All Press releases are coordinated through our Head of PR Dept, HipHopopotamus
Sep 13, 2008
The smell of freshly fallen rains brings a sense of excitement and wonderment. Yet, we all know that very same rain will change into gusting winds, violent downpours, and eventually the element that gives this field its namesake. The sounds of pads smashing, whistles blazing, and shouts of maddening heroics and devastation, bring shivers to the spines of the young and old alike watching from the sidelines. These same sounds will soon change to cries of victory, as well as chants of celebration and triumph. Soon the rain will pass, the wind will take over and everyone friend or foe will know what it means to enter the Tundra of the Icelandic Vikings.
Welcome to another season of Viking’s football. In just their second season in the league the Icelandic Vikings showed that they are emerging as one of the dominant teams in the Western Europe A #1 league. The Vikings fell short in the Zeta Conference Championship game, losing out to the dreaded Edinburgh Black Knights 44-33. While we would like to take a moment to congratulate the Black Knights on their victory and advancement to AA #1 league, no one in this stadium is sad about their departure from the league. Expectations this season are nothing short of a Championship as the Vikings look to continue their dominance and bring the fans of the Tundra their first of hopefully many Championships.
The Vikings are returning every starter from last season, and adding some new faces to the team. Quarterback Brady Badazz looks to lead this team in his fourth season in the league. Last season #10 for the Vikings put up an astounding 3,787 passing yards, 21 touchdowns and one of the best passer ratings in the league at 92.1. This off-season Brady told us while he was pleased with his success last year; there is always room for improvement.
“Last season was good, being named the starter for a professional team is every kids dream from the time your just tossing the pig skin in the back yard. I owe a lot of my success to my offensive line and my receivers. They allowed me to show everyone I have the ability and the heart to be a part of a winning franchise. I would like to see myself cutting back on a few of those interceptions. Everyone is going to make mistakes, and I am not going to sit here and say I wont throw one or two. 12 is too many for my own standards, I am a better quarterback than that. I would like to see 30, maybe 40 touchdowns this season.”
Fighting their way to glory again this season in the backfield is The Fearsome Threesome running back core of halfback Elmer Oliphant, halfback Speeeedy Gonzalez and fullback Blazing Tiger. To say that this group of talented back had a devastating running domination last season is an understatement. They will look to improve on last season’s fantastic stats. That may be a hard achievement considering the three backs put up a combined rushing total of 3,284.5 yards and 55 touchdowns. Fullback Blazing Tiger proved to be a heartbreaker for a lot of opposing defensives. The proverbial right hook of The Fearsome Threesome, Tiger marched up 877 yards of rushing and 11 touchdowns last season, he was a sure thing for short yard plays and goal line heroics. After putting the ball on the ground five times last season we are sure to see a little more attention paid to his carries. Look for him to hopefully be a threat in the passing game as well.
Speeeedy Gonzalez showed most teams that if you put down one back; another one would kick you in the teeth. As the jab of the devastating one, two, three combo backfield he broke the 1,000-yard mark for the first time in his career, while also seeing paydirt 19 times.
With Elmer Oliphant the workhorse of the Fearsome Threesome, the Icelandic Vikings saw the end zone a staggering 24 times during the regular season while he was carrying the pigskin. While passing the 1,000-yard mark for the first time in his career as well with 1,308 yards, this kid looks to be the stud back capable of surpassing the 2,000-yard mark this season and depending on how the offense shares the ball, could be a contender for the league rushing title.
In the receiving core this season the returning starters look to improve on an already impressive season down the field. Wide out Mark Brown led all receivers with 89 catches for 1,181 yards and seven touchdowns. Jesse Hesterer pulled in 88 receptions for 1,123 yards and a team leading 9 touchdowns. Eric Tillaeus while not the most productive of the wide outs could quite possibly be one of the most pivotal of the players for the Vikings. This do it all player hauled in 38 receptions for 551 yards and two touchdowns, while at the same time amassing a ridiculous 1,889 kick return yards leading to a touchdown as well as 961 punt return yards leading to two scores. While no one in this league questions his abilities, Tilleaus is rumored to be working with Glen Mills, the same man who helped produce the world’s fastest man, Jamaica’s Usain Bolt.
