Vikings quarterback Sam Bradford endured a whirlwind season in Minnesota.
After getting traded to the Vikings on Sept. 3, Bradford started 15 games and promptly set an NFL record with a completion percentage of 71.6.
He also set a franchise record with 395 completions. Bradford's strong season earned him team MVP honors from ESPN.com writer Ben Goessling.
Goessling wrote:
Playing behind eight different offensive line combinations and without running back Adrian Peterson for most of the season, Bradford still set a single-season NFL record for completion percentage and threw for a career-high 3,877 yards in 15 games. The Vikings' passing game needs to be better in the red zone, and there were still many times when Bradford threw short of the sticks on third down. But given all the changes around him, and the fact he joined the Vikings eight days before the start of the season, Bradford is the MVP in part because of the fact he provided some stability.
Bradford also threw for 20 touchdowns and just five interceptions, and compiled a career-best passer rating of 99.3, which was the sixth-best mark in the league.
Waynes surprises pair of middle schools
Fresh off the best season of his young career, Vikings cornerback Trae Waynes gave back to his Wisconsin hometown earlier this week.
Jeffery Zampanti of the *Kenosha News *caught up with Waynes during his visit to a pair of Wisconsin middle schools. Waynes' parents work at each of the middle schools as guidance counselors.
Zampanti wrote:
Waynes, a Harborside Academy graduate and former Bradford High School star, recently completed his second season with the Vikings. The 6-foot, 190-pound cornerback started eight games and became a fixture in the Minnesota secondary.
Waynes shared his journey to the NFL with local students, offering a surprise visit to Mahone Middle School on Tuesday and Lincoln Middle School on Wednesday. The 11th overall pick in the 2015 NFL Draft wrapped up his visit by meeting with the Lincoln football team in the school's auditorium on Wednesday.
Waynes, who had three interceptions and 50 tackles during his second season in Purple, also chatted with one of the middle school's football teams about life as an NFL player.
Waynes was peppered with questions from the Lincoln football players, ranging in topics from his high school and college experience, intercepting Green Bay Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers, the toughest NFL wide receiver, his hobbies and becoming a multi-millionaire.
Students enjoyed picking the brain of a professional athlete, an opportunity Waynes said he never had as a youngster.
"They had a lot of good questions," he said. "Hopefully, I was able to help them. These kids don't know what it's like to play in college or the NFL or what it takes to get there. Just having that information is helpful."
