Quickie Time – Scraps in the desert of the offseason, no LT, green green grass and Tebow can throw…

Well I’m back from a 1200 mile road trip and the good news is that my fiancée has a shortlist of 3 wedding dresses, and I have a shit-ton of stuff from the Oregon outlets!

It’s amazing how a week away from the Purple leaves a void in my life, but then at the same time when I do get back to find out what’s been going on, there really isn’t that much to catch up on. I”m not surprised that LT decided not to come to us, and I’m glad he didn’t, as good as he was, I’m sorry but the man is past it. I’m also glad that the Brian Westbrook brigade have quieted down, but it looks like the Tim Tebow circus keeps on making its way to town. I don’t get it, he’s not #1 pick material, in fact from the look of things he’s not even NFL material but for some reason he’s stealing all the press who seem to be wetting their pants over how he’s found a new way to throw the ball. I thought there was only one way to throw the ball, maybe he’s spent some time in Thailand and adapted that ping-pong ball trick for use in the Shotgun formation…

In other, equally dull news, it really is looking like a Vikes @ Saints opener, whilst the first team at the Metrodome will be welcomed with new turf….. ooohhhhhhhh!

Having recovered from a small case of Offseason Fever, Adam at Vikings Gab has been fielding your questions about such matters as Ray Edwards and the draft. It’s good to see other Purple bloggers finding ways to make ends meet during these troubling dry spells.

As for me, my future sister-in-law in getting married today so I’m off to demand the finest wines available to humanity. I want them here and I want them now!

I’ll leave you with a brief FAVRE WATCH in which Joe Montana says Favre is coming back, and in doing so earned a box of Twinkies.

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!

Rumour Mill Tuesday – LT, CT, Randy and other random buzzcocks.

Good morning nation, I hope I find you all well this morning. And me? Well I’m nursing my usual caffeine fix, and wondering how, when I started this blog, I thought vikingsuk was a good url… I mean I was going for Vikings UK, because I’m a limey, and I like the Vikings, but in my post-colonial naivety, I failed to notice that really my site sounds more like a P*cker lover paradise. Having had a few people point this out to me, I have managed to change my twitter account to something more suitable, but sadly this page remains a nice fat *facepalm* moment in my blogging career. So let me be clear, it’s Vikings UK not Viking Suk, I love the Vikes, but I can also see how my url might have suggested I was a gimptarded cheesehead.

Right, with that out of the way it’s time to wade into the quagmire of speculation that has arisen this morning. After very little yesterday the rumour busses have all arrived at once serving up a mixture of pure drivel and interesting opinions.

I’ll open with something which caught my eye yesterday saying Chester Taylor Is On The Move , well actually it doesn’t say that, it’s just a cheeky eye-catching headline but there is heavy speculation on his future and our options should CT fly the nest particularly in the draft, and also on how his possible departure could affect the mileage of AP. As I said yesterday, I don’t expect Taylor to stay, the grass for him can be a lot greener on the other side, the only thing it could come down to is whether he doesn’t mind playing second fiddle to AP in a big team, or whether he wants to be a bigger fish in a smaller team.

With CT likely to leave, and the news yesterday that LaDainian Tomlinson has left the Chargers, it didn’t take long for his name to be touted around as a new backup to Purple Jesus. Offering their takes on this today are danzinski on Viking Age and Adam Warwas on Vikings Gab, and both bring some interesting points to the table. The former is for the most part against the move, citing in particular the injury prone nature of the former Charger, whilst Warwas offers up a more balanced point of view with both the pros and cons of any potential trade.

In my humble opinion we should leave LT alone despite any benefits we may get in terms of trade options, keeping CT whilst unlikely should be our priority. The thing is that Chester Taylor is our Toyota Camry, no frills, but nice and reliable. On the other hand, Tomlinson is a Ferrari 355, a legend of its time, but now only good for the occasional thrill before it breaks down and costs a fortune to repair.

Also on Viking Gab yesterday, Warwas touched on the Semi-Annual Randy Moss Rumours. Courtesy of Mike Florio at PFT, it appears Moss wants out of New England and they seem willing to let him go to free up money for other players. There’s some interesting stuff from Warwas again, pointing out that it could well be the icing on the cake to entice Favre back for another year, though it would also be likely to cost Berrian his place in the team. There is no doubt that Moss is a quality receiver, but he also carries the risk of his ego, and whilst Berrian was quiet for most of the season, he did pick up his game in the playoffs. I think Moss would be a good acquisition if the opportunity were to arise, despite the apparent risks, but there is a lot which has to happen before the team can even consider signing him. In an ideal world perhaps, but at the moment my gut says it’s not going to happen.

So there we have it, try to keep CT, steer clear of LaDainian “Ferrari Cake” Tomlinson, and snatch up Moss if the 12 moons of Saturn align. Oh sweet, sweet rumours, caress me with your foundation free guff.

And it doesn’t stop there, because adding his hot air to another rumour is Linebacker, Ben Leber, which brings us to today’s FAVRE WATCH!

Yes, not content with just letting the man enjoy his billboards in peace, is Leber whose gut is producing some good vibes and noxious fumes:

“I think my gut feeling is that he is gonna come back, and I hope my gut is right. A respectable timetable is to let us know as early as possible.”

Yes Brett! Please make up your mind soon for the sake of Ben’s gut, it’s just not been the same since he went over to Jared’s ranch for a BBQ and went for the Veggie option!