Aug 11, 2022; Baltimore, Maryland, USA; Tennessee Titans linebacker Jack Gibbens (50) tackles Baltimore Ravens quarterback Brett Hundley. Mandatory Credit: Jessica Rapfogel-USA TODAY Sports.
Purple Rumor Mill: Brad Childress Arrives, Another QB, Chippy Practices
VikingsTerritory‘s Purple Rumor Mill is a two-day chronicle each week. All the week’s rumors are lassoed and plopped in two spots — articles on Saturday and Sunday — for review. Today is the August 20th edition.
Remember — rumors are rumors. What you read on weekends in these pieces is what the world is talking about pertaining to the Vikings, not necessarily items that will come to fruition.
Out of nowhere, Childress showed up at Vikings training camp on Wednesday, seen chatting with owner Zygi Wilf.
Even now, nobody knows why he was there. The San Francisco 49ers were in town, but Childress has no known ties to that organization.
Childress was also fired by this same purple ownership group 12 years ago.
The only explanation would be some type of lifelong friendship with the Wilfs. Plus, Childress still has a house in the Twin Cities, so perhaps he truly “dropped by” out of curiosity. He hasn’t coached in the NFL since 2019.
Overall, don’t panic. He’s not joining the Vikings staff.
If Kellen Mond regresses this weekend after a commendable first preseason game, the Vikings may indeed have a look at another QB2 candidate.
And in May, the team worked out Brett Hundley, who head coach Kevin O’Connell appreciates.
Hundley was released by the Baltimore Ravens last week amid roster cuts. The other free-agent QB options include Blake Bortles, Mike Glennon, Kevin Hogan, Cam Newton, and Kyle Sloter.
But we know verifiably that O’Connell enjoys Hundley. Therefore, if the Vikings go QB2 shopping, circle Hundley on your programs as the top option.
This one is correct, although the “bad blood” isn’t quite like Vikings-Packers or Vikings-Saints.
Put simply, the 49ers were physical and weren’t afraid to admit it afterward.
Thankfully, the teams can pound each other on Saturday at 6:00 pm CST at U.S. Bank Stadium. But during the practice sessions, the franchises had separate visions of how hitting should and shouldn’t be done.
Warner was proud enough to pound his chest over the experience, so maybe the Vikings will reciprocate in an official preseason game. You know — when the hitting is supposed to happen.
Dustin Baker is a political scientist who graduated from the University of Minnesota in 2007. Subscribe to his daily YouTube Channel, VikesNow. He hosts a podcast with Bryant McKinnie, which airs every Wednesday with Raun Sawh and Sally from Minneapolis. His Viking fandom dates back to 1996. Listed guilty pleasures: Peanut Butter Ice Cream, ‘The Sopranos,’ and The Doors (the band).