Allen to Vikings... "is close to being in place"

[Zool]

The Vikes are not one (or even two) players away.

I don't think I agree with that. They look like paper tigers to me at this point. I wouldn't be surprised at all if they get picked by many of the experts to win the division. That'd be ok I guess, as it would take the target off our backs.

A great D, combined with a great grind it out running game could be a lethal combo - even without a decent passing game.

10 years ago I would agree with you Scooter, but not today.

[DonHutson]

What do Carl Eller and Jared Allen have in common?

Okay, what else do they have in common? As of Wednesday, both will have been members of the Minnesota Vikings.

Florio may be an obnoxious prick, but he can be damned funny sometimes.

The better question might be: what do Jared Allen and Herschel Walker have in common?

[Rastak]

What do Carl Eller and Jared Allen have in common?

Okay, what else do they have in common? As of Wednesday, both will have been members of the Minnesota Vikings.

Florio may be an obnoxious prick, but he can be damned funny sometimes.

The better question might be: what do Jared Allen and Herschel Walker have in common?

I'll take that one. Nothing. One was traded for many first day picks including multiple 1st round picks over years and one was traded for 1 first day pick (1st round) and 2 second day picks all in the same year.


That about right Don?

[DonHutson]

I'll take that one. Nothing. One was traded for many first day picks including multiple 1st round picks over years and one was traded for 1 first day pick (1st round) and 2 second day picks all in the same year.


That about right Don?

I guess by that comparison, any trade Minnesota makes looks good.

I was going for: the Vikings put too many eggs in one basket for each when they were more than one player away from winning anything important, and the recipient of the picks has an opportunity to build a winner at the Vikes expense.

Of course we won't know for awhile whether the Chiefs benefit, but I'd be surprised if the Vikes come out ahead in the end.

[3irty1]

This does not tell me that the Vikings are in win-now-mode, this move tells me that the Vikings are not to confident in the draft (or their ability to draft).

Jason Taylor would have been a great short-term upgrade and would have come much cheaper.

Harvey said it best that Allen is more like Kampman, an effort guy. Only he's two years younger. Of course Kampman has things Allen probably won't ever have like responsibility, team loyalty, coach-like smarts, and an NFC North title.

[Scott Campbell]

What do Carl Eller and Jared Allen have in common?

Okay, what else do they have in common? As of Wednesday, both will have been members of the Minnesota Vikings.

Florio may be an obnoxious prick, but he can be damned funny sometimes.

The better question might be: what do Jared Allen and Herschel Walker have in common?

I'll take that one. Nothing. One was traded for many first day picks including multiple 1st round picks over years and one was traded for 1 first day pick (1st round) and 2 second day picks all in the same year.


That about right Don?

Not really apples to apples Ras. 3rd rounders were first day picks when the Walker deal went down.

[Rastak]

I was hoping you'd miss that Scott......LOL.


My point remains the same.

[b bulldog]

If I was a Vikings fan I'd be very happy and also a tad nervous. Allen could be the DMVP or he could get suspended for an entire year with another mishap. One thing is for sure, the entire NFL saw what a dominant Dline can do and as of now, the Vikings may have the best Dline in football.

[Scott Campbell]

I was hoping you'd miss that Scott......LOL.


My point remains the same.

Ha! Fat chance.

Listen, if this thing works out for you, things will be great. If it doesn't work out, they'll be calling this "Herschel Part 2", and there's no way out of the comparison. In the absolute worst case scenario, this becomes both "Herschel Part 2" and "K-Rob Part 2".


I'd be interested in hearing about what kind of due diligence they did on his drinking issue. I can't see making this move without being pretty comfortable that he was through with his booze issues.

[DonHutson]

In the absolute worst case scenario, this becomes both "Walker Part 2" and "K-Rob Part 2".

A worse case would be he's falls asleep drunk at the wheel of the party barge, spilling a slick of lube and pasty white Minnesota hookers all over the lake.

Then it's Walker/Party Boat/Exxon Valdez Part II.

[Scott Campbell]

In the absolute worst case scenario, this becomes both "Walker Part 2" and "K-Rob Part 2".

A worse case would be he's falls asleep drunk at the wheel of the party barge, spilling a slick of lube and pasty white Minnesota hookers all over the lake.

Then it's Walker/Party Boat/Exxon Valdez Part II.

And yet even worse if these hookers were interested in buying Chilly's allotment of Superbowl tix.

