Tag: Jake Reed

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

Adam Thielen rocks sweet 3 Deep cleats

These cleats are an excellent tribute to the original 3 Deep

The Minnesota Vikings are ready to take on the Detroit Lions on Sunday afternoon and nobody is more ready than wide receiver Adam Thielen.

Before each game, players can choose to wear whatever they want while they go through pregame warm-ups. One of the ways that players choose to express themselves is by wearing custom cleats.

Thielen has been known to have some creative cleats. Last week against the Eagles, he wore custom Italian Stallion Rocky Balboa cleats and he took it one step further this week with a picture of the original 3-deep.

Originally consisting of Cris Carter, Jake Reed and a rookie Randy Moss, 3-Deep was a dominant force that helped the Vikings set the NFL record for most points in a season.

The current Vikings receivers aren’t too far off from the original trio in the 1998 season. A really cool homage to the legendary group from Thielen.

Former Duck Jake Reed impresses with Los Angeles Dodgers after getting called up

Former Oregon pitcher Jake Reed made his Dodgers debut July 6 and is making a good impression on the World Series champions.

Move over Garrett Cleavinger.

Former Oregon Duck pitcher Jake Reed became the second Duck to pitch for the Los Angeles Dodgers this season and one of many Ducks in the Major Leagues this year. Reed was called up from AAA Oklahoma City July 6.

With OKC, Reed had a 2.61 earned run average in nine appearances. The Dodgers made sure Reed made it into a game right away when he got the call from the bullpen against Miami. Reed gave up a run in 2/3 of an inning.

But Reed impressed enough as he was called upon to start a game the next day as the opener. Unfortunately, Reed gave up a homer to Garrett Cooper in the first inning in the 9-6 loss to the Marlins.

After a few days of rest, Reed finally made his Dodger Stadium debut where he was asked to get Los Angeles out of a ninth-inning jam against Arizona. Reed walked Josh Reddick but then struck out Nick Ahmed to end the inning.

In his fourth overall appearance, Reed worked a perfect ninth to end a 22-1 rout over the Diamondbacks.

It’s been a long and interesting ride for Reed, who has played for three different organizations in the last calendar year. He was drafted by Minnesota in 2016 and after four minor leagues seasons, Reed elected for free agency last November. He signed with the Angels and was assigned to their AAA team in Salt Lake City. But Reed was released June 2. The Dodgers signed him two days later.

As for Cleavinger, the left-handed reliever is still plugging along with a 2-3 record and a 2.25 ERA in his 18 appearances for the Dodgers.

 

Report: Georgia safety J.R. Reed said he has talked to the Vikings during draft process

J.R. Reed, son of former Vikings wide receiver Jake Reed, said that he has spoken to the Vikings during the draft process.

Vikings safety Anthony Harris is coming off a stellar season, but his time with the Vikings might not be long term.

Harris was franchise tagged by the team earlier this offseason. However, the Vikings have acknowledged to teams that Harris is a tag-and-trade candidate.

A new wrinkle to the story was recently added when Chris Tomasson of the Pioneer Press reported that Minnesota is in discussions with Harris over a long-term deal. But a long-term deal has yet to be official.

The Vikings are also still talking to safeties in the 2020 NFL Draft. Georgia defensive back J.R. Reed told Tomasson that he has spoken to the Vikings during the draft process.

Reed is the son of former Minnesota wide receiver Jake Reed. In 2019, the son was one of three finalists for the Paycom Jim Thorpe Award, the award for the nation’s top defensive back. He had seven pass breakups and one interception in his final collegiate season.

J.R. Reed on former Georgia football teammates invited to NFL Combine

In his final appearance before media members at the NFL Combine, J.R. Reed took time to acknowledge the impact of his Georgia teammates.

In his final appearance before media members at the NFL Scouting Combine, Georgia’s J.R. Reed took time to acknowledge the impact his Bulldog teammates imposed upon him.

“It’s amazing, man. I miss my defensive teammates. I think some of them need to be here.”

Georgia fans could argue that there are several spurned Bulldogs who deserved an invitation. One former letterman took to Twitter to protest Tyler Clark’s omission from the Combine’s list of participants.

Continuing his praise, Reed proceeded:

“Seeing my offensive guys and seeing the guys I came up with and played with for a while…seeing those guys go out there to do well and perform, man, it means a lot.”

As a do-it-all safety who had to defend against that offense in months’ worth of inter-team practices, Reed then fielded questions on his perception of the future of Georgia’s offense.

“We’re definitely gonna run the ball, I can tell you that. Now, everything else? I don’t know anything about that.”

Further denying any inside information, the projected draft pick answered again:

“I haven’t really been back [in Athens] to get into details about the offense, but I can tell you we’re going to run the ball.”

Watch the full exit interview:

Former Georgia football S J.R. Reed: “I can do it all”

J.R. Reed has the confidence you’d expect from a standout safety.

J.R. Reed has the confidence you’d expect from a standout safety.

In his exit interview at the NFL Scouting Combine, the recently departed Georgia Bulldog used his opening remarks to ensure that it cannot possibly be overstated:

J.R. Reed is versatile. J.R. Reed is willing to play anywhere to help his team. J.R. Reed is capable of shutting down his opponents’ best offensive player.

“I definitely can do it all. I can play the nickel spot, the money spot on third down, the free [safety] and the strong [safety]. If you want me to line up at Mack [inside linebacker] and we need to play quarter, I can do it all.”

Reed continued:

“I’m a safety that can come down in the box, I’m a safety that has range, I’m a safety that can go down and lock up your best tight end.”

Just to make sure coaches and media members got the message, Reed reiterated.

“From a safety standpoint, a DB standpoint, I can do it all.”

J.R. Reed, the son of NFL veteran Jake Reed, transferred to Georgia from the University of Tulsa in 2016. Previously rated as a two-star prospect, all he managed to do was start every regular season game in red and black and help win a Rose Bowl along the way.

Born with an NFL mentality unto an NFL family, Reed’s message is clear:

J.R. Reed is and always has been ready to do it all in the defensive backfield.

Georgia football safety JR Reed ranks low in USA TODAY draft position rankings

Such rankings are subject to change following pre-draft workouts including the NFL Combine and each school’s respective Pro Days.

The NFL Scouting Combine is less than two weeks away. Ten of the 337 players invited to Indianapolis played their college ball for the University of Georgia, placing the Bulldogs among the best-represented programs in the event.

Though each participant is assuredly honored to be invited, one standout previously projected as the Bulldog’s top defensive prospect is listed lower than previously predicted, ranked as the fourteenth best safety prospect according to USA TODAY’s DraftWire.

J.R., the son of twelve-year NFL veteran Jake Reed, arrived in Athens by way of Tulsa University. The same young man who started every game in his first season on an SEC roster (and every game until his graduation) was regarded as a two-star recruit coming out of high school.

It is important to note that these are preliminary rankings based entirely upon collegiate performance. Such rankings are subject to change following pre-draft workouts including the NFL Combine and each school’s respective Pro Days.

That said, all he did was tally 199 tackles and five interceptions in his three seasons wearing red and black. He somehow managed to record seven tackles in a Rose Bowl win. Those are decent marks for a two-star, I suppose.

J.R. Reed has spent his past three years discrediting doubters. Some may see him as being ranked too low, but it’s doubtful that the man himself is any sort of bothered by it.