GAMES/STARTS (regular season, playoffs) 2006 (IR), 2007 (16/16), 2008 (16/15, 1/1), 2009 (16/16, 2/2), 2010 (16/16). Total- 64/63, 3/3.
- Led Vikings in tackles from 2008-11 and was selected by teammates in 2010 as Vikings Defensive MVP.
- Earned 1st career NFC Defensive Player of the Week honors at Detroit (9/20/09), a day he had 3 takeaways (2 INT, 1 FR) and recovered an onside kick.
- Scored 1st career TD on a 37-yard INT return at NY Giants (11/25/07) on a day the Vikings scored a team record 3 TDs off picks against the eventual Super Bowl champions.
OFF THE FIELD Active member of the Twin Cities community and a year-round resident...Works through his Lead The Way Foundation to enhance education and health opportunities for children...Donated funds to build a new track at his alma mater, Mt. Vernon High School...Made generous donation of $100,000 to Sanford Hospital in Sioux Falls, SD in spring 2008 to help children’s cancer patients and families...Hosts annual NFL Draft party in South Dakota as a fundraiser for his foundation...Recognized by teammates as the 2007 winner of the Ed Block Courage Award for his dedication and effort coming back from season-ending knee injury as a rookie...Graduated with a degree in communication studies from Iowa…Married in July 2006 to Jennifer Capista, a former track and field athlete at Iowa…Couple has daughters, Maddyn and Beckett...Joined his wife and members of the Vikings Women’s Organization in hosting the annual Greenway Gridiron Gallop 5K fun run on Father’s Day...Grew up on a hog and crop farm in Mount Vernon, SD, which has a population under 400…Played 9-man football in high school...Had his high school jersey, #8, retired in a winter 2009 event at Mt. Vernon High.
HONORS Earned Pro Bowl berth in 2011...Named Vikings Defensive MVP in 2010 by teammates...Earned NFC Defensive Player of the Week at Detroit (9/20/09).
GAMES/STARTS (regular season, playoffs) 2006 (IR), 2007 (16/16), 2008 (16/15, 1/1), 2009 (16/16, 2/2), 2010 (16/16). Total- 64/63, 3/3.
- Led Vikings in tackles from 2008-11 and was selected by teammates in 2010 as Vikings Defensive MVP.
- Earned 1st career NFC Defensive Player of the Week honors at Detroit (9/20/09), a day he had 3 takeaways (2 INT, 1 FR) and recovered an onside kick.
- Scored 1st career TD on a 37-yard INT return at NY Giants (11/25/07) on a day the Vikings scored a team record 3 TDs off picks against the eventual Super Bowl champions.
OFF THE FIELD Active member of the Twin Cities community and a year-round resident...Works through his Lead The Way Foundation to enhance education and health opportunities for children...Donated funds to build a new track at his alma mater, Mt. Vernon High School...Made generous donation of $100,000 to Sanford Hospital in Sioux Falls, SD in spring 2008 to help children’s cancer patients and families...Hosts annual NFL Draft party in South Dakota as a fundraiser for his foundation...Recognized by teammates as the 2007 winner of the Ed Block Courage Award for his dedication and effort coming back from season-ending knee injury as a rookie...Graduated with a degree in communication studies from Iowa…Married in July 2006 to Jennifer Capista, a former track and field athlete at Iowa…Couple has daughters, Maddyn and Beckett...Joined his wife and members of the Vikings Women’s Organization in hosting the annual Greenway Gridiron Gallop 5K fun run on Father’s Day...Grew up on a hog and crop farm in Mount Vernon, SD, which has a population under 400…Played 9-man football in high school...Had his high school jersey, #8, retired in a winter 2009 event at Mt. Vernon High.
HONORS Earned Pro Bowl berth in 2011...Named Vikings Defensive MVP in 2010 by teammates...Earned NFC Defensive Player of the Week at Detroit (9/20/09).
PRO Earned 1st career Pro Bowl berth after leading team with 174 tackles...Voted by teammates as Defensive MVP in 2010 after leading team in tackles (149) and tackles for loss (10.0)...Led Vikings in tackles in 2008-2011 and ranked 2nd in 2007...Joins only Scott Studwell (6) and Rip Hawkins (4) as the only players in Vikings history to lead the team in tackles 4+ straight seasons...Set career-high with 22 tackles vs. Oakland (11/20), the 2nd-most in Vikings history behind Studwell’s 24 at Detroit in 1985...Since spending his rookie season on injured reserve with a preseason knee injury, he has not missed a game in the following 5 seasons...Has started 79 of the 80 career games he has played and all 3 playoff contests...From 2007-11, his 9 FRs ranks 2nd in the NFL...Notched 6 takeaways in each 2007 and 2009...Named NFC Defensive Player of the Week for game at Detroit (9/20/09) when he had 3 takeaways (2 INT, 1 FR) and recovered an onside kick…Tied for NFL lead with 4 FRs in 2007 and tied for 2nd in 2009 with 3...Scored 1st career TD on a 37-yard INT return at NY Giants (11/25/07), part of a record-setting day against Giants as the Vikings returned 3 INTs for TDs...Helped Vikings tie team record with 6 INT-return TDs in 2007, matching the mark of the 1992 team...Helped Vikings rank #1 in the NFL against the run in 2007 and 2008...Is the only Iowa LB ever selected in the 1st round of the NFL Draft…Selected #17 overall in the 2006 NFL Draft and was the 3rd LB taken, behind only A.J. Hawk (#5) and Ernie Sims (#9).
