Archive for June, 2011

This qualifies as an intriguing tidbit: The oddsmaking site Bodog places the odds of the Vikings signing newly-unimprisoned receiver Plaxico Burress at 15/2, tying them with the Redskins for fourth position in the presumptive Plaxico sweepstakes. The Eagles are considered the favorites at 3/2, I guess based on their recent history of signing felons. The rationale behind mentioning the Vikings in this conversation is simple: They could lose Sidney Rice, leaving them with a gaping hole at receiver. If Rice’s free agent status remains restricted after the whole labor mess gets sorted out, guaranteeing his return to the Vikings for [...]

I’m going to go out on a limb and say the Vikings have every intention of bringing in a veteran quarterback as an insurance policy for Christian Ponder.  There’s been recent speculation that the team may or may not bring in a veteran to compete with Ponder and Joe Webb in training camp and possibly be a short term solution if neither Ponder or Webb earn the job outright.  Coach Leslie Frazier recently said “In our situation if we were to go that route to bring a veteran in — whatever time that would be — that veteran has to [...]

Christian Ponder has great leadership skills, as he demonstrated by organizing an informal camp this week (never mind the fact that most of his teammates elected to skip the camp; it was a nice try anyway). Unfortunately Ponder, being a 2011 draft pick, doesn’t have the experience to go with the natural leadership ability. This lack of experience, both on the part of Ponder and his teammate Joe Webb, is the biggest reason why the Vikings might consider pursuing a veteran quarterback when/if transactions again become possible. The thinking being that the team still has enough pieces to make a [...]

Nice try by Christian Ponder on attempting to get his team together for an off-season work out. I like the initiative. Unfortunately Christian isn’t Tom Brady. He can’t just call guys up and tell them to get their butts to work. Maybe Christian’s next work out, scheduled for a couple of weeks from now, will be better-attended. For those who were wondering: No, Christian did not copy the playbook at Kinko’s. So we won’t have to worry about some unscrupulous Kinko’s employee leaking the plays. Well that’s a load off my mind. Follow FanSided on Facebook. Follow The Viking Age [...]

In an interview today with KFAN Sports Radio AM 1130, newly franchised tagged linebacker Chad Greenway stated the following on Ben Leber’s free agency — “I would say there is a better percentage of him not being here than him being here… But again, that’s not my hope.” Leber is an interesting case in the event we ever get around to a free agency in these dull times of the lockout. He’s been an adequate weakside linebacker for the purple for the past five seasons after coming over in free agency from the San Diego Chargers. But that was also [...]

This week Christian Ponder and some of his Vikings teammates, including fellow QBs Joe Webb and Rhett Bomar, have been participating in informal work outs at IMG Academy in Bradenton, Florida. It was reported that more Vikings, including veterans Percy Harvin, Sidney Rice, Visanthe Shiancoe and Bernard Berrian, would be joining the “microcamp” later in the week. But a funny thing happened on the way to this inspiring show of team unity amid the uncertainty of the lockout: Most of the big-name veterans changed their minds and decided not to attend. When contacted about their sudden changes of heart by [...]