Kyle Rudolph - Minnesota Vikings

1) Kyle Rudolph is a tight end for the Minnesota Vikings of the National Football League. 

2) Kyle attended the University of Notre Dame from 2008-2010 before being drafted by the Vikings in the second round (43rd overall) of the 2011 NFL Draft.

3) Rudolph has accumulated 425 receptions, 4,154 receiving yards, and 47 touchdowns as he enters his 10th season in the NFL in 2020. Kyle has also made the Pro Bowl twice in his 9 seasons. 

Photo credit Getty Images

Danny and Jordan: Kyle, what other sports did you play growing up?

Kyle Rudolph: 

Irv Smith Jr. - Minnesota Vikings

1) Irv Smith Jr. is a tight end for the Minnesota Vikings of the National Football League. 

2) Irv attended the University of Alabama from 2016-2018 before declaring for the NFL Draft after his junior season. In Smith's junior season, he posted 44 catches for 710 yards and 7 touchdowns while earning his second SEC championship (2016, 2018).

3) At just 20 years old, Irv Smith Jr. was drafted in the second round of the 2019 NFL Draft (50th overall) by the Minnesota Vikings. He went on to have 36 receptions for 311 yards and 2 touchdowns in his rookie season with the Vikings.

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Danny: What was your favorite memory of your rookie season in the NFL?

Irv Smith Jr.: Beating the Saints in the playoffs.

Danny's Follow Up: I did not think the Vikings were going to win that game and I thought the Saints were unstoppable. They went 13-3 because of Michael Thomas, Alvin Kamara and the rest of the team. That was a really good win for the Vikings.

Jordan: What other sports did you play growing up?

Irv Smith Jr.: I played basketball and started playing football in 8th grade.

Jordan's Follow Up: Basketball is my favorite sport to play. I'm sure he was hard to stop being that tall and strong.

On Saturday, January 24th, we made our return to the Super Bowl Experience. Our second major event of the day was heading to the autograph stage where Vikings TE Irv Smith Jr. and Steelers WR Diontae Johnson were meeting fans. Irv was a must see for Danny because Danny loves his Alabama Crimson Tide players and he loves to ask if they know his favorite player Ha Ha! Of course, Irv knows Ha Ha and that made Danny's day to know they were friends.

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The three of us believe Irv Smith Jr. is ready for a huge year in his second season in the NFL. He has tremendous speed and size for a tight end and I think he could make the jump to be considered one of the top targets in football in 2020. As a Bears fan, I hope he has a tremendous year against the rest of the NFL but when he plays Chicago two times next season he is welcome to take it easy on the navy and orange. Irv Smith Jr. was a cool guy all the way around and we wish him a long and successful career in the National Football League.

Trae Waynes - Minnesota Vikings

1) Trae Waynes is a cornerback for the Minnesota Vikings of the National Football League. 

2) Waynes played college football at Michigan State University from 2011-2014 where he became a Big Ten Champion (2013), Rose Bowl Champion (2014), First Team All-Big Ten (2014) and Cotton Bowl Champion (2015). He entered the 2015 NFL Draft after his junior season where he was the 11th overall selection by the Vikings.

3) Trae Waynes attended Bradford High school in Kenosha, Wisconsin where he was teammates with Melvin Gordon, running back for the Los Angeles Chargers. Waynes was a three sport athlete in high school and starred on the track and field and baseball teams.

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D: Who are the toughest wide receivers you've played against in the NFL?

Trae Waynes: Second toughest receiver to go up against is Tyreek Hill from the Kansas City Chiefs and the toughest guy I've covered in the NFL is Antonio Brown from the Steelers. (Note: Danny asked these questions while participating in the football camp, so we paraphrased Trae's answers) 

D's Follow Up: I'm a little surprised because I think Jordy Nelson and Randall Cobb would be harder to guard. I do think that Antonio Brown and Tyreek Hill are awesome too.


D: What are your favorite fruits and vegetables?

Trae Waynes: Strawberries and broccoli.

J's Follow Up: Those are two of my favorites too. I eat them almost every week. I eat broccoli at home all the time and every time I go to my Gramma's house.

On July 20th, the boys had an incredible opportunity to take part in a free football camp hosted by Kenosha natives and NFL superstars, Trae Waynes and Melvin Gordon. The three hour camp took place at their alma mater, Bradford High School in Kenosha, WI. 

With thunder and lightning covering the sky at the start of camp, the athletes started inside in the gymnasium and later made their way outside for the second half of camp as the weather cleared up. The boys worked on a range of football skills including receiving, footwork, throwing, and defensive drills. Jordan noted that players were allowed to pick their position group and he chose defensive back and joined just four other players and got nearly an hour of personalized instruction from Vikings defensive back Trae Waynes! 

