Note: The University of Minnesota web blog server will be going through some upgrades the remainder of this week and this site could be down at times. Everything should return to normal by Monday.

There comes a time in the career of every NFL coach when the white flag is raised and the towel thrown in. It is the moment in which the coach realizes that it is time to move on or get fired. Or retire.

This week the Vikings made a move in which Mike Tice must be struggling with his conscience. Oh, the front office will say it was a team decision, but let’s face it. Acquiring players with a checkered past is something done by the coach, not delegated. And anyway, who could possibly know the delicate balance of team chemistry better than the head coach?

As Vikings fans we now find ourselves in this situation of trying to support Tice and then watching as he makes moves that leaves us scratching our collective heads. This week, we will go through the usual pangs of angst: how could we call ourselves Vikings fans but yet question the head coach’s latest roster tinkering?

This truly is Tice’s make-or-break year. And I can argue that a little bit of panic has set in. From rolling the dice on Robinson to the last minute decision to experiment with the punter position, I wonder if Tice is still in a learning stage.

Red McCombs could have chosen a successor to Dennis Green that was sound in wind and limb. It would probably have been an intransigent old curmudgeon who would have given the team stability in the here-and-now but not much hope for the future. Instead, McCombs went for youth perhaps listening to his pocketbook at well. But that’s not the point here.

The point is that often with youth you get someone a bit green around the gills whose eyes light up at the sight of something new and shiny. And the Vikings, with their high-powered offense would be something very bright and shiny. Youth brings exuberance and excitement. It can also bring unqualified leadership to a position that screams for a steady, knowing hand.

Tice has had his trial period. He has earned respect from his players and is now starting to earn respect from the media. He no longer has to answer to a very hands-on owner. Tice does not have to take to the usual way of doing things and can expressly voice, “I don’t do it like that.”

But Tice should also not congratulate himself on this team until he has survived a January playoff run. Tice should not congratulate himself until he has beaten the New York Giants, his Achilles heel.

Should Tice get a contract extension and a pay raise during the season or after? Ah, now that’s a tricky one. It is a well-known fact that if you pay peanuts, you get monkeys. Tice’s contract should be renewed and his salary increased slightly if the team gets to the NFC Conference Title game this season.

So, am I all doom and gloom with this latest roster move? No, I’m not. Tice indicates that he plans to use Koren Robinson as a returner which is a position in which no one was able to win outright during preseason. But, he has also never returned a punt or kick during his NFL career. So, Tice’s judgment must be trusted. And that track record isn’t up to snuff.

Some will say that Tice’s move to acquire Koren Robinson is a solid move. And they could end up being correct. I think Tice has simply faced up to the inevitable. That he either try and upgrade the team by finding a burner to stretch the field (wasn’t that to be Troy Williamson?) or settle for a team that should find itself in the playoff chase and then flame out. That is where the team now stands sans Randy Moss who was, we were told, bad for team chemistry.

By now you are probably scratching your collective heads trying to make heads or tails of this blog entry. And that is my intention. I can't make heads or tails of Tice at the moment. I just worry that Tice is letting his emotions rule the roost again and not his head. That he starts to panic and makes these sudden roster moves trying to fix what might not be broken. Or are my emotions ruling me?

So I called The Commish for his assessment of the Robinson pick-up. And he had some good comments. First, The Commish said, koren Robinson is a huge improvement over Kelly Campbell who was released to make room for Robinson on the roster. Point taken.

Second, The Commish pointed out that one cannot look at Robinson as a replacement for Moss...the ultimate field stretcher. Moss was both dynamic on the field but failed at being a team leader and often caused acrimony within the locker room (see Washington game). Robinson is not being asked to be a leader and therefore will not be the disruptive influence that Moss was. Point also taken.

Yes, Vikes fans, we will no doubt laugh together, moan together, yell together this coming season and generally enjoy one another’s company. With luck, Tice and company will be able to visit Detroit a second time for Super Bowl XL. And Tice will have earned it the hard way, by coming up through the ranks, taking chances, learning from mistakes. A ring earned, after all, is a ring enjoyed.

What do you think of the Koren Robinson move? A new poll has been posted to the left.

Recent Changes

While out on vacation, there were some changes implemented to the Viking Underground. First, the font size was increased to aid everyone in reading blog entries. I decided to keep the purple background instead of changing to a white one. But I still wanted to make the blog easier on the eyes, thus the increase in font size.

Also changed was the visited link color to offset it from the yellow. You’ll now notice a lighter yellow once you have already visited a link.

Finally, readers familiar with my podcasts knew that August was a test month to see how much bandwidth I would be pulling…and paying for. Nearly a thousand listeners pulled 6.728 GB and I ended up having to pay some overage, but nothing I can’t handle. So, podcasting is staying! Still, I have added a PayPal donation button which can be seen on the left navigation frame. If you would like to donate to help defray the costs of doing podcasts, just use PayPal. And even as little as a dime or a quarter helps!

Coming Friday

A new podcast will be available on Friday. This one will be a discussion with Class of 2001 Visa Hall of Fans member and Tampa Bay Bucs fan Keith“Big Nasty” Kunzig. Come back to listen in as we discuss the upcoming game.

Fantasy Football

In my quest to once again rule the roost in the Beer Brotherhood Fantasy Football League, my opening day lineup will be:

QB M. Bulger, STL @SF
RB S. Alexander, SEA @JAC 0.0
RB T. Barber, NYG ARI 0.0
WR T. Holt, STL @SF 0.0
WR K. Colbert, CAR NO 0.0
TE D. Clark, IND @BAL 0.0
P. Edinger, MIN TB 0.0
Def Patriots OAK 0.0

I like my chances.

And for those who signed up for the Viking Underground Pick 'Em League, make sure you get your picks in before the Pats-Raiders tilt tonight. Haven't joined yet? There is still time. In order to join the group, just go to Pro Football Pick'em, click the "Sign Up" button (or "Join Group" if you are a returning user). From there, follow the path to join my private group and when prompted, enter the following information...

Group ID#: 15651
Password: purple

Hurricane Katrina

I would be remiss if I did not make mention of the recent devastation caused by Hurricane Katrina. I have made many friends from around the NFL during recent years and two of those people suffered badly from this terrible force of Mother Nature.

Lionel “Da Pope” Alphonso lost everything....house included when Katrina blew into New Orleans. I spoke with his wife Wednesday afternoon and she and Lionel are doing fine. They are busy returning phone calls and tracking loved ones and friends down.

Lionel actually rode the hurricane out, and had to climb to the roof to escape the flooding...fighting off snakes and other critters who also were seeking higher ground. Wow.

Also taking damage to his home was Ernie “Dolfan” Gorwood who is in Florida and was around when Katrina blew through there. Ernie is an emergency responder and was on duty when the Katrina hit. He responded to 55 emergency calls in a 24 hours. They had 15-20 inches of rain with winds in excess of 95 mph.

I hope to get Lionel and Ernie on for a Podcast sometime so everyone can hear the stories firsthand. For now, we're all just thankful that they are safe.

Posted by maasx003 at September 8, 2005 06:54 AM | TrackBack