Posts by Adam Warwas

A Time Of Crisis Is A Time Of Action

April 20, 2012, by 8 comments

With perceived threats of relocation keeping Vikings fans awake at night, a certain jet landing in L.A., and a bevy of quotes from legislators suggesting there is little hope, we have officially entered a collective state of crisis regarding the future of the Minnesota Vikings.

Which is exactly where we need to be.

For years now, my reporter of choice regarding all things stadium has been Kevin Seifert over at ESPN.  His logic, from the very beginning, just seemed to have a consistent and matter-of-fact style to it that, to me, came across as the most realistic and reasonable.

For years now, Seifert has played the part of the pessimist.  When there appeared to be a positive turn of events surrounding the stadium situation, Seifert was there to tell us not to get our hopes up, and insisted that nothing would actually get done on this front until we actually entered “crisis mode.”  This always made sense to me, even when I wanted to believe we were seeing significant strides towards a done deal.

Now, with everyone else claiming the sky is falling, Seifert appears to be steadfast and consistent in his realization that this situation would have to reach this level of immediacy before a resolution is found.  Coincidentally, in the current state of affairs, that reverses his role and makes him more of an optimist than a pessimist.

Seifert contends that it had to reach this point all along in order for something to actually happen. 

With NFL heavy hitters Roger Goodell and Art Rooney currently in Minnesota providing officials with a “reality check” it is clear that neither the franchise nor the league is willing, unless they are bluffing, to start this process up again next year.

That officially makes the window of opportunity small enough that we can start to call this “crisis mode” and feel certain that we will soon get a finalized answer on the issue, for better or worse.

Action, whether we like the outcome or not, finally appears to be imminent.

Troubled Receiver Visits Vikes

April 20, 2012, by 5 comments

The other day I submitted myself to the torture of re-watching the “Missing Rings” special on my DVR about the 1998 Vikings.  While watching the part where they discussed Cris Carter and all of the character issues that landed him on the open market for the Vikings to snag, I couldn’t help think about current free agent Jerome Simpson.

Simpson is by far the most talented receiver available right now, but teams are mostly acting allergic to the 26 year old after a substantial amount of marijuana in his position got him 15 days in jail and a three year probation period (and a likely NFL suspension).  Of course, one more slip up by the cart-wheeling receiver and would certainly face a major suspension.

Simpson has improved over his first four NFL seasons with the Bengals and 2011 was his best from a production standpoint.  He had 50 catches for 725 yards and four touchdowns.

After only having received a visit invitation from the St. Louis Rams, the Vikings have decided to bring Simpson in for a visit of their own on Friday.

The interest could be a signal that the Vikings don’t actually covet Justin Blackmon with the third overall pick, contrary to what Rick Spielman said yesterday.

Or, for the conspiracy theorists in the room, it could signal that Spielman actually does want Blackmon but is trying to make it appear like he doesn’t.

Or they just want to see what this kid is all about.  Plain and simple.

Spielman Declares His Options

April 19, 2012, by 18 comments

The Vikings as an organization are suddenly faced with very limited options when it comes to their future inside the boundaries of the State of Minnesota.

The future of the roster, however, is one week away from getting a facelift and General Manager Rick Spielman admits that his options for the third overall selection have been narrowed to three:  tackle Matt Kalil, receiver Justin Blackmon, and corner Morris Claiborne.

Some might argue that Spielman listing those three players is actually an expansion of options, considering Matt Kalil is largely viewed as the only viable prospect to select at that point.

The Pioneer Press reports that the Vikings have given equal grades to all three of these prospects and have not yet decided on who they would select should they decide to stay put and not trade backwards.

“What you’re saying (to the staff) is, ‘All these guys have equal ability,’ ” Spielman said.  “What do you want? Do you want the receiver? Do you want the tackle? Do you want the corner?’”

The Vikings plan to “run the cards” on Wednesday, which essentially means everyone involved will take part in one giant mock draft and see some of the different ways things could play out on Draft Weekend.

Personally, I find it hard to believe that the Vikings would select anyone other than Kalil third overall.  The reason is simple:  a complete lack of red flags.  So, unless Kalil scored a “4” on his Wonderlic Exam or is a closet diva that got his wrist slapped by the NCAA, it should be fairly obvious who the choice is.

Still, there are some (like Adam Schefter) who believe the Vikings will choose someone other than the popular choice that has become Kalil.  If this actually happens, be ready for water cooler chat time at the office to look more like a demolition derby if you work in the Twin Cities.

Spielman did say that he has received some preliminary calls from other teams (which quite possibly means he hasn’t at all) regarding the possibility of the Vikings trading backwards.  Spielman, however, said he would wait until Thursday night to make any sort of decision about that topic.

How The Draft Gets Better

April 18, 2012, by 28 comments

It is no secret… We fans love us some NFL Draft.

We love it so much that some of us take time off from our jobs and family to watch.  We love it so much that we want to gather into a virtual chat room to discuss with others.  We love it so much that we spend roughly 11 months and 30 days discussing the next one.  We love it so much that we go to extensive lengths to try (always unsuccessfully) to predict the outcome. 

Here at VT, we love the NFL Draft so much that we put a ridiculous number of hours into making this your one stop shop for everything related to the event.

I love the Draft (as if you couldn’t tell) but if this report from PFT comes to fruition, I will love the Draft even more than I already do.

The NFL Network and ESPN, who both broadcast the live event, are supposedly in discussions with the league as to how they can eliminate the anticlimactic spoilers that come in the form of some announcer telling us who the pick will be prior to the official announcement or in the form of a cameraman capturing a prospect receiving a phone call five minutes before the pick is announced.

