Brick Keeps Us Waiting

Good morning Purple Nation. Well I didn’t see that coming I must say, I was hoping to wake up this morning to see us with a shiny new draftee, but there were a confusing few moments when I logged onto NFL.com this morning. First off, I saw that Sam Bradford went to the Rams, okay pretty standard stuff, so then I scrolled down to #30, and saw… the Lions with a new running back… Ummmmay, so did we trade up for 2nd overall, and grab Ndkdkaakahhagmmgmggmnng? No… Detroit got him too, so where the bugger were we in round one? Well it seems that Rick and Brad (Brick if they were a celebrity couple) decided to pounce on this years very deep draft and trade 30th overall for the Lions’ 2nd, 4th and 7th round picks. Score!!!

Unlike Jim Souhan at the Tribune who frets that the choice to allow our divisional rivals the chance at another solid player could result in Detroit being half decent in a year or seven’s time, I for one am excited at us making a very smart move in the draft. And, like Gonzo at the Norseman, I feel like it’s given us an opportunity to take a franchise Quarterback, in Jimmy Clausen at the top of round 2, and still have the picks to strengthen the defence, plus we didn’t really miss out on anyone we were needed from the later picks by the Colts and S*ints, so it seems to be a win/win.

From what I’ve heard Clausen is a real top prospect, and if we do take him, he is a player we can school for a year or two, and then unleash. He was meant to be first round, high-pick material and it is a bit of a mystery why gimps like Tebow were picked above him, but it is the way it is and I think we’d be mad not to take this opportunity. A good QB will last a long time, can take the team places, and we need someone like that. Favre or no Favre, T-Jack/Sage are not franchise material and I can’t see us getting another opportunity next year to take such a promising player. Plus if we take him now, he’d have the opportunity (probably) to learn from one of the greatest of all time. There have been questions over Clausen’s temperament but surely a couple of seasons under the wing of some quality players will ground the guy and ready him for the big time.

And if we did take him, the extra picks we have would let us still make quality signings to strengthen the team. We are not as desperate for a CB either, so in my opinion it makes sense.

But if yesterday taught us one thing, it’s to expect the unexpected, and this could well be a move from the Brick to make wholesale changes to key areas of the team. Regardless, if you’re a Vikings, suddenly round 2-7 are going to be a lot more interesting.

And to add some spice to the mix, and possibly influence our decision, we have the return of FAVRE WATCH!!!

NFL Network’s Steve Mariucci claims that he had a phone conversation with Brett Favre a couple of days ago, and the Silver Fox claims that he is still unsure about 2010, mainly because his poor little ankle still hasn’t recovered from the battering it took back in January. So expect the man’s agent to release more pics, we all remember the old ones of course…*cue miniature violins*

So what will this all mean? Well I won’t know till tomorrow morning, but it should be tasty whatever happens.

Pointless Preseason Predictions – Part 2

Well the sun is still shining in London and the planes are starting to take off again, though the skies are still eerily quiet. But all this travel chaos will take a back seat on my radar for this weekend as we sit down and enjoy the wonder that is the NFL Draft. With 30th pick overall, our Minnesota Vikings may not necessarily sign a franchise superstar, but we should be able to build on what is already a very strong team.

So when I wake up tomorrow morning and turn on my computer (there’s no way I’m staying up until 3am!) I’m hoping to see a wealth of headlines about our new recruits, though I might scream if “pieces” and “puzzles” are mentioned. The draft if an enigma for a British sports fan. It does not exist within the realms of sport in this country. In soccer, players are poached from youth academies when they are as young as 9 or 10, there is no college system (so they are as dumb as they are ugly), and when it comes to the top leagues, the lack of parity means that top clubs stay great for years whilst the lower down clubs remain poor and struggle to attract star players. For these reasons and many more, I love the draft, I think it keeps things relatively fair and creates a buzz for every team in the league (apart from the Raiders), and not just those with large wallets. Plus it puts to bed all those sodding mock drafts. So here’s to the Vikes personnel team (I’m looking at you Spielman), may you bring in the next generation of Purple legends!

So, for me, less than 24 hours,or everyone who’s -5hrs BST, less than that. But to fill the time until then, here’s part 2 of my 2010 season prediction, following the release of our schedule. I had us at 5-3 for the 1st 8 games, can it get better?

