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We are back — well, select Vikings players reported Sunday, and the remainder of the roster is due to report Tuesday — but it's pretty much time to roll out the ol' football.

I appreciate folks accommodating me taking a break last week and made the most of the time during a camping trip "Up North" with my family and neighbors. A canoe trek and a separate kayak paddle while observing wildlife offered serenity, and we had plenty of laughs with the group.

Fans will be able to hear from Head Coach Kevin O'Connell and new General Manager Nolan Teasley during a press conference scheduled for 12:30 p.m. (CT) Tuesday.

Defensive Coordinator Brian Flores is scheduled for a presser on Wednesday, the first ramp-up day of acclimation practice; Offensive Coordinator Wes Phillips and Special Teams Coordinator Matt Daniels are scheduled to speak Thursday.

Fans will be able to view the team on the field for the first time on Saturday when the team hosts Back Together Weekend: Saturday Edition. Visit vikings.com/camp for information. The organization is excited to host Legends Weekend as part of the opening festivities.

Since there's still a bit of time before we recap the O'Connell-Teasley presser and any on-field action, I wanted to include the links for our camp positional previews before getting to a few questions.

Quarterbacks

Receivers & tight ends

Running backs & fullback

Offensive line

Defensive line

Outside & inside linebackers

Cornerbacks & safeties

Specialists

How's everybody doing? Been a while since I wrote. I really liked the comments by Jason G. (on July 13). I agree that Brian Robison, E.J. Henderson, Carl Lee were underrated players, but Doug Martin at DE and Joey Browner at S were two of the best to play their positions! I also love to talk about the some of the underrated players that have passed through here. Henry Thomas at DT, Steve Jordan at TE, Sidney Rice at WR, Ed White at G and Korey Stringer at T.

— Nighthawk

Welcome back to the conversation and good to hear from you.

I sincerely appreciate everyone who helps keep the discussion of Vikings and NFL topics going during the lulls, and I always look forward to people who ramp up their communication as the season approaches and kicks off.

My Vikings Entertainment Network colleagues look forward to relaying the sights, sounds and summaries of training camp as everyone readies for the 2026 season.

Recognition for Martin's overall impact may have been reduced by some rough seasons for the Purple, but by the end of the '80s, he had helped the Vikings course correct.

His 61.5 sacks ranked fourth in franchise history when Martin retired, trailing only Carl Eller, Jim Marshall and Alan Page, and the total still ranks ninth all-time.

If not for Ronnie Lott and the run of Super Bowls by the 49ers, Browner would have been even more appreciated beyond Vikings fandom.

Thomas and Jordan were key in helping Minnesota close the '80s and open the '90s with some strong seasons.

Rice's 2009 season was one of the best a receiver could hope for, but his 83 catches for 1,312 yards and eight touchdowns accounted for roughly one-third of his career stats in seven total seasons. It does make one wonder what would have happened had he benefited from more continuity at QB.

White stacked impressive performances for eight seasons with the Vikings and nine more with the Chargers, totaling four Pro Bowls.

Stringer tragically passed away on Aug. 1, 2001, as he was following his first career Pro Bowl and preparing for his seventh NFL season. Colleague Lindsey Young will have a story on Stringer's legacy this Saturday on Vikings.com, and a recognition will be part of camp.

Jim Lindsey. I remember him on the roster, and I used to have a card of him. I don't remember much from him as far as an offensive performer. I do recall him scoring a TD at the OLD outdoor stadium. The Lions partially blocked a field goal, and it rolled to the Detroit 1. A member of the Lions was blocking to keep the Vikings away from the ball hoping it would roll into the end zone for a touchback. The blocker's foot accidentally touched the ball, and it rolled into the end zone as a live ball. No one from either team noticed the nudge except Lindsey as he fell on the ball when it crossed the goal line. The other players looked uncertain at what happened until a ref signaled the touchdown. Was that the game Alan Page had a couple early flags on him that fired him up that helped lead to his MVP season? I recall Page scored three safeties that season with the third happening in a home playoff game against Dallas. I remember it was a home game against Detroit at Minnesota but not sure it was the same game. I also believe that stadium was the last one to have both teams on the same sideline.

