrimmage yards ranks 2nd in the NFL NFL Rushing Leaders Player Rushing Yards Avg. Per Game 1) Adrian Peterson, MIN... 1, ) Michael Turner, ATL... 1, Rushing Touchdowns Player Rushing TDs 1t) Michael Turner, ATL t) LenDale White, TEN t) Brandon Jacobs, NYG t) Thomas Jones, NYJ t) Maurice Jones-Drew t) DeAngelo Williams, CAR t) Ronnie Brown, MIA t) Tim Hightower, ARI t) Adrian Peterson, MIN t) Brian Westbrook, PHI Rushes of 10+ Yards Player Rushes of 10+ Yds 1) Adrian Peterson, MIN ) Michael Turner, ATL CENTURY MARK Peterson already ranks 3rd in Vikings annals for career 100-yard rushing performances with 14 in just 27 career games. He currently ranks 6th in NFL history for most 100-yard performances in the fi rst 2 seasons in the league. In 2008, Peterson s 8 games with 100+ yards is tied with Robert Smith s single-season record of 8 in Career 100-Yard Rushing Performances - Vikings 1) Robert Smith ) Chuck Foreman ) Adrian Peterson Single Season 100-Yard Rushing Games - Vikings 1t) Adrian Peterson, t) Robert Smith, t) Adrian Peterson, t) Robert Smith, Yard Rushing Performances In First 2 NFL Seasons - NFL Player 100-Yard Games 1) Eric Dickerson, ) Edgerrin James, t) Earl Campbell, t) Clinton Portis, ) Ottis Anderson, ) Adrian Peterson, STARTING STRONG This year Peterson became the fi rst Vikings RB in team history to break the 100-yard plateau in the opening 2 games of the season. In Week One, he also became only the 2nd RB in Vikings history to rush for 100+ yards in consecutive openers- vs. Atlanta in 2007 and at Green Bay in 2008, joining Robert Smith. LEAGUE LEADER Since entering the league last year, Peterson has rushed for 2,754 rushing yards and 21 touchdowns. His 2,754 yards ranks #1 in the NFL over the past 2 years and his 21 TDs also rank 2nd. Peterson s career average of rushing yards per game in his 27 NFL contests ranks as the highest in the NFL from Only one other player in NFL history with 2,000+ yards has averaged 100+ yards a game for his career (Jim Brown avg./118 games) NFL Rushing Yards Per Game Player Yards Per Game 1) Adrian Peterson, MIN ) Brandon Jacobs, NYG NFL Rushing Yards Player Yards 1) Adrian Peterson, MIN (27 games)... 2,754 2) Clinton Portis, WAS (26 games)... 2, NFL Rushing Touchdowns Player Touchdowns 1) LaDainian Tomlinson, SD ) Adrian Peterson, MIN PETERSON S RECORD-BREAKING PACE With 1,413 rushing yards and 3 games remaining, Peterson is on pace to break the team record for single season rushing yards. Peterson is just 108 yards shy of Robert Smith s 1,521 yards in As a rookie in 2007, Peterson fi nished with 1,341 yards despite missing 2 games due to injury. Single Season Rushing Leaders - Vikings Player Yards 1) Robert Smith, ,521 2) Adrian Peterson, ,413 3) Adrian Peterson, ,341 Peterson is currently averaging yards per game, which is well above the Vikings record of 95.7 yards per game, set by Peterson during his rookie season in 2007 (1,341 yards/14 games). Single Season Rushing Yards Per Game Average - Vikings Player (Yds/Games) Avg. Yds. Per Game 1) Adrian Peterson, 2008 (1,413/13) ) Adrian Peterson, 2007 (1,341/14) ) Robert Smith, 2000 (1,521/16) ) Robert Smith, 1997 (1,266/14) CLIMBING THE CHARTS In just 26 career games, Peterson broke into the top 10 all-time rushers in Vikings history. With his 131 yards against Chicago (11/30), Peterson passed Fran Tarkenton s career total of 2,548 yards. Peterson now has 2,754 yards in 27 games. His 5.2 yards-per-carry average ranks as the highest in team history among runners with at least 500 carries. Career Rushing Leaders - Vikings Player Att. Yds. Avg. TD 1) Robert Smith, , , ) Chuck Foreman, , , ) Bill Brown, , , ) Ted Brown, , , ) Dave Osborn, , , ) Darrin Nelson, , , ) Tommy Mason, , ) Michael Bennett, , ) Terry Allen, , ) Adrian Peterson, , ) Fran Tarkenton, , , ) Daunte Culpepper, , WEEK 15 - VIKINGS AT CARDINALS - 17

19 ADRIAN PETERSON NOTES ALL DAY AND THE ALL-TIME GREATEST STARTS With 3 games remaining in 2008, RB Adrian Peterson has already rushed for more yards than all but 8 running backs during their fi rst 2 years in the NFL. Peterson s 2,754 yards in 27 games has surpassed the likes of Walter Payton, Jim Brown and Emmitt Smith. Peterson is just 246 yards shy of reaching 3,000 career rushing yards. If he averages 82.0 yards over the fi nal 3 games, he will become only the 5th player in league history to accomplish the feat in his fi rst 2 seasons. All-Time Rushing Leaders In First 2 NFL Seasons Player Rush Yards Avg. Lg TD 1) Eric Dickerson 769 3, t 32 2) Edgerrin James 756 3, ) Earl Campbell 670 3, t 32 4) Clinton Portis 563 3, t 29 5) Ottis Anderson 632 2, t 17 6) LaDainian Tomlinson 711 2, ) Barry Sanders 535 2, t 27 8) Eddie George 692 2, ) Adrian Peterson 531 2, t 21 10) Billy Sims 609 2, ) Jamal Lewis 617 2, ) Terrell Davis 582 2, t 20 12) Curtis Martin 684 2, ) Emmitt Smith 606 2, t 23 14) Jim Brown 459 2, t 26 15) Jerome Bettis 613 2, t 10 CROSSING 2,000 Peterson set a new team record for fewest games needed to reach 2,000 yards (21), breaking Chester Taylor s mark of 29. His 2,000 yards in 21 games ranks tied for 3rd in NFL history for fewest games needed to reach that mark. Eric Dickerson holds the NFL record of 18. Games Needed To Reach 2,000 Rushing Yards Player Games 1) Eric Dickerson, ) Earl Campbell, t) Adrian Peterson, t) Ottis Anderson, t) George Rogers, t) Jim Brown, REACHING 100 The following is a list of Peterson s yard rushing performances from : Peterson s 100-Yard Rushing Performances vs. Atlanta, 9/9/ at Kansas City, 9/23/ vs. Green Bay, 9/30/ at Chicago, 10/14/ vs. San Diego, 11/4/ vs. Detroit, 12/2/ at Green Bay, 9/8/ vs. Indianapolis, 9/14/ vs. Detroit, 10/12/ at Chicago, 10/19/ vs. Houston, 11/2/ vs. Green Bay, 11/9/ vs. Chicago, 11/30/ at Detroit, 12/7/ YARD DASH Peterson has 6 runs of 50 or more yards in just 27 career games played. That number ranks 2nd in Vikings annals behind Robert Smith s 12 career rushes of 50+ yards. Career 50-Yard Runs - Vikings Player...50-Yd Rushes 1) Robert Smith, ) Adrian Peterson, t) Michael Bennett, t) Tommy Mason, FIRST HALF EXPLOSION Peterson has rushed for 100 yards or more in the fi rst half 7 times in his short career. Such a feat has only been accomplished 13 times in team history, and Peterson has over half of those performances. 100-Yards Rushing In First Half - Vikings Player Games 1) Adrian Peterson, ) Robert Smith, t) Four players...1 JUST ANOTHER RECORD RB Adrian Peterson set a new team record vs. Houston (11/2) for the most rushing yards gained in his fi rst 2 seasons on the team. His 139 yards rushing on the day gave him a career total of 2,164, which moved him past RB Chester Taylor s 2,060 from ( ). He now has 2,754 in his 2 years. Most Rushing Yards In First Two Seasons - Vikings Player Yards 1) Adrian Peterson ( )... 2,754 2) Chester Taylor ( )... 2,060 WINNING ON THE GROUND The Vikings are a combined 15-5 when one of their current running backs rushes for 100 yards. Adrian Peterson - 14 games record vs. San Diego, 11/4/07 W at Chicago, 10/14/07 W vs. Green Bay, 11/9/08 W vs. Indianapolis, 9/14/08 L vs. Houston, 11/2/08 W vs. Chicago, 11/30/08 W at Chicago, 10/19/08 L vs. Detroit, 12/2/07 W vs. Green Bay, 9/30/07 L vs. Detroit, 10/12/08 W at Green Bay, 9/8/08 L vs. Atlanta, 9/9/07 W at Detroit, 12/7/08 W at Kansas City, 9/23/07 L Chester Taylor - 6 games record at Seattle, 10/22/06 W vs. Oakland, 11/18/07 W vs. Arizona, 11/26/06 W vs. Detroit, 10/8/06 W vs. Carolina, 9/17/06 W at San Francisco, 12/9/07 W WEEK 15 - VIKINGS AT CARDINALS - 18