Wk10 @ Bores: In a word, no. We want revenge for last season, but there’s just this nagging part of me that thinks we won’t get it. Taylor will run and run, Julius Peppers will have a blinder, and whilst Cutler will be a fat lump of choad, I can sadly see losing a close one. It’s going to be cold and nasty, and Favre’s arm doesn’t tend to do well in bitter conditions. A Peterson TD and a pair of 50 yarders from Longwell will be all we get. Prediction: L ~ 13-17

Wk11 v P*ckers: Okay so now we’re pissed and the scum are coming to our place. Time to get medieval on their candy asses. The Williams wall enters steamroller mode and the linebackers play “Let’s collect Rodgers’ teeth”. On the offence Peterson runs riot, with Harvin, Berrian and the Shank each picking up scores. We have a comfortable lead, Rodgers can only piss in the wind. Prediction: W ~ 24-35

Wk12 @ Redskins: The One That Got Away Bowl maybe, but I’m never convinced by the Redskins and no amount of heavy spending is going to change my mind on them even if they are at home. Sure they are going to be better than last year, but they sucked last year and they won’t get that much better. Their pass D was pretty good so I see All Day and Harvin charging at them until they run screaming. Prediction: W ~ 34-14

Wk13 v Bills: They really suck and we’re at home. Prediction: W ~ 7-28

Wk14 v Giants: We’ve made a very good habit of beating these guys and they must be sick and tired of coming to Minneapolis to be whipping boys, there is just something about this matchup which will leave them once again leaving the State of 10,000 Lakes with their tails between their bandy legs. Eli is a little bitch who hasn’t yet found a use for the Mach3 razor Peyton got him on his 17th birthday, and their D needs a lot of work after collapsing following their miraculous Super Bowl victory. It won’t be a blowout like last year, but it’s still money in the bag. Prediction: ~ W 14-31

Wk15 v Bores: Revenge is a dish best served to Jay Cutler, because you know that lardo will eat anything covered in sprinkes. Momentum will truly be on our side as the noise of the Metrodome beats down on the Bores, and Favre will make up for missed passes in week 10. Harvin once again will star, and this will also be the week that Greg Lewis catches his one TD of the season. Prediction: ~ W 14-34

Wk16 @ Eagles: No McNabb, but I forsee the wind getting knocked out of our sails. Philly are due a beating from us but they are a dark horse as far as I am concerned this year. Kolb and Jackson will have clicked by this time and I think our tendency to take our foot off the gas towards the end of a season combined with a road game could equal a bit of misfiring. Prediction: ~ L 16-24

Wk 17 @ Lions: When the NFL said that there would be more divisional matchups to end a season, I was sure we’d get the P*ckers @ Lambeau just to feck us all off, but no, we get the Lions. Ha! No complacency like last year, no mistakes, we’ll have hopefully made the playoffs already, but may need this to secure the division so we’ll come out all guns blazing. Favre for 3 quarters and T-Jack to finish off. They’ll make it tough, but they won’t be able to stop us. Prediction: W ~ 27-10

So there you have it. It really means nothing, just my gut feelings, but despite a little doom and gloom, I think 11-5 should see us through to the playoffs, if not take the NFC North again. I’ll do another round of these in a couple of months, once we get an idea of the draft, they will probably be equally meaningless, but there you go. You read it, you can’t unread it ;)

Roll on the Draft and the new season. Skol!

Pointless Preseason Predictions – Part 1

Well last night we found out what we pretty much knew already. That we, the Vikings would be playing the season opener against the Saints as the 2010 season schedule was announced. Oh, and James Cameron is a douche!

On the surface it looks a lot tougher than last year, especially in the middle stretch, but if we have a good draft I think we can come through and win the NFC North and worse case scenario grab a wildcard. So in the time honoured tradition of pointless NFL journalism, here is my premature speculation of what will happen to the Vikes this coming season.

