NFL Owners’ Meetings begin this Sunday in Orlando, Florida and it’s expected the NFL will unveil its plans for the season-opening Thursday night (September 9) game, which typically pits the defending Super Bowl champions against a compelling opponent.

There has been speculation for over a month that the Vikings and Saints would meet on September 9 and the Star Tribune’s Chip Scoggins mentioned the possibility again on Friday. ESPN’s Adam Schefter also tweeted on the matter, stating : “It would be an enormous upset if the NFL’s season-opening Thursday night game on Sept. 9 were not Minnesota at Saints.”

We’ll have more information on this and other topics covered at the NFL Owners’ Meetings, so be sure to stay tuned to vikings.com.

But with 53 roster spots on each of the league’s 32 teams, a 7-round draft once per year isn’t enough to replenish and supplement the talent pool. Teams must also find undrafted players who have the ability to play at the NFL level.

NFL personnel guru and NFL.com contributing writer Gil Brandt certainly understands this concept. His knowledge of and respect for the process of finding talented undrafted players is on display at NFL.com right now, as he penned an article that identifies the top 75 undrafted players in NFL history.

Vikings fans might appreciate the piece by Brandt because several of the names will be familiar. QB Warren Moon, who was originally signed by the Houston Oilers but also played well for the Vikings late in his career, is ranked by Brandt as the 4th-best undrafted player of all-time.

Also, DT John Randle makes Brandt’s list. He’s ranked as the 12th-best undrafted player of all-time.

There’s a current Vikings (hint: one-half of the Williams Wall) who is ranked somewhere between #26 and #50 and a former Vikings Head Coach who is ranked somewhere between #51 and #75.

So here it goes.

There are 24 players on the Vikings roster who played college football for schools that will participate in this year’s tournament. Those 24 players represent 18 different institutions, with Maryland and Texas being the schools with the most players (3 each).

There are no players on the roster who represent a #1 seed but 7 players who will be paying close attention to #2 seeds. TE Visanthe Shiancoe represents the lowest-seeded school – Morgan State University, seeded 15th in the East bracket.

There are 3 matchups between players on the Vikings roster. They are:

– Tennessee (Anthony Herrera) vs. San Diego State (Heath Farwell)
– West Virginia (Darius Reynaud) vs. Morgan State (Shiancoe)
– New Mexico (DeAndre Wright) vs. Montana (Colt Anderson)

Kennedy will enter his 3rd season as a Viking in 2010 after originally joining the team in December of 2008. He enjoyed one of his most productive seasons in 2009, matching his career-best 3.0 sacks in the regular season and adding another sack during the playoffs. Kennedy made 1 start in 2009, filling in for Pat Williams at Chicago and tallying 9 tackles that night.

The former Penn State standout wa the #12 selection in the 2003 NFL Draft by the St. Louis Rams and has played for St. Louis, Chicago and Jacksonville, along with the Vikings, during his career. He has played in 77 career games with 31 starts and has posted 10.0 career sacks.

Then he was off to New York, where he apparently had another great visit. Eventually he flew back to San Diego to make a decision, and that decision was to play with the Jets rather than the Vikings.

So the early part of this week Vikings fans have spent time wondering why LT choose the Jets over their team. Well, we can wonder no more. Tomlinson spoke on the radio Wednesday with Dan Patrick and explained the reasons for his decision.

Tomlinson made it known he desired to join a team with championship potential. Both the Vikings and Jets played in conference championship games in 2009 and both teams appear to be heading for another successful season in 2010. Even though LT says he could have taken more money to play in Minnesota, there was another factor that had more influence.

“With the Jets, I know the offense,” Tomlinson said. “I know (offensive coordinator) Brian Schottenheimer. I enjoy being around Rex Ryan. So it was just a better fit.”

Although Sheldon is a new member of the Vikings staff, he’s not new to Minnesota. Sheldon was a DB for the University of Minnesota Golden Gophers in the 1990s before moving on to a career in coaching. His first taste of coaching came as a defensive graduate assistant (secondary) with a Gophers rival, the University of Wisconsin (1997-1999).