Finishing out the receiving core is tight end Peter Gozigna. While a pivotal part of the offense in blocking for Brady and The Fearsome Threesome, a lot of fans would like to see more opportunities for the big man to establish himself as a legitimate threat in the receiving core.
Last, but certainly not least this season is the return of Pancake Crew, led by monster center Mister Blob. Blob, who raked up 390 pancakes, had the honor to be named the “Pancake Champion.” In three years Blob has amassed 694 pancakes, which in this off-season led to a witch-hunt by unnamed sources asking that Blob be tested by the league for banned performance enhancing substances. It was no surprise to this reporter that the results from the league come back negative. Without a doubt the most dominating offensive line in the league the Crew put together a season of hole-opening, quarterback protecting pancake hysteria compiling 1411 pancakes. So, what do you do when you already dominate the league in the trenches? You bring in four-year veteran guard Stephen Peterman to make what was once an already dominant line, quite possibly the most destructive offensive force in this leagues history. With the addition of Peterman, pancake mania has exploded on the scene here in the Tundra. It didn’t take long after word got out about these guys that the endorsements starting rolling in. After the highly successful, while somewhat disturbing release of Fat Guys Dancin’ video the linemen soon found themselves signing a multi-year franchising deal with IHOP. I had an opportunity to speak with offensive tackle Jumbo Paver about the deal.
“Everyone knows that without a solid offensive line most of our success would be much harder to come by. The backs give us love, Brady gives us love, and everyone else gives us love. It is really a great feeling. I am not a huge fan of pancakes to be honest with you. I prefer waffles. But hey, my wife doesn’t have to cook breakfast, my grandkids and great grandkids are set, and my children get free pancakes for life. Who wouldn’t love that deal?”
Not surprising, local vendors as well as the stadium are taking advantage of the new fame. Pillagers Nook, a local favorite for pre-game and post-game celebration started their pancake special; where anytime the Vikings rack up 50 or more pancakes in a single game, pancakes are on the house. When talking with local owner Brig Nivotroski he had this to say about the promotion.
“After dos first two games we had to rethought this idea a little bit. We decided 75 cakes would help us keep this thing going. All I know is if we are giving out free cakes, our boys probably just put up a W.”
Jersey, shirts, and other paraphernalia relating to the craze are quickly becoming the stadiums top sellers. Talks were even reported last week between Vikings owner Sry, and B&G Foods Inc. about the Vikings very own line of maple syrup. If the deal goes through, Sry wants to hold a fan contest to design the logo and to pick the name. After last season success and the new stadium renovation things are looking up for the Icelandic Vikings.
Even with all the success of last season it is still hard to over look one of the biggest reason the Vikings went from a game away from the playoffs, to one game away from the Championship. The defense of the Icelandic Vikings was in the top ten in nearly every major category. They proved that while offense scores the points, defense is what takes you deep into the playoffs. Defensive tackle John Foster kept the rush coming last season with 7 hurries & two sacks & led the defensive line with 53 tackles. When asked about what he thought could be done to improve the lines success Foster had this to say.
“We got to the QB a lot last season, we provided the pressure to allow our backs to be some of the best in the league at interceptions and swatting those balls down. I have seen a lot of promise out of these guys; they have been hitting the sleds and the weights hard in preparation for the season. Hell, I even dropped 10 lbs. That should help.”
While it wasn’t pressuring the quarterback or even taking him down that was a concern for defensive coordinator Whodey, he made it clear what they need to focus on is where they take the quarterback down.
“We were 8th last season in hurries and sacks, but one of the worst in the league at turning those into 2nd and 13 and 3rd and longs. That has to change. Don’t get me wrong, any defensive coordinator is happy to see a sack, but we need to be pushing the ball back at the same time.”
The secondary was easily the most improved aspect of the Vikings defensive squad. Cornerback Kaleb Marr solidified his status as a defensive force with 38 passes deflected and 4 interceptions. After three forced fumbles as well it is not hard to see why the Vikings were one of the best in the league in these categories. Cornerback Songtan Sally also led the secondary with a career, and team high 94 tackles. He also managed to produce points for the Vikings as well as turnovers. I had a chance to speak with free safety Melissa May on what could be done to take them to the next level.