20 VIKINGS OFFENSIVE TEAM NOTES ACTION JACKSON QB Tarvaris Jackson has completed 39-of- 70 passes (55.7%) for 421 yards and 2 touchdowns in 3 games in He has also run the ball 13 times for 64 yards (4.9 avg.) Jackson stepped in for an injured QB Gus Frerotte in Week 14 at Detroit and completed 8 of 10 passes for 105 yards and a TD. He fi n- ished with a quarterback rating of as he led the Vikings to 17 second half points and a victory. After returning from a concussion suffered in Week 9 of the 2007 season, Jackson completed 120-of-174 passes (69.0%) for 1,311 yards and 7 TDs in the last 7 games. He averaged passing yards per game after his return, and he rushed for two scores and two 2-point conversions. His four throws of 60+ yards ranks 2nd for the most in a season. Jackson finished 8-4 as a starter in 2007 and 7-3 in his last 10 starts with wins over 2006 playoff teams Chicago (twice), San Diego and the N.Y. Giants. Two of his losses came in overtime on the road. Rushing TDs By Vikings Quarterbacks In First 2 Seasons Player Rushing TDs 1) Fran Tarkenton, ) Daunte Culpepper, ) Joe Kapp, ) Tarvaris Jackson, Two-Point Conversions In A Game - NFL Tarvaris Jackson, Minnesota at Denver, 12/30/ Reggie Bush, New Orleans vs. St. Louis, 11/11/ Todd Heap, Baltimore vs. Cincinnati, 10/19/ Marshall Faulk, St. Louis vs. Atlanta, 10/15/ Charles Johnson, Pittsburgh vs. Tennessee, 11/1/ Terrell Davis, Denver vs. Atlanta, 9/28/ Michael Jackson, Baltimore vs. New England, 10/6/ Brett Perriman, Detroit vs. Green Bay, 11/6/ TAYLOR CLUTCH ON 3RD DOWN RB Chester Taylor leads all NFL running backs with 21 catches on 3rd down in Taylor s 21 receptions on 3rd down ranks 8th among all players. Nine of his 21 catches have gone for fi rst downs and his average yards per 3rd down catch is Taylor ranks 3rd on the Vikings roster with 35 catches for 317 yards and 1 touchdown and has added 320 yards and 4 TDs on the ground NFL Most Receptions on 3rd Down - Running Backs Player Yards 1) Chester Taylor, MIN t) Marion Barber, DAL t) Mewelde Moore, PIT t) Jerious Norwood, ATL t) Washington, NYJ TAYLOR RANKS IN VIKINGS ANNALS RB Chester Taylor has 2,380 rushing yards as a Viking, which ranks 13th in team history. This season he surpassed RB Herschel Walker s ( ) 2,264 rushing yards and RB Alfred Anderson s ( ) 2,374. Taylor needs just 96 yards to tie Daunte Culpepper s 2,476. Career Rushing Leaders - Vikings Player Att Yds Avg TD 10) Adrian Peterson, , ) Fran Tarkenton, , , ) Daunte Culpepper, , ) Chester Taylor, , BERRI NICE WR Bernard Berrian currently ranks 1st among receivers with at least 30 catches with a 20.1 yards-per-catch average. He has hauled in 41 receptions for 824 yards and 5 touchdowns on the season. Berrian s 99-yard TD catch vs. Chicago (11/30) ties the longest reception in NFL history and ranks as the longest scrimmage play in Vikings history. His 10 catches of 25+ yards ranks tied for 6th in the NFL. After having just 3 catches for 38 yards through the fi rst 2 games, Berrian has caught 38 passes for 786 yards and 5 TDs over the last 11 contests. He has the Vikings 5 longest receptions of the season and has led the Vikings in receiving yards 8 times in 13 games. This season, Berrian put up his 3 highest single-game receiving yardage days of his career vs. Detroit, 122 vs. Chicago and 110 at New Orleans. Prior to joining the Vikings, Berrian had 4 games with 100+ yards and in just 13 games with Minnesota, Berrian has 4. Yards Per Catch Average Among Receivers With 30+ Receptions Player Rec. Yards Average 1) Bernard Berrian, MIN ) Vincent Jackson, SD Receptions of 25+ Yards Player Rec. of 25+ Yds 1t) Calvin Johnson, DET t) Roddy White, ATL t) Greg Jennings, GB t) Steve Smith, CAR ) Kevin Walter, HOU t) Bernard Berrian, MIN t) Lee Evans, BUF/Larry Fitzgerald, ARI...10 Berrian s Career 100-Yard Receiving Games 1) vs. Detroit, 10/12/08 2) vs. Chicago, 11/30/08 2) at New Orleans, 10/6/08 3) vs. Seattle, 10/1/06 4) vs. Seattle, 1/14/07* (Playoffs) 5t) vs. Houston, 11/2/08 5t) at New England, 11/26/06 7) at Seattle, 11/18/07 BERRIAN BURSTS ON THE SCENE WR Bernard Berrian now owns 2 of the Vikings 3 longest pass plays in team history. His 99-yard TD reception against Chicago (11/30) broke a 46-year-old team record for the longest pass play. It also tied as the longest pass in NFL history; only 11 players have caught 99-yard TD passes all-time. Longest Completions - Vikings Play Yards 1) Gus Frerotte to Bernard Berrian, vs. Chicago, 11/30/ t 2) Fran Tarkenton to Charley Ferguson, vs. Chicago, 11/11/ t 3) Gus Frerotte to Bernard Berrian, vs. Detroit, 10/12/ t Longest Scrimmage Plays - Vikings Play Yards 1) Bernard Berrian vs. Chicago, 11/30/08 - Pass...99t 2) Chester Taylor at Seattle, 10/22/06 - Run...95t 3) Charley Ferguson vs. Chicago, 11/11/62 - Pass...89t 4) Bernard Berrian vs. Detroit, 10/12/08 - Pass...86t Longest Completion - NFL Play... Yards 1t) Gus Frerotte to Bernard Berrian, MIN vs. CHI, 11/30/ t 1t) 10 other plays...99t WEEK 15 - VIKINGS AT CARDINALS - 19

21 VIKINGS OFFENSIVE TEAM NOTES RICE RETURNS After seeing limited action through the bye week, WR Sidney Rice has caught 3 touchdown passes in In 2007, he ranked tied for 2nd among rookie wide receivers with 4 TD receptions. Rice has 13 catches for 126 yards, an average of 9.7 yards per catch. For his career, Rice has 44 catches for 522 yards and 7 touchdowns. WADE LEADS TEAM WR Bobby Wade currently leads the Vikings with 42 receptions. Wade has tallied 442 receiving yards for an average of 10.5 yards per catch. He set a career high for receptions with 7 at Tennessee (9/28) only to break it with 8 at New Orleans (10/6) a week later. Last season Wade led the Vikings and set personal career highs with 54 receptions for 647 yards and 3 scores. Wade now has 96 receptions in a season and a half with the Vikings after having 101 total catches in the 4 previous years with Chicago and Tennessee. Wade is on pace to have both of his highest single season totals over his 6-year career in the last 2 years with the Vikings. Bobby Wade s Year-by-Year Receiving Year Receptions 2003 (Chicago) (Chicago) (Chicago/Tennessee) (Tennessee) (Minnesota) (Minnesota) SHIANCOE RANKS IN TOP 5 TE Visanthe Shiancoe ranks tied for 4th among tight ends in the NFL with 5 touchdown receptions. Shiancoe has 5 of the Vikings 15 receiving touchdowns on the season. He currently ranks 4th on the squad with 32 receptions for 438 yards in the fi rst 13 games. He has averaged 13.7 yards per catch, with a long of 40. Receiving Touchdowns Among NFL Tight Ends Player TDs 1) Tony Gonzalez, KC ) Antonio Gates, SD t) Kevin Boss, NYG t) Visanthe Shiancoe, MIN t) Donald Lee, GB t) Martellus Bennett, DAL t) Daniel Graham, DEN... 4 Since joining the Vikings, Shiancoe has 59 receptions for 761 yards and 6 TDs in 2 seasons. Prior to his Vikings career, which began in 2007, Shiancoe s season high for receptions was 12 and his season high for receiving yards was 91. Thus far in 08, he has shattered his previous Vikings high from last year, when he fi nished with 27 catches for 323 yards and 1 TD. FOLLOWING ROUTE 76 Since joining the Vikings in 2006, perennial All-Pro LG Steve Hutchinson has proven his worth. In 45 games with the Vikings he has blocked for a 100-yard rusher 21 times (Adrian Peterson-14, Chester Taylor-6, Artose Pinner-1). Hutchinson has now blocked for a 100-yard rusher 52 times in his career and has made room for 3 games with a runner over 200 yards. He has had a 1,000-yard rusher behind him in each of his 8 NFL seasons, including this season as Peterson currently leads the league with 1,413 rushing yards on the year. Hutchinson has appeared in 5 Pro Bowls during his 8 accrued seasons in the NFL. 1,000 Yard Rushers Behind Hutchinson Player, Year Yards Adrian Peterson, ,413 Adrian Peterson, ,341 Chester Taylor, ,216 Shaun Alexander, ,880 Shaun Alexander, ,696 Shaun Alexander, ,435 Shaun Alexander, ,175 Shaun Alexander, , Yard Rushers/Games Behind Hutchinson Player Games (including playoffs) Shaun Alexander Adrian Peterson Chester Taylor... 6 Artose Pinner... 1 RELIABLE BIRK C Matt Birk played in his 140th career game at Tampa Bay (11/16), which moved him into 2nd place among centers in team history. He has now played in 143 career games since joining the Vikings as a 6th-round draft choice in Most Games Played By Vikings Centers Player Games Played 1) Mick Tingelhoff, ) Matt Birk, Games/Starts By Vikings Offensive Linemen Player Games Played/Started 1) Mick Tingelhoff, C /240 2) Ron Yary, T /180 3) Grady Alderman, T /178 4) Randall McDaniel, G /188 5) Tim Irwin, T /181 6) David Dixon, G /134 7) Milt Sunde, G /113 8) Matt Birk, C /120 MOUNT MCKINNIE Since being drafted by the Vikings in 2002, T Bryant McKinnie has now blocked for 4 of the top 5 single-season rushers in team history. Best Single-Season Rushing Totals Player, Year Yards 1) Robert Smith, ,521 2) Adrian Peterson, ,413 3) Adrian Peterson, ,341 4) Michael Bennett, ,296 5) Chester Taylor, ,216 WEEK 15 - VIKINGS AT CARDINALS - 20

22 VIKINGS DEFENSE POSITION-BY-POSITION VIKINGS DEFENSIVE LINE The Vikings defensive line contains 3 Pro Bowlers in defensive tackles Kevin Williams and Pat Williams and newcomer DE Jared Allen. Together Kevin and Pat, along with defensive ends Ray Edwards and Kenechi Udeze (on reserve/non-football illness list in 2008) and now Allen, have formed the toughest defensive line in the NFL against the run for the past two-plus years. In 2007, the team allowed an average of 74.1 yards per game on the ground, and only 3 teams - Dallas, Washington and Denver - gained 100 yards rushing, while the longest individual rush was for 30 yards. The previous season the Vikings allowed just 985 rushing yards (61.6 per game), which ranked 2nd since the 1969 AFL-NFL merger to only the 2000 Baltimore Ravens, who gave up only 970 rushing yards during their Super Bowl Championship season. Kevin has played in 3 Pro Bowls while Pat has played in the past 2. In one of the biggest 2008 offseason moves in the NFL, Allen joined the Vikings via a trade with the Kansas City Chiefs. Having led the NFL in sacks with 15.5 in 2007 despite missing 2 games, Allen earned his fi rst Pro Bowl and All-Pro Honors that season. His 55.5 sacks lead the league since Allen entered the NFL in Filling out the rest of the line is Edwards, who tied for the team lead in sacks in 07 with 5.0, as well as defensive tackles Fred Evans and Ellis Wyms and defensive ends Otis Grigsby and Brian Robison. Wyms joined the Vikings via free agency during the 2008 offseason and Douzable was drafted by the team in the 5th round of the 2008 draft (152 overall). Robison earned all-rookie honors in 2007 as he ranked 3rd among NFL rookies with 4.5 sacks. VIKINGS LINEBACKERS The Vikings were dealt a signifi cant blow in Week 4 when they lost 2007 Team Defensive MVP and 2008 defensive captain E.J. Henderson for the season due to injury. The middle linebacker, Henderson had led the Vikings in tackles in each of the past 2 seasons with 155 and 142 tackles respectively. Henderson also had recorded 8.5 of his 10.5 sacks over the past 2 seasons as well as scored his lone career touchdown on a 45-yard interception return in Shortly after losing Henderson, LB David Herron, second-year man out of Michigan State, was also injured. With a depleted linebacking corps, the Vikings signed former LB Napoleon Harris, who led the Chiefs in tackles in 2007 but was released by Kansas City earlier this season. Flanking Harris are LBs Ben Leber and Chad Greenway. Leber, a 7-year veteran out of Kansas State, was acquired by the Vikings from San Diego in He has 3 times been a starter on the NFL s numberone rated rush defense with San Diego in 2005 and Minnesota in 2006 and Leber started 10 games in 2007 and tied for the team lead with 5.0 sacks. Greenway is in his 2nd season at linebacker after missing all of his rookie season with a knee injury. He was a fi rst round selection (17th overall) of the Vikings in 2006 after an impressive college campaign where he was named an All-American his senior year. In his fi rst year starting for the Vikings in 2007 Greenway showed his playmaking abilities as he led the team in takeaways with 6 (4 FR, 2 INT) and was 2nd on the team with 130 tackles. His 4 fumble recoveries tied him for the NFL lead. Greenway also returned an interception for a touchdown off of eventual Super Bowl MVP Eli Manning. Also joining the Vikings in Week 7 was LB Dontarrious Thomas, who was originally drafted by the Vikings in the second round (#48) of the 2004 NFL Draft. Thomas played in 59 career games with 10 starts for Minnesota during his fi rst stint and fi nished with 145 tackles (96 solo), 1.5 sacks, one forced fumble and one fumble recovery. He also was a mainstay on special teams, collecting 46 special teams stops. Former Carolina Panther Vinny Ciurciu, and rookie Erin Henderson, brother of E.J. and a Maryland product, round out the linebacking unit. LB Heath Farwell, who led the team in special teams tackles in both 2006 and 2007 with 25 and 32 respectively, was lost for the 2008 season with a torn ACL in the fi rst preseason game. VIKINGS DEFENSIVE BACKS The Vikings return 3 of 4 starters in the secondary for 2008 with CB Cedric Griffin, S Darren Sharper, and CB Antoine Winfield. Sharper, the 12-year veteran, is the leader in the secondary and the owner of several impressive numbers. The 4-time Pro Bowl starter has 54 career interceptions (18 with the Vikings), the most by any active player in the NFL. He also is tied for 5th in NFL history with 8 career interception return touchdowns. Winfi eld, another veteran, has played 9 seasons in the NFL. A fi rst round pick (23rd overall) by Buffalo in the 1999 NFL draft, Winfi eld had gone on to record 829 career tackles and 19 interceptions. Winfi eld is still playing some of his best football, notching touchdowns off of interceptions in each of the last 2 seasons. The former University of Texas star Griffi n enters his third year with the Vikings after being drafted by the team in the second round of the 2006 NFL Draft. Griffi n scored the fi rst touchdown of his NFL career last year in Dallas when he received a lateral from teammate LB Ben Leber off of a fumble and took it 28 yards for a score. Joining the 3 starters is 2008 free agent pickup S Madieu Williams, who returned to the playing fi eld in Week Nine after missing the fi rst 7 games with a neck injury. Williams adds another veteran body in the defensive backfi eld having been a 3-year starter (missed his sophomore season due to injury) for Cincinnati. With Williams sidelined, the Vikings fi rst selection in the 2008 NFL Draft (2nd round, 43rd overall) S Tyrell Johnson gained some important and meaningful reps at the safety position. Johnson was named the 2007 Sun Belt Conference Defensive Player of the Year as a senior at Arkansas State. Adding depth to the secondary is CB Marcus McCauley, S Eric Frampton, CB Benny Sapp and rookie S Husain Abdullah. POSITION-BY-POSITION BREAKDOWN Defensive Line (10) Defensive Backs (9) Jared Allen (DE) * Husain Abdullah (S) Ray Edwards (DE) * Eric Frampton (S) Fred Evans (DT) Cedric Griffi n (CB) * Otis Grigsby (DE) Tyrell Johnson (S) Letroy Guion (DT) Marcus McCauley (CB) Jimmy Kennedy (DT) Benny Sapp (CB) Brian Robison (DE) Darren Sharper (S) * Kevin Williams (DT) * Madieu Williams (S) * Pat Williams (DT) * Antoine Winfi eld (CB) * Ellis Wyms (DT) Linebackers (7) Vinny Ciurciu Chad Greenway * Napoleon Harris * Erin Henderson David Herron Ben Leber * Dontarrious Thomas * Denotes starter TM WEEK 15 - VIKINGS AT CARDINALS - 21

