Posts by Adam Warwas

Stadium Bill Gains Unprecedented Momentum

April 24, 2012, by 4 comments

Vikings fans traditionally are not a fan of Roger Goodell.  After his visit at the end of last week seemingly resuscitated the Vikings stadium bill, the bill now has momentum of the likes we Vikings fans have not seen before.

In the State Senate, the bill was passed along without any drama by the Senate Jobs and Economic Development Committee and up next is the Senate Finance Committee.  Finance could be the last stop for the bill before it goes to the floor for an actual vote, unless it is decided that it also must travel to the Taxes Committee.  The truth is that all stadium hopes could die an instant death at the hands of any of these committees, but all media reports seem to indicate a vote is in the near future.

In the House, where the bill appeared dead on arrival just over one week ago, the bill is rocketing back to life and it is being reported that a vote could come as soon as Wednesday.

Whatever Goodell said to the State officials last week seemed to do the trick, but don’t uncork that champagne bottles yet, Minnesotans.

Mock, Mock! Who’s There?

April 24, 2012, by 5 comments

Well, with only a little more than 48 hours until the 2012 NFL Draft is underway, I decided to pull the plug on any last minute changes to my 2012 Mock Draft a little early and call for a final version right now.

My final mock draft of the year is two rounds deep and can be viewed right here.

My top three picks have stayed exactly the same since I posted my first version on January 10th.  Andrew Luck, RGIII, and then Matt Kalil to the Vikings.  I still think there is a very good chance that Rick Spielman attempts a coup and trades back from the three spot, but the mock does not account for trades… or else things would get way too messy.

In the second round, I eschewed the stereotypical need based pick of a receiver or secondary talent and instead went with a guy I felt was clearly the best player available.  Here is a hint:  It’s a defensive tackle.

I know defensive tackle isn’t the biggest need on this roster, but it also isn’t the most solid position on this team either, and I just couldn’t pass up this particular prospect when the mock worked out the way it did.

Anyways, here is the link again, check it out… scrutinize it… and then come back on Thursday and Friday to laugh at how horribly wrong my mock was.

How To Generate A Trade Market

April 24, 2012, by 4 comments

Let’s assume for a second that Rick Spielman is full of you-know-what and has had his sights on Matt Kalil since December.  So, why not just come out and say so?

If this is the case, then Spielman deserves a lot of credit for successfully generating a trade market for the third overall selection despite the presumed absence of the two premier passers in this class.  If he manages to finagle a trade back and still land Kalil, then the guy is going to look like a freaking genius and many of us are going to have a whole ton of crow to eat after doubting the guy all offseason long.

So, with Andrew Luck and RGIII already off the board, what kind of trade interest might the Vikings get when they pick up their phones in the war room?  Let’s take a look.

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Ponder Sees Tight Ends As His Best Friends On The Field

April 23, 2012, by 3 comments

Vikings quarterback Christian Ponder knows that the upcoming season will be all about him.

A little of confidence mixed with a little bit of realism has him predicting and eight or nine win season for the Vikings.  Ponder says there will be a lot of pressure on him this season, but feels that tight ends Kyle Rudolph and John Carlson will aide him in his efforts to turn this team around.

“The guy is a freak,” Ponder said of Rudolph in a recent 1500 ESPN interview. “For how big he is (6-foot-6, 258 pounds) and how well he moves, and his hands are unbelievable. A tight end really is a quarterback’s best friend, especially when he’s a young guy. I think the sky’s the limit for him.

“I think he’ll be a Pro Bowl guy within the next two years, and I think by adding another tight end, John Carlson, You realize how important the tight end is in our system, Musgrave’s system. Kyle’s going to be getting the ball a lot more and I’m excited for him. I’m excited for myself. Having a target like that makes it a lot easier for me.”

Ponder sees confident that the Vikings can turn things around quickly under his leadership and seems plenty aware that the offense can only go as far as he can take them.

“If I play well, then things will build off of me, and I realize that. Yeah, it’s a lot of pressure on me, and we’ll see. We did get some good guys through free agency, and we’ll get a lot of good guys in the draft and we’ll see how it goes.”

Stadium Bill Stays On Track

April 23, 2012, by 1 comment

As we mentioned earlier, the next hurdle for the Vikings stadium bill as it traveled through the State Senate was the Senate Rules Committee.

This was never expected to be a major problem, and more of a formality, but plenty of you Vikings fans have long been familiar with the idea of expecting the unexpected.

Rest assured, however, the unexpected did not rear its head on Monday.  The bill was approved by the Rules Committee and will now travel to a more formidable threat in the form of the Senate Jobs and Economic Growth Committee.

Second Rounder To Be Announced By Anthony Carter

April 23, 2012, by 2 comments

In the first round of the NFL Draft, Commissioner Roger Goodell gets to have all the fun.  He gets to do that ominous march across the stage, he gets to announce the names of each prospect, and then he gets to see each prospect’s dreams come true right in front of him.

In the second round, however, the NFL Draft has former players of each team announce their respective choices which provides an element of nostalgia and is kind of fun in its own way.  This addition to the Draft broadcast was introduced last year and will continue this year.

This year, for the Vikings, former receiver Anthony Carter has been chosen to announce the Vikings second round choice. 

Carter spent nine years with the Vikings and was elected to three Pro Bowls in that span.  He caught 478 career passes with the Vikings for 7,636 yards and 52 touchdowns.

Frazier Enters The “Loaded Debate”

April 23, 2012, by 9 comments

The Vikings are, for a lack of a better phrase, blitzing the media with the contention that they are undecided as to whom they will select if they keep the third overall selection.

After weeks of Rick Spielman using the media to confuse anyone that knows how to read Head Coach Leslie Frazier has jumped into the action and is also putting forth the notion that the Vikings can justify passing on USC left tackle Matt Kalil.

“You’ve got to really weigh your options,” Frazier said in a recent interview. “Because the philosophy [in the NFL] has always been to get the game-changer. And left tackle is not necessarily the game-changer. Usually game-changers are the guys who can score you points. Receivers. Quarterbacks. So what are we measuring that left tackle against? It’s a loaded debate.”

See, and here is where I either imply that I think this is either all “smoke” or imply that I think the regime running this team is full of idiots.

It is not a loaded debate.

This is not about positional importance.  It never should have been, and it certainly shouldn’t be now.  This is about selecting the best player for your team, the prospect that your thousands of scouting hours, that you have bought and paid for, tells you is the best football player for your team.

It is that damn simple.

Spielman wants to insist that Matt Kalil, Justin Blackmon, and Morris Claiborne all have been given the exact same grades by the Vikings front office.  As someone that has seen what real scouting reports (not the kind you find on the internet) look like, I find it very, very hard to believe that these three players have the exact same grade.

The reports are far too detailed, far too personalized to get me to believe the process has identified no differences between three very different individuals.