Sports blog information from USA TODAY.
We continue our countdown to the start of the 2023 season by looking at everyone who’s worn No. 48 for the Minnesota Vikings.
It’s the final countdown…
Well, sort of.
The Minnesota Vikings will kick off their 2023 regular season in 48 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.
With 48 days until kickoff, here’s a look at every player to wear No. 48 with the Vikings (via Pro Football Reference):
The Detroit Lions will honor the Oxford High School shooting victims and community on Sunday
Tragedy struck the Detroit area this week with the mass shooting at Oxford High School. Four Oxford students were killed by a classmate, with eight other people also shot in Monday’s rampage.
The Detroit Lions will pay their respect to the victims of the horrific incident. During Sunday’s home game against the Minnesota Vikings, the Lions will wear special decals on their helmets and hold a moment of silence before the kickoff at Ford Field.
Head coach Dan Campbell reflected upon the way the Lions can try and help show respect for Oxford and help the survivors.
“Look, I know us as the players, the organization, everybody just as a starting point, we’re going to have t-shirts, we’ve got hats made, we’re going to have decals on the back of the helmets,” Campbell said Friday. “We’ll have a moment of silence before the game certainly, but those guys are on our minds. We want to represent them on Sunday. I know there will be a group of those students and kids and people that have been affected that will be watching this game. Right now, that’s the best way to help them.”
Oxford High School’s head football coach is former NFL fullback Zach Line, who was on the New Orleans Saints while Campbell and others in Detroit were coaching for that team. Campbell indicated he reached out to his former player.
Zach Line rose to prominence as the New Orleans Saints fullback in recent years, but now he is enjoying retirement with his family.
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They say you don’t have to get ready if you stay ready. That’s a message retired New Orleans Saints fullback Zach Line has taken to heart, even if he’s watching games on the couch — in his old Saints jersey and helmet with a football in hand, surrounded by his young children in matching kits.
“Retirement is hard,” Line joked in a post from his official Instagram account after the Saints won their season opener against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
Line retired after 80 games and seven years in the NFL, spending his first four seasons with the Minnesota Vikings. He signed with New Orleans in 2017 and went on to make a name for himself as the lead blocker for Alvin Kamara, Mark Ingram, and occasionally Taysom Hill, while also developing into a sure-handed option in the passing game (catching four touchdown passes).
But he was content to walk away from the game on his own terms as a free agent in 2020, opting to retire before his 30th birthday so he could spend more time with his family. And he’s clearly enjoying himself.
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The Saints added a veteran in Margus Hunt, who said his chat with retired Saints fullback and old SMU teammate Zach Line helped win him over
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The New Orleans Saints have been known for the pipeline that runs to Columbus, Ohio, funneling Ohio State Buckeyes star talents like Malcolm Jenkins, Michael Thomas, Marshon Lattimore, Vonn Bell, and Eli Apple down south, but the team has an even stronger connection running out west, into oil country — where the SMU Mustangs play in Dallas.
In fact, former Mustangs now outnumber the three Buckeyes in New Orleans (with Bell and Apple trying their luck in free agency). Punter Thomas Morstead, long snapper Zach Wood, and wide receiver Emmanuel Sanders were recently joined by another familiar face in defensive lineman Margus Hunt.
While Morstead only played with Sanders in college, during the 2008 season, Hunt joined the squad during Sanders’ senior year in 2009. So did former Saints fullback Zach Line, who retired earlier this year. Line and Hunt were teammates for four years at SMU, and remained close enough all these years later for Hunt to ask for advice when the Saints expressed interest in him as a free agent.
“The first thing I did was reached out to Zach Line,” Hunt said during his introductory conference call with New Orleans media. “I have a great relationship with him and he told me so many positive things about the organization and the locker room and everything. He told me basically if this is serious, by all means take it because you don’t want to miss out on this opportunity.”
Hunt was drafted highly by the Cincinnati Bengals in 2013, and had his best year as a pro with the Indianapolis Colts in 2018. While he’s comfortable with his scheme fit in New Orleans as a versatile lineman who can play anywhere from nose tackle to defensive end, Line’s praise for the Saints team culture won him over.
He continued, “Well, for me right now too, with being married with two kids, he just said from that point of view it’s very family-oriented. They do a huge deal about family and kids and everything. That was one of the reasons.
“Another one was obviously the locker room. Great guys, all pros, they do the right things. They work hard, practice hard. They teach each other hard and they work every day to get to that title. That was one of the big things.”