23 VIKINGS DEFENSIVE TEAM NOTES NOWHERE TO RUN Under Head Coach Brad Childress, the Vikings have allowed only two 100-yard individual rushing performances in the past 45 games. Only St. Louis Rams RB Steven Jackson (12/31/06) and Green Bay Packers RB Ryan Grant (9/8/08) have reached the century mark during that time with 142 and 119 yards respectively. Over the past 3 seasons ( ), the Vikings have given up a total of 3,123 rushing yards, which leads the league during that time. Opponents are averaging just 69.4 rushing yards per game from The Vikings ranked #1 against the rush in both 2006 and 2007 and are currently ranked 2nd in 2008, having given up 953 yards through 13 games (73.3 avg.). Opponents Rushing Yards Team Yards Allowed Yards Per Game 1) Minnesota...3, ) Baltimore...3, Opponents Rushing Yards Team Yards Allowed Yards Per Game 1) Pittsburgh ) Minnesota ) Baltimore...1, Opponents Average Rushing Yards Per Game Season Avg. Yds/Game Rank st st nd Opponents Average Rushing Yards Per Carry Season Avg. Yds/Carry Rank st nd T-1st Opponents Rushes For Negative Yards (No Kneeldowns) Season Negative Rushes (Rank) Yards Lost (Rank) (1st) (1st) (1st) (1st) (T-4th) (4th) ALLEN TERRORIZES QUARTERBACKS Since entering the NFL in 2004, Vikings DE Jared Allen s 55.5 sacks rank 1st. Allen, who fi nished as the 2007 NFL sack leader with 15.5 sacks, currently ranks 1st on the team with 12.5 sacks and 1st with 44 QB hurries. Allen s 12.5 sacks ranks tied for 4th among all players and tied for 1st among defensive ends. His sack total is the most a Vikings player has had in a single season since DT John Randle had 15.5 in 1998 and is the most a player has had in his fi rst season with the Vikings. Allen notched his 1st sack as a Viking in Week 2 vs. Indianapolis when he caught QB Peyton Manning for a 5-yard loss. NFL Sack Leaders from Player Sacks 1) Jared Allen ) Robert Mathis ) DeMarcus Ware NFL Sacks 1) Joey Porter, MIA ) DeMarcus Ware, DAL ) James Harrison, PIT t) Jared Allen, MIN ) John Abraham, ATL t) Justin Tuck, NYG ALLEN BRINGS BACK SACK MEMORIES DE Jared Allen s team-leading 12.5 sacks are the most by a Viking since 1997, when DT John Randle posted In fact, there have been only 5 players in the past 30 years that have notched 12.5 sacks or more. Vikings Top Single-Season Sack Totals Player, Year Sacks 1) Chris Doleman, ) Keith Millard, ) John Randle, ) Chris Doleman, ) John Randle, t) Jared Allen, t) Chris Doleman, t) John Randle, SAFETY IN NUMBERS DE Jared Allen has 2 safeties on the season, which ties the NFL record for the most in a single season. Allen notched his fi rst safety of the year on Lions QB Dan Orlovsky in Week 6 and his 2nd on Packers QB Aaron Rodgers in Week 10. Allen s 2 safeties also ties a team record held by Alan Page (1971). NFL Single Season Safeties Player Safeties 1t) Jared Allen, MIN, t) Bryant Young, SF, t) Rod Stephens, SEA, t) Burt Grossman, SD, t) Brian Jordan, ATL, t) Tim Harris, GB, t) Don Blackmon, NE, t) Doug English, DET, t) James Young, HOU, t) Benny Barnes, DAL, t) Fred Dryer, LA, t) Alan Page, MIN, t) Ron McDole, BUF, t) Roger Brown, DET, t) Tom Nash, GB, Vikings Single Season Safeties Player Safeties 1t) Jared Allen, t) Alan Page, * The two safeties vs. Green Bay (11/9) ties a team record for the most in a game. The last time there were 2 safeties in an NFL game was Buffalo vs. Houston, 11/16/03. Most Safeties In a Single Game - Vikings 1t) 2 vs. Green Bay, 11/9/08 - Jared Allen sack; Penalty-Intentional Grounding 1t) 2 vs. Atlanta, 10/5/03 - Two penalties-intentional Grounding and Holding In End Zone * The Vikings now have 3 safeties in 2008, which ties a team record for the most in a single season. Most Safeties In a Single Season - Vikings 1t) 3 in t) 3 in t) 3 in 1965 WEEK 15 - VIKINGS AT CARDINALS - 22

24 VIKINGS DEFENSIVE TEAM NOTES FORCING FUMBLES Since entering the league in 2004, DE Jared Allen has forced 16 career fumbles, which ranks as the 6th most from Allen has also recovered 8 career fumbles, which ranks tied for 8th in the NFL. Forced Fumbles Player Forced Fumbles 1) Robert Mathis ) Dwight Freeney t) John Abraham t) Jason Taylor ) Julius Peppers t) Jared Allen t) Brian Dawkins t) Leonard Little t) Aaron Schobel...15 WILLIAMS ON TRACK DT Kevin Williams currently is tied for 1st among all defensive tackles with 8.5 sacks in Williams is only 1.5 sacks away from reaching double digit sacks for the fi rst time since 2004, when he notched Williams 4.0 sacks against Detroit ranks as the 2nd-most in a single game in Vikings history Sacks By Defensive Tackles - NFL Player Sacks 1t) Kevin Williams, MIN t) Albert Haynesworth, TEN Most Sacks In A Single Game - Vikings 1) Randy Holloway, vs. Atlanta, 9/16/ t) Kevin Williams, vs. Detroit, 10/12/ t) 8 other players Most Career Quarterback Sacks - Vikings 1) Carl Eller, ) Jim Marshall, ) John Randle, ) Alan Page, ) Chris Doleman, , ) Doug Martin, ) Henry Thomas, ) Keith Millard, ) Kevin Williams, ) Mark Mullaney, WILLIAMS RANKS 4TH AMONG VIKINGS DTS DT Kevin Williams 42.5 career sacks puts him in 4th place among defensive tackles in club history for the fi rst 6 seasons and 7th among all Vikings for the fi rst 6 seasons. Most QB Sacks Among DTs First 6 Seasons - Vikings Player Sacks 1) John Randle, ) Alan Page, ) Keith Millard, ) Kevin Williams, Most QB Sacks First 6 Seasons - Vikings Player Sacks 1) John Randle, ) Chris Doleman, ) Alan Page, ) Keith Millard, ) Jim Marshall, ) Carl Eller, ) Kevin Williams, STACK OF SACKS After a slow start with only 2.0 sacks during the fi rst two weeks of the 2008 season, the Vikings have notched 35.0 over the past 11 games and currently rank tied for 4th in the NFL with 37.0 sacks. Over the past 2 years, the Vikings 75 sacks ranks tied for 5th. DE Jared Allen leads the way with 12.5 sacks on the year, which ranks tied for 4th in the NFL and tied for 1st among defensive ends. DT Kevin Williams ranks 2nd with 8.5 sacks. He exploded for 4.0 sacks against Detroit (10/12); that ranks as tied for the most in a single game in Williams 42.5 career sacks since entering the league in 2003 ranks 9th all-time in Vikings history. Both Williams and Allen have nearly doubled the Vikings 2007 team high of 5.0 sacks Sacks Team Sacks 1t) Dallas t) Pittsburgh ) Philadelphia t) Minnesota t) N.Y. Giants t) N.Y. Jets Most Sacks Team Sacks 1) Dallas ) N.Y. Giants ) Pittsburgh ) Philadelphia t) Minnesota Vikings Sack Leaders Player Sacks 1) Jared Allen ) Kevin Williams WILLIAMS WRITES HISTORY DT Kevin Williams currently has 4 career defensive touchdowns, which is tied for 1st for the most defensive touchdowns (INTs and FRs) in Vikings history. Williams needs one more to take over sole possession of the career record. In 2007 Williams tied a team record for the most INTs in a season by a defensive lineman (2) and the team record for the most INTs in a career by a defensive lineman (4). Williams NFL TDs vs. Jacksonville, 11/28/ fumble return at Seattle, 10/22/ fumble return vs. Atlanta, 9/9/ INT return at San Francisco, 12/9/ INT return Most Career Defensive Touchdowns (INT-FR) - Vikings 1t) Kevin Williams, (2-2)...4 1t) Orlando Thomas, (2-2)...4 1t) Dewayne Washington, (3-1)...4 1t) Joey Browner, (3-1)...4 1t) Bobby Bryant, (3-1)...4 1t) Paul Krause, (2-2)...4 1t) Ed Sharockman, (3-1)...4 Most Career Interceptions By A Defensive Lineman - Vikings 1) Kevin Williams, ) Chris Doleman, , t) 4 Players... 2 Most Single Season INTs By A Defensive Lineman - Vikings 1t) Kevin Williams, t) Tim Newton, WEEK 15 - VIKINGS AT CARDINALS - 23