Wk1 @ Saints: With T-Jack under centre and Peterson guilty of tossing Jared’s wings with butter pregame and not washing his hands, we fall 14-0 down halfway through the 2nd quarter. The only thing keeping us in the game is JA69 who is still buzzing following his handbags at 10 paces bar brawl. Favre turns up in the huddle with 5 minutes to go in the 2nd, and a smug grin on his face, meaning once again we break with 12 men. Despite his presence and dashing pair of Wranglers for every member of the crowd, we can’t get back into the game. Prediction: L ~ 17-35

Wk2 v Dolphins: First home game of the season and the dome is-a-rockin’ to the sound of Pants on the Ground. Whatever clown called Chad is QB gets flattened by Ray Edwards who mistakes him for Roger Goodell, the Williams wall tames the Wildcat, and Favre rediscovers his sweet spot with Sidney Rice. Prediction: W ~ 10-28

Wk3 v Lions: The Williams’ find out the day before that their 4 game suspension will kick in immediately, and the Vikes are guilty of some complacent moments, but nothing can stop the FAIL Whale that is the Lions. Peterson picks up his first 100+ game of the season, Harvin gets 150 yards combined and Jared makes friends with the recently detached shoulder of Matthew Stafford. Prediction: W ~ 10-38

Wk4: Bye

Wk5 @ Jets: Another tough game on the road early on, and the start of a tricky run of matchups for the Purple. LT will run all over us without the Williams’ to stop him, just to rub salt in the wounds of us failing to secure his services. Favre and Peterson will have trouble finding any rhythm against, in my opinion, one of the strongest teams in the AFC. A Harvin kick return and a couple from Longwell will keep us in the game but this one is going to be tough. Prediction: L ~ 13-20

Wk6 v Cowboys: Let the punishment begin! Pregame, Shank leaves a flaming bag of turd outside the visitors locker room, and Romo draws the short straw. Favre, whose brain has nearly shutdown after fielding another gazillion “So is Romo the new Favre?” questions the week before, throws an 85 yarder to Harvin on the first play of the game. Jared Allen and Ray Edwards then re-acquaint themselves with Romo’s ribcage and our new 1st round CB picks up the fumble for a TD. Miles Austin gets the Cowboys back into it in the 2nd, and there’s some squeaky bum time when they have 3rd and goal but Leber heroically stops the advancing Tasties Choice and they settle for 3. We shut them out in the 2nd half, and patronise them by letting Kleinsasser score and then go for the 2 point conversion but take a knee and laugh in their faces. Prediction: W ~ 10-26

Wk7 @ P*ckers: Oh deary me. The final game without the Williams wall does not go well. I just have that kinda feeling. Ryan Grant has his once-a-season blinder, and Aaron Rodgers has his finger on the pulse rather than up his arse. Peterson has another fun time dropping the football despite scoring, and Darius Reynaud, it turns out, is no Chester Taylor. A 2TD Favre gets busted in the 3rd and T-Jack is called in to rescue the game. He plays surprisingly well and helps us claw back a 10 point deficit to draw level at 28-all. But they hit a FG with 30 left on the clock and then Greg Lewis drops a peach of a pass on the 10 yard line as time runs out. Prediction: L ~ 28-31

Wk8 @ Patriots: The Dynasty continues to fall as Brady throws 2 interceptions, but somehow the Pats stay in the game as we are still recovering from losing the week before, and Favre is sidelined for the first time in his career after Deanna forgot to put his Lazarus chamber on charge (but she did remember to send ESPN pictures of Favre’s sprained wrist and slighly grazed knee compete with a Ren and Stimpy Band Aid on). Darius Reynaud shows glimmers on 3rd down but it isn’t enough to make things comfortable. Harvin meanwhile is everywhere and scores twice for a slender lead. In the second half, Sidney and Berrian play hide and seek with the Pats secondary and Longwell makes sure with a FG tacked on late in the 4th. Randy Moss inevitably scores but it’s too late and Bellichik’s attempt at an onside kick winds up in row z. Prediction: 31-24

Wk9 v Cardinals: Without Warner the Cards are there for the taking, and the home crowd is baying for blood after our last couple of losses. Favre is back and has a 4 TD game, with 2 to Sidney and one to the Nard-Dawg and big Shank.  Peterson breaks a big one, while Longwell tends to his Tamagotchi. Prediction: W ~ 13-41

So there you have it. 5-3 after the first 8 games, but it really isn’t good viewing to look at our schedule in the first half of the season. Tough matchups, and it remains unclear who is going to step up and make the big plays for the team with Favre either AWOL or a granddad. Harvin will continue his fine work, but Peterson may struggle with an unknown backing him up. Berrian and Rice will be there, but their futures are in many ways linked to Favre, this is especially the case for Rice. But fear not, I have a feeling Pt2 will be a little cheerier, and that’ll be here tomorrow.

