Off Topic

Vikings New Uniforms Revealed

April 3, 2012, by 3 comments

Today, the NFL and Nike revealed the new, redesigned uniforms for all 32 NFL teams. Some of the uniform changes were more drastic than others (see: Seahawks), but overall, the uniforms manage to maintain their previous look while becoming more ‘modern’ and ‘sleek’. While most of the upgrades come in the form of performance and ‘uniform technology upgrades’, some of the new ideas are pretty fun. Most noticeably, the new gloves which form the team logo when the hands are laid over each other.

The biggest change to the Vikings actual uniform, apart from it’s performance upgrades, is the redesigned collar. Personally, after seeing the original concepts done by Nike a while back, I was expecting (hoping for) something a little more ‘forward’, but to be honest, the Vikings uniforms were already one of the more progressive ones in the league. I know there are some jersey purists out there, guess I’m just not one of them.

Check out a few shots of the new uniforms below and visit Vikings.com to see the rest of them. To see every team’s redesigned gear, visit NFL.com.

Jerseys will be available for purchase April 26th, the first day of draft weekend. So who’s going to be rocking a brand spanking-new Kalil jersey next year!?

New Vikings Nike Uniforms

Jared Allen Advances In Madden Cover Contest

March 30, 2012, by 7 comments

A couple days ago, Jared Allen beat Cowboy Demarcus Ware in the first round of the EA Madden Cover Vote Contest. For those that aren’t familiar, every year (or for the last couple years at least), ESPN hosts a contest to see who will get to be on the cover of that year’s Madden game. Stud players across the NFL are pitted against each other in a bracket-style tournament. This week, Allen faces of against New England tight end Rob Gronkowski.

Now, I should say that I am not a superstitious person. Not in the slightest sense. But, when going through the different matches and voting for who I think should win, I hesitate when I get to Jared Allen’s match-up. Do I really want to subject our all-pro defensive end to the “Madden Curse”? Do I really want to risk it?

You see, in my eyes, the Madden Curse isn’t a myth… It is real and it is scary. This article by Bleacher Report does a great job of outlining the history of the Madden Curse and it’s “victims.” I understand that it’s an invalid argument to suggest that simply being on the cover of a game could cause an injury or a drop in production… But still, there’s just part of me that is hesitant to risk it.

Head over to ESPN to cast your vote in the contest. Whether you vote for or against our favorite defensive end is entirely up to you!

Links Of The Week: Free Agency, Round 1 Edition

March 23, 2012, by 4 comments

We’ll start this thing off with something that happened yesterday that we really didn’t touch on here at VT… Tedd Ginn Jr. is staying with the 49ers.

Our ever-loquacious punter believes Jonathan Vilma should be banned from the NFL for life.

Rick Spielman seems to be trying to throw everyone off and put up smoke screens regarding our #3 pick. They are smoke screens, right? Right…?!

“In Attempt Not to ‘Spend to Spend,’ Vikings Seemingly Already Spending to Spend,” states this Vikings writer.

In the never-ending-stadium-story, it looks like the Vikings may be getting a sign-off by the Minneapolis City Council.

Over at KAB, our friends get a little crazy and question where the franchise would be had it used Rosenfels instead of Favre in 2010 (amongst many other things).

Do the referees deserve some of the blame for the bounties placed on Favre and how it affected the 2009 NFC Championship game?

Jared Allen thinks the Saints got what they deserved.

Chris Kluwe stands up for “snitches” and goes on (expletive-filled) Twitter rant.

Now, I don’t have any videos to show for the “moment of zen” that Adam typically does here… I do have a story though. (One I told Adam yesterday after he brought up his concern that WR prospect Stephen Hill reminded him of another ex-Viking who bolted up in the draft due to great workouts. He insisted that I try to fit this little story in somewhere and I guess right here is as good as anywhere.)

A few years ago, my family and I went to a buffet (they’re in every casino here in Vegas) around the corner for breakfast on a Sunday morning. Of course, I was in my big, purple, #28 jersey; I wore it proudly (the Vikes were hot stuff at the time). We all sat down and waited for our waiter to greet us and take our drink orders so we could be unleashed and pounce upon the endless spread of food. Our waiter came and this is the short exchange that followed:

“Good morning, I’m [Derek] and I’ll be your waiter this morning. Oh! You a Vikings fan?”

“Yep!”

“Cool! My little nephew actually used to play for the Vikings a while back.”

“Really?! Who was he?”

“Troy Williamson!”

“…”

“…”

“Oh, cool…”

“…”

“Iced tea, please.”

“Moment of zen?” I think not… And yes, Adam compared Stephen Hill to Troy Williamson. Hold your tongue, Adam!

Goodell Brings The Hammer Down On Saints

March 21, 2012, by 16 comments

Today, NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell made a huge statement when he brought the hammer down on the New Orleans Saints for their bounty program. And while this isn’t exactly Vikings news, we felt that the punishment should be mentioned here since we’ve touched on the subject off and on since it came into the news.

No, the Vikings don’t get any compensatory picks. We don’t get a re-do of the NFC Championship game. The Saints didn’t lose their Superbowl ring. The Vikings will be compensated in no way, shape or form (for all you hoping they would be). But they did receive a punishment far more extreme than anything the likes of the NFL has ever seen. Seriously – it’s crazy.

