Vikings have two more rookie defensive players

The Minnesota Vikings now bring more competitors onto their defensive line by signing two former Golden Gopher football players, defensive back Marcus Sherels and defensive end Cedric McKinley. The decision was made three days after the two had a tryout in Vikings’ rookie minicamp over the past weekend.

McKinley used to be a leader among the Gophers' defensive linemen by having a total of 35 tackles last season. 7.5 tackles of 35 were for loss and ranked third most on the squad. McKinley played in totally 23 games during his college football career and was starter at his position in eight of them. His college career number include 43 total tackles, 10.5 tackles for loss, 3 fumble recoveries and 2 forced fumbles.

McKinley’s former and current teammate, Sherels, also had a brilliant college football career. He ranked sixth on the squad last season with 51 total stops. Although, he had to skip three games because of injury, the defensive back still managed to be the second best defensive end on the team last season. Finishing his college career with 106 tackles, 18 pass break-ups and 4 interceptions in 37 games, Sherels is highly expected to have as brilliant professional football career after putting on the Vikings jersey.

NFL rookie LB Fein died of unexplained causes in Washington

Tony Fein is an Iraq war veteran and undrafted rookie linebacker in NFL. He used to play with the Baltimore Ravens during the preseason but had to take off the ravens jersey in the team's last major round of roster cuts on Sept. 5. At age 27, the undrafted rookie free agent died Tuesday of unexplained causes at a friend’s house in Washington.

According to a battalion chief and medical officer with South Kitsap Fire & Rescue, Fein collapsed at a friend’s house. When medics arrived at a house outside Port Orchard on the Kitsap Peninsula just before 9 a.m PDT Tuesday, he was lying face down and unconscious, vomiting and barely breathing. He went into cardiac arrest during the drive to Harrison Medical Center in Bremerton, across Puget Sound from Seattle. At 9:48 a.m. PDT Tuesday, the young man was pronounced dead at the hospital.

A detective has been assigned to the case because the death seemed unusual-there were no obvious wounds or signs of alcohol or other drug abuse, and nothing indicated foul play. The man and woman who were staying with Fein did not give a lot of information about what happened the night before. And an autopsy will be conducted Thursday, and it would take six to eight weeks before all oxicology and other tests are complete.