Re: Packers foe - Vikings Zygi Wilf set on a Super Bowl win.

[mngolf19]

There will still be time. The will only lose Favre and Pat Williams after this year. Now, replacing Favre will be a challenge but you know they'll go after the biggest name available if there is one. Pat, not too much to miss there. Everyone else is still plenty young enough. And they are drafting well enough.

Vick?

Chilly likes his athletes at QB and former Eagles too. Never know. Although I hope there is something better.

[mngolf19]

Fat Williams got moved out multiple times by Miami linemen yesterday, opening holes right up the gut, so to speak. Minnesota's defense is still formidable (Greenway played exceptionally well, for example), but there are cracks forming....

Plus they have a lot of guys who will hit FA. Minnestoa doesn't want to re-sign because of the up-front money it would cost them that they don't have to pay out. MINN will be paying premiums to retain talent in 2011 they should have extended in 2010.

It's not that they don't have the money, they are just holding off due to lack of CBA. If they want them all back, they can afford it and have shown no issues spending it.

[ThunderDan]

Fat Williams got moved out multiple times by Miami linemen yesterday, opening holes right up the gut, so to speak. Minnesota's defense is still formidable (Greenway played exceptionally well, for example), but there are cracks forming....

Plus they have a lot of guys who will hit FA. Minnestoa doesn't want to re-sign because of the up-front money it would cost them that they don't have to pay out. MINN will be paying premiums to retain talent in 2011 they should have extended in 2010.

It's not that they don't have the money, they are just holding off due to lack of CBA. If they want them all back, they can afford it and have shown no issues spending it.

Really? What is the logic in not locking up Chad Greenway in 2010? It's cash plain and simple. The Vikes don't want to spend it. And so instead of getting a year early discount they will have to pay top dollar.

What is the cap hit for Greenway, Leber, Sidney Rice and Ray Edwards all to be signed in 2011? That is going to cost a pretty penny and I am sure those players will draw quite a bit of interest as FAs or RFAs.

[Spaulding]

I'm on the same page as mngolf19, I think Wilf is a far better owner than combs was (then again, are there many worse than him?) and I'd be suprised he wouldn't ante up to keep key players.

His main fault is in staying loyal to Childress Then again it bodes better for us that he keep Chilly in the fold.

[ThunderDan]

I'm on the same page as mngolf19, I think Wilf is a far better owner than combs was (then again, are there many worse than him?) and I'd be suprised he wouldn't ante up to keep key players.

His main fault is in staying loyal to Childress Then again it bodes better for us that he keep Chilly in the fold.

I think he will also. I am saying that by allowing a "chunk" of good players all get to FA or RFA the team will have to pay a lot more to retain their services. Players will discount a contract going forward knowing they are getting guaranteed money now. It is the players only "insurance" policy against an injury and they are willing to take less long-term to get some of the contract now.

[denverYooper]

Fat Williams got moved out multiple times by Miami linemen yesterday, opening holes right up the gut, so to speak. Minnesota's defense is still formidable (Greenway played exceptionally well, for example), but there are cracks forming....

Plus they have a lot of guys who will hit FA. Minnestoa doesn't want to re-sign because of the up-front money it would cost them that they don't have to pay out. MINN will be paying premiums to retain talent in 2011 they should have extended in 2010.

It's not that they don't have the money, they are just holding off due to lack of CBA. If they want them all back, they can afford it and have shown no issues spending it.

Really? What is the logic in not locking up Chad Greenway in 2010? It's cash plain and simple. The Vikes don't want to spend it. And so instead of getting a year early discount they will have to pay top dollar.

What is the cap hit for Greenway, Leber, Sidney Rice and Ray Edwards all to be signed in 2011? That is going to cost a pretty penny and I am sure those players will draw quite a bit of interest as FAs or RFAs.

Ray Edwards is on record saying he's not sure if he'll play for the Vikings beyond this year: http://www.twincities.com/ci_1609239...nclick_check=1

I understand it could be a bargaining tactic but it sounds to me as though he might out anyway.

[Scott Campbell]

Viking record over the past 9 games:

3-6



Miami L

@ N.O. L

@ N.O. L

DAL W

NYG W

@ CHI L

@ CAR L

CIN W

@ ARI L

[mngolf19]

Viking record over the past 9 games:

3-6



Miami L

@ N.O. L

@ N.O. L

DAL W

NYG W

@ CHI L

@ CAR L

CIN W

@ ARI L

what's your point?

[mngolf19]

Fat Williams got moved out multiple times by Miami linemen yesterday, opening holes right up the gut, so to speak. Minnesota's defense is still formidable (Greenway played exceptionally well, for example), but there are cracks forming....

Plus they have a lot of guys who will hit FA. Minnestoa doesn't want to re-sign because of the up-front money it would cost them that they don't have to pay out. MINN will be paying premiums to retain talent in 2011 they should have extended in 2010.