The punishment (according to ESPN):

  1. Defensive Coordinator Gregg Williams suspended indefinitely from the NFL.
  2. Head coach Sean Payton suspended (without pay) for one year. Roger Goodell will meet with Payton after the 2012 season to determine the coach’s status.
  3. General Manager Mickey Loomis suspended for 8 games (without pay).
  4. Loss of the Saints second round pick in both 2012 and 2013.
  5. A fine of $500,000.
  6. Assistant Coach Joe Vitt suspended 6 games (without pay) and fined $100,000.
  7. The players and coaches involved will be required to participate in efforts by the NFL to educate others on the importance of the respect for the game and those who participate in it. Their safety, sportsman-like conduct, etc…

In regards to the punishment, Goodell said,

“We are all accountable and responsible for player health and safety and the integrity of the game… We will not tolerate conduct or a culture that undermines those priorities. No one is above the game or the rules that govern it. Respect for the game and the people who participate in it will not be compromised… A combination of elements made this matter particularly unusual and egregious… When there is targeting of players for injury and cash rewards over a three-year period, the involvement of the coaching staff, and three years of denials and willful disrespect of the rules, a strong and lasting message must be sent that such conduct is totally unacceptable and has no place in the game.”

It is expected that there will also be punishments for the 22 of 27 players involved eventually.

One thing to keep an eye out for is if this has any effect on what the Vikings do with Remi Ayodele. It seems he’s already been displaced by some of the free-agency moves made so far this off-season. If he is one of the 22 players that will eventually (assumingly) be punished by the NFL, it may be wise for the Vikings to just cut their ties now.

Oh yeah, and since we’re already talking about things that aren’t really Vikings news… Tim Tebow is a Jet. Don’t you just love football?

You Asked And I Try To Answer

March 17, 2012, by 5 comments

Friday evening I solicited questions from the audience and I will try to hit as many as I can in this segment.

A few of them were too silly to answer in this post, but I’ll try and match the silliness and reply to them in the comments section.

Here we go.

NORSEMAN66:  Is there going to be a live chat during the draft (each day)?

ADAM:  Yes!  Brett and I plan to host live chats here at VT for every selection of the 2012 NFL Draft and we are way excited!  Barring any last minute major changes, you can consider this a done deal.  One thing I might be interested in, though, is recruiting one or two of you to be a moderator during the chats to help out with the work load.  If you have interest, click the “Contact Us” tab at the very top of the page and let me know your availability that week.

BJOHNNY:  What are your thoughts on Speilman? Is he in over his head, clueless or a crafty genius?

ADAM:  Where is the “other” option, Johnny?  I think Spielman’s approach to free agency makes this year’s Draft even more important to him.  Building through the draft is regarded by almost everyone as the best way to put together a winning football team, but you still have to draft well to see those results.  Let’s wait and see how the Draft and the next few waves of free agency go (and maybe even a football game or two) before judging the approach too harshly.

Continue Reading →

Sharper’s Denial Is [S]moot

March 6, 2012, by 5 comments

NFL players continue to come to the aid of former Saints defensive coordinator Gregg Williams in light of the recent bounty scandal. One of them, Darren Sharper (ex-Packer, Vikings and Saints safety), apparently hasn’t gotten the memo that Williams has already confessed and apologized for providing incentives for players to play with the intent of injuring their competition. Last Friday, Darren Sharper told reporters that there were only incentives for making big plays (such as interceptions, fumbles, etc…), not for injuring the opponent. Sharper was back at it today when he did an interview for a Philadelphia radio station.

“Saying that we were trying to maim guys or try to cart a guy off is just totally ridiculous… I don’t think Coach Peyton had anything or didn’t know anything about that. Coach Peyton didn’t have any idea what we were doing… Was it overseen and controlled by the coaching staff? Yes it was.”

I mean, seriously? Doesn’t Sharper have someone that can keep him informed and up-to-date on this stuff? It would really serve Sharper well to just shut up – something he’s never been capable of.

Fred Smoot is another one of the mindless fools that has come to the aid of Gregg Williams. Smoot played under Williams for two years with the Redskins. It has been reported, since the news broke about the bounty system in place in New Orleans, that Williams had implemented similar incentive programs during previous employment with the Redskins and the Bills. Smoot smooted,

“We started a pot as a defensive backfield of who could get the most forced fumbles, who could get the most interceptions… It was never a bounty… Gregg never put in a dime. Gregg never came in and said do this, or do that. We did that ourselves as a way to kind of pump each other up to go make more plays… He never coached dirty football… I never saw anyone paid for knocking someone out of the game. Did we, as players, put in pots to make plays, what we called ‘big splash plays?’ We did that. Players.”

Smoot’s defense of his former defensive coordinator directly contradicts the detailed account of former safety Matt Bowen who was also with the Redskins under Williams.What’s funny is that even if there was no bounties placed on injuries and it was just for interceptions, sacks, etc… it still violates the NFL cap rules.

In other news, amidst all of the turmoil taking place in New Orleans (whether it be due to the bounty news or franchising Drew Brees), the Saints have also found time to bring in Randy Moss for workouts. Rumor is the Saints want to bring in the veteran wide receiver to help clean up the locker room culture and encourage players to play for the love of the game instead of monetary incentives. (I kid…) But seriously, the Saints are one of the few teams planned to be bringing in #84 for workouts.

Links Of The Week: Bounty Hunter Edition

March 2, 2012, by No comments yet

Normally I try to do this feature on Wednesdays.  On Wednesday there wasn’t enough news floating around to make it worth.

Something changed.

I can’t remember what exactly that was.

But if you give me $10,000 I might suddenly be able to recall.