Quick Refresher:

Even though the movie “Rounders” is about poker, the game the Vikings and Judas played all offseason was essentially a game of high stakes poker.  (I have been waiting  on a decision from the man who make waffle makers blush [...]]]> “You can’t lose what you don’t put in the middle…but you can’t win much either.”
-Mike McDermott, “Rounders”

Quick Refresher:

Even though the movie “Rounders” is about poker, the game the Vikings and Judas played all offseason was essentially a game of high stakes poker.  (I have been waiting  on a decision from the man who make waffle makers blush to dish out the Vikings’ offseason review, so thank you for your paitence.)

That has been the story of the Vikings offseason, like it or not.  A team that is coming off their first division title since 2000 seemed to have most of the pieces in place to make another playoff run, maybe even a dark horse for a Super Bowl bid.  The only hole on the roster was and still is at at the most important position in the game.  They went all-in on the ultimate gamble with Judas and lost.  

They may be fine without him, but the coaching staff and front office obviously felt otherwise.  When you have a chance to go for it in the NFL, you do it.  So, they pushed their chips in the middle and now hope the repercussions do not derail their division title defense.
 

Where they were heading into the offseason:

Coming off a 10-6 season and their first division title in eight years, the Vikings sat in a nice position to build on last year’s success.  One of the league’s top defenses, ranked sixth overall and first against the run, returned almost their entire starting lineup, including  starting middle linebacker E.J. Henderson, who missed most of last season to injury. 

Couple that withthe league’s fifth-best rushing attack in 2008 and perhaps the NFL’s most dangerous player Adrian Peterson, it seemed like the Vikings were just a solid passing game away from being a serious contender in the NFC.

There was also the court decision on Kevin and Pat Williams’ suspension for testing positive to banned substances, which was delayed and now looks like they may not get suspended at all.

What happened in free agency:

As far as signings, there was nothing of any real significance.  They seriously flirted with T.J. Houshmanzadeh, who turned down the purple to sign withSeattle.  With Housh out of the picture, the biggest offseason acquisition in Minnesota was the trade for Sage Rosenfels.  In desperate need for some competition for incumbent Tavaris Jackson (before all of the Judas courting), the Vikings ship a 4th round pick to Houston for the 31-year-old quarterback.  Rosenfelsthen signed a two-year, $9 million deal after going 2-3 in five starts last season, throwing for 1,431 yards with six touchdowns and 10 interceptions.  Not earth-shattering stats.

The biggest name to be signed took place just last week when Antoine Winfield ended his offseasonholdout, inked a new five-year deal worth $36 million and $16.1 million guaranteed.  Coming off his first Pro Bowl appearance of his career last season Winfield,32, signed probably his last contract of his career.  Given his age, physical style of play and demanding position of cornerback, some have to question giving out a lengthy contract with a good chunk of guaranteed money.

 Perhaps the biggest storyline of the Vikings’ free agency was their departures.  Starting safety/relative of Judas/ former Packer Darren Sharper ended his stay in Minnesota after signing a deal with New Orleans.  Not a huge loss for Minnesota as it looked like Sharper lost a step last season.

The bigger loss though is on the offensive line and departure of long-time center Matt Birk to Baltimore.  Birk was the longest tenured Viking and at 32, still one of the better centers in the league.  The team had plenty of cap room to re-sign him, especially for the deal Baltimore gave or maybe they were saving the room for Judas and others?  Either way, the loss of Birk hurts in many areas, on-field and in the locker room.  Withuncertainty at quarterback, Birk could have been a stabilizing force.  Now the Vikings must turned to first-year starter John Sullivan, a fifth round pick in 2008.

What happened in the draft:

After missing out on the Houshmanzadeh sweepstakes, the Vikings focused their wide receiver needs on the draft.  Picking #20 overall, they took multi-faceted and talented Percy Harvin from Florida.  On paper, it is a great pick because they kid has tremendous talent and upside.  However, red flags caused him to drop in the draft.  Harvin tested positive for marijuana at the scouting combine, among other off-field concerns.  Seriously, how can you test positive at the combine.  You know they are testing everyone and it is the biggest job interview of your life!  I will never understand it.

I digress.  Harvin is a very unique talent that can bring different dimensions to the Vikings.  For starters he a dangerous return man.  He can also catch passes out the backfield and get open downfield.  There has been talk of Brad Childress installing a version of the Wildcat for Harvin.  It can be scary to think what he can do with Peterson in the backfield.

However, can he stay on the field and out of trouble?  Is he big enough?  Can the Vikings even get him the ball enough?

