Tag: Andrew DePaola

WATCH: Derrick Brown pushes and pulls NFC to wins in 2024 Pro Bowl Games

Panthers DT Derrick Brown helped notch a couple of wins for the NFC on Sunday.

Derrick Brown is making the most out of his very first Pro Bowl Games appearance.

As part of the “Gridiron Gauntlet” event on Sunday afternoon, the powerful Carolina Panthers defensive tackle was tasked with trying to literally push the NFC squad to a victory. Well, he and his partner Minnesota Vikings long snapper Andrew DePaola succeeded—getting Pro Football Hall of Famer and nine-time Pro Bowl pass rusher DeMarcus Ware (and his sled) across the finish line.

Brown and DePaola teamed up to fly by the duo of Cincinnati Bengals defensive lineman Trey Hendrickson and Jacksonville Jaguars long snapper Ross Matiscik. Their triumphant push was set up by the explosiveness of New York Giants defensive lineman Dexter Lawrence II, the sweet feet and strength of Philadelphia Eagles offensive linemen Landon Dickerson and Lane Johnson and the leaping ability of Chicago Bears defensive lineman Montez Sweat.

Oh, and he wasn’t done either. Brown also pulled the NFC to victory in the Tug of War.

Never. Had. A. Chance.

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C.J. Ham is headed to the 2024 Pro Bowl Games

C.J. Ham is headed to the 2024 Pro Bowl games!

Minnesota Vikings fullback C.J. Ham is headed to Orlando to participate in the 2024 Pro Bowl Games.

Ham will replace San Francisco’s Kyle Juszczyk, who will play in Super Bowl LVIII. This will be Ham’s second Pro Bowl selection, his first following his 2019 season.

A hometown kid from Duluth, Minnesota, Ham has been a staple for the Vikings since signing as an undrafted free agent following the 2016 draft. Since then, Ham has made his mark on the Vikings franchise, being voted a team captain for a third time and playing in over 100 games for the purple and gold.

“It’s such an honor to go back to the NFL Pro Bowl Games and represent the Vikings with my guys, Andrew [DePaola] and Danielle [Hunter]…In this league, to even be considered for this game is a huge honor that I definitely don’t take lightly.”

Fans can cheer on Ham, DePaola and Hunter throughout the week as the Pro Bowl Games will air their Skills Showdown on Thursday, February 1 at 6 p.m. CST (ESPN) and the Pro Bowl Games Championship on Sunday at 2 p.m. CST (ESPN, ABC, Disney XD, ESPN+, ESPN Deportes and NFL+)

LS Andrew DePaola makes second-team All-Pro

Minnesota Vikings long snapper Andrew DePaola earned a spot on the Associated Press’ All-Pro second team

After the Minnesota Vikings had three All-Pro selections in 2022, they have just one for the 2023 season. Long snapper Andrew DePaola has made the Associated Press’ All-Pro second team.

DePaola is a model of consistency for the Vikings. He consistently delivers accurate snaps on both punts and field goal opportunities. With special teams needing consistency more than anything, having a player like DePaola is massive for the Vikings.

Of course, you could make arguments for other Vikings to be named to the All-Pro team. Outside linebacker Danielle Hunter and tight end T.J. Hockenson had the resume to be on the All-Pro team but they weren’t selected.

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Former Rutgers football long snapper selected to NFL Pro Bowl

Former Rutgers football player Andrew DePaola made the Pro Bowl.

For the second consecutive season, former Rutgers long snapper Andrew DePaola is heading to the Pro Bowl. The Minnesota Vikings player finished second among NFC long snappers in fan voting.

He will be joined by, outside linebacker Danielle Hunter, who has recorded 15.5 sacks for the Vikings this season.

During his time in Minnesota, DePaola has become a leader in the locker room. The 36-year-old has also been vital to the special teams unit, continually coming through in big situations. There have also been two plays in particular that have stood during the 2023 campaign.

Against the Lions on Christmas Eve, DePaola executed a snap perfectly that allowed Greg Joseph to knock through a 54-yard field goal. In Week 11 against the Broncos, the Parton native made a direct snap to running back Ty Chandler on a successful fake punt.

 

While DePaola is not a stranger to the Pro Bowl, it is still an honor that means a lot. On the social media app X, the former Rutgers star took the time to thank those who have helped him in his career.

