Packers say farewell to Brett Favre

GREEN BAY, WI—The Green Bay Packers addressed questions concerning the current status, future plans, and whereabouts of recently retired quarterback Brett Favre by announcing Monday that they had sent him to the country to live on a beautiful farm with a very nice family.

"We know you loved Brett Favre, but he wasn't happy here. He couldn't stay here," Packers general manager Ted Thompson told hundreds of quiet but tear-streaked Packer fans assembled at the televised Lambeau Field press conference. "And he loved you, too — he loved you very much indeed — but he needed to go someplace where he could run and jump and throw his favorite football around. And he couldn't do that here anymore."

"So we took Brett out behind the Don Hutson practice facility last night, and we . . . Coach McCarthy and I, we . . . We gave him one last hug, and we said goodbye to him, and Brett went away forever," Thompson said, his voice breaking several times. "Those loud banging noises you heard were probably the truck backfiring. He went to the farm in a truck, you know."

Eli's really bad, horrible, terrible day

The Vikings were expected to roll into the Meadowlands yesterday and be the token punching bags for the New York Giants, with almost no pundit expecting the game to be even close to competitive. It didn't quite work out that way:

There are 16 teams in the NFC. At 5-6, the Vikings' record is better than only five of them.

That's one way to look at the hometown heroes.

Then, of course, there is owner Zygi Wilf's line of thinking:

"Back in the hunt, big time!" Wilf exclaimed as he nearly sprinted off the field Sunday at Giants Stadium.

Yes, the Vikings were talking playoffs for the first time in three years after a charmed 41-17 victory over the New York Giants. Wilf, the lifelong Giants fan, was euphoric after watching his new team return three interceptions for touchdowns. Even normally conservative coach Brad Childress said the Vikings have shifted from a "footnote" to "significant" in the standings after winning three of four games. Players dished out (mostly) good-natured ribbing toward media members who gave them little chance to beat one of the NFC's top teams.

As for poor Eli Manning, it nearly resulted in him being benched:

Two years and two weeks after throwing four interceptions during a close loss at home to the Vikings, the Giants' fourth-year quarterback played even worse in a humiliating home defeat. Not only did he again throw four interceptions, but the maligned Manning became the first NFL quarterback in 23 years to have three picks returned for touchdowns in the same game.

Giants coach Tom Coughlin contemplated benching Manning in favor of backup Anthony Wright, but only briefly.

Of course, one game does not make a lot of difference to the season Minnesota has been having: they're still only mathematically alive for playoff contention, and will pretty much have to win out the remaining games to have a chance at a wildcard berth.

Outlook for Vikes-Chargers game today

Chris Lempesis doesn't see much cause for hope for the Purple in this game:

Wait, are you telling me there are OTHER National Football League games this week other than Pats vs. Colts? No . . . really? Aw man, I thought I was going to get a week off. Oh well, let's talk Vikings/Chargers, shall we?

On the surface, this looks like a match-up of two teams heading in completely different directions. San Diego (4-3, tied for first in the AFC West, although it's technically in second as a result of its week four loss to division-leading Kansas City) is pistol-hot coming into Sunday's contest at the Dome. The Chargers have won three games in a row, all in decisive fashion — outscoring league titans Denver, Oakland and Houston by a combined 104-27 margin — and are starting to look like the team most "experts" thought they'd be before the start of the season (Norv Turner's coaching be damned). The Vikings? Well, is it really worth re-hashing how things have gone so far for the Purple and Gold in 2007? Methinks not.

On top of the revolving quarterback situation, both of the starting wide receivers are out (Williamson is on personal leave for a death in the family, and Wade is injured and probably won't be able to play). The run defence is still pretty good, but the pass defence is God's gift to mediocre quarterbacks: everyone has a career day lighting up the Vikings' pass defenders.

The only bright light for Minnesota is Adrian Peterson, and even he is not going to be the best running back on the field in this game: LaDainian Tomlinson is a guaranteed first-ballot hall of famer.

Still, there's always hope:

[. . .] the formula is simple: constantly stop Tomlinson early, force Rivers to throw more times than he’d prefer (I'm still not sure Rivers is a great quarterback if he has to throw 30 or 35 times a game) and hope you can maybe pressure him into making a mistake or two . . . or three . . . or, really, four or five if this Minnesota team hopes to have a shot at a win.

Okay, maybe not.

Update, several hours later: Uh, oops, but in a good way:

I'm kinda at a loss for words. I'm just glad I was able to see this game . . . true, it would have been awesome to see it in-person, but anyone who was able to watch it should consider themselves very lucky. These displays of sheer dominance don't happen too often.

What else can be said? Adrian’s a rookie. He just ran for 296 yards. I don't know how anyone could possibly doubt that he'll be one of the all-time greats.

For the Vikings, this game should be their blueprint for the rest of the season. Run Adrian often, while mixing in Chester Taylor for a change of pace. Pass just enough to loosen the pressure on Adrian.

The defense was also spectacular. They constantly frustrated a great running back in Tomlinson, and they ruthlessly pressured Rivers (Frazier's blitzes were quite effective, and the defensive ends had their best game of the year). And we held the dangerous Antonio Gates to 10 yards. All things considered, it was an excellent performance from the Vikes D.

Amazing, and (as usual), I didn't get to see any of it:

He rumbled around right end, paused to set up his blocks, and sprinted 46 yards up the sideline for Minnesota's game-clinching touchdown.

This rookie doesn't make many mistakes. He simply sets a lot of records.

Racing to the NFL's single-game rushing record of 296 yards at the midpoint of his first pro season, Peterson carried the Vikings to a 35-17 victory over the Chargers on Sunday.

He didn't realize the significance of his performance until his benign 3-yard carry took the clock under 60 seconds and sent him past Jamal Lewis' 295-yard performance against Cleveland in 2003 for the best game a running back has ever had in this league.

"Oh, no. I was out playing ball," Peterson said. "I wasn't thinking about the record at all."

There are more for him to ponder.

-- On 30 carries, Peterson topped 200 yards rushing for the second time in one season, a feat no other rookie has accomplished.

-- Peterson scored two of his three touchdowns and gained 253 yards in the second half, helping the Vikings rally from a 14-7 deficit. They trailed at the half after Antonio Cromartie plucked a missed field goal out of the air and returned it 109 yards for a touchdown, the longest play in NFL history.

-- Peterson reached 1,036 yards rushing this season, a pace that would smash Eric Dickerson's rookie record of 1,808 yards set in 1983. Dickerson's all-time record of 2,105 yards in 1984 is also in reach.

Peterson gets more applause

Scoop Jackson sets his phasers on praise:

Minnesota Vikings rookie Peterson rushed for 224 yards. Two-hundred twenty-four yards. A rookie. In the NFL. Against a Chicago Bears defense (albeit not 100 percent or fully staffed) that carried the team to the Super Bowl nine months ago. And that's not including the 53-yard Devin Hester impersonation Peterson pulled off on a kickoff return that gave his team the field position it needed to kick the game-winning field goal as time expired.

[. . .]

My eyes have seen the glory.

And apparently, I wasn't alone. Keith Olbermann had the same moment, saying, "If we had to show you all of the Adrian Peterson highlights we'd be here until Thursday."

"He's the best player to come into this league since LaDainian Tomlinson," Daryl Johnston said during the broadcast on Fox. "At the beginning we said he was special . . . and he's making the Bear fans go home early."

"He's a very special player," Darrell Bevell, Vikings offensive coordinator said, having had his share of "moments" since the day training camp opened. "He's got special talent. He has that great combination of physicalness but yet speed to take it the distance, and I think he showed all that today."

They've seen the glory too.

If he wasn't real, I'd think he was Xbox'd. One hundred three yards in his first game as a pro . . . off the bench. One hundred fifty yards against the Chiefs in Week 3. In Week 4 against the Packers — 112 yards (on only 12 carries and 108 of those yards came in the first half before the coach stopped giving him the ball in the second half). The third highest total yards by one person (361) in a game in NFL history Sunday.

Peterson sets Vikings record

Rookie running back Adrian Peterson set the record for the best rushing performance by a Viking in yesterday's squeaker over the Chicago Bears:

After the greatest single-game rushing performance by a Viking, Adrian Peterson recounted Sunday how the offense set a goal of rushing for 225 yards as a team. "We executed that goal," he said.

The rookie was being very humble. Peterson came within a yard of matching that figure by himself, rushing for 224 yards on 20 carries and scoring on runs of 67, 73 and 35 yards in the Vikings' 34-31 victory over the Bears.

His rushing total broke Chuck Foreman's record of 200 yards on Oct. 24, 1976, at Philadelphia. It also is the most rushing yards given up in Bears history.

Another game I didn't get to see, although I was alternating between elation and depression as the scoreboard updates showed first a strong second half by the Vikes, and then an equally strong recovery by the Bears. When I saw the Bears tie it up at 31 inside the last two minutes, I figured that the Vikes would self-destruct and give the game away in overtime. It was a huge relief when the next update showed the game had ended in regulation with a Vikings field goal.

Three games in, the knives are out

Another game I didn't get to watch yesterday . . . and another game I apparently benefitted from not watching:

Looking at the bigger picture, I've completely lost any confidence in Chilly's offensive coaching. First, I've gotta discuss the clock management.

In both halves, the clock management was nothing short of an embarrassment. The Vikings had the ball with 1:07 to go in the second quarter, and they let 30 SECONDS run off the clock after a running play. They had plenty of time to get into field goal range, but they blew it. I couldn't believe what I was seeing . . . it was absolutely incompetent clock management.

