The Minnesota Vikings released 10-year veteran tight end, Kyle Rudolph yesterday, in the first of many cap-saving maneuvers we will see them make early this offseason. This is a move that was foreseen by everybody, including Kyle himself, for months.

Rudolph was the most tenured Viking before his dismissal and took to the popular “Players’ Tribune” for an extended goodbye to his former team and fanbase.

Thank you Minnesota!! Although my time as a Viking has come to a close, my time as a MINNESOTAN is just getting started! https://t.co/eb2aP3O4vo

— Kyle Rudolph (@KyleRudolph82) March 2, 2021

Thank you, thank you

Kyle Rudolph thanked the Minnesota Vikings owners and coaches, before telling the fanbase that he won’t be gone long. It’s clear that Kyle and his family have grown roots in Minnesota that they plan on quickly returning to, when his playing career is over.

The former Notre Dame TE also thanked and named a few handfuls of former teammates, starting with his friend Chad Greenway and his career teammate, Harrison Smith.

But when he started listing former QB’s… my interest was peaked.

Guys like Hutch, Jared Allen, Adrian Peterson — the core of one of the great teams in franchise history. Guys like Matt Cassel, straight-up one of the best human beings I’ve ever been around. Ev Griffen, a nine-year teammate and an all-time friend. Guys like Eric Kendricks, an amazing competitor, who lined up against me every day in practice and helped mold me into the player I am.

Guys like Sam Bradford, who never got the credit he deserved, but battled through injury for two years to try to get us over the hump. (I sincerely believe that we win a Super Bowl in 2017 if Sam is healthy. Such an incredibly talented dude, an unreal passer when his body was right.) Guys like Teddy Bridgewater, another crazy-talented quarterback who had some terrible injury luck, but inspired all of us with his determination, and definitely left his mark on this team. Man, just so many guys — I could go on and on.

Kyle Rudolph – Players’ Tribune

Something of nothing?

Go ahead and poo-poo this as much as you want, but Kyle Rudolph is a smart guy. The words he put into this article were carefully and meticulously placed. He absolutely thought about Kirk Cousins, when writing about these other guys and he absolutely knows Kirk has thrown him more touchdowns than any QB in his career.

The numbers listed above don’t even include Kirk’s game-winning touchdown to Rudolph vs the Saints in overtime, which advanced them to the divisional round in the 2019 playoffs.

.@Vikings FANS, YOU JUST WALKED OFF AGAINST THE SAINTS IN THE PLAYOFFS AGAIN THANKS TO KYLE RUDOLPH, AND IT'S STILL EVEN BETTER WITH TITANIC MUSIC #SKOL #NFLPlayoffs #NFL100 pic.twitter.com/d2jLB4RJOL

— Jack (@JWillsNH) January 5, 2020

Sam Bradford played with Rudolph for less time and threw him less balls. Bradford also faced a small percentage of the criticism that Cousins has dealt with during his three seasons, and Kirk actually stays on the field. Yet, Rudolph mentioned the off-field noise Bradford had to deal with… and didn’t mention Cousins at all.

I’m not suggesting that Rudolph hates Kirk Cousins. But when Kirk came to town, Kyle was supposed to be one of the largest beneficiaries, given Cousins’ great history with TE1’s of his past. Instead, #82 saw his targets and routes diminish during Kirk’s tenure, while the Vikings turned him into a blocking tight end.

No Ponder either

It should also be noted that Rudolph never mentioned his first Minnesota Vikings QB, Christian Ponder. Say what you want about Ponder, but he QB’d Rudolph’s first Pro Bowl season in 2012 and in that same year, Christian threw him the most single-season touchdowns of any QB of his career (9).

From our "We're Telling you for the Last Time" Series-the last time the #vikings scored a TD vs every NFL team. Today, it's the last TD scored vs the 49ers (#30) Sept 23, 2012. Christian Ponder to Kyle Rudolph. Rudolph catches 6; Ponder a 95 QB rating. @cponder7 @KyleRudolph82 pic.twitter.com/YpPltqkT0m

— VikeFans (@VikeFans) July 15, 2018

Eric Strack | Minnesota Sports Fan

Interesting take considering if you compare his and Teddy’s one year as the full-time starter he was better statistically without the benefit of playing with a Top 5 defense. https://t.co/HZwQDvhfhl

— brian heintz (@b_heintzz) May 29, 2019

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The Ponder Bit. 

So, I want to start by sending my dearest apologies to #VikingsTwitter after of my actions this morning.  They were cruel, uncalled for, and probably made some people pretty upset.  Mediocre QB play will do that to Twitter and I knew better.  However, let me explain to you how the “Ponder Bit” this morning came into existence.

There I was at Winter Park in April of 2011, still drunk from the Twins game earlier that day.  Everyone was hyped! We were on the clock with a top-12 pick and none of us could have been more excited to see who we were going to add.  Coming off of the misery of 2010, we needed something or someone to give us hope.  

“With the 12th Pick in the 2011 NFL Draft the Minnesota Vikings select…  Christian Ponder.  Quarterback Florida State.”

The mood in the room went from hope to anger in a split second…  I remember an echoing of “who?” Some people were using obscenities that I couldn’t repeat in-front of other adults.  I remember stumbling around, wishing we had picked Prince Amakamura because I thought our defense was so bad, maybe he’d suck less than the rest of them.  The pick was made though, and it was a situation where ‘let’s hope we are all wrong and he makes us all look like idiots…’  

I’ll admit it, though. By the time 2011 got under way, and CP took over for McChicken, I was excited.  He played well in his first start against GB, and 2012 was such a fun year that there were acutal reasons to be optimistic in Ponder’s future… Maybe he could take the next step…

…but we all know how that turned out.  

Fast forward….

Ponder has become the one name that you can cast out into the “Twitterverse” and always get a bite. ALWAYS.  Someone out there is going to take it seriously, overreact and cause me to laugh hysterically.  I’ll tweet things here and there when I’m bored, which gives me vast entertainment.  I own an autographed Ponder jersey that I’ll wear to a few games a year and it’s actually incredible the comments I get. People are so angry about a draft pick that didn’t work out, as if Troy Williamson, Erasmus James, and Dimitrius Underwood don’t exist.  

The bit will continue, I’ll continue to get joy from it and honestly, take a step back and laugh.  Sports are supposed to be fun. 

For the record.  

I think it’s clear Teddy is a better pro QB than Ponder. 

Because I have eyeballs.  

Brian Heintz | Minnesota Sports Fan

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