Agree / Disagree? Comment, and let me know how you see the first half of our season going.

Wk10 @ Bores:

Wk11 v P*ckers:

Wk12 @ Redskins:

Wk13 v Bills:

Wk14 v Giants:

Wk15 v Bores:

Wk16 @ Eagles:

Wk 17 @ Lions:

Mocking the Mock and Montying Monty?!?

Just what is the point of Mock Drafts? Every time I read one I end up asking myself the same question. And after reading this one I just want to hit someone, probably JP Frederick with a big “Duh!” sign. The thing is that if you are the top team, pretty much everyone knows who you are going to pick, you pick the best player, whether it’s an unpronouncable DT or a possible franchise QB you take the best player in the position you need.  But beyond about the top 5 things get cloudy as teams begin to chop and change based on their opinions of certain players and weighing that up against what they need. This always happens, so why in bloody hell do analysts bother wasting their time predicting it and writing pointless articles pointing out what fans already know?

In the article I linked to it says that if Oklahoma QB Sam Bradford, a potential superstar, was still unpicked we’d grab him in place of tightening up the defence. Well of course we’ll grab someone that good if they are still available! But that’s like asking, if someone offered you free money would you take it? Trouble is that it ain’t gonna happen! And the mock draft offered up in the article is just a waste of space, as are pretty much all of them out there which either consist of a standard list, or a cookie cutter explanation of the choice, for example:

Rnd 1 – #30 – Vikings pick: Jeff Crapinthehead, CB from Dingletown. I like Jeff, he’s big, he’s got nice hair, he listens to Justin Beiber and his mom said to my sister’s friend’s dog that he really wanted to go to play basketball for the Wizards but the Vikings need a 6’7″ tall bloke to jump up and down and wave his hands cos Winfield’s leg fell off after McKinnie took him for a night out with some diseased transvestite donkey witch (SJP). But he might be picked higher up by the Raiders who might pick this other guy who looks like John Travolta.

If I really had some spare time on my hands, I’d get the list of all 7bn players in the draft this year, and put Ndkkkkaamaamamaoo, McCoy and Bradford at the top and then pick the rest out of a hat, and I’d probably get the same amount right as most mocks out there because you just can’t predict them. Look at Percy Harvin, I saw pages out there last year that had him going to the 49ers, and Colts, that’s #7 and #28! Yeah there were some other places who got it right, and fair play but I think time is much better spent analysing the needs of a team and coming out with a nice healthy list rather than making a mock for the whole bloody league.

Phew! Sorry if that didn’t make any sense whatsoever, I just needed to let off some steam. I also am going to try to concentrate on only reading draft talk from Viking sites rather than NFL-wide places to try and get a better idea of who is available to suit our needs. I know mocks can be entertaining, but I just don’t see the point, especially when they are openly pointless, playing about with the most unlikely situations in which a team is able to pick the second-second coming (the first is All-Day).

On the side of real news, we’ve signed that Montgomery chap. He’ll be there to back up Ray Edwards but as the Gab points out, he’s one of 4 defensive ends who’s 2010 will also be a contract year, should make things interesting at least.

We’re also looking at veteran corner, Tye Hill, who is due to make his mind up about either the Vikes or the Titans today. More experience in defence should be a good thing, I wonder if it also means we are going to be less active on defence in the draft now though… maybe I should make a mock draft to reflect this.

I’ll end today with a brief ode to FAVRE WATCH which has been a little quiet of late, and today is no exception. My link today is from an article on Vikings Update, in particular point 2. Ed Thompson things the Vikes and Favre should end their silly charade, man up, admit Farve is coming back, and just say that he isn’t going to be attending the opening training camps because they are about as useful as a football to the groin, “rather than hide behind what appears to be a poorly conceived charade that opens up integrity questions for everyone involved.” Hmmmmmm….. very interesting point. I think a lot of us out there would be very happy/relieved if you are right on this one.

