Jun/083
Cardinals knock Vikings out Tecmo style
This should make you chuckle and shed a tear at the same time. It is a sound clip of the Vikings' radio play-by-play voice Paul Allen during the final play of the 2003 season when the Cards beat the Vikes on the last play and miss the playoffs. The funny part is that it is done with Tecmo Super Bowl.
Watch and enjoy....
Brad, I also found this one in Madden (Hoots):
Jun/081
Welcome Mr. Allen
ESPN the magazine did a great Jared Allen piece.
"Anybody can be who they want to be in a 48-hour interview," Childress says. "But I could feel the changes he made coming through."
Story Link - http://sports.espn.go.com/espnmag/story?id=3450260
Apr/080
Jared Allen what? Doesn’t anyone care that the Gophers got new uni’s?
I know that the NFL draft is tomorrow and I didn't really break it down like I did last year. Well, I guess that's because second round projections aren't that interesting. Here are my two scenarios: 1) Vikings trade down to the late second or early third round to get an additional 4th round pick. They then use their first two picks on the offensive line (tackle, center, guard or tight end) or wide receiver. 2) Vikings keep the 47th overall pick and take Fred Davis from USC. Shane Co. was a huge bust last year and we really need a TE that can run the seam route to keep the opposing safeties honest covering Berrian and Rice.
Ok, now that the draft speculation is out of the way - the Gophers got new uniforms! Believe it or not, Gopher Football is about to be relevant in the next year or two for the first time in my 28 years on this planet. They are building a new on-campus stadium, which will attract not only a huge contingent of fans; and also better players. http://www.gophersports.com/ViewArticle In addition, they have updated their look for the 2008 season. http://www.gophersports.com/PhotoAlbum. Personally I only like white on white, maroon on maroon, and maroon on gold; but I guess they might use the other 3 combinations as well, against my will.
Apr/0813
LA Developer Unveils New Stadium With Purple Seats
The Trib is reporting that LA Developer Ed Roski announced plans today to build a $800 million dollar NFL stadium on land he already owns near Los Angeles. Roski said the stadium could be completed by 2011, the same year the Minnesota Vikings lease expires with the Metrodome.
Could we see Adrian Peterson rushing his way to NFL title's with the LA Vikings? LA already took the Lakers from MN, are the Vikings next? The San Diego Chargers would also be an attractive team to move since the 'ol Jack Murphy Stadium is dying quickly.
http://www.losangelesfootballstadium.com/
http://www.losangelesfootballstadium.com/images
Mar/082
NFL: High Picks = Top Performers??
This year the Minnesota Vikings will have the 17th overall selection in the NFL Draft. Midway through last season it looked like we were a lock to land a top 5 pick. Then Adrian Peterson realized that he was one of the 3 most explosive, game-changing players in the league and all hell broke loose. The worst case scenario in the NFL is to narrowly miss the playoffs; in this scenario you not only miss out on the postseason, you also get a lousy draft pick. Unlike sports like hockey and baseball, it definitely pays to tank in the NFL; there's not even a lottery.. Although the Vikings did pay bigtime for their winning ways the last half of the season in the way of draft order, the way they will not pay is by having to invest in upwards of $30 million guaranteed dollars in what likely will amount to a bust player from college.
With the 2008 NFL Draft closely at hand (relatively speaking), I for one am glad that our Vikings don't have the responsibility of picking in the top 10 and paying top 10 money to a player who has never stepped foot on a pro field. This year the Dolphins have been 'rewarded' for having the most pathetic record in the league by being given the opportunity to invest $30 million guaranteed on basically a coin flip. I will highlight my point by taking you back to the 2005 NFL Draft. I'm choosing 2005 for a couple reasons. The first is because the players in that draft have had 3 years to prove their worth. The other reason is that it was a really bad first round for those selecting in the top 17 picks. If the 2008 draft turns out anything like the 2005 draft, we should thank our lucky stars to have had our draft status drop like a football clanked off Troy Williamson's facemask. Here is what the top 17 picks looked like in 2005:
Draft#:1
Alex D. Smith
Position:QB
Drafted From: Utah
CAN BARELY COMPLETE A PASS
Draft#:2
Ronnie Brown
Position:RB
Drafted From: Auburn
SHOWS SIGNS OF DOMINANCE BUT CAN'T STAY HEALTHY, 3 YEARS LATER THE DOLPHINS HAVEN'T IMPROVED
Draft#:3
Braylon Edwards
Position:WR
Drafted From: Michigan
COMPLETE STUD, TOP 10 RECEIVER IN THE LEAGUE IN MY ESTIMATION
Draft#:4
Cedric Benson
Position:RB
Drafted From: Texas
FAT AND SLOW WITH NO VISION OR CUTBACK ABILITY
Draft#:5
Carnell Williams
Position:RB
Drafted From: Auburn
NOODLES FOR KNEE LIGAMENTS, FLASH IN THE PAN HIS ROOKIE YEAR
Draft#:6
Adam 'Pacman' Jones
Position:CB
Drafted From: West Virginia
MAKING IT RAIN IN JAIL (ABOUT TO BE TRADED TO DALLAS FOR A 7TH ROUND PICK)
Draft#:7
Troy Williamson
Position:WR
Drafted From: South Carolina
TOO SAD TO EVEN MENTION (MAYBE NOT THE BEST DECISION TO TRADE MOSS FOR NAPOLEON HARRIS AND 7TH PICK)
Draft#:8
Antrel Rolle
Position:CB
Drafted From: Miami(Fla.)
