Monthly archive: February, 2012

Ponder Spotted At UCLA

February 19, 2012, by 1 comment

Christian Ponder caught a bit of flak from fans that, perhaps, read too much into his comments about his first few weeks of the offseason involved being lazy and video games.

Ponder is back to work now, as he has been spotted working on his passing mechanics on campus at UCLA.  He is working with Bruins offensive coordinator Noel Mazzone and his son, Taylor.

Ponder worked with the father and son duo for four months last offseason, as he prepared for the NFL’s process of evaluating prospects, which comes to a head during April’s NFL Draft.

Also working out on the field were San Diego’s quarterback Phillip Rivers and Denver’s quarterback Tim Tebow.

OFFSEASON PREVIEW: The Corners

February 19, 2012, by 8 comments
Calvin Johnson, Chris Cook

[NOTE FROM ADAM:  This is another installation of my position-by-position breakdown of the Vikings offseason.  You can click the links to view previous installments:  The Passers, The Runners, The Wide Outs, The Tight Ends, The Offensive Line, The Defensive Tackles, The Defensive Ends, and The Linebackers.]

Injuries.  Legal troubles.  Age.  Confidence.  Salary Cap numbers.  Talent.

These are all issues facing the various members of this Vikings secondary, which is why fans would just assume the team clean the slate, fire them all, and start over.

While the changes might be drastic, they probably won’t be that drastic, but things could get very interesting, especially within this group of cornerbacks that each come with their own dramatic storylines.

Let’s take a closer look.

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Randy, No Randy

February 18, 2012, by 1 comment

I thought this went without saying, but since we dedicated multiple posts to the topic and other outlets made headlines out of it, I figured it was at least worth mentioning that the Vikings do not plan to bring back Randy Moss for yet another go of it in Minnesota.

Rick Spielman’s press conference at the end of this week was non-committal when it came to just about every subject the media pressed him on.  That was not the case when asked about Moss, however.

“We’ll be moving on,” Spielman said.  “Randy was a great player. But, again, our focus is more on trying to get a young team.”

The fact that Spielman uses the word “was” instead of “is” shows that Spielman thinks Moss is done being a premier threat in the NFL.

Even if Moss proves doubters wrong and becomes 2012’s Comeback Player of the Year, there is little arguing that the 35 year old wide out doesn’t mesh with Spielman’s stated goal of assembling a younger and more talented roster.

The Vikings are expected to target free agents coming off their rookie contract and largely build through the talented group of Draft prospects this offseason.

This is likely the last we will hear about this topic for a while.  However, if Moss is available for an extended period of time, if Percy Harvin makes public his desire to once again play with Moss, and if Moss’ price tag drops significantly, we may again have to evaluate the situation.

A Birthday Wish For More DonorsChoose Members

February 18, 2012, by No comments yet

According to Mrs. Warwas, I drive and party like an 85 year old grandpa.

I’m not quite that old, but today does mark the occasion on which I get one year closer to being 85.  Hey, maybe by the time I actually get there the Vikings will have found a home other than the Metrodome, won a Super Bowl, and celebrated Cris Carter’s induction into the Hallf of Fame.

Maybe.

Today, I received a really great gift in the form of a gift certificate for DonorsChooose.org.  Those of you that have followed me for a while now know that I like to use my little corner of the internet, combined with slow periods of the offseason, to promote Donors Choose and the great work they do to help fund projects for grade schools around the country.

Particularly, I enjoy finding football related projects to promote on the site.

In my time at Vikings Gab, the generous readers fully funded a project that built an equipment shed in a poverty stricken area of Chicago that allowed the players, many of which were homeless, leave their gear at school instead of bringing it to the shelter with them or risk theft.

Prior to that, we had all chipped in to fund a flag football project for an economically challenged school in Kansas.

Now that I have my own website, I have decided to create a DonorsChoose.org Giving Page for Vikings Territory which can be found by clicking here.  Instead of highlighting one particular project every offseason, I will update the page with a variety of worthy (and football related) projects all year long.

Donors Choose is a very trustworthy and user friendly site and I would like to invite each of you to become a member of our giving page by clicking here.  There are no donations too small, as every little bit helps, and the best birthday gift I could get would be to see our membership numbers go from the current “2” and move into double-digits by the end of the weekend.

Thanks for considering it!

Pre-Lim Stadium Deal Agreed Upon

February 17, 2012, by No comments yet

6,521.

That is my roughly estimated number of eggs counted over the last decade by Vikings stadium supporters before they hatched.

So, take the latest momentum towards a stadium deal in Minneapolis with a grain of salt or two.

Still, it is encouraging to hear that a preliminary deal has been struck that would place a new Vikings home near the existing site of the Metrodome, and thus keep the purple in gold where they belong.

A preliminary agreement has supposedly been reached that would have the Vikings and the NFL pay $427 million of the costs of the new stadium.  The State of Minnesota would be responsible for $398 million while the City of Minneapolis would pay $150 million.  Minneapolis would also be responsible for paying the $180 million in operating expenses expected over the next 30 years.

This agreement is not a guarantee, however, as the State Legislature and Minneapolis’ City Council, in addition to the NFL, would have to agree in full to the deal and make it official.

Minnesota’s White Earth Tribe has proposed a casino be placed in the Twin Cities to help pay for the public portion of the financing. 

That proposal is similar to the one backed by then-Governor Tim Pawlenty back in 2005 and was shot down by a Senate Committee that faced heavy opposition from anti-gambling groups and competing tribes that already owned casinos in the area.

Nothing is a done deal, and this progress may just be superficial, but superficial progress is still better than none at all.

I hope.

Peterson Is On The Mend

February 17, 2012, by 2 comments

The rehabilitation of Adrian Peterson’s knee is sure to be a slowly developing news story, and I will try to get more creative with the headlines as I pass along updates over the course of the next month.

Peterson appeared on KFAN Friday morning and gave an update. 

“I’m definitely making improvement. I’m starting to get my muscle tone and strength back into the legs,” Peterson said. “I’m happy with the progress I’ve made so far. I’m extremely happy.”

Peterson is trying to adhere to the advice of those around him by not pushing too hard to meet a timeline, as more damage could be done by rushing things.  Peterson is splitting time between a physical therapist in Houston and Vikings trainers at Winter Park, all of whom are trying to keep him from making a race out of this.

“He’s making sure I’m doing the right things. It feels strong, but he doesn’t want me to push it too much,” said Peterson of his trainer in Houston.  He said the swelling is “almost completely gone.”

Peterson was doing the interview from New Orleans where he was attending the funeral for the wife of former Oklahoma Sooner Tommie Harris.

Yesterday, General Manager Rick Spielman gave an impressively lengthy interview in which he disappointed by giving almost no real information about any of the various topics.  He did, however, express optimism on Peterson’s ability to return in 2012.

“He’ll be extremely close to being ready,” Spielman said of Peterson’s ability to return for the start of next season.

Stadium Talk With Grant’s Tomb

February 16, 2012, by 1 comment

Darren Campbell of the incredibly informative Vikings blog Grant’s Tomb volunteered to write an article for me updating us on the latest news surrounding the stadium battle.

Naturally, my laziness and loathing of the topic had me ecstatic to receive his offer.  Darren is a great writer, with a great site, and I hope you will all help me thank him for the post by visiting Grant’s Tomb today.  Besides, his ability to use the word “bafflegab” in the following article officially makes him a better blogger than me by immeasurable amounts.

To view the word “bafflegab” (and the rest of Darren’s article) click the button and make the jump.

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