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Line ran for 114 yards and two touchdowns, to go with 20 catches for 161 yards and four touchdowns in his career.
After seven years in the NFL, fullback Zach Line has announced his retirement on Instagram.
Line spent the first four years of his career with the Minnesota Vikings, appearing in 35 games. Line spent the last three seasons with the Saints in New Orleans.
Line was a throwback player. A block-first fullback who helped open things up for both the Vikings and Saints through the years.
He’s retiring at just 29 years old and in relatively good shape all things considered.
Line ran for 114 yards and two touchdowns, to go with 20 catches for 161 yards and four touchdowns in his career.
Per Spotrac, Line has made nearly $6 million in his career.
The New Orleans Saints lost fullback Zach Line to retirement on Wednesday, with the former SMU Mustangs star going out on his own terms.
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The New Orleans Saints need to find a new fullback in 2020. Veteran fullback Zach Line, 29, announced his retirement from the NFL in a post from his official Instagram account Wednesday afternoon. His contract was set to expire in March, but he’s choosing to step away from the game on his own terms.
In his post, Line thanked the Saints for the opportunity to play with them as well as the Minnesota Vikings, who gave him his first shot at playing professionally. He retires having played 80 games in the NFL (including the playoffs; 36 with the Vikings and 44 with the Saints) during his seven-year career. He was the rare fullback who could contribute not just as a lead-blocker but as a runner himself, as well as in the receiving game in a pinch. He scored seven touchdowns in the NFL, all but one of them for New Orleans.
Losing an experienced fullback is a bigger problem for the Saints than it appears at first glance. While the position is an endangered species in the NFL at large, the Saints were one of few teams to still use them frequently in 2019. Line averaged 17.9 snaps per game last year before going down with a knee injury. He was replaced by practice squad call-up Ricky Ortiz, who played 20 snaps in the Saints’ final two contests.
To illustrate Line’s importance to the offense a little more clearly: at midseason, only two fullbacks had played more snaps in the entire NFL than his total of 140, being CJ Ham (195 for the Vikings) and Kyle Juszczyk (152 with the San Francisco 49ers). It’s a position Saints coach Sean Payton obviously values.
Ortiz is the likely favorite to replace Line next season, but it’s no sure thing. It would make sense for the team to consider all possible options in free agency and the 2020 NFL Draft, and they could possibly target someone like Line, who played running back in college. He was an accomplished rusher for the SMU Mustangs, having graduated with 778 attempts for 4,185 rushing yards and 47 touchdowns on the ground. He also caught 75 passes for 599 receiving yards. That versatility speaks for itself and explains why the Saints made him a key part of their offense, even if he didn’t often handle the ball himself.
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With quarterbacks Drew Brees and Teddy Bridgewater headed for free agency, the New Orleans Saints have many tough decisions to make in 2020.
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The 2020 offseason is full of difficult decisions for the New Orleans Saints, particularly in unrestricted free agency. Both of their top two quarterbacks are headed for the open market, as is a starting defensive back who’s rapidly developed into one of their most-reliable playmakers. Some role players are also up for new deals and should be retained.
We’ve already considered what should be done with the Saints’ restricted free agents, and highlighted several unrestricted free agents who should probably be allowed to leave due to prohibitive costs or poor fits moving forward. Here are six names the Saints must make priorities in the months ahead.
This is easy: Brees is the best player in Saints history and still the face of the franchise. He should never throw for another team. Now keeping him around is easier said than done, and the adjustments the Saints must make to remain competitive with an aging quarterback are another set of issues. If Brees can’t be counted on to complete passes 35 or more yards downfield, it dramatically impacts the entire offense.
Bridgewater deserves a big payday, that’s not under debate. The question is how much it would cost to retain his services as the backup to Brees. Bridgewater is just 27 and very much in the prime of his career, and proved he can win in the NFL by going undefeated in his five starts last season. If there isn’t much of a market for Bridgewater in free agency, it’s possible he and the Saints can reach an agreement.
Bell emerged as one of the most consistent big-play threats in the secondary, having led the NFL in fumble recoveries and logged his first career interception. He’s a sure tackler and a vocal leader in one of the youngest position groups in New Orleans, and they’d do well to retain him. The trouble with him is that he was just a part-time player for his first three years before finally hitting his groove in 2019. Additionally, we’ll be curious to see whether Eddie Jackson’s big contract with the Chicago Bears woke up what was a sleepy free agent market at safety.
Williams has proven to be a capable slot defender and a quick fill-in at safety, thanks to his understanding of inside-breaking route concepts and aggressive downhill tackling. The Saints would be smart to keep him around as one of their most-experienced defensive backs, but he should receive more active interest in free agency than he saw last year after an early-offseason DUI arrest.
Alvin Kamara is entering the final year of his rookie contract, and Latavius Murray played well enough to safely demand more snaps moving forward. That leaves Washington on the outside looking in as far as the Saints running back rotation goes. But his real value is on special teams, where he’s developed into a nice blocking specialist in the return game alongside J.T. Gray, Justin Hardee, Craig Robertson, and Taysom Hill. Of that group, only Hardee and Robertson played more snaps. Washington will hardly command a huge salary, so the Saints should do the smart thing and retain him.
Few teams utilize a fullback more often than the Saints, and Line’s proven to be a great fit for their offense. Before he went down late in the season with a knee injury, he was ranked top-three leaguewide in snaps played at his position. Though he isn’t asked to run often (which is no surprise with talents like Kamara, Murray, and Hill on the team), Line has converted 16 first downs on his 23 career attempts, while occasionally catching passes or flipping them to Kamara on a trick play. The Saints should be able to re-sign him in the same $1.1 million to $1.9 million range they originally agreed to back in 2017.
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The New Orleans Saints injury report preemptively ruled out Eli Apple and Zach Line for their wild-card round game vs. the Minnesota Vikings
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The New Orleans Saints and Minnesota Vikings published their official inactive lists before Sunday’s wild-card round game, and it doesn’t carry many surprises. Several players were preemptively ruled out on Friday’s injury report while managing various issues — that group includes starting Saints cornerback Eli Apple and fullback Zach Line, as well as Vikings nickel cornerback Mackensie Alexander.
New Orleans was without both Apple and Line a week ago, and their fill-in replacements played well. Veteran cornerback Janoris Jenkins closed out the regular season with a timely interception, while former Saints practice squad call-up Ricky Ortiz threw some key blocks and caught a pass or two in Line’s absence.
It’s less clear how Minnesota will adapt, because neither Alexander nor his backup (slot specialist and punt returner Mike Hughes, who is on injured reserve) will play. While both of the Vikings’ starting cornerbacks are active, they could have to press a safety into slot coverage or rush returns specialist Marcus Sherels into the role. Considering Sherels only played a combined 74 defensive snaps from 2014 to 2018, it’s unlikely the Vikings take that option.
One path they could consider is shifting linebacker Eric Kendricks into the slot when the matchup works favorably — such as when the Saints position a tight end or running back into the alignment. Kendricks is widely considered to be one of the NFL’s best coverage linebackers, though he was slowed down with a quadriceps injury in recent practices. He’s also been picked on by Alvin Kamara in the past. But Minnesota might not have better choices.
With all that said: here are your official inactive reports from both the Saints and Vikings:
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The final injury report ahead of Sunday’s wild-card round matchup between the New Orleans Saints and Minnesota Vikings ruled out Eli Apple.
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The New Orleans Saints will host the Minnesota Vikings on Sunday during the wild-card round. The Saints will have a mostly healthy team heading into the playoffs with the notable return of safeties Vonn Bell and Marcus Williams.
Unfortunately full back Zach Line and cornerback Eli Apple have been ruled out for Sunday’s contest. Much of the offensive scheme in recent memory has featured Line in a prominent capacity. Apple’s absence will require Janoris Jenkins to play a full time role much like he did in Week 17.
New Orleans will travel to Green Bay to face the Packers at Lambeau Field if they should find their way past the Vikings.
Any changes to Thursday’s practice status are noted in bold text, and players listed without likelihood of playing on Sunday (whether they are Out or Questionable) should be considered ready to go. Here’s what we’ve learned.
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The New Orleans Saints and Minnesota Vikings updated their injury report for the wild-card round game that will take place on Sunday.
The New Orleans Saints and Minnesota Vikings updated their injury report for the wild-card round game that will take place on Sunday in the Mercedes-Benz Superdome.
Wednesday’s injury report for the Saints was only an estimation of players’ status considering it was just a walkthrough. Safeties Vonn Bell, and Marcus Williams both “returned” in a limited status on Wednesday, and their participation on Thursday and Friday will be much more indicative of their status on Sunday.
Cornerback Eli Apple once again did not participate in practice on Wednesday, and has two days of practice remaining to make his way back to the field for Sunday’s game.
Minnesota saw the return of running back Dalvin Cook in a full capacity, and is expected to play on Sunday.
Any changes made from Wednesday’s injury report will be denoted in bold.
