story via Gregg Rosenthal at PFT

With the second half of the season officially underway, the coaching carousel is less two months away from spinning wildly again.

Vikings coach Brad Childress is one coach that doesn't have to worry about his job status anymore.  A long-anticipated contract extension is reportedly coming "soon" according to Clark Judge of CBS Sports.  Sources tell judge there are no major obstacles left and an announcement is expected.

Childress is expected to double his current $2 million salary after extension talks that lost some momentum around the team's bye week, but has reportedly picked up lately.

We can't help but think of Jon Gruden's comments on Monday Night Football when he said that Brett Favre creates jobs for coaches that work for him.

In Childress' case, Favre is allowing Childress to get a big second contract to keep his job.

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story via PFT

The biggest Monday Night Football game since, at a minimum, Bears-Dolphins in 1985 also has generated the biggest rating for a Monday Night Football game since the franchise made the switch to cable in 2006.

Per SportsBusiness Daily, the Packers-Vikings Don't-Call-It-A-Grudge-Match grudge match generated a metered-market rating of 14.2, which likely will make it the highest-rating program in cable television history.

It's a 65-percent increase from last year's overnight rating for the Week Four game between the Ravens and the Steelers.

In Minneapolis, the game garnered a staggering rating of 58.3.  In Green Bay, the rating was 49.7.

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The NFL isn't changing their selection process for the Hall of Fame, but this year they have teamed up with Van Heusen to make a website dedicated to fan opinion on the 2010 HoF class.

Tapping into the passion and knowledge of pro football fans, Pro Football Hall of Fame Enterprises, Phillips-Van Heusen Corporation [NYSE:PVH] and J. C. Penney Company, Inc. [NYSE: JCP] have teamed up to provide the first-ever dedicated forum for fans to debate, discuss, and voice their choice by voting for the Pro Football Hall of Fame Inductee Class of 2010. The Pro Football Hall of Fame Board of Selectors will have final say, but the collective Fan's Choice for the 2010 Hall of Fame Inductee Class will be revealed live on the NFL Network in Miami on February 6, 2010, just prior to the official announcement from the Board.

The website is actually pretty cool, and it's a neat little place for us to show our support for Viking legends who deserve to have their place in Canton!!  The site is:

www.fanschoice.com

We all know that Cris Carter has been royally screwed for a couple of years now, so go vote for him!!  John Randle and Cris Doleman were two of the defining players of post-70's Vikings teams.  Go vote for them!!  You are allowed to choose 7 men out of the over 130 names on the list, and you can vote once a day.

"This is a historic moment for the Hall and for football fans, as it marks the first time we are endorsing this type of fan voting forum," said George Veras, President Pro Football Hall Of Fame Enterprises. "Although the fan's vote will not count towards the official selection process, one thing is certain, the Hall will hear the fans loud and clear."

Of course, the balloting process remains the same, with a number of prominent sports' writers from across the country on the panel of HoF voters, but in the past the NFL has seemed to shun public opinion on this matter, and this year they are at least embracing it a bit.  So go vote for our guys and make our voices heard!!

Source: News Blaze

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Brett Favre insists he won't let his durability streak hurt the Vikings.

Favre will make his 270th straight start when Minnesota plays at Cleveland on Sunday. That will match what the NFL considers the longest streak in history, held by former Vikings defensive lineman Jim Marshall from 1961-79.

Favre said Wednesday he "absolutely" would sit out this season if he's not healthy enough to suit up as Minnesota's quarterback. The 39-year-old also said he "may not" be able to play in all 16 regular-season games.

Favre said he was willing to sit last year with the New York Jets, and that he shared his concerns at the time with his coaches. His poor performance in December was due in part to his injured right arm.

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As we all read (here) a few weeks ago, our buddy Citrus made the long trip to Mankato for training camp.  He got to have a pretty incredible experience, meeting and getting to chat with a number of Vikings.  Well, he also got to snap a few pics with some of our favorite players and I said that I'd help him get them posted up here on DN so you all could see them.