“We know we can match-up with any team in the league play for play. We need to maybe cause some more turnovers, take some of those deflected passes and turn them into interceptions, heck…maybe even take them in for six. Those heifers on the O-line are always dancing after a huge play; we can too dance. (Expletive deleted), we got way better moves than those huge cows!”
Without a doubt though, the buzz in the locker room has to be in regards to the acquisition of linebackers Lysol Jenkins, and Willy Wonthe. While the Vikings felt comfortable at the linebacker position last year it was no secret that depth was not one of their strong suits. In talking with Vikings owner Sry he had this to say about his team.
“It is no secret the way this game has evolved. There are linebackers out there that can blitz, defend passes, strip the ball; they do it all. We want that for our team. There is no reason why we shouldn’t put ourselves in the best position on defense to demoralize an offense. We want to give offensive coordinators fits every game.”
Last season the Vikings had a special teams unit that was, well…. special. Kicker Real Curse-Worn-Smythe II’s 86 percent field goal accuracy was as fancy as his name. He was clutch in every aspect of the kicking game. Punter Andr Ley thankfully wasn’t needed a whole bunch last season, but with his coffin kicks and well-placed field positioning it is a great relief to know that his 33 yards net average is there in case he is called upon. I had a quick moment to ask Special teams coordinator Hiphopopotamus what he thought could be improved upon this season.
“I really liked what we did last season in every aspect of our special teams unit. It is hard to be unsatisfied when you have someone like Eric back there returning kicks. I will be looking at revamping the coverage and kickoff teams a little bit to make sure he has every opportunity to be a game breaker every chance he touches the football. We had a few extra points the didn’t make it that we want to address, but overall I feel it is going to be another solid year for our unit.”
Something tells me with the addition to the offensive line and to the linebacker core, there is no reason to not consider Brady, The Fearsome Threesome, The Pancake Crew and the rest of the Icelandic Vikings front runners for league leaders in stats and in heavy contention for the Championship Title this year.
This is Thorlenfier Petorjornson reporting from Icelandic Vikings camp. I will see you next week for our first pre-season game and every week thereafter to give you everything you need to know about your Icelandic Vikings.
Sep 13, 2008
The smell of freshly fallen rains brings a sense of excitement and wonderment. Yet, we all know that very same rain will change into gusting winds, violent downpours, and eventually the element that gives this field its namesake. The sounds of pads smashing, whistles blazing, and shouts of maddening heroics and devastation, bring shivers to the spines of the young and old alike watching from the sidelines. These same sounds will soon change to cries of victory, as well as chants of celebration and triumph. Soon the rain will pass, the wind will take over and everyone friend or foe will know what it means to enter the Tundra of the Icelandic Vikings.
Welcome to another season of Viking’s football. In just their second season in the league the Icelandic Vikings showed that they are emerging as one of the dominant teams in the Western Europe A #1 league. The Vikings fell short in the Zeta Conference Championship game, losing out to the dreaded Edinburgh Black Knights 44-33. While we would like to take a moment to congratulate the Black Knights on their victory and advancement to AA #1 league, no one in this stadium is sad about their departure from the league. Expectations this season are nothing short of a Championship as the Vikings look to continue their dominance and bring the fans of the Tundra their first of hopefully many Championships.
The Vikings are returning every starter from last season, and adding some new faces to the team. Quarterback Brady Badazz looks to lead this team in his fourth season in the league. Last season #10 for the Vikings put up an astounding 3,787 passing yards, 21 touchdowns and one of the best passer ratings in the league at 92.1. This off-season Brady told us while he was pleased with his success last year; there is always room for improvement.
“Last season was good, being named the starter for a professional team is every kids dream from the time your just tossing the pig skin in the back yard. I owe a lot of my success to my offensive line and my receivers. They allowed me to show everyone I have the ability and the heart to be a part of a winning franchise. I would like to see myself cutting back on a few of those interceptions. Everyone is going to make mistakes, and I am not going to sit here and say I wont throw one or two. 12 is too many for my own standards, I am a better quarterback than that. I would like to see 30, maybe 40 touchdowns this season.”
