Quotulatiousness

August 13, 2011

Vikings vs Titans tonight in first preseason game

Filed under: Football — Tags: , , — Nicholas @ 10:49

I don’t know if I’ll be able to watch tonight’s game, as NFL preseason games are very much hit-and-miss for TV coverage (especially in Canada). It is likely to be even more sloppy for both teams than first preseason games usually are, due to the disruption through the lockout earlier this year. Both teams have new head coaches, new starting quarterbacks, drafted their respective “quarterback of the future” in the first round, and are still trying to sort out their playbooks. Due to the lockout, neither coach got the additional organized team activities before training camp that they would have been allowed to have in a normal year.

For the Vikings, one of the big question marks will be how well new left tackle Charlie Johnson will perform: he’s filling the very big shoes of Bryant McKinnie, who was cut from the team after arriving at camp nearly fifty pounds overweight and suffering from high cholesterol issues. Johnson is not a rookie — he spent the last couple of seasons protecting Peyton Manning’s blind side — but he looked distressingly vulnerable to pass rushes during training camp. It could be just that Jared Allen is having a great start to the year, or it could mean that the Colts got rid of Johnson because his skills were no longer sufficient for the job. If he doesn’t improve rapidly, the Vikings could end up starting Rhett Bomar as their quarterback for the regular season, due to accumulated blindside hits on Donovan McNabb, Joe Webb, and Christian Ponder.

McNabb is hoping to use this season to prove that last year was an just unlucky fluke and not the real McNabb. He’s signed for 2011 and will be a free agent next year. Christian Ponder, the Vikings’ first round draft pick, will be the third string quarterback for this game, and Joe Webb will be the second string. Although most pundits expect Ponder to move ahead of Webb on the depth chart, it’s still a tight race between the two.

Other changes include the replacement of Sidney Rice as number 1 wide receiver by Bernard Berrian (not a popular guy among the fanbase for his lack of production over the last two seasons) and the replacement of pass rusher Ray Edwards by Brian Robison (he’d backed up Edwards and signed a contract extension before the lockout).

The new coaching staff also means a change in the offensive play book: we’ve been told to expect a lot of two tight end sets to take advantage of the pass-catching abilities of Visanthe Shiancoe and second round pick Kyle Rudolph. The defence has less change, as the new defensive co-ordinator was with the team last year.

Tonight’s game will only feature the starting line-ups of the two teams for a couple of series, to be quickly followed by the second and third string players. Even the first quarter won’t be quality football, but expect the second half to be very sloppy indeed, as the players with only a faint chance of making their respective teams try to catch the eye of the coaches on big plays.

Update: Just checked in to Twitter, to see what the various Vikings media outlets are reporting. It’s halftime, with the score Titans 14, Vikings 0. McNabb came through fine, with some nice play in limited exposure. Berrian lived down to expectations by dropping a pass from McNabb. Asher Allen (starting for Antoine Winfield) was burned on the very first play from scrimmage. A fumble by Booker set up the first Titans score, and an interception of Webb (made worse by a holding call on Marcus Sherels) set up the second.

August 2, 2011

Ten years on

Filed under: Football — Tags: , — Nicholas @ 00:09

Korey Stringer

Ten years ago, Korey Stringer died at the Minnesota Vikings training camp in Mankato, MN. This year, the team is marking the practice field with (now retired) #77 in his honour.

August 1, 2011

Since 1992, the Vikings have made AARP stand for “Always Available to Retire in Purple”

Filed under: Football, Humour — Tags: , , , — Nicholas @ 11:01

I think it’s safe to say that Jim Souhan has missed football during the lockout. Here he is, discussing the Vikings’ long-term habit of bringing in older quarterbacks:

Our local football franchise has become the Mystic Lake Casino of NFL quarterbacks, bringing you the biggest names of the ’80s and ’90s today.

While other franchises roll the dice on unproven talent, the Vikings would rather comfort you with the football equivalents of Stevie Nicks and Foreigner.

[. . .]

