We stay in the north this week on NFL Thursday, drifting west from the Boston area to the Twin Cities. After last week’s ethical and moral dilemma(s), there are no such issues this week. The Minnesota Vikings have a proud history, despite the lack of NFL championships on the organizational transcript. The list of players below mixes the past eras of professional football in Minneapolis/St. Paul quite well, however, overall.

No. 10: Kevin Williams, DT/DE—120 AV (2003-2013)

The No. 9 overall pick, he achieved a lot with the franchise, making 6 Pro Bowls (including 5 consecutive from 2006-2010). Playing left defensive end as a rookie, he switched to right defensive tackle for the rest of his tenure with the team. All things told, Williams put up 60 sacks in 11 years with the Vikings; he also forced 8 fumbles and intercepted 5 passes. He was relatively quiet in the 6 postseason games he played in.

No. 9: Cris Carter, WR—120 AV (1990-2001)

Beyond the memorable quip by ESPN’s Chris Berman, Carter made 8 consecutive Pro Bowls when he was with the Vikings (1993-2000), justifying the trade that brought him over from Philadelphia. In 200 games for Minnesota, he hauled in 118 touchdown receptions, helping the team reached the playoffs 8 times in his 11 seasons with the franchise. Carter topped the NFL once in receptions and 3 times in TD catches. Dynamic!

No. 8: Paul Krause, FS/SS—122 AV (1968-1979)

He came to the Vikings after 3 years with the Washington Redskins, and he ended up making the Hall of Fame, as the career leader in interceptions (81) still today. With Minnesota, he played both safety positions, made 6 Pro Bowls, and intercepted 53 passes. Krause also played in 19 postseason games with the franchise, and he was a member of all 4 Super Bowl participants (1969, 1973, 1974, 1976) in organizational history.

No. 7: Ron Yary, T—135 AV (1968-1981)

Also a member of the 4 Super Bowl teams, he was the No. 1 overall pick in the draft out of USC. He made 7 straight Pro Bowls (1971-1977), and Yary ended up in the Hall of Fame, too, of course. It’s hard to quantify the contributions of offensive linemen, especially before modern statistical compilation, but he posted 7 consecutive seasons of double-digit Approximate Value (AV) over that same stretch of his Pro Bowl nods.

No. 6: Mick Tingelhoff, C—152 AV (1962-1978)

One of 11 players in team history to play on all 4 Super Bowl squads, he was undrafted out of college and went on to have a Hall of Fame career with Minnesota nonetheless. Talk about a rousing success story that deserves to be told! Tingelhoff made 6 straight Pro Bowls (1964-1969) and posted double-digit AV marks in 5 of those 6 seasons. Overall, he played in 19 postseason games with the Vikings, too. His career is legendary.

No. 5: Fran Tarkenton, QB—158 AV (1961-1966, 1972-1978)

In 2 different stints with the Minnesota organization, posting a 91-73-6 record as the starting quarterback. A third rounder, he forged a Hall of Fame career with the Vikings while making 5 Pro Bowls with the team and leading it to 3 Super Bowls in a 4-year span. His winning record as a playoff starter (6-5) despite not winning a title speaks volumes. He retired with a lot of records for QBs that have since been broken.

No. 4: Randall McDaniel, G—158 AV (1988-1999)

He made 11 consecutive Pro Bowls (1989-1999) in his time with Minnesota, contributing to his Hall of Fame election. He definitely justified his No. 19 overall draft selection. In his final 10 seasons with the Vikings, he posted double-digit AV every year—leading the NFL with 23 AV during the 1995 season. How often does an offensive lineman top the league in value? He also played in 13 playoff games for the team in 12 seasons.

No. 3: Jim Marshall, DE—163 AV (1961-1979)

Sadly, he’s most famous for one play, but in his Hall of Fame career, Marshall made a mere 2 Pro Bowls despite compiling 128 sacks and playing in 19 playoff games (9 more sacks) with the Vikings. He recovered 29 fumbles in his career, too, while scoring 8 total points as well. His longevity is impressive as he played pro football into his early 40s. Makes you wonder why the Cleveland Browns gave up on him after 1 year.

No. 2: Alan Page, DT—165 AV (1967-1978)

The rare defensive player to be voted NFL MVP (1971), he made 9 straight Pro Bowls from 1968-1976. He also topped 20 AV in 3 consecutive seasons (1969-1971), peaking with 24 AV in 1970. With 108.5 sacks from his interior position, Page was the anchor of the Purple People Eaters defense for a decade-plus. What more can we say about his Hall of Fame career? He led the NFL in fumble recoveries (1970) and safeties (1971).

No. 1: Carl Eller, DE—177 AV (1964-1978)

This is perhaps the biggest surprise we’ve encountered in our miniseries in terms of a franchise’s best player, and that’s no commentary on Eller himself, a Hall of Fame player. We’re just surprised he outdid the others on this list. Overall, he posted 130.5 sacks, 8 seasons of double-digit AV, 6 Pro Bowls, etc. The No. 6 overall pick, he topped the NFL in AV once (23, 1969), while leading the league in sacks (15) that same year.