Fighting the Jet lag – Thursday Roundup; New OT, Plan B and More Mockies

Despite sleeping a good 4-5 hours on the flight home and having a very pleasant 10 hours kip last night, the wonder of jet lag is preventing me from focussing on my screen properly. The Monster M-80 I’m nursing doesn’t seem to be helping either, so I’m fully expecting to fall asleep on my keyboard at some point today, which is why I’m going to try and bash out a quick post while I’m still conscious.

I suppose that most of the chatter for us Vikings at the moment is the new overtime rules which were voted in at the NFL Owners meeting. I’ll let the Daily Norseman explain it because when I try to process it in my head I feel like Karl Pilkington. It’s much fairer in my opinion, both teams should get a chance unless a TD is scored in the first possession, I’m not sure that it’s perfect, but it’s better. Of course though, it is a year too latel; just imagine if we’d got the ball back after Hartley’s field goal, and then a peg-legged Favre threw for the game winning interception again… yeah I know the overtime change is long overdue but what’s the point harping on about this, we all know that somehow, someway the Vikings would have found another way to break our hearts, but that’s why we love them!

Now that I can’t focus on the keyboard, I’ll move on to why in bloody hell we voted against the change to the OT rule. To be honest I don’t know, Zygi was happy with the way the rule was, despite the fact that it contributed to our downfall last year. I must say that stubbornness like this pisses me off especially when it comes to being reluctant to change archaic rules which are favour chance rather than competition. Still he was one of only 4 who were against it so it passed. Chilly’s also grumpy because he was on the golf course, silly bearded git!

Moving on though, because any more of that is likely to induce narcolepsy in anyone, let alone someone who should really be in bed, in California, rather than gloomy London, and we got a compensatory draft pick. Okay, that didn’t help my cause…. Okay let’s try another opinion on Tim Tebow….  *starting to nod off*… How about Judd Zulgad pulling a Wayne’s World by broadcasting from his basement hideout in Florida to talk about the owners meeting and an “update” on Favre (oh sweet mercy 5 pound 3 ounce baby Jesus give me strength) …

Something that i found more interesting is the proposal that the tail-end games of the season include more divisional matchups. I for one am happy with this idea, don’t get me wrong, I love spanking the Giants every year to finish off the season, but it’s getting a bit old and this would certainly make the end of the season more exciting. Just imagine going into Week 17 needing to beat the P*ckers at Lambeau to get into the playoffs on the final day of the season, and the looks on their faces when we do!

Okay, now I’m really tempting fate with my state of consciousness, but there’s another Mock Draft on Bleacher report, but at least it’s in the form of a slide show… and there’s someone called Scott Sicko!

There’s no FAVRE WATCH today, I’m sure you can understand why. I’m going to pass out now. Have a good one, hopefully I’ll be more alive tomorrow.

My Top Ten Moments of 2009 – #3 Favre to Greg Lewis

Well, it’s Saturday morning folks, and I’m filled with the delights of the West Coast, particularly a 4×2 In N Out Burger! Life is good, vacation is amazing! It has been a bit off to be away from all the NFL news, but checking in this morning, it doesn’t look like there’s been a great deal. Favre Watch became LT watch for a while, but it now looks like LT is on his way to NYJ. And the StarCaps trial has wrapped up so now we’re playing the waiting game. But other than that, there’s only really been more speculation, whether it be on the future of AP, or Ray Edwards, but the bottom line is that there really hasn’t been much. So to celebrate this feast of nothingness, here’s #3 in my Top Ten Moments of 2009 and a certain catch…

There are some moments which don’t need words to describe them. There are some moments which, no matter how many times I see them get my adrenaline flowing and endorphins rushing. There are some moments which fill me with pride and joy. This moment was all of these things.

Week 3 versus the 49ers, at home in the Metrodome was the first game this season that I got to watch. Weeks 1&2 I was either busy or unable to find a feed online to watch the game, so I sat down in to watch the 9ers game with giddy excitement. This was the first time I got to watch Brett on live in action (albeit on screen) and it was his first home game of the season, so it was sure to be a special one.