Since Denny Green wrongly benched promising young Rich Gannon in the middle of the 1992 season in favor of the always regrettable Sean Salisbury, the Vikings have made AARP stand for “Always Available to Retire in Purple.”

[. . .]

Randall Cunningham won the Player of the Year that season, taking the Vikings to the NFC title game. That’s when he should have retired, again.

In ’99, Cunningham quickly lost his job to Jeff George, who coined the term “Slappy” for backstabbing backups, rallied the Vikings to the playoffs, and then was banished by Green.

In 2000, For the second time since Gannon’s benching, the Vikings gave the starting job to one of their own, Daunte Culpepper, who took them to the NFC title game and might have won it if not for the New York Giants stealing the Vikings’ plays and asking nicely that Wasswa Serwanga not cover their receivers.

[. . .]

Brad Johnson bridged the gap to another Vikings draftee, Tarvaris Jackson, who, understanding the Vikings’ role as a nursing home for decrepit quarterbacks, helped find playing time for Kelly Holcombe, Brooks Bollinger, Gus Frerotte (again!), and finally Lord Favre, King Of The Undead.

Since Brett Favre started his first game, Green Bay has used three starting quarterbacks (including Matt Flynn’s cameo). The Vikings have used 16, with the likes of Johnson and Frerotte serving multiple tours.

July 29, 2011

Free agency period so far for Minnesota

Filed under: Football — Tags: , — Nicholas @ 09:16

It’s been a busy week, with rumours flying fast, but this was the state of play as of last night, as compiled by Skol Girl at the Daily Norseman:

Right now there are so many rumors flying around the NFL it bears a striking resemblance to a high school cafeteria a week before prom. “Who’s he going with?” “What’s he going to wear?” “Did he really say that?” “He’s going with them? That’s not what I heard.” “OMG I didn’t even think he liked Darrell Bevell?”

Just yesterday the Vikings signed 14 rookie free agents, re-signed Ryan Longwell, lost Sidney Rice, released Jimmy Kennedy, and reached an agreement to bring Donovan McNabb to Minnesota. Today Madieu Williams, never fully recovered from a 2008 neck injury, was released. Nose tackle Remi Ayodele came to an agreement with the Vikings for 3 years and $9 million. The Vikings agreed to terms with special-teams ace Eric Frampton. Erin Henderson will sign his restricted free-agent tender. Rookie free agents Alexander Robison and Ed Barham were signed, but Derrick Locke failed his physical. As if all that isn’t enough to make your head spin, there are still a couple days for the Vikings to finish rounding out their 90-man training camp roster. And once they build up the training camp roster, the coaches get to steadily cut away at the roster until we’re back down to the 53-man active roster for the regular season.

NFL free-agency is always weird but this year it’s more like weird took a hit of mescaline and then watched Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas. While it’s hard on teams and players to get deals in place in such a short amount of time, all this roster churn is hard on fans too. Fans have the luxury and hassle of being sentimental.

July 28, 2011

Rice cashes in: $1 million per TD over the last four years

Filed under: Football — Tags: , , , — Nicholas @ 12:42

I really like Sidney Rice, and I’m sorry that he won’t be with the Vikings this year, but I have to agree with Ryan Boser on this: Seattle overpaid to get him.

In four seasons as a Minnesota Viking, Sidney Rice scored 18 touchdowns. Yesterday, he was rewarded with $18.5M in guaranteed cash from the Seattle Seahawks. In a nutshell, Rice’s 2009 breakout was so impressive that agent Drew Rosenhaus found a sucker willing to anti up a gaudy five-year, $41M deal for a guy with one great season smashed between three injury-plagued disasters.

Rice’s first two seasons were marked by underachievement and knee injuries. After stealing his paychecks in 2007 and 2008, Rice showed his true colors on the heals of his 2009 breakout.

Assisted by what may have been Brett Favre’s greatest season, Rice tallied 83 catches for 1,312 yards and eight scores. With one year still left on his contract, Rice demanded a raise from the Vikings.

