Don’t Abandon Ship, Free Agency Is Still Young

March 14, 2012, by 7 comments

The first day of free agency has come and gone and the Vikings (supposed) lack of activity has left many fans in an all-out panic. While a few teams around the league went on a spending spree and snatched up the big name players, the Vikings choose to pass and not sign anyone on the first day. Like many of you, I was a little disappointed. But it wasn’t disappointment caused by the fact that I feel the team messed up or is making the wrong decisions. Instead, it was more of a selfish disappointment. That feeling as a child when you wake up on Christmas morning and don’t necessarily have what you think you should have under the Christmas tree. When you didn’t get the monster truck you were dying for and, instead, received money bonds from your Great Aunt Betty. You don’t appreciate the bond…The bonds take time. You want the immediate  gratification of having that monster truck – of signing Vincent Jackson. You want something now.

And I understand it, I completely get it.

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Another Fan Favorite Gone As Bucs Sign Nicks

March 14, 2012, by 1 comment

Alright,  it’s day two and I’m going to go out on a limb here and predict that the Vikings will be more active today.

The morning isn’t off to a good start though if you were a proponent of the Vikings bringing in stud guard Carl Nicks. Jason La Canfora is reporting that Nicks has already agreed to terms with the Buccaneers – who had tons of cap space.

While Nicks is off the board, there are still many cheaper, more economical options at guard and I can almost guarantee this position will be addressed. So be sure to check back often today as we keep you updated on all of day two’s happenings.

COMMUNITY MOCK: Day Nine

March 14, 2012, by 4 comments

Day eight of our Community Mock Draft saw the Dolphins select quarterback Ryan Tannehill, which obviously is a pick that stands to be inaccurate if they win the Peyton Manning sweepstakes.

Still, we must forge on.

Up next are the Carolina Panthers.  Please your vote and leave your analysis in the comments section.

John Carlson To Visit Vikings Wednesday

March 14, 2012, by 15 comments

Alright folks, here it is! The Vikings first real move in free agency.

Adam Caplan, of the NFL Network, has reported that tight end John Carlson will be visiting the Vikings tomorrow (Wednesday).

John Carlson has been with the Seattle Seahawks since 2008, and while has never managed to break through and become an elite tight end, he did have a couple productive years. Unfortunately, Carlson was sidelined all of 2011 with a shoulder injury.

While many may wonder why we are bringing in a tight end of all things, it does make sense. As we’ve said before here on Vikings Territory, with the retirement of Jimmy Kleinsasser and the almost certain (especially after seeing this news) departure of Visanthe Shiancoe, tight end becomes a need for the Vikings. It’s well known that Musgrave wants to implement two tight end sets on offense – something that would be difficult considering the lack of depth at the position.

One thing that leaves me a little confused, though: Spielman has made it clear that his desire is to find young talent as he rebuilds the franchise. Carlson is 28 years old… Only 3 years younger than Shiancoe. Makes me think that maybe they’re simply trying to find a replacement for Visanthe.

When healthy, Carlson’s numbers are comparable to Shiancoe’s and, depending on the price, Carlson could be a great option to immediately fill his hole.

(Side note: Just wanted to let everyone know that my posts may be a little more sparse the next couple of weeks. I broke my finger and recently had surgery to allow it to heal properly. Typing is difficult and takes much longer than regularly. Luckily, we have Adam who did an absolutely awesome job today covering the massive amount of activity due to the launch of free agency. Thanks for understanding. I’ll be back soon!)

Chris Cook Takes The Stand, Decision Coming Soon

March 13, 2012, by No comments yet

Vikings cornerback Chris Cook is facing felony charges stemming from an incident involving his girlfriend in 2011.

Today, the defense strategy was to claim he was acting in self defense, and Cook himself spent 96 minutes on the witness stand in an effort to convince the jury of exactly that.

“No. I…no,” Cook replied when asked if he thought before striking the woman. “I was reacting. I wasn’t thinking. I was reacting to pain.”

The attorney’s will make their final arguments Wednesday morning, and then the jury will deliberate.  A decision could be coming very soon, and his future with the Vikings could very well hinge on that decision.

Front Office Doesn’t Dive Right In, While Fans Jump From Cliffs

March 13, 2012, by 14 comments

Did you know the sky is falling?

Seriously… look outside your window.  That’s what it looks like when the sky is falling, not to be confused with what it looks like when a giant Teflon roof is falling.

I’ll admit it.  I had high hopes that the Vikings could land cornerback Brandon Carr and wide receiver Vincent Jackson on day one of free agency.  I will also admit, however, that I had in no way anticipated the all-out madness that was day one of the NFL’s free agency period.

Seriously, if I could just have one percent of the money that was tossed around on Tuesday, I would buy all of you season tickets and just name that section “Vikings Territory Seating Only.”

The Vikings are in a rebuilding mode, which will probably span multiple seasons, and their strategy was evident on Tuesday:  We won’t designate too much of our valuable cap space to one player, because no one player can fix what is wrong here.

I’m not saying it will work out for Rick Spielman, and some of these high profile studs will probably continue to play like high profile studs, but to dismiss the strategy as invalid is just plain silly.

The Redskins and the Cowboys have spent enough money in recent offseason’s to make Mitt Romney choke on his caviar.  And where has that got them?

Meanwhile, the Packers haven’t signed an unrestricted free agent in years, and most of them are wearing a big shiny ring right now.  Not only should Vikings fans not feel lonely, they should consider themselves in pretty good company.  The Ravens, Falcons, Patriots, Lions, Giants, and Steelers were all fairly quiet, too.  Let’s face it… the Ravens know how to run a ball club better than the Redskins, so I would much rather see Spielman acting like them instead of Dan Snyder.

In fact, as of this posting only about 14 notable signings have occurred, so there is plenty of players left to spend money on and there should be little doubt that the Vikings can now make their $23 million in cap space stretch further than they would have been able to on Tuesday.  I mean, paying Pierre Garcon $8 million per year makes sense and all, but…

We talked about rumors that the Vikings are interested in offensive lineman Scott Wells and tight end John Carlson.  While no official visits have been reported, it is obvious that Spielman and company are just letting the funny money fly and will take a well-reasoned approach to filling as many of the numerous holes on this roster as possible with quality football players.

So, when the you wake up Wednesday morning and the sun is shining, and you realize the sky has indeed not fallen, get your ass back here to Vikings Territory and we’ll talk some more about the five hundred (give or take) free agents that are still available.

And The Top Receiver Target Is Off The Market

March 13, 2012, by 33 comments

The long anticipated answer to whether or not the Vikings would land wide receiver Vincent Jackson has arrived, and it is sure to cause some grumbling amongst the masses.

Jackson reportedly signed a five year deal with Tampa Bay on Tuesday worth a maximum of $55.55 million, according to Adam Schefter.  $26 million of that is guaranteed.

Wide receivers flew off the shelves on the first day of free agency, and as of this post, the Vikings are not known to have expressed interest in any of them despite their need to stretch the field on offense.