After finding a feed, the lady and I sat down to enjoy the game and have our Sunday tea. It wasn’t the most exciting game to watch. We never really dominated, and the loss of Frank Gore for the 9ers meant they focused their attack in the air, meaning we couldn’t deal with it. The game became a blur of emotion, but one moment stuck out. Thanks for more poor pass defending the 9ers were 4 up with around a minute to go. My lovely lady was inches away from turning the feed off, but I managed to stop her saying that if we’re gonna lose, I wanna see it through to the end because we still have a chance. In the plays that followed, Favre connected twice with Percy on 3rd down situations to keep the drive going, but at around their 20, we suddenly only had 12 seconds left, one play, one shot at ripping the win away from San Francisco.

Favre in the shotgun dropped deep, but the rush was on. He unbelievably turned away from a certain sack as he rolled to his right, and then flung the pig skin into the air…. silence…. a long silence….. and then suddenly, despite being tightly covered, someone in Purple pulled the ball out of the sky and got his feet down. “It’s caught! It’s Greg Lewis! TOUCHDOWN!” bellowed Paul Allen (not that I heard this at the time). My fiancée and I both began yelling in our little living room, jumping up and down, whooping for joy! A moment of football perfection, snatching victory from the jaws of defeat. A perfect throw, a perfect catch, at the perfect time. Years from now, I will still be able to watch this clip and a smile will beam across my face. This moment was just perfect!

Well I hope that roused a little Purple Pride in y’all. I’ll be back real soon, probably with #2, but you never know….

Tuesday Morning – The floodgates are open

Well it’s finally happened. The Vikings have signed a player! A kicker and former Gopher (like my loafers) by the name of Rhys Lloyd. A man who will bring order to the Vikings’ Special Teams, a man whose right foot is capable of launching the space shuttle, a man who strikes fear into the opposition with the mere whisper of his name, a man who hasn’t attempted a field goal in three seasons… woah!! Wait, what? Well actually that last bit really doesn’t matter, because for the moment at least he is going to step up to kick off and that’s about it. Jones’ speciality it seems, is touchbacks, something which should really help our Defence dominate even more than they already do, and take the pressure off the rest of the Special Teams as they should have less KO returns to defend. A very smart signing by the looks of things, and one which won’t break the bank.

On the flip side of concrete signings, we’ve also been treated to some lovely speculation. First off the bat was that we’ve been linked to former Lions CB Phillip Buchanon. And the second, any my personal favourite is that according to Judd Zulgad, we “appear to have a genuine interest” in LaDainian Tomlinson. According to who exactly though, Judd? The Muffin Man? Jay Leno? This rumour may well be true (though if it is I’m not that keen on the idea), but come on Judd, at least cite someone who made you write that we “appear to have a genuine interest”. Hell, I’d even settle for a  “source close to the Vikings said” or “LT’s agent’s long-lost brother told the guy at the local Starbucks who then told me” for crying out loud! No instead you just say we appear to have a genuine interest and go on to state what we already know about LT, and how he would fit into the team, duh… as 3rd down back perhaps? Thanks to the lovely Judd, pretty much every NFL site is running this story, which “appears” to be based on absolutely sod-all!

In other news, the StarCaps Episode V: The NFL Strikes Back continues, with the Williams’ due to take to the stand today. Hope that all goes well…  but it probably won’t.

Also might I point you in the direction of the Daily Norseman today who have a good, balanced look at the state of the team in the wake of losing a couple of players whilst our pathetic neighbours sign anything that moves. A worthwhile read for anyone panicking that we’ve lost a couple of our players but haven’t signed anyone yet…

In today’s FAVRE WATCH the bookies reckon that Favre is pretty much odds-on to return next season.

That’s all folks!

Monday News Roundup – You turn your back for a second…

Well after an impromptu day off yesterday, I came back late on Sunday to find a whole manner of activity going on in the Vikings World.

First off Artis Hicks has signed a 3 year deal with the Washington Redskins. Now as I understand it, Hicks was our top backup on the O-Line, but I don’t think he really had much of a chance playing starter for this team and is right to want away and give it a shot somewhere else. The downside of him leaving is that he is quite a versatile player, but on the plus side, as with Taylor leaving, we now have another Free Agent we can sign if one presents himself.

