Archive for April, 2010

Clearly, Brad Childress is not concerned about Brett Favre‘s ankle, or the prospect of the QB having to undergo surgery on it. “That’s been ongoing,” Childress said. “That’s a life issue for him.” In other words, Childress thinks Favre can have that cleaned out, and he will be good-to-go. He better hope that’s the case, anyway.

Brett Favre doesn’t want anyone jumping to conclusions in the wake of his revelation that he will need surgery on his ankle if he wants to continue playing. Favre posted on his official site: I want to add to the information provided in the article that was published this morning on ESPN’s website. Given the reaction to the article, and the typical conclusion jumping, I thought I’d clarify a few things. While my ankle has been bothering me, the injury is not debilitating. For example, I’m able to work around my property without any problems. Sure – certain exercises cause [...]

We all saw the pictures of Brett Favre‘s bruised ankle after the NFC Title Game. The image was nasty to be sure, but now it turns out, it was even worse than it looked. According to a report by ESPN’s Ed Werder, the ankle is still giving Favre problems, and if he wants to play in 2010 he will have to undergo surgery. That opinion comes via Dr. James Andrews, who also advised Favre last off-season when he was coming off a torn biceps tendon. Without surgery on the bicep, Favre would not have been able to play again. After [...]

I appreciate that Chester Taylor is trying to ingratiate himself with his new fans in Chicago, while hopefully whipping up some enthusiasm for the new-look Bears…but there has to be a better way of doing that than butchering “Take Me Out to the Ballgame.” Did he stop singing halfway through because he didn’t know the words or because he knew how brutal he was? (video via Le Shock Value)  

Savethevikes.org is doing everything it can to keep the Vikings in Minnesota. This includes producing PSAs starring a Jared Allen impersonator. I find the idea of a Jared Allen impersonator slightly disturbing, but if it helps keep the Vikings in Minnesota, it’s all good. A Brad Childress impersonator would be funnier though.

Matt Birk spent his entire career with the Vikings until last year when he signed a free agent contract with the Baltimore Ravens. And now Birk is making his second move in as many years. According to a radio report, the former Pro-Bowler has been traded to the Pittsburgh Steelers. Clearly, the Steelers felt less-than-secure about the abilities of incumbent center Justin Hartwig and new draft pick Maurkice Pouncey. I wonder if Pittsburgh will now cut Hartwig loose. And if the Vikings would be interested in the veteran center as an upgrade over John Sullivan. While we’re on the subject [...]

The Vikings made it an even split between offense and defense on day 3 of the draft. On the defensive side, the big pick was DE Everson Griffen, a large talent whose commitment often came into question in college. Griffen has the potential to be a starter some day, especially if the Vikes and Ray Edwards end up parting ways. But he also has the potential to be an even bigger headache than Edwards. Linebacker was the other position the Vikes addressed heavily on day 3, taking Gopher Nate Triplett and Ryan D’Imperio of Rutgers. Neither figures to be much [...]

The Vikings have made what is sure to be one of the most-discussed draft picks of 2010, trading up with the Houston Texans and selecting running back Toby Gerhart of Stanford. Gerhart had great college stats, but opinion was divided about where he should be picked. Some had him going as high as the 2nd round, while others projected him into the 4th or lower. Just prior to the draft, Gerhart become embroiled in something of a controversy when he revealed that at least one team made an issue of his race – he is white, and most NFL running [...]

This time, the Vikings decided to hold onto their pick, rather than make another trade. They used it to select a cornerback: Chris Cook out of Virginia. Cook is big and fast, but there are questions about him in run support. That would seem to make him a less-than-ideal player for the Vikings’ system, but obviously they like his talent and think they can coach him up. Cornerback was a somewhat predictable pick for the Vikings here given the interest they reportedly had in both Patrick Robinson and Kyle Wilson. Robinson was taken by the Saints after the Vikes traded [...]

As of now, the Vikings will pick second in the second round of the draft. But, as we learned yesterday, the whole thing is a fluid situation. A very fluid situation, if Adam Schefter’s tweet from a few minutes ago is any indication: Rams, Vikings, Buccaneers all getting multiple phone calls for their picks at top of 2nd round. Going to be an active night. The strategy for the Vikings appears to be swinging trades and accumulating picks. Whether these picks will be traded for other picks or a veteran player (Albert Haynesworth?) is something we’ll have to wait to [...]