Those are all legitimate questions and concerns.  At best, he is Devin Hester with better offensive ability.  At worst, he can’t stay out of trouble and his size hinders him and is looking of work in three years.

Withtheir second-round choice, they drafted mammoth offensive tackle Phil Loadholt from Oklahoma.  A savvy choice by the team, especially after watching right tackle Ryan Cook struggle all through last season.  At 6-foot-8 and 343 lbs, Loadholt is expected to compete for a starting job right away with Cook.  Size doesn’t always matter, but Loadholt looks down to about anyone next to him.  I’m sure Peterson was happy on draft day.

Where they are now:

 Ironically, they are basically where they were the day after they lost to the Eagles in the playoffs.  Yes, they lost Birk and Sharper to free agency, but they also gain back Henderson on already stout defense. 

Does the acquisition for Rosenfels make this team any better than they were last year?  Jackson did get the team to the playoffs and then flopped.  So, maybe bringing in Rosenfels to compete pushes Jackson or provide a decent fall-back plan.

What it all comes down to is the courting of Judas.  For weeks, even months it seemed like a foregone conclusion that he was going to suit up for Minnesota.  The coaches believed it, most of the players did.  Even earlier this week when it started to leak that he was going to stay retired, guys like Peterson, Jared Allen and Steve Hutchinson were trying to convince him to return.

Now what do those guys and other players, who said it publicly or not do that Favre isn’t there.  Is there going to be a rift or second-guessing with Rosenfels and Jackson?  Teammates and coaches can say that they are behind those two until their faces turn blue, but how much is that true or just saving face?

Jackson and Rosenfels have both said they are ready to compete and have put this Favre saga behind them.  They say there is no ill will with their teammates and coaches, but how pissed off do you think they are? 

Imagine at your job, you are competing for a job promotion with an equally talented and experienced co-worker for a few months.  Things are going well and then your boss says we want to bring in another guy from a different company to take the position because we don’t think either of you can improve this company more than it already is, but he can.  He has a heck of resume and knows people inside the company, despite on the verge of retirement and less commitment we still would like to have him over you two who have a brighter future.  Almost all of your co-workers, especially the heavy-hitters and the ones who have been there the longest all agree.  He then says thanks for all your hard work and competition between you two, but you now are back to your old, lesser roles.

Then right before he is about to start, he decides to retire after all and your boss comes back and tries to sell that he still have faith in both of you to do a great job and improve this company. 

Wouldn’t your confidence be shot a little bit?  Wouldn’t you be pretty upset for: a) your boss and co-workers not having faithin you; b) having your dreams and hopes built up, then it taken only for it to be given it back when the other option failed; and c) everyone trying to pretend it’s no big deal, we had faith in you the whole time and it will be ok.

I know these guys are all pros and this is the real world, but if I’m Jackson or Rosenfels, I would be ‘WTF?  Before they didn’t think I was good enough, but now they do because Judas isn’t coming and they have no other option?’

And what about all the players who wanted Judas there?  What is going through their minds?  Is it going to be the same ol’ song and dance like the last few years are quarterback?

On the flip side, all of this could motivate Jackson and Rosenfels and the best man will win the job in training camp.  That is what the Vikings pray will happen.  We have seen it thousands of times, the whole ‘no one believed in us’ motivational tool.  Maybe it will happen here.

All of this has to be taken into consideration.  On paper, this team is built to win and built to win now.  Not a lot of personnelchanges were made and sometimes that is the best formula.  The coaching staff returns with the same game plan.  Their defense is one of the best and so is their running game.  Adding Harvin and Loadholt should help the offense and the sky is the limit for Peterson right now.

Now, the biggest question in maybe the entire NFL looms, can Brad Childress circle the troops after the affair with Judas? 

We won’t know that answer for some time, but the Vikings went all-in to win now.  Sometimes in the NFL that’s what you have to do.

Offseason Grade: C

Now, though, that does not seem very likely.

Multiple outlets are reporting that Houshmandzadeh flew out of the Twin Cities last night and is now with his family in Los Angeles, mulling over offers [...]]]> Last night, it looked like free agent wide receiver T.J. Houshmandzadeh was getting closer and closer to becoming a member of the Minnesota Vikings.

Now, though, that does not seem very likely.

Multiple outlets are reporting that Houshmandzadeh flew out of the Twin Cities last night and is now with his family in Los Angeles, mulling over offers from the Vikings, Seattle Seahawks and his original team, the Cincinnati Bengals.

This is a major change from last night, when it was reported “Housh” would stay in Minneapolis until this morning, upon which it was expected he would make his decision.