Fighting their way to glory again this season in the backfield is The Fearsome Threesome running back core of halfback Elmer Oliphant, halfback Speeeedy Gonzalez and fullback Blazing Tiger. To say that this group of talented back had a devastating running domination last season is an understatement. They will look to improve on last season’s fantastic stats. That may be a hard achievement considering the three backs put up a combined rushing total of 3,284.5 yards and 55 touchdowns. Fullback Blazing Tiger proved to be a heartbreaker for a lot of opposing defensives. The proverbial right hook of The Fearsome Threesome, Tiger marched up 877 yards of rushing and 11 touchdowns last season, he was a sure thing for short yard plays and goal line heroics. After putting the ball on the ground five times last season we are sure to see a little more attention paid to his carries. Look for him to hopefully be a threat in the passing game as well.
Speeeedy Gonzalez showed most teams that if you put down one back; another one would kick you in the teeth. As the jab of the devastating one, two, three combo backfield he broke the 1,000-yard mark for the first time in his career, while also seeing paydirt 19 times.
With Elmer Oliphant the workhorse of the Fearsome Threesome, the Icelandic Vikings saw the end zone a staggering 24 times during the regular season while he was carrying the pigskin. While passing the 1,000-yard mark for the first time in his career as well with 1,308 yards, this kid looks to be the stud back capable of surpassing the 2,000-yard mark this season and depending on how the offense shares the ball, could be a contender for the league rushing title.
In the receiving core this season the returning starters look to improve on an already impressive season down the field. Wide out Mark Brown led all receivers with 89 catches for 1,181 yards and seven touchdowns. Jesse Hesterer pulled in 88 receptions for 1,123 yards and a team leading 9 touchdowns. Eric Tillaeus while not the most productive of the wide outs could quite possibly be one of the most pivotal of the players for the Vikings. This do it all player hauled in 38 receptions for 551 yards and two touchdowns, while at the same time amassing a ridiculous 1,889 kick return yards leading to a touchdown as well as 961 punt return yards leading to two scores. While no one in this league questions his abilities, Tilleaus is rumored to be working with Glen Mills, the same man who helped produce the world’s fastest man, Jamaica’s Usain Bolt.
Finishing out the receiving core is tight end Peter Gozigna. While a pivotal part of the offense in blocking for Brady and The Fearsome Threesome, a lot of fans would like to see more opportunities for the big man to establish himself as a legitimate threat in the receiving core.
Last, but certainly not least this season is the return of Pancake Crew, led by monster center Mister Blob. Blob, who raked up 390 pancakes, had the honor to be named the “Pancake Champion.” In three years Blob has amassed 694 pancakes, which in this off-season led to a witch-hunt by unnamed sources asking that Blob be tested by the league for banned performance enhancing substances. It was no surprise to this reporter that the results from the league come back negative. Without a doubt the most dominating offensive line in the league the Crew put together a season of hole-opening, quarterback protecting pancake hysteria compiling 1411 pancakes. So, what do you do when you already dominate the league in the trenches? You bring in four-year veteran guard Stephen Peterman to make what was once an already dominant line, quite possibly the most destructive offensive force in this leagues history. With the addition of Peterman, pancake mania has exploded on the scene here in the Tundra. It didn’t take long after word got out about these guys that the endorsements starting rolling in. After the highly successful, while somewhat disturbing release of Fat Guys Dancin’ video the linemen soon found themselves signing a multi-year franchising deal with IHOP. I had an opportunity to speak with offensive tackle Jumbo Paver about the deal.
“Everyone knows that without a solid offensive line most of our success would be much harder to come by. The backs give us love, Brady gives us love, and everyone else gives us love. It is really a great feeling. I am not a huge fan of pancakes to be honest with you. I prefer waffles. But hey, my wife doesn’t have to cook breakfast, my grandkids and great grandkids are set, and my children get free pancakes for life. Who wouldn’t love that deal?”
Not surprising, local vendors as well as the stadium are taking advantage of the new fame. Pillagers Nook, a local favorite for pre-game and post-game celebration started their pancake special; where anytime the Vikings rack up 50 or more pancakes in a single game, pancakes are on the house. When talking with local owner Brig Nivotroski he had this to say about the promotion.
“After dos first two games we had to rethought this idea a little bit. We decided 75 cakes would help us keep this thing going. All I know is if we are giving out free cakes, our boys probably just put up a W.”
