25 SKOL’s of Christmas: Resurgence of Randall Cunningham

After a year off from football, the former Eagles star Cunningham became the catalyst for the 1998 season

Welcome to the 25 SKOL’s of Christmas!

In a similar vein to how Freeform has done the 25 days of Christmas, we will look back at different moments in Vikings history to bring a little extra joy to you this holiday season.

It’s that simple. The holidays can be a trying time for some people and we want to put a smile on people’s faces by reminiscing about some truly joyous times in Vikings’ history.

On the sixteenth SKOL of Christmas, the Vikings gave to me: the resurgence of Randall Cunningham.

In today’s NFL, it’s not nearly as important to have a quality backup quarterback as it was in the 1990s and earlier. The game didn’t protect quarterbacks like it does now and it was commonplace for a quarterback to miss multiple games per season.

The Vikings had this happen quite a bit, especially once Brad Johnson took over as starting quarterback. Johnson had a knack for getting injured and he did so in both 1997 and 1998. The 1997 injury took him out for the rest of the year and that brought in former Philadelphia Eagles great Randall Cunningham.

After being replaced by Rodney Peete, Cunningham retired believing he was disrespected by the fanbase and organization. He spent 1996 away from football but was lured out of retirement by Dennis Green, who convinced him to come out of retirement. He ended up leading the Vikings to a massive 16-point comeback in the wild-card round against the New York Giants. That win ended up saving Dennis Green’s job and led into the events of the next year.

The big resurgence was in 1998 when Johnson got injured again. He broke his leg against the St. Louis Rams in week two and Cunningham came in and had a tremendous season. He completed 60.9% of his passes for 3,704 yards, 34 touchdowns and 10 interceptions. He was so good that he ended up getting both MVP and Offensive Player of the Year votes along with Comeback Player of the Year votes.

He also started the 1999 season as the starter but was pulled during the sixth game as he started 2-4 and Jeff George took over.

We all know the magic of 1998 with Randy Moss and the miracle playoff run, but that doesn’t happen without Cunningham ready to step in and take control of this team.

Previous SKOL’s of Christmas:

Drafting Randy Moss
Vikings 1997 Wild Card Comeback
Jarius Wright Walks Off the Jets
Jared Allen traded to Vikings
Adrian Peterson Sets Rushing Record
Brett Favre Revenge Tour
Bud Grant Rocks a Polo in Freezing Temperatures
Adrian Peterson Stiff Arms Defender to Oblivion
Anthony Carter Dominates the 1987 Playoffs
Kirk Cousins’ First Major Comeback
Randy Moss Dominates Monday Night Football
Tuesday Night Joe Webb
Randy Moss Laterals to Moe Williams
Miracle At The Met
Cris Carter catches number 1,000

25 SKOL’s of Christmas: Cris Carter catches number 1,000

The star receiver set many records and this one he did in style

Welcome to the 25 SKOL’s of Christmas!

In a similar vein to how Freeform has done the 25 days of Christmas, we will look back at different moments in Vikings history to bring a little extra joy to you this holiday season.

It’s that simple. The holidays can be a trying time for some people and we want to put a smile on people’s faces by reminiscing about some truly joyous times in Vikings’ history.

On the fifteenth SKOL of Christmas, the Vikings gave to me: Cris Carter catching his 1,000th pass in the endzone.

The 2000 season was a wild one. The Vikings were coming off a 10-6 season that saw the Vikings start both Randal Cunningham and Jeff George, but they decided to go with their second-year quarterback Daunte Culpepper.

Early on, he showed struggles but as the season went on, he developed a great rapport with Randy Moss and Cris Carter.

After more than a decade in the NFL, Carter was chasing a milestone that had only been done by Jerry Rice: catching 1,000 passes.

He got closer each week and was just five catches away after a Thanksgiving Day win over the Dallas Cowboys. What was fitting is that his next opportunity was also on national television: a Thursday night special on ESPN.

He caught four passes in the first quarter and it didn’t take long for him to catch number 1,000. On the first play of the second quarter, Carter ran a simple sprint out fade to get the fateful 1,000th catch.

For a player that had dealt with a lot of demons, seeing him get number 1,000 was special. His family was on the sidelines and he celebrated with them immediately.