Then, in the fourth quarter, the Vikings got the ball back with 1:45 remaining. No timeouts. We threw a three-yard pass and a five-yard pass. To the middle of the field. You can't make it up. Wasted tons of time. Again, clueless clock management.

The word "aggressive" isn't in Chilly's vocabulary. This conservative, "dink and dunk" offense is a joke. How about this: Let's throw the ball down field, let's use some play action, let's do SOMETHING to make this offense less predictable.

Of course, in the game I did get to see (at least part of), watching the Patriots try to do a Joe Thiesmann to J.P. Losman was ugly, ugly, ugly. If the Patriots' Vince Wilfork isn't fined by the league for that hit, it's clearly going to be open season on quarterbacks this season.

Update, 27 September: Vince Wilfork has been fined $12500.

Vikings blow opportunities at Ford Field

At first, I regretted our local Fox affiliate's choice of games to broadcast . . . after all who really cares about what the Cowboys do in Miami? After reading this account, maybe I got the best of the available choices after all:

The Vikings (1-1) had plenty of chances to start 2-0 for the second straight year, but lost many of the opportunities as Tarvaris Jackson tied a team record with four interceptions.

"I didn't play very well. I threw four away," Jackson said. "The defense kept us in the game."

Both teams had shots to win at the end of regulation.

Hanson pushed a 48-yard field goal try to the left with 45 seconds remaining after making 18 straight field goals dating to Nov. 19, 2006.

The miss gave Minnesota another chance, but Ryan Longwell bounced a 52-yard attempt off the left upright with 2 seconds left — wasting a chance to follow up a 24-3 win over Atlanta.

"We had an opportunity to win this game at the end, but we didn't take advantage," Vikings coach Brad Childress said. "I was looking to see some consistency from Game 1 to Game 2.

"Unfortunately, we took a step back in terms of 12 penalties that we had. That's not acceptable."

Vikings management makes good move

The fans have been asking for this for a while, and the management has finally changed something . . . they'll now play Led Zeppelin's "The Immigrant Song" when they're introducing the players . . . I'm guessing it won't look much like this, however.

Vikings trample Jets in exhibition game

To my amazement, I got to watch most of this game (pre-season TV coverage is very hit-and-miss). It was an odd game, although the Jets certainly have lots of talent, it didn't really show either team's offensive capabilities. New York QB Pennington must have wished he'd stayed in bed: throwing two picks run back for Viking touchdowns would have to count as a bad day in anyone's books. Minnesota's starting QB didn't do too much: because of the turnovers, he barely saw the ball and only managed 2 completions on 4 attempts for 27 yards.

Adrian Peterson certainly had a good outing: 70 yards on 8 runs, with his first NFL touchdown. If he can do that on a regular basis, then Minnesota's rushing attack will be excellent this year (Chester Taylor is very good, but he wore down toward the end of last season as the feature back). Two high-calibre running backs (plus Mewelde Moore as 3rd down back) equals a very good running game indeed.

The Vikings defence looked pretty good, although there were some breakdowns in run defending, and the Jets running game looked better than I believe it really is: nobody was making those kind of gains up the middle last season against the Vikings. And, as the starters were being replaced by backups and third-stringers, the dreaded open-field arm tackle became the most common mistake by Viking defenders. Lots of opportunities were wasted because the first man to the ball tried to arm-tackle . . . and missed.

The Star Tribune's coverage is here and here.

Culpepper signs with Oakland Raiders

Former Vikings QB Daunte Culpepper has signed a one-year deal with the Oakland Raiders:

Culpepper, 30, worked out in the afternoon before a gathering of Raiders scouts and coaches in a private workout. Oakland coach Lane Kiffin announced the signing shortly after the team completed practice.

"We had to see him run around, scramble and do different things because his arm didn't go away," Kiffin said. "We weren't really worried about that. We had to make sure everything else was good."

Culpepper began 2006 as Miami's starter but had trouble with his mobility and was sacked 21 times in the first four games. The Dolphins shut him down so he could continue rehabbing and eventually placed him on injured reserve. When they acquired Trent Green in a trade with Kansas City this offseason, Culpepper became expendable.

I've always liked Culpepper, and I'm glad he's back to playing, although you'd have to say that Oakland isn't exactly a QB-friendly team. The past few seasons, the only QBs they've been friendly with are the opposing ones. On the positive side, Culpepper should be healthy now and has a season to show that he's still got the skills that made him so effective for the Vikings before the knee injury.

Vikes get no respect

In the run-up to training camp, the various sports publications are doing their usual pre-season guesses about how the teams will do in the coming season. Also as usual, the final results bear very little resemblance to the predictions (but that's why they play the games). Anthony, at Vikings War Cry finds that the usual suspects have indeed been rounded up:

Peter King and Dr. Z seem to hate the Vikings. Dr. Z absolutely refuses to take the Vikings in his weekly picks . . . if we played Florida Atlantic University, he'd go with the Owls.

Last time I checked, the Vikings still have the number one rush defense in the NFL, they still have a (mostly) talented offensive line, and they've put together a dangerous running back tandem.

Am I seeing the world through purple sunglasses? Maybe. But I'm sorry . . . the Vikes aren't a three win team, Peter King.

In other NFL rankings news, Football Outsiders ranked the Vikings 32nd in the league at quarterback.

There are plenty of reasons for even purple-dyed fans to feel that this season isn't going to see the Vikings winning the Superbowl: a starting QB who only has two regular-season games on his resumé, a completely no-name receiving corps, and several players coming back from injury on both offensive and defensive squads. They're not inducing migraine headaches in opposing coaches.

That being said, a good running back combination with a league-best run defence should win some games . . . but the opposing teams are going to be throwing the ball a heck of a lot. Nine wins would be a good season for this squad, based on what we know now . . . but we're still a long way from the opening kickoff.

Culpepper may find home in Jacksonville

Former Vikings quarterback Daunte Culpepper's career may not be over — the Jacksonville Jaguars are expressing some interest:

"Any time you have a quarterback the caliber of Daunte Culpepper, any time you can add a guy to your roster of that caliber, as an organization it's smart to look into that," Leftwich said. "Especially with me having one year left on my contract, that's not a bad business move if you were to look at it from that point. I have no problems with it, no problems whatsoever."

Culpepper, acquired by Miami before the 2006 season, had his best NFL seasons with the Minnesota Vikings and coach Mike Tice — now an assistant head coach in Jacksonville under Jack Del Rio.

Of course, that interest may not extend to giving Miami a trade offer . . . and Culpepper's contract is still with the Dolphins.

I certainly hope that Culpepper both gets his release from Miami and finds a good team to join . . . he's a very talented player, but may still need some recovery time from that extremely serious knee injury which finished off his Vikings career.

QotD: End of the Vikings' playoff hopes

The last glimmers of the Vikings' playoff hopes faded away Thursday night at misty Lambeau Field, where two teams tripped over each other for most of three hours before officials had no choice but to declare someone the victor.

Kevin Seifert, "Winter blunder-land", Star Tribune, 2006-12-22

Jim Souhan rakes 'the Brads' over the coals

After yesterday's mistake-fest (proving that it is possible to lose a game when the opposing quarterback manages a 1.3 passer rating), Jim Souhan asks some pointed questions:

NFL coaches and quarterbacks, we hear, receive too much credit after victories and too much blame after losses.

Baloney. As the Vikings' season froze like a tongue to a flagpole on Sunday at frigid Soldier Field, the culprits were the Bear Market Brads.

Because Brad Johnson threw away the biggest game of the year, Brad Childress is facing the most important decision of his career.

Johnson tossed four interceptions in the Vikings' 23-13 loss to Chicago, leaving Childress with no choice but to send in Brooks Bollinger.

[. . .]

This week, Childress will pick between the flailing Johnson, the ailing Bollinger (who injured his left shoulder) and the unveiling of Jackson.

The Chiller had better choose wisely, or he'll turn an already-seething locker room into the set of "Mutiny on the Bounty."

Apparently, it wasn't all bad: the running game was excellent, gaining 192 yards on 35 carries (although Chester Taylor was injured late). The Vikings owned the game clock, keeping the ball for over 39 minutes. The defence had three interceptions (among five turnovers by the Bears). Chicago managed just over 100 yards of total offence. But the Bears still won by 10 points.

The fans were already against Brad Johnson after the last few losses, but they'll be throwing beer cups and towels at him if he's still starting the next home game. Bollinger was injured in this game, and may not be fit for next week's game against Detroit. Tarvaris Jackson has admitted that he doesn't really feel ready to start yet. It almost makes me suspect that there'll be a surprise QB signing this week . . . after all, Johnson's 10.3 passer rating wouldn't frighten too many teams.

Vikings season done?

After yesterday's comedy of errors (see Miami 24, Minnesota 20 for more details), you'd have to be sporting a middle name like "Pollyanna" to think that the Vikings are still going to be able to make the playoffs. For crying out loud, they went 0-3 during the cream-puff portion of their schedule!

Exactly on time, the cries are now being heard to start Tarvaris Jackson as quarterback:

Now that it's going to take a 5-1 record the rest of the way to make the playoffs, you might as well pack it in. Bench Brad Johnson.

He gave us a great season last year, but he's been awful this year. Brad isn't getting rid of the ball as quickly as he needs to, he's throwing interceptions, he's making poor decisions . . . there's no reason to keep playing him.

If the Vikings had any shot at the playoffs, then Brad would have to keep starting. As bad as he's been, he gives the Vikings a better chance to win than Brooks Bollinger does. And you don't want to start Tarvaris in must-win games.