25 GREENWAY TACKLES THE NFL Vikings LB Chad Greenway currently leads the team with 124 total tackles (86 solo) through the fi rst 13 games. He has led the team in tackles in 6 games thus far. For his career ( ), Greenway has 168 solo tackles and 254 total stops through 29 games (8.8 per game). In 2007, he ranked 2nd on the team with 130 total tackles (83 solo), tying for the team lead once and leading the squad in 3 games. Greenway also ranked tied for 1st in the NFL with 4 fumble recoveries in After having no sacks in 2007, Greenway has 4.0 sacks in 2008, which ranks 3rd on the team. He has 3.0 sacks in the past 7 games, including the team s only sack at Tampa Bay in Week 11. Vikings Single-Season Sacks - Linebackers Player Sacks 1) Ed McDaniel, t) Broderick Thomas, t) Matt Blair, t) Ben Leber, t) Dwayne Rudd, t) Matt Blair, 1978, t) Chad Greenway, t) Many others LEBER LEADS THE LEAGUE Vikings LB Ben Leber currently ranks tied for 1st in the NFL with 4 fumble recoveries on the season. Leber has 6 combined takeaways (4 FR, 2 INT) in 2008, which is a career high. Since joining the Vikings, Leber has accounted for 11 takeaways (7 FR, 4 INT). This season he also has 59 tackles (39 solo),.5 sack, 2 INT, 11 passes defended and 9 QB hurries Defensive Fumble Recoveries Player Fumble Recoveries 1t) Ben Leber, MIN...4 1t) Lamar Woodley, PIT...4 1t) Calvin Pace, NYJ...4 4t) Karlos Dansby, ARI...3 4t) Darnell Dockett, ARI...3 4t) Robert Mathis, IND...3 4t) DeMeco Ryans, HOU...3 4t) Antonio Smith, ARI...3 4t) Gibril Wilson, OAK...3 Vikings Single-Season Passes Defensed By Linebackers 1) Matt Blair, t) Ben Leber, t) Jack Del Rio, LEBER HELPS STOP THE RUN In his 6 years in the NFL prior to this season, LB Ben Leber had been a part of 3 defenses that ranked #1 against the run - San Diego in 2005 and Minnesota in 2006 and Currently the Vikings rank 2nd in the league; if the Vikings fi nish ranked 1st, Leber will have been a part of 4 #1-ranked rush defenses in 7 years. Leber s Teams Ranked As NFL s #1 Rushing Defense Year Team Rush Yds San Diego... 1,349 (1st) Minnesota (1st) Minnesota...1,185 (1st) Minnesota (2nd) VIKINGS DEFENSIVE TEAM NOTES WEEK 15 - VIKINGS AT CARDINALS - 24 LEBER RANKS AMONG VIKINGS BEST LB Ben Leber s 4 fumble recoveries on the season ranks tied for 7th in Vikings single-season history. Vikings Single-Season Defensive Fumble Recoveries Player Opp. Fumble Recoveries 1) Don Hultz, 1963* (NFL Leader)...9 2) Alan Page, 1970 (NFL Leader)...7 3) Fred McNeill, t) Chris Doleman, t) Joey Browner, t) Matt Blair, t) Ben Leber, 2008 (NFL Leader)...4 7t) Chad Greenway, 2007 (NFL Leader)...4 7t) Duane Clemons, 1999 (NFL Leader)...4 7t) Jack Del Rio, t) Orlando Thomas, t) Fred Strickland, t) Mike Merriweather, t) Joey Browner, t) Scott Studwell, t) Carl Eller, t) Carl Eller, RECOVERY EFFORT Since joining the Vikings, LB Ben Leber has recovered 7 opponents fumbles, a number that ranks tied for 2nd in the NFL from Leber currently leads the league with 4 fumble recoveries in Opponents Fumble Recoveries NFL Player Opp. Fumble Recoveries 1) Antonio Smith...8 2t) Ben Leber...7 2t) Darnell Dockett...7 2t) Elvis Dumervil...7 2t) Bradie James...7 2t) DeMeco Ryans...7 7t) Jared Allen...6 7t) 6 players...6 MAN IN THE MIDDLE The Vikings lost a key playmaker on defense in Week Four when captain LB E.J. Henderson left the game with a toe injury that required surgery. Henderson left leading the team with 36 tackles (28 solo). He also had one of the team s 8.0 sacks and one of the team s 8 fumble recoveries. Over the past 4 years ( ) Henderson has led the team in tackles 3 times. In 2004 he led the squad with 125 stops. In 2006 his 142 tackles led the Vikings and last year his 155 stops were a career--high and led the team. He was named the team s 2007 defensive MVP for his performance. The only year Henderson didn t lead the team in tackles was in 2005, when he ranked 2nd. HARRIS REJOINS VIKINGS LB Napoleon Harris rejoined the Vikings in Week 7 of the 2008 season after spending the 2007 season as the leading tackler of the Kansas City Chiefs. In his return debut, Harris notched 6 tackles (3 solo) against the Chicago Bears. In Week 12 at Jacksonville, Harris returned a Jaguars fumble 27 yards for a Vikings touchdown. Harris recorded a career-high 2.5 sacks and 3 interceptions during his last season with the Vikings in That year he ranked 3rd on the team with 96 tackles, the 3rd-highest total of his career. He also helped the defense hold opponents to 985 rushing yards on the year. This year Harris has collected 29 tackles (20 solo), 1.0 sack, 1 tackle for a loss, 1 FR, and 2 QB hurries.

26 VIKINGS DEFENSIVE TEAM NOTES LIMITING OFFENSIVE OUTPUT The Vikings currently rank 7th in the NFL in offensive points allowed with 211 through 13 games (16.2 avg.). The Vikings have only given up 12 passing touchdowns on the season, which ranks 5th in the NFL and 2nd in the NFC Offensive Points Allowed - NFL Team Points Allowed 1) Baltimore ) Pittsburgh ) Tennessee ) N.Y. Giants ) Minnesota ) Washington ) Indianapolis Passing Touchdowns Allowed - NFL Team Passing TDs Allowed 1) Indianapolis...4 2) Tennessee...8 3t) Carolina t) Pittsburgh ) Minnesota t) Baltimore t) Buffalo...13 INTERCEPTIONS ABOUND After having 6 interceptions through the fi rst 10 games this season, the Vikings have notched 5 in the last 3 games, including 3 off Bears QB Kyle Orton, who hadn t thrown an INT in 185 attempts heading into Week 13 s Sunday Night game. Interceptions in Weeks Team Interceptions 1) Baltimore...7 2) Chicago/Cleveland...6 4t) Minnesota...5 4t) 4 other teams...5 POUNCING ON THE LOOSE BALL Since Head Coach Brad Childress took over in 2006, the Vikings rank 3rd in the NFL with 44 opponents fumble recoveries over the last 45 games. Only Detroit and Chicago have more with 48 and 45 respectively. The Vikings are tied for 3rd in 2008 with 12 fumble recoveries. Opponents Fumble Recoveries NFL Team Opp. Fumble Recoveries 1) Detroit ) Chicago ) Minnesota ) Arizona...43 The Vikings currently boast 3 of the top 8 individual fumble recovery leaders over the past 5 years in the NFL. LB Ben Leber, DE Jared Allen and DT Kevin Williams all rank in the top 6 for FR from Opponents Fumble Recoveries NFL Player Opp. Fumble Recoveries 1t) Jason Taylor t) Dewayne White t) Ben Leber...9 3t) Raheem Brock...9 3t) Karlos Dansby...9 3t) Kalimba Edwards...9 3t) Robert Mathis...9 8t) Jared Allen...8 8t) Kevin Williams...8 8t) 5 other players...8 SHARPER IMAGE S Darren Sharper is currently tied for the Vikings team record for the most interception returns for a touchdown with 3. As a Viking, Sharper has notched 18 INTs. He now has 1,036 career return yards, which ranks 9th in NFL history. Sharper currently leads all active players with the most interceptions (54) as well as the most combined takeaways (60). His 54 INTs rank tied for 18th all-time. Interceptions By Active NFL Players 1) Darren Sharper ) Ty Law Combined Takeaways By Active NFL Players 1) Darren Sharper (54 INTs, 6 FRs) 2) Ty Law (52 INTs, 5 FRs) NFL Career Interception Return TDs 1) Rod Woodson t) Ken Houston t) Deion Sanders t) Aeneas Williams t) Darren Sharper t) Eric Allen... 8 Vikings Career Interception Return TDs 1t) Darren Sharper (S) t) Jimmy Hitchcock (CB) t) Dewayne Washington (CB) t) Audray McMillian (CB) t) Joey Browner (S) t) Bobby Bryant (CB) t) Ed Sharockman (CB) t) Rip Hawkins (LB) JOHNSON STEPS UP Rookie S Tyrell Johnson, who started the Vikings fi rst 7 games due to a neck injury S Madieu Williams suffered in training camp, had a huge impact in the Vikings Week 5 win at New Orleans (10/6). Making his 5th consecutive start, Johnson recovered a fumble, notched an interception, made five total tackles and collected a quarterback hurry. Johnson has 29 total tackles (19 solo) on the season, along with 4 passes defended, an INT, a fumble recovery and a QB hurry. FUMBLES LEAD TO SCORES With LB Napoleon Harris fumble recovery for a TD in Week 12, the Vikings scored their 47th TD off a fumble recovery since the 1970 NFL merger. That total ranks 1st during that time span. Fumble Recoveries for a Touchdown Since NFL Team FR for TD 1t) Minnesota Vikings ) Tennessee Titans/Houston Oilers t) Atlanta Falcons t) Oakland Raiders Since Head Coach Brad Childress took over in 2006, the Vikings have scored 7 times on fumble recoveries (6 defensive recoveries, 1 offensive recovery), which ranks tied for 1st in the NFL. Fumble Recoveries for a Touchdown NFL Team FR for TD 1t) Minnesota Vikings t) San Diego Chargers t) Chicago/Green Bay/Houston... 5 WEEK 15 - VIKINGS AT CARDINALS - 25

27 VIKINGS DEFENSIVE TEAM NOTES TAKEAWAY TOINE A ballhawker who hits with authority, Vikings CB Antoine Winfield frequently fi nds himself around the ball. He currently ranks tied for 10th in the NFL with 2 fumble recoveries and tied for 10th with 3 forced fumbles. Winfi eld also has 2 interceptions on the season. In Week 9 vs. Houston, Winfi eld intercepted his 19th career pass. It was his 21st Vikings career takeaway (14 INTs, 7 FRs), which ranks tied for 6th most in team history among cornerbacks and 23rd overall. Winfi eld also returned a blocked field goal 59 yards for a Vikings touchdown against New Orleans (10/6), which was a first in team history for a regular season game. He earned NFC Defensive Player of the Week honors for his effort. Winfi eld s 2008 totals include 74 tackles, 2.0 sacks, 2 INT, 13 PD, 7 TFL, 3 FF, 2 FR and 1 QB hurry. Winfi eld has scored on 4 returns in his career, all coming since 2006 with the Vikings - 2 INT returns, one fumble recovery and one blocked fi eld goal return. He has scored a defensive touchdown for the Vikings in each of the past 3 seasons and has 3 of the Vikings 15 defensive TDs since Career Takeaways By Vikings Cornerbacks Player Takeaways Games 1) Bobby Bryant...58 (51 INT, 7 FR) ) Ed Sharockman...46 (40 INT, 6 FR) ) Nate Wright...35 (31 INT, 4 FR) ) Carl Lee...34 (29 INT, 5 FR) ) John Turner...26 (22 INT, 4 FR) t) Antoine Winfiled...21 (14 INT, 7 FR) t) Audray McMillian...21 (19 INT, 2 FR) t) Earsell Mackbee...20 (15 INT, 5 FR) t) Willie Teal...20 (15 INT, 5 FR) WHAT OTHERS ARE SAYING ABOUT WINFIELD Sam Rosen and Tim Ryan on Winfield FOX broadcast, 11/16/2006 The guy just does everything. He hits and when he hits you hear it and you feel it and balls pop loose. I mean this guy is something. Teams are afraid to throw at him. They don t really throw at him anymore, because even at 5 9 people don t talk about his ability in terms of route recognition knowing what offenses are going to do. He is very, very good as a defender. If this guy doesn t make it to the Pro Bowl this year something is wrong. He is a top-fi ve corner in the league and not just as a run support guy that comes up and tackles. He is terrifi c in coverage. He needs to get his due and end up in Honolulu. On run stopping: There is nobody better in the league. On tackling: When he hits you you re stopped. You are not going anywhere. He is just one of the best tackling corners in the NFL. PREVENTING BIG PASSING TDS The Vikings have allowed only 4 passing touchdowns of 20+ yards on the season. That ranks tied as the 8th lowest in the NFL Opponents Passing TDs of 20+ Yards Team 20+ Yard Passing TDs 1) Tennessee t) Dallas t) Indianapolis ) New England t) Chicago/N.Y. Jets/Pittsburgh t) Minnesota t) Denver/San Diego... 4 WILLIAMS INTERCEPTS FIRST PASS AS VIKING S Madieu Williams, who missed the fi rst 7 games of the season due to injury, returned in Week 9 against the Houston Texans and showed exactly why the Vikings pursued him as a free agent during the 2008 offseason. Williams notched his 1st interception as a Viking and fi nished with 9 tackles on the day, 8 solo. For Williams, it was his 10th career INT. He became only the 8th player in team history to intercept a pass in his 1st game as a Viking, joining fellow S Darren Sharper in accomplishing the feat. In Week 12 at Jacksonville, Williams notched his 2nd INT of the season and the 11th of his career. Since returning from his injury, Williams has 30 tackles, 2 INTs, 3 passes defensed and 1 QB hurry. Interception In 1st Game As A Viking Player Year Madieu Williams, S Darren Sharper, S Willie Offord, S Wymon Henderson, CB Clancy Osborne, LB Dick Grecni, LB Jack Morris, CB Charlie Summer, CB PICKS, PICKS, PICKS The Vikings have notched 47 interceptions from , which ranks tied for 12th in the NFL during that time. Nine of those INTs have gone for touchdowns, a total that ranks tied for 3rd during that time. The team has scored 15 defensive touchdowns (9 INTs, 6 FRs) in the past 45 games; that ranks tied for 1st in the NFL over the seasons. The Vikings are 7-4 in games in which they ve scored a defensive touchdown. NFL Defensive Touchdowns ( ) 1t) Minnesota Vikings (9 INTs, 6 FRs) 1t) Green Bay Packers (11 INTs, 4 FRs) Vikings Defensive Touchdowns ( ) Game Play vs. Chicago, 9/24/06... Antoine Winfi eld 7 INT return - L vs. Detroit, 10/8/06... Ben Leber FR in end zone - W vs. Detroit, 10/8/06... E.J. Henderson 45 INT return at Seattle, 10/22/06... Kevin Williams FR in end zone - W at Green Bay, 12/21/06... Fred Smoot 47 INT return - L vs. Atlanta, 9/9/07... Kevin Williams 54 INT return - W vs. Atlanta, 9/9/07... Antoine Winfi eld 14 INT return at Detroit, 9/16/07... Ray Edwards 9 FR return - L at Dallas, 10/21/07... Cedric Griffi n 28 FR return - L at NY Giants, 11/25/07... Darren Sharper 20 INT return - W at NY Giants, 11/25/07... Dwight Smith 93 INT return at NY Giants, 11/25/07... Chad Greenway 37 INT return at San Francisco, 12/9/07... Kevin Williams 18 INT return - W vs. Carolina, 9/21/08... Antoine Winfi eld 19 FR return - W at Jacksonville, 11/23/08... Napoleon Harris 27 FR return - W FOUR STATS, ONE PLAY In Week Three, CB Antoine Winfield collected 4 defensive statistics on the same play - a quarterback sack, a forced fumble, an opponent fumble recovery and a fumble return for a touchdown - when he hit QB Jake Delhomme near the end of the fi rst half, knocking the ball loose and returning it 19 yards for the score. It was only the 3rd time in team history that a player has recorded 4 stats on one play. WEEK 15 - VIKINGS AT CARDINALS - 26