NOT HALF THE CORNER HIS BROTHER IS. WILL BE MOVED TO SAFETY THIS YEAR
Draft#:9
Carlos Rogers
Position:CB
Drafted From: Auburn
WAS A SLIGHT DISAPPOINTMENT BEFORE TEARING HIS ACL, WE'LL SEE HOW THAT GOES...
Draft#:10
Mike Williams
Position:WR
Drafted From: Southern California
RUNS MORE LIKE PAT WILLIAMS THAN ROY WILLIAMS (HE DID MAKE A ONE HANDED CATCH IN COLLEGE THOUGH...)
Draft#:11
Demarcus Ware
Position:DE
Drafted From: Troy State
ONE DIMENTIONAL 3-4 SCHEME PASS RUSHER (COULDN'T COVER THE AFOREMENTIONED MIKE WILLIAMS)
Draft#:12
Shawne Merriman
Position:OLB
Drafted From: Maryland
PRO BOWL DEFENSIVE TEAM LEADER (ALTHOUGH HE HASN'T BEEN AS GOOD SINCE HIS STEROID SUSPENSION)
Draft#:13
Jammal Brown
Position:OT
Drafted From: Oklahoma
ALL PRO ON THE FIELD AND AT DOMESTIC DISTURBANCES
Draft#:14
Thomas Davis
Position:FS
Drafted From: Georgia
CONVERTED TO OUTSIDE LINEBACKER, SECOND ON TEAM IN TACKLES UNTIL SHOULDER INJURY IN GAME 15
Draft#:15
Derrick O. Johnson
Position:OLB
Drafted From: Texas
GOOD STARTING OUTSIDE LINEBACKER, VERY ATHLETIC, NOT GREAT VS. THE RUN
Draft#:16
Travis Johnson
Position:DT
Drafted From: Florida State
ENDED TRENT GREEN'S CAREER LAST YEAR, KEITH OLBERMANN CALLED HIM 'THE WORST PERSON IN THE NFL'
Draft#:17
David Pollack
Position:DE
Drafted From: Georgia
BROKE HIS NECK AND LIKELY WILL NEVER PLAY AGAIN
Making the beginning of this draft even worse is the fact that with the 18th pick we took Erasmus James, who has absolutely lived up to the hype that he is extremely injury prone. The point of all this is that it's not necessarily the best to be at the top of the draft. Call it sour grapes if you want, but the 49ers rue the day that they had to give Alex Smith $27 million guaranteed dollars, half of it up front! Bottom line is I'd only want to have 5 of the players on this list on my team, period. AND, I would only want Edwards, Merriman and Brown for how much they getting paid for their efforts. So, from a value perspective I would want 17% of the top 18 picks. Vegas cleans up and patrons have close to a 48% of leaving happy; if I were an NFL GM I would try to trade all my draft picks for players from whom I was 100% sure what I was getting, even if it meant giving up some upside. It might be a better strategy long-term, but nobody has had the seeds to try it. It works in Madden...
Mar/080
What could have been?
It's official. Larry will not be joining the Vikings anytime soon. Sorry to see it, especially when he told everyone who would listen he wanted to play in MN. I kind of always like the idea of getting a faster more athletic version of Cris Carter. Fitzgerald signed a 4 yr deal that including at $15M signing bonus and $30M in guarantees.
Mar/082
Vikings Final Offseason Need: DE
Entering this year's off season the Vikings needed to fill major holes at DE. A total lack of the pass rush last year and unexpected health complications have left the Vikings scrambling. Last week the Vikings addressed needs in pass coverage and at WR by adding a deep threat in Bernard. It has been an extremely active offseason, one that included the hopes of signing Justin Smith from Cinci, but the 49ers jumped in and nixed that deal.
This leaves the Vikings still searching for answers at DE in an offseason John Clayton from ESPN has deemed a Winner for the Vikes and 4 other teams (Browns, Jags, Eagles, Fins).