But it's over at this point, so there's absolutely no reason not to start Tarvaris. If he's 100% healthy, and has a good handle on the offense, Childress would be making a major mistake by not starting him.

I share Anthony's doubts about Brooks Bollinger, but I don't think that benching Brad is the best way to get Tarvaris some game experience. Unless he's showing a lot more mastery of the position than most first-year quarterbacks do, he's not ready to start yet. I think you'd do better treating it like the pre-season: let him handle a few series every game from this point onwards.

Monday: bad sports day

This week's sports report can at least start on a high note: Victor's team won a very hard-fought indoor soccer match 5-4, with Victor scoring one goal. That was all the good news for the teams I support. The other results were less good: both Middlesbrough and Minnesota went down in games yesterday (oddly enough, I saw almost exactly half of each game).

Middlesbrough, playing at Manchester City, had a very sloppy first half (the half I did get to see), with far too many missed passes and what appeared to be an almost Italian national team level of injury (every five minutes, there seemed to be another Boro player down on the turf). Boro were handing out corner kicks like Halloween candies, and eventually City made them pay the price, going up 1-0 directly from a corner. The BBC match report is here.

Meanwhile, back in Minnesota, the Vikings were stinking up the Metrodome. I got home to find them down 10-0 near the end of the first half. Minnesota has the best rushing defence in the league right now, so you'd expect that teams would try to throw on them instead. Apparently that strategy never occurred to the Vikings coaching staff . . . because Patriot QB Tom Brady's relentless passing seemed to take them completely by surprise.

While the Vikings defence was being schooled in passing, the Vikings offence was doing everything they could to keep the ball in Brady's hands: Brad Johnson threw a season high three picks, and backup QB Brooks Bollinger added another. Bollinger had a tough entry to the game . . . he was sacked on three consecutive snaps, losing 20 yards.

About the only bright spot in the entire game for the Vikings was Mewelde Moore. He returned a punt 71 yards for Minnesota's only touchdown, and did some excellent work in the second half, including four receptions for 91 yards and one nice long run that was nullified by a penalty back at the line of scrimmage. The rest of the grim reading (unless you're a Patriots fan) is here.

Vikings respond poorly to narrow loss

As usual, yesterday's game wasn't available in my area — instead, I got to watch the Seahawks have their way with the hapless Giants . . . I turned off the TV when Seattle had a 42-point lead. An ugly game, unless you're a Seahawk fan.

The Vikings had a narrow lead over the Bears for most of the game, but were unable to pull back ahead after Chicago scored a touchdown inside the last two minutes. The Star Tribune show a team that doesn't quite rank with the top teams in the league, at least in the way they cope with adversity:

If teams are best judged by their reaction to adversity, the Vikings have some work to do before they can ascend to the NFL's elite.

On the one hand, Richardson provided a necessary emotional pickup. Center Matt Birk stood tall as well, taking the blame for a fumbled exchange between quarterback Brad Johnson and running back Chester Taylor in the fourth quarter. [. . .]

On the other hand, several players inexplicably took time from their postgame routine to complain about a full-page photo of Bears linebacker Brian Urlacher in Sunday morning's Star Tribune. Although the accompanying story chronicled the Vikings' progress on defense — and, most important, had nothing to do with the outcome of the game — some Vikings took offense that Urlacher was the visual emphasis.

Even Childress fell victim to the pettiness, spending only 2 minutes and 11 seconds in his postgame news conference. Scheduling confusion left many reporters unaware that he had entered the Vikings' interview room; Childress answered only three questions and ended the session as reporters were still arriving — leaving many of the game's key issues unaddressed by the purported singular voice of the franchise.

It's been a good run so far for the new coach and rebuilding team: beating two teams who were widely touted as playoff-bound before the season started, and playing as well as they did against the Bears is nothing to be ashamed of . . . but Childress needs to be more supportive of the local media, or he'll get the same sort of ride that former coach Mike Tice did last year: every flaw will be examined under the microscope, and every positive will be explained away as a fluke. Childress is probably too thin-skinned to suffer that for the next 14 weeks of the regular season, and he will, if he doesn't make more effort to keep the local media on-side now.

Kicker scores touchdown

The game, as usual, wasn't broadcast in my area, and the Buffalo station carrying the Buffalo-Miami game seemed to have a tough time keeping track of the stats . . . as the first score updates were rolling, the Carolina-Minnesota game was marked "Later". By the time the second set of updates came rolling past, it was already into the second quarter. Then back to the first quarter, then 3-0 Minnesota, then on to something like a believable sequence of scores. The Vikes were down at the half, but only by 4.

The Buffalo-Miami game ended earlier than the Minnesota-Carolina game, so I didn't get to find out the final score until a few minutes ago. Here is the Pioneer Press report:

The Minnesota Vikings wanted a seasoned, reliable kicker when they signed Ryan Longwell away from rival Green Bay this spring. Who knew he could play quarterback, too?

Longwell's 16-yard touchdown pass to Richard Owens on a fake kick tied the game in the fourth quarter, and his third field goal of the day — from 19 yards with 7:25 left in overtime — gave the Vikings a 16-13 victory over the Carolina Panthers.

The defense provided plenty of big plays for Minnesota (2-0), which struggled to move the ball until the end. Brad Johnson threw a falling-down, 30-yard pass to Troy Williamson, who caught it one-handed, and Chester Taylor ripped off a 33-yard run on the final drive.

Taylor carried 24 times for 113 yards, and Williamson had six catches for 102 yards, all after halftime.

Comments on Monday's Vikings game

I did manage to watch most of the game, in spite of multiple time conflicts, but I didn't get a chance to put any of my thoughts into a post. And now I don't need to, because Vikings War Cry pulls out the most significant change from previous years' teams:

Vikings fans will know exactly what I'm talking about here: in a critical game-deciding situation, you always expect the Vikings to come out on the losing end.

So that's what made last night’s victory over Washington so shocking . . . since when do the Vikings win games like that? A game that went down to the last seconds, on the road, against a quality team? C'mon, the Vikings very, very rarely turn out well in those situations.

But last night was the exception, and the Vikes pulled out a clutch win. Last week, I said the keys to the game were the d-line's ability to stop the run, the pressure that the Vikes put on Brunell, and Chester Taylor. The d-line was above average, but I can't say they decided the game. Chester was decent, but I hoped for a little more. And Brunell? Not a whole lot of pressure there. So, I was wrong about those keys.

The real keys to the win were Brad Johnson, the offensive line, and more Brad Johnson. Culpepper who?

I'm still sad to see Daunte in a Dolphins uniform, but aside from that I have to agree with Anthony's summary: the game was a pleasant change from other Viking teams who would have blown it in the last five minutes on the road.

Vikings cut 22 players

There were few surprises among the 22 players the Vikings cut in yesterday's league-wide reduction to 53 players:

In addition to veteran quarterbacks Mike McMahon and J.T. O'Sullivan, the Vikings released 19 more players, including guard Chris Liwienski and safety Willie Offord, and traded guard Adam Goldberg to St. Louis.

The Vikings also officially announced the signing of wide receiver Todd Pinkston, who agreed to terms Friday on a one-year contract, and placed cornerback Dovonte Edwards on season-ending injured reserve.

Edwards, the team's third cornerback and No. 1 nickel back, broke his right arm in Thursday night's 10-10 tie at Dallas and was expected to miss six weeks.

Among the other players released were Dustin Fox (3rd round draft pick in the 2005 draft), Rod Davis (LB), Richard Angulo (TE), Ryan Hoag (WR), Kevin Kasper (WR), Tony Beckham (CB), and Adimchinobe Echemandu (RB).

The Vikings are reported to be scouring the lists of players released by other teams for cornerbacks, running backs, and linebackers. The depth at wide receiver was improved by Friday's signing of Todd Pinkston (who played under coach Brad Childress at Philadelphia).

Vikings acquire Bollinger in trade

In what can only be seen as a vote of non-confidence in their current veteran backup QB, the Vikings traded defensive lineman C.J. Mosely to the Jets for quarterback Brooks Bollinger:

Content with starter Brad Johnson and rookie Tarvaris Jackson, the Vikings, who are believed to have included a seventh-round pick in the transaction, were uncomfortable heading into the season with Mike McMahon as their emergency veteran on the roster. Jackson has been the second-team quarterback for most of the preseason, while McMahon struggled mightily after signing a two-year, $2 million contract in the offseason that included a $400,000 signing bonus.

McMahon was on the sideline for Thursday's game, while Mosley flew to the New York area to take his physical. McMahon's agent, Brian Mackler, declined comment Thursday evening.

After the game, Childress would not comment when asked if McMahon's future with the club was in jeopardy.

Except for reasons of personal loyalty (Childress coached McMahon at Philadelphia), McMahon has no right to still be on the roster after the terrible performances he's had in preseason games. He's racked up the underwhelming stats of four completions in 16 attempts, no TDs, one interception, and a 23.7 passer rating. That'd spell doom for a drafted rookie QB, never mind a supposedly veteran backup.

The master plan clearly revolved around Brad Johnson staying healthy for this year, with McMahon ready to step in in an emergency, while Tarvaris Jackson was groomed for next year (or the year after, if Johnson's aging body didn't break down on him). The only problem with this plan was that McMahon clearly failed to establish himself as the number two, allowing Jackson to play himself into the number two, and even fourth-string QB J.T. O'Sullivan outplayed McMahon.

Some images just need to be captioned

Patrick Reusse posted this picture with a request for captions:

How about "Experts have been called in to help the Vikings to avoid stinking up the field again this year . . ."

