Off-The-Field Issues

Pre-Combine Mock Draft Update

February 20, 2013, by 6 comments

The NFL Scouting Combine is about to dominate the world of NFL news and I decided it was a great time to update my 2013 Mock Draft.

I had previously mocked defensive tackle Sheldon Richardson and wide receiver Cordarrelle Patterson to the Vikings at #23, but in this most recent draft both of those guys are off the board when the Vikings were on the clock.  I decided to go in yet another direction with this first round selection.

All three of the top middle linebackers were still on the board when I had to make my selection for the Vikings.  Manti Te’o will be answering a lot of questions about his fake girlfriend scandal this week in Indy.  Alec Ogletree recently got himself arrested for a DUI and his stock is sure to take a hit.  Kevin Minter could make up some ground against those two this week and may end up being the top linebacker on a few boards.

So, who did I give to the Vikings?

Click right here to find out.

Spielman Talks About Manti Te’o

February 17, 2013, by 3 comments

If I didn’t know better, I would say that Rick Spielman’s recent comments about Manti Te’o indicate that, at the very least, he is intrigued by the possibility of drafting Notre Dame’s star linebacker.

We have previously discussed the choice Te’o would present the Vikings if he were available while they are on the clock in April, and Spielman sounds like he is tuning in to the media coverage of the whole “fake girlfriend” thing to keep tabs on the situation.  He admitted to watching Dr. Phil for the first time in his life when Te’o's prankster culprit, Ronaiah Tuiasosopo, was being interviewed.

That tells me he is at least a little interested in Te’o.

“In the end, you’ll sit there and discuss all that,” Spielman said of the bizarre story. “Every team will make their own determination. How do you compare what happened, because he’s an extremely talented football player, against a guy who may have a drug issue or may have an arrest record or may have some other off-field issue? Everybody’s going to have, just like on any player, their difference of opinion. We’ll go through that process as well.”

He also says that the Vikings are aware of some details that have not yet been reported by any media outlets, which displays that they are doing their homework on the young linebacker.

Spielman says that the Vikings will evaluate the Te’o's “whole body of work” and that the odd story, as well as his poor play in the championship game, will only factor into their evaluation as a part of the whole.

Of all the players in this draft class, I suspect steam will pick up greatly in the next few week’s as far as connecting Te’o to the Vikings, and that might be exactly what Spielman wants to see happen.

What we know, however, is that the Vikings are either interested or pretending to be interested.

 

REPORT: Percy Harvin’s First Name Is “Percy”

February 13, 2013, by 22 comments

Did you know that Percy Harvin is unpredictable and seems to be unhappy?  Did you know he would like to get a contract extension?  Did you know he would like to make a lot more money than he makes right now?  Did you know he might be traded?  Did you know he could end up holding out?

For some odd reason, these possibilities are once again being regurgitated by almost every major news outlet around, and it is starting to get very annoying because nobody is really adding anything to the conversation that we didn’t already know two months ago.

So, consider this a sort of public service announcement I guess: Try not to sweat all the “reports” coming out, as they are simply being written to create a sense of imminent drama that won’t come to fruition for about another month at the earliest.

Still, let’s review the different ways this could possibly play out:

TRADE:  Yes, the Vikings trading Percy Harvin seems like a very good possibility, if they can someone to meet their demands.  Vikings fans should temper their expectations, however, as Miami only received two third round picks in return for Brandon Marshall.  I’m not saying the Vikings won’t get more for Harvin, but the trade package is likely to underwhelm a good portion of the fan base.

PAY:  Harvin is a game changer, without a doubt, and likely wants to be paid like the MVP candidate that he was in the first half of 2012.  His agent, Joel Segal, managed to get five years and $42.5 million for Pierre Garcon during last year’s free agency spending spree.  The Vikings have more leverage with Harvin, because he has one more year on his contract and two years of franchise tag eligibility, but he is also a far superior talent to Garcon.  I would expect him to sign a deal in excess of $55 million (5 years) with at least $25 million guaranteed.

Dig In:  The Vikings may have actually gained some leverage when Harvin recently received a pay bump for next season, because he stands to lose more money if he holds out.  Harvin could hold out until week 10 without seeing his contract year toll, but the Vikings may not mind that so much.  Harvin is the type of player that you almost expect to only play a partial season anyways, and they could have him for the second half of the season this year, and possibly a playoff run, by letting him lose as many game checks as he wants through the first half.  Don’t underestimate the leverage the Vikings have.  They could simply franchise him in 2014 and deal him away at that point.

UPDATE:  As some of our great Twitter followers have pointed out, Harvin’s first name is actually “William.”  So… The situation regarding our smart ass headlines is fluid.

Wide Receiver Free Agent Rankings

February 11, 2013, by 33 comments

[NOTE:  Click the links to see our free agency rankings for quarterbacks, running backs, fullbacks,tight ends, centers, guards, and offensive tackles.  We’ll continue our way through all of the positions this week.]

The media is currently in the middle of regurgitating old Percy Harvin storylines, but the truth is that nobody has any idea how that whole situation is going to shake out.  What we do know is that the Vikings need to arm their offense with pass catching weapons, and losing a guy like Harvin would be one huge step backwards, which is not a direction they can really afford to go in.