28 VIKINGS DEFENSIVE NOTES RETURN TO SENDER Under Head Coach Brad Childress, the Vikings have scored 19 times on returns (INT, FR, KR, PR and blocked FG), a number that ranks 3rd in the league from The Vikings have scored 15 times on defense, returning 9 interceptions and 6 fumble recoveries for touchdowns. That ranks tied for 1st over the past 3 years. The other 4 scores came on a kickoff return, a punt return, a blocked fi eld goal and an offensive fumble recovered for a TD. NFL Returns/Defensive Touchdowns Team... TDs 1) Chicago ) Green Bay ) Minnesota t) Arizona t) Baltimore t) Buffalo Most INT Returns For Touchdowns In A Single Game - NFL 1) 4... Seattle...vs. Kansas City, 11/4/84 2t) 3... Minnesota...at NY Giants, 11/25/07 2t) 3... Tampa Bay...vs. New Orleans, 12/11/77 2t) 3... Cincinnati...vs. Houston, 12/17/72 2t) 3... Houston...vs. San Diego, 12/19/71 2t) 3... Buffalo...vs. NY Jets, 9/29/68 2t) 3... Baltimore...vs. Pittsburgh, 9/29/68 2t) 3... Philadelphia...vs. Pittsburgh, 12/12/65 2t) 3... Cleveland...vs. Chicago, 12/11/60 2t) 3... Baltimore...vs. Green Bay, 11/5/50 PICKS, PICKS, PICKS In the Vikings 48-year history, the team has returned 78 interceptions for touchdowns; 9 of those INT returns have come in the past 3 seasons under Coach Childress and his staff. CUTTING DRIVES SHORT Through 13 games the Vikings defense ranks 3rd in the NFL in opponents 10+ play drives, as they have only given up 15 in 159 opponent possessions. The Vikings have allowed 53 points on those 10 drives of 10+ plays, which also ranks 3rd in the NFL. The 11 overall scores allowed on 10+ play drives also ranks 3rd and the 5 TDs allowed ranks tied for 4th in the league Opponents 10-Play Drives Team Opponents 10-Play Drives 1) Baltimore ) Philadelphia ) Minnesota Opponents 10-Play Drive Points Team Opponents 10-Play Drive Points 1) Baltimore ) Philadelphia ) Minnesota Opponents 10-Play Drive Scores Team Opp. 10-Play Drive Scores 1t) Baltimore t) Philadelphia ) Minnesota Opponents 10-Play Drive Touchdowns Team Opp. 10-Play Drive TDs 1t) Baltimore t) Pittsburgh t) Tampa Bay t) Minnesota t) Philadelphia... 5 STOPPING THE BIG PLAY The Vikings defense currently ranks 6th in the NFL in giving up touchdowns on plays of 10+ yards. Minnesota has only given up 8 TDs on plays of 10 or more yards. Minnesota s defense ranks #1 in the league in opponents runs of 10+ yards with 16 through 13 games. The Vikings have still not given up a rushing TD of 10+ yards, which ranks tied for 1st, and they have only given up 8 passing TDs of 10+ yards, which ranks tied for 8th Opponents Touchdowns of 10+ Yards Team Opponents Big Play TDs 1t) Carolina t) Indianapolis t) Baltimore t) Pittsburgh t) Tennessee ) Minnesota Opponents Rushes of 10+ Yards Team Opponents Big Runs 1) Minnesota ) Pittsburgh Opponents Rushing TDs of 10+ Yards Team TDs 1t) Minnesota t) Baltimore t) N.Y. Giants t) Philadelphia t) Pittsburgh t) San Diego t) Tampa Bay Opponents Passing TDs of 10+ Yards Team TDs 1) Indianapolis ) Tennessee ) Carolina t) Baltimore t) Chicago t) Dallas t) Pittsburgh t) Minnesota t) Buffalo/Cincinnati/Miami... 8 VIKINGS SPECIAL TEAMS The Vikings have one of the most accurate kickers in NFL history in Ryan Longwell, who currently ranks 21st all-time with 291 made fi eld goals in the regular season. Longwell has played in 188 games and is 291-of-354 on fi eld goals (82.2%). He has scored 1,344 career points, which ranks 24th in NFL history. Longwell has been with the Vikings since 2006 after spending the previous 9 seasons with the Green Bay Packers. He has kicked 5 of the Vikings 6 longest fi eld goals in team history - 55, 54, 54, 53 and 53 yards. P Chris Kluwe originally joined the Vikings as an undrafted rookie free agent in 2005 and has since blossomed into one of the best punters in the NFL. In 2005, Kluwe earned NFC Special Teams Player of the Month honors, becoming the only Vikings rookie in team history to win a Player of the Month award. He enjoyed a record-setting season in 2007, as he set new team marks with 34 punts inside the 20 and boomed 29 punts of 50+ yards. He had career highs with a 44.7 gross average and a 37.0 net average. Kluwe had not had a punt blocked in his career prior to the Week 7 game at Chicago. His streak of 282 punts without a block is a team record. LS Cullen Loeffler is in his 5th season with the Vikings after signing as an undrafted rookie in He has played in 76 consecutive games and has handled every special teams snap since joining the team, including 7 of the 8 longest fi eld goals in team history and 3 of the 5 longest game-winning fi eld goals (56, 55 and 48). WEEK 15 - VIKINGS AT CARDINALS - 27

29 VIKINGS SPECIAL TEAMS NOTES REYNAUD PROVIDES SPARK It s only been 3 weeks since WR Darius Reynaud was brought up from the practice squad, but the undrafted rookie from West Virginia has already made an impact in the return game. Reynaud has posted returns of 40+ yards in each of the last 2 games - 49 vs. Chicago, 11/30/08 and 43 at Detroit, 12/7/08). Both of the returns rank as the 2 longest kickoff returns for the Vikings in Reynaud currently ranks 3rd on the team with 8 returns for 201 yards and a 25.1 average. COVERING KICKS After allowing 25.8 yards per kickoff return through the fi rst 5 games of the season, which ranked 28th in the league, the Vikings kickoff coverage unit has allowed just 21.2 yards per return over the past 7 games. That average ranks 7th in the NFL during that time. Kickoff Return Average Against Weeks 6-13 Team KR Avg. Against 1) Buffalo ) Pittsburgh ) Carolina ) San Diego t) N.Y. Jets t) Philadelphia ) Minnesota BLOCK THIS The Vikings currently rank 1st in the NFL with 3 blocked opponents fi eld goals on the year Opponents Blocked Field Goals Team Opp. Blocked FGs 1) Minnesota...3 2t) Cleveland...2 2t) San Francisco...2 The Vikings also lead the league in opponents missed fi eld goals Opponents Missed Field Goals Team Opp. Missed FGs 1) Minnesota...9 2t) Cleveland...8 2t) Oakland...8 2t) Tennessee...8 Opponents are connecting on 70.0% of their fi eld goal attempts vs. the Vikings. That percentage ranks as the 3rd lowest in the NFL Opponents Field Goal Percentage Team FG Pct. 1t) Cleveland t) Tennessee ) Minnesota ABDULLAH SPECIAL ON SPECIAL TEAMS Another Vikings rookie free agent is having a major impact on the team in Rookie S Husain Abdullah currently leads the team with 19 special teams tackles (10 solo). Abdullah, along with fellow S Eric Frampton, has helped fi ll the void left when LB Heath Farwell was lost for the year during the Vikings fi rst preseason game. According to press box stats, Abdullah ranks 8th in the NFL in special teams stops. PINNING THEM DEEP Vikings 4th-year P Chris Kluwe is on pace to set a team record for the highest gross punting average in a single season. He currently ranks 2nd in the NFC and 3rd in the NFL with a gross punting average of 47.7 yards; the team record is owned by Bobby Walden ( ). Kluwe has punted 64 times for 3,055 yards. He is also ranked 3rd in the NFL with 31 punts of 50+ yards on the season, a total that breaks his previous Vikings record of 29 punts of 50+ yards in In Week 4 at Tennessee, Kluwe punted 6 times, all of which traveled over 50 yards (52, 50, 57, 57, 52, 56), setting a new Vikings record for the most 50-yard punts in a single game. Kluwe s 54.0-yard punting average on the day ranks as the 4th highest in team history. Kluwe now owns 3 of the top 5 performances in Vikings history. In 2007 he broke a single game team record at Detroit (9/16) when he punted 4 times for 230 yards, a gross average of 57.5 yards per punt. Kluwe has 92 punts of 50+ yards for his career. Kluwe has also left opponents inside their own 20-yard line 21 times in 2008, which ranks tied for 10th in the NFL. Leaving opponents inside the 20 is familiar territory for Kluwe, as he has done so 100 times since entering the league in That total ranks tied for 4th during that time span. In 2007, Kluwe left opponents inside the 20-yard line 34 times, which ranked 3rd in the NFL and was a Vikings record Gross Punting Average Player Gross Punting Average 1) Donnie Jones, STL ) Shane Lechler, OAK ) Chris Kluwe, MIN Punts of 50+ Yards Player 50+ Yard Punts 1) Shane Lechler, OAK )Donnie Jones, STL ) Chris Kluwe, MIN Punts Inside the 20-Yard Line Player Punts Inside 20 1) Mike Scifres ) Brad Maynard ) Brian Moorman t) Chris Kluwe t) Craig Hentrich Vikings Single Season Gross Punting Average Player GPA 1) Chris Kluwe, ) Bobby Walden, Vikings Single Game 50+ Yard Punts Player 50-Yard Punts 1) Chris Kluwe, vs. Ten., 9/28/ t) Harry Newsome, vs. Phx, 10/13/ t) Greg Coleman, vs. Chi., 11/25/ Vikings Single Game Gross Punting Average Player GPA 1) Chris Kluwe, at Det., 9/16/ (4 punts yards) 2) Mitch Berger, vs. Cin., 11/15/ (4 punts yards) 3) Chris Kluwe, vs. TB, 9/11/ (4 punts yards) 4t) Chris Cluwe at Ten, 9/28/ (6 punts yards) 4t) Harry Newsome vs. Phx, 10/13/ (5 punts yards) WEEK 15 - VIKINGS AT CARDINALS - 28 Most 50+ Yard Punts In A Single Season Player 50+Yard Punts 1t) Chris Kluwe, t) Chris Kluwe, t) Chris Kluwe,