Robinson facing year-long suspension from NFL

Koren Robinson, arrested earlier this week on several charges including drunk driving, is likely to be suspended for a year by the NFL. Patrick Reusse makes light of the situation:

Robinson saw the same sight in the mirror of his BMW, thought of Childress' mustache quivering in anger over a missed curfew, and continued through St. Peter, along a winding, leafy portion of Hwy. 169, into Mankato and onward to the Minnesota State campus.

This was a ringing endorsement of the discipline Childress has brought to the job in eight months for two reasons:

• One, here was a veteran player with experience in criminal court choosing to gamble with a felony fleeing charge over being late for Brad's curfew.

• Two, Robinson's official .09 blood alcohol reading made him easily the least drunk among the dozens of Vikings arrested on similar charges in the past quarter-century.

Shucks, at .09, Robinson would have been recruited by teammates to be the chauffeur along the 494 Strip during the Tommy Kramer Era.

Try as we might, no observation on the perpetual thirstiness of large numbers of Vikings will ever top that of Max McGee, the former Packers' radio analyst, when he saw Kramer twitching on the turf after taking a hit.

McGee, the owner of a 494 drinking establishment, said: "Gosh, I hope Kramer's OK. He's my best customer."

Under the circumstances, it'll almost certainly be a one-year suspension from the NFL, and Brad Childress would almost certainly release Robinson from the team. Robinson is another of a long list of players who have superlative skill on the football field, but insurmountable personal problems off the field.

Vikings player in jail

Just when you think the new regime in Minnesota will be totally unlike the old one, you get this:

Vikings wide receiver Koren Robinson is in the Nicollet County jail in southern Minnesota, and he is accused of a long list of crimes starting with driving drunk, the county sheriff said.

Along with drunken driving, Robinson is accused of fleeing police, reckless driving, speeding and driving without a valid license, said Sheriff Dave Lange.

It'll be interesting watching how the new coach handles this little issue with his top wide receiver. Conventional wisdom says that a new coach has to be a tough disciplinarian, so (if the charges stick) Robinson is in for a long season in the dog house.

Vikings pre-season overview

The rather oddly named site Kissing Suzy Kolber offers their pre-season review of the Vikings:

The Vikings roster is slightly more recognizable than the guy with the headset. Brad Johnson is expected to anchor the offense (seriously?) even though he's making slightly less money than Ed Hochuli. Once again the running game will be compromised of a menagerie of hopefuls (like Chester Taylor) and glorified third down backs (like Mewelde Moore). I'm willing to wager that the team will be on it's hands and knees (Get away from me, Fred Smoot) begging Onterrio Smith to come back (according to reports he was last seen being fired from a Winnipeg area Chippendales establishment for concealing a foreign instrument).

Nasty. Funny. But the best line of all was in the comments to this post:

Anonymous said...
Hochuli should be making more than Brad Johnson. He's got a stronger arm and more mobility in the pocket.

Smoot & McKinnie plead guilty

The final chapter (I hope) of the infamous Love Boat case has finally closed: Fred Smoot and Bryant McKinnie have pleaded guilty to misdemeanor charges:

Vikings cornerback Fred Smoot and left tackle Bryant McKinnie pleaded guilty Friday to misdemeanor charges stemming from the team's raucous boat party last October.

Each agreed to pay a $1,000 fine and perform 48 hours of community service.

Smoot and McKinnie pleaded guilty to disorderly conduct and being a public nuisance on a watercraft. The second charge will be removed from their records if they stay out of trouble for a year.

I don't know about anyone else, but I'm really hoping that the only time the Vikings are in the news is on game day this season!

Post-draft roundup

As I mentioned, I'm not familiar with college football, so the draft isn't the big feature of the off-season for me, but I'm probably almost alone in that. The reaction of Minnesota Vikings fans?

"i'm so upset with the first 3 picks,i can't take it."

"Welcome to the Childress era. And you guys shit on Tice and called him stupid. See where that got us?"

"Well, after day 1, I would give them no better than a C-. I am hanging my head in shame looking at what we ended up getting for Moss and Culpepper. What a disgrace."

"C at best...The QB they took in round two SI said was a practice squad player at best? What are the Vikings thinking????

You'd have to say that the fans are almost never happy with the draft picks the team makes. I was surprised that the team didn't move up in the first round to attempt to get their "quarterback of the future" from one of the top three (Leinart, Young, and Cutler), but they did select a QB at the end of the second round. The Vikings selected the following players in the draft:

• First Round No. 17: Chad Greenway, Linebacker, Iowa

Greenway was one of the more commonly projected picks for the Vikings in the first round. And linebacker is a position that needs to be upgraded from last season.

• Second Round No. 16 (48th overall): Cedric Griffin, Defensive Back, Texas

Griffin is able to play both cornerback and safety, which is a good thing as the Vikings lost Corey Chavous and Brian Williams to free agency this year.

• Second Round No. 19 (51st overall — acquired in the Culpepper trade from Miami): Ryan Cook, Offensive Lineman, New Mexico

Cook was considered a bit of a "reach" by most commentators, although if Matt Birk's health doesn't improve this season, having another backup center will be a good insurance policy.

• Second Round No. 32 (64th overall): Tarvaris Jackson, Quarterback, Alabama State

The Vikings traded their two third-round picks to Pittsburgh to select Jackson, but the concensus seemed to be that he'd still have been on the board by the time the second of their third-round selections came up. He is considered a "project", and will probably not contribute until next year at the earliest.

• Fourth Round No. 30 (127th overall): Ray Edwards, Defensive End, Purdue

Edwards may be another project player, as he was not thought to be particularly motivated during his time at Purdue. Pro Football Weekly's draft book said: "Plays soft. Scouts do not like his motor, production or personality."

• Fifth Round No. 17 (149th overall): Greg Blue, Safety, Georgia

Blue's stock slipped from being a third- or fourth-round projection due to a poor showing at the combine (according to reports at the Star Tribune). He may be converted to linebacker eventually, but is expected to be a special team player for the near future.

• The Vikings traded their lower-round picks including a draft-day trade for Philadelphia's Artis Hicks, who is expected to move into the starting offensive line.

As soon as the formal draft was over, the Vikings got extremely busy in signing free agents (college players who were draft-eligible, but who were not drafted), signing seventeen players.

The professional sports writers were somewhat less condemnatory:

Within the next few weeks, draft choices will be scrutinized much more objectively. On draft day, the most negative thing anyone says about a selection is that "he has potential," while early picks "will fit right in." The latter rounds are filled with "steals."

Plus, there's always some talking head on TV who insists that the 197th overall pick was high on his board.

The truth is that if top pick Chad Greenway quickly becomes a starting linebacker, and one other draftee makes an impact, it will have been a terrific draft for the Vikings. If your team can get two players, you should turn a cartwheel.

Previewing the NFL Draft

I don't follow college football, so I don't have particularly strong opinions on the players to be drafted this weekend. Minnesota has the 17th draft pick in the first round, which is far enough down the list that the player they pick will almost certainly not be one of the names that have been up in lights on the sports pages lately. Vikings War Cry has a few thoughts on the team's needs and some players who might be best suited to fit those needs.

Gregg Easterbrook (now back at ESPN.com) offers the Vikings the following draft day advice:

17. Minnesota Vikings: Anna Nicole Smith, respectable stripper
The Love Boat might have been a PR fiasco for the Vikings, but there's no getting around that Minnesota was 1-3 before the team spent an evening with some lap dancers and 8-4 after. At Smith's Web site, she describes herself as an "international model." After providing a 97-word bio, Smith declares, "I don't feel like writing any more."

Vikings cut Onterrio Smith

The Vikings moved to minimize their exposure to more "Whizzinator" jokes by cutting running back Onterrio Smith today. The Pioneer Press and the Star Tribune both reported the same basic information:

The Vikings released Onterrio Smith on Wednesday, ending the running back's tumultuous three-year run with the team.

The Pioneer Press reported in Wednesday's editions that Smith had been notified by the NFL that he would not be reinstated from a one-year suspension for violating the league's substance abuse policy. The Vikings did not cite a reason for releasing Smith.

"We've decided to terminate Onterrio Smith's contract ahead of this weekend's college draft," coach Brad Childress said in a statement. "We wish him well in his future endeavors."

Even if Mike Tice had still been the Vikings coach, it was unlikely that Smith would have been given another chance, but with Childress in charge, there was no possibility that Smith would return to the team. The Star Tribune article implied that the NFL's lack of hurry in re-instating Smith's eligibility may have been a factor in Minnesota's decision, but I think that's not the case: after putting up with Terrell Owens' antics in Philadelphia, Childress is going to be Mr. Zero Tolerance in his new job.

Daunte Culpepper cleared of charges in Love Boat scandal

Former Minnesota Viking quarterback Daunte Culpepper has been cleared of charges in the Lake Minnetonka boating incident from last season, reports Associated Press:

A judge ruled there wasn't probable cause to determine a crime was committed by Culpepper, one of four Minnesota Vikings accused of misdemeanor lewd conduct during the cruise last fall on a suburban lake. Culpepper has since been traded to the Miami Dolphins.

Hennepin County Judge Kevin Burke denied a motion to dismiss charges against running back Moe Williams. His trial is scheduled for April 18.

The other two players charged, cornerback Fred Smoot and tackle Bryant McKinnie, weren't part of Tuesday's ruling. Their next hearings are Thursday.

Culpepper's attorney, Earl Gray, said, "I'm happy about it. I'm sure Culpepper is, and his family. It vindicates him from being involved in any sexual misconduct on the boat."

Vikings looking for another QB?

