Rumors

Pre-Camp Buzz

May 19, 2012, by 23 comments

Between now and the season opener, the Minnesota media will follow a very specific formula to make sure their sports pages are still interesting despite the relatively boring period of time that is the middle of the offseason.

I am, of course, referring to the strategy creating a scattershot of “fluff” pieces that will profile a player, perhaps give us a snapshot of their personal history, and leave us all with a hopeful message:  This guy could be the answer at his respective position.

I’m not saying these articles don’t serve a worthwhile purpose, and aren’t interesting to those of us that love our Vikings football, but I just want to help you temper your expectations by reminding you that these articles come and go every year.  Sometimes the player turns out to be a nobody (i.e. Logan Payne) and sometimes the player actually does become a contributor (i.e. Marcus Sherels) despite the stacked odds.

I’m not trying to be the poster child of pessimism.  Rather, I am just trying to keep your expectations in check, as it is always a dangerous time when the hopes of Vikings fans begin to rise.

Okay, so with all of that said, I want to highlight some stories about the pre-camp Vikings and how they are doing.  After the jump.

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Sid: E.J. Could Be Coming Back

May 18, 2012, by 7 comments

As pointed out by The Viking Age, Sid Hartman recently stated that there is a “good chance” that middle linebacker E.J. Henderson re-signs with the Vikings this offseason.

Now, E.J. has been one of my favorite Vikings to watch for a number of years now (and I would love to still wear his jersey on game day without feeling silly), but even I wouldn’t have predicted that the elder Henderson somehow worked into the Vikings offseason plan of getting younger, healthier, and less expensive.

Jasper Brinkley might not fit the Tampa-2 scheme real great, as some media outlets have been quick to opine, but the right rotation of Brinkley, Erin Henderson and Chad Greenway could make them a very effective group.

Hartman writes that Henderson is not wavering from his demand to be paid the same as last season for his services, which would bring his salary in at $6.7 million.

That isn’t going to happen.  If it was, it already would have.

Henderson is on the wrong side of thirty, has had trouble staying on the field in consecutive seasons, and is a major liability in pass coverage.  If the Vikings planned to give that type of money to a veteran linebacker this offseason, that too would have already happened.

In fact, looking back at how the offseason has played, one of my only real complaints is that the Vikings didn’t pony up for a stud linebacker when they had the chance.  Stephen Tulloch (signed with Lions), Curtis Lofton (Saints), Dan Connor (Cowboys), and David Hawthorne (Seahawks) all could have been sure-fire upgrades at the linebacker position.

I like Brinkley’s potential, but the linebacker position is one to keep an eye on as the offseason progresses.

Links Of The Weekend: Stadium Euphoria

May 12, 2012, by 2 comments

Well, we all know what topic has dominated Vikings news this week, and we’ll get back to assessing the ongoing roster transformation soon, but in the meantime let’s highlight some of best articles available right now.  Most are stadium related, but I tried to find a good mix.

Once Again, Cris Carter Talks While Vikings Fans Cringe

May 9, 2012, by 13 comments

With the Saints player suspension less than a week old, former Vikings receiver Cris Carter re-confirmed what many of us already knew, or at least believed, about the sport of football:  “bounties” have long been a part of the game.

“I’m guilty of it,” Carter said of using bounties. “It’s the first time I’ve ever admitted it. But I put a bounty on guys before. I put bounties on guys. And the guys tried to take me out, a guy tried to take a cheap shot on me, I put a bounty on him, right now.”

Carter insisted that he used bounties strictly as a defense mechanism, but also witnessed times when bounties were use to target specific players on opposing teams.

“Protect me. . . . Protect me from him. . . . Especially if he’s playing a different position where I can’t protect myself,” Carter said. “I’d tell one of them guards, ‘Hey man, this dude is after me, man. Bill Romanowski.’ He told me he’s gonna me out before the game, in warmups. No problem. ‘I’m gonna end your career, Carter.’ No problem. I put a little change on his head before the game. Protect myself, protect my family. That’s the league that I grew up in.”

Since the day the news of “Bounty Gate” first broke I have maintained a pretty uninspired stance on the matter, despite some very emotional reactions from other Vikings faithful, but part of my measured response to this story has to do with the assumption that this troubling practice was not isolated within the City of New Orleans, with a Gregg Williams defense, or even just within the NFL.

Instead, it is becoming clear that this was a widespread problem that Roger Goodell has decided there is no room for in a league run by him.

The Saints will take the fall, but bounties have been around for a long time and have infiltrated many locker rooms.

Including, apparently, the Vikings locker room.

Undrafted Free Agent Tracker

April 28, 2012, by 9 comments

Here is what we are hearing so far in regards to undrafted guys signing with the Vikings.  Keep in mind, at this point, is all rumors.

Chase Baker, DT, Boise State

Derrick Coleman, RB, UCLA

Kevin Cyrille, DE, Florida Atlantic

Bobby Felder, DB, Nicholls State

Kamar, Jorden, WR, Bowling Green

Eric Latimore, DE, Penn State

Tyler Nielson, LB, Iowa

Ernest Owusu, DE, California

Corey Paredes, LB, Hawaii

Austin Paztor, G, Virginia

Tydreke Powell, DT, North Carolina

Terrell Resonno, DT, Missouri

Quentin Saulsberry, C, Mississippi State

Darrion Weems, OT, Oregon

C.C. Whitlock, CB, South Carolina

[UPDATE:  Apparently the above list is pretty set.  Been confirmed by the local media.  This will be pending physicals and whatnot.]

LIVE CHAT TRANSCRIPT: Day One

April 27, 2012, by No comments yet

Well, the first day of the 2012 NFL Draft turned out to be quite exciting for us Vikings fans.

Our live chat was a blast and a huge thanks to Brett, Malte, and Gil from thevikingden.com for all of the hard work keeping things running smoothly!

Here is the transcript from the live chat so that it can always be a part of our permanent record and also to let you review some reactions if that interests you:

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All About The Trade Talks

April 26, 2012, by 5 comments

The Vikings have about three hours to find a suitable trade partner or make on very tough decision.

Josina Anderson of espn.com said that she recently received a text from a high ranking Vikings official saying that the team is “Still waiting to see if we have a trade partner.”  Another ESPN personality, John Clayton, says that the Vikings are still focused on trying to get Tampa Bay to bounce up two spots.

Clayton, one of the few remaining holdouts, still believes Matt Kalil will be the Vikings choice if they stay at the three spot.