While at Wisconsin, Sheldon was part of a Badgers squad whose defense led the nation in 1998 and who became the 1st team in Big Ten history to win Rose Bowls in consecutive seasons (1998-1999).

Now, Sheldon is heading into his 10th season coaching in the NFL. Prior to joining the Vikings, Sheldon spent 4 seasons coaching LBs with the Buffalo Bills. While Sheldon was in Buffalo, the team’s LBs were instrumental to the team ranking #2 in the NFL in pass defense. The unit was led by middle LB Paul Posluszny, who emerged as a playmaking force in the Buffalo defense.

The E.J. Henderson Youth Foundation and Coerver Coaching will team up on Tuesday evening to put on a Youth Night at Winter Park for over 250 E.J. Henderson Youth Foundation and Coerver soccer students that will include festivities such as a warm-up by personal trainer Kyhaunn Woods, an opening message from Henderson, a silent auction and guest appearances by players from both the Vikings and the new NSC Minnesota Stars soccer team.

Also during the event, Henderson will receive the 2009 Vikings Community Man of the Year Award – which will be presented by Vikings Executive Director of Community Relations/Youth Football Brad Madson. Henderson was nominated for the award based upon his commitment to Twin Cities youth.

The mission of the E.J. Henderson Youth Foundation is to provide opportunity and encouragement to urban youth through academic, life skills and athletic programs developing each student in mind, body and soul.  The goal is to provide youth with the skills to become responsible members of their communities and find success in their futures.

One option that would cost nothing to the team would be to move RB Albert Young into the #2 slot.

Young provides a fresh look at the RB position and may be the Vikings best bet when considering the team’s future.  Perhaps the most appealing feature of Young’s abilities is his ball-catching capability.  During his 4 seasons at Iowa, Young caught 79 passes for 705 yards and 2 TDs.  His experience of catching passes out of the backfield may allow him to step in and take over Taylor’s role as a 3rd down back and in passing scenarios.

If the Vikings want to keep an experienced back in the #2 spot, they could acquire other free agent RBs currently on the market.  Before Tomlinson showed any interest in the Vikings, one name that gained a lot of attention was free agent RB Brian Westbrook.

Westbrook would make a nice fit in the Vikings #2 role and could make a seamless transition into Purple given his familiarity with Vikings Head Coach Brad Childress.  Westbrook has also proven that he is a more than capable pass catcher out of the backfield, but his history with concussions may raise a red flag to the organization.

Free agent RB Willie Parker has also been thrown in the mix of names that the Vikings should consider, but one of his biggest concerns over the past couple of seasons has been his inconsistency.

In 2008, Parker only scored 5 TDs and 3 of them came in the first game of the season against the Texans.  He also missed 5 games and produced a 100+ rushing performance only 4 times in the regular season.  The 6-year veteran was rarely used in 2009, with only 98 attempts for 389 yards and 0 TDs.

What may be the most conceivable route for the Vikings is to draft a RB.

Drafting a RB would allow the Vikings coaching staff to develop that player into the type of back they see most suitable for their needs.  This would also ensure a long-term solution at the RB position while providing a healthy competition with the Vikings current back-up RBs.

Do you have a comment or question? Submit it to us and it could be a part of next week’s Monday Morning Mailbag. To submit a comment or question, send an email to me at wobschallm@vikings.nfl.net and remember to include your name and town.

We can’t post every comment and question, but I’ll respond to every question.

Tomlinson’s decision came on Sunday after visiting the Vikings on Wednesday and Thursday and then the Jets on Friday. He flew back to San Diego on Saturday to make a decision with his family and word emerged of his choice on Sunday.

In New York, Tomlinson joins a Jets team that eliminated his Charger team on the way to the AFC Championship Game in 2009. New York ranked #1 in rushing offense last season and already features a young, rising star in Shonn Greene.

Perhaps Tomlinson’s most attractive trait at this point in his career is his ability to catch passes out of the backfield, a skill set that will make him dangerous in New York’s offense but would’ve made him a spectacular weapon in the Vikings offense. He also brings plenty of NFL experience – he’s entering his 10th season – to the Jets locker room.