On the other hand, as has been pointed out by several people, an NFL player’s career can be cut short by injury so it’s hard to blame Rice for taking the bigger paycheck, especially the $18.5 million in guaranteed money.

July 27, 2011

Washington trades Donovan McNabb to the Vikings

Filed under: Football — Tags: , , , , , — Nicholas @ 07:17

I have to admit, I didn’t see this one coming: I’d expected the Vikings to either go with Christian Ponder or Joe Webb as the starting quarterback, not to bring in a big name veteran:

The Minnesota Vikings and Washington Redskins have agreed in principle to a trade sending QB Donovan McNabb to Minnesota.

The deal is contingent upon McNabb taking a significant pay cut, but according to Jay Glazer, “FOXSports.com has learned the Minnesota Vikings have agreed to acquire McNabb in exchange for a sixth-round pick in the 2012 draft and possibly a conditional 2013 draft pick.”

That’s a much lower cost in draft picks than Washington was supposedly asking, so it works well for Minnesota in that dimension. It’ll be interesting to see how McNabb works with the two young quarterbacks in training camp.

Update: Of course, no trade will satisfy everyone, but this particular one has Ryan Boser incensed:

If you’ve read my work here, you’re well aware of my disdain for McNabb. At 10:15 tonight, Jay Glazer tweeted that the Vikings have agreed to send two sixth-round picks (2012, and a conditional 2013) to Washington for the 34-year old.

The deal is contingent on the egotistical vet taking a massive pay cut from the $12.5M he’s owed this season (he’s just one year into a six-year, $89.2M deal).

The optimist in me hopes that the delusional McNabb, who still thinks he’s elite, will put the kibosh on it. Realistically, it’s a lock that the Vikings will head into the season with their third (or fourth) choice under center.

[. . .]

He’ll obviously take a pay cut, but he’ll still cost a sub-.500 team chock-full of holes way too much cap space (in addition to the draft picks). Specifics for the restructured deal are expected tomorrow.

If the coaching staff were really worried about throwing first-rounder Christian Ponder (who’s been preparing like a maniac) to the wolves, then spend pennies on the backup mentor and let Joe Webb take the early-season starts.

Ponder’s the future, so you have nothing to lose by letting a sixth-round wide receiver be the sacrificial lamb. Who knows, you might just discover that you stumbled on to a gem. As it stands, you can stick a fork in Joe Webb, the quarterback.

Update, the second: Dan Zinksi has a bit of advice for McNabb:

The drama this time reportedly revolves around McNabb himself and his apparent hurt feelings over not being shown a level of deference comparable to that which the Vikings showed Brett Favre during their pursuit of him the last two seasons. As ESPN puts it, “McNabb was concerned Tuesday night about how the Vikings’ side of the situation was handled.” Evidently McNabb expected several Viking veterans to fly to his home in Zygi Wilf‘s jet bringing gold, frankincense and myrrh and possibly a six-pack, and was bothered when this did not happen.

[. . .]

Here’s my advice for you Donovan as you embark upon your new career as the quarterback the Vikings had to settle for because they lost out on Tyler Thigpen: Get your hands on that playbook as fast as possible. Also, get hold of Sidney Rice‘s phone number and start working on him to stay with the Vikings. You could have a nice array of weapons in Minnesota — better than you had last year in Washington for sure — but only if Rice stays. Third, try to be humble. Come in and say all the right things and do all the right things. And if your coaches ask you to wear a wristband? Remember that it’s for your own good and just wear the damn wristband.

June 26, 2011

How much did the salary cap change the NFL?

Filed under: Business, Football — Tags: , — Nicholas @ 13:14

If this analysis of the 1975 Minnesota Vikings roster by John Holler says anything, it shows that the biggest change in NFL history was probably the introduction of free agency and the salary cap:

Many players believe the 1975 Vikings were the greatest team in franchise history. But, in the free agency era, there would have been no chance they could have kept the team together. Fortunately for Vikings fans, those players were locked into contracts that didn’t allow them leave. But, what would the ’75 Vikings have cost in modern-day dollars? Too much. Consider the following:

Fran Tarkenton was nearing the end of his career, but had never missed a game and was viewed by many as the best quarterback in the NFL. Given the current wage paid the top QB, Tark could easily have been given $15 million or so.

