Archive for February, 2009

With the number of top-drawer free agent offensive tackles dwindling, it begins to look more and more like the Vikings will have to solve their right tackle situation via that yearly crap shoot known as the draft.  This means getting the old draft-wonk hat out of the closet, dusting it off and…eh, who am I kidding?  I have no draft wonk hat.  Thankfully I do have the internet, which means I can quickly search around for information that will allow me to pretend I know what I’m talking about.  Offensive tackles…combine numbers…mock drafts…scouting…hot Asian teens (bookmark that one for later)… [...]

Is incarcerated, dog-murdering quarterback Michael Vick in play for the Vikings or not?  Recent comments by Rick Spielman would suggest not: I just would say that we’re very strong on our character and what type of people [we bring in].  You guys know how we’ve been about the type of players that we’ve brought in. That was read by most as everything short of an unequivocal no on Vick.  But now we have this remark by Brad Childress, who was also asked about PETA’s favorite QB: I really don’t get into hypotheticals because I think there’s too much water that’s [...]

Fan-Sided has recently been expanding its empire into new areas including diamond mining and international espionage.  Oh, and they’ve also started up some new baseball blogs and also a hockey blog.  The two newest baseball blogs are Birds Watcher, dedicated to the Baltimore Orioles, and BoSox Injection, which concerns all things Boston Red Sox.  Birds Watcher is managed by Fan-Sided rookie Michael Worley, while BoSox Injection is written by Matt DeLucia who some of you may know from our Patriots site Musket Fire.  Meanwhile, Fan-Sided’s hard-working Buffalo Bills blogger Tim Redinger has broken new network ground by taking the helm [...]

Various alleged insiders, including Adam Caplan, had me convinced that Matt Birk would not be returning to the Vikings next season.  Mr. Caplan even went so far as to allege there was a “philosophical disagreement” between Birk and coach Brad Childress, and that this was behind Birk’s ouster as starting center.  Now, though, indications are that the Vikings are quite open to bringing Birk back for at least one more season.  Today Birk’s agent said the team still wanted him, and then Brad Childress confirmed that he will at least sit down with Birk and discuss things.  None of this [...]

Vernon Carey was seen by some – including me – as a potential big free agent signing for the Vikings.  Unfortunately, Vernon’s old team the Dolphins also valued him…which is why they have reportedly signed him to a long-term contract.  Jordan Gross:  Gone.  Vernon Carey:  Gone.  Mark Tauscher anyone?

Today is a great day Vikings fans, for we have learned that our savior is about to become available. Yes, at last it has happened: The Lions are going to cut Jon Kitna. Don’t ask me why Detroit would do anything so crazy as to give away for nothing the toughest, grittiest quarterback ever to set cleats to gridiron, but they’re going to, and if the Vikings are smart, they will immediately snap him up.  And with Kitna and his divine healing powers leading our offense?  Winning the Super Bowl would only be the beginning.  The very cosmos would tremble [...]

One of the off-season’s biggest question has been:  Who will start at right tackle for the Vikings in 2009?  We know it won’t be Ryan Cook unless the organization has a big change-of-heart about him…and now we know it won’t be Jordan Gross who has just signed a new six-year contract with the Panthers.  Gross was at the top of many people’s lists of potential free agent targets for the Vikes – but now he must be crossed off.  This would seem to leave Miami Dolphins free agent Vernon Carey as the #1 name, with Ray Willis of the Seahawks [...]

From Adam Schefter:  Marvin Harrison‘s long and mostly glorious run with the Indianapolis Colts will come to an end, likely within the next week, when the team cuts him loose for salary cap reasons.  Harrison was due to make $13.4 million this year – too much to pay an injury-riddled former Pro Bowler with gun-related allegations hanging over his head – and by cutting him the team will be able to take around half of that number off the books.  I don’t know how much interest anyone would have in Harrison about now, but a guy with 1,102 career catches, [...]

I never thought signing a name wide receiver was a big possibility for the Vikings, given that they spent large money on Bernard Berrian last year, and now that prospect has shrunk even farther with news that the Tampa Bay Buccaneers have slapped the franchise tag on Antonio Bryant, the only free agent wide-out besides T.J. Houshmandzadeh who was worthy of any amount of speculation.  Adam Schefter says Bryant’s franchise tender number is $9.9 million.  Bryant was Tampa’s leading receiver last year, catching 83 balls for 1248 yards and 7 TDs.

Maurice Hicks has been waived by the Vikings after one season as their kick return specialist.  Hicks was signed to a three-year deal last off-season but missed five games between injury and being benched, and was rendered mostly irrelevant with the emergence of Darius Reynaud (who himself ended up getting hurt after posting a 25 yard kick return average, over a full yard better than Hicks’s own 23.8 yard average).  Hicks didn’t do himself any favors by fumbling in a key situation during the Purple’s loss to Tampa Bay either.  I’m sure we’ll get some indication later as to how [...]