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Vikings players bristle

not a high http://www.nflseahawksofficialstore.com/25+Richard+Sherman+Jersey+Cheap.html draft pick

Talk radio has its share of Vikings fans calling in to say they want the team to lose in order to be in a better position to get a top draft pick.

If you ask fullback Jerome Felton, those really aren't Vikings fans.

"It's disappointing," Felton said of such talk. "If they through and through really want us to lose, not really (are they true fans). If they're tuning in to watch the Vikings win, those are the fans that you know are really backing us. . Any true fan, they're tuning in to watch us win."

Nevertheless, with five games left in the season, there will be plenty of noise about the 2 8 1 Vikings needing to lose to get a very high draft pick. 17 as the Vikings lost 41 20 to the Seattle Seahawks. (Pioneer Press: Scott Takushi)

The Jaguars, Houston and Atlanta are all 2 9, followed by Minnesota, which would pick fourth if the draft were held today. Washington and Tampa Bay are 3 8 and also in the mix to draft No. 1.

The top prizes in the 2014 draft could be quarterbacks Teddy Bridgewater of Louisville and Marcus Mariota of Oregon. The Vikings are Super Bowl Richard Sherman Jersey a good bet to draft a quarterback, which has intensified talk of tanking.

"People think that is the strategy out there in the league. I don't think anybody has that mind set to lose purposely to gain draft picks," said Christian Ponder, trying desperately to give the Vikings a reason not to draft a quarterback as the season winds down. "I don't think (fans who might believe that) have a full understanding of what it means in this business."

Nobody on the Vikings is hinting in the slightest that it could be advantageous to lose games. But at least two veterans can see how fans might think losing would be beneficial.

"Tank it?" defensive tackle Kevin Williams, the team's longest tenured player at 11 seasons, said with a laugh. "I mean, fans are going to think that. But us as players, that's never a question. This is our livelihood. We're going out there trying to play as hard as we can to get a win. And it's never a thought. . If it was (those fans) in our situation, I'm sure they wouldn't talk like that."

But they do. The Internet is full of comments from fans discussing how the Vikings should rest banged up running back Adrian Patterson and give younger players more time to prepare for the future while also perhaps not helping the win loss record.

"Obviously, the season hasn't gone the way we had wanted and fans, they're frustrated," said guard Charlie Johnson, an eight year veteran. "They think maybe if we can get a higher draft pick, we can get a better player in here and hopefully things will change. But I think what gets lost in translation is people don't understand the pride in a locker room. People don't understand that, as miserable as they feel, we feel 100 times worse.

"This is not where we wanted to be. But there's too much pride with guys in this locker room to go out and try to lose. I see their side of it, but it's easy to say that when you're not actually invested in it. It's easy to say that a team should go out and lose when it's not your job and it's not part of your life."

Mostly, Vikings players bristle when talk from fans is brought up about how they should lose games to increase their chances of getting the top pick.

"We're not trying to lose because we need to draft no quarterback," said wide receiver Cordarrelle Patterson.

"I'm trying to win ballgames," defensive end Brian Robison said. "I could care less about draft picks right now. Fans have their opinions. But, for me, I come to play this game to win. I don't play this game for draft Richard Sherman Jersey Super Bowl picks."

The Vikings haven't had the No. 1 selection in the draft since 1968, when they took future hall of fame offensive tackle Ron Yary. If you ask Minnesota players, they're in no mood to have the team pick that high again.