I've only got one word for ya buddy... JEALOUS!!  Glad you had a great time!

citrus1 (via TheViking83)

citrus2 (via TheViking83)

citrus3 (via TheViking83)

citrus4 (via TheViking83)

citrus5 (via TheViking83)

The rumors started flying again, and now they are getting pretty intense.

http://profootballtalk.nbcsports.com/2009/08/18/report-favre-is-on-a-plane-to-minnesota/

The folks at WISN-TV in Milwaukee report that Brett and Deanna Favre have boarded in Hattiesburg a plane bearing a Vikings logo, within the past hour.

The plane reportedly is bound for Minneapolis.

Wow.

The administrative office at Hattiesburg Laurel Regional Airport report that Favre is on the plane.

http://profootballtalk.nbcsports.com/2009/08/05/t-jack-is-back-at-practice/

Tarvaris Jackson said Tuesday he didn't know when he'd return to practice, but it turns out he didn't have to wait much longer.

T-Jack was back behind center for the Vikings at practice Wednesday.

According to the beat writers of the Minneapolis Star-Tribune, who have Vikings fans very well covered on Twitter, Jackson was "moving well" and participated in a portion of the team drills, although he was "eased into" practice by sitting out some portions.

Players often say that training camp plays tricks on their mind.  Two days can feel like two weeks, and they lose track of when the weekend arrives.

Apparently, that can happen for lowly bloggers as well.  It sure feels like Jackson's injury occurred a lot longer ago than Saturday.

Jackson's four days off may put him behind in his battle with Sage Rosenfels, but he has time to catch up, especially during the preseason.

That's assuming coach Brad Childress hasn't already made up his mind who he prefers. 

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Sad news.  I wish him the best in the future.

http://myespn.go.com/blogs/nfcnorth/0-12-241/Vikings--Udeze-retires.html

MANKATO, Minn. -- Some sad news to report from Minnesota's training camp. Defensive end Kenechi Udeze, who was attempting a comeback after recovering from an acute form of leukemia, has retired.

Coach Brad Childress confirmed the decision to Sid Hartman of the Star Tribune. Udeze's reasons were not immediately clear, and Childress did not mention Udeze during an interview session with Wednesday afternoon with a group of reporters.

Udeze, the Vikings' No. 1 pick in 2004, missed last season after undergoing a bone marrow transplant. He participated in most of the Vikings' offseason practices but acknowledged in May that he needed to improve his conditioning. He was also dealing with a side effect of chemotherapy, known as neuropathy, that made it difficult to run at times.

Udeze handled his illness pride, bravery and class. We wish him the best.

This got buried underneath the 400 different Favre opinions/maturity lessons you all feel need to be separate fanposts.  I feel its more relevant to the DN community than most of those other posts, so I deleted the old one and am reposting it.  I really hope to get feedback to gauge what the DN community presence will be at TC.  I hope anybody who has previously been will share their experience here.

So, I know a few of us have quipped about possibly going to training camp over the past month or so, (And I think there may have even been a fanpost about it a while back, but i couldn't find it in a search) but now that it is just days away, I'd like to know... Who's going?

Here's the schedule

And here's a map of the camp

I'm thinking about making the multi-hour drive to Mankato from Illinois for a day, probably later in the camp schedule.  Who else is going?  What day(s) are you planning on attending?  For people who have been before, what days/events are the best?  What else is there to do in Mankato?  Any cheap places to stay?

 Not being from Minnesota, I have never been to training camp, but I would like to add it to my "Vikings experiences" list.  How are the autograph sessions?  I don't really care so much about a 'graph, but I'd like to maybe get a few snapshots with some players... are they keen to that?

 Post any and all Training Camp plans or information here!!

Vikings have re-signed Jimmy Kennedy.  Whoopdie freakin' doo.

The Minnesota Vikings announced today that they have re-signed defensive tackle Jimmy Kennedy.

Terms were not disclosed.

Kennedy was signed by the Vikings on December 3 and appeared in the final two regular-season games against the Atlanta Falcons and the New York Giants as well as playing in a playoff game against the Philadelphia Eagles.

Kennedy has 164 tackles and five sacks in 64 career games.

An All-American selection at Penn State, Kennedy was drafted in the first round by the St. Louis Rams in the 2003 draft.

With the Rams, he started 30 games in four years prior to stints with the Chicago Bears and the Jacksonville Jaguars.

I say whoopdie doo, but this does help shore up our DT depth in the event of the still-looming Willams Wall suspension.  However, I'm fairly certain anybody could come in here and provide as much help to the defense as Kennedy.