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wtfvikesfan (449)To be 110% clear, without question, clear as crystal, this should be filed away under the pure rumor category for now.
Matt Liddy, whose Twitter account pegs him as an executive producer for WCCO in Minnesota (which does appear to be true), has passed along this interesting rumor from a “source” late Thursday night:
Source: Chris Cook celebrating acquittal at strip club where it all began. Can’t make it up.
— Matt Liddy (@mcliddy) March 16, 2012
Okay, have at it, folks.
With Steve Hutchinson gone, and officially not coming back, the Vikings have turned their attention to a much, much younger option to bolster their offensive line.
According to Scout.com, the Vikings plan to host offensive lineman Geoff Schwartz on Monday.
Schwartz held his own quite well for the Panthers at both right guard and right tackle two years ago, but missed all of 2011 with a hip injury. Reports indicate that he is healthy now and drawing interest from a number of teams.
Schwartz is 6’ 6”, 331 pounds, and only 25 years old.
The Panthers could have tendered Schwartz as a restricted free agent but opted against it. Should the Vikings end up signing Schwartz, he will be the second free agent to join the team that had not played a single snap in 2011.
Following the news that cornerback Chris Cook was found “not guilty” on all charges he faced, the Vikings released the following statement.
We respect the legal process and the decision regarding Chris Cook. We have also thoroughly considered Chris’ situation and how he has approached this matter. We will meet with Chris in the near future and believe he deserves the opportunity to rejoin our organization.
The team seems to be saying that the verdict is not their sole basis for making a decision regarding Cook’s future with the team, but they also seem to indicate that he will be welcomed back.
One can’t help but wonder what the referenced meeting will entail.
#Vikings have expressed interest in #Cowboys CB Alan Ball. No visit imminent, though. Just preliminary talks.
— Pioneer Press (@VikingsNow) March 15, 2012
It’s a slow day on the free agency front but there is some news (other than Chris Cook being found not guilty on all counts). According to Jeremy Fowler of the Pioneer Press, the Vikings have shown interest in Cowboys CB, Alan Ball. There aren’t any visits scheduled (that anyone knows), but it is something.
In all reality, Alan Ball would probably just provide depth at an area that is pretty much vacant (or might as well be). But it is good to see the team at least addressing the issue in some shape or form. Almost an admittance that they know the problem/need exists.
Makes me wonder though, if this is just a depth move, why not find it in the later rounds of the draft?
Thoughts?
It appears that the Vikings decision to retain cornerback Chris Cook following allegations of assault and strangulation may be netting the result they were looking for.
After being acquitted of all charges on Thursday, NFL spokesperson Greg Aiello said, “We will review the facts, but we do not expect league discipline in this matter.”
Despite Cook’s lack of guilt, the NFL could have (and still can) suspended Cook for having two legal matters in his two NFL offseasons. Ben Roethlisberger was never found guilty by any jury, either, but they still suspended him following a series of disturbing allegations.
It appears that Cook will indeed be allowed back to Winter Park without further incident, however, and that means he is a likely starter come week one of the 2012 season.
The Vikings seem to hope that they can still salvage Cook as both a quality human being and a quality football player, and there is legitimate reason to believe that Leslie Frazier’s mentoring will work out better for both the team and the player as opposed to just cutting him loose. Still, these incidents are something the Vikings will not be eager to again invest time and money into, so Cook better stay out of trouble from this point forward.
The Vikings have already invested a lot into Cook, including their 2010 second round draft choice, and they have yet to receive much return on that investment.
Cook has played in only 12 games in his two seasons, six of which were starts, and has yet to produce an interception. He has netted 41 tackles, six defended passes, and that’s about it.
That is not very much production for a guy that is already half way through his rookie contract.
Time to step up, and shape up, young man.
The jury deciding the case as whether or not Chris Cook is guilty of assaulting, and trying to strangle his girlfriend, has arrived at a decision.
The NFL can still punish Cook under their personal conduct policy, and it is possible he receives a suspension from this incident. He was also involved in a prior incident in which he went to court for allegedly pulling a handgun on a family neighbor, but the case was dismissed quickly.
Cook appeared to be an up-and-coming cornerback for the Vikings following an injury plagued rookie season, but this incident caused the Vikings to essentially put him on paid leave.
His future with the Vikings seems a little more stable, however, as long as he can stay out of trouble moving forward.
With the first wave of free agency nearly in the rearview mirror, and the Vikings obviously planning to focus more on the NFL Draft, we will start to keep tabs on which college prospects the Vikings express interest in.
We start by pointing out that the team has a private workout scheduled with safety D.J. Campbell out of Cal.
Campbell (6’ 0” – 202 pounds) did not receive an invite to the NFL Scouting Combine in Indianapolis, but showed off some good athleticism at Cal’s pro day. He ran about a 4.54 in the forty yard dash, had a 38” vertical, and a 10’ 7” broad jump. Those numbers compare quite nicely with the top ones posted at the Combine.
In 2011, Campbell started 13 games and posted 72 tackles, 2.5 tackles for a loss, and two interceptions.
This is another name to keep an eye on as the later rounds of the Draft roll around. The Cowboys and the Chargers have also scheduled workouts with Campbell.
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