Going into this years free agency period ESPN ranked 41 available DE's with 4 of those clearly a cut above everyone else. Those four are: Jared Allen, Chris Canty, Antwan Odom and Justin Smith. Allen who rated out at 88 signed a franchise tag deal worth about $9 million. Smith rated out at 75 just signed a 6 yr deal worth about $7.5 million/yr.
Smith was expected to visit the Vikings but was signed by the 49ers before even flying to MN.
The top DE's in this years free agent class set a $5-$9 million/yr range. But if you look to the 2006 and 2007 NFL drafts you see mid-range 1st round picks delivering a better value. The best example is 2006, the Chiefs selected Tamba Hali from Penn State with the 20th pick. He signed a 5 yr deal rumored to be worth about $10-$15 million. (His scout grade was 87 the time of the draft) When you look at his numbers in 2006 & 2007 he's very comparable to Justin Smith. Hali recorded 8 and 7.5 sacks, Smith has recorded 8, 6, 7.5 and 2 sacks his last four years. You could argue Hali has the better upside and the better value.
In 2007 three DE's were taken in the early-mid 1st round: Jamaal Anderson as the 8th pick to the Falcons, Adam Carriker as the 13th pick to the Rams and Jarvis Moss the 17th pick to the Broncos. Anderson signed for 5 yrs at $31 million, Carriker 5 yrs at $14 million and Moss 5 yrs at $18 million. Five more DE's were taken in the second round, picks 54, 56, 57, 58 and 62 were all DE selections. None of the 2007 1st round selections have panned out so far but it's early.
When looking back at the 2006 and 2007 drafts, looking at this years free agent class, building through the draft can work and often times is much cheaper.
The Vikings have the 17th and 47th overall picks in the 2008 draft, they also own the 73rd from Den and the 82nd. I wouldn't be surprised if the vikings used two of those 4 picks on a pass rushing DE. When you can pick a guy like Tamba Hali 20th overall for 1/4th the cost of a aging Justin Smith, why not try on a draft day flyer?
The only other move the Vikings might want to make is an incentives based deal with a past-his-prime player like Javon Kearse. Might throwing a couple million at a guy in the hopes he can deliver 5-8 sacks be worth it? I think so.
There isn't much of anything left in the free agent pool so the best shot the Vikings have at filling their gaping need at DE might have to come through the draft. In the coming weeks we'll break down the DE's available in the 2008 draft as we move toward April 26th and 27th.
Feb/081
Another Viking Signs, WR Rumors
AD's FB just got a lot younger. Another Eagles Childress connection comes in the form of Thomas Tapeh. Tapeh is a former Gopher who now returns to the Twin Cities to replace last years FB Richardson. The deal was announced today. LINK>>
Could another signing be coming? Rumors are still floating around Eden Prairie as WR Free Agent Bernard Berrian is still wondering the Vikings Campus friday afternoon.
Feb/081
Vikings Pass Coverage Now in Safe Hands
The Vikings announced today that they have agreed to terms with former Bengal safety Madieu Willams (www.madieuwilliams.org). The deal now makes Williams one of the highest paid safeties in the league. ESPN LINK >>
What it all means?
Well for starters we'll be getting some serious nutrition via the SuperBun. But more importantly it means 6 years of better pass-coverage. I think it's a solid move and I'm happy to see the front office making moves and paying top dollar to fix last years problem spots.
UPDATE: According to ESPN.com there are 41 Free Agent safeties up for grabs this year. Williams is the #2 ranked available Free Agent in this years class. The only safety ranked higher is Gibril Wilson who is a run stopper which the Vikings did not need. Wilson signed with the Raiders.
Signing a safety through Free Agency frees up a potential draft pick. Many people had been speculating the Vikings would take a safety in the draft. They still might, but now have the option to consider other needs in the pass rush game or even the kick return department.
Sep/074
Big Time Defense With a Shot of Peterson
The only thing missing from last year's record setting Vikings defense was a pass rush. Without QB pressure the Patriots exposed the Vikings and provided the NFL with a blueprint for a poor season. That all changed in week one with new defensive coordinator Leslie Frazier. After watching this defense dismantle the Falcons and pressure Harrington into multiple bad decisions, I'm thinking playoffs.
With the Lions, the pathetic Chiefs and the offensiveless Packers on the schedule before a true test away at the Bears, the Vikings have a legitimate chance of being 4-1 or 5-0 before a tough stretch with the Cowboys, Eagles and Chargers to wrap up the first half.
For the first time in a long time I'm excited to see what this defense can do, if Peterson will stay healthy and put up 1,300 yds with 12 TD's and how Jackson and Rice will develop. It was fun to see how much fun the players where having on the sidelines in the fourth quarter. Everyone seems more comfortable with Childress, his system and just how good this team can be.
Then again it was the Vickless Falcons.
Up next, a chance to give the "10 win" Lions a reality check. I can't wait.