The Vikings won the game 24-17 and Carter etched his name in history.

Previous SKOL’s of Christmas:

Drafting Randy Moss
Vikings 1997 Wild Card Comeback
Jarius Wright Walks Off the Jets
Jared Allen traded to Vikings
Adrian Peterson Sets Rushing Record
Brett Favre Revenge Tour
Bud Grant Rocks a Polo in Freezing Temperatures
Adrian Peterson Stiff Arms Defender to Oblivion
Anthony Carter Dominates the 1987 Playoffs
Kirk Cousins’ First Major Comeback
Randy Moss Dominates Monday Night Football
Tuesday Night Joe Webb
Randy Moss Laterals to Moe Williams
Miracle At The Met

25 SKOL’s of Christmas: Anthony Carter’s 1987 playoff bonanza

Anthony Carter had one of the best playoff runs in team history

Welcome to the 25 SKOL’s of Christmas!

In a similar vein to how Freeform has done the 25 days of Christmas, we will look back at different moments in Vikings history to bring a little extra joy to you this holiday season.

It’s that simple. The holidays can be a trying time for some people and we want to put a smile on people’s faces by reminiscing about some truly joyous times in Vikings’ history.

On the ninth SKOL of Christmas, the Vikings gave to me: Anthony Carter delivering an all-time performance in the 1987 playoffs.

The 1987 season was an interesting one. The players went on strike and, not only was a game canceled due to the strike, the first three games in October were played with replacement players.

It arguably impacted the Vikings the most, as they went 0-3 with replacement players and 8-4 with their normal roster. In his second season as the head coach, Jerry Burns had the Vikings playing really good football. They snuck into the playoffs with a wild card berth and they went on a run thanks to star wide receiver Anthony Carter.

After being a star in the USFL, Carter signed with the Minnesota Vikings and had himself a really nice career in the NFL. His biggest moment came in the 1987 playoffs when he took over.

Against the New Orleans Saints, Carter did his damage on punt returns. He had only returned three punts all season, but he did so six times in this game, including an 84-yard touchdown. He returned six punts for 143 yards and a touchdown along with six catches for 79 yards and another score.

The divisional round was where he did even more damage. The Vikings dominated the San Francisco 49ers at Candlestick Park by a score of 36-24 and were up 20-3 at the half. Carter was the dominant force in the game, catching 10 passes for a then-playoff-record 227 yards from quarterback Wade Wilson. The Vikings set themselves up for a chance to make the Super Bowl for the first time in a decade.

The 49ers at this time were true powerhouses. Joe Montana to Jerry Rice was the connection of the decade but they weren’t able to get it done on this day.

Things stopped in the NFC Championship Game when Carter caught seven passes for 85 yards but it wasn’t his fault. Running back Darrin Nelson fumbled the ball inside the 10-yard line.

It’s a shame that his tremendous playoff run ended with a dud but it is one of the most impressive playoff performances in team history. If he had been able to play until 1995, the trio of him, Cris Carter and Jake Reed would have been incredible.

 

Previous SKOL’s of Christmas:

Drafting Randy Moss
Vikings 1997 Wild Card Comeback
Jarius Wright Walks Off the Jets
Jared Allen traded to Vikings
Adrian Peterson Sets Rushing Record
Brett Favre Revenge Tour
Bud Grant Rocks a Polo in Freezing Temperatures
Adrian Peterson Stiff Arms Defender to Oblivion

4 Vikings things our staff is thankful for

With it being Thanksgiving Day, our staff talked about what we are most thanful for with the Minnesota Vikings

The Minnesota Vikings are quite an interesting franchise. They have sent the fans and those covering the team on a multitude of roller coaster rides throughout their 63-year history.

As we look back and reflect on both this and the entirety of the franchise, our staff at Vikings Wire talked about what we are thankful for with the franchise.

Randy Moss and Cris Carter recognized as best wide receiver duo of all time

The best wide receiver duo being comprised of two top-five receivers of all time makes all the sense in the world.

Training camp is in full swing. The pads are starting to come on, and we’re two days away from the Hall of Fame Game in Canton, Ohio. With all of this excitement about the future, The 33rd Team decided to take a look at the past. Elliot Kalb of The 33rd Team decided to rank the 11 greatest wide receiver duos of all time. It should not be a surprise as to who came out on top.