In the wake of yet another fiasco, someone at Winter Park seems to have woken up to the team's need for a long-term plan for replacing Daunte Culpepper. (I still can't quite believe I'm writing that.) Brad Johnson is a very good quarterback, but he's also ancient in NFL terms. He may have another year or two in him, but he's not going to be able to play at that level indefinitely. Look at the number of teams who had to depend on second- or even third-string QBs at some point last season. Minnesota doesn't have a proven backup in place, and isn't drafting high enough to pick one of the top-rated college players at that position.

One of the Minnesota newspapers is reporting that the team has been talking to the Atlanta Falcons about a possible trade for Matt Schaub:

The Vikings spent part of Monday discussing a possible trade for Atlanta backup quarterback Matt Schaub, two people with knowledge of the situation said. The talks were casual and did not lead to formal negotiations, the sources said, but the interaction confirms the Vikings' desire to add depth to the position, either through a trade or in this month's draft.

Discussions could resume as the April 29-30 draft approaches, but as of Monday no further talks were planned.

Schaub, 24, has spent two seasons backing up Michael Vick. He has drawn rave reviews in extensive preseason appearances as well as two career starts and 22 career games, and he is entering the final year of his contract. More than a half-dozen teams reportedly have inquired about him, believing he is ready to be an NFL starter, but the Falcons have appeared unwilling to part with the valuable reserve.

Matt Schaub may not be the answer, but it's a bit comforting to think that the team is at least starting to address the question of who'll be running the team's offence if Brad Johnson gets injured.

Daunte Culpepper traded by Vikings?

Viking Update is reporting that Daunte Culpepper has been traded to an as-yet-undisclosed team:

As with any good info, confirmation is needed. Daunte himself did that for us. At his personal website, daunteculpepper.com, if you hit it, you will get the dish. All you'll see is "Version 2 — Coming Soon."

That says enough. All those No. 84 jerseys your friends and family aren't wearing, add No. 11 to the pile. It shouldn't have been this way. But it is.

As soon as we have specifics, we'll pass it along. But, Version 2 — as it is going to be called — better step up. Pepp got his wish. The Vikings have a trade partner. What he does with it from here is his legacy — for better or worse.

For the record, I'm very disappointed, but not terribly surprised. The new owner seemed like a pretty straight-shooting kind of guy, but you apparently have to listen to what he says very carefully. His new head coach clearly wasn't interested in having Culpepper as the starting QB, and now has his wish. Brad Johnson is not the long-term answer, so I can only hope that the trade is for a quarterback with some pretty good medium-range prospects (that is, not Jon Kitna or Tim Rattay).

Update: Tom Powers looked at it this way:

Apparently, Culpepper was convinced the Vikings wanted him back in 2006. According to Culpepper, Wilf convinced him of that by telling him the Vikings were not trying to move him. And Culpepper, surprisingly naive for somebody who has been in the business for so long, believed him.

As it turns out, Culpepper was being offered around so openly and to so many teams that I thought the Triangle of Authority was going to put him on eBay. Oddly, Wilf isn't even one of the angles on the triangle. He would make a fourth, which technically makes it, say, a Square of Solidarity. [. . .]

In any event, the Vikings' Circle of Trust collapsed when it came to Culpepper, who clearly was furious to find out he nearly was booked as an on-sale item on the Home Shopping Network. So on Wednesday, he asked out of Minnesota.

Does Culpepper deserve to have his contract renegotiated? No. Does he deserve to have his job guaranteed? No. Does he deserve to be lied to? Nobody deserves that.

So, in spite of the Wilf reputation, not much has changed in the Vikings organization. They're still the gang that couldn't shoot straight.

Former Vikings head coach hired by Jacksonville

Mike Tice, former Minnesota Vikings head coach, has been taken on to Jack Del Rio's staff as assistant Head Coach:

Del Rio said Tice will work on the offensive side of the ball.

"Over the last 10 years, Mike has been a major contributor to some very productive offenses," Del Rio said in a statement. "Mike brings toughness, experience and passion. He will certainly be a tremendous asset to me and our offensive staff as we continue our pursuit of a championship."

Tice was 33-34 after four seasons in Minnesota, and his final year was an embarrassing one. He was fined $100,000 by the league for scalping his Super Bowl tickets, and the team was involved in a scandalous boat party that resulted in charges against four players.

He was fired Jan. 1 after the Vikings finished 9-7 and missed the playoffs.

I'm glad to see that Mike Tice is still employable in the NFL: I don't believe that most of the problems the team had during his tenure were completely his fault (the cheapest SOB in professional sports as team owner was a much bigger factor).

Childress cleans house

New Vikings coach Brad Childress has started his tenure by clearing out almost all the surviving coaching staff from the Tice era:

Tampa Bay Buccaneers 33-year-old defensive backs coach Mike Tomlin emerged as the Vikings' top choice for defensive coordinator Sunday as new head coach Brad Childress fired defensive coordinator Ted Cottrell and at least eight other assistants from former coach Mike Tice's staff.

Childress indicated Friday at his introductory news conference that he would meet with the team's current assistants when he returned from Philadelphia on Wednesday. But on Sunday he fired much of the staff by phone.

"I guess they just wanted to go in a different direction," Cottrell said Sunday night.

Other coaches known to have been let go were Wes Chandler (receivers), Dean Dalton (running backs), Mark Ellis (assistant strength and conditioning), Rich Olson (quarterbacks), Jim Panagos (assistant defensive line and special teams), Kevin Ross (assistant secondary), John Tice (tight ends, assistant offensive line) and Rusty Tillman (special teams).

Vikings name new head coach

The Minnesota Vikings have hired Philadelphia's offensive co-ordinator, Brad Childress, as their new head coach. This is from the official notice:

The Minnesota Vikings have named Brad Childress the seventh head coach in franchise history. Childress comes to the Vikings following seven seasons with the Philadelphia Eagles, including the past four seasons as offensive coordinator.

"Coach Childress has the combination of integrity, experience and competitive spirit that were important in our search for a new Vikings coach," said Vikings owner Zygi Wilf. "Being a key part of the winning program in Philadelphia and his respect throughout the NFL made Brad the best choice to lead the franchise into the future."

Childress has eight seasons of NFL coaching experience (1985-Indianapolis, 1999-2005 Philadelphia) and 28 seasons of pro and college coaching under his belt. His first stint on the sidelines came in 1978 at the University of Illinois.

Vikings fire head coach after last win

To no great surprise, Vikings owner Zygi Wilf informed head coach Mike Tice that his contract would not be renewed yesterday, immediately after the Vikings beat the Bears:

After insisting that he wanted to know his fate "sooner than later," Tice was told by owner Zygi Wilf after the Vikings' 34-10 victory Sunday over the Chicago Bears that his contract would not be renewed.

Tice and his staff were puzzled by ownership's sudden decision to announce his dismissal less than an hour after the Vikings won their 2005 season finale at the Metrodome to finish 9-7. Tice had expected to learn his fate at a meeting scheduled for 8 a.m. today with Wilf and team President Mark Wilf.

"I didn't get a chance to savor the victory for very long, I'll tell you that," Tice said. "But I've been the one saying sooner than later, so I guess he took that as, `As soon as possible,' ASAP."

The bizarre New Year's Day was in character for the Vikings of 2005, whose off-the-field exploits grabbed national attention.

I'm sorry to see Tice go, but in no way is this a surprise: the new owners probably already had a plan for a new head coach, regardless of how well or how poorly Tice did this season. They took over the ownership too close to the start of the regular season to completely revamp the coaching staff (although in hindsight, that's less obvious than it seemed at the time).

I doubt that anyone will give Tice a shot at a head coaching position in the near future, but he should still be employed in the league next season.

Yesterday's debacle at the Metrodome

A scathing article in the St. Paul Pioneer Press sums up the game rather well:

It was a tough day for coach Mike Tice, who watched his players make mistake after mistake. How do you feel, Mike?

"Like crap."

Completely understandable.

What a long and tedious afternoon at the Metrodome. Not only were the Vikings displaying an alarming absence of brain cells, but referee Ed Hochuli and his crew also couldn't get anything right.

They called penalties that weren't there and missed some that were. They couldn't even spot the ball properly. And they huddled and chatted as if they were members of the Red Hat Society having noon tea.

For most in attendance Sunday, happiness was the Metrodome in your rear view mirror.

Both teams came in with the same record, and approximately the same chance of making it to the playoffs. The Vikings failed to accomplish any of their goals, letting the Steelers get ahead early and use their running game to bleed time off the clock. The Vikings also managed to draw 13 penalties, including one on the quarterback for offensive nodding:

Even Brad Johnson, so smart with the football for the past six weeks, was making dumb decisions, forcing passes instead of throwing them away.

He also was flagged for head-bobbing at the line.

"I've never had that called," Johnson said. "I've never seen that call made."

Vikings marketing crew take note: A Brad Johnson bobblehead promotion seems like a natural for the final home game.

Vikings' love boat scandal implications

Kevin Seifert gets to the heart of the legal tangle in the Vikings' ongoing "Love Boat" scandal:

Imagine this scenario. It's not as far-fetched as you might think.

Player A (we'll call him Donnie) believes he is falsely accused of a crime that allegedly occurred in the presence of some 30 teammates. Donnie plans to fight the charges, in open court if necessary, and appears set against a plea bargain that would make the issue disappear and avoid a jail sentence.

How does Donnie prove his case? By subpoenaing witnesses — his teammates — to testify as to his (in)action during the incident in question. Such a request would create a heavy burden. First, those teammates would have to acknowledge their own presence at the incident. And if Donnie believes his identity was mistaken, he would need the true offender to admit guilt in order to exonerate himself.

