Vikings Notes and Links: Cris Carter, Dan Chisena, Kyle Rudolph
I hope everyone is staying safe and staying sane in this sports-less world. There's always Vikings news to talk about, so let's get to a few notes and links.
Cris Carter helping provide meals to those in need during the pandemic
USA Today's Jarrett Bell has a cool story on former Vikings star receiver and Hall of Famer Cris Carter supporting Project Isaiah, a "charitable organization established during the coronavirus pandemic to provide free, boxed meals to people in need and keep food-service workers employed."
The project was launched in April and has provided nearly 2 million meals in communities that have been hit harder than most by this pandemic. Carter has helped spread the word on something that hits close to home for him.
Carter has done a PSA for the project on Facebook, asked other Hall of Famers for help, called on business contacts to donate and conducted interviews to raise awareness. “It touches me personally because I don’t know what my family would have done 30, 40 years ago if there had been a pandemic,” Carter said. “If I was a young kid sitting around all day and my mom couldn’t go to work and we couldn’t go to school, it would have been tough. I was going to school for at least two of my meals.”
UDFA WR Dan Chisena hoping to follow Adam Thielen path to the NFL
Speaking of cool stories, Eric Smith of Vikings.com wrote a great feature on Vikings undrafted receiver Dan Chisena. The former Penn State track star had just three catches for 66 yards in his college career, but he's hoping that his speed allows him to earn a role on special teams while he develops as a football player. Chisena clocked an incredibly fast 4.32 second 40-yard dash in the pre-draft process.
While at Penn State, Chisena had to quit the football team briefly while on a track scholarship. But coach James Franklin let him re-join, and he went from a contributor on the scout team to making plays on special teams and even snagging those three receptions as a senior.
"I'm going to go in and do the best that I can with the opportunities that I'm given, and do whatever I can to help this team … at receiver or on special teams," Chisena said. "I'm just looking forward to being grateful for whatever opportunities come my way and trying to take advantage of them and letting the things I can't control take care of themselves.
Kyle Rudolph to participate in Peloton All-Star Ride on Saturday
Vikings tight end Kyle Rudolph will be one of the participants in Peloton's All-Star ride on Saturday. The event will air on ESPN at 11 a.m. central time. Here are the details:
ESPN will air Peloton’s first ever All-Star Ride on Saturday, May 30, featuring 16 pro-athlete participants (eight male and eight female) from across the sports landscape, all of whom are current Peloton members. The ride will air on ESPN at noon ET and consist of two 20-minute classes, with Peloton instructor Alex Toussaint leading the men’s division and Robin Arzon teaching the women’s division. The rider with the highest output number (the combination of a rider’s cadence and resistance) in each of the two rides will be declared the winner for his or her respective division. If the participating pro athletes collectively reach an output of 3,000, Peloton will donate one million meals to the Food Bank for New York City. ESPN’s Ryan Ruocco and Peloton instructor Ally Love will provide commentary for the one-hour special.
Notable other riders include Rory McIlroy, Gordon Hayward, Allyson Felix, and Dawn Staley.
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