That he is no longer in Minneapolis suggests he has narrowed his list down to Seattle and Cincinnati. After all, if the Vikings had really been able to convince him, wouldn’t he have just stayed and signed a contract? Most likely.

Either way, this works out well for the Packers. A player like Houshmandzadeh would have brought the Vikings’ passing game much closer to respectability and, since he’s the only big-time wideout on the market, it looks like Minnesota will once again struggle to move the ball through the air this season.

-Chris Lempesis

There is some elite talent available and while it is likely that none of these players will have even the most remote contact with the Packers, the fact that they are out there is still [...]]]> It is now officially Friday, February 27, and you know what that means: the NFL free agency period has finally begun.

There is some elite talent available and while it is likely that none of these players will have even the most remote contact with the Packers, the fact that they are out there is still worthy of some comment.

So, without further adieu, here are the top five free agents, along with some prognosticating on where they will likely land:

1. Albert Haynesworth, DT, Tennessee Titans, 27 years old

Haynesworth does have some knocks on him. He hasn’t played a full 16 games since his rookie year and has only been dominant the last two years (plus my lingering suspicion that he’s buying a chain of Old Country Buffets with his signing bonus). Still, truly dominating defensive tackles who can command constant double teams don’t come along that often and Haynesworth is absolutely one of those.

Over half the league will probably want him, but only a few true contenders should emerge in the battle for his services: Washington (owner Daniel Snyder loves to make the big splash and this would be it…literally), Detroit (laugh if you want, but new head coach Jim Schwartz was previously Haynesworth’s coordinator and would know how to motivate him) and Tampa Bay (always focused on defense and has the most cap space in the league).

Expected destination: Washington. Despite a serious lack of cap room, Snyder usually knows how to get what he wants and he wants Haynesworth. Badly.

2. Kurt Warner, QB, Arizona Cardinals, 37 years old

Warner capped off his career resurgence with an astounding run in the postseason, one that fell just short of him earning his second World Championship. Talks have not been good with the Cards regarding a new contract, as Warner wants to be paid like a top five quarterback. He’s completely justified in this request, but the Cards are being their typical selves (read: cheap).

If Warner doesn’t end up back in the desert, he’ll probably make good on his threat to retire. In the event he doesn’t, though, there are only two places he could possibly land: New York (Jets) and Minnesota. Both teams have a lot of the necessary pieces in place to be contenders and both are severely lacking at the quarterback position (Sage Rosenfels notwithstanding).

Expected destination: Arizona. The Cardinals might be cheap, but even they have to know they’ve got a great thing going on now, really for the first time in franchise history. That should be enough to get them to pay up.

3 and 4. Bart Scott and Ray Lewis, ILBs, Baltimore Ravens, 28 and 33 years old, respectively

This outstanding pair of inside linebackers are grouped together here because both played for Baltimore and have roughly the same overall value. Scott is quite a bit younger and definitely still in his prime. That’s not to say Lewis, the heart and soul of the franchise, is on the downside of his career. But at his age, he’s not far away, either.

Dallas has been rumored as a desired destination of Lewis’, but it seems impossible they would be able to afford him. Scott is rumored to be interested in the Jets, which makes sense as new head coach Rex Ryan was previously Scott’s coordinator. Baltimore would love to keep the trio of Scott, Lewis and Terrell Suggs together, but in today’s NFL, those sorts of things usually don’t happen.

Expected destination: Lewis in Baltimore and Scott in New York. The Ravens will make sure Lewis ends his career as a Raven. As a result, they’ll have to part with Scott, who will find familiarity with his old coach in New York.

5. T.J. Houshmandzadeh, WR, Cincinnati Bengals, 31 years old

In a very thin crop of available wideouts, Houshmandzadeh stands as the one true playmaker of the bunch. Yes, he did most of his damage from the No. 2 receiver spot. But he’s been over or near the 1,000-yard receiving mark in each of the past five seasons, averaging just over seven touchdowns a year in that same span. There are a lot of No. 2 receivers in the league; most of them don’t come close to those numbers.

There are numerous good/very good teams in the league who are but a playmaker or two away from being elite teams. From that group, four stand out: Philadelphia, Tampa Bay, Baltimore and Tennessee. All have some very good things going for them, but only one team has a proven superstar at quarterback. That team will end up with “Housh”.

Expected destination: Philadelphia. Donovan McNabb, with very little help, got the Eagles within one drive of the Super Bowl. He’s been harping for some help. He’ll get it.

-Chris Lempesis