Posts by Adam Warwas

Return Of The Links Of The Week

February 21, 2012, by No comments yet

There are some periods in the NFL calendar that are so slow that a “Links of the Week” feature just doesn’t work so well.  With the NFL Scouting Combine starting Wednesday, free agency less than a month away, and the NFL Draft now two months away… that time is over.  I’m glad to announce the Links of the Week are making a comeback!  Enjoy.

  • I’ve been cheating on you with another blog.  Read what I recently wrote about Joe Webb.
  • The Vikings have reportedly struck a deal to play at TCF Bank Stadium while their new stadium is under construction.
  • We know at least one Minneapolis Council Member won’t be voting for a new Vikings stadium paid for with public funds.
  • Minnesota hasn’t hosted a Super Bowl in over 20 years.  A new stadium could change that.
  • Adrian Peterson can help you land an NBA All Star weekend… fully loaded.
  • Interesting article about the NFC North singles out Greenway as a negative, but Erin Henderson and John Sullivan as positives.
  • Even the most cynic amongst us has to admit this looks like a tough Draft for the Vikings to screw up.
  • Adrian Peterson reveals the reason he considered changing his jersey number, and the dollar amount that made him drop the idea.
  • Some rumors of a nose tackle the Vikes are interested in, and a schedule for the Combine.
  • Some excellent nitty-gritty details on the Vikings salary situations, including interesting details on Joe Bergers contract.
  • A scouting report that pegs Brandon Carr as a solid fit for the Vikings.
  • Alan Page reflects on his life in honor of Black History Month.
  • Charlie Johnson was on the wrong end of a lot of criticism last season.  You can’t criticize his durability, though.
  • And now, here it is, your moment of Zen:

Pelissero Projects Over $10 Million In Cap Space

February 20, 2012, by 3 comments

A week and a half ago we mentioned that Kevin Seifert of ESPN pegged the Vikings having $115.3 million in salaries due in 2012, leaving them with roughly $5 million in cap space.

Tom Pelissero has decided to pursue true numbers on his own and thinks the Vikings will begin the new league year with roughly double that amount of space.

Pelissero claims the Vikings have $112.4 million in salaries dedicated so far.  The salary cap number is calculated, however, using the top 51 salaries on any given roster which Pelissero puts at just over $110 million. 

Using a projected salary cap of $120.4 million, and an offset of unused cap space from last season, Pelissero concludes the Vikings will have slightly more than $10 million in cap space when the new league year begins on March 13th.

Pelissero goes on to project a total cap savings of $13 million if the team decides to part ways with veterans guards Steve Hutchinson and Anthony Herrera, in addition to veteran cornerback Cedric Griffin.  Even Hutchinson seems to realize his cap number is likely to cause the team to ask him to restructure or be cut.

“I know what the cap situation is and all that, but it’s out of my control,” said Hutchinson in a recent interview.  “Any player has to worry about that in the NFL.”

Bud Grant Opens Up

February 20, 2012, by 9 comments

 

Vikings legend Bud Grant has always been one of principle, modesty, confidence, and wit.  A recent three part interview at the Star Tribune is well worth the few minutes of your life to watch.

Grant talks about everything from protection of today’s quarterbacks, touchdown celebrations, Twitter, finding another gal after nearly 60 years of marriage, python hunting in the Everglades, and his family.

You can view the three parts by clicking the following links: 

PART ONE,

PART TWO,

and PART THREE.

Enjoy!

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.

Continue Reading →

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!