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5 Vikings Players Trending Upward After the Week 1 Green Bay Game

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Several Vikings players offered the team some strong football in Week 1.

Most obvious, perhaps, there’s the effort from Carson Wentz while stepping in for the injured Kyler Murray. Give the veteran credit for stepping in to shine, something he told Vikings Territory he could do back in August. Look beyond just the passer position to see who did well for the Vikings.

The Vikings Players Who Shined in Week 1

No. 5 — Defensive Tackle Domonique Orange

NFL: Baltimore Ravens at Minnesota Vikings
Aug 22, 2026; Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA; Minnesota Vikings defensive tackle Domonique Orange (97) in action against the Baltimore Ravens during the first half at U.S. Bank Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Matt Krohn-Imagn Images – Credit: IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Mr. Orange wasn’t dominant in his debut NFL game. What he did do, though, was prove clutch on that 4th down attempt the Packers didn’t convert. Go ahead and watch that play. Keep your eye on #97, who is lined up directly across from the center:

One more detail: the Packers had missed a PAT earlier in the game. Had they drilled that kick, then Matt LaFleur almost certainly kicks the field goal to make it a 9-point game since it would be a two-score lead. Instead, the 4th & 1 QB sneak didn’t pan out, largely due to the rookie nose tackle stonewalling the center.

No. 4 — Corner James Pierre

NFL: Minnesota Vikings at New York Giants
Aug 15, 2026; East Rutherford, New Jersey, USA; New York Giants wide receiver Odell Beckham Jr. (3) is tackled by Minnesota Vikings safety Jacob Thomas (39) and cornerback James Pierre (23) during the first half at MetLife Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Vincent Carchietta-Imagn Images – Credit: IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Most obviously, there’s the interception. James Pierre did well in this moment.

However, there was strong ball beyond just plucking a pass out of the sky. The corner earned a 78.4 grade on PFF, earning his grade within 23 snaps. A question: should the Vikings have put Pierre onto Christian Watson to try to shutdown what the long-and-strong receiver was doing earlier in the contest?

No. 3 — Linebacker Blake Cashman

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Blake Cashman celebrates after a defensive play against the Lions at U.S. Bank Stadium.
Minnesota Vikings linebacker Blake Cashman (51) reacts after a defensive stop during fourth-quarter action against the Detroit Lions on Dec. 25, 2025 at U.S. Bank Stadium in Minneapolis. Cashman celebrated as the crowd roared late in the divisional matchup. Mandatory Credit: Matt Krohn-Imagn Images.

What a start for the veteran linebacker.

Blake Cashman is moving through a contract year. In Week 1, Cashman played like it. Not only was the PFF assessment impressive — a blistering 91.8 grade — but so were the basic statistics. His day finished with 7 tackles to stand alongside 2 tackles for loss, 0.5 sacks, and 2 quarterback hits. So, too, did he generate a ton of pressure on the blitz.

No. 2 — Wide Receiver Justin Jefferson

Justin Jefferson
Oct 1, 2023; Charlotte, North Carolina, USA; Minnesota Vikings wide receiver Justin Jefferson (18) reacts after scoring a touchdown in the third quarter at Bank of America Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Bob Donnan-USA TODAY Sports.

Can’t help but be happy for him. The elite WR1 had a tough 2025 due to the quarterback play being mostly awful.

Yet again, the Vikings had to sort through more passer turmoil with Kyler Murray leaving the game in the 1st quarter due to a concussion. Jefferson still found a way to explode.

Jefferson’s final stats: 8 catches, 92 yards, and 2 touchdowns. Better yet, Jefferson had a 2-point conversion, as well.

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No. 1 — Edge Rusher Dallas Turner

NFL: Detroit Lions at Minnesota Vikings
Dec 25, 2025; Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA; Minnesota Vikings linebacker Dallas Turner (15) celebrates after a play as Detroit Lions quarterback Jared Goff (16) reacts in the second half at U.S. Bank Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Matt Krohn-Imagn Images

Elite. Boiling down Dallas Turner’s day to a single word would mean describing it as elite.

The Vikings need Mr. Turner to continue doing what he did on Sunday. The defender had a pair of tackles to stand alongside the sack and forced fumble. More promising is that the Vikings saw him generate 9 pressures alongside 6 quarterback hits.

Elite.


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FSU president evaluates Mike Norvell after firing AD

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Florida State University President Richard McClullough spoke with the media on Monday, explaining the school’s decision to move on from athletic director Michael Alford, explaining why they made the move when they did, and more.

With Alford gone, all eyes are now on head football coach Mike Norvell, who has arguably the hottest seat in the country after back-to-back losing seasons and a 1-1 start to 2026. McClullough addressed his status with the program, briefly evaluating the job he has done.

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“Look, I love Mike Norvell,” McCullough said. “He’s a great human being.I love what he does with our student-athletes. Our grades have never been better under his leadership. I love how he takes our student-athletes and helps them to be the best version of themselves.