It's not that they don't have the money, they are just holding off due to lack of CBA. If they want them all back, they can afford it and have shown no issues spending it.

Really? What is the logic in not locking up Chad Greenway in 2010? It's cash plain and simple. The Vikes don't want to spend it. And so instead of getting a year early discount they will have to pay top dollar.

What is the cap hit for Greenway, Leber, Sidney Rice and Ray Edwards all to be signed in 2011? That is going to cost a pretty penny and I am sure those players will draw quite a bit of interest as FAs or RFAs.

Ray Edwards is on record saying he's not sure if he'll play for the Vikings beyond this year: http://www.twincities.com/ci_1609239...nclick_check=1

I understand it could be a bargaining tactic but it sounds to me as though he might out anyway.

Edwards would only re-signed if he came in at a low number. They have replacements already. Greenway, Rice, Leber will all resigned if they want them. Wilf is holding off so he doesn't have to give them money before the lockout. Helps the owners position. Also, will allow them to see what the new cap numbers will be if there is one.

[ThunderDan]

Fat Williams got moved out multiple times by Miami linemen yesterday, opening holes right up the gut, so to speak. Minnesota's defense is still formidable (Greenway played exceptionally well, for example), but there are cracks forming....

Plus they have a lot of guys who will hit FA. Minnestoa doesn't want to re-sign because of the up-front money it would cost them that they don't have to pay out. MINN will be paying premiums to retain talent in 2011 they should have extended in 2010.

It's not that they don't have the money, they are just holding off due to lack of CBA. If they want them all back, they can afford it and have shown no issues spending it.

Really? What is the logic in not locking up Chad Greenway in 2010? It's cash plain and simple. The Vikes don't want to spend it. And so instead of getting a year early discount they will have to pay top dollar.

What is the cap hit for Greenway, Leber, Sidney Rice and Ray Edwards all to be signed in 2011? That is going to cost a pretty penny and I am sure those players will draw quite a bit of interest as FAs or RFAs.

Ray Edwards is on record saying he's not sure if he'll play for the Vikings beyond this year: http://www.twincities.com/ci_1609239...nclick_check=1

I understand it could be a bargaining tactic but it sounds to me as though he might out anyway.

Edwards would only re-signed if he came in at a low number. They have replacements already. Greenway, Rice, Leber will all resigned if they want them. Wilf is holding off so he doesn't have to give them money before the lockout. Helps the owners position. Also, will allow them to see what the new cap numbers will be if there is one.

Trust me, signing 1-3 more players to extensions in 2010 will not affect the lockout one way on the other. It is simple that the Vikings don't want to spend the cash. And the cap number stuff is just stuff. It is so easy to front load contracts into an uncapped year that reasoning is silly. Look at Nick Collins for the Pack $10M this year, ~$5M for the next 3. That will help the Pack cap for years.

MINN's "refusal" to resign important pieces a year early is going to cause issues down the line.

[Patler]

Viking record over the past 9 games:

3-6



Miami L

@ N.O. L

@ N.O. L

DAL W

NYG W

@ CHI L

@ CAR L

CIN W

@ ARI L

what's your point?

It seems to me his point would be that the Vikings are 3-6 over their last 9 games!

Seriously, that should be of concern to the staff. When a bad streak stretches over an off-season it does change things a little, but that is still more than a half-seasons worth of games with limited success. To compound the urgency, they have a difficult schedule facing them for the next 5 games. Just as success breeds confidence, failure breeds doubt. At some point, some players will doubt themselves, doubt their teammates, doubt their coaches. If can spread and snowball.

The psyche of a team can be a fragile thing. It will be interesting to see how they handle it. The Vikings might be at a critical juncture, even though it is very early in the season.

[Patler]

It's not that they don't have the money, they are just holding off due to lack of CBA. If they want them all back, they can afford it and have shown no issues spending it.

Really? What is the logic in not locking up Chad Greenway in 2010? It's cash plain and simple. The Vikes don't want to spend it. And so instead of getting a year early discount they will have to pay top dollar.

What is the cap hit for Greenway, Leber, Sidney Rice and Ray Edwards all to be signed in 2011? That is going to cost a pretty penny and I am sure those players will draw quite a bit of interest as FAs or RFAs.

Ray Edwards is on record saying he's not sure if he'll play for the Vikings beyond this year: http://www.twincities.com/ci_1609239...nclick_check=1

I understand it could be a bargaining tactic but it sounds to me as though he might out anyway.

Edwards would only re-signed if he came in at a low number. They have replacements already. Greenway, Rice, Leber will all resigned if they want them. Wilf is holding off so he doesn't have to give them money before the lockout. Helps the owners position. Also, will allow them to see what the new cap numbers will be if there is one.