Chuck Foreman would have been entering the third year of his rookie contract and, most likely, would have held out in order to get a better deal in the current era. The Vikings would acquiesce and he would sign a deal of about five years for $45 million, with $15 million or so up front. Current cap total about $30 million.

On the offensive line, Mick Tingelhoff would likely not be earning top dollar, but would still be worth about $3 million a year. Guard Ed White would likely be coming up for free agency himself and would probably cost another $5-6 million a year. Ron Yary, the first overall pick in the 1968 draft, would likely be in the second or third year of his second contract, which, given his five straight Pro Bowl appearances, would probably put him in the $12 million range. So far, five players would have the Vikings on the hook for about $50 million, without even touching the Purple People Eaters.

In short, free agency and the salary cap totally changed the economic side of the game, and ensured that more teams would be competitive over the long haul.

June 1, 2011

More on the Greenland settlements

Filed under: Americas, Environment, History — Tags: , , , — Nicholas @ 12:08

In a follow-up to yesterday’s post on the end of the Viking settlements in Greenland, Sonya Porter provides more historical background:

In 891 AD. Eric The Red set off from Iceland with a few followers to explore a land to the west which they had probably spotted some time before while sailing out in their longboats, and then returned three years later with about 500 fellow Vikings. At first they settled on the south-east coast, close to the tip of this new land and then, as the population grew, created a further settlement to the south-west. They called their new home ‘Greenland’.

It has been said that this name was a ‘spin’, a publicity stunt to entice more Vikings to come to join the new settlers, but this would have been pointless if it had been impossible for them to survive. They must at least have been able to create their own dwellings, build their own fires, make their own clothes and above all, grow their own food. The settlers might have been able to trade such things as polar bear-skins and fox furs for iron and other necessities on occasional trips to Europe, but their compatriots in Denmark and Iceland would have been neither able nor willing to row their longboats out each month with groceries.

At present, the temperatures in Greenland range from a maximum of 7C in July to -9C in January. This is too cold for grain such as wheat and even rye to grow and ripen in the short summer of such northern latitudes. Nor are sheep and cattle happy at those temperatures. Hill sheep might be able to nibble away at moss and short grass, but cattle need lush meadows and hay to fatten and live through a winter. Solid wood is needed for building, boat building and warmth, but only bushes and such weak trees as birch now grow in Greenland.

In 1991, two caribou hunters stumbled over a log on a snowy Greenland riverbank, an unusual event because Greenland is now above the treeline. (1) Over the past century, further archaeological investigations found frozen sheep droppings, a cow barn, bones from pigs, sheep and goats and remains of rye, barley and wheat all of which indicate that the Vikings had large farmsteads with ample pastures. The Greenlanders obviously prospered, because from the number of farms in both settlements, whose 400 or so stone ruins still dot the landscape, archaeologists guess that the population may have risen to a peak of about five thousand. They also built a cathedral and churches with graves which means that the soil must have been soft enough to dig, but these graves are now well below the permafrost (2).

May 31, 2011

A bit of climate-change panic juxtaposition

Filed under: Americas, Environment, History — Tags: , , , , , — Nicholas @ 17:26

First, the panic:

In a world of climate change, freak storms are the new normal. Newsweek‘s Sharon Begley on why we’re unprepared for the harrowing future, and how adapting to the inevitable might be our only option.
[. . .]
From these and other extreme-weather events, one lesson is sinking in with terrifying certainty. The stable climate of the last 12,000 years is gone. Which means you haven’t seen anything yet. And we are not prepared.