Jersey, shirts, and other paraphernalia relating to the craze are quickly becoming the stadiums top sellers. Talks were even reported last week between Vikings owner Sry, and B&G Foods Inc. about the Vikings very own line of maple syrup. If the deal goes through, Sry wants to hold a fan contest to design the logo and to pick the name. After last season success and the new stadium renovation things are looking up for the Icelandic Vikings.
Even with all the success of last season it is still hard to over look one of the biggest reason the Vikings went from a game away from the playoffs, to one game away from the Championship. The defense of the Icelandic Vikings was in the top ten in nearly every major category. They proved that while offense scores the points, defense is what takes you deep into the playoffs. Defensive tackle John Foster kept the rush coming last season with 7 hurries & two sacks & led the defensive line with 53 tackles. When asked about what he thought could be done to improve the lines success Foster had this to say.
“We got to the QB a lot last season, we provided the pressure to allow our backs to be some of the best in the league at interceptions and swatting those balls down. I have seen a lot of promise out of these guys; they have been hitting the sleds and the weights hard in preparation for the season. Hell, I even dropped 10 lbs. That should help.”
While it wasn’t pressuring the quarterback or even taking him down that was a concern for defensive coordinator Whodey, he made it clear what they need to focus on is where they take the quarterback down.
“We were 8th last season in hurries and sacks, but one of the worst in the league at turning those into 2nd and 13 and 3rd and longs. That has to change. Don’t get me wrong, any defensive coordinator is happy to see a sack, but we need to be pushing the ball back at the same time.”
The secondary was easily the most improved aspect of the Vikings defensive squad. Cornerback Kaleb Marr solidified his status as a defensive force with 38 passes deflected and 4 interceptions. After three forced fumbles as well it is not hard to see why the Vikings were one of the best in the league in these categories. Cornerback Songtan Sally also led the secondary with a career, and team high 94 tackles. He also managed to produce points for the Vikings as well as turnovers. I had a chance to speak with free safety Melissa May on what could be done to take them to the next level.
“We know we can match-up with any team in the league play for play. We need to maybe cause some more turnovers, take some of those deflected passes and turn them into interceptions, heck…maybe even take them in for six. Those heifers on the O-line are always dancing after a huge play; we can too dance. (Expletive deleted), we got way better moves than those huge cows!”
Without a doubt though, the buzz in the locker room has to be in regards to the acquisition of linebackers Lysol Jenkins, and Willy Wonthe. While the Vikings felt comfortable at the linebacker position last year it was no secret that depth was not one of their strong suits. In talking with Vikings owner Sry he had this to say about his team.
“It is no secret the way this game has evolved. There are linebackers out there that can blitz, defend passes, strip the ball; they do it all. We want that for our team. There is no reason why we shouldn’t put ourselves in the best position on defense to demoralize an offense. We want to give offensive coordinators fits every game.”
Last season the Vikings had a special teams unit that was, well…. special. Kicker Real Curse-Worn-Smythe II’s 86 percent field goal accuracy was as fancy as his name. He was clutch in every aspect of the kicking game. Punter Andr Ley thankfully wasn’t needed a whole bunch last season, but with his coffin kicks and well-placed field positioning it is a great relief to know that his 33 yards net average is there in case he is called upon. I had a quick moment to ask Special teams coordinator Hiphopopotamus what he thought could be improved upon this season.
“I really liked what we did last season in every aspect of our special teams unit. It is hard to be unsatisfied when you have someone like Eric back there returning kicks. I will be looking at revamping the coverage and kickoff teams a little bit to make sure he has every opportunity to be a game breaker every chance he touches the football. We had a few extra points the didn’t make it that we want to address, but overall I feel it is going to be another solid year for our unit.”
Something tells me with the addition to the offensive line and to the linebacker core, there is no reason to not consider Brady, The Fearsome Threesome, The Pancake Crew and the rest of the Icelandic Vikings front runners for league leaders in stats and in heavy contention for the Championship Title this year.
This is Thorlenfier Petorjornson reporting from Icelandic Vikings camp. I will see you next week for our first pre-season game and every week thereafter to give you everything you need to know about your Icelandic Vikings.
