The Viking Age » matt schaub

Sage Rosenfels is Not Worried About Favre Rumors

Dan Zinski — Tue, 05 May 2009 16:21:06 +0000

Sage Rosenfels knows the drill: you’re the guy the organization says will get a “chance to compete” for a starting job, then they run out and grab a name guy and sign him to a big contract, and you’re relegated to #2 duty without benefit of that promised competition. It happened to Sage in Houston when the Texans traded for Matt Schaub, and if things continue on their present trajectory, it will happen to him again in Minnesota, courtesy of a gray-beard gunslinger with an itchy trigger finger.

But like I said, Sage knows the drill. None of this is new to him. Which is why he is able to say things like this when asked about the Brett Favre rumors swirling typhoon-like around his new organization:

Nothing really surprises me anymore. There are a lot of rumors in the NFL and I have learned to just go about my business. … It doesn’t change the way I work out or the way I prepare. I always say frustration is a self-inflicted wound. For me to get frustrated would just hurt me as a player and doesn’t benefit me whatsoever.

Sage seems a likable, even-tempered guy – but I wonder how well he would take it if he found out the Favre deal had been in the works all along, and the Vikings only traded for and signed him to cover themselves in the event Favre’s arm didn’t come back. A thing like that could really make a guy bitter, getting played like that. But I can’t see Zygi Wilf, Rick Spielman and Brad Childress being quite that devious. Can you?

Frerotte to Houston?

Dan Zinski — Wed, 25 Feb 2009 19:52:29 +0000

John McClain (no, not that one; yes I know it’s spelled different) writes in the Houston Chronicle that if the Vikings say goodbye to Gus Frerotte, which they’re expected to do as soon as the Sage Rosenfels trade goes through, the Texans should put him on their short list of replacement back-up quarterbacks. Says McClain:

At 37, he’s a 15-year veteran who has played in just about every system other than the single wing.

General manager Rick Smith and coach Gary Kubiak saw how effective Frerotte can be. He threw a season-high three touchdown passes in the Vikings’ 28-21 victory over the Texans at the Metrodome.

Neither Frerotte nor Rosenfels knew it at the time, but they both may have been playing themselves into new jobs that day at the Dome. Rosenfels played the second half in place of Matt Schaub and clearly impressed the Vikings (who were already interested in him anyway), and now McClain reveals that Frerotte’s performance in the same game may end up factoring into his acquisition by Houston. Is that what they call the Circle of Life?

Vikings Working on Trade for Sage Rosenfels

Dan Zinski — Mon, 23 Feb 2009 20:00:42 +0000

A lot of you are going to be unhappy to hear this, but, according to the Houston Chronicle, the Vikings and Texans are near agreement on a trade that would send a 4th round draft pick to Houston in exchange for quarterback Sage Rosenfels. The Vikings pursued Rosenfels last season but Houston balked at their offer of a 3rd rounder. Evidently, Rosenfels’ trade value has fallen since then. I don’t know why, since I thought he played pretty solid ball in place of Matt Schaub…at least in the second half against us (that was the game where Schaub’s knee was taken out, some would say in dirty fashion, by Jared Allen).

Is Rosenfels the ideal answer for our quarterback dilemma? No. I still say Donovan McNabb would’ve been, but that was never actually going to happen (unless something weird went down). Jeff Garcia to me would’ve been tolerable but not exciting. Jon Kitna? He’s Garcia with less mobility. No one else out there did much for me. I advocated all along for Rosenfels because I thought that, from a practical stand-point, he was the best among a lot of middling options. I’m not going to elevate the Purple to Super Bowl favorite status because of this move…nor am I going to hold my head and wail and curse the name of Brad Childress. It was really the only move to make, given the circumstances.