Quote Of The Week

Loadholt Re-Signs With Class

March 12, 2013, by 5 comments

There has been a lot of negativity floating around about the Vikings decisions lately, and I am as guilty as anyone on this point, so I thought I’d share some truly classy comments with you from Phil Loadholt, as transcribed by Mike Wobschall:

“I love being in Minnesota, love the community, and my family feels really at home,” Loadholt said. “It’s been great settling in Minnesota and calling it home. I was drafted here, and I wanted to come back and finish what we started here. I have a good feeling about where things are going with this team. We’ve just got to continue to build on what we’ve got and keep improving.”

“It was important to keep the consistency we have on the line,” Loadholt said. “The more we keep working together the better we will be as a group. If we continue to stay healthy and work hard we can reach our goals.”

Having the best running back in the league makes blocking a lot more fun,” Loadholt said of his fellow Oklahoma Sooner. “Adrian makes everyone’s job easier and knowing what he can do makes you want to work even harder.”

Rumor has it that Loadholt played the free agency game like anyone would, leveraging the division rival Bears against the Vikings, but it is refreshing to see some seemingly genuine comments about the organization be pleasant ones.  Loadholt will be part of the Vikings roster for years to come, and he sounds excited about that.

Rick Spielman’s Willingness To Deal Should Be No Surprise

January 26, 2012, by 3 comments

Once upon a time, I wrote an article at Vikings Gab that sparked a very interesting and heated discussion in the comments section because I, at least a little, ripped apart Rick Spielman’s history of making perfectly good draft picks disappear with little to show for it.

This upcoming Draft worries me because Spielman could once again find himself in a position to move around, and acknowledged as much when discussing having the third overall pick.

“[W]e’ll be looking at all the options,” Spielman told the NFL Network on Wednesday.  “If someone wants to come up and get our pick, we’re going to be more than willing to listen.”

Of course, this should come as no surprise, as it would be disappointing to hear the General Manager say he has already made his mind up in January.  For me the statement did, however, bring all those same fears bubbling back to the surface.

Dunbar: “They Didn’t Kill My Family”

January 6, 2012, by 10 comments

Karl Dunbar responded to being fired by the Vikings in this article at Access Vikings.

At points, Dunbar seemed perplexed that he was being fired since his defensive line played fairly well this season, but refuses to suggest he is getting a raw deal.

The reason he doesn’t think he’s getting a raw deal?

“They didn’t kill my wife and they didn’t kill my family,” Dunbar explained.  “They took care of my family. So no, I didn’t get a raw deal.”

I think Karl may want to redefine his personal meaning of the phrase “fair treatment,” as merely letting your family live does not qualify as fair treatment on its own.

All joking aside, Dunbar seemed grateful for his six years in Minnesota, and seems to have a fairly positive attitude about moving on to the next opportunity, which he will surely have his pick of.

What did strike me as an interesting statement from Dunbar suggests that Frazier’s supposedly complete control over his coaching staff may not be quite as complete as we have all been led to believe.

“Coach Frazier told me the ownership wanted to go in a different direction,” Dunbar said.

Ownership? 

I thought ownership gave Frazier control of his coaching staff.

QUOTE OF THE WEEK: Kahlil Bell Doesn’t Like Us

December 28, 2011, by No comments yet

Kahlil Bell appears to be climbing the depth chart in Chicago, especially after he posted 121 yards in his second career start last week against Green Bay. However, this week against the Vikings, he claims to be a little extra motivated to post some big stats.

After going undrafted in 2009, the UCLA running back was picked up by the Vikings but was unable to make the cut and was left watching Favre-a-rama from a distance. Bell apparently took that a little personally.

“I don’t really like Minnesota,” Bell recently stated.

I don’t really like Minnesota

“I was there for a short stint, so it’s not going to take much for me to be motivated, he continued. “Nobody likes to say they feel good about the team that let them go, but they obviously felt I wasn’t adequate enough to be a part of their organization, which is in my mind a blessing because I love it here in Chicago and I love being with the Bears.”

Bell might be motivated to prove the Vikings made a mistake, but the Vikings are motivated by not wanting to go down as the worst team in the organization’s 51 year history.

So there.