[HarveyWallbangers]

From ESPN. It's fair. It's a tossup at this point. It may come down to ARod vs. T-Jack.

Can the Vikings catch the Packers?
Bill Williamson

The gap between the Green Bay Packers and Minnesota Vikings has lessened considerably this offseason.

First, the Packers -- who won the NFC North with a 13-3 record and were five games ahead of the second-place Vikings in 2007 -- lost legendary quarterback Brett Favre to retirement. Then, Tuesday night, the Vikings traded for Pro Bowl defensive end Jared Allen, who led the NFL in sacks last season with 15.5.

Those are two major transactions that could slide the NFC North power scale closer to the Vikings' side. Yes, the Packers have a good, young roster, and they believe in Favre's replacement, Aaron Rodgers. But anytime a team loses a legendary quarterback, there is a period of adjustment.

Allen makes the Vikings a very strong team. He completes the best defensive line in the league. Add a strong defense and star running back Adrian Peterson, who became a superstar as a rookie in 2007, and the Vikings are contenders. The loss of Favre and the addition of Allen may not swing the division all the way in Minnesota's favor, but there's definitely a new landscape in the NFC North.

Another blurb from that blog:

"More than that, though, the Chiefs also bluntly felt as if Allen, while a good player, was not indispensable. When I asked one Chiefs official how the Chiefs possibly could get better without the NFL's sack leader, he asked back: "How many of those sacks were in the fourth quarter?"

The correct answer to that is zero. When asked what this was supposed to mean -- after all, the Chiefs were trailing an awful lot in the fourth quarter, and sack opportunities were rare -- the official shrugged and said, "I'm just saying. Zero."

For the record, KC won 4 games, were ahead or tied in the 4th quarter in 3 games, and were within 7 points with 6 minutes left in 4 games. It's not like they were getting blown out every game. Until 6 minutes left, they were ahead, tied, or within 7 points in 11 of their 16 games. It's not like they were getting blown out in most games and teams were exclusively running the ball late.

Two other things. I think his career high was 11 sacks before his contract year last year and Chad Clifton did a great job against him. He allowed 1 pressure and got minimal help--according to Bob McGinn.

[red]

so thats the same guy saying both those things?

that this trade and the addition of one single player could turn a bad team to a good team and swing the nfc north. but he then says the guy doesn't much much of a difference?

[HarveyWallbangers]

so thats the same guy saying both those things?

that this trade and the addition of one single player could turn a bad team to a good team and swing the nfc north. but he then says the guy doesn't much much of a difference?

No. It was on a blog by several different ESPN writers. Not sure who wrote that entry. You can find it on ESPN.com. The quote is from a Chiefs official, so take it for what it's worth.

[Scott Campbell]

VIKES BUILD SOME PROTECTION INTO ALLEN DEAL
Posted by Mike Florio on April 23, 2008, 5:04 p.m.

As we noted last week when the talk of a Jared Allen trade first surfaced, any team acquiring Allen’s rights will be taking a huge risk. With two DUIs in 2006, which prompted a two-game suspension in 2007, Allen is a mimosa binge away from facing a serious suspension, and possibly some real jail time.

The problem is that the 2006 amendments to the Collective Bargaining Agreement prevent teams from attempting to recapture significant chunks of bonus money in the event of a player default. Instead, teams may only target a portion of the signing bonus proration for the year in which, for example, a suspension is imposed.

The Vikings addressed this problem by pushing half of the guaranteed money into 2009 and 2010, and by making the guarantee applicable to injury only, for now.

Here are the numbers.

Allen receives a signing bonus of $15,500,069, and a base salary of $750,000 in 2008.

In 2009, he gets a base salary of $7.75 million. A whopping $7.5 million of that amount is guaranteed against injury only; as of the first day of the 2009 league year, it is guaranteed for skill, too.

In 2010, Allen will receive a base salary of $6.38 million and a roster bonus of $8 million. The roster bonus is guaranteed for injury only; it becomes guaranteed for skill as of the first day of the 2009 league year.

Allen’s base salaries for 2011, 2012, and 2013 and $8,979,438, $11,619,850, and $14,280,612, respectively.

Allen will receive more than $38 million over the first three years of the deal. However, if he gets into any trouble before March 2009, the team can cut the cord, avoiding $15.5 million in guaranteed payments.

The total value? $73,260,069.