Posts tagged: lance briggs

Twelve Grand In The Huddle

March 2, 2012, by 14 comments

Well, shoot, here I thought the post below this one was me taking an unpopular and unique stance on the whole “bountygate” brouhaha.

Guess not.

In the hours since I penned that plenty of others have suggested the practice of bounty hunting in the NFL is no surprise, that the Saints simply got caught, and I have even seen suggestions elsewhere that the NFL should punish them by taking away their rights to a 2012 franchise tag.

Now, I know the Vikings aren’t the only team affected over the last two or three years by Gregg Williams and his unacceptable bounty program, but it is clear they are among the most affected.

Reports have emerged that prior to the 2009 NFC Championship game linebacker Jonathan Vilma threw ten grand on a table and said it would go the player that knocked quarterback Brett Favre out of the game.

As us Vikings fans remember well, that game featured plenty of cheap shots to Favre and it was quite a feat that he was able to finish the game (badly).  This scandal also brings up memories of Adrian Peterson indicating Jabari Greer excessively twisted his ankle on the bottom of a pile in 2011, which nearly caused him to lose his cool.

We know the Saints are going to get punished and I still think there is a case to be made that the team should have their franchise tag revoked this offseason, but is this a case in which the NFL’s punishment should include payment to the team(s) affected by the broken rules?

It wouldn’t be the first time the league did something like that.

In 2008, the NFL found that the 49ers had been tampering with Chicago linebacker Lance Briggs, talking contract with him before they had the right to do so, and San Francisco had to forfeit their fifth round draft pick as a result.  The two teams were also forced to swap third round picks, increasing Chicago’s draft position in that round.

Now, I’m not going to sit here and pretend that plenty of other factors didn’t play into the Vikings loss to the Saints that postseason (ahem, twelve men in the huddle), but there could be a slight chance that the team is in line to receive compensation of some sort for being on the receiving end of Williams’ tactics.

Let’s hear it Vikings Territory, do you think the Vikings should get something out of this?  If so, what should they get?

Greenway To Play In The Pro Bowl

January 10, 2012, by 3 comments

Sorry for being a little behind on the updates, life is getting tough to keep up with at the moment.

However, I wanted to put the shovel down for a minute and pass along some good news.

Vikings linebacker Chad Greenway will play in his first Pro Bowl as an alternate selection, replacing Lance Briggs of Chicago.

“On behalf of the entire Vikings organization, our congratulations go to Chad for this great honor,” Vikings Head Coach Leslie Frazier said. “Chad is a vital part of our team, and the fact that he led our team in tackles and was also third in tackles for loss this season is proof of that. His production on the field has been matched only by his leadership in the locker room and off the field. Hopefully this is the first of many more Pro Bowls for Chad.”

Greenway admits this has not been his best season, but there is little doubt he has the skills and the experience to be a true difference maker on this defense moving forward.