And, in the interests of balance, the eeeevil climate change denier:

Greenland’s early Viking settlers were subjected to rapidly changing climate. Temperatures plunged several degrees in a span of decades, according to research from Brown University. A reconstruction of 5,600 years of climate history from lakes near the Norse settlement in western Greenland also shows how climate affected the Dorset and Saqqaq cultures. Results appear in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

PROVIDENCE, R.I. [from Brown University] — The end of the Norse settlements on Greenland likely will remain shrouded in mystery. While there is scant written evidence of the colony’s demise in the 14th and early 15th centuries, archaeological remains can fill some of the blanks, but not all.

What climate scientists have been able to ascertain is that an extended cold snap, called the Little Ice Age, gripped Greenland beginning in the 1400s. This has been cited as a major cause of the Norse’s disappearance. Now researchers led by Brown University show the climate turned colder in an earlier span of several decades, setting in motion the end of the Greenland Norse.
[. . .]
The researchers also examined how climate affected the Saqqaq and Dorset peoples. The Saqqaq arrived in Greenland around 2500 B.C. While there were warm and cold swings in temperature for centuries after their arrival, the climate took a turn for the bitter beginning roughly 850 B.C., the scientists found. “There is a major climate shift at this time,” D’Andrea said. “It seems that it’s not as much the speed of the cooling as the amplitude of the cooling. It gets much colder.”

The Saqqaq exit coincides with the arrival of the Dorset people, who were more accustomed to hunting from the sea ice that would have accumulated with the colder climate at the time. Yet by around 50 B.C., the Dorset culture was waning in western Greenland, despite its affinity for cold weather. “It is possible that it got so cold they left, but there has to be more to it than that,” D’Andrea said.

May 5, 2011

Christian Ponder on ESPN’s Sports Science

Filed under: Football — Tags: , , , , — Nicholas @ 14:40

May 1, 2011

More about Christian Ponder

Filed under: Football — Tags: , , , — Nicholas @ 11:31

Some highly complimentary things about the Vikings’ new quarterback from Sid Hartman:

Greg Hudson, as good a defensive coordinator as the Gophers have ever had and who has the same role at Florida State, describes Vikings first-round draft choice Christian Ponder as the next Roger Staubach.

Staubach, the great Cowboys quarterback, was Hudson’s idol as he grew up, and so the Gophers defensive coordinator from 2002 to ’04 is paying the young man a huge compliment. Hudson said Ponder gave him headaches during Seminoles practices last year.

“I’m not telling you that he is [Staubach] right now, but he has the attributes to be a Roger Staubach-type of player,” said Hudson, who went to Florida State to work with head coach Jimbo Fisher after five years at East Carolina with Skip Holtz. “… Roger Staubach was my idol growing up in Cincinnati, that’s where [Staubach] is from. Christian Ponder could have been a Navy graduate [as Staubach was], high academic, very educated. Christian just has a lot of the attributes that Roger Staubach had.”

Hudson said the injuries that Ponder has suffered primarily have been self-inflicted because of how hard he played.

“The kid, at some point, just like [Jets coach] Rex Ryan got mad at [quarterback Mark] Sanchez for not learning how to slide. Christian Ponder’s got to learn how to protect himself. He plays quarterback like he’s a linebacker,” Hudson said.

[. . .]

Hudson said he had seen all the top quarterbacks, including the ones taken ahead of Ponder, on film, and he is sure the Vikings got the best QB in the draft.

“Here’s the thing, Christian Ponder is made for the NFL game,” Hudson said. “His mentality, his physical attributes, the kid’s mindset is made for the NFL game. That’s what separates him. He is prepared for the NFL in our offense, pro-style.

“We didn’t have great wide receivers. We had good, not great. He had to make things happen. His passing percentage was down because kids couldn’t run routes right.”

Hudson is confident that Ponder could start as a rookie.

“I think one because he can handle it physically, but No. 2 he can handle it mentally over other kids,” Hudson said. “You can’t evaluate based on the team’s record. Because if you look at Troy Aikman and [Peyton] Manning, they both had losing records their first year as [NFL] starters. But they were able to run the offense. Ponder will be able to run the offense. He’ll have to take his rookie growing pains, but man, I’d put the saddle on him and ride him all the way.