Rain poured down once again at the end of camp, which sent campers and parents running for their cars. We we made our way back to camp about 30 minutes later and J got to take pictures and say goodbye to Trae and Melvin. It was 10 pm and Danny was tired, cold, and frozen, so he didn't make his way back from the car. Overall, the guys had a tremendous time and hope to be back for next year's camp. Thank you Trae for giving them an amazing experience!

Harrison Smith - Minnesota Vikings

1) Harrison Smith (#22) is a 3x Pro Bowl safety for the Minnesota Vikings who compete in the NFC North division of the National Football League.

2) Smith attended the University of Notre Dame and was a first round draft choice (29th overall) in the 2012 NFL Draft. Harrison finished out his career as a red shirt senior in 2011 where he served as team captain as recorded 90 tackles and had 3 tackles for loss.

3) Harrison was a three sport athlete in high school where he starred on the basketball and track teams along with the football team. He was a state champion in the high jump and the decathlon.

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J: Who is the fastest player you've ever played against?

HS: Tyreek Hill. He is the fastest.

J's Follow Up: Tyreek Hill said he was the fastest guy in the NFL so I get why Harrison Smith said that. Harrison has to be really fast to be the free safety too otherwise people would blow right by him.

D: What is your favorite fruit or veggie?

HS: I like asparagus a lot? Do you like veggies?

D's Follow Up: I've never tried asparagus and I think it might be good. My mom just bought some and I'm going try it tomorrow.

Dom: What team do you like to go against the most?

HS: The Bears.

Danny's Follow Up: Yeah. My whole family likes the Bears but I don't. I always want the Vikings to beat the Bears.

Jordan's Follow Up: He probably said that because he was in Chicago with Bears fans. I'm sure he likes to play against the Packers and Lions too.

Harrison Smith is the third and final Minnesota Vikings player we met at the Chicago Sports Spectacular in Rosemont on March 18th. His resume also suggests he's the best player at his position in the NFL as Harrison has been selected to three Pro Bowls in his young career and he was voted First-Team All-Pro in 2017. 

Photo credit Hannah Foslien / Getty Images

Harrison Smith was just as inviting and friendly as his Vikings teammates, Stefon Diggs and Adam Thielen. The First-Team All-Pro safety was quick to reference Tyreek Hill as the fastest player he's played against. We are assuming he is referring to playing against Tyreek in the Pro Bowl game since Harrison's Vikings have not matched up against Tyreek's Chiefs since 2015, which is one year before Tyreek Hill entered the NFL. 

We are still waiting on Danny to try asparagus even though he had his chance at dinner recently. He loves his vegetables more than Jordan does and I'm hopeful he'll give asparagus a shot soon because I'm sure he'll like it.

It was a special opportunity to meet one of the premier safeties in the NFL and he is certainly one of the nicest players we've had a chance to interact with at a signing. We wish him a great 2018 season when he's not playing my Bears (Jordan too) and Danny's Packers. 

Adam Thielen - Minnesota Vikings

1) Adam Thielen #19 is a wide receiver for the Minnesota Vikings who compete in the NFC North division of the National Football League.

2) Thielen played college football at Minnesota State University and was signed as an undrafted free agent by the Minnesota Vikings in 2013. 

3) In his 4th season on the Vikings 53-man roster, Adam became the first Vikings receiver to have a 1,000 yard receiving season since Sidney Rice in 2009. His impressive 2017 season also earned Adam his first Pro Bowl invitation.

D: What's your favorite fruit and veggie?

Adam Thielen: I like oranges and I like cucumbers.

D's Follow Up: I like oranges but not cucumbers. I like big oranges, cuties, halos, mandarin oranges, and orange juice. I tried cucumbers once and didn't like them. 


J: Who's the best quarterback you've ever played against?

Adam Thielen: Well, I've played against Tom Brady. He's pretty good.

J's Follow Up: I really said cornerback but he misheard me. I can still talk about Tom Brady though. It's not a surprise to me that he picked Tom Brady because Tom Brady is the G.O.A.T. and has won 5 Super Bowls and played in 8 of them.

Photo Credit Phelen M Ebenhack / Associated Press

Dom: Who's your best friend on the team?

Adam Thielen: Man, I've got a lot of best friends. Everybody.

Dom: If you had to pick one, who would it be?

Adam Thielen: Well, Cordarralle Patterson was my closest friend but he's not on the team anymore. So probably (Stefon) Diggs.

D's Follow Up: I know Cordarralle Patterson was on the Vikings then the Raiders and now the Patriots. I thought Stefon Diggs was really nice because he smiled a lot and was happy. I would like to be his friend too.

J's Follow Up: Stefon Diggs really wanted to talk to us and was interested in what we had to say. He seems like a fun friend to have.

