Last week in VU Podcast Thirty-Nine I dug into the archives and let you listen to a portion of a radio show I did with Ragnar from December 5, 1998. In that podcast we interviewed Big Bad Brad (BBB) Johnson's mother, Ellen. We learned a lot about Brad such as his desired foods and that he used to emulate Superman as a small toddler. No where in there was any suggestion that BB was ever a pouting toddler.

As many ardent readers of this little blog know, I have not been reserved about ripping Daunte Culpepper, the original Poutin' Quarterback, ever since he went hermit on the media, fans, teammates, and coaches...former and current. But as one reader pointed out this week, using the Comments section found at the end of every blog entry, I should be applying the same rules to BBB. And I agree. Here is the comment:

Which poutin' quarterback are we talking about. It looks like BBB doesn't want to honor his contract if he can't have his way.

Never mind that he signed for 3 years to be a back-up. He must have been reading some of his hype on this site.

If there's a sucker out there that thinks he can beat a quality team, let's trade him. May be we can get something in return.

I like Brad a lot. But he is not the answer.

Posted by pa viking at January 16, 2006 03:34 PM

So, for those who are not up to date, why are we now saying that the team has two Poutin' QBs? Simply, that BBB has stated he wants to start....somewhere. Anywhere. As reported by the Star Tribune and ESPN:

Speaking publicly for the first time since the regular season ended, Vikings quarterback Brad Johnson told ESPN that he wants to start --for someone -- in 2006.

He confirmed the essence of a Star Tribune report that he prefers not to return to the Vikings as a backup to presumptive starter Daunte Culpepper. Johnson, who completed 62.6 percent of his passes with 12 touchdowns and four interceptions in 2005, said on ESPN's "Outside the Lines" he believes he can start for another three or four more years.

Johnson has three years remaining on a contract he signed last March.

Culpepper is recovering from major surgery to his right knee, and it is not known whether he will be healthy enough to open the season as starter. Perhaps acknowledging that fact, Johnson told ESPN, "These things have a way of working themselves out."

Now, I'm looking at a couple of things here. One, I firmly believe that Poutin' QB the First will not be ready to start the season. Therefore, we need to have Poutin' QB the Second. Otherwise the team is truly behind the eight ball before the season's opening kickoff. But more on Poutin' QB the First in a bit.

Second, I think Poutin' QB the Second is better suited to run a West Coast offense. How can one argue with that? Poutin' QB the First has never run that scheme while Poutin' QB the Second has run it much of his career. Factor in that Poutin' QB the First may not be available to learn it whilst at May mini-camp and summer training camp. So, even if Poutin' QB the First is ready to start the season physically, he may not be ready to run the offense as newly hired head coach Brad Childress desires it to be run. Thus, Poutin' QB the Second may very well be required to start the season by default.

But resolution may be made for both Poutin' QBs before May mini-camp anyway. Many of you have brushed off my comments that The Poutin' QB the First will not return to the Vikings and that he could very well become trade bait. I'm just telling it like it is...whether you want to hear it or not. But here is another story......from Pro Football Talk:

At a time when many of our readers are asking whether quarterback Daunte Culpepper wants out of Minnesota, we're hearing that the Vikings could be the ones making the decision for him.

The thinking is that new Vikings coach Brad Childress doesn't believe that Culpepper will be able to run the West Coast offense, since Culpepper hasn't shown a consistent ability to change plays based on the looks he is getting from the defense. Indeed, his only pre-snap aptitude that we've ever detected was his propensity to spot single coverage on receiver Randy Moss -- and then to chuck the ball to him deep.

The separate, and more significant, issue is Culpepper's knee, which was blown apart on October 30 at Carolina. Even if he is able to start the first regular season game, he'll need every snap in the off-season, training camp, and the preseason to enable him to get ready to run a new offense.

So it could be that, a year after the Vikings shipped Moss out of town for a relatively light package of picks and a player who didn't really contribute in 2005, the Vikes might send packing the guy who supposedly wanted Randy's bad influence out of the way so that he could lead the team without being undermined.

The objective evidence points to problems. Culpepper and Childress have yet to meet in person, and Daunte has been dissing members of the organization ever since he became a forgotten man during the team's improbable six-game winning streak. Pending criminal charges for something he claims he didn't do doesn't help matters, either.

An industry source tells us that Daunte is merely laying low as he considers the various changes to the organization, but we've got a feeling that, even if there's nothing more to it right now, it's heading in the direction of a divorce.

If Daunte is going to get moved, possible destinations are Arizona, Oakland, Miami (if offensive coordinator Scott Linehan stays), and St. Louis (if Linehan becomes the next head coach of the Rams). The Vikings have the cap room to make the move, and Culpepper's value isn't going to get any higher if he struggles for a year or two learning the new attack.

So keep an eye on this one. Barring a public smooch-fest in the near future, our guess is that the new direction in Minny won't include the quarterback whom many thought would lead the team into the next decade.

Ideally, I want both BBB and Pepper back for next season. However, it looks less and less like that will happen. One of these Poutin' QBs will be gone this year. And I sure hope it isn't both. Why? The last time something this cataclysmic occurred at the QB position was 1967. Fran Tarkenton was traded to the NY Giants. Do you recall who started at QB in the opener that season?

Anyone?

Hello?

So, the name Ron VanderKelen doesn't really stick in the ol' memory bank? Yeah, I didn't think so.

VU Podcast Forty-Two

In the latest musical podcast I pit Johnny Cash against Social Distortion in their respective versions of "Ring of Fire". Listen in to VU Podcast Forty-Two then return and vote for the version you like best.

Meanwhile

The Vikings have announced that they have enlised the assistance of a public relations firm to help win approval for a new stadium in Anoka County . The Greet Machine, a blog which follows all the stadium news for the Twin Cities closely, writes about it.