30 VIKINGS SPECIAL TEAMS NOTES WHEN THE GAME IS ON THE LINE One of the most accurate kickers in the NFL since entering the league as an unheralded rookie free agent in 1997, K Ryan Longwell currently ranks tied for 5th in the NFL with 26 field goals made. He also ranks 5th among kickers with 109 points. With the Vikings, Longwell has made 50-of- 51 fi eld goals from inside 45 yards. His streak of consecutive fi eld goals made inside 45 yards was broken vs. Detroit (10/12) when his 38-yard attempt was blocked. Longwell owns the team record for the most consecutive FGs made under 40 yards with 34. Most Game-Winning FGs in Vikings Career 1) 9, Fred Cox, ) 7, Fuad Reveiz, t) 5, Ryan Longwell, t) 5, Rick Danmeier, Longwell s Game Winners Date...Game...FG...Time... Final 12/27/98...at Detroit : /17/00...Philadelphia : /15/00...San Francisco : /24/00...Tampa Bay :31 OT /14/04...Minnesota : /21/04...@ Houston : /12/04...Detroit : /24/04...@ Minnesota : /11/05...Detroit :17 OT /11/06...@ Washington : /17/06...Carolina :25 OT /14/07...@ Chicago : /6/08...@ New Orleans : /12/08...vs. Detroit : FROM 50 AND BEYOND K Ryan Longwell has connected on 19 fi eld goals from 50+ yards during his career. He has 3 of the 4 longest fi eld goals in Vikings history. Longwell s 5 FGs of 50+ yards in 2008 is a team record for a single season and currently ranks tied for 3rd in the NFL. Longwell s 50+ Yard Field Goals - Career Date FG Final 9/2/97, at Detroit W /17/99, at Denver L /8/00, at Detroit L /29/00, at Miami L /12/00, at Tampa Bay L /16/01, at Tennessee L /5/03, vs. Kansas City L /11/04, at Tennessee L /17/04, at Detroit W /11/05, at Detroit L /23/05, at Minnesota L /13/05, at Atlanta W /13/05, at Atlanta W /14/07, at Chicago W /14/08, vs. Indianapolis L /6/08, at New Orleans W /9/08, vs. Green Bay W /23/08 at Jacksonville W /7/08 at Detroit W Longest Field Goals In Vikings History 1) Paul Edinger, vs. Green Bay, 10/23/05 2) Ryan Longwell, at Chicago, 10/14/07 3t) Ryan Longwell, at Jacksonville, 11/23/08 3t) Ryan Longwell, vs. Green Bay, 11/9/08 3t) Jan Stenerud, vs. Atlanta, 9/16/84 LONGWELL RANKS 23RD IN ALL-TIME SCORING K Ryan Longwell currently ranks 23rd in NFL history with 1,352 career points. Since entering the league in 1997, Longwell ranks 2nd in total scoring behind K Jason Elam. All-Time NFL Scoring Leaders Player/Seasons Games Points 1) Morten Anderson, (25) ,544 2) Gary Anderson, (23) ,434 3) George Blanda, (26) ,002 4) John Carney, (21) ,928 5) Matt Stover, (18) ,911 6) Jason Elam, (16) ,895 7t) Norm Johnson, (18) ,736 7t) Jason Hanson, (17) ,736 9) Nick Lowery, (18) ,711 10) Jan Stenerud, (19) ,699 11) John Kasay, (17) ,603 12) Eddie Murray, (19) ,594 13) Al Del Greco, (17) ,584 14) Steve Christie, (15) ,476 15) Pat Leahy, (18) ,470 16) Adam Vinatieri, (13) ,467 17) Jim Turner, (16) ,439 18) Matt Bahr, (17) ,422 19) Jeff Wilkins, (14) ,416 20) Mark Moseley, (16) ,382 21) Jim Bakken, (17) ,380 22) Fred Cox, (15) ,365 23) Ryan Longwell, (12) ,352 NFL Scoring Player Points 1) Jason Elam... 1,416 2) Ryan Longwell... 1,352 3) Adam Viniatieri... 1,347 LONGWELL S 293 IS 21ST IN NFL HISTORY K Ryan Longwell currently ranks 21st all-time with 293 made FGs. NFL Career FGs Made (Regular Season) 1) Morten Anderson ) Gary Anderson ) Matt Stover ) John Carney ) Jason Elam ) Jason Hanson ) Nick Lowery ) John Kasay ) Jan Stenerud ) Norm Johnson ) Eddie Murray ) Al Del Greco ) Steve Christie ) George Blanda ) Adam Vinatieri ) Jeff Wilkins t) Pat Leahy t) Jim Turner t) Matt Bahr t) Mark Moseley ) Ryan Longwell WEEK 15 - VIKINGS AT CARDINALS - 29

31 VIKINGS LEADERS IN THE NFL 2008 LEADERS Where Vikings Rank among the NFC leaders (TOP 10) Week Allen, Sacks (12.5) NR NR NR NR NR NR 5T 8T 4T 4 5T 6T 4T 2T Berrian, Receiving Yards (824) NR NR NR NR NR NR 9 10 Berrian, Receiving TDs (5) NR NR NR NR NR NR 8T 10T 7T 7T 9T NR 9T 9T Kluwe, Punting Average (47.7) Leber, Fumble Recoveries (4) NR NR 2T 2T 4T 2T 2T 2T 1T 1T Longwell, Scoring (109) NR 3T 2T 4T 2 4T 1 8 8T 7 7 6T 6 4T Peterson, Rushing Yards (1,413) Peterson, Total Yards Scrimm. (1,522) Peterson, Rushing TDs (9) 3T 9T NR 4T 7T 9T 4T 6T 4T 2T 3T 4 4T 5T Peterson, Scoring, Non-kickers (54) 4T NR NR 9T NR NR 9T NR 9T 5T 10T 8T 7T 9T Shiancoe, Receiving TDs (5) NR NR NR NR 8T NR 8T 10T 7T 7T 9T NR NR 9T Williams, K., Sacks (8.5) NR NR NR NR NR 2T 3T 3T 4T 5T Winfi eld, Fumble Recoveries (2) NR NR 2T 2T 1T 2T 2T 2T 3T 3T 3T 3T 3T 5T Where Vikings Rank among the NFL leaders (TOP 10) Week Allen, Sacks (12.5) NR NR NR NR NR NR NR NR 8T 7T 8T 10T 7T 4T Kluwe, Punting Average (47.7) NR NR NR Leber, Fumble Recoveries (4) NR NR 4T 6T 8T 2T 3T 3T 1T 1T Longwell, Scoring (109) NR 3T 2T 7T 3 6T 1 10 NR 10T NR 8T 8 5T Peterson, Rushing Yards (1,413) Peterson, Total Yards Scrimm. (1,522) NR Peterson, Rushing TDs (9) 5T NR NR 9T NR NR 6T 9T 6T 6T 7T 8 8T 9T Winfi eld, Fumble Recoveries (2) NR NR 4T 6T 1T 2T 3T 3T 4T 5T 5T 7T 8T 10T Where Vikings Rank Offensively and Defensively (NFC) Week Overall Offense Rushing Offense Passing Offense T Points Scored Overall Defense Rushing Defense Passing Defense Points Allowed 11T T 7 Turnover Ratio 11T 7T 6T 10T 4T 7 12T 13T 11T 13T 13 9T 8T 9T Where Vikings Rank Offensively and Defensively (NFL) Week Overall Offense Rushing Offense Passing Offense T Points Scored 16 22T 23T T Overall Defense 18T Rushing Defense Passing Defense Points Allowed 22T T 14T Turnover Ratio 22T 12T 10T 21T 7T 15T 25T 24T 21T 25T 26 20T 16T 19T NR-Not ranked in top 10 Done Prior to Monday Night Football WEEK 15 - VIKINGS AT CARDINALS - 30