Trust me, signing 1-3 more players to extensions in 2010 will not affect the lockout one way on the other. It is simple that the Vikings don't want to spend the cash. And the cap number stuff is just stuff. It is so easy to front load contracts into an uncapped year that reasoning is silly. Look at Nick Collins for the Pack $10M this year, ~$5M for the next 3. That will help the Pack cap for years.

MINN's "refusal" to resign important pieces a year early is going to cause issues down the line.

It seems to me that there are more reasons to try and get contracts signed now in an uncapped year than to wait until a new CBA is signed. What they might try to avoid will be having a lot of bonuses payable in early 2011, the March/April bonuses that have become common. But signing players now with significant payments in the uncapped year makes some sense.

[mngolf19]

It's not that they don't have the money, they are just holding off due to lack of CBA. If they want them all back, they can afford it and have shown no issues spending it.

Really? What is the logic in not locking up Chad Greenway in 2010? It's cash plain and simple. The Vikes don't want to spend it. And so instead of getting a year early discount they will have to pay top dollar.

What is the cap hit for Greenway, Leber, Sidney Rice and Ray Edwards all to be signed in 2011? That is going to cost a pretty penny and I am sure those players will draw quite a bit of interest as FAs or RFAs.

Ray Edwards is on record saying he's not sure if he'll play for the Vikings beyond this year: http://www.twincities.com/ci_1609239...nclick_check=1

I understand it could be a bargaining tactic but it sounds to me as though he might out anyway.

Edwards would only re-signed if he came in at a low number. They have replacements already. Greenway, Rice, Leber will all resigned if they want them. Wilf is holding off so he doesn't have to give them money before the lockout. Helps the owners position. Also, will allow them to see what the new cap numbers will be if there is one.

Trust me, signing 1-3 more players to extensions in 2010 will not affect the lockout one way on the other. It is simple that the Vikings don't want to spend the cash. And the cap number stuff is just stuff. It is so easy to front load contracts into an uncapped year that reasoning is silly. Look at Nick Collins for the Pack $10M this year, ~$5M for the next 3. That will help the Pack cap for years.

MINN's "refusal" to resign important pieces a year early is going to cause issues down the line.

It seems to me that there are more reasons to try and get contracts signed now in an uncapped year than to wait until a new CBA is signed. What they might try to avoid will be having a lot of bonuses payable in early 2011, the March/April bonuses that have become common. But signing players now with significant payments in the uncapped year makes some sense.

Which is the process they have always followed as well. But they are going different this year. Should I suddenly think they are having money problems when they are trying desparately to get a new stadium in the next legislative session and have always spent more money than anyone expected? Wilf has not changed his tune 1 iota during his tenure and even spent big on Favre this year.

As far as 1-3 players having an affect on the lockout out, it was probably up to each owner to do his part but unfortunately we know many owners can't help themselves. And no it's not silly.

[mngolf19]

Viking record over the past 9 games:

3-6



Miami L

@ N.O. L

@ N.O. L

DAL W

NYG W

@ CHI L

@ CAR L

CIN W

@ ARI L

what's your point?

It seems to me his point would be that the Vikings are 3-6 over their last 9 games!

Seriously, that should be of concern to the staff. When a bad streak stretches over an off-season it does change things a little, but that is still more than a half-seasons worth of games with limited success. To compound the urgency, they have a difficult schedule facing them for the next 5 games. Just as success breeds confidence, failure breeds doubt. At some point, some players will doubt themselves, doubt their teammates, doubt their coaches. If can spread and snowball.

The psyche of a team can be a fragile thing. It will be interesting to see how they handle it. The Vikings might be at a critical juncture, even though it is very early in the season.

I don't know how many times I have to say this same thing. Their losses in the reg season last year were all on grass. That's a big deal to their style of play.(this has been detailed on by the beat writers as well so it isn't just me) Their loss in NO during playoffs, they played very well other than turnovers and should have killed NO. This year, they are starting out, out of sync on offense just like they did last year. I think it was the end of the SF game last year when it all started coming together. And, the fact that they are missing their #1 WR along with their #3 missing all of camp is likely going to cause it to string along further than last year.

I completely agree that losing messes with minds and this wknds game with Det is a critical juncture. The coaches are off the hook due to the WR situation and that it seems to most that they are trying everything possible to remedy that. The doubt will be aimed at people like Favre, Berrian. Although really, Berrian is not a #1 and Favre may be given the excuse of the WR problem as well. And if your talking about fans doubt, they're all idiots anyways. I'm the only smart one.

[Patler]

In the end, everyone plays the game where and when it is scheduled. Justifying losses because the games were played on grass is, well, just an excuse that doesn't really mean much to me. Can it have some impact? Sure, but a reason to lose? No, not really. Every team has challenges to face. Good teams overcome them.

I used to run in to that sort of thing all the time in hockey. Its fast ice, its slow ice, its a big sheet, its a small sheet. In the end, its still hockey, same rules, same plays. My advice was always to forget finding excuses for a loss and just play the game and win.