A few months later, the whole bunch would be sharing dormitory rooms in training camp. Go team!

Culpepper, McKinnie, Smoot and Williams all charged

The other shoe dropped for the Minnesota Vikings last night: four Vikings players were charged with various counts, according to the Minneapolis Star-Tribune:

On Thursday, after the Hennepin County Sheriff's Office had spent more than 300 hours investigating, authorities filed misdemeanor charges against quarterback Daunte Culpepper and three other players alleging lewd or indecent conduct in connection with the party on Lake Minnetonka Oct. 6.

The other players charged were tackle Bryant McKinnie, running back Moe Williams and cornerback Fred Smoot, who helped organize the annual party put on by first-year players for the team's veterans.

The details make it sound like an orgy at the Playboy Mansion rather than a public boat cruise:

The complaints gave this account of the allegations:

• Culpepper got a lap dance from an unidentified, naked female in the bar area of a boat and that he placed his hands on the naked buttocks of the dancer.
• Williams, in an area near the boat's downstairs bathrooms, received a lap dance from a bare-breasted dancer and touched her breasts.
• Smoot was accused of using a sex toy on two women in the presence of numerous guests.
• Witnesses reported that they saw McKinnie "pick up a naked woman, place her on the bar in the lounge area, and commence to perform oral sex on the woman." At a different time in the evening, the witnesses said they saw "Mr. McKinnie along with three other unidentified males receiving oral sex from four women while the men were seated in deck chairs on the boat."

Vikings 27, Rams 13

Another non-flashy, but effective, game for Minnesota, according to the St. Paul Pioneer Press:

The Vikings' defense forced six turnovers and held Steven Jackson to 67 yards rushing in their sixth straight victory, 27-13 over St. Louis.

With the Bears (9-4) losing at Pittsburgh, the Vikings (8-5) pulled within one game of the division lead in a season that appeared lost after a 2-5 start.

For a team that has given up an average of 47 points and 456 yards in three straight losses to the Rams, Sunday's game also served as a statement that this Minnesota defense is no longer the turnstile it once was.

Brian Williams led the way with two interceptions as the Vikings confused and battered rookie quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick, who was 26-of-44 for 235 yards and five interceptions for the fading Rams (5-8).

That end-of-season meeting between Chicago and Minnesota might just mean something after all: who gets to advance to the play-offs out of the sad-sack NFC North.

Minnesota 21, Detroit 16

Another Vikings game not available in our area (I got to see Miami come back from a 21-0 deficit to beat Buffalo 24-23). Here is the Star Tribune report:

Minnesota's mess is becoming a distant memory. Detroit's is getting worse.

Brad Johnson threw two touchdowns, Michael Bennett scored twice and the Vikings held on to beat the Lions 21-16 Sunday.

Minnesota (7-5) has won five straight, salvaging their season after a bad start and the now infamous boat party.

Detroit (4-8) has lost five of six and didn't seem to be sparked by Dick Jauron in his debut as interim coach.

Detroit's management turmoil overshadowed Minnesota's early-season issues:

The loudest cheers at Ford Field came when a fan held a "Fire Millen'' sign behind Minnesota's bench in the third quarter.

Security scurried to take the sign away and more messages like it, but "Fire Mil-len!'' chants could not be stopped. One fan amused the crowd and made it roar as he ran from section to section, dodging security, holding up an anti-Millen sign.

The Lions are an NFL-worst 20-56 since team president Matt Millen took over the franchise in 2001.

Vikings 20, Packers 17

An undistinguished first half, except the brilliant interception returned for a touchdown by Dovonte Edwards. The second half was all Vikings, with Mewelde Moore doing a great job of bouncing his runs to the outside (especially to the left). Here is the first report from the Minneapolis Star Tribune:

Minnesota kicker Paul Edinger kicked a 27-yard field goal with three seconds left in the game to beat the Green Bay Packers 20-17 Monday night.

Earlier in the game, Minnesota's Ciatrick Fason scored on a 1-yard run, rallying the Vikings to a 14-14 tie with the Green Bay Packers after three quarter on Monday night.

Fason's touchdown capped a 13-play, 88-yard drive that included two penalties on the Packers, including an illegal contact flag on third-and-6 on the Green Bay 12 and a pass interference penalty in the end zone two plays later. It was Minnesota's first offensive touchdown in nearly nine quarters.

Update, 22 November: "This one may be the worst because No. 1, it was Minnesota; No. 2, it was at home; and No. 3, it was Minnesota again," said Green Bay defensive end Aaron Kampman.

Vikings finally do something right

Another game I couldn't watch, as it wasn't being broadcast in my area . . . and the Vikings pull off an NFL-first: an interception return for a touchdown, a kick return for a touchdown, and a punt return for a touchdown in the same game. Incidentally, they also beat the very respectable New York Giants in the process, 24-21.

Details in the Minneapolis Star Tribune:

The Minnesota Vikings simply could not move the ball, so they got creative — becoming the first team in NFL history to get touchdown returns on a punt, a kickoff and an interception.

Then quarterback Brad Johnson finally put together a drive, setting up Paul Edinger's 48-yard field goal with 10 seconds remaining in Minnesota's improbable 24-21 win Sunday over the New York Giants.

Safety Darren Sharper had three interceptions for the Vikings (4-5), including one he returned for a 92-yard touchdown on the first play of the second quarter. His third came in the end zone with 3:48 left in the game and the Giants trailing 21-13.

The win is timely, as the NFC North is the weakest division in football right now, so a 4-5 record is good for second place. They didn't gain on the division leaders, the Chicago Bears, who beat the San Francisco 49ers this afternoon.

Culpepper out for the season

Well, it's definite: Daunte Culpepper is out for the rest of this season, with serious knee damage:

Daunte Culpepper's season is officially over, and when he will return remains uncertain.

Vikings coach Mike Tice said Monday at his afternoon news conference that the veteran quarterback has damage to a number of different areas in his right knee, including the anterior cruciate ligament, medial collateral ligament and posterior cruciate ligament. Culpepper underwent a magnetic resonance imaging test Monday morning.

Tice said, "Not only has the road not been friendly to us this year or the last number of years, but we lost our quarterback for the season yesterday. He had significant injury to his knee, to a number of different areas.

"We'll have to wait a couple of weeks for the swelling to go down and get prepared for surgery in the next few weeks," Tice said. "It's discouraging to us based on everything that has transpired to this point in the season. This is just another hurdle we have to overcome as a football team."

Tice added, "He has a long rehab ahead of him, but we don't expect this to be career-ending. We expect this to be a set back for him."

Culpepper's injury appears to be serious

According to a report in the Pioneer Press, the best case is that he's out for six weeks:

Barta declined further comment on Culpepper's injury, citing a need to receive the MRI results.

But Dr. Bill Roberts said Culpepper's season is most likely over. He did not attend the game, nor did he see initial test reports. But Roberts based his assessment on Culpepper struggling to put pressure on his right leg and indications from team officials that Culpepper had serious swelling.

"Anything that bleeds a lot in the knee is usually a very serious injury," said Roberts, the past president of the American College of Sports Medicine and the medical director of the Twin Cities Marathon. "Everybody is different. But some people can't get up and walk after they tear their ACL, and other people can keep trying to play some more before realizing they can't.

"It would surprise me if it wasn't a season-ending injury."

If there is fast swelling, Roberts said a person usually has one of a handful of injuries: a torn ACL, multiple ligament damage, a torn meniscus, a patellar dislocation or a fracture of a tibia plateau.

"All of these are tough injuries to work through," Roberts said. "The absolute best-case scenario is there is a lot of swelling, and he could be out at least six weeks."

If today's MRI tests confirm the worst, Mike Tice will absolutely be looking for a new job as of January. No matter what, the team depended on Daunte Culpepper for much more than just heaving the ball downfield. He is the franchise. Even if he's "only" out for six weeks, Minnesota will be looking at a top-5 draft pick next season.

Culpepper may be out for season

Minnesota Vikings quarterback Daunte Culpepper may have suffered a season-ending injury at the end of the first quarter of today's loss to Carolina. From a press report (without a direct link, unfortunately):

"The quarterback doesn't appear to be in good shape,'' [Vikings head coach Mike] Tice said. "I'm not a doctor, but the initial tests are not good. It doesn't appear that it's going to be anything that we as Vikings will want to hear.

"Things happen that are devastating. This certainly, if it's as serious as it appears, is devastating to our football team.''

Culpepper ran for an 18-yard gain on the final play of the first quarter when he was hit by multiple defenders. Carolina cornerback Chris Gamble came in from the side and tackled Culpepper's leg and he immediately grabbed his knee.

Culpepper was helped off the field and taken to a cart for the ride into the locker room. The team initially said he sprained his knee.

He was on crutches with a heavy brace around his knee after the game and said he wouldn't know anything until after undergoing an MRI on Monday.

"I'm not talking about anything,'' Culpepper said. "We don't know the extent of the damage right now. I really can't talk about it until we do the MRIs and find out.'' [. . .]

"When Daunte went out, they lost their leader,'' Carolina defensive end Mike Rucker said. "He's the head of that dragon and when he's not there, it takes the air right out of them.''

Brad Johnson, the backup QB, is a fine player (he won a Superbowl with Tampa Bay), but he plays a different sort of game than Culpepper, so the immediate effect of Culpepper's injury will be to take some plays away (specifically the longer passes and the designed QB draws).

