Rudd sparks surprising Vikings defense

Click here for more on this story

Posted: Wednesday January 13, 1999 06:09 PM

The Vikings were pleasantly surprised to see that 19 teams had passed on wideout Randy Moss in last year's draft. But the year before, the front office was literally jumping up and down in their war room when Alabama linebacker Dwayne Rudd was still available with the 20th pick.

Rudd, who is second on the team in tackles, is exceptional at taking on double teams at the line so middle linebacker Ed McDaniel can shoot gaps and clean up on the run. And that will be a key role this week against Atlanta's tank in cleats Jamal Anderson.

"It's just instinctive for people to be more impressed with our offense," Rudd told me. "But if we win the Super Bowl, we should go down as one of the great teams of all time. Not just one of the great offenses."

Another reason to stay

New England cornerback Ty Law, who will make his first Pro Bowl start this year after leading the NFL with nine interceptions, told me that he keeps only a select number of the balls he picks off. Any quarterback who Law thinks may end up in the Hall of Fame gets his intercepted ball placed above Law's mantle at home. So far Troy Aikman, Dan Marino, Jim Kelly and Steve Young have all contributed to the collection.

"What I really want is a John Elway ball," Law told me. "Maybe I can talk him out of retiring."

Old-school defense

If the Vikings' precise, powerful, record-setting offense is a Stealth bomber, then the team's defense is a wooden bi-plane with defensive coordinator Foge Fazio leaning out the open-air cockpit, bombing teams with blitzes and interceptions by hand.

Fazio, who has been coaching for more than 30 years, is a throwback to a simpler time in the NFL. Each week the team's other coaches eagerly await their 16-page opus of stats from the Elias Sports Bureau. Not Fazio. The godfather of Minnesota's defense usually responds to the stat pack by yelling, "Get that crap away from me!"

Desert oasis for Cards

The Cardinals may have lost in the second round of the playoffs but the team gained something it hasn't had in almost 50 years: respect. After the team's wild-card win over the Cowboys, several thousand fans met the team at the airport. Cornerback Aeneas Williams told me that for the first time in eight years fans driving by the team's practice field are honking and shouting encouraging words rather than unprintable ones. Tackle Lomas Brown was shocked when he was actually recognized at one of his favorite clubs last week and let in for free.

"You know, it's good to be a Cardinal," Brown told me. Now, who would have believed that statement back in August?

 

Related information
Stories
David Fleming Insider Archive Peter King's Monday Morning QB: January 11, 1999 Minnesota's dome-field advantage a headache for opponents
Multimedia
Click here for the latest audio and video
Search our site	Watch CNN/SI 24 hours a day
	Sports Illustrated and CNN have combined to form a 24 hour sports news and information channel. To receive CNN/SI at your home call 1-888-53-CNNSI.