Vikings finish draft with 10 new players

Filed under: Football — Tags: , , — Nicholas @ 11:26

After having only two picks over the first two days of the draft, the Vikings were much busier on the final day of the draft:

  • Round 4 (106th pick overall) — Christian Ballard, Defensive lineman, Iowa.
    With the Vikings’ Kevin Williams potentially facing a four-game suspension (and Pat Williams now a free agent), Ballard will have a chance to showcase his abilities early in the season. He was initially projected as a second round pick, but he slid down to the fourth round due to a reported failed drug test.
  • Round 5 (139th pick overall) — Brandon Burton, Cornerback, Utah.
    Cornerback is definitely a position that needs bolstering: Griffin and Cook both ended last season on injured reserve, and Winfield (while still a great player) is nearing the end of his career. Burton may push Asher Allen for a roster spot, although he has a reputation for a soft playing style according to Pro Football Weekly.
  • Round 6 (168th pick overall) — DeMarcus Love, Offensive tackle/guard, Arkansas.
    Another player who may have a chance to work his way into the starting line-up. Protecting the quarterback is always important, but with either Joe Webb or Christian Ponder under centre, it becomes that much more necessary. According to Chip Scoggins, his versatility along the line is probably why the Vikings chose to draft him.
  • Round 6 (170th pick overall) — Mistral Raymond, Defensive back, South Florida.
    Safety is another area in need of more depth. Raymond could push the incumbent players, or even displace one of them with a strong showing in training camp. Raymond has had a tough time in his family life over the last few years.
  • Round 6 (172nd pick overall) — Brandon Fusco, Center/guard, Slippery Rock.
    Another versatile offensive line player can always find a roster spot. Sullivan played injured for most of last season, so having a backup centre who can also play other line positions is great for depth. Judd Zulgad believes he’s going to end up on the practice squad this season.
  • Round 6 (200th pick overall) — Ross Homan, Linebacker, Ohio State.
    The Vikings may lose outside linebacker Ben Leber to free agency (once that starts), so having another linebacker in camp is a need they address with this pick.
  • Round 7 (215th pick overall) — D’Aundre Reed, Defensive end, Arizona.
    Another position that may be opening due to free agency loss. Judd Zulgad isn’t too impressed: “All I can think is the Vikings are either convinced Griffen is going to get his act together, they are planning on starting Robison at left end or they are convinced we’re going to play under the 2010 CBA and Edwards will be back because if that’s the case he will be a restricted free agent. Reed looks like a practice squad guy to me.”
  • Round 7 (236th pick overall) — Stephen Burton, Wide receiver, West Texas A&M.
    With Sidney Rice potentially leaving in free agency, the Vikings have a need for another receiver. Brief write-up on Burton here.

Unlike in previous years, where the draft is immediately followed by teams signing lots of undrafted free agents, the NFL’s labour situation prevents that until the new Collective Bargaining Agreement is in place (or the courts rule in a way to allow free agency to begin).

April 30, 2011

Vikings take TE Kyle Rudolph with 2nd round pick

Filed under: Football — Tags: , , — Nicholas @ 10:50

I didn’t expect the Vikings to pick a tight end until much later in the draft (if at all, given all their other needs), but according to Judd Zulgad, they picked the best player rather than drafting for need:

The Vikings were accused of reaching by some on Thursday night when they selected quarterback Christian Ponder with the 12th pick in the first round of the NFL draft. The selection seemed to run contrary to the team’s long-standing philosophy of taking the best player available.

On Friday night, the Vikings returned to their usual means of operation and stayed true to their board by selecting Notre Dame tight end Kyle Rudolph in the second round. However, the decision was a bit of a surprise considering that of the Vikings’ many positional needs, tight end didn’t seem to be near the top of the list.

“We felt that he was too good of a player to pass up,” said Rick Spielman, the Vikings vice president of player personnel. “We felt that he has a lot of unique skills as a tight end and we wanted to stay true to our board. That was a situation where there was a player that normally, if he hadn’t had that hamstring injury [last season], we wouldn’t even had a shot to get. We feel that we got great value when we got Kyle.”

