Welcome to Around the Horns, our daily look at what's happening on the Vikings beat:
Sunday marks the 25th anniversary of one of the most infamous -- and lopsided -- trades in sports history: the deal that sent Dallas Cowboys running back Herschel Walker to the Minnesota Vikings in exchange for a handful of players and a bundle of draft picks that eventually formed the foundation of the Cowboys' three Super Bowl teams. The trade is being commemorated across a variety of media this week, including two ESPN pieces that are worth your time: Steve Wulf's feature on how the trade came together, and a 30 for 30 Short called The Great Trade Robbery.
For Vikings fans, the occasion brings back a different set of memories than it does for Cowboys fans, and while there's no way to know if the tables would have turned if the Vikings would have hung onto all those picks -- it's impossible to tell if they would have drafted as shrewdly, or converted as many into additional picks, as Dallas did. Wulf's piece also recalls the Cowboys would have traded Walker to Cleveland if the Vikings had not come through with the deal they offered, so it's not as though coach Jimmy Johnson and owner Jerry Jones wouldn't have gotten a bounty for Walker. But the move, as it happened, changed the face of the NFC for much of the 1990s, put the Cowboys back on the map and triggered one of the great draft-and-develop jobs in league history.
It's still staggering to go back and look at the price the Vikings paid to get Walker, though draft picks weren't quite as prized before teams would lose players to free agency. Even though the deal former GM Mike Lynn made probably doesn't trigger many warm feelings for Vikings fans, the retrospectives on the deal are nonetheless a fascinating look at an era that doesn't seem so long ago, yet is completely different than the environment in today's NFL.
In case you missed it on ESPN.com:
Adrian Peterson's child abuse trial appears likely to start on Dec. 1, even as prosecutors in Texas try to have Judge Kelly Case removed from the running back's case.
Teddy Bridgewater says his ankle is 100 percent, and he will play against the Detroit Lions on Sunday with no limitations.
Coach Mike Zimmer also expects safety Harrison Smith to play after spraining his ankle last Thursday.
Our NFL Nation Buzz video looks at the Vikings' chance to get their pass rush going against a team that's allowed 17 sacks this season.
Wide receiver Jarius Wright was back at Vikings practice after dealing with a family situation over the weekend.
Best of the rest:
Zimmer doesn't have any concerns about Bridgewater's durability going forward, according to Matt Vensel of the Minneapolis Star Tribune.
Zimmer believes the Vikings' other first-round pick -- rookie linebacker Anthony Barr -- could one day turn into one of the best in the league, Derek Wetmore of 1500ESPN.com writes.
Blair Walsh believes kickers are held to a higher set of expectations than ever, according to John Holler of Viking Update.