32 VIKINGS EXTRA POINTS VOICES OF THE VIKINGS KFAN-AM radio mid-day personality Paul Allen enters his 7th season as the Vikings radio play-by-play voice in Joining him in the booth for the 2nd year is former Vikings LB and coach Pete Bercich, while former Vikings punter Greg Coleman will serve as the sideline reporter. KFAN-AM (1130) and KTLK (100.3 FM) serve as the fl agship stations for the Minnesota Vikings Radio Network, which includes outlets in six states: Minnesota: Iowa: Market Station Freq. Market Station Freq. Twin Cities KFAN-AM 1130 Ames KASI-AM 1430 Twin Cities KTLK-FM Cedar Rapids KMJM-AM 1360 Aitkin KKIN-FM 94.3 Mason City KGLO-AM 1300 Alexandria KIKV-FM Sioux City KMNS-AM 620 Austin KNFX-AM 970 Spencer KICD-AM 1240 Bemidji KBUN-AM 1450 Bemidji KBHP-FM Montana: Benson KSCR-FM 93.5 Miles City KKRY-FM 92.5 Blue Earth KBEW-FM 98.1 Brainerd KBLB-FM 93.3 North Dakota: Crookston KROX-AM 1260 Bismarck KXMR-AM 710 Dassel KARP-FM Carrington KDAK-AM 1600 Detroit Lakes KDLM-AM 1340 Devils Lake KDLR-AM 1240 Detroit Lakes KRCQ-FM Dickinson KLTC-AM 1460 Duluth WEBC-AM 560 Fargo KFGO-AM 790 Ely WELY-AM 1450 Ely WELY-FM 94.5 Grand Forks KKXL-AM 1440 Fergus Falls KBRF-AM 1250 Jamestown KQDJ-AM 1400 Grand Rapids KMFY-FM 96.9 Minot KRRZ-AM 1390 Hibbing WMNT-AM 650 Oakes KDDR-AM 1220 Hutchinson KARP-FM Valley City KOVC-AM 1490 Intl. Falls KSDM-FM Williston KEYZ-AM 600 Jackson KRAQ-FM Mankato KHRS-FM Mankato KXLP-FM 93.1 South Dakota: Mankato KYSM-AM 1230 Aberdeen KSDN-AM 930 Marshall KARL-FM Milbank KMSD-AM 1510 Morris KKOK-FM 95.7 Mobridge KMLO-FM New Ulm KNUJ-FM Pierre KPLO-FM 94.5 Park Rapids KPRM-AM 870 Sioux Falls KXQL-FM Pine City WCMP-FM Sisseton KBWS-FM Rochester KRCH-FM Watertown KWAT-AM 950 Rochester KWEB-AM 1270 Yankton KVTK-AM 1570 Roseau KCAJ-FM St. Cloud WJON-AM 1240 Wisconsin: Spring Grove KQYB-FM 98.3 Amery WLMX-FM Staples KSKK-FM 94.7 Balsam Lake WLMX-FM Thief River Falls KTRF-AM 1230 Eau Claire WMEQ-AM 880 Wadena KSKK-FM 94.7 Hayward WHSM-FM Walker KQKK-FM LaCrosse KYOB-FM 98.3 Waseca KOWZ-AM 1170 Menomonie WMEQ-AM 880 Winona KWNO-FM 99.3 Rice Lake WKFX-FM 99.1 VIKINGS ON THE AIR Catch the Vikings every Saturday during the season from 6:00-7:00 p.m. on back-toback FSN North shows - Vikings GamePlan and Vikings Weekly. Vikings GamePlan offers an in-depth look at the upcoming opponent. Hosted by Vikings play-by-play announcer Paul Allen, the show lets fans watch and listen to Head Coach Brad Childress and assistant coaches discuss the week s matchup and the state of the 2008 Vikings. Vikings Weekly is a 30-minute segment that gives fans an opportunity to see their favorite athletes off the fi eld in a more personal setting. Players allow host Ann Carroll and crew to follow them outside of Winter Park to get a glimpse of their hobbies, their families, and other parts of their lives that fans otherwise wouldn t know. ALLEN TEAMS WITH JDRF TO SACK DIABETES Vikings DE Jared Allen is launching a new initiative called Sack Diabetes. This regular season, in each city where Allen plays, he will donate $3,000 for every sack he records through his newly formed foundation to the local Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation (JDRF) chapter. For every sack Jared records at the Metrodome, he will make a $3,000 donation to the Minnesota JDRF chapter. With 12.5 sacks thus far, he has donated $25,500 to the Minnesota JDRF chapter, $6,000 to the Greater Illinois JDRF chapter and $6,000 to the Greater Detroit Chapter. Cities where Vikings play this season include: Date Team JDRF Chapter/Branch 9/8... Green Bay... Northeast Wisconsin 9/28... Tennessee... Nashville Chapter 10/6... New Orleans... Louisiana 10/19... Chicago... Greater Illinois - $6,000 11/16... Tampa Bay... Tampa Bay 11/23... Jacksonville... Jacksonville 12/7... Detroit... Greater Detroit - $6,000 12/14... Arizona... Desert Southwest COMMUNITY CALENDAR BRZEZINSKIS AND SPIELMANS TO HOST ADOPTION FAMILY FUN FEST AT WINTER PARK EDEN PRAIRIE - On Tuesday, December 9 from 6:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m., Minnesota Vikings Vice President of Football Operations Rob Brzezinski and his wife, Leah, and their children, along with Vice President of Player Personnel Rick Spielman, his wife, Michele, and their children, will host their annual Adoption Family Fun Fest at Winter Park. Players scheduled to join the event at 6:30 p.m. are: Aundrae Allison, Eric Frampton, Artis Hicks, Marcus McCauley, Drew Radovich, Sidney Rice, Visanthe Shiancoe, John Sullivan, Chester Taylor and Ellis Wyms. Vikings cheerleaders and Viktor the Viking will also be in attendance. More than 500 people will be in attendance, including families from the Children Home Society and African American Adoption Agency. Those in attendance will enjoy interactive games, face painting, tours, Vikings snacks, and collecting autographs. Winter Park is located at 9520 Viking Drive in Eden Prairie. BUSINESS VENTURES Outside of Winter Park, several Vikings players dedicate a signifi cant amount of free time operating their own entrepreneurial ventures. * Matt Birk opened Matty B s, a supper club in native St. Paul in the spring of 2006, and Matty B s Urban Bar and Grill in Minneapolis in the fall of * Vinny Ciurciu started a sportswear company, Anger Sports, with his brother that specializes in workout and casual clothes. * Bobby Wade owns a visual marketing company, Free Mind, that specializes in promotional items. * Pat Williams owns an automobile detailing company, Automotive Concepts, in the Twin Cities. WEEK 15 - VIKINGS AT CARDINALS - 31

33 Vikings legendary defensive tackle John Randle became the 17th member of the Vikings Ring of Honor this season during a ceremony in conjunction with the Sunday Night Football game vs. Chicago on November 30, Randle s fi erce style of play and emotional leadership were hallmarks of his 11 seasons with the Vikings ( ). One of the most popular Vikings during his playing days, Randle s high-energy style earned him the respect of teammates and opponents across the NFL. His play redefi ned the DT position during his era and his gamechanging ability made pass rushing from the DT spot a premium. A success story from the start of his Vikings career, Randle came to the team in 1990 as an undrafted rookie free agent from Division II Texas A&I. In 1991 he cracked the regular starting lineup and he went on to start 150 of the 176 career games he played. Randle led or tied for the team lead 9 times in his 11 Vikings seasons and had 10+ sacks in 8 straight seasons from Randle s career sacks ranks 3rd in Vikings history and ranks as the most by a DT. Randle earned starting spots for the NFC in 6 straight Pro Bowls, , with the Vikings and went to the Pro Bowl in 2001 as a Seahawk, representing the AFC. Randle was named to the NFL Team of the Decade for the 1990s. Randle was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame for his Texas A&I career. Randle played 14 NFL seasons, ending his career with Seattle from Randle s Career Stats Year (Team) GP/GS Sacks Tackles 1990 (Minnesota)...16/ (Minnesota)...16/ * (Minnesota)...16/ (Minnesota) ^...16/ * (Minnesota) ^...16/ * (Minnesota) ^...16/ * (Minnesota) ^...16/ * (Minnesota) ^...16/ * (Minnesota) ^...16/ * (Minnesota)...16/ * (Minnesota)...16/ * (Seattle) ^...15/ * (Seattle)...12/ (Seattle)...16/ Totals...219/ ^ - Pro Bowler; * - led or tied for team lead VIKINGS EXTRA POINTS RANDLE INDUCTED INTO RING OF HONOR NFC PRO BOWL DEFENSIVE LINE STARTERS (DTs, DEs) 1993 John Randle (Vikings), Sean Gilbert (Rams), Richard Dent (Bears), Reggie White (Packers) 1994 John Randle (Vikings), Leon Lett (Cowboys), Charles Haley (Cowboys), William Fuller (Eagles) 1995 John Randle (Vikings), Eric Swann (Cardinals), Charley Haley (Cowboys), Reggie White (Packers) 1996 John Randle (Vikings), Bryant Young (49ers), Tony Tolbert (Cowboys), Reggie White (Packers) 1997 John Randle (Vikings), Dana Stubblefi eld (49ers), Michael Strahan (Giants), Chris Doleman (49ers), 1998 John Randle (Vikings), Warren Sapp (Buccaneers), Michael Strahan (Giants), Reggie White (Packers) 2001 AFC PRO BOWL DEFENSIVE LINE STARTERS (DTs, DEs) 2001 John Randle (Seahawks), Sam Adams (Ravens), John Abraham (Jets), Marcellus Wiley (Chargers) NFL SACKS 1994 NFL SACKS John Randle Kevin Greene 14.0 Bruce Smith John Randle 13.5 Reggie White Ken Harvey 13.5 Kevin Greene Derrick Thomas NFL SACKS John Randle 15.5 Dana Stubblefi eld 15.0 Tenacious is the fi rst word that comes to mind when I think of John. He played hard on every play for 60 minutes. He also played with a great love for the game. He had fun out there. He talked a lot and let everyone know he was having fun. I respected John as a great player, and I will always remember how much he appreciated the opportunity to play in the NFL. - Troy Aikman No one deserves it as much as John. I can say that it was a pleasure to play against him; it was tough, but it was a pleasure. The way he played the game, the character that he showed, the intensity, is as good as anyone who has ever played. We had some good battles, and he hit me a lot of times, plenty of sacks, but I admire him as a player and I have a lot of respect for him - Brett Favre John was tenacious, quick and smart; those are the traits you need to play on the defensive line. I certainly would ve loved to play with John. He is so deserving of this honor and he was just a fantastic football player. - Jim Marshall NFL Career Sacks Player Sacks 1) Bruce Smith, DE ) Reggie White, DE ) Kevin Greene, DE ) Chris Doleman, DE ) Michael Strahan, DE t) John Randle, DT t) Richard Dent, DE AN ELITE CLASS Randle holds the NFL record for the most sacks by a defensive tackle with Randle is the 17th member of the Vikings Ring of Honor, joining an elite class that includes former players, coaches, staff and administrators. Name Position Year Inducted Fran Tarkenton Quarterback 1998 Alan Page Defensive Tackle 1998 JIm Finks Administrator 1998 Bud Grant Head Coach 1998 Paul Krause Safety 1998 Fred Zamberletti Athletic Trainer 1998 Jim Marshall Defensive End 1999 Ron Yary Tackle 2001 Korey Stringer Tackle 2001 Mick TIngelhoff Center 2001 Carl Eller Defensive End 2002 Cris Carter Wide Receiver 2003 Bill Brown Running Back 2004 Jerry Burns Head Coach 2005 Randall McDaniel Guard 2006 Chuck Foreman Running Back 2007 John Randle Defensive Tackle 2008 WEEK 15 - VIKINGS AT CARDINALS - 32

34 VIKINGS IN THE COMMUNITY Jared Allen Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation Aundrae Allison African American Adoption Agency Bernard Berrian Special Olympics Minnesota Matt Birk H.I.K.E. Foundation (Hope, Inspiration, Knowledge and Education) United Way Brad Childress Saturday Special Community Guests Program Special Olympics Minnesota Vinny Ciurciu University of Minnesota Children s Hospital, Fairview Ryan Cook United Way Hometown Huddle Jeff Dugan Ronald McDonald House Starkey Hearing Foundation Ray Edwards Summit Academy OIC Heath Farwell R.T. Autism and Muscular Dystrophy Association Charles Gordon Catholic Charities St. Joseph s Home For Children Chad Greenway Lead the Way Foundatio Memorial Blood Centers Zeta Tau Alpha Breast Cancer Awareness Cedric Griffin Salvation Army E.J. Henderson Gamespeed/E.J Henderson Youth Foundation Police Activities League Anthony Herrera University of Minnesota Children s Hospital, Fairview Artis Hicks Ronald McDonald House Steve Hutchinson American Heart Association What Moves U Campaign Tarvaris Jackson Catholic Charities St. Joseph s Home For Children Marcus Johnson Youth Water Safety Tyrell Johnson Minneapolis Park and Recreation Board Jim Kleinsasser The Make-A-Wish Foundation Ben Leber University of Minnesota Children s Hospital, Fairview Cullen Loeffler Sherriff s Youth Program The Lone Star Paralysis Foundation Ryan Longwell Hunger Solutions Minnesota Marcus McCauley African American Adoption Agency Bryant McKinnie Breast Cancer Awareness NFL Youth Football Junior Player Development Garrett Mills Starkey Hearing Foundation Jayme Mitchell Salvation Army Harbor Light Center Adrian Peterson Adrian Peterson s All Day Foundation Special Olympics Minnesota Boys & Girls Clubs of the Twin Cities Sidney Rice Children s Home Society Family Services Adoption Program Darren Sharper Sharper Kids Foundation Team Spokesperson for Books for Africa Visanthe Shiancoe Kaboom! Playgrounds Naufahu Tahi United Way Chester Taylor Kaboom! Playgrounds Kenechi Udeze Boys & Girls Clubs of the Twin Cities The Marrow Program Leukemia and Lymphoma Society Bobby Wade What Moves U and NFL Play 60 Kevin Williams Children s Hospitals and Clinics of Minnesota Madieu Williams Madieu Williams Foundation YMCA Pat Williams Vikings Children s Fund Bowl With the Vikings United Way Live United Big Brothers Big Sisters Antoine Winfield North Community YMCA NFL Play 60 Chris Kluwe The United Way Lift Up America WEEK 15 - VIKINGS AT CARDINALS - 33