I have always hated the hell out of that trend, trying to be the first to tell us who is being drafted, as it just plain and simply isn’t as fun as the suspenseful walk to the podium and listening for that name you want to hear.

The Draft is always compared to Christmas amongst football fans.  Ever since this pre-announcement spoiler thing came about, it was still like Christmas… except Santa wrapped all the presents in see-through plastic wrap.

I really hope that the networks are able to come to an agreement for the sake of an improved viewer experience.

If they do, that is just one more reason to love the Draft and everything that comes with it.

Vikings Say “There Is No Next Year”

April 17, 2012, by 15 comments

While football enthusiasts eagerly await the shaping of the future that will be the 2012 NFL Draft, Vikings fans are not-so-suddenly having to consider the mortality of their entire franchise.

The most recent defeat of their Minneapolis stadium bill at the hands of a House committee is sending shockwaves through the Vikings fanbase, and those shock waves seem likely to continue as the rhetoric becomes increasingly harsh.

While Minnesota Governor Mark Dayton was forced to put his tail between his legs and nearly concede that his plan failed, he wants the Vikings to be patient and stick around for another year.

The Vikings don’t sound like they are in the sticking around mood these days.

“There is no next year.”

Those five words, uttered by a team official, should resonate with us Vikings fans.

“The last governor said in 2006 we’ll come back and work on yours next year. That was six years ago,” said Lester Bagley, Vikings vice president of public affairs and stadium development. “No action this year is a decision.”

It is not super clear whether or not there is any glimmer of hope for the stadium bill still pressing through this year, but optimism seems to have faded from all the public speeches being given.

The Vikings, under the watchful eye of Zygi Wilf, have been pretty darn nice about this whole thing without ever implying relocation as an option.  The gloves are off now, and it is likely that we will see plenty of quotes from Vikings officials threatening a move to L.A.

If we don’t see those quotes, then we should all be worried… because that means they have already made up their mind.

Initial Reaction To The 2012 Schedule

April 17, 2012, by 5 comments

After having roughly 30 seconds to digest the Vikings regular season schedule, I wanted to pass along some of my initial thoughts.  Be sure to chime in yourself in the comments section!

Don’t Sleep In!:  Not too surprisingly, the 2012 schedule makers didn’t see the Vikings as an attractive option for prime time matchups.  In fact, the only nighttime game scheduled is the week 8 game against Tampa.  That will be on the NFLN’s Thursday Night Football.  13 of their games are scheduled to be played in the early time slots.

Hopes Up:  Jacksonville and Indianapolis aren’t exactly the world’s most dangerous football teams.  Even with the additions of high draft picks, such as Andrew Luck, the Vikings might be able to get our hopes up by starting the season 2-0 against a soft beginning to the schedule.

Resting Late:  The Vikings have a week 11 bye week.  I personally like the late byes, as that is when most rosters could really use the opportunity to rest and heal. 

In The Hunt Until Late:  Things would have to go very poorly for the Vikings in the first half of the season in order for us to feel fully eliminated from the playoffs heading into week 10.  Of the last seven games of the season, five of those will be played against divisional opponents.  Beating our NFC North foes is the best way to climb into playoff contention, so hope is likely to cling for quite some time this season.

Bring Your Boot Warmers:  In the winter months of November and December the Vikings will be playing outdoor football at Seattle, Chicago, and Green Bay.  This equates to a pretty darn good chance that they will need to prepare themselves for some cold old fashioned snow bowls. 

Last Ever?:  The Vikings are not expected to be playoff contenders.  They also aren’t expected, at this point, to have a stadium deal in place in 2012.  That could (could) mean that the December 30th game would be the last Vikings game ever to be played in Minnesota.  Who do we play?  The Packers.  How nice.

Your 2012 Minnesota Vikings NFL Schedule

April 17, 2012, by 8 comments

Today, the NFL announced their 2012 Regular Season Schedule.

Of course, and as always, we are focused on the Minnesota Vikings and here is what 2012 looks like for our favorite team:

1 Sep 09 JAC @ MIN Mall of America Field 1:00 PM Tickets CBS      
2 Sep 16 MIN @ IND Lucas Oil Stadium 1:00 PM Tickets FOX      
3 Sep 23 SF @ MIN Mall of America Field 1:00 PM Tickets FOX      
4 Sep 30 MIN @ DET Ford Field 1:00 PM Tickets FOX      
5 Oct 07 TEN @ MIN Mall of America Field 1:00 PM Tickets CBS      
6 Oct 14 MIN @ WAS FedExField 4:15 PM Tickets FOX      
7 Oct 21 ARI @ MIN Mall of America Field 1:00 PM Tickets FOX      
8 Oct 25 TB @ MIN Mall of America Field 8:20 PM Tickets NFLN      
9 Nov 04 MIN @ SEA CenturyLink Field 4:05 PM Tickets FOX      
10 Nov 11 DET @ MIN Mall of America Field 1:00 PM Tickets FOX      
12 Nov 25 MIN @ CHI Soldier Field 1:00 PM Tickets FOX      
13 Dec 02 MIN @ GB Lambeau Field 1:00 PM Tickets FOX      
14 Dec 09 CHI @ MIN Mall of America Field 1:00 PM Tickets FOX      
15 Dec 16 MIN @ STL Edward Jones Dome 1:00 PM Tickets FOX      
16 Dec 23 MIN @ HOU Reliant Stadium 1:00 PM Tickets FOX      
17 Dec 30 GB @ MIN Mall of America Field 1:00 PM Tickets FOX