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In his post, DePaola said:

“Thank you to everyone who helped me get to this position. I am truly honored. Back-to-back. We have, without a doubt, the best fans in the NFL. Being on the best radio show is also a great way to gain support @93xhamd. Thank you all again.”

During his NFL career, DePaola has also played for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Chicago Bears and Las Vegas Raiders.

Two Vikings make the 2024 NFL Pro Bowl, six are alternates

Two players will represent the Minnesota Vikings at the 2024 Pro Bowl Games while six others were honored as alternates.

The NFL recently unveiled their 2024 NFL Pro Bowl Games with the following Minnesota Vikings making the cut:

  • OLB Danielle Hunter
  • LS Andrew DePaola

The Vikings also have six alternates, ranging from first to fourth at their respective positions.

The number of players may seem lower than usual, especially with wide receiver Justin Jefferson not being a part of the festivities due to injury. However, the Vikings are well-represented in that those who were selected, alternate or otherwise, certainly deserved it.

Here are the 2024 representatives (and alternates) for your Vikings.

7 Vikings make top 10 of Pro Bowl voting

The Vikings have been popular in the Pro Bowl voting through the first week

The Minnesota Vikings currently sit at 6-6 this season heading into week 14 against the Las Vegas Raiders. They have had some standout performances this season and have won multiple Player of the Week awards and a Player of the Month award as well.

Earlier this week, Chris Spooner took a look at seven different Vikings players who deserve a Pro Bowl berth and there are more who could be headed to the games the week before the Super Bowl.

Through a week of voting, the Vikings have seven players in the top 10 of their position.

7 Vikings who deserve a trip to the Pro Bowl

Chris Spooner takes a look at seven players for the Vikings who deserve a trip to Orlando for the 2024 Pro Bowl.

The NFL’s regular season is coming down the stretch run, which means it’s time to start thinking about the postseason and the Pro Bowl. Voting for the  Pro Bowl has opened up, and it’s your time as fans to let your voice be heard. This is your chance to tell the league – and the world – who you think the best players of the 2023 NFL season have been, and there are several Minnesota Vikings players who are worthy of the trip to Orlando.

This season has been a rollercoaster for the Vikings and their fans. The season started off about as bad as it could be, with the Vikings dropping each of their first three games, and four of their first five, with turnovers abound in each game. Then they recovered to win their next five games – but lost both their star wide receiver and starting quarterback in the process.

Now the Vikings are in the midst of a two-game losing streak and have gone into their bye week with significant questions at the quarterback spot. How they finish out the season will likely have some bearing on how the Pro Bowl voting turns out, but they have a number of players who are deserving of the spot regardless of how successful Minnesota is from here on out.

I have not included Justin Jefferson in this list due to the injury and extended amount of time missed, but name recognition alone may get him a nod. Now, let’s dive into the names!

42 days until Vikings season opener: Every player to wear No. 42

With 42 days remaining until the start of the season, we take a look at everyone who’s worn No. 42 for the Vikings.

It’s the final countdown…

Well, sort of.

The Minnesota Vikings will kick off their 2023 regular season in 43 days at home against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on Sept. 10.

From now until then, we will take a trip down memory lane and count each day by revisiting the players that have worn that specific jersey number.

Long snapper Andrew DePaola currently wears the No. 42 for the Vikings.

With 43 days until kickoff, here’s a look at every player to wear No. 43 with the Vikings (via Pro Football Reference):

Madden ratings for every Vikings specialist

Madden rankings for the Minnesota Vikings specialists are fine, but not great.

On Monday, the first batch of Madden 24 rankings and the first 99 overall in this year’s game were released.

They are currently releasing two position groups per day and started with wide receivers and safeties. On Tuesday, they released edge rushers and defensive tackles. On Wednesday, they ranked the offensive lineman and the running backs. On Thursday, they started with the tight end and cornerback rankings. On Friday, they started with the quarterbacks and inside linebackers. We finish things off with the specialists.

Vikings 90-man roster player profile: LS Andrew DePaola

After being a first-team All-Pro in 2022, Minnesota Vikings LS Andrew DePaola looks to duplicate his success.

Welcome to the beginning of our 2023 season preview content!

Over the next few weeks, we will be looking at each player on the roster in-depth with backgrounds and how they currently project forward on the Minnesota Vikings roster.

What is the best-case scenario? What is the worst-case scenario? What should we expect from them during the preseason and beyond? We will break all of that down here.

As a staff, all of us at Vikings Wire ranked the entire 90-man roster 1-90 and will be releasing player profiles in reverse order.