At this point, it's only too easy to imagine the team giving up on the season and playing only for the 1st draft pick in the 2006 spring draft. I certainly hope this isn't what happens.

The new post-boat-cruise Vikings code of conduct

In the wake (sorry!) of the Lake Minnetonka boat cruise fiasco, the new owner of the Minnesota Vikings, Zygi Wilf, has promised a new code of conduct for all players and team employees. Tom Powers offers a quick-and-dirty summary:

The new code of conduct, complete with an amended dress code, will be presented to Vikings players any day now. Supposedly, it will be very specific.

Rule 216-B: "When on a boat and approached by a naked woman, retreat to the poop deck and attempt to contact the Coast Guard."

No doubt a lot of deep thought has gone into this. But it seems like overkill. Proper company policy could be printed on small index cards.

Official code of conduct: "Don't be an idiot."

Official dress code: "Keep clothes on in public."

The Vikings Season is looking very leaky

The Vikings came in from a bye week, hoping to win in Chicago, which would both improve team morale and keep their playoff hopes alive. Instead, they lost to the Bears, 28-3. The Pioneer Press says:

While the Minnesota Vikings' season continued to spiral out of control, the Chicago Bears might have saved theirs on Sunday.

Brian Urlacher had two sacks to lead the Bears to a 28-3 victory over a Vikings team reeling after allegations of drunkenness and sexual misbehavior on a charter cruise last week.

The team is suffering terribly in the scoring category . . . having only once scored more than 14 points in any game this season. For a team that used to be described as "high octane" offensively, this is worse than just a slight drop-off in efficiency. This is the statistical cliff they've already fallen off.

Once again, I am probably better off in that the game wasn't shown in my area . . . it was depressing enough just watching the score. A comment on the Vikings newsgroup calls the rest of the season the "last voyage of the Ticetanic". That's starting to sound like an accurate description.

More on the Vikings' boat cruise follies

Jon passed along a link to Free Will with yet more on the Vikings' latest PR idiocies:

OK, a couple things here for any Vikings who might be reading:

1) If you're going to do things like this on or in a rented vehicle or facility, you should check to see if it's going to be a problem. Before you sign anything.

2) Your wives are your own problems, but the decisions you make in the privacy of your hotel rooms take on a whole new significance when you make them on a boat in front of a whole crew, especially when you are national celebrities in an industry that expects you to, in theory, be some kind of role model and, worse yet, try to involve and/or threaten the crew. It's 2005, and people will hear about it.

Update: Don Banks gets in a few digs at SI Online:

t's only a guess, but after the news that 17 Minnesota Vikings were aboard two charter boats on which sex parties allegedly were held on Oct. 6, I'm assuming no more United Way spots for the Vikings for the time being.

Just when you thought it couldn't get any more embarrassing for the team that gave us Onterrio Smith and "The Original Whizzinator'' and the Mike Tice Super Bowl-ticket-scalping affair, the Vikings may have hit a new high for lows.

I've heard of team bonding excursions, but never one in which almost one-third of the roster potentially had to post bond. But then, these are the Vikings, and they are adept at making the wrong kind of news off the field. In August, Minnesota All-Pro defensive tackle Kevin Williams was charged with domestic assault against his wife. (He has pled not guilty to the fifth-degree misdemeanor charge and has a mid-Oct. court date). In September, Vikings offensive linemen Bryant McKinnie and rookie guard Marcus Johnson were arrested in connection with a late-night fight at a Twin Cities-area gas station. (Both have pleaded not guilty to disorderly conduct and obstructing the legal process; preliminary hearings are scheduled for Nov. 4)

Even if the current allegations of prostitution and lewd behavior on Lake Minnetonka don't result in indictments, the controversy-plagued Vikings might still see their bid for a new stadium derailed by the avalanche of bad publicity. How's that for bottom-line impact?

The whole stadium deal is a non-issue for me: I don't live in Minnesota, so my taxes won't be affected one way or the other, but I'm against pro sports teams getting taxpayers to build stadiums for them. That aside, I do have to agree that the Vikings are going out of their way to make it difficult for stadium backers to shake down the state legislature for hundreds of millions of dollars.

Vikings misbehave on the water

Just as the fans are absorbing the reality that the team isn't anywhere near as good as the pre-season billing had them believing, we now learn that the players are just as bad off the field:

The names of 17 Minnesota Vikings who were identified as being aboard two charter boats last week where sex parties allegedly took place have been given to Vikings officials in a controversy that has put the team's bid for a new stadium and its standing among fans and community leaders in jeopardy.

At least six crew members who allege they were confronted with out-of-control Vikings players on the boats met Wednesday with Hennepin County Sheriff's detectives who are investigating allegations of prostitution and lewd behavior.

The Vikings' woes

I managed not to whine about this past weekend's blowout by the Atlanta Falcons, but just barely. This was a team that many experts were expecting to go deep into the playoffs, and a few were talking Superbowl appearance (which would be the first time the Vikings had gone that far since Superbowl XI in 1977). After a 1-3 start, and a wide range of problems, they're lucky to be playing in the weakest division in football: the NFC North.

Vikings War Cry has some thoughts:

For those looking to hang someone in effigy for Sunday’s debacle, don't blame Daunte Culpepper. You can't fault a guy that gets sacked 9 times in a game even if he did throw 2 interceptions and lost a fumble. The Falcons took advantage of a very weak and inexperienced offensive line causing a tremendous amount of pressure on the QB. Culpepper has now been sacked 16 times in the last 2 games. Now he knows how David Carr must feel down in Houston. To make matters worse, he’s complaining of bursitis on the knee and even back-up QB Brad Johnson is praying that Culpepper is healthy enough to play against the Chicago Bears on Oct. 16th.

Is Daunte a bad QB? Absolutely not. Were it not for Peyton Manning's record breaking performance last year, Culpepper would have been the League MVP. Think Culpepper misses Randy Moss? Probably, but I bet he misses Pro Bowl Center Matt Birk more. Corey Withrow looks like a human turnstile, missing blocking assignments and incapable of picking up blitzes. And if you think he's bad, rookie right guard Marcus Johnson is worse. He looks like a Matador at a bull fight . . . Ole!

It's a long season, but unless the O-line starts performing better, we'll be down to our third-string quarterback by November.

Vikings break losing streak

Minnesota finally managed to put together something like the offensive power they had last season, beating the New Orleans Saints 33-16:

Daunte Culpepper had a 155.4 passer rating and three touchdowns in the first half on his way to a 24-0 lead, ending the game with a 140.0 rating on 21 of 29 passing with no interceptions.

Culpepper’s early success — he threw a touchdown on his first pass of the game — allowed the Vikings to stick with their running attack for the first time this year as well. Mewelde Moore rushed 23 times for 101 yards, and Culpepper added to the running game with 36 yards on eight rushes.

The game couldn’t have started much better for the Vikings. After a short opening kickoff to the 15-yard line, Richard Owens forced a fumble on replacement kick returner Aaron Stecker, and Antoine Winfield recovered. Only 13 seconds into the game and on the first offensive play, Culpepper hit Travis Taylor on a slant-and-post that barely allowed him to get both feet in bounds for a game-opening 24-yard touchdown and a 7-0 Vikings lead.

Again, this game wasn't televised in my area, so all I got to see was the odd highlight at the half-time of the game I did watch. The good news was the vastly improved performance of Culpepper, who managed a 3 TD 0 INT game, despite being sacked seven times. The return of Mewelde Moore as the starting halfback provided the first 100 yard rushing performance of the season. The bad news is that the win was over perhaps the weakest opponent the Vikings will face this season . . . the 16-road-games Saints.

Still, as they often say, a win is a win, regardless of who the opponents were — they still count for the final standings at the end of the regular season.

More on yesterday's Viking debacle

The Minneapolis Star Tribune has more on the ugly game at Cinncinnati yesterday:

Indeed, the Vikings offensive line made progress Sunday after a disastrous outing against Tampa Bay. But Bennett fumbled on two of the Vikings' first four possessions, later voicing his displeasure after Tice benched him for the second half. Culpepper continued to look out of sorts, forcing bad passes on four interceptions and having a high pass bounce off the hands of receiver Nate Burleson on the other.

And after a respectable outing against the Buccaneers, the Vikings defense gave up 504 yards and 26 first downs to the Bengals. Free safety Darren Sharper suffered what might be a serious left knee injury, and frighteningly, the score could have been worse. The Bengals committed a team-record 17 penalties, wiping out one touchdown and two Culpepper fumbles deep in Vikings territory.

This season was supposed to be different; the Vikings were finally being seen as legitimate challengers to go to the Superbowl this season, and most of the pre-season prognostications had them winning the NFC North by a decisive margin.

"This was maybe one of the worst losses that I've ever experienced," said Sharper, who likely will undergo an MRI test today. "They just went up and down on us. We couldn't do anything. They beat us soundly. They just gave us a good old-fashioned butt whipping."

Both Sharper and cornerback Fred Smoot voiced the frustration of a team stunned by its position-by-position inability to function when the season began.

"If you want," Sharper said, "I'll stop sugarcoating things. We need to get better. The team, everybody in this organization. I can't really put my finger on what's going on. It's nothing I can put my finger on and then say, boom, if we correct this, we'll get on a winning streak. It's not like that. It's way deeper than that."

There's so much that needs fixing right now: the offensive line apparently played better, but the running game stank. Culpepper set a career worst mark for interceptions (he's almost matched his total for all of last season after only two games). The defense has reverted to its normal, pathetic self, allowing over 500 yards to the Bengals. It's not pretty at all.

