Posts by Adam Warwas

Reports Fly Regarding Vikings Interest In Parcells

April 4, 2012, by 6 comments

Thanks to a report from the New York Post, the Vikings and Saints are once again intertwined in one of the bigger headlines dominating the news.

The report claims that the Vikings currently want Bill Parcells to run their football team, a dot that was connected by Vikings fans months ago since it is well known that owner Zygi Wilf was a long-time Giants fan prior to owning his own team.

The news was a bit shocking but it didn’t take long for our local beat writers to step up and provide some clarity.

According to Tom Pelissero, yes, the Vikings expressed interest in Parcells to run their football team.  No, that did not happen recently.

Instead, the Vikings approached Parcells prior to hiring Rick Spielman as their General Manager and recommitting to Leslie Frazier as their Head Coach.  The Vikings say that the original report’s suggestion that the Wilf’s told Parcells to “name his price” is erroneous. 

“There is no truth to the media reports,” said public relations director Bob Hagan.

It is fairly evident that Parcells is simply trying to gain some leverage as the New Orleans Saints try to woo him out of retirement as a one-year replacement for the suspended Sean Payton.  After all, this is a terrible time of the year for any head coach or G.M. candidate to try and negotiate a contract.

The news, however, that the Vikings did indeed pursue Parcells prior to promoting Rick Spielman and keeping Leslie Frazier should only increase the pressure applied to their job performances.  The previous appearance that the Wilf family simply promoted from within without looking outside the organization is now dead, and they may be willing to look outside Winter Park once again should the Vikings continue to occupy the last place seat in the NFC North.

Peterson Back To Doing What He Does Best… Running

April 3, 2012, by 4 comments

Vikings fans were all up in arms when star running back Adrian Peterson suffered a scary knee injury in what was essentially a meaningless game last season.

Now, however, the fan base seems to be somewhat excited about his rehabilitation progress and the idea of him making back for what very easily could end up being a meaningless season.

Last week, Peterson reached a major milestone when he was able to run on dry land for the first time since suffering the injury.  This keeps him on track with a timeline that would put him in the lineup during week one of the 2012 season.

“Did a great job and everybody was impressed,” Leslie Frazier said on Tuesday. “Our trainer, (Eric) Sugarman, was impressed with his movement and the things he was able to do. He’s on schedule. He’s doing well.”

Fraizer continued to stress, as he has all offseason, the importance of Peterson’s ability to restrain himself and not push the issue and create a situation in which he could do further damage.

“We had that conversation, too,” Frazier said. “He said, ‘How fast should I go?’ We’re just trying to judge movement, and he wants to run a 4.3 40. But he has to let that graft continue to heal. He understands there’s a time frame he’s working within, and so far, so good.”

While the Vikings are sure to be tickled pink if Peterson can set a new standard for rehab and return for the start of the season, it would be completely shocking if they let him run wild right out of the gate.  Even if he makes it back on time, expect to see Peterson on a strict pitch count with Toby Gerhart getting plenty of action.

Claiborne’s Red Flags Are Piling Up

April 3, 2012, by 7 comments

Over the last month or so Vikings G.M. Rick Spielman has used the media to suggest he is open to taking LSU cornerback Morris Claiborne with the third overall selection.

That notion has flown in the face of what almost every draftnik in the world thinks they will do: select USC left tackle Matt Kalil.

It may never be truly known whether or not Spielman’s professed love for Claiborne was a smokescreen or just him telling the truth (my money is on the former), but as we draw nearer to the NFL Draft it is becoming increasingly difficult to imagine Claiborne being the selection.

Two red flags have recently popped up that should prevent the Vikings from taking the risk at the three spot. 

First, at his Pro Day, it was revealed that Claiborne’s career in the NFL will start with a surgery.  A torn ligament in his left wrist needs to be repaired and it should give teams pause when considering the young corner.  However, Claiborne did continue to play through the injury in college, so maybe some teams will view his toughness as a plus that outweighs the negative that is the injury itself.  At third overall, however, it’d be a tough sell to select a player that immediately has medical questions.