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“I love how he makes them competitive, and we love all that. And I have to tell you, nobody wants to win more than Mike Norvell. Except for maybe the players, me, Chairman Collins. I mean, we want to win. Of course we want to win. And, you know, college coaches are in the winning business, so that’s what we’re working on. I mean, we’re not really here to talk about Coach Norvell. This is really about AD Alford.”

Norvell is in his seventh season as FSU’s head coach and has a 39-35 record overall and a 22-27 record in conference play. They went 13-1 in 2023 and won the ACC, but have done nothing but struggle since then, going 8-18.

While pressure is mounting for the Seminoles to make a change, it will be a costly move to fire Norvell. According to Craig Myers of USA TODAY Sports, his buyout is $46.7 million if he is fired before Dec. 1, 2026. That would be the third-biggest ever.

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This article originally appeared on FSU Wire: FSU president evaluates Mike Norvell after firing AD

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Irish Premiership: Declan Devine to leave Glentoran after two and a half years

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Glentoran owner Ali Pour warned on Saturday that the pressure was on Devine to deliver this season.

Pour explained that Devine had at his disposal a squad that he had “hand-picked” after being provided with “the biggest budget of any manager”.

But, as has been the case for much of Pour’s time at the club, big spending off the pitch has not returned success on it.

Pour was in attendance for Saturday’s drab draw with Bangor when supporters certainly made their feelings clear.

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Despite an inconsistent campaign last season, the Glens were in control of their own destiny in the title race with two games to go.

Knowing two wins would secure a first title since 2009, they drew 0-0 at home to eventual champions Larne before they were then thumped 6-2 by Coleraine on the final day, with the Bannsiders pipping them to second spot.

Disappointment from the previous season has perhaps seeped into the current campaign as they were knocked out of Europe at the first hurdle by RFS and then lost to rivals Linfield and suffered back-to-back defeats against Crusaders and Larne.

The loss of midfielder Cammy Palmer in the summer has been keenly felt, while injuries have hampered Devine in the early part of the new season too.

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They have struggled for a focal point in the absence of last season’s top scorer Pat Hoban, while new signing Conor McMenamin will need time to ensure his second stint at the Oval lives up to the expectation established by his brilliant first spell.

The Glens still have a talented squad for whomever comes in next, but they will have to change the mentality of the players, who Devine’s assistant Tim McCann said on Saturday needed to start taking “accountability” for their “unacceptable displays”.

With ground to make up already in the title race, Glentoran supporters will hope that the new boss can quickly spark a new manager bounce to inject some life into what has been a listless campaign.

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We are Legion (We are Bob) celebrates 10 years! (Exclusive interview)

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10 years ago, Canadian author Dennis E. Taylor released his second book We are Legion (We are Bob) in audiobook format. Unable to find someone to publish his work in print, he received an offer from Audible. Soon, We are Legion (We are Bob) became a huge Audible success story.

We spoke to Taylor and voice actor Ray Porter on the tenth anniversary of the release. Six books in, Taylor is a happy man. He told Sportskeeda:

“Well, I don’t know what I expected when I wrote the first book. This is not it. Nothing even close to this. But everything keeps exceeding expectations. It’s hard to be upset.”

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Taylor wrote the first book in the Bobiverse in the traditional format, not even knowing that audiobooks were a thing. We are Legion (We are Bob) was thankfully a natural fit for Audible:

“I didn’t even really know audiobooks existed. I mean if somebody had asked me flat out, I would have said sure, there must be an audio version of some books on vinyl or CD or something like that. But I didn’t know the company name Audible or anything like that. I just wrote it.”

And lo and behold! The story translated wonderfully into the Audible format, thanks to the format the story was written in and the talents of voice actor Ray Porter. Taylor continued:

“There are some style decisions that you should make when you write for audio. I was just fortunate that I tended to write that way anyway.”

Dennis E. Taylor still remembers the day when he heard We are Legion (We are Bob) in audiobook format:

“It was absolutely mindblowing. And you’ve got to remember, because I was published audio first, I didn’t have a text version to look at. The audiobook was my book. That was it.”

Ray Porter’s voice made We are Legion (We are Bob) special

In this science fiction saga, Bob wakes up in the future and realizes he has no body. He embarks on an interstellar adventure and makes several replicants of himself. Porter recalled his first impression:

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“The prospect of it was daunting. The way that it was presented to me was that we have a sci-fi book with hard science and I was like great, good, love that. I am a big science space fan. I love all that stuff. And you’re going to play a guy who replicates himself endlessly. So you’ll have 50 to 60 characters and it’s all the same guy.”

Even though several Bobs are replicated from the first one, each one has a distinct personality. The writing is what informed Ray Porter’s decisions in creating the Bobiverse:

“All of the different characters, even though they are replicants essentially, all have their own identities in different ways.”


We are Legion (We are Bob) paved the way for several other books in the Bobiverse series. The Infinite Extent, the sixth installment of the Bobiverse is currently out on Audible, expanding the universe significantly.