2011 Reconized as a Pro Bowler for the 1st time in his career...Led team with career-best 174 tackles...Shattered his previous career-high tackles of 150 set in 2008...Set career-high and ranks 2nd-best in team history with 22-tackle day vs. Oakland (11/20) and had career-high 4 tackles for loss vs. Oakland...Notched 10+ tackles in 9 games during the season...
2010 Recognized by teammates as Vikings Defensive MVP...Helped Vikings defense rank in NFL’s top 10 for 3rd straight season...Led team in tackles for 3rd straight season with 149, just shy of his career-best 150...Notched 10+ tackles in 6 games during the season...Led team with 10 tackles for loss...Notched a sack of Cardinals QB Derek Anderson vs. Arizona (11/7)...Recovered a Lions fumble on punt coverage vs. Detroit (9/26) that led to a Vikings TD...Notched season-high 14 tackles vs. Detroit.
2009 Led team in tackles for 2nd straight season...Posted team-high 6 takeaways (3 INTs, 3 FRs) which was tops for NFL LBs...Became only the 3rd Vikings LB to have a 3-takeaway game at Detroit (9/20) with 2 INTs and a FR, returning an INT 36 yards for his season long...Earned 1st career NFC Defensive Player of the Week honor at Detroit...Key part of the Vikings defense that finished ranked #6 in the NFL for total defense for the 2nd straight year...Led team in tackles during NFC Championship game with 9...Posted 1st career playoff sack vs. Dallas in Divisional Playoff game against Tony Romo...Notched double-digit tackles in 4 games- 11 vs. Baltimore (10/18), 12 at Green Bay (11/1), 12 at Carolina (12/20 and 13 at Chicago.
2008 Had breakout season in his 2nd year on the field, leading the team in tackles with 150, and posting the 4th-best total by a Vikings LB in team history with 5.5 sacks...Key part of the Vikings ranking #1 in the NFL against the run for the 3rd straight season, a feat not accomplished by an NFL team since the 1970 AFL-NFL merger...Helped Vikings rank #6 in the NFL in total defense, the highest rank since 1994...Notched career-high 17 tackles at Tampa Bay (11/16)...Had sacks in 3 straight games...Had 10+ tackles in 6 games...Led team with 10 tackles in Wild Card playoff game vs. Philadelphia (1/4/09).
2007 Bounced back from knee injury that cost him his rookie year to lead the team in takeaways with 6...Led the team with 4 FFs and finished 2nd in tackles with 130...Part of record-setting defensive effort that matched the Vikings record with 6 INT-return TDs and posted team-best 3 INT-return TDs in a game at NY Giants (11/25), joining Darren Sharper and Dwight Smith in scoring on returns during the game...The 3 INT-return TDs tied for the 2nd-most in an NFL game...Scored 1st career TD on a 37-yard INT return at NY Giants (11/25) off Eli Manning, his 2nd straight week with an INT after picking former Vikings QB Daunte Culpepper the week before vs. Oakland (11/18)...Had an INT and FR vs. Oakland (11/18), picking up a Culpepper fumble...Vikings led NFL in rushing defense.
2006 Suffered torn ACL in left knee on kickoff coverage in the preseason opener vs. Oakland (8/14)…Placed on injured reserve on 8/17, ending his rookie season.
COLLEGE A 2-time All-Big Ten selection who finished his career ranked 5th in Iowa history with 416 tackles…Started 38 of the 45 games he played in and recorded 10+ tackles in a game 25 times…Iowa’s Co-MVP as a senior…His 156 tackles as a senior in ’05 rank 3rd in school history…Earned 2nd-team All-Big Ten honors as a sophomore…Redshirted as a true freshman in 2001.
PREP A 1st-team All-State selection as a junior and senior and 3rd-team as a sophomore at Mount Vernon (SD) High...Played 9-man football in high school…Led team to back-to-back state titles as a QB and FS…Named Gatorade Player of the Year for the state…Team captain in football for 3 straight years…Also lettered in basketball, baseball, and track…Won 4 events at the 2000 state track meet, including the triple jump.