Photo credit Hannah Foslien/ Getty Images

We met another Minnesota Vikings superstar wide receiver, Adam Thielen, at the Chicago Sports Spectacular in Rosemont on March 18th. We are very familiar with Adam Thielen, Stefon Diggs, and their Vikings teammates as they play our Chicago Bears and Danny's Packers twice each season. Adam's 2017 season was his best one yet as he posted 91 receptions for 1,276 yards and 4 touchdowns and earned a starting spot in the Pro Bowl along side Atlanta Falcons wide receiver Julio Jones. 

The boys and I found out quickly that Adam Thielen is just as impressive off the field as he is on the field. As we waited in line to meet Adam, the boys and I were talking about how well he catches the ball. When we arrived to the front, Danny asked for a "good luck" handshake, hoping that some of Adam's catching ability would rub off on him. Adam happily obliged and Jordan and Dom both got "good luck" handshakes too and let them know he was excited to meet them. Adam was also happy to take the time to answer each question, even the hard hitting one about his best friend on the Vikings. 

We are big fans of Adam Thielen, especially when he's not going up against our Bears or Packers teams. It was a great opportunity for us to meet one of the two top receivers in the NFC throughout the 2017 NFL season. We look forward to watching Adam and his Vikings in September and we hope he can have another Pro Bowl caliber season in 2018!

Stefon Diggs - Minnesota Vikings

1) Stefon Diggs #14 is a wide receiver for the Minnesota Vikings who compete in the NFC North division of the National Football League. 

2) Diggs attended the University of Maryland and was a fifth round draft choice (146th overall) in the 2015 NFL Draft. He declared for the NFL Draft after his junior season.

3) Stefon Diggs has been one of the top receivers in the NFC throughout his first three NFL seasons, posting regular season totals of 200 receptions, 2,472 receiving yards, and 15 receiving touchdowns. Diggs is most known for his game winning reception dubbed the Minnesota Miracle , where he caught a 61-yard pass from QB Case Keenum that sent the Vikings to the NFC Championship game.

D: Who's your favorite team to go against?

Stefon Diggs: Green Bay. It's always fun.

D's Follow Up: In my opinion Green Bay is the best BRO! Maybe the Vikings were better this year but next year the Packers will be better.

Photo credit Jamie Squire/Getty Images

J: We saw you were just at Mall of America for Nickelodeon Universe's 10 year anniversary celebration. What's your favorite ride at MOA?

Stefon Diggs: Oh, I didn't get on any rides this time but I may do them next time. I don't ride too many roller coasters. I have been on one of the roller coasters. It was an orange one. (Pepsi Orange Streak?) It goes really high and goes straight down. You guys can go on it with me next time though. (Um, yes please!)

Photo credit NickelodeonUniverse.com

J's Follow Up: Rides and roller coasters are awesome. My favorite ride at Mall of America is Brain Surge. My all time favorite roller coasters are Raging Bull and Goliath at Great America and Maverick and Rougarou from Cedar Point. 


Dom: Who was your favorite NFL player growing up?

Stefon Diggs: That's an interesting question. Probably Michael Vick. He was pretty good.

Photo credit Getty Images

Dom's Follow Up: I think Michael Vick was a very good QB because he was fast and had a powerful arm. My favorite player is a tie between Jordan Howard and Mitch Trubisky.

We were fortunate to meet Minnesota Vikings superstar wide receiver Stefon Diggs at the Chicago Sports Spectacular in Rosemont on March 18th. As huge fans of the NFL and fans of other teams in the NFC (Bears and Packers), we are very familiar with Stefon Diggs and his Vikings teammates. We watched the Vikings all season long as they finished tied for the best record in the NFC in 2017 with 13 wins and 3 losses. The Vikings defense was the top ranked defense in the NFL and the Vikings boasted one of the best wide receiver tandems in the league with Stefon and Adam Thielen. It was a tremendous season for the Vikings and with the addition of Kirk Cousins at quarterback and defensive tackle Sheldon Richardson, the Vikings are sure to be the NFC North favorites in 2018 and a popular pick to win the Super Bowl.

Stefon Diggs is a tremendous player on the field and we quickly found out he is just as great off of the field. He took his time answering the boys' questions and Stefon and the boys were all smiles during their time together. We saw on Twitter that Stefon was meeting with fans at the Mall of America for hours at the Nickelodeon Universe 10th Anniversary celebration the night before, so we are very thankful that he made it to Chicago on short notice to sign for his fans in the area. We were already big fans of his play on the field before we met him in person but we all left the Chicago Sports Spectacular even bigger fans of the superstar Minnesota Vikings wide receiver. We'll be cheering Stefon on when he's not playing our Bears or Danny's Packers...and we are planning a trip to the Mall of America this summer and we'll be riding everything at Nickelodeon Universe and we'll certainly take Stefon up on his offer to ride with him if he's in town!