Archive for July, 2011

Player vs. Owner squabbling is about as interesting to blog about as piles of old hair on the floor of a barbershop, but thankfully there are other CBA-related items a football fan can possibly get slightly excited about. Rules changes, for instance. Oh blessed rules changes. Here’s one that could have implications for the Vikings this year: Henceforth, teams will be allowed 46-man active rosters, one up from 45. Also, the 3rd quarterback will no longer be an inactive “emergency” quarterback. So from now on the 3rd QB can be inserted in the game at any time without rendering the [...]

It’s going to be a few days yet – maybe a couple of weeks if you believe some reports – before the lockout officially ends and teams can begin working out their roster situations by cutting players and trying to re-sign those free agents they wish to have back. In the meantime, there’s nothing much to do but speculate. And speculate. The big name on Viking fans’ minds is Sidney Rice. For the second straight off-season we are forced to wonder about the receiver’s future with the team. Last year it was the hip, which for awhile we feared might [...]

The lockout will be over any day now and we’ll soon be making roster predictions for the 2011 season. Might as well begin now by trimming the fat… Per ESPN’s John Clayton the Minnesota Vikings are approximately $5.1 million over the $120 million salary cap. That figure is also on our current roster; which doesn’t take into account any rookie salaries (namely Christian Ponder) and room must be cleared to sign some folks in the free agent market (most notably trying to retain Sidney Rice and possibly bringing in a veteran QB). Let’s rank the 10 current Minnesota Vikings who [...]

Over the last couple days Jon Merkle and I debated the relative merits of the two potential QB plans the Vikings now have before them, the Go With Ponder Plan and the Acquire a Veteran to Start Plan. Under the Acquire a Veteran to Start Plan, the assumption is that the Vikes would attempt to get someone with the ability to still win a fair number of games – in other words, not an end-of-the-road veteran like Marc Bulger, who would be brought in solely as an insurance policy for Christian Ponder. The drawback to the Acquire a Veteran to [...]

My partner in crime, Dan Zinski, kicked off this Smackdown this morning by saying that the Vikings should start Christian Ponder for the 2011 season. While his points are valid (Drafted 12th Overall, Team Isn’t Going Anywhere, Sick Of Fill-In QBs and Young QBs Get Good Fast) and he had the tough task of going first, I respectfully have to disagree with him to say… The Vikings Should Start a Veteran Quarterback Yes, Ponder was indeed drafted 12th overall. The very next day head coach Leslie Frazier proclaimed him to be “Our Matt Ryan” and through the whole draft process [...]

The lockout will soon come to an end, but not without one last burst of acrimony it appears. This time the ill-feelings are being directed at players by other players, most prominently (so far) Chris Kluwe, who on Twitter this afternoon took issue with what he peceives as the selfishness of several of his colleagues. The Kluwe rage was unleashed after it was learned that at least four of the players named as plaintiffs in the lawsuit that lies at the heart of the lockout are looking to cut deals in exchange for settling, a tactic that could conceivably delay [...]

It’s been the big question of the off-season: Should the Vikings dive into the 2011 campaign with rookie Christian Ponder at QB, or would it be more prudent (and perhaps less wearing on the fans’ nerves) for them to pick up a veteran starter to bridge the gap until Ponder is fully ready? Jon Merkle and I consider both sides of this issue in the inaugural installment of TVA Smackdown (think of it as Pardon the Interruption with more hair and less Statboy). The Vikings Should Start Christian Ponder In April, the Vikings made Florida State quarterback Christian Ponder the [...]

Christian Ponder is in baking-hot Minnesota working out with Larry Fitzgerald (among others, including Kyle Rudolph) and getting in some face-time with reporters eager to pump him for quotes about the starting QB situation. 1500 ESPN’s Tom Pelissero got Ponder to talk about his comfort level with the playbook and his readiness to compete for the starting job, and not surprisingly Ponder projected nothing but confidence. “I know [the playbook] pretty well. I think I’m pretty comfortable going into this thing,” Ponder told pretty-boy Pelissero (who I assume is eschewing his trademark scarves for the duration of the heat wave). When [...]

Fans will have to wait a little longer for a resolution on the Vikings stadium issue. Legislators have decided the stadium isn’t important enough to warrant inclusion in the upcoming special session planned to deal with lingering budget issues. Did I say “a little longer?” It actually looks like the wait may be a long one. Through his spokesperson Katie Tinucci, governor Mark Dayton said he won’t consider a second special session to deal with the stadium until the fall. This after Zygi Wilf reportedly met with Dayton on Friday to force the issue. The majority of Minnesota lawmakers are [...]

The state government of Minnesota has gone back to work, meaning now the Vikings can go back to work pushing their stadium deal. The next step for the Vikes is to get the issue included in a special legislative session, and find out one way or another if the legislature agrees to back the Arden Hills plan. Unfortunately, as of now, the Vikings still have no idea if their issue will be included in the special session. And governor Mark Dayton isn’t helping things. Today, Dayton said he remains “undecided” on whether the stadium issue will be considered during the [...]