Obviously losing 2 free agents has caused a minor storm in the Vikings’ teacup but Zygi Wilf insists we didn’t lose CT or Hicks because we’re cutting back. He threw up a couple of reassuring sound-bites about the direction the team is going and it seems to bode well for the future. First off he addressed the losses of CT and Hicks:

“I work with my guys. When we want somebody, we go after them; that’s the way we’ve been doing it, and we’ll continue to do so when the time comes. When the opportunity arises and when the time comes, we will go out and get that person, but right now we’re really working on the draft.”

Pretty standard stuff here, but it is nice to know that we aren’t just spending money or using our Free Agency buys because we have them. There is no point signing anything that moves, especially when the team was so nearly complete last year. True, we need a couple of additions who have experience on the field, but with the strength we have already, we can afford to take our time, and not blow vast sums of money like the Bores are doing right now.

On the stadium situation, Zygi said:

“I think there’s a lot of enthusiasm for our team, and the importance that our team has for everybody in Minnesota makes it something that we have to deal with… I think everybody realizes that we need to get something done, not just for the football, for the Vikings, but we need to have a facility that can really attract all those events that the great cities of America are getting. We should be able to get the Final Four, we should get the Super Bowl, and we should get things like Indy is getting. Why shouldn’t we get them in Minnesota?”

Once again, this is what we expect him to be saying at this point, but it’s good to know that he is in touch with all the factors involved in the stadium campaign, and he is the right person to lead the way. He also expressed the need for an indoor stadium, hopefully he’ll have the budget to get a nice mechanical roof to cover the field…

Childress also spoke about the loss of CT. And so did Purple Jesus. Guess which one is more interesting? Also on PJD is a quick blast of the Bores and their idiotic free agency signings, Mark Craig disagrees saying the Bores are closing the gap, but I’m on the side of PJ, the Bores a gash, and big signings are not what they need to patch up the crock which is their entire team. What do you lot think? Are the Bores better, worse or just the same old pile of overpriced FAIL?

The Vikings v NFL trial begins today too. I’ve spoken about this before and I’m still of the opinion that the NFL need to win this precedent setting case. They are going to throw everything at the Williams’, who in my opinion are innocent, but somehow I think that 4 game suspension will finally catch up with them, the case is too important for the NFL to lose. But you never know, it is in a Minnesota court, and apparently Chilly could be brought  to the stand to impose his Beard of Justice upon the “pencil pushing” Roger Goodell.

And it is Chilly who leads today’s FAVRE WATCH. Apparently old Silver Beardpopped in to see the Silver Fox last week. They had punch and pie, and enjoyed a Hannah Montana marathon.

Soooo, I’m going to be cutting back on my posts over the next few weeks. A long overdue holiday to California beckons so I’ll be kicking back for a while to let the drama unfold without comment. I’m sure that by the time I return, Favre will have picked his nose in such a way to suggest he’s coming back, but will then scratch his arse which will be seen as a sign that he isn’t. So enjoy the next couple of weeks, but I will be posting intermittently, so do drop by.

SKOL!

Favre and Miley Sitting in a Tree…

What a surprise, Favre was on Leno last night and gave nothing away about his future. But I’m sure you already new that, regardless of whether you saw it or not.

On the surface this makes me pretty pissed, I want to know where Favre is going to be next year, in an armchair, or on the field, that way I can go about my off-season in peace. The trouble is that Brett also wants to enjoy his off-season in peace, and as a result is saying nothing.

But after watching the interview I can’t help but wish the man well, and am going to try to be content with letting him keep us all waiting. He still looked and talked like the man who was the heartbeat of the team in a truly remarkable season. I’m also feeling more at ease about waiting when I remember that he did this whole will he/won’t he routine last year, and despite missing the training camps and a pre-season game, he still had one of the best seasons of his career. So whilst FAVRE WATCH will continue, I’m beginning to realise and accept that it is probably going to last most of the off-season.

There are going to be many who are not going to share this point of view, and fair enough, because it’s a sign of how we all love the team and want the best for them. There is a fine line between wanting Favre back because he is such a great player and being willing to wait for a decision, and wanting a decision now in case it is a “No” so the team can recruit and build a new foundation for next season, but at the end of the day on both sides it boils down to wanting the team at their best for next season.