Vikings clobbered by Buccaneers

It was a good thing I didn't get to see this game, because the initial report is ugly:

Coming off a career-best season, Culpepper looked more like a rookie than a three-time Pro Bowler. He threw his third interception to Derrick Brooks, on the final, desperation drive and finished 22-for-33 for 233 yards.

Minnesota's only TD came from new free safety Darren Sharper on an 88-yard interception return in the first quarter.

Tight end Jermaine Wiggins had two touchdown receptions called back by penalties in the second half. In the first half, the Vikings had three turnovers and two three-and-outs.

At least Minnesota's special teams were working: Rookie Chris Kluwe boomed four punts for an average of 54 yards, and new kicker Paul Edinger nailed field goals of 53 and 22 yards.

I still think the Vikings will have a good season without Randy Moss, but clearly lots of things need to be fixed in the next week or two. There's just no hope for even a pass-happy offense when they can only gain 26 yards on the ground — and the QB accounts for 12 of them!

It sounds like Culpepper is having a very bad start: three interceptions and two fumbles. I expect the anti-Daunte faction is already hollering for Brad Johnson to replace him for next week's game.

The game was also a yellow-hankie-fest, with Tampa Bay drawing 13 penalties and Minnesota penalized 9 times. About as bad as a pre-season game, actually.

Randy Moss and the NFL's drug testing regime

Hit and Run examines yesterday's news about former Viking Randy Moss and his not-very-surprising admission that he smokes marijuana:

It's fun to watch the stunned reax to Oakland Raiders wide receiver Randy Moss declaring that he has smoked pot in the past, and perhaps in the present, but without "abusing it." NFL officials, not to mention the sanctimonious scribes who shill for them, define all use as abuse. Yet the league only bothers to test players for pot during training camp, a tacit don't ask-don't tell policy for the in-season months and most of the off-season.

Moss obviously violated the don't tell part of this little pact, which for PR purposes maintains the fiction that the healthy, wealthy young men of the NFL differ significantly from their non-football playing peers in their recreational habits. Plus there is the little problem of Moss personifying a high-achieving occasional pot smoker who has yet to hit skid-row or otherwise help the terrorists win.

Accordingly, expect the hammer to drop on Moss, ASAP.

I've always had an ambivalent view of Moss: he's such an amazingly good athlete, and such a sad excuse for a normal human being. The man is arguably the best receiver in football today, and certainly one of the best of all time, but I'm afraid he has one of the worst attitudes going (although Terrell Owens is probably going to eclipse Moss in this regard).

While I'm sorry to see his stats meander over to Oakland, I think the Vikings are better off as a team without him.

Mike Tice profiled

An interesting view of Minnesota's head coach, Mike Tice from Sporting News:

He has been gone, what, 24 years from Central Islip, N.Y., right in the middle of Long Island, and you'd never know it. Talks like he still lives there, you know what I mean? He hasn't forgotten his roots; he's damn proud of them. Tell me what other NFL coach would describe himself like this: "I am a big, tall, deep-voiced, loud, arrogant New Yorker who thinks he is right all the time. That rubs some people the wrong way. I don't mean anything by it. But I am opinionated."

Toss in gutsy, too. This being a family publication, I can't be more anatomically specific, but you get my drift. I mean, he has no contract after this season, which gives him the security of a mosquito at a Raid demonstration. Even close friends concede the Vikings need to go deep into the playoffs for him to be retained. He knows that, too, yet he gets rid of Moss. What's more, he does it even though he is about to gain a new owner, which doesn't make for the swiftest first impression, even if the new big man, Zygi Wilf, is an East Coast guy.

But what the heck. You might as well give it your best shot surrounded by guys who buy into your rules and play hard all the time, not just when it suits them, and respect authority and understand loyalty. I mean, Moss never got it. Tice believes in this loyalty thing big-time — go ask anyone in Central Islip about loyalty — and he starts right off as coach by declaring the "Randy Ratio," which really is a love offering to Moss, only the jerk never understands. He rewards Tice by various displays of stupidity, whether it's a run-in with a meter maid or mock mooning Packers fans or leaving the final regular-season game last January before it's finished and, dumbest of all, responding to a question about Tice's future by saying, "I don't know if coach Tice is the coach for this team, and I don't know if he isn't."

Talk about sticking a knife into someone who actually likes you and stands up for you and even to this very minute won't bad-mouth you because that's the honorable thing to do. If Moss had his way, Tice and Daunte Culpepper would be ex-Vikings and his own loud mouth and mercurial personality would be in Minnesota, where his teammates still would be disgusted with both his churlish behavior and his special set of rules.

Vikings beat Chiefs in pre-season opener

Ah, finally . . . football is almost back. Of course, there's only a tiny chance of any non-Buffalo games being telecast in the Toronto area, but one can sometimes luck out.

At the Metrodome last night for the first pre-season game, the Moss-less Minnesota Vikings beat the Kansas City Chiefs 27-16. Here are the game reports from the St. Paul Pioneer Press and the Minneapolis Star-Tribune.

It's the first pre-season game, so the starting lines for both teams were only in for the first couple of series, allowing coaches to evaluate their second- and third-string players. Pre-season is a young player's best chance of impressing the coaches and improving their chances of securing a roster spot (teams cut down from the 80+ players on the roster now to just 53 to start the regular season).

Overall, the retooled Vikings defence showed some improvements over the last few years, keeping the Chiefs out of the end zone on the first drive of the game (previous versions of the Vikings D too often gave up touchdowns and rarely forced punts). Special teams were shaky to start, although running back Mewelde Moore did get 43 yards on a kickoff return (he had a strong game all around, with 69 yards and a TD playing with the second string offence). Incumbent punter Darren Bennett had a bad punt in the first half, which may allow challenger Travis Dorsch a chance to take his job.

Perhaps the best news of the night was that there were no reported injuries. That's always the trade-off of playing pre-season games: it's great experience for younger players, but increases the risk of injuries because the players are only part-way through training camp.

Vikings training camp opens tomorrow

I haven't written much about the Minnesota Vikings lately, but there's been plenty of reason: it's been the quietest part of the off-season since the end of the minicamps. Training camp will open tomorrow, and KFAN will have the same sort of blanket coverage they put on for the minicamps.

The latest word, as of today, was that only three of their draft picks remained to be signed: receiver Troy Williamson, defensive end Erasmus James, and safety Dustin Fox. James and Fox are expected to sign their contract offers by the end of the week, but Williamson may not be as eager to come to camp.

NFL fines Vikings Coaches for Superbowl ticket scalping

The NFL disciplined Vikings head coach Mike Tice and two of his assistants in the Superbowl ticket scalping case. Tice has been fined $100,000 and Dean Dalton (running backs) and Rusty Tillman (special teams) were each fined $10,000 for their part in the racket.

In other NFL news, Patriots owner Robert Kraft says that he did give his Superbowl ring to Russian President Vladimir Putin. It was not stolen or mistakenly borrowed as implied in earlier accounts.

Sale of the Vikings finally final

The long awaited sale of the Minnesota Vikings finally got unanimous league approval yesterday. New owner Zygmunt Wilf was introduced by Commissioner Paul Tagliabue.

Immediate advice to the new owner was proffered by St. Paul Pioneer Press correspondant Bob Sansevere:

Zygmunt Wilf can learn from Red McCombs.

Every day, the Vikings' new owner should ask himself, "What would Red do?" Then do the opposite.

Wilf might even want to get a wristband imprinted with W.W.R.D. and put a slash through the initials to remind him the Red way is the wrong way.

McCombs' tenure as the Vikings' owner does not include many warm and fuzzy memories for fans, players or coaches.

The Minneapolis Star-Tribune had this to say:

Zygi Wilf was so buoyant Wednesday that, in his first moments as the Vikings owner, he instantly praised Minnesota's weather.

He said he likes the state's climate so much he's ready to roll up his sleeves for an open-air stadium, with public funding as "part of the formula."

"Praised Minnesota's weather"? Has he ever been to Minnesota?

Of course, I've never been there either, so maybe it's not as bad as every Minnesotan I've ever talked to has claimed. Perhaps the mosquitos are not the size of Apache attack helicopters (and better armed), and the temperate does not alternate between absolute zero and 211 degrees Fahrenheit.

Vikings RB faces one year suspension

A report in the St. Paul Pioneer Press says that Onterrio Smith, Minnesota's rushing leader last season, has failed a drug test and will be suspended for this year:

Minnesota Vikings running back Onterrio Smith has been informed by the NFL that he faces a yearlong suspension for a third violation of the league's substance-abuse policy.

A person familiar with the situation confirmed that action Thursday, hours after Vikings head coach Mike Tice announced that Smith would be excused from the remainder of the team's offseason program.

The same person told the Pioneer Press that Smith's latest violation has nothing to do with an incident at Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport on April 21, when the third-year running back was stopped with a device — "The Original Whizzinator" — designed to circumvent drug tests.

The specific nature of Smith's violation could not be confirmed. ESPN.com, citing two unidentified Vikings employees, reported that he had missed a league-administered drug test, which under NFL policy is equivalent to a positive test.

This is probably Smith's final chance blown. Regardless of what I think about the logic of the league's anti-drug stance, Smith has given up on an NFL career through either stupidity or, er, well, just stupidity, I guess.

If Smith had managed to stay clean, play well for the Vikings this season, and otherwise be a model player, he'd have been looking at a nice multi-million dollar contract for next year. Now, he'll be lucky to be signed to the roster at all.

Viking ship adrift again?

Captain Ed tosses the floundering Vikings an anchor:

Just when I think I've seen everything that the Minnesota Vikings can do to look stupid —