Second, reports have emerged today that Claiborne bombed the Wonderlic Test with a shockingly low score of 4 (out of 50).  The weight scouts should put into Wonderlic scores, and the validity of the reports themselves, can be questioned and argued.  However, this information cannot be ignored by any front office.

So, while Morris Claiborne has accumulated a pair of troubling headlines over the last month, Kalil continues to be regarded as one of the safest selections in the upcoming Draft.

On Tuesday, offensive line coach Jeff Davidson was asked if he thought Kalil had a ceiling in the NFL.

“Do I think he has a ceiling? No,” he said in response.  “I think he’s a pretty good player. I’m going to leave it just at that.”

As I have been all offseason long, I am convinced the Vikings will select Kalil third overall if they stay put in that spot.

Vikes Show Serious Interest In Kicker Zuerlin

April 2, 2012, by 2 comments

I’ve mentioned it before, and I’ll mention it again:  If the Vikings get the chance to find a young talented kicker and preemptively replace Ryan Longwell they should pounce.

It appears they are doing their due diligence with one of this Draft class’s best legs.

On Tuesday, the Vikings will meet with Missouri Western kicker Greg Zuerlin.  This will be the second time the Vikings have met privately with Zuerlin.

Zuerlin led the nation in field goals made per game with 2.3 and also broke NCAA and MIAA records by making 21 consecutive field goals.  During a recent private workout with the Bengals Zuerlin impressed onlookers by nailing a 57 yard try.

Amazingly, Zuerlin was not invited to the NFL Scouting Combine earlier this offseason, so his pro day and private workouts are likely to warrant plenty of attention.

Stadium Bill Makes A Leap

April 2, 2012, by No comments yet

It could very well be too little too late, but the Vikings efforts to get a new stadium in Minneapolis took a major step on Monday.

The proposed bill finally was passed by a committee, which is a key hurdle as they try to get it through legislature.  The House Commerce and Regulatory Reform Committee pushed the stadium proposal, along with the current funding proposal, forward.

There is still a lot of the process to play out before shovels hit the dirt… or before all those purple jerseys are shipped west.

Bryan Walters Added To The Receiver Mix

April 2, 2012, by 1 comment

The Minnesota Vikings have reportedly added former Chargers receiver Bryan Walters to the mix, adding depth but still not solving their most pressing need of finding a true number one at the position.

Walters was signed as an undrafted free agent in 2010 by the Chargers.  He has since bounced back and forth from their practice squad, to their active roster, to the waiver wire, and back to the practice squad.  He was cut by the Chargers last month.

At 6’ 0” and 190 pounds, Walters played in four games last season catching three passes for 27 yards.

Walters will have an uphill battle to make the 53-man roster, but will be a name to keep an eye on when the team heads to Mankato.

Back To Work… After This

April 2, 2012, by 11 comments

I just wanted to write a quick note to let you know that I am back in the saddle now and will be updating the site a lot this coming week.  Last week was filled with a horribly sick family, a heavy work load at the real job, and lastly a bit of travel.

If you live where I do, you tend to feel disconnected quite a bit from the “real world.”  Thus, whenever I travel “outside” I come to a number of realizations and I thought it would be fun to avoid the topic of football in this post and list a few things I learned over the last few days: 

  • Eating at Golden Corral is a horrifying experience that nobody should ever, ever have to endure.  Seriously.
  • I practically grew up in Dairy Queens during the Denis the Menace era because I was lucky enough to have a grandpa that owned and operated multiple franchises in Minnesota.  It had been years since I have seen the server tip my Blizzard upside down like they did in the old days, but I am happy to report that the practice is making a comeback!
  • I’m not a fan of Hollywood making movies out of books that actually get kids to read, because then they don’t have to read them.  However, The Hunger Games is a worthwhile film that they didn’t screw up too badly on the adaptation.  Read the books first, though!
  • When did Wal-Mart raise their prices?
  • My boy made me a proud papa in his first trip to Toys-R-Us.  How many kids will go straight past all of the noisy, flashing, remote control, battery operated toys and grab the plain old dinosaur models instead?  He just grabbed a few of them and sat down in the middle of the store and commenced in playing with old fashioned toys.  Love it!

Okay, glad I got all that off of my chest.  Football updates are coming soon.