The interview itself was pretty enjoyable. Favre said the real reason for being in LA was to take his daughter to go see Hannah Montana, apparently Disney Channel rules in his home, and he’s even picked up some of the words to the songs! He’d also brought along his wife, mother-in-law and priest, as you do… Wait, what? A priest? Maybe Hannah Montana is so bad he needs someone on hand to perform Last Rights just in case!

There were many screaming fans in the audience, most cries of “One more year”, though I swear All Day was somewhere in the back row, taking a hit on a bong, and muttering “Silver Fox can play till he’s 60 and we’ll win 100 Super Bowls and I’ll be the next President… now where are those damn Cheetos?”

There were particularly big cheers when Favre said his biggest achievement was winning over the Minnesota faithful. Favre’s reaction was a mixture of gratitude and what I took to be embarrassment. Despite all the criticisms which have been levelled on the man, I think it’s little moments like this which show he isn’t a complete egotist, and it is reassuring that he is both aware and humbled by the support he has received from the Purple Nation. All this will be playing in Favre’s mind when he comes to make his decision, and hopefully will be noted by the wonderful people who are wasting money on billboards and ads, seriously, he knows we want him back, you can stop making fools of yourselves, and spend your money on something a little more useful.

The only other thing I wanted to comment on from the interview was the moment when Leno asked the question we all want asked. “Are you coming back next year?” Favre’s face at this point looked like he’d just bitten down on a lemon, and whilst ESPN are probably going to get a psychoanalyst in to look at it, my gut reaction was that right now he’s actually leaning towards no. It just looked like he knew his current state of mind would disappoint a lot of people. But maybe I’m just looking into it too much.

Overall it was pretty good to see Favre on the screen, it’s been a long and painful time since the Saints game, and whilst he didn’t talk too much about that, I was just glad to see that he was in good health because the more strength he can recover, the better shape he’ll be in if he comes back. But whether he will or not is another story..

The only other business today is the future of Chester Taylor. There are many teams interested apparently, with offers of around $8mil being touted, but the most interesting thing is that CT is going to be going to Chicago today to meet with the Bears apparently… sorry I was just sick in my mouth a little. Stay Purple Chester! You know it makes sense.

Have a good Friday everyone. Back again tomorrow with the next in my Moments of ’09!

Wednesday Morning Vikes News – The Final Day of the Combine, and All Day wants 2 more years of Brett

Towards the end of last week, when my average morning consisted of scraping barrels and picking at scraps in the search for new stories, but I took comfort from the fact that the Scouting Combine was on the horizon, and from that we’d have plenty of good stories about who the Vikes were looking at and how these noobs performed.

But today, as we enter the final day of the Combine, the only thing to happen is that we’ve tied up Greg Lewis for another year. That’s it. That’s all there is. There isn’t any more. The NFL Offseason really is like a special edition burger at McDonald’s. It promises to be the bomb, a taste sensation, delivering trans-fats like they’ve never been delivered before; but in reality it’s just a Big Mac without the special sauce. Our only hope is that Thursday can deliver where this first half of the week has failed, with Free Agency beginning at 11.01pm (Central I guess… either way I’ll probably be in bed).

A couple of links for you from The Vikings Gab today. The first reporting on the small price rise to Vikings Season Tickets, and the second covering a Donorschoose which the Gab are supporting, which is trying to raise $579 for equipment at a school in Kansas, so get on there and get donating!

And in other business, Purple Jesus is at it again, defacing the artwork of The Rube.

For today’s FAVRE WATCH, it seems All Day has been day dreaming/sniffing glue, and told OKBlitz.com that he wants the Silver Fox to come back for not one, but two years, delivering Super Bowls in both! Come on man, I know you gotta be positive, but this is just crazy talk.

“I hope he comes back for another year or two *inhales deeply*, gives us another two years, *licks toad* — I think we could win back-to-back Super Bowls *chows down on hash cake*. I’d take one *sniffs Jared’s jock-strap*. But the talent we have on both sides of the football *and in Miami nightclubs* with Favre — just the talent we have on offense, defense all phases — I feel like we can go as high *as a kite* as we want. *look Ma, look at the fairies buzzing around my head*”   *

* Disclaimer: Kids, don’t do drugs. Do visit my blog!