35 VIKINGS EXTRA POINTS QUICK HITS Franchise Founded: January 28, 1960 First Head Coach: Norm Van Brocklin First Regular Season Game: 9/17/61 - Vikings 37, Chicago Bears 13 First Playoff Game: 12/22/68 - Vikings 14, Baltimore Colts 24 First Super Bowl: Super Bowl IV (1/11/70) Vikings 7, Chiefs 23 Playoff Appearances/Games: 25/42 Super Bowl Appearances: 4 - Super Bowl IV, VIII, IX, and XI All-Time Record (Reg. Season and Postseason): All-Time Home Record: All-Time Away Record: Home Stadiums: Metropolitan Stadium ( ) HHH Metrodome (1982-present) Stadium Info: Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome Capacity: 64,121 Address: th Avenue S., Minneapolis, MN Playing Surface: FieldTurf Training Facilities: Winter Park Address: 9520 Viking Drive, Eden Prairie, MN Training Camp: Minnesota State University-Mankato Address: 700 Ellis Avenue, Mankato, MN Owner/Chairman: Zygi Wilf Owner/President: Mark Wilf STADIUM UPDATE As committed as the Vikings are to bringing a Super Bowl championship to the fans and to the state, the franchise is equally devoted to securing a long-term home for the team in Minnesota. The Vikings are one of the few NFL franchises without a stadium solution but remain determined to collaborate with the State Legislature, the Governor and local leaders to resolve this issue. With the team s Metrodome lease set to expire in 2011 and costs increasing $50 million with each year of delay, 2009 is the critical year to preserve the long-term viability of the Vikings in Minnesota. Working with the Metropolitan Sports Facilities Commission (MSFC), the Vikings are moving forward on a public-private partnership that will open a new, multi-purpose stadium on the current Metrodome site in the year The two sides will present this stadium development plan to the 2009 Legislature for consideration. The joint proposal will include specifi c stadium design and program elements, a fi nance plan and principles of agreement on how the new facility will be operated and governed, all crucial topics for state leaders to analyze as they work to reach a stadium solution in The economic development proposal will include three critical elements that go beyond hosting Vikings home games: A retractable-roof stadium that will give Minnesotans a state-of-theart venue to be used year-round for high school and amateur sports, trade shows, community and cultural events, as well as national and international happenings. A Winter Garden light rail train station that will serve as a connecting point for the future Central Corridor light rail line and the existing Hiawatha line. This gathering place is integral to the Vikings vision of the overall development and will host indoor/outdoor activities for transit riders, neighborhood residents, downtown workers and stadium attendees. A privately-fi nanced redevelopment of the Downtown East area that will include offi ce buildings, residences, shops and restaurants. This exciting project will create jobs, boost the economy and bring a renewed energy to this area of Minneapolis. VIKINGS YEAR-BY-YEAR Year Preseason Regular Season Playoffs (SB loss) (SB loss) (SB loss) (SB loss) Totals (.605) (.550) (.429) VIKINGS ALL-TIME COACHES Years Head Coach Total Games Regular Season (%) Playoffs (%) Overall (%) Norm Van Brocklin (.369) (.000) (.369) , Bud Grant (.618) (.454) (.607) Les Steckel (.188) (.000) (.188) Jerry Burns (.547) (.500) (.544) Dennis Green (.610) (.250) (.591) Mike Tice (.492) (.500) (.493) Brad Childress (.489) (.000) (.489) WEEK 15 - VIKINGS AT CARDINALS - 34

36 MEDIA INFORMATION Bob Hagan, Director of Public Relations Tom West, Assistant Director of Public Relations Jeff Anderson, Manager of Public Affairs Evan Koch, Public Relations Assistant Tom Halkin, Public Relations Intern Pat Ottum, Public Relations Intern The typical Vikings weekly media schedule during the season is below: Monday 12:35 p.m. - Childress Press Conference 1:00-1:45 p.m. - Open Locker Room Tuesday Players Day Off - No Media Access Wednesday 11:35 a.m. - Childress/Frerotte Available 11:45 a.m. - 12:30 p.m. - Open Locker Room 1:30-3:30 p.m. - Practice* Thursday 11:35 a.m. - Bevell/Frazier/Ferraro/Peterson Available 11:45 a.m. - 12:30 p.m. - Open Locker Room 1:30-3:30 p.m. - Practice* Friday 11:45 a.m. - 12:50 p.m. - Practice* 12:50 p.m. - Coach Childress Press Conference 12:50 p.m. - 1:35 p.m. - Open Locker Room Saturday No Media Access VIKINGS PR STAFF CREDENTIAL REQUESTS Credential requests are honored for accredited media on specifi c assignments and must be made through the Vikings PR department. Credentials will not be issued to writers or photographers working on a free-lance basis unless the request is made by a recognized publication or news entity. Season-long credentials are issued in July; game-bygame credentials must be requested at least one week prior to each home game. WEEKLY MEDIA SCHEDULE Sunday Post-Game - Coach Childress Press Conference Post-Game - Open Locker Room * Practice is open to media through indivicual drills COACH CHILDRESS PRESS CONFERENCES Head Coach Brad Childress will be available in the fi eldhouse or on the outdoor practice fi eld on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays during the regular season. COORDINATOR AVAILABILITY Offensive Coordinator Darrell Bevell, Defensive Coordinator Leslie Frazier, and Special Teams Coordinator Paul Ferraro will be available every Thursday during the regular season. All other interview requests for the coordinators should be directed to a member of the PR staff. ASSISTANT COACH AVAILABILITY All position coach interviews must be scheduled through the PR department a day in advance and cleared by Head Coach Brad Childress. Position coaches are available for questions on specifi c players and the position group but coordinators will always serve as the primary spokesmen in their areas. METRODOME GAME DAY INFO * The media will call window/media check-in is located at Gate D. A security representative will check bags before allowing entrance into the stadium. Main Press Box * The main press box is located in sections Upon entering the concourse, take a right. Seating charts are located in the press box and wireless internet is available. * A pregame meal will be served in the press box and a halftime meal will be served in the Vikings Lounge directly across the concourse through the glass doors. Meal tickets for halftime will be distributed near the end of the 2nd quarter. * Vikings PR representatives Bob Hagan and Tom West are located in seats 87 and 88. Visiting team PR representatives are located in seats For fi eld access, follow the stairs at the back of the press box all the way down to fi eld level. Auxiliary Press Box * The auxiliary press box is located in sections Upon entering the concourse, take a left. Seating charts are located in the press box. * Pregame and halftime meals will be served in the press box. * Vikings PR representatives Jeff Anderson or Evan Koch is located in seat 58. *For fi eld access, follow the stairs at the back of the press box all the way down to fi eld level. Photographers Workroom * The photographers workroom is located on the fi eld directly behind the south goal post (closest to the photo check-in tunnel). Upon entering the concourse, take a right and go to the elevator directly across from the main press box and take it to fi eld level or continue through the concourse to the overhead sign that reads Field Access and follow the stairwell down. TV Camera Holding Area * The video waiting area for TV camera operators is located in the back of the fi eld entrance tunnel behind the check-in table. Follow the same procedures as photographers to get to the fi eld. VIKINGS ON THE WEB The Minnesota Vikings offi cial website, which can be viewed at provides Vikings fans with everything they need to follow their favorite team. Vikings.com is one of the league s most traffi cked sites and is the only place on the web that provides complete video and audio of all Vikings press conferences. Additionally, the website provides unique and exclusive written and video content that can only be found on Vikings.com. Vikings media members can fi nd stats, press releases, weekly game releases and updated rosters under the press tab. WEEK 15 - VIKINGS AT CARDINALS - 35

37 FROM THE HEAD COACH MONDAY, DECEMBER 8, 2008 Vikings Head Coach Brad Childress Just to finish up on yesterday s game; obviously there are no easy victories in this league. I thought defensively we played very good red zone defense with those three filed goals. Adrian had another 100-yard game. Back to defense; those forth down stops ended up being huge inside the 20. (It was) just a great effort by out team to hang in there. Somebody told me that we hadn t come from behind in 40 games in the fourth quarter to win a football game [on the road]. I just thought it was great resolve by our guys. They are realistic enough to know that it is still a process and there is still plenty we can work on. Yet all the while they have got the victory in hand. We will have our hands full going out here against a team that has already clinched their division and has played pretty well here over the course of time. They are completely different team. (They have) different tools. We are on to the Arizona Cardinals. Q: Who will be the starting quarterback next Sunday? A: I am not sure. We are day-to-day. I just left Gus in the locker room. Obviously he is very sore. But he has been sore before and he has looked like that moving around before. We will see where he is at when we get to Wednesday. Q: Is there any more information on what the injury is? A: (It s the) lower back type of deal. He has had lower back issues before. So without being very specifi c, I think I ll be able to get away with just back. Upper or lower? Lower. Q: Does the decision on who is the starter rest solely on his ability to go Sunday? A: Yes. Q: Tarvaris performance didn t make that any more difficult? A: Tarvaris did a great job; great, great job. We just want to see who will give us the best opportunity to win and obviously health would be a factor in that. We all know that the backup quarterback is usually the most popular guy. Although, early on I am not so sure that maybe that would have been. (It s) a combined assessment here. (It will be) whoever gives us the best chance to win as we get later to in the week. Q: What did you see different from him yesterday from the first two weeks? A: He certainly played with confi dence and was about his business. He was precise in what he did. You didn t see a whole bunch of inaccuracy. You didn t see extra steps. He knew exactly what he needed to do against what he needed to do it against and that is what you want. We talked early about any indecision or things like that, that you have got to let those things go. So I thought he did a great job in terms of his preparation and obviously getting it on the fi eld. Q: How much does it help with a guy like that that he was thrust into the position and didn t really have time to over-think it or anything like that? A: It can help. It can help at times. You have very little time to think about it and machinate over it. I can tell you that back in Flagstaff there was a kid named Brad Scott that replaced a kid that hurt his knee, Greg Wyatt I will see him this week in Arizona who was my starting quarterback. Brad Scott came in and played great against Earl Bruce coached Northern Iowa squad. We played on Thursday Night Football, he came in, won. So Brad Scott was going to be the quarterback next week. We went down to Nicholls State way down in the outback in Thibodaux, Louisiana I don t know if you have ever been to Thibodaux I coached him right to his knees. He threw it out to a guy that had a big No on the board that I coached him on We are not going to this guy in this formation. He threw it out there and they ran it back the other way for a touchdown and the route was on. So different things happen different ways. We will see if don t coach anybody to their knees this week. Q: How was Jared Allen s knee this morning and did you have a problem with that hit? A: I know the league will be reviewing that because they have a process they go through. I don t think you can get yourself perpendicular to the goal line and block that direction. I think that is what came up a few years ago with the, if I am not mistaken, the Denver Broncos-Cincinnati game. Somebody went low on somebody and I think that brought that rule forward so that is kind of the way I saw it. Q: Have you seen him today? A: I have not seen Jared. He was in early this morning and I wasn t down in the training room at the time. Q: Can you describe what the organization s process for signing free agents was this past offseason and if it differed from years past? A: The process has been pretty much the same in terms of what we need, how we value those guys, because everybody has not only a number grade, letter grade, but kind of a what are you willing to pay. The price of poker is always alarming from an organizational standpoint. You look at it and say, Jeez, here is what this guy is going to command. But as you know, the Wilf s have not had any issues with spending money if they felt like it was money spent justly. We evaluate a lot of guys and some guys we go with and just say, Hey, we are not going any further with that. That would be folly. We look at what we need offensively and defensively. With all of that - and I know there are a number of contributors here that have been free agents here from the three years I have been here we would still like to be solid through the draft because those are your best values and those are your youngest playrs that have a chance to grow. Q: In free agency, is one person kind of the spearhead? Or is it a consensus? A: It s a collaborative thing. The pro scouts have a great book on who s going to be available, both as restricted and unrestricted. Then position coaches get involved and grade all of those guys. Rick (Spielman) has already graded them, (and) George Paton obviously has graded those guys. They come in and present, and we all go through them. We look at that tape and talk with Rob (Brzezinski) in terms of what we think dollars and cents equal. At the end we decide who we re going to pursue and in what order, (then we) present that to ownership. Q: What is your take on Tarvaris approach since being demoted to backup? A: I think it s probably running the gamut, from anger to why me, to maybe feeling a little bit sorry, that it s wrong. (It s) the things that human beings ho through. He s not exempt of those, but at heart he s a competitor. He s a very prideful young man and, in the end, he wants what s best for the team. I haven t seen a lot of stepping back. There might have been a day or two where he s having a bad day just because of his plate in life, but I think all of these guys have gone through something of that way throughout their career. I think he s taking the right approach. He s kind of a to-himself guy anyway. WEEK 15 - VIKINGS AT CARDINALS - 36