The Vikings need so much help at receiver, in fact, I would consider almost every option to be viable and would fully expect to see some fireworks during free agency.  Here are some of the options:

Top Tier

1.  Dwayne Bowe, KC

There is no doubt that Bowe’s career has been plagued by inconsistencies and a knucklehead attitude.  With that being said, the guy is very talented and has produced at a high level despite poor quarterbacks filtering through Kansas City over the years, and that offense misses him greatly when he isn’t there.  He would immediately provide some legitimacy to the Vikings offense.

Continue Reading →

Ray Edwards Provides Us With The Fun Video Of The Week

February 11, 2013, by 5 comments

Ray Edwards has had quite the downward spiral lately when it comes to his NFL career.  Still, Edwards has once again fallen back on his true love for boxing.

Normally I wouldn’t give a former Viking’s extracurricular activities much thought on these pages, but the video evidence of Edwards’ most recent fight is just far too great to pass up.

In the video you will see Edwards squaring off against what appears to be one of Willy Wonka’s slave laborers with self-esteem issues.  I don’t know why anyone would have bet against Edwards, or why anyone would have bet against anything other than a first round TKO, but something tells me there was some gambling involved in this little stunt.

Jeff Warner is Edwards’ boxing manager and he has quite the history on him.  Various stories have been reported over the years of Warner fixing matches.  Also, the State’s of Minnesota and Iowa have banned him from producing a fighter unless they get to pick the opponent, according to one of those stories.  He has also received plenty of flak over the years for pulling men out of homeless shelters to fight against his boxers.

This latest fight Edwards took part in took place in North Dakota.

Links Of The Week: First Of The Offseason

February 10, 2013, by 23 comments

Well, it has been a while since we have done our “links” segment, but we have some stories to direct you towards on this football-less Sunday.

  • Adrian Peterson isn’t the only Vikings to ever be named the NFL’s MVP.  Here is a look at the other two Vikings to win the honor.
  • It is no secret that Jerome Felton is someone we would all like to see sign a new contract in the very near future.  Here is why.
  • It seems to be a trending prediction to put Greg Jennings in purple next season.
  • Whether or not the Vikings have a sixth round pick this year, or not, has become somewhat of a mystery.
  • Another series of questions about Percy Harvin leaves us without any concrete answers.
  • Mike Singletary is still trying to find a way out of Minnesota.
  • Think the Vikings have a good shot at a 2013 Super Bowl?  Place your bet now.
  • “Sources” say that Percy Harvin was not placed on injured reserve because of injury, but because of his attitude, and that the team plans to move on.
  • Former Vikings great Matt Birk hasn’t yet decided if his career will end with Super Bowl win.
  • Minnesota and the Vikings are hoping to host the Super Bowl in 2018.
  • One of the best analytical sites on the internet gives us the Vikings top three needs.  I’d like to tell you there is a shocking surprise, but…
  • The Giants have cast off a few defenders already, and they might be a good fit in Minnesota.
  • A free agent wide receiver like Donald Jones makes plenty of sense for the receiver-needy Vikings.
  • A claim that local beat writers for the Vikings are too often being cheerleaders for the team, and for Christian Ponder.
  • The NFL Scouting Combine is fast approaching and here is a complete list of the 333 prospects that have been invited.
  • Now that Cris Carter is in Canton, which Vikings greats should we champion next?
  • And, here it is, your moment of Zen:

Harvin Passes His Exit Physical

February 5, 2013, by 12 comments

Percy Harvin was recently at Winter Park for his exit physical and Leslie Frazier, as usual, calmly assessed the situation.

“It went well. He’s fine. He’s cleared,” Frazier said. “All the medical was good.”

This indicates that Harvin’s ankle sprain should be a non-issue moving forward, but the more pressing question surrounding Harvin is whether or not he’ll be playing as a member of the Minnesota Vikings or some other team in 2013.

Frazier said that his star receiver was in a “good frame of mind” during his time at winter park.  “We’ll see where it goes from there,” he added.

It was also recently reported that Harvin hit escalators in his contract that will nearly double his currently scheduled salary for 2013.  He is now scheduled to earn $2.9 million under his current deal, but there is no reason to expect him to step foot on a football field during the upcoming season unless he is under the terms and conditions of a brand new deal.

As far as Harvin goes, I will still direct you to this article that I penned quite some time ago.  Nothing has really changed since then, other than Harvin’s salary.

Harvin isn’t the only player that got a boost next year from unlocking incentives.  Chris Cook, Joe Webb, Everson Griffen, and Toby Gerhart are all members of the 2010 Draft class and each unlocked a salary increase that will bring them each to $650,000.  Cook also unlocked a $1 million roster bonus and will carry a cap hit of $2.305 in 2013.

Meanwhile, with Harvin getting healthy again, two of his teammates recently went under the knife.  Punter Chris Kluwe had his knee cleaned up because of some loose cartilage.  The Vikings signed punter T.J. Conley to a reserve/future contract, but it is unlikely that Kluwe’s surgery cuts into any of his offseason practice time.

Jared Allen also had surgery, the first of his football career, due to a torn labrum that he played with through the entire 2012 season.  Allen delayed the surgery so that he could participate in the Pro Bowl, but he is still expected to be ready to go by the time training camp rolls around.