The Minnesota Vikings have pledged to make Kyle Rudolph a larger part of their offense for, well, his whole career. ''It's an honor to know that they have the faith in me and the trust in me to instill that value in me, and I'm going to do everything I can to go out on the field and perform at that level,'' Rudolph said between practices on Monday, after signing a five-year contract extension the night before. He added: ''I want to be the best tight end in the NFL, and that's why I go out every day to work the way that I do.'' The Vikings were enamored enough with the soft-handed, slender Rudolph that they drafted him out of Notre Dame in the second round in 2011 despite a nasty injury, a torn right hamstring, that he was still recovering from at the time. Rudolph won the Most Valuable Player award at the Pro Bowl after the 2012 season, but he has accumulated a modest 1,055 yards and 15 touchdowns over three years in the NFL. More...