April 29, 2011

The first round of the NFL draft

Filed under: Football — Tags: , , , , , — Nicholas @ 00:05

As I’ve said every year, the NFL draft is not a huge fascination for me because I don’t follow college football. I don’t know enough about any of the players, and after you’ve read two or three mock drafts, you know even less. Once the draft is over, you still won’t know whether your team was a big winner or a big loser in the draft . . . it really does take a few years to put perspective on it.

This year, the Vikings had the 12th pick in the draft and an immediate need for a quarterback, which meant they took Christian Ponder of Florida State. Joe Webb, who was a late-round draft choice last year got the chance to start a couple of games late in the season after Brett Favre was injured. He did fairly well, but he’s not widely considered ready to be a regular starter yet. Ponder will have a good chance to show what he can do in training camp (assuming that the labour situation is resolved fairly soon after the draft).

Here’s Judd Zulgad’s take on the Vikings’ draft choice:

Vikings executive Rick Spielman, coach Leslie Frazier and offensive coordinator Bill Musgrave were among the members of the Vikings brass who spent a day-and-a-half with Christian Ponder last month in Tallahassee, Fla., putting the Florida State quarterback through various drills and evaluating his football smarts during a private workout.

“I thought the whole interview went great, the whole process,” Ponder said. “I was impressed by Musgrave and what he was doing on offense [and] Coach Frazier. I’m not sure how interested they were going to be, but I thought the whole process went well.”

[. . .]

While the Vikings could attempt to sign a veteran free agent to play in front of Ponder for a season, there also is the chance he will step in as the team’s starter. Frazier attempted to frame it as if Ponder will be competing with Joe Webb and Rhett Bomar for the job, but that’s a bit hard to believe considering the commitment the Vikings have made.

“I want it to still be an open competition with the guys that are on our roster,” Frazier said. “It will be those three. What happens with free agency? Who knows? We’ll eventually get to that point. But right now it’s a competition between those three and we’ll line up with the best guy when we get ready to line up against the Chargers [on Sept. 11 in the regular-season opener].”

In addition to a quarterback, the team has lots of other needs that could not be addressed in free agency, including both offensive and defensive linemen, linebacker, corner, safety, wide receiver, and tight end.

Update: Jim Souhan thinks that the jeering fans at the Winter Park draft party should give Spielman and Frazier a break:

The inebriated might wind up being right. Ponder might prove too fragile for the NFL and might become one of the many first-round quarterback busts in recent league history.

But this is one of those moments when it might be best to invest a little hope in the Vikings’ brain trust, because there is no greater thrill for the modern-day sports fan than to watch the development of a good, young quarterback, and there is no better template for winning than a coach and a young quarterback growing into their jobs together.

Let’s skip the usual draft-day analysis. It doesn’t matter whether the draft experts think the Vikings reached. Or think there were better quarterbacks available than Ponder. Or think there were better players at other positions available at No. 12.

Draft experts and NFL teams alike are often wrong, not because of a lack of due diligence but because projecting young quarterbacks is an inherently risky business.

[. . .]

What we know is this: Vikings coach Leslie Frazier was desperate to draft a quarterback who could lead his team, and he seemed very happy at the lectern late Thursday night.

Why not? This is a day for hope, and Ponder gives Vikings fans reason to do so.

The consensus: He’s smart, diligent and tough. His injuries gave his detractors reason to question him; the Vikings say they liked his toughness in trying to overcome them.

What we know for sure is that Frazier has tied his future to Ponder. So has personnel boss Spielman.

If Ponder develops into a star, Frazier and Spielman will be here a while. If he proves to be a bust, Zygi Wilf probably will be hiring a new personnel guru and coach within three years.

April 4, 2011

Tweet of the day: Charlie Sheen

Filed under: Football, Humour, Media — Tags: , — Nicholas @ 12:01

Faux John Madden: Charlie Sheen has bombed in Chicago and Detroit. All that’s left is for him to bomb in Green Bay and he’s duplicated the Vikings season.

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