— Jason G. in Gallipolis, Ohio

The team sent condolences this week to the family of Jim Lindsey, who passed away at age 81 on July 19 in his home state of Arkansas.

Lindsey was drafted by the Vikings in the NFL and the Bills in the AFL in 1966, the year before the leagues began the common draft to prepare for the 1970 merger. He played a reserve role on offense and contributed significantly on special teams, serving as a five-time captain for the unit. His captaincy began in 1968 and ran through his retirement.

The play remembered by Jason involved the kind of awareness and savvy that Hall of Fame Head Coach Bud Grant loved, and it's just one example of how Lindsey endeared himself to Grant.

Here is a screenshot from the original play-by-play booklet from that game:

Jason's memory also is correct in that Page had an interesting penalty sequence and responded with the dominance that resulted in him becoming the first defensive player to win NFL MVP and with one of three safeties that season (the other was against Buffalo).

In going through the play-by-play from that game (included below), Page garnered a personal foul on a second-and-10.

On the following snap, Greg Landry threw the ball out of bounds, but Page was penalized for roughing the passer, resulting in another first down.

Page sacked Landry for a loss of 9 on the ensuing play to create a second-and-19. After a 5-yard offsides penalty against Carl Eller, Landry tripped for a loss of 11 (tackle credited to Gary Larsen) and Detroit suffered a 15-yard holding penalty added to the play to create a second-and-40 on which Page recorded a 4-yard tackle for loss. On third-and-44, Detroit dusted off a QB sneak (I'm laughing about this as I type it, and hopefully it adds to your reading enjoyment), which resulted in a gain of 2 before Page made the tackle.

I went back and read the Star Tribune recap of the uncanny sequence involving Page. From Sid Hartman's Dec. 12, 1971, column, beginning with a quote from Grant:

"It doesn't pay to get Alan Page upset. He has been having a super year, but when they called successive 15-yard penalties on him, he seemed to come up with a little extra, and he was a part of some big plays that helped us win the game."

Page admitted that he got a little angry when the two penalties were called.

"On the first penalty, I used the head slap on a Detroit lineman," he said. "This move is legal if you use it on the first step with an open hand. To my knowledge, I did that legally, but the official saw it [differently]. The second penalty was justified. It came on a pass play when Greg Landry threw the ball. I got my hands up high trying to block the pass. When I came down, I landed on the top of Landry's head."

That season was the fourth in nine consecutive campaigns in which Page was selected to the Pro Bowl and his second of five First-Team All-Pro selections. The NFL MVP began being awarded in 1957, and the only other instance of a defensive player winning occurred in 1986 (Giants LB and Hall of Famer Lawrence Taylor).

Page generously has allowed his MVP trophy to be displayed at the Minnesota Vikings Museum since the venue opened in 2018. I'm biased but believe it's worth a visit.

In your estimation, which players and maybe coaches are under a microscope of scrutiny during this Vikings Training Camp?

— Ed Helinski in Auburn, New York

Coaches and players are best served if they have a general confidence in their physical attributes, as well as the ability to block out external voices/forces beyond a player's control.

That said, it's also at least somewhat helpful to understand players are not just competing with anyone else within the position group but also anyone else on the planet that a team could find to make it better.

Thus, it's best to put the best foot forward and treat every day as a job interview. That can be true at any point in time but also the case when a new GM comes aboard.

O'Connell has often expressed an interest in wanting to help each player reach the best version of himself on any day. That goes for him, as well.

I think all coaches and players understand continuous evaluation and progress tracking, whether that's sure-fire starters and All-Pro players or those who are participating in their first pro camp.

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See more about the 2028 NFL Draft in Minnesota.