The Minnesota Vikings’ Hall of Fame duo of Randy Moss and Cris Carter claimed the top spot.

This was the easiest decision when ranking the great wide receiver duos. The 1998 Vikings were 15-1 and rolled over opponents because Carter (12 TDs) and Moss (17 TDs) were destroying defenses. They combined for 24 touchdowns in each of their next two seasons, as well.

Cris Carter 1998-2000 Randy Moss
48 Games 48
34 TDs 43
264 Receptions 226
13.4 Yards/Catch 18.4

The numbers speak for themselves. Carter and Moss both averaged over 13 yards a catch, outlining the explosiveness of that Vikings offense. Moss averaged almost a touchdown a game, and Carter was good for 5.5 receptions a game. At 13.4 yards per catch, you could pencil Carter in for almost 75 yards a game. Combine that with roughly 87 yards from Moss and the Vikings had 162 yards, on average, before having to go to their tertiary receiving option.

That type of consistency is past elite. That’s legendary.

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WATCH Justin Jefferson make highlight plays in front of Cris Carter

With Cris Carter in attendance, Justin Jefferson made a handful of impressive grabs during Vikings training camp.

The third day of training camp for the Minnesota Vikings brought a special guest to the Twin Cities Orthopedics Performance Center.

Former Vikings wide receiver Cris Carter made an appearance on Friday, prompting a post from the Vikings’ Twitter account.

Now an NFL analyst, Carter played 12 seasons with the Vikings, totaling 12,283 receiving yards and 110 touchdowns. In 2013, Carter was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame.

On Friday, however, Carter was a spectator to some impressive plays from Vikings wide receivers, including a catch from Justin Jefferson with a 360-degree spin in the air.

The video also included a clip of Justin Jefferson making a catch over the defensive back on a deep throw by quarterback Kirk Cousins.

Jefferson is only in his third season, but he’s already establishing himself as one of the best wide receivers in team history. Jefferson was named the Associated Press Offensive Player of the Year last season after finishing with a league-high 1,809 receiving yards, his third over 1,000 yards.

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Chris Olave shares his Mount Rushmore for Ohio State wide receivers

Chris Olave shared his Mount Rushmore for Ohio State wide receivers — earning points for humility after declining to name himself as the school’s receiving TD leader:

This was a fun conversation: New Orleans Saints wide receiver Chris Olave was interviewed on the Richard Sherman Podcast to explore a range of topics, including something he’s uniquely positioned to cover — the greatest wideouts in Ohio State Buckeyes history. Olave had the privilege of sharing a locker room with some talented future pros as well as the opportunity to watch elite prospects setting the standard in his youth.

When Sherman asked for his four-man Mount Rushmore, Olave singled out these names as the best he’s ever known:

The 5 best picks in NFL supplemental draft history

Ranking the best players ever selected in the NFL Supplemental Draft

The NFL will hold its supplemental draft on Tuesday. It will be the first time since 2019 the event, which allows players whose draft eligibility has changed since the regular draft period to be selected, will take place.

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There have been over 40 players selected in the supplemental draft over the years, dating back to the first in 1977. Here are the five best players who came out of the supplemental draft ranks.

Cris Carter roasts Keyshawn Johnson for leaving Justin Jefferson off top-5 WR list

Cris Carter was not happy with Keyshawn Johnson leaving Justin Jefferson off of his top five wide receivers list.

Justin Jefferson isn’t a top five wide receiver? That’s the opinion of former NFL wide receiver Keyshawn Johnson.

On the Keyshawn, JWill and Max show, Johnson released his top-five wide receivers and it did not go over well among Vikings fans and analysts.

All of these are great players, but Jefferson is arguably the best non-quarterback in the NFL, let alone wide receiver. Former Vikings Hall of Fame wide receiver Cris Carter was upset with the rankings and went as far to say that the channel should be changed.

In the abyss that is the time between mandatory minicamp and training camp, there are a lot lists that come out. They generate a lot of conversations on social media, but they aren’t always quality ones. Having Jefferson outside of the top three, let alone the top five, aren’t ones to be taken seriously.