November 04, 2005
Winnie Walking Tall

Earlier this week, the boys over at Pro Football talk speculated that cornerback Antoine Winfield was trying to get traded with his open criticism of the Vikes coaching staff. I blew it off.

Now Winnie's voice is getting louder. Take today's report in the STrib: "....cornerback Antoine Winfield, who wasn't pleased after Sunday's loss about some of the coaching decisions, is withholding judgment until game day. "It looks good right now but so did the other weeks," he said. Part of Winfield's frustration stemmed from the fact the Vikings didn't follow through on plans to play more double coverage on Carolina receiver Steve Smith, who caught 11 passes for a team-record 201 yards and a touchdown. Asked if Tice paying more attention to defense would help, Winfield didn't seem convinced. "I'm not sure," he said. "He knew what we had to do last week and we didn't do it. So, like I say, we'll know next week."

You go Winnie. I've talked for what seems like the entire Tice era on how we hear "we had a tremendous week of practice, perhaps the best ever" leading up to game day and then find the Vikes are down by 14 shortly after kick-off.

This team is continually ill-prepared to play a game, and then fails to make any mid-game adjustments. And Winnie is a Pro Bowl player that is not going to stand for it. Either things will change or Winfield will be gone. And losing our best tackler is not a good thing.

So, who would you rather see go? Tice or Winfield?




The Stupidity of Sid Hartman

When is this man going to get the Homer Award and then made to retire? From his Jottings today: "Phil Huebner, Vikings director of ticket sales, said he hasn't had one season ticket cancellation despite the negative publicity over the boat incident and the team's losing record. The remaining games are sellouts."

Well, no shit Sherlock. Of course no one is going to cancel their season tickets mid-season. It will be in late January when the first invoices are sent out, when the team is playing golf in warmer climes, when people have time to think about the past season. You can bet your lutefisk that people will be canceling as I've had people already tell me they will be. Life-long season ticket holders who have kept the tickets in the family for a couple of generations have had it. So, for Sid to be speaking about how the negative publicity of the off-field allegations has had no affect smacks of Homerism to the tenth degree.

The Love Boat

More on The Love Boat, like I want to be talking about this. I was expecting to be talking about securing the NFC North by this point in the season. Instead.....

Local 5 EYEWITNESS NEWS is now reporting that one week Love Boat, two players were seen throwing trash in a dumpster at a construction site in Eden Prairie. Lovely.

Patrick Reusse spoke to this story on his early morning radio segment by saying, "I heard that trash was not from the boat incident but a separate party...a birthday bash." Even more lovely.

And the biggest rumor now making the circuit is that staff on the Love Boat were paid $500 by the players to remain quiet.

Have a nice weekend.

Posted by maasx003 at November 4, 2005 08:12 AM
Comments

Can't wait til this season is done - and we get a new front office and coaching staff to right this ship (no pun intended). I hope they don't spoil things by winning a few games and leaving us out of the running for a blue chip draft pick. Maybe I will enjoy my weekend by NOT watching the Vikings play this weekend. Nah - I can't help it - They are like having a beautiful girlfriend that you can't leave even if she continues to cheat on you.

Posted by: Thomas at November 4, 2005 10:05 AM

Thomas: That is the funniest thing I've read all week! Thanks man!

Posted by: Brian Maas at November 4, 2005 10:19 AM

I can't believe people are giving up their season tickets because of one season! Some people are so ignorant. I'll take em'! Maybe some of these "die hard fans" should realize that some people would kill to live in the cities and get the chance (and the money) to watch every Vikings home game in the dome! You people just don't realize how lucky you are. I say that "all truth is based upon perspective" and that these season ticket holders should think first before they give up their tickets (They should look at it from a poor man's perspective, or an out of state fan's perspective!). I mean, you don't know what you got until its gone, and if they are as "die hard" as they say they are, they will miss the game. I mean you don't gotta like the players as people, I'm a fan of the Minnesota Vikings football team, not the Minnesota Vikings players as people....I watch them once a week, playing a game, I don't follow them around and watch their life. I don't think its fair to judge these guys, unless you are directly connected to them and you are a model citizen who is getting sick of them throwing parties next door or something...everybody has their problems, nobody's perfect. Plus money confuses the issue, and people with money think they can get away with stuff, but they can't. I would be trying to have fun and have parties if I was as rich as these guys, heck I try to party every once in a while now (its fun, lighten up guys). So I don't blame them for what they did, I mean you only got one life to live and then your dead, right? If your a rich football player who can afford to have fun, for god's sake, HAVE SOME FUN! I'm not gonna stop em', whether their 2-5 or 5-2 because I don't think the partying effects their play more than the media and the coaching. Frankly, I think this whole thing got blown out of proportion. After all, Kevin Williams beats his wife, Ahman Green beats his wife, Al Harris assaults a stripper, and this is the big story in the Midwest right now? This should tell you a little something about the state of the media these days, its all a soap opera for the women, the elderly, and the common rube who know the names of 1/2 the starters on the team and claim to be a hardcore "fan". Give me a break, everything's for the money these days and its almost sickening. To see the KSTP idiots turning into paparazzi is just the icing on the cake. NOW I REALLY HAVE SEEN EVERYTHING. But after all this bitching and venting, I can still say I am a die hard Vikings fan and I have been since the day I came into this world more than 20 years prior to this date and it would be a dream come true to live in Minneapolis and see every Vikings home game in person. Some people just piss me off, if you don't like your tickets, then why did you buy them in the first place?? But don't kid yourself, the Vikes will have no trouble selling out the dome until its demolished because of our die hard fan base and the low capacity of people. You stay classy Mr. Cheer or Die...

Posted by: Jon Oppold at November 5, 2005 02:37 AM

No doubt some will give them up but there will be someone to take their place. This team will be good and what else do we have to do after the High School season is over? I believe most will wait and see what Zygi does in the off season from personnel decisions to coaching.

